The Holy Thief (1992) Ellis Peters Set in England in 1144. Two very different groups have stopped by the Benedictine abbey: a troubadour and his entourage, and a brother and a novice from Ramsey–seeing funds and help to rebuild the abbey and the city there, destroyed by Geoffrey de Mandeville, Earl of Essex. But a […]
The Summer of the Danes (1991) Ellis Peters Set in Wales in 1144. This story is quite different from others in this series. Like the first, it is set in Wales, but instead of a peaceful search for a saint, there is a possibility of a fight between brothers and then invasion (by the Danes […]
The Potter’s Field (1989) Ellis Peters Set in England in 1143. The war between King Stephen and Empress Maud continues, and raiders have attacked East Anglia, sending the residents and the local Benedictines fleeing. The novice Sulien Blount is sent back to Shrewsbury both to escape the raiders and to consider whether he truly wants […]
The Heretic’s Apprentice (1989) Ellis Peters Set in England in 1143. William of Lythwood has returned from his pilgrimage to the Holy Land in a coffin. He died of illness on his return home, and his attendant Elave has brought his body back to his family. However, a visiting cleric raises doubts as to whether […]
The Pilgrim of Hate (1984) Ellis Peters Set in England in 1141 The 10th Brother Cadfael novel finds the Abbey preparing for the celebration of Saint Winifred, and pilgrims arriving in hopes of a miracle. This celebration is a reprieve from the civil war that has been tearing up the country for three years. I […]
Dead Man’s Ransom (1984) Ellis Peters Set in England and Wales in 1141. The civil war continues to tear through England, reaching back towards Shrewsbury, where Hugh and the local sheriff are sent off to fight against the Earls of Chester and Lincoln as well as a marauder from Wales. When the sheriff is taken, […]
Rivers of London: Night Witch (2016) by Ben Aaronovitch, Andrew Cartmel, Lee Sullivan, Luis Guerrero You get an alternative cover, because this is WAY more awesome than any of the actual covers. If it isn’t obvious, this story focuses a good deal upon Varvara Sidorovna Tamonina, the Russian Night Witch captured by Peter and Thomas […]
Someplace to Be Flying (1998) Charles de Lint I’ll admit it–I didn’t read this previously because the cover made me think it was one of the books he wrote as Samuel Key–horror. The new cover does a much better job of making it clear this is in large part about the Corbae. But not entirely. […]
Newford Stories: Crow Girls (2015) Charles de Lint Ah, the Crow Girls. Crow Girls Twa Corbies The Buffalo Man A Crow Girls’ Christmas Make a Joyful Noise “Crow Girls” first appeared as a limited edition chapbook (1995). This is the introduction to the Crow Girls, who are some of my favorite characters. But it’s not […]
Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls (1994) Jane Lindskold This is an unusual book, part fantasy, part science fiction. I generally dislike SF, but the fantasy elements are a bit heavier, and the story is mostly about Sarah–much of the technology takes place in the background until the end of the story. Budget cutbacks have […]
Thirteenth Child (2009) Patricia C. Wrede Eff’s twin brother Lan is a seventh son of a seventh son, and a natural magician. “Wow,” Dick said, looking after Papa and Lan. He looked back at me. “Does that mean you’re a natural, too? Because you’re his twin?” I stared at him. “I don’t know,” I said […]
Banquet of Lies (2013) Michelle Diener Set in London in 1812 Giselle Barrington is the daughter of a folklorist with a fascination for cooking. “What do you do with the recipes?” The woman looked genuinely interested now. “I’m compiling a reference work of dishes from the cultures of Europe. But mainly I follow them.” “Follow […]
Shadowshaper (2015) Daniel José Older I think that Daniel José Older is now made it to my Must Buy list of authors. I have adored everything I’ve ready by him, and I also cannot WAIT to give this book to the teens in my life. Sierra Santiago wants to spend the summer painting, working on […]
The Suffragette Scandal (2014) Courtney Milan Set in England in 1877. Edward Clark has allowed his family to think him dead–only fitting since his younger brother all but had him killed. Unfortunately, that same younger brother is now going after one of the men Clark considers to be his true family, so Clark has returned […]
The Brimstone Deception (2016) Lisa Shearin I really like this series. Makenna Fraser is a seer for the SPI–the government agency in charge of supernatural crimes (and seeing that the supernatural don’t come to the attention of the public). Her talent is a rare one, and the previous individuals to hold her job all died […]
Midnight Taxi Tango (2016) Daniel José Older First things first: that is an absolutely MARVELOUS cover. I LOVE it. It’s (obviously) not Carlos, who was the main character of the first book (and who is a main character here, never fear) but is Kia, the high school student who works at Baba Eddie’s botánica and […]
Twilight Watch (2003/2007) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield This may be my favorite book as a whole, although other books have stronger single stories. “We’re the ones who corrupt people,” the boss said bitterly. “Do you understand? We do it ourselves! Offer someone money once, twice . . . and the third time he […]
Day Watch (1999/2007) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield Although the first story in this book is probably my least favorite in the series (even though it’s good, I don’t like it) the second story might be one of my favorites. It seemed that the accepted thing among members of the Watches was for the […]
Rivers of London: Body Work (2015) Ben Aaronovitch, Andrew Cartmel, Lee Sullivan, and Luis Gurrero If you’ve been paying any attention, you know that I have a deep and (probably) unhealthy love of Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series. So when I saw there was going to be a comic, I searched because BY GOD […]
Black Widow Volume 1: The Finely Woven Thread (2015) Nathan Edmondson and Phil Noto Oh, I liked this one lots! I have not seen the Avenger movies, or read any of the Avenger comics–I just know tangential bits picked up from here and there (because: geek). Natasha is the Black Widow, who was formerly a […]
The Masqueraders (1928) Georgette Heyer Set in England in the mid 1740s Kate and Peter Merriot are returning to England, the country of their birth, to meet with their father. But they have a secret: they are fleeing after the failure of the latest Jacobite revolution, and are in disguise, to remain safe, and have […]
Monstrous Regiment (2003) Terry Pratchett For some reason I got Monstrous Regiment stuck in my head and just had to re-read it. Like most of his books, it’s a keen political satire (“armies don’t do much for agriculture except marginally raise the fertility of the battlefield.”) wrapped in a marvelous story. Polly Perks, resident of […]
Fiction River: Hex in the City (2013) edited by Kerrie L. Hughes “King of the Kingless” by Jay Lake “Speechless in Seattle” by Lisa Sliverthorne “Thy Neighbor” by Nancy Holder “Somebody Else’s Problem” by Annie Bellet “A Thing Immortal as Itself” by Lee Allred “Geriatric Magic” by Stephanie Writt “Red as Snow” by Seanan McGuire […]
Child of a Rainless Year (2005) Jane Lindskold I recently picked this up as an ebook, when I found it on sale. I’d read it before and thoroughly enjoyed it, so was pleased to be able to get it electronically. This is urban fantasy, which means it does not have any supernatural creatures. It has […]
Lord John and the Private Matter (2003) Diana Gabaldon Set in London in 1757. This is the first Lord John book; his first novella is “Lord John and the Hellfire Club” which you can find in Lord John and the Hand of the Devils. This is a re-read for me–something about Lord John’s stories just […]
Whom the Gods Love (1995) Kate Ross Set in 1825 This is the third Julian Kestrel mystery, and finds Julian called to the grave of a Alexander Falkland, by his father, Sir Malcom. Alexander was brutally murdered at a party in his own home, Bow Street has no clues, and is (for the most part) […]
Tales from the Nightside (2015) Simon R. Green The Nightside. “Where all your dreams can come true, especially the really bad ones. This is a collection of Nightside stories, many of which I have read before, and a previously unpublished novella. If you’re a Nightside fan, then you’ll want this. If you’re not sure if […]
Legion: Skin Deep (2014) Brandon Sanderson This is the second story about Stephen Leeds, and it’s just as delightful as the first. Stephen is insane, but in an extremely useful way. He is a genius, and to use his genius he manifests different aspects who are experts on whatever he is researching. But he is […]
My Lord and Spymaster (2008) Joanna Bourne There is so very much to like about this book. Jess Whitby was a thief, but is now the daughter of one of the richest traders and is a genius at accounting. “I am England’s expert on skullduggery in accounting.” And she is desperately searching for the traitor […]
Shadows of the Heart (1996) Tracy Grant This is another boinking book that is an excellent mystery. Set in 1817. Paul Lescaut is the unrecognized bastard son of a French Marquis, Daniel de Ribard, and his childhood wish was for revenge. Unfortunately, as we see in the prologue, his revenge was not what he was […]
Shores of Desire (1997) Tracy Grant This is a boinking book, but it is also a marvelous historical mystery. Set in 1815. Robert Melton and his son are traveling to Scotland to try to discover why his wife was murdered. Because he is a French spy, he is traveling under a false name and not […]
Foxglove Summer (2014) Ben Aaronovitch When dealing with the law, having a mysterious past is contraindicated. I love this series so much. We return again to Peter Grant, police constable and apprentice wizard. He is still trying to deal with the results of the last case he worked–the one where his co-apprentice and friend Lesley […]
The Devil You Know, Audible Version (2006/2007) by Mike Carey and narrated by Michael Kramer I fear I am becoming an audio book snob. All my recent favorites have been full of British accents (few of which are posh, which makes it all the better). I read the Felix Castor series years ago, and had […]
Enchanters’ End Game (1984) David Eddings And the final book of the Belgariad. Here we find Garion and Belgarath and Silk in Gar og Nadrak, which is one of the most fascinating places in his world building. The Nadraks don’t much care for their god, and have a disconcerting take on women, but unlike the […]
Magician’s Gambit (1983) David Eddings The third book of the Belgariad opens with one of my favorite “outside the story” bits, which is how the Ulgos came to worship UL. The story feels as if it could have come out of the Torah. Then Gorim brought the creatures before UL. The creatures prostrated themselves before […]
Fate’s Edge (2011) Ilona Andrews I like rogues. I can’t help it. I have a terrible weakness for them. Which is odd, when you consider that I probably wouldn’t much care for them in real like. But the ability to be charming while stealing you blind (but only for a good cause!) is book catnip. […]
The Troubled Man (2009/2011) Henning Mankell translated by Laurie Thompson I’ve been in a mood lately where I don’t know what I want to read. I have several new releases I have been waiting for, but they just don’t appeal to me for some unknown reason. So I randomly chose The Troubled Man because I […]
Fair Game (2012) Patricia Briggs This is the third Alpha & Omega story, and although it is about Anna and about Charles coming to terms with the changes in his position as the Marrok’s enforcer, but even more important are the changes to the world that Anna & Charles and Mercy Thompson live in. Throughout […]
Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson (2014) Patricia Briggs As I’ve mentioned previously (and repeatedly) I love short stories. They’re a hard thing to love sometimes, because there are so many poorly written ones out there. Luckily for me, Patricia Briggs tends to do them well, so I didn’t hesitate to pick […]
Kitty’s Greatest Hits (2011) Carrie Vaughn Il Est Ne (Wolfsbane and Mistletoe (2008)) A Princess of Spain (The Secret History of Vampires (2007)) Conquistador de la Noche (Subterranean Online (2009)) The Book of Daniel (Talebones #39 (2009)) The Temptation of Robin Green (The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance (2009)) Looking After Family (Realms of Fantasy […]
The Countess Conspiracy (2013) Courtney Milan I absolutely was not expecting to enjoy this anywhere near as much as I did. I thought it would be a nice diversion, instead, I found myself sucked in and really wanting things to work out well for both characters. Despite knowing this was a romance and so there […]
Fairest Vol. 3: The Return of the Maharaja (2014) Sean E. Williams, Stephen Sadowski, Phil Jimenez I am a huge fan of Fables, but I have not cared for all the spin-offs–especially Jack of Fables. I despise Jack, and can’t stand reading about him. But I’ve enjoyed Fairest, and so had Vol 3 on pre-order, […]
Heroes ‘Til Curfew (2011) Susan Bischoff This is the second book in the Talent Chronicles (and sadly, the last one available) and a follow-up to Hush Money, a YA book where children and teens with Talents are taken by the NIAC and put into special schools where they are “protected” from society (but in reality […]
Impulse Control (2011) Susan Bischoff This is an introduction to Susan Bischoff’s Talent Chronicles series. It’s a self-contained story that gets you into the writing and the world, but is quite separate from the books (at least for now). I’m a fan of short stories, and this one is very well done: it has world […]
The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2012 (2012) Edited by Dan Ariely and Tim Folger I’ve mentioned before that I read non-fiction before bed. I like it, it’s interesting, but it doesn’t keep me awake, wanting to know what happens next. I’m especially fond of science writing, because I like science. So the Best […]
London Falling (2012) Paul Cornell (Shadow Police) I started reading, and briefly thought I had entered in the middle of the story. I hadn’t. It was actually the beginning, but for the characters, they believe they are in the end game. Two cops working undercover to take down a crime lord, the DI running the […]
The Dream Thieves (2013) Maggie Stiefvater Right. Now I know why I put off reading this, even though I pre-ordered it. It’s book two in a projected four book series. (sigh) However, once I started listening to Raven Boys, I had to finish re-reading it, and then I had to read The Dream Thieves, because […]
The Grimrose Path (2010) Rob Thurman Trixa Iktomi is a trickster. She comes right out with it at the beginning of this story, so you know what you’re getting into. But she and her friend Leo (the reformed Bad Boy but now a trickster by calling, Loki) are mortal while Trixa rebuilds her powers after […]
Trick of the Light (2009) Rob Thurman Now, apparently, I need to re-read Rob Thurman. But as I relatively recently re-read the Cal & Niko series, I decided to go with the Trixa Iktomi series. Trixa runs a bar in Sin City, but all she really wants is revenge for her brother’s murder. Leo helps […]
Magic Slays (2011) Ilona Andrews And here we are at book five. I’m thinking I may stop here for now. Book six came out relatively recently, and it wasn’t a particular favorite. But I have hunted down all the Kate Daniels short stories I can find, so I’ve got a little more Kate left. Kate […]