So. Many. Exciting. Books. October/November is bursting at the seams with titles that I am itching to get my hands on. If I could, I would clear my calendar and hole up with these books until Christmas. Without further ado, here is a list to spur you on to your local indie bookstore. October 25 … Continue reading Fall 2022 is Outdoing Itself: Forthcoming Fiction Titles to Get Excited About
The trees are a flare of colour, the sky is a steadfast blue, the smoky and sweet scents of bonfires and pumpkin spice are in the air — yes, it's autumn, the best season of them all. I've been saving Comet Weather by Liz Williams for just this moment in time, and it was the … Continue reading The Perfect Book for Autumn, Prove Me Wrong: Comet Weather by Liz Williams
Call it September vibes if you want, but I'm on a bit of a dark academia binge at the moment (the genre, not the aesthetic—although I do love me some corduroy, if you must know). In pursuit of which I just read the viral sensation The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake. I have conflicting thoughts … Continue reading Dark Academia: The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
The Nomeolvides women are bound by three things: 1. Anyone they fall in love with vanishes.2. If they leave the bounds of La Pradera, the estate they live on, they will die. 3. They can make flowers grow from their fingertips. Feiwal and Friends, 2017 Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore is a gorgeous fairy tale … Continue reading Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore
I've been a fan of Rainbow Rowell for a long time. She is one of my all-time favourite comfort-read authors, and Fangirl has long been my number one pick of her books (I wrote one of my first blog posts about it). However, these days the Simon Snow trilogy has elbowed its way to the … Continue reading In Which I Talk at Length About Rainbow Rowell’s Simon Snow Trilogy, and Eat Sour Cherry Scones
In an abandoned royal compound surrounded by haunted birch barrens and a glowing lake, an old peasant woman spins stories. A young cleric listens, and writes records. A magical bird listens, and remembers. The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo is a small and perfectly spare novella. In spite of its brevity, it … Continue reading Come for the Intrigue, Stay for the Impeccability: The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo
I've been somewhat immersed in the Brontës for the past month. I didn't mean to be, but it all started with a podcast and it snowballed from there. The podcast in question is On Eyre from Hot and Bothered (a Not Sorry Production). The hosts Vanessa Zoltan and Lauren Sandler do a thorough and wonderful … Continue reading A Brontëful Season
I often dream about water. Floods, rains, storms at sea, currents of water bearing me away. Sometimes I struggle to keep my head above its surface. Occasionally I fly or sail above it. But more often than not, my dreams are watery. Susanna Clarke's long-anticipated second novel, Piranesi, fantastically combines these two elements. It has … Continue reading Uncannily Peaceful: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Keeping in line with my inadvertent summer theme of fantasy novels, I recently turned the last page on A Deadly Education, the first book in Naomi Novik's projected Scholomance trilogy. This has been by far my favourite Naomi Novik book—for me, neither Uprooted nor Spinning Silver lived up to their hype. But this one I … Continue reading A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik, Romanian folklore, and some thoughts about perfectionism
There's nothing like some good fantasy and some deeply engaging storytelling for the depths of the summer, in my humble opinion. And my latest good read not only combines both of those things, but also has a true heart of gold. The book I'm talking about is Elatsoe, by Darcie Little Badger. Hot Tip: Always … Continue reading Storytelling, Magic, and a Whole Lotta Heart: Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
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