The nitty-gritty: A laugh-out loud skewering of the fast-food industry, filled with funny dialog and memorable characters. I have to admit, when I first saw the cover for Envy of Angels, I immediately filed it in the “I hate the cover so I don’t want to read this book” compartment of my brain. Typically I […]
The nitty-gritty: A very short but powerful story about a girl leaving home for the first time, with a strong theme of dealing with prejudice, but a little too short, in my opinion, to fully develop that theme. This is the second work of fiction that I’ve read by Nnedi Okorafor, and I have to […]
The nitty-gritty: An intricately woven tale, a dangerous and deadly world, full of wonderfully layered characters and uncommon world-building elements. I was late to the party, but as the saying goes, “Better late than never!” The Fifth Season has been on my reading list for a while, but because it wasn’t a review book, it […]
The nitty-gritty: A time travel story with loads of potential and an important message about feminism, which could have benefited from more editing. I’m always up for a good time travel story, and Weighing Shadows seemed like it was going to be a good one. And it was—to an extent. There were many things I enjoyed, […]
The nitty-gritty: A weird and wonderful trip to the stars and planets, a perplexing and unsettling mystery, and a rather frustrating—but ultimately rewarding—reading experience. Pluto and Charon in a verdant jungle embrace: between them grew vines as thick and long and mighty as the Mississippi river, great lily-lime leaves opening, curling toward the distant star […]
The nitty-gritty: A story about gun-toting animals, with an unexpected combination of violence and wit, and some emotional moments as well. “That’s an ugly hat,” Barley started. Bonsoir’s eyes went wide with mock fury. “This is the greatest hat anyone has ever worn,” he said, pointing at his beret. “This hat was a gift from the Emperor […]
The nitty-gritty: A luminous and magical Snow White re-telling, with gorgeous imagery and writing beyond compare. Mr. H liked more than anything to see me dressed like a boy, with a cattleman’s hat and a revolver made to my hand. It had a grip pounded out of the first silver bars of Mr. H’s fortune, […]
The nitty-gritty: An intense and fast-paced story, with several mysteries that aren’t revealed until the end, but with an unexpected turn of events that I found disorienting. Planetfall has been getting stellar reviews, and I’m definitely on board with this highly readable story that I literally could not put down. However, I also had a […]
The nitty-gritty: A magical tale steeped in Chinese folklore and history, with memorable characters, exciting action, humor and one very special eyeball spirit named Mr. Yanqiu. “This wood came from a peach tree that grew at Mount Longhu,” I said, “in the shadow of the Hanging Coffins. My husband cut the wood himself. He was […]
The nitty-gritty: A disturbing and violent glimpse into a notorious historical figure, a dash of the supernatural, and a compelling story. For fans of shock horror, this is a must read. I’m always cautious when someone asks me to read a book from a small publisher I’ve never heard of, but when Lesley Conner asked […]