Abhorsen, by Garth Nix
Relisten, of course. I started the other two last month and had to finish the series. I love Garth Nix’s worldbuilding so much. His worlds feel lived in.
Goldenhand, by Garth Nix
This is a sequel to Abhorsen that came out almost 15 years after it. It’s a fun story, but there is a lot of fan service in it that makes it not quite as compelling as the original series. This was my first listen to it.
Night Watch, by Terry Pratchett
I started the month with a lot of rereads. This continued by reread of The Watch series of Discworld books. This one that has already become a classic, getting the Penguin Classics treatment. It’s a very moving book about bad leaders and inept revolutions, and we get to see Sam Vimes as a green youngster.
Sandor Katz's Fermentation Journeys, by Sandor Ellix Katz
My first nonfiction in a while. As I love to ferment, this book was a fascinating walk through how fermentation is different, and how similar, it is around the world. I really enjoyed it.
Full Speed to a Crash Landing, by Beth Revis
Fast-paced novella about an idealistic government agent searching for a technology that could regenerate the earth and a clever scavenger who also has a stake in the tech. The tech is aboard a ship that crash landed onto a molten planet and they have to find it before the ship falls into the lava.
The Door, by Magda Szabo
The first book I read by this author, Abigail, I loved. This book is moving and masterful and full of taut emotion and it’s just about two women—one old and one younger, one a cleaning lady and the other an author—and their fraught, but ultimately loving, relationship. Not much happens, but Szabo’s writing keeps you turning the pages as fast as you can. I really enjoyed this book and am still thinking of it.
A Master of Djinn, by P. Djèlí Clark
A fun steampunk romp through an alternate history where an Egyptian mystic opened a doorway between worlds allowing Djinn to come into the world and bring their magic with them. In 1912 Cairo, Fatma works for the Ministry that oversees magic and magical creatures. When a group of British colonialists die mysteriously, Fatma is assigned to solve the case. The mystic who opened the worlds, who disappeared a generation before, suddenly appears, Fatma’s case becomes more complicated. With the help of her new partner, Hadia, and her clever lover, Siti, they become involved in a world-shattering conspiracy.
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, by Shannon Chakraborty
I loved this book. It was another person’s pick for book club and I couldn’t have been happier about it. Medieval middle east piracy (based on real history), middle-aged woman MC, legends holding a grain of truth, and a crew of talented, experienced sailors. Read it. It’s a delight.
Old Friends and New Fancies, by Sybil G. Brinton
This is considered to be the first published sequel to Jane Austen’s novel. Or, as I like to think of it, the first published fan fiction. The book has characters from all six novels. The primary characters are Georgiana Darcy, Captain Fitzwilliam, Mary Crawford, and William Price. It is a charming story and interesting to read. The author only published this book, but she took a lot of pains to make this a true-to-Jane’s characters and treats them with love.
Temple Alley Summer, by Sachiko Kashiwaba, trans. by Avery Fischer Udagawa
Last month I read The Village Beyond the Mist by the same author and adored it. That books is one of the author’s earliest books. This is one of her most recent—separated by about 40 years. It was also a delight. People can come back to life if someone wishes hard enough for them to. But that has knock-on effects in the real world, as Kazu finds out when a girl called Akari suddenly shows up.
Cloche and Dagger, by Jenn McKinlay
A cozy mystery set in a storied milliner’s shop in the heart of London. My friend sent it to me as a birthday present and it was a nice “potato chip”-kind of read. The mystery was well thought out with a nice twist to it.
Relisten, of course. I started the other two last month and had to finish the series. I love Garth Nix’s worldbuilding so much. His worlds feel lived in.
Goldenhand, by Garth Nix
This is a sequel to Abhorsen that came out almost 15 years after it. It’s a fun story, but there is a lot of fan service in it that makes it not quite as compelling as the original series. This was my first listen to it.
Night Watch, by Terry Pratchett
I started the month with a lot of rereads. This continued by reread of The Watch series of Discworld books. This one that has already become a classic, getting the Penguin Classics treatment. It’s a very moving book about bad leaders and inept revolutions, and we get to see Sam Vimes as a green youngster.
Sandor Katz's Fermentation Journeys, by Sandor Ellix Katz
My first nonfiction in a while. As I love to ferment, this book was a fascinating walk through how fermentation is different, and how similar, it is around the world. I really enjoyed it.
Full Speed to a Crash Landing, by Beth Revis
Fast-paced novella about an idealistic government agent searching for a technology that could regenerate the earth and a clever scavenger who also has a stake in the tech. The tech is aboard a ship that crash landed onto a molten planet and they have to find it before the ship falls into the lava.
The Door, by Magda Szabo
The first book I read by this author, Abigail, I loved. This book is moving and masterful and full of taut emotion and it’s just about two women—one old and one younger, one a cleaning lady and the other an author—and their fraught, but ultimately loving, relationship. Not much happens, but Szabo’s writing keeps you turning the pages as fast as you can. I really enjoyed this book and am still thinking of it.
A Master of Djinn, by P. Djèlí Clark
A fun steampunk romp through an alternate history where an Egyptian mystic opened a doorway between worlds allowing Djinn to come into the world and bring their magic with them. In 1912 Cairo, Fatma works for the Ministry that oversees magic and magical creatures. When a group of British colonialists die mysteriously, Fatma is assigned to solve the case. The mystic who opened the worlds, who disappeared a generation before, suddenly appears, Fatma’s case becomes more complicated. With the help of her new partner, Hadia, and her clever lover, Siti, they become involved in a world-shattering conspiracy.
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, by Shannon Chakraborty
I loved this book. It was another person’s pick for book club and I couldn’t have been happier about it. Medieval middle east piracy (based on real history), middle-aged woman MC, legends holding a grain of truth, and a crew of talented, experienced sailors. Read it. It’s a delight.
Old Friends and New Fancies, by Sybil G. Brinton
This is considered to be the first published sequel to Jane Austen’s novel. Or, as I like to think of it, the first published fan fiction. The book has characters from all six novels. The primary characters are Georgiana Darcy, Captain Fitzwilliam, Mary Crawford, and William Price. It is a charming story and interesting to read. The author only published this book, but she took a lot of pains to make this a true-to-Jane’s characters and treats them with love.
Temple Alley Summer, by Sachiko Kashiwaba, trans. by Avery Fischer Udagawa
Last month I read The Village Beyond the Mist by the same author and adored it. That books is one of the author’s earliest books. This is one of her most recent—separated by about 40 years. It was also a delight. People can come back to life if someone wishes hard enough for them to. But that has knock-on effects in the real world, as Kazu finds out when a girl called Akari suddenly shows up.
Cloche and Dagger, by Jenn McKinlay
A cozy mystery set in a storied milliner’s shop in the heart of London. My friend sent it to me as a birthday present and it was a nice “potato chip”-kind of read. The mystery was well thought out with a nice twist to it.
