Once again, it’s time for some rapid fire reviews! Because sometimes you don’t always have a ton to say (regardless of whether or not you liked a book).
Welcome to the HMS Fairweather, Her Majesty’s most luxurious interstellar passenger liner! Room and board are included, new bodies are graciously provided upon request, and should you desire a rest between lifetimes, your mind shall be most carefully preserved in glass in the Library, shielded from every danger. Near the topmost deck of an interstellar generation ship, Dorothy Gentleman wakes up in a body that isn’t hers – just as someone else is found murdered. As one of the ship’s detectives, Dorothy usually delights in unraveling the schemes on board the Fairweather, but when she finds that someone is not only killing bodies but purposefully deleting minds from the Library, she realises something even more sinister is afoot.
Have you ever wondered what it might look like if Becky Chambers wrote a cosy, Agatha Christie-esque murder mystery? I think it would look a bit like Olivia Waite’s wonderful novella Murder by Memory. I was extremely excited to read this sci-fi mystery, especially having read and loved The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics a few years ago. This bite sized mystery story is a wonderfully cosy read with fantastic world-building and great characters. I cannot recommend this more highly, especially if you love the peaceful worlds of Becky Chambers’ Wayfarer series.
Many thanks to Tor US for providing me with a copy of this book for review.
These are the stories of the Greek goddesses. As fearsome, powerful and beloved as their male counterparts, it’s time to look beyond the columns of a ruined temple to the awesome power within . . .
We meet Hera, who, whilst most often known for enacting vicious, creative revenge on the women – mortal or otherwise – who catch the wandering eye of her husband Zeus, turns out not to be such a villain after all.
We meet Demeter, a mother who will go to any lengths, no matter the cost, to retrieve her daughter Persephone from Hades’ clutches.
We’ll be introduced to The Furies, three women who will literally go to the ends of the earth to enact bloody vengeance but who, surprisingly, are the goddesses who can teach us the most about the way we live now.
Examining the role of these goddesses and more, Divine Might will change everything you thought you knew about our most ancient stories. Full of fire, fury and devotion, Natalie Haynes brings the divine women of Olympia kicking and screaming into the modern age.
This is the second Haynes book I’ve read this year and I am really enjoying her excellent writing and trademark wit. Divine Might is a nonfiction book about Greek goddesses, each getting her own chapter. She doesn’t gloss over the ugly side of mythology, but gives the reader a lot of food for thought regarding these complex women. I have gained a newfound adoration of Hestia.
Is it a lot like Pandora’s Jar? Yes. Did I enjoy both this and Pandora’s Jar? Also yes.
Transness is as varied and colorful as magic can be. In Transmogrify!, you’ll embark on fourteen different adventures alongside unforgettable characters who embody many different genders and expressions and experiences-because magic is for everyone, and that is cause for celebration.
Transmogrify was my main read for the Trans Rights Readathon back in March. A collection of YA fantasy short stories by and/or about trans people, it was a delightful read and the perfect thing to break up over the course of the readathon. Like any collection of short stories, there were some entries I loved and some I didn’t enjoy, but the overall quality is great. Transmogrify is a great place to start if you’re looking for some new trans authors to read!
Live, laugh, shed blood.
Dexter meets Richard Scarry’s Busy, Busy Town in this twisted debut graphic novel! This is small-town serial killer, upstanding citizen, and adorable brown bear Samantha Strong’s cardinal rule. After all, there’s a sea of perfectly ripe potential victims in the big city just beyond the forest, and when you’ve worked as hard as Sam to build a cozy life and a thriving business in a community surrounded by friendly fellow animal folk, warm decor, and the aroma of cedar trees and freshly baked apple pie…the last thing you want is to disturb the peace. So you can imagine her indignation when one of Woodbrook’s own meets a grisly, mysterious demise—and you wouldn’t blame her for doing anything it takes to hunt down her rival before the town self-destructs and Sheriff Patterson starts (literally) barking up the wrong tree. Cute critters aren’t immune to crime in this original graphic novel debut by writer-artist Patrick Horvath.
Okay. You’re either going to be the kind of person who sees the above description and thinks “oh my god that’s horrific” or “oh my god that sounds amazing”. I am the latter and I suspect some of you are too. Twisted, gory, and just absolutely amazing, Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees is unlike anything I’ve read before and I loved it.
I Should Read That 
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