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What a genre-mashup delight this book was! Part antihero western, part dual-timeline family saga, with a sprinkling of magical realism (including a very mysterious book), The Bullet Swallower has something for everyone.
A Spell of Good Things was longlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize. I think it does what it sets out to do effectively. Unfortunately, I just didn’t personally jive with the book. But you might!
Faebound was a great time! Excellent and creative worldbuilding, beautiful and complicated sisterhood, and sapphic rivals to lovers. My only complaint was that it was a bit too fast-paced. Still, I liked it a lot!
While I still think The Tiger’s Wife was Obreht’s masterpiece, I really enjoyed this one too. I’m also just a sucker for any literary fiction that promises hints of magic.
I’m so glad Rowland decided to self-publish this little novella so the fans of ATOGAI could have it. It was so lovely to be back with these characters, even for a little while.
Everyone’s already calling James — Percival Everett’s reimagining and extension of Huckleberry Finn — a favorite for next year’s Pulitzer Prize. I’ve got to agree.
This great book is part examination of current research and guidelines, but also part memoir. Garbes tells us about her experiences, and it’s clear that she’s framing things through that lens, so she never comes off preachy.
Our queen has blessed us once again. Boy, does Leigh Bardugo know how to sweep us away, how to write a love story, and how to knock an ENDING (!) out of the park.
Wandering Stars isn’t as propulsive as There, There was, but don’t worry; it twists the knife. I thought the way it highlights the generational trauma forced upon Native Americans was really effective, and it broke my heart. Highly recommend.
Beautyland is one of those books that will sneak up on you and hit you right smack in the feels. My favorite kind of book. (The audiobook was also excellently performed, and the story was easy to follow in that format!)
The moment Ædnan landed in my hands, I was excited to read it. And friends, I was not disappointed. This novel in verse is absolutely stunning and deeply moving, with a translation that’s both accessible and musical.
My latest Booker Prize longlister, and while I see its merits, I’m not super surprised that we didn’t see this one on the shortlist. Sometimes I felt super engaged and sometimes I felt the opposite. All in all, I think I am slightly to the positive side of neutral on it.
This trilogy is a set of solid early-YA fantasy novels with an imaginative magic system and really good political world-building. All in all, I think the first book was my favorite, but this was still an adventurous, satisfying ending!
When I heard that speculative-short-story-GOAT Kelly Link had written a doorstopper of a debut novel, I was ALL IN. This won’t be for everyone, but this was extremely my thing.
I think this book successfully did what it set out to do, but tech apocalypse stories just aren't my thing. But if you’re looking for a slightly more sophisticated version of a dystopian thriller, this might be your jam.
All vibes/no plot in outer space. Harvey has given us a breathtaking meditation on what makes us human, what connects us, and our beloved planet Earth.
SJM didn’t give me everything I’d hoped for out of this book, but that’s okay — it was a good finale to this specific trilogy. I’m just glad she’s not done writing books in this universe!
I loved this book!! I don’t think it will be exactly everyone’s cup of tea, but it was definitely mine, and I think everyone will still find something to love in here regardless.
Somehow, this book is completely engrossing and also felt sooooo slow to me. But at the end of the day, this is a devastating, scary, very moving book that absolutely achieves what it sets out to.
I will be talking the ear off of anyone willing to listen about this book, and it’s going to make my favorites of the year for sure. Read it!!
