steph

DNF. There's a plot in here, but it's buried under someone telling you the intricate plot points of a high fantasy novel that doesn't make any sense if you haven't read it for yourself.

Thanks for the ARC, tor!

The Everlasting is an infinitely romantic, sexy, exciting, grand adventure through time with two of the most likeable characters I've ever met... and one of the least sympathetic villains I think I've ever encountered. 13/10 no notes.

Thanks to Tor and Edelweiss for the digital ARC!

Holy shit.

That's it for now. Maybe I'll write more soon.

It's rare to read the unfiltered thoughts of a narrator and find it interesting, and yet Sister Svangerd and the Not Quite Dead pulls it off somehow. I will say there were times I had to put this book down because of the sheer amount of intellectual, religious arguments that were both probably incredibly allegorical and also true to the real world and I'm just not versed enough to understand. Even still, this book works in a way I can't explain. It's funny, witty, adventurous, and intelligent.

Thanks for the DRC!

Thank you to Edelweiss and DAW for the DRC! 

Wiswell does it again! This was an absolutely beautiful version of the Heracles labors. It started out so funny, got me hooked, and then kept me on the line with it's clever and emotional storytelling. I loved all of the characters, and the entire thing. No notes. 

This was my last ARC from Netgalley before they slammed the door shut on eink possibilities. So thanks to the publisher for the ARC, but I will not be thanking Netgalley. 

Anyway. 

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil was great! Sad and horny and really well done. 

I'll admit that I had a hard time getting into this at first because I just wasn't sure how it all tied together, the 3 characters stories seemed so separated. But it paid off to stick with it. 

I think fans of Addie will be really pleased with this one. 

I am in this book and did not like it .. until I did, which is maybe the whole dang point. 

I had to read this in small parts, maybe a chapter or shorter at a time. There was a lot in here that I had to really think about and wonder about my own behaviors.

If you want to really evaluate yourself and your own biases, start with The Age of Magical Overthinking. 

 Thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the digital ARC! 

I absolutely love Matt Kracht's Dumb Field Guides. I love them so much I bought The Big Dumb Bird Journal. 

It was nice to see some of my favorite Worst Birds in this book! And the Bummr Rating's were great, and definitely inconsistent enough to make me read each and every one. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Timber Press for the digital ARC!

With How Can I Help, Tallamy accomplishes the near unthinkable – making conservation and change easy to understand and possible to enact in your own backyard. 

Answering questions like “what insects are in decline other than honey bees and butterflies,” and “how to caterpillars find host plants,” Tallamy provides quick and informative access to complicated issues facing the plants and animals in the country. His answers help redefine insects, birds, and bats from nuisance to vital part of the ecosystem for people who have all too often demonized them. 

I'll be recommending this to all of my gardening friends who love seeing butterflies, but hate sharing their plants with caterpillars. 

What. A. Book!

I didn't know what to expect from this based on the description, but wow was I floored. Dracula from the perspective of the ship is what I was expecting, and I got that and so very much more!

I want to recommend Of Monsters and Mainframes to everyone I've ever met. From it's lovable cast of AI ships, classic monsters, and ethically questionable ship doctor-robots, to it's tightly plotted storyline, it consumed me for days! I don't read that quickly anymore, but every free moment I had was dedicated to reading this book.

It's also so fucking funny. Like, seriously. I kept laughing and then having to read passages to my husband, who also got more than a few chuckles out of it. The phrase “Fuck yeah, robot arm” has become a mainstay in our apartment.

I really just can't say enough great things about Of Monsters and Mainframes. The more I think about it, the more I realize how expertly plotted it is, and how wonderfully the plot is driven by the characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bindery Books/Ezeekat Press for the digital ARC. I can't wait to order a physical copy and read it all over again!

Dan & I saw this on quite a few staff picks or suggested reading displays, listed as a “whimsical” or “comforting” read. Dan was upset about this, and said it was nothing of the sort.

So I offered to read it and tell him if he was remembering it correctly.

While the childlike wonder of Piranesi is really wonderful, and probably lends itself to the whimsical label people give it .. it is not a comforting or whimsical tale. It's about deceit, and betrayal, and loneliness.

As usual, Dan is correct.

Beautiful, bittersweet, heart breaking, and perfect.

Readers who expect too much explanation of How Stuff Works will be disappointed. But that lack of explanation is what makes this so beautiful. The unknown and unknowable is what makes the magic.

Thanks to Tor and Netgalley for the digital ARC, and to Tor for providing a physical ARC to my library. I'm going to end up preordering it just to see what these illustrations are!

More like roMANtasy.
Sorry, I'll see my way out...

I was given an eARC by Tor and NetGalley for the upcoming re-issue (I think).

A cute little story, to be sure, with some steamy parts. Halla was an interesting enough perspective character, and I loved that she weaponized certain parts of her personality to come out in the middle most of her life.

I know it's an ARC, but there were some style choices that I kept thinking were typos. The characters interrupt themselves with “err” a fair bit, and sentences just stop without any punctuation. It happened enough that I have to believe it's on purpose, but it was distracting enough that I found my way to re-reading whole paragraphs to see if I missed something further up. I'd rate it higher if it weren't for those things.

And also plot points that just ... die, I guess? I'd explain more, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone.

The real deal of the whole thing is Brindle. Five stars for Brindle.

Requested for West Virginia, read for general interest. There were times this book was sort of outside of my understanding, since I've never had land enough to think about these sorts of things. But Whyman's storytelling is both good and relatable. The first few paragraphs really spell out why returning land to itself is vitally important in a climate crisis that no one seems ready to take responsibility for on a macro level.

Thanks for the digital ARC, Timber Press and Netgalley!

What a beautiful collection of poetry and illustrations! The intros to each section are wonderful, and it's easy to read one section at a time. I thought it would be weird to read Gerard Manley Hopkins and then Joy Harjo a few pages later, but Deming has done an excellent job editing this collection to flow smoothly.

I requested this specifically for Aimee Nezhukumatathil, but I got so much more than I expected.

Thanks to NetGalley and Storey for the digital ARC!

what the fuck

A fine end to the prophecy... I'd share more, but it would all be spoilers.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor for the digital ARC!

For people who love the deeply personal, but scientific works of Sy Montgomery or Margaret Renkl. Truly a beautiful read – though hard to hear how our many choices have impacted not only our lives, but the lives of so many other living things on this planet.

Great collection essays on science, but not science writing. It's accessible to the average reader, beautiful, and, at times, heartbreaking.

This is a twisty, turny, crazy ride. Like Anna, I really wanted some answers like “why?????” But I like the afterword and the sociological breakdown it provided, even if the answer never came from the perpetrator.

I'm glad I listened to this because it reads as a play by play of years of intense psychological manipulation and emotional abuse (which is particularly triggering if you have a history of dating emotionally and verbally abusive monsters, no matter what form they manifest in).

I can't wait to see what happens in the third book! Moving on to that ARC now. Thanks, Tor!

Also what the hell is that horse made of?

What a beautiful book! The illustrations are really lovely. But the highlight for me? The index! In a way. I know, I'm a super nerd, but proper indexing is an artform. I wish it had two indexes, one by meaning (the current index) and an alphabetical index. Regardless, the index by meaning is just so good, and would be perfect if it had page numbers.

I think this would make an excellent gift for so many people I know.

Gosh. I sure love a cozy fantasy. Did I know that about myself? I sure didn't!

I'm not sure I can say much that hasn't been said. This is a sweet little story, featuring a Dark Wizard (or four), a princess, several charming Goblins, and a chicken... Ahm. Rooster.

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for an advanced copy of The Night Guest.

I almost didn't read this based on another review that said it contained “a lot of cat murder,” but I'm glad I put that concern aside. Horror can either contain entirely too much graphic depictions of abusing or hurting animals, or it can be a point for the character that doesn't linger but makes an impact. This doesn't linger, and I'm grateful for authors who manage to walk that fine line.

I love a cryptic thriller horror book with some fantastical elements and this did not disappoint! I don't want to include many details because I don't want to spoil it.

And also I want to wear my smart watch to sleep every night forever.

I'm glad I went into reading this without any information. I read it based on a recommendation, and I didn't read the description before diving in. I'm having a hard time writing a review that doesn't contain spoilers.

Can I just say I liked it a lot?