Thumbs up for The Gentleman by Forrest Leo. Fantasy/historical fiction/humor.
Lionel Savage—a young poet straight from the pages of Wodehouse or Jerome K. Jerome—discovers that he loves his wife. Unfortunately, this happens only after she is stolen by the Devil. Usually I expect this sort of thing to quickly grow tedious, but The Gentleman was consistently funny from start to finish.… >> Read more
Thumbs up for Butter: A Rich History by Elaine Khosrova. History/food.
This is one of those books to which you should apply a simple test: does the topic sound at all intriguing? If it does, you will like this book. The world history of butter is a fascinating thing, and Khosrova does all aspects of it justice—from dairying itself, to the science behind it, to the changing interactions of gender and butter production throughout the ages, to the sordid and weird evolution of margarine.… >> Read more
Thumbs up for Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee. Science fiction.
I have been looking forward to this book since before it even existed, because the author has written some short stories so good that even I (short story hater that I am) love them, and I couldn’t wait to see what he would do at novel length. Simultaneously, I was worried, because sometimes even very great short story writers, particularly the idea-driven ones, simply can’t sustain for three or four hundred pages.… >> Read more
Thumbs up for City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett. Fantasy. Yay! There’s a sequel to City of Stairs! And this time, General Mulaghesh is the main character! Double yay! Yes, I’m fangirling, so? You could probably read this without having read the other book first, but I wouldn’t recommend it. You know what I do recommend? Reading them both.… >> Read more
Guest blogger and reviewer Veronica here for my first time post. Because Emma can’t have the time to read EVERYthing. Though she comes pretty darn close.
(Emma: I wish!)
Thumbs up for The Very Best of Tad Williams by Tad Williams. Fantasy short stories.
I’m not a scary stalker rabid fangirl who knows everything about an author’s personal life outside of their books.… >> Read more
Thumbs up for Undercity by Catherine Asaro. Science fiction.
Ah, the Skolian Empire! Where the women are all kick-ass, the men all gorgeous, the architecture stunning, the sexual tension thick, the politics complex, the psions fascinating, the enemies deliciously evil, the technology actually useful…. It’s impossible to convey how fun Catherine Asaro’s books are, on every level—world-building, character, dialogue, plot, action, romance, technology.… >> Read more
Thumbs up for The Rosie Effect by Greg Simsion. Romance.
In Simsion’s first book, The Rosie Project, the “socially awkward” geneticist Don Tillman decides to find a wife based on scientifically valid principles. Suffice it to say, he gets Rosie instead. In The Rosie Effect, Rosie gets pregnant – without planning it first. (Cue the sound of Don’s brain exploding.) That’s just the first of many things to go very, very wrong; and watching Don trying to sort it all out is just as hilarious as it was in the first book.… >> Read more
Thumbs up for City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett. Fantasy.
So imagine that the Eastern Europeans (I mean the Continentals), who worship a set of repressive and irrational Gods, subjugate the Indians (I mean Saypuri), who are socially more liberal, but atheist. Then imagine that a Saypuri leader creates a weapon that can literally kill the Gods. And he does.… >> Read more