Excuse me, but where did April go? This month went by so quickly, I cannot wrap my head around it. And what a roller coaster of a ride it was.
The big thing that happened to me was that my beloved Eclectus parrot, Investor, had to be put to sleep due to poor health. He was in our family for 20 years. I try to smile through the happy memories, but mostly it’s just tears.
In addition, the situation in India hit a close friend of mine in her immediate family, so I wanted to link to this thread of resources and places to donate to.
Honestly, my mind’s been a mess and the fact that I can focus on anything is a miracle.
Nino Cipri stopped by the blog this month to celebrate the release of Defekt, the unexpected sequel to Finna, which came out this month.
ARCs
- Defekt (LitenVerse #2) by Nino Cipri (2021, Adult science fiction, queer)
- We find out what became of Derek who didn’t come into work in Finna
- Dopelgangers? Dopelgangers
- Excellent interview this month with the author
- Folklorn by Angela Mi Young Hur (2021, Adult contemporary fantasy)
- A particle physicist sees a ghost she hasn’t seen in a while
- Upon returning to Sweden from Antarctica, she learns her catatonic mother died
- A beautiful exploration of family and myth with folklore serving as a character of its own
- Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon (2021, Adult fantasy horror, queer)
- An albino Black fifteen-year-old escapes a cult, gives birth to twins in the worlds, and then goes to find out what’s haunting her
- Dense with so many layers, but none exist in a silo
- The queer sex throughout is so good
Audiobooks
- All Systems Red (Murderbot Diaries #1) by Martha Wells (2017, Adult science fiction)
- A robot who just wants to watch TV gets sent on a mission to rescue a research team
- Great world-building, great voice, but I wish I loved it as much as everyone else
- The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer by Philip Carlo (2006, Adult true crime non-fiction)
- Richard Kuklinski, a Polish-American mafia hit man, killed between 15 and 200 people during his career
- Absolutely fascinating and might have sparked a few story ideas
- New York in the 80’s was terrifying as f*ck
- The Fires of Vengeance (The Burning #2) by Evan Winter (2020, Adult fantasy)
- Actions have consequences leading to epic battles, political intrigue, and stellar character development
- Did you want more dragons? There are so many more dragons
- Really rude of this book to have had an ending
- Near the Bone by Christina Henry (2021, Adult horror)
- A young woman lives in the woods with her abusive husband when a beast attacks
- The saddest horror book I have read yet
- Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach (2004, Adult science non-fiction)
- Wholesome yet absolutely grotesque, but fascinating
- Not recommended for reading while eating
- Under the Knife: The History of Surgery in 28 Remarkable Operations by Arnold van de Laar (20180, Adult science non-fiction)
- Old timey medicine is horrifying and I’m glad we’ve learned so much in the decades and centuries since
- Gross with lots of fantastic historical context
Manga
- Can’t Stop Cursing You Vol. 1 by Kensuke Koba (2021, shonen horror)
- People can make pacts with curse-gods at the price of killing a certain quota before their wish is granted
- Every character is unhinged
- It’s an unholy child forged from Death Note, Another, and Future Diary
- The Kingdoms of Ruin Vol. 1-2 by yoruhashi (2018-2019, seinen dark fantasy)
- A war of magic vs. science leads to the genocide of witches
- A boy witch comes out of prison to seek revenge
- Really big Code Geass vibes and hyperviolent
- Made in Abyss Vol. 4-5 by Akihito Tsukushi (2018-2019, seinen dark fantasy)
- These two volumes cover the recent movie that came out
- I cried for over an hour after finishing because that emotional payoff was just so much
- If Volumes 1 through 3 were too much for you, stop reading, it does not get easier
Until next month,
Jo
Jo Writes Fantasy 