”Why We Took the Car” by Wolfgang Herrndorf

Why We Took the Car by Wolfgang HerrndorfMy rating: 3 of 5 stars “And I was insanely happy. Because you can’t hold your breath forever, but you can hold it for a pretty long time.” An angsty, snarky teenage misfit road trip across Germany, a bit of a coming-of-age story of an unlikely friendship and …

”Life in a Medieval Castle” by Joseph Gies

Life in a Medieval Castle by Joseph GiesMy rating: 3 of 5 starsI decided to read this since I have an unhealthy love of castles and because I really enjoy the idea of imagining what the actual life in the depths of history was like. But maybe it wasn’t the best idea to read this …

”Nona the Ninth” by Tamsyn Muir

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn MuirMy rating: 4 of 5 stars “Nona, sorry, but hold on,” said Palamedes. “This isn’t making as much sense as I’d like it to, and we’re short on time.” And here comes the next chapter in the absolutely bonkers story of space necromancers, the story that I’ve once described as …

”A Mirror Mended” by Alix E. Harrow

A Mirror Mended by Alix E. HarrowMy rating: 3 of 5 starsI think I can trace my general iffiness about fairy tales to a tattered book of supposedly Italian fairytales in translation which somehow found their way to my grandmother’s house when I was seven or eight. It didn’t take my annoyed kid self long …

”Into the Riverlands” by Nghi Vo

Into the Riverlands by Nghi VoMy rating: 5 of 5 starsThis was lovely. Just lovely. Understated, calm and quiet, and has that something that leaves me wonderfully content. “Sometimes you get told about it,” they said thoughtfully. “Maybe you get told about it two or three times, and you just don’t know what you’re hearing.” …

”Even Though I Knew the End” by C.L. Polk

Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. PolkMy rating: 3 of 5 starsUrban fantasy noir set in the alternate 1940s Chicago (that’s a requisite city to place your hardboiled supernatural gumshoe in, right?) with ritual murders, angels, demons, soul bargains, literal and metaphorical sacrifices and a seemingly doomed love, and done from a female …

”The Time Traveller’s Guide to Restoration Britain” by Ian Mortimer

The Time Traveller's Guide to Restoration Britain by Ian MortimerMy rating: 5 of 5 stars “It might strike you as utterly incongruous but it is a fact that in an age in which you can drink champagne and chocolate, listen to lectures by Isaac Newton and hear Purcell’s operas, bloody pieces of human corpse are …

”The Spare Man” by Mary Robinette Kowal

The Spare Man by Mary Robinette KowalMy rating: 2 of 5 starsA locked spaceship murder mystery with an obscenely rich heiress on her honeymoon and chapters starting with cocktail recipes. A lot of money and glitz and alcohol, and rich people being rich. Yeah. It’s a beach read in space to which I’m apparently indifferent.It’s …

“Nettle & Bone” by T. Kingfisher

Nettle & Bone by T. KingfisherMy rating: 4 of 5 stars“How did you get a demon in your chicken?”“The usual way. Couldn’t put it in the rooster. That’s how you get basilisks.”And that’s when I fell in love with this book. How could I not when it had such a perfect amount of cranky old …

“If You Find Yourself Speaking to God, Address God with the Informal You” by John Chu

Uncanny Magazine Issue 47: July/August 2022 by Lynne M. ThomasMy rating: 2 of 5 starsReview only for “If You Find Yourself Speaking to God, Address God with the Informal You” by John Chu, the story that attracted the attention of Locus and Nebula and Hugo Awards.The title is certainly catchy. The story, however, is unimpressive. …