LA fires, book bans, library news, romancelandia becomes political (it has been for a while!), escapism in books, TBRCon, Microsoft 365’s AI “CoPilot”, and bookish more news and links.
From the Vault: The Calculating Stars, by Mary Robinette Kowal
The Calculating Stars was easily one of the best books I read in 2018. (Note: I reread it in January 2025, and although I have tweaked a word or two of this review for greater clarity, I wouldn’t change a single sentence.) The story is gripping; the characters are depicted so vividly they could be standing in front of you; and the details, from the physics of an asteroid impact and the experience of piloting an aircraft to the chauvinism of many men involved in the space program, appear to be spot on.
Wooing the Witch Queen, by Stephanie Burgis
Wooing the Witch Queen was an absolute delight, from its sweet, sensitive, traumatized cinnamon-roll hero to its introverted, reclusive, but decidedly not evil heroine.
Newest (Print) Additions to the Hoard
The 10 most recent physical books I added to my shelves.
Ten Ways to Hold On to Your Light Today
Ten Ways to Hold On to Your Light Today If you’re fighting despair or anxiety about the the future, particularly today, you’re not alone. Today might be a good day to unplug from news and social media and focus on things that bring you joy. I’m not suggesting you tune… Read more »
Sunday Post – 1/19/2024
Redecorating the living room, small victories, and dreading Monday.
Also, a look back at this week’s writing, reading, reviews, and blog posts, plus the weekly book haul!
On the Edge, by Ilona Andrews
It took me a little while to get into On the Edge, but once I did, I was totally hooked. This paranormal romance has great worldbuilding, compelling characters, external threats and internal conflicts that each inform and heighten the other, and a romantic pairing that I was initially dubious about and ended up loving.
Mind Games, by Nora Roberts
I read Mind Games twice in 2024 and once (already) in 2025, which tells you something about how good it is; the book has already joined the ranks of my favorite non-fantasy Nora Roberts novels. Written with Roberts’s usual skill, Mind Games pits Thea Fox, a young woman with the sight, against the psychopath who killed her parents. . .
Bookish Goals for 2025
My goals for 2025 include writing, reading, and organizing my books.
The Wishing Game, by Meg Shaffer
The Wishing Game reminds me so much of the books and series I loved as a child: the ones that made me fall in love with reading, the ones I escaped into over and over. It has the whimsy and wordplay of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (one of the author’s inspirations) without the nastiness that seemed both funny and disturbing to me even as a child. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
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