Against the Currant, by Olivia Matthews
A cute mystery set in a new bakery in Little Caribbean, Brooklyn. Lyndsay has always wanted to have a neighborhood bakery and now her dream has come true with the help of her family. However, before opening day, Lyndsay’s rival neighborhood baker has turned up dead and all the evidence is pointing at her. She needs to find the real killer before a bad rap closes her bakery before it can even get started. Potato chip read/listen. Kept me company for Thanksgiving prep.
System Collapse, by Martha Wells
Reread, of course. And of course I loved it.
Disintegrate/Dissociate, by Arielle Twist
A poetry collection by a trans native poet. This work has won several awards, but did not really hook me. The poems about her native heritage were interesting. But those were overshadowed by too many poems about trying to find someone to see her and love her beyond a sexual encounter. Those poems, while full of emotion, reminded me of my own poetry when I was in my early twenties. Too focused on my own personal pain without trying to place it in the context of something larger. This poet is still quite young and I will be interested to see where she takes her poetry.
Freiren: Beyond Journey’s End, volume 1 & 2
When we meet Freiren, an elf mage, she and her crew are being celebrated for defeating the Demon King and bringing peace to the land. The ten years it took them to do it was just a blip in Freiren’s long life. So is the following fifty years and she is surprised when her crew has gotten old and is dying off. It’s hard for her to understand human life, but she is starting to try when she takes on a new apprentice. Lovely start to a manga series I’m looking forward to continuing.
Jezebel’s Daughter, by Wilkie Collins
Ostensibly a mystery, but really an exploration of how far a desperate mother will go to ensure the fortune of her beloved daughter. Told by David some 50 years after the events take place, he describes how a proud, beautiful woman lies, cheats, and kills to make sure her daughter can marry her rich lover. Kind of boring, unfortunately. I was listening to this one and put up the speed past 1.5 because so little happens.
A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains, by Isabella Bird
This book is a gosh darn delight. I’ve read books by Bird before, but somehow this one—probably her most famous—slipped by me. Isabella Bird was a British explorer in the last half of the 1800s. Her books are based on the letters she wrote to her sister, so they have a cozy, friendly vibe. She traveled all over the world by herself and spent five months in the US west. Primarily in the (then) remote Estes Park, Colorado. Her descriptions of the landscape and people are gorgeous. Her daring-do is jaw-dropping. Highly recommend!
A cute mystery set in a new bakery in Little Caribbean, Brooklyn. Lyndsay has always wanted to have a neighborhood bakery and now her dream has come true with the help of her family. However, before opening day, Lyndsay’s rival neighborhood baker has turned up dead and all the evidence is pointing at her. She needs to find the real killer before a bad rap closes her bakery before it can even get started. Potato chip read/listen. Kept me company for Thanksgiving prep.
System Collapse, by Martha Wells
Reread, of course. And of course I loved it.
Disintegrate/Dissociate, by Arielle Twist
A poetry collection by a trans native poet. This work has won several awards, but did not really hook me. The poems about her native heritage were interesting. But those were overshadowed by too many poems about trying to find someone to see her and love her beyond a sexual encounter. Those poems, while full of emotion, reminded me of my own poetry when I was in my early twenties. Too focused on my own personal pain without trying to place it in the context of something larger. This poet is still quite young and I will be interested to see where she takes her poetry.
Freiren: Beyond Journey’s End, volume 1 & 2
When we meet Freiren, an elf mage, she and her crew are being celebrated for defeating the Demon King and bringing peace to the land. The ten years it took them to do it was just a blip in Freiren’s long life. So is the following fifty years and she is surprised when her crew has gotten old and is dying off. It’s hard for her to understand human life, but she is starting to try when she takes on a new apprentice. Lovely start to a manga series I’m looking forward to continuing.
Jezebel’s Daughter, by Wilkie Collins
Ostensibly a mystery, but really an exploration of how far a desperate mother will go to ensure the fortune of her beloved daughter. Told by David some 50 years after the events take place, he describes how a proud, beautiful woman lies, cheats, and kills to make sure her daughter can marry her rich lover. Kind of boring, unfortunately. I was listening to this one and put up the speed past 1.5 because so little happens.
A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains, by Isabella Bird
This book is a gosh darn delight. I’ve read books by Bird before, but somehow this one—probably her most famous—slipped by me. Isabella Bird was a British explorer in the last half of the 1800s. Her books are based on the letters she wrote to her sister, so they have a cozy, friendly vibe. She traveled all over the world by herself and spent five months in the US west. Primarily in the (then) remote Estes Park, Colorado. Her descriptions of the landscape and people are gorgeous. Her daring-do is jaw-dropping. Highly recommend!
