This is going to be such a difficult review to write, for various reasons. So let me say this first: I really liked this book, even though I think I probably didn’t understand all of it. Maybe even a lot of it. But whatever I say beneath the cut, let me recommend this to you, especially as an audiobook, which helps keep the POVs apart a little better. Now, on to me trying to collect and order my thoughts. GOLIATH by Tochi Onyebuchi Published: Tordotcom, 2022 Ebook: 336 pages Audiobook: 12 hours, 20 minutes Narrated by: Adam Lazarre-White, JD Jackson, Juliana Vélez, Kevin R. Free, Nidra Sous L ..read more

I find it very cool that a Nobel Prize winning author keeps coming back to speculative fiction. I first read Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day years ago (adored it!), then went on to his novel Never Let Me Go which was already very much in the realm of science fiction, even if it was subtly done. Now, with Klara, there’s no hiding the SF and, it appears, no wish to. Which makes me happy. Also, it happens to be excellently written and offer food for thought. KLARA AND THE SUN by Kazuo Ishiguro Published: Knopf, 2021 Ebook: 418 pages Standalone My rating: 7.5/10 Opening line: When we were new ..read more

It may only be Travis Baldree’s second book, but his name is becoming synonymous with “cozy fantasy” and I find that very comforting. Whenever I need a dose of… well, this, I can rest assured that a Travis Baldree book will do the job. So lean back, relax, and take a trip down memory lane as we explore Viv’s past, long before she opened that adorable café and got us all hyped up about an entire sub-genre. BOOKSHOPS & BONEDUST by Travis Baldree narrated by Travis Baldree Published: Tor, 2023 ebook: 339 pages Audiobook: 8 hours Series: Legends & Lattes #0 My rating: 7/10 Opening line ..read more

It’s been a hot minute since I made any effort to read the books on that old NPR’s Top 100 SFF novels list. I honestly don’t have much ambition to finish that particular list anymore (too many old-timey fantasies are just so disappointing, why should I torture myself with them?), but there’s always room for a little Star Wars. And when you hand the boyfriend your TBR, it’s not only possible, but quite likely, he’s going to gravitate towards the Star Wars book. And here we are, with me finally reading the Thrawn Trilogy (no longer canon). HEIR TO THE EMPIRE by Timothy Zahn Published: Bantam Sp ..read more

Joan He is one of my favorite underrated/underknown writers. When she burst into my reading life with Descendant of the Crane, I was so relieved that YA fantasy could still do such new and refreshing things (and with so many plot twists!). Then The Ones We’re Meant to Find hit home in a different way, but had me equally enraptured. Of course I couldn’t stay away from her duology, retelling The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The only reason I waited so long to read the first part is so I wouldn’t have to wait long for the second one. I am patting myself on the back now, because that was a smart ..read more

I am on a roll here. But hey, with the Hugo finalists out in the world, I always get this boost of motivation. And since we’re all home sick at the moment, my toddler’s attention is no longer focused on me 100% of the time, only about 85%. Which means, time to catch up on reviews, yay! Nghi Vo’s 2023 instalment in the Singing Hills Cycle was one of my two favorites. And seeing how they are all great, that really means something. MAMMOTHS AT THE GATES by Nghi Vo Published: Tordotcom, 2023 Ebook: 123 pages Series: The Singing Hills Cycle #4 My rating: 8/10 Opening line: “—and that was how we go ..read more

Ah, John Scalzi, you always manage to get a few chuckles out of me, don’t you? After the hilarious silliness that was the Kaiju Preservation Society, I kind of knew what I was getting myself into when I picked up his latest novel. I mean… it has a cat in a suit on the cover – one of the coolest covers ever, btw – so you know it’s not going to take itself seriously. STARTER VILLAIN by John Scalzi Published: Tor, 2023 Ebook: 336 pages Standalone My rating: 6/10 Opening line: I learned about the death of my uncle Jake in a deeply unexpected way, which was from the CNBC Squawk Box morni ..read more

I’m working my way through Ali Hazelwood’s STEM-inist romance novels and so far the experience has been very rewarding. I liked The Love Hypothesis a lot, but I loooooved Love on the Brain. This is Hazelwood’s first foray into SFF, so I thought it was perfect for someone like me. It ended up being okay. BRIDE by Ali Hazelwood Published by: Berkeley, 2024 Ebook: 403 pages Audiobook: 12 hours, 47 minutes narrated by: Thérèse Plummer, Will Damron Standalone My rating: 6/10 Opening line: This war of ours, the one between the Vampyres and the Weres, began several centuries ago with brutal escalati ..read more

It is officially Hugo Finalist Reading Season in which we attempt to read ALL THE BOOKS and catch up on those long series we’ve been neglecting. As every year, I’m going to talk a little bit about the categories that I care most about and let others discuss the rest. The entire list of finalists can be found here. In brackets, I’ll include my already-read-count, to see how much I have to catch up on. It’s… pretty bad this year, I’m not gonna lie. On This Year’s Hugo Awards in General It is so nice to see how seriously Glasgow 2024 are taking this, considering the clusterfuck that was last year ..read more

Lots of news this month, so let’s get right into it. Quickie News The Nebula Award finalists have been announced and it’s a great looking shortlist! I have only read one of the Best Novel finalists, but the rest are all on my TBR. And at least two of them just climbed up much higher on the priority list. Congratulations to all the finalists! So have the Hugo Award finalists! My first impressions/reaction post is in the works, but for now let me just say CONGRATULATIONS to all the finalists. It looks to be a cool and interesting year with lots of books for me to catch up on. Vernor Vinge ..read more