01/01/2022

2022 Bookish Hype Train

By Jo ¶ Posted in Ramblings, Reading Recap ¶ Tagged 2022, A.J. White, Aden Polydoros, Alechia Dow, Alexandra Overy, Ally Wilkes, Alma Katsu, amreading, Ava Reid, Becky Chambers, Bethany C. Morrow, books, Chelsea Abdulla, Claire Legrand, fantasy, Francesca Tacchi, H.A. Clarke, Hannah Whitten, hype, Isaac Fellman, John Langan, Jordan Kurella, Kritika H. Rao, Lara Elena Donelly, Mar Romasco Moore, Maya Deane, Mike Chen, Naseem Jamnia, Nghi Vo, Nita Tyndall, R.F. Kuang, R.J. Theodore, R.M. Romero, Rebecca Mix, Ryan La Sala, Sam J. Miller, Sarah Gailey, science fiction, Tamsyn Muir, Tasha Suri, Victor Manibo ¶ 1 Comment

2022 will continue to slap as far as reading goes. So many old faves releasing new work, several new blog interviews to come. You are in for a year that will turn that to be read list into a to be read horde.

Continue reading →

09/30/2021

August and September 2021 Reading Recap

By Jo ¶ Posted in Ramblings, Reading Recap ¶ Tagged Akihito Tsukushi, amreading, books, Cadwell Turnbull, Caitlin Starling, Cassandra Khaw, Cassie Hart, contemporary, coolkyousinnjya, Daruma Matsuura, fantasy, Harold Schechter, Holly Jackson, horror, Jason Sanford, Katherine Arden, Kentaro Sato, Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, Lee Mandelo, Manga, Merc Fenn Wolfmoor, Nathaniel Philbrick, Nick Cutter, queer, renji, Ryu Murakami, science fiction, shonen, Tasha Suri, young adult, Zoje Stage ¶ Leave a comment

August and September were two months I can only describe as liminal spaces. Long story short, we moved into one apartment, and then transferred to another apartment. I didn’t feel like doing an August recap without having settled in. So here we are. I’ve also been busy otherwise.

I did several author interviews (and there are so many more to come):

Continue reading →

08/29/2021

Review: THE JASMINE THRONE (The Burning #1) by Tasha Suri (2021)

By Jo ¶ Posted in Ramblings, Reviews ¶ Tagged adult, audible, audiobook, fantasy, queer, Tasha Suri ¶ 1 Comment

Genre: Adult Fantasy
Year Release: 2021
Source: Audible

Listened to the audiobook
Content warnings: Immolation, suicide, drug abuse and recovery, sibling abuse, gaslighting, execution by elephant, homophobia (both internal and external)

Malini’s tyrant of a brother locked her up in the Hirana, a decaying temple, and Priya is one of the many servants employed to take care of her. But when Malini witnesses the secret Priya tries to hide, the two form a tense alliance which can change the structure of an empire forever.

This book has so many things: swoony writing, intricate politics, kind people at the end of their rope, thorough depictions of the different political and social strata. There’s also plant magic, waters with mystical regenerative properties, mythologies that contradict, a magical plague, and then some. It’s a treat for any fantasy lover.

Continue reading →

01/01/2021

2021 Bookish Hype Train

By Jo ¶ Posted in Ramblings, Reading Recap ¶ Tagged 2021, A.M. Strickland, Alexandra Overy, amreading, Anna-Marie McLemore, Arkady Martine, Ashley Shuttleworth, books, C.L. Clark, Cadwell Turnbull, Caitlin Starling, Cassandra Khaw, Catherynne Valente, Charlie Jane Anders, E. Lily Yu, Elana K. Arnold, Emily A. Duncan, fantasy, Fonda Lee, Fran Wilde, Genevieve Gornichec, H.A. Clarke, Hannah Whitten, hype, Imbolo Mbue, Jen Karner, K.M. Szpara, Karin Tidbeck, Kerstin Hall, Mervyn Peake, Mike Chen, Nghi Vo, Nicole Glover, Nino Cipri, Rivers Solomon, Roseanne A. Brown, Ryka Aoki, S.T. Gibson, Sarah Beth Durst, Sarah Gailey, Sarah Porter, science fiction, Scott Hawkins, Shelley Parker-Chan, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Stephen Graham Jones, Sylvain Neuvel, Tasha Suri, Victoria Lee, Vivian Shaw ¶ 1 Comment

2020 was trash, but brought us many, many gifts in terms of books that came out. Here are the presents coming to us in 2021 that I’m personally far too excited to read.

Continue reading →