ALL BOOKS
A Closed and Common Orbit - Becky Chambers
[Wayfarers #2]
June 2025
7/10, I was a bit worried that I wasn't going to like this one as much as its predecessor due to the change of cast, but I think I ended up finishing it even faster. Still don't think it hit me quite as hard, but absolutely a delightful little read.
[Wayfarers #2]
June 2025
7/10, I was a bit worried that I wasn't going to like this one as much as its predecessor due to the change of cast, but I think I ended up finishing it even faster. Still don't think it hit me quite as hard, but absolutely a delightful little read.
Conclave - Robert Harris
May 2025
7/10. Unsurprisingly, I read the book after watching the recent movie. It's a fairly direct adaptation, but the book does lack some of what makes the movie so great. (Specifically the grace of the last few scenes, striking visuals, focus on the work of the nuns, and unironically - the vape) Not to say that it is a bad book! It keeps pace pretty well while covering a lot of the mituta of the conclave process, but the movie absolutely outshines it overall.
May 2025
7/10. Unsurprisingly, I read the book after watching the recent movie. It's a fairly direct adaptation, but the book does lack some of what makes the movie so great. (Specifically the grace of the last few scenes, striking visuals, focus on the work of the nuns, and unironically - the vape) Not to say that it is a bad book! It keeps pace pretty well while covering a lot of the mituta of the conclave process, but the movie absolutely outshines it overall.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet - Becky Chambers
[Wayfarers #1]
April 2025
9/10 :) Stellar writing, fun worldbuilding, endearing characters. It is a pretty fluffy space opera, and the focus is far more on the characters than the plot itself, but that absolutely feels right for what the book is going for. I do have a favorite character. Sissix has my whole heart. Sissix deserves the world. I really want to read the rest of the books in this series, I will be attempting to get my hands on them as soon as possible.
[Wayfarers #1]
April 2025
9/10 :) Stellar writing, fun worldbuilding, endearing characters. It is a pretty fluffy space opera, and the focus is far more on the characters than the plot itself, but that absolutely feels right for what the book is going for. I do have a favorite character. Sissix has my whole heart. Sissix deserves the world. I really want to read the rest of the books in this series, I will be attempting to get my hands on them as soon as possible.
This Is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone
April 2025
10/10. This is a re-read, the first time I read it was in November 2023. Both times I blew through it in about three days. Genuinely one of my favorite books and one of the only books ever. It's sweet and sad and very sincere. I'm also a total sucker for the format of sending letters back and forth.
April 2025
10/10. This is a re-read, the first time I read it was in November 2023. Both times I blew through it in about three days. Genuinely one of my favorite books and one of the only books ever. It's sweet and sad and very sincere. I'm also a total sucker for the format of sending letters back and forth.
Immodest Acts - Judith C. Brown
March-April 2025
3/10. A biography of a 'lesbian' nun in renaissance Italy. The introduction of the book is a rather interesting look into how queer sexuality was seen and prosecuted in medieval and renaissance Europe, but I really could have put it down after that. Absolutely a dry read, but I know that's my fault for picking up a academic work for fun lol.
March-April 2025
3/10. A biography of a 'lesbian' nun in renaissance Italy. The introduction of the book is a rather interesting look into how queer sexuality was seen and prosecuted in medieval and renaissance Europe, but I really could have put it down after that. Absolutely a dry read, but I know that's my fault for picking up a academic work for fun lol.
Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking - Anya Von Bremzen
January-March 2025
10/10! What a book. Food is a such a human and intimate lens to talk about the USSR with, and the writing is engaging the whole way through. Hoping to make the borshch recipe :)
January-March 2025
10/10! What a book. Food is a such a human and intimate lens to talk about the USSR with, and the writing is engaging the whole way through. Hoping to make the borshch recipe :)
Someplace Generous - Various Authors
January 2025
7/10, I think. It's a romance anthology, and some stories really shined while others dragged the book down. A couple of my favorites were 'True to Your Heart' and 'The All-Night Deluxe Tea Room'. Overall a fun book! I want to read more romance.
January 2025
7/10, I think. It's a romance anthology, and some stories really shined while others dragged the book down. A couple of my favorites were 'True to Your Heart' and 'The All-Night Deluxe Tea Room'. Overall a fun book! I want to read more romance.
August Kitko and the Mechas from Space - Alex White
[The Starmetal Symphony #1]
August-September 2024
8/10! A fun tropey sci-fi story. Enjoyed the musical-mech theming, and the characters are endearing. Part of me wishes it was a self contained story, but I still do want to read the next one in the series.
[The Starmetal Symphony #1]
August-September 2024
8/10! A fun tropey sci-fi story. Enjoyed the musical-mech theming, and the characters are endearing. Part of me wishes it was a self contained story, but I still do want to read the next one in the series.
Gridlocked - Cody Goodfellow
August 2024
4/10 It's difficult to be too harsh about a couple small press horror short stories, but they really didn't click with me. I may just be missing something though, all the reviews I have seen were pretty positive.
August 2024
4/10 It's difficult to be too harsh about a couple small press horror short stories, but they really didn't click with me. I may just be missing something though, all the reviews I have seen were pretty positive.
A Country of Ghosts - Margaret Killjoy
August 2024
7/10, It's a fantasy novel focusing on an anarchist utopia. I think it can drag a little, but despite the premise, the characters and plot still take focus. Not entirely sure where to place this but it's an interesting read.
August 2024
7/10, It's a fantasy novel focusing on an anarchist utopia. I think it can drag a little, but despite the premise, the characters and plot still take focus. Not entirely sure where to place this but it's an interesting read.
Faltas - Cecilia Gentili
June-July 2024
9/10! The subtitle is "letters to everyone in my hometown who isn't my rapist", which I think gives a lot of the tone of the book. One of my favorite personal accounts of transness, the whole book is unflinching and consistently funny.
June-July 2024
9/10! The subtitle is "letters to everyone in my hometown who isn't my rapist", which I think gives a lot of the tone of the book. One of my favorite personal accounts of transness, the whole book is unflinching and consistently funny.
Everyone on the Moon Is Essential Personnel - Julian K. Jarboe
January 2024
7/10. Well worth reading, and while I didn't connect with everything, the stories were diverse enough in both length and topic that it wasn't really a problem. Thoroughly transgender book, both textually and spiritually. Favorite stories were 'As Tender Feet of Cretan Girls Danced Once Around an Altar of Love' and 'The Android That Designed Itself'.
January 2024
7/10. Well worth reading, and while I didn't connect with everything, the stories were diverse enough in both length and topic that it wasn't really a problem. Thoroughly transgender book, both textually and spiritually. Favorite stories were 'As Tender Feet of Cretan Girls Danced Once Around an Altar of Love' and 'The Android That Designed Itself'.
The Barrow Will Send What It May - Margaret Killjoy
[Danielle Cain #2]
November 2023
9/10! I think it's pretty easy to mishandle necromancy in fiction, but this is a nice take on it. It carries on from the first book pretty well, and the roadtrip format is fun. Waiting very patiently for the next book in the series...
[Danielle Cain #2]
November 2023
9/10! I think it's pretty easy to mishandle necromancy in fiction, but this is a nice take on it. It carries on from the first book pretty well, and the roadtrip format is fun. Waiting very patiently for the next book in the series...
The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion - Margaret Killjoy
[Danielle Cain #1]
November 2023
10/10 :) A fantasy/horror novella and my favorite thing I've read in a while. The magic system is loose but intuitive, and the worldbuilding is well-done I think. Short, but really impactful.
[Danielle Cain #1]
November 2023
10/10 :) A fantasy/horror novella and my favorite thing I've read in a while. The magic system is loose but intuitive, and the worldbuilding is well-done I think. Short, but really impactful.