Category: Book Reviews

Inventive Weaving on a Little Loom, by Syne Mitchell

An essential and comprehensive resource for rigid heddle loom weavers at every level from beginner to advanced.

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping, by Sangu Mandanna

What a lovely, warm hug of a book! Cozy, heartwarming, and enchanting (but never saccharine or twee), A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping centers around found family, love, acceptance, healing, and the strength of rebuilding yourself after disaster.

Sweep of the Blade, by Ilona Andrews (Graphic Audio edition)

I absolutely loved the first three books in the Innkeeper Chronicles, so given that this book changes focus to a new pair of main characters, I was a little nervous that I wouldn’t like it as much. But I needn’t have worried. I was every bit as swept up in this story as I was in the first three.

Harmonic Pleasure, by Celia Lake

I loved this latest Albion novel from Celia Lake, which features music, magic, history, and romance in 1920s London.

Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer

In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer shares stories of her life as child, mother, teacher; of the plants and animals around us; and of creation itself. These beautifully written essays mingle her own experiences, indigenous wisdom, and scientific knowledge in luminous, evocative prose.

Carry On, by Celia Lake

I really love this quiet, thoughtful, slow-paced (but never dull) novel. Technically, it is a historical fantasy romance, but the romance is only one facet of the relationship between the main characters, and only one facet of the plot. There’s also a bit of a mystery threaded throughout, although the book isn’t quite a mystery novel, either.

The Martian Contingency, by Mary Robinette Kowal

I loved returning to the Lady Astronaut universe after several years. This installment looks at the Second Mars Expedition, and the start of the permanent colony. Elma York is back as the first-person narrator, and this book brings her arc to a satisfying point, if not the end of her adventures.

The Blonde Identity, by Ally Carter

Rom-com meets action-adventure spy novel in The Blonde Identity. It’s full of danger, chase scenes, and action sequences, but it’s also funny and sexy and frothy in all the right ways. And it hits some familiar romance and spy novel tropes in ways that somehow feel comfortingly familiar and fresh at the same time.

Murder by Memory, by Olivia Waite

A cozy mystery set on a generation spaceship, Murder by Memory features a practical, wise, and observant detective who unexpectedly finds herself inhabiting the body of… a murderer? A victim? Or both?

This Side of Murder, by Anna Lee Huber

The Verity Kent series gets off to a good start with This Side of Murder. Huber revisits the classic “trapped on an island with a killer” trope, but gives it tension and immediacy… Huber is skilled at plotting, characterization, and atmosphere. I found all three here, plus a believable, complex heroine.