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 […]
A-Force Presents Vol. 1 (2015) by G. Willow Wilson, Nathan Edmondson, Kelly Sue Deconnick, Jason Aaron, Phil Noto, David Lopez, Adrian Alphona, Russell Dauterman This is brilliant. These are six introductory stories to six female characters in the Marvel world: Black Widow, Captain marvel, Thor, She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel, and The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. It’s a […]
Mercy Thompson: Hopcross Jilly (2015) Patricia Briggs and Tom Garcia I’m a huge fan of the Mercy Thompson series, and also love Patricia Briggs’ short stories, so although I didn’t love the first Mercy Thompson graphic novel I read, I got this because I do like her short stories. This story puts a great deal […]
A Matter of Magic: Mairelon the Magician and The Magician’s Ward (1991/1997) Patricia C. Wrede This is a reissue of two lovely YA novels, Mairelon the Magician and The Magician’s Ward. Kim is a thief in London, who hopes that this job will help her get off the streets for good–before those around her discover […]
Raven Cursed Audible version (2012/2012) Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam I am really enjoying listening to this series–perhaps more than I was expecting to. I’ve found that when I listen to a book, I tend to hear things I missed when reading, especially when it comes to action scenes, where I’m speed reading through […]
Kitty Takes a Holiday Audible Version (2007/2009) Carrie Vaughn narrated by Marguerite Gavin This is the third Kitty book, and finds Kitty out in the woods, attempting to recover from the events of the previous book (where she was exposed to the world as a werewolf). I’ve listened to the Kitty books while I’ve been […]
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 […]
Ms. Marvel Vol. 3: Crushed (2015) G. Willow Wilson, Takeshi Miyazawa, Elmo Bondoc The third volume of Ms. Marvel finds Kamala Khan still struggling with her identity as an Inhuman, but also with keeping the secret from her family. There are a lot of amusing jokes for older readers here–references to many general pop-culture geek […]
Moon Called Audible Version (2006/2009) Patricia Briggs narrated by Lorelei King The first time I tried to listen to this was immediately after finishing a Rivers of London audio book. There was just no way anyone can compare to Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, so I just couldn’t get into it. So, I started it again after when […]
Mercy Blade, Audible Version (2011/2011) Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam For the first time in her life, Jane Yellowrock has a semi-stable job and a stable boyfriend. Until they return back to New Orleans, and discover that the vampire council is meeting with the just-now-out-of-the-closet African weres, and that were-wolves actually exist and are […]
Ms. Marvel Volume 2: Generation Why (2015) G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphona, and Jacob Wyatt Volume 2 of Ms. Marvel finds Kamala still trying to come to terms with her powers, and still trying to hide her secret from her family and friends. The later gets her a talk with Sheikh Abdullah, because her parents […]
Kitty Goes to Washington audible version (2006/2009) Carrie Vaughn narrated by Marguerite Gavin I have the final Kitty book waiting for me to read, so I’ve been working my way back through the series in audio. (This is the second book.) This book finds Kitty called to Washington to testify about the supernatural before a […]
Wickedly Dangerous (2014) Deborah Blake It’s no secret that I love folk and fairy tales, and since I first read about her hut on chicken legs, I have loved Baba Yaga. She’s a witch who is sometimes wicked, but sometimes not. Nobody insulted her house. Not even in the old days when it was a […]
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 […]
Pocket Apocalypse (2015) Seanan McGuire The 4th InCryptid book. Alexander Price is a cryptozoologist–he studies and protects the unique and sometimes magical species that inhabit our world with us–species that are often sentient and can even mimic humans. Alex accompanies his girlfriend Shelby back home to Australia where her family is dealing with an outbreak […]
Salsa Nocturna (2012) Daniel José Older This is a collection of intertwined short stories. It doesn’t seem quite so at the beginning, but they are are all more than just set in the same world. The characters are ghosts and ghost hunters and those who can see the dead, and with each story you learn […]
Girl Genius Volume 13: Agatha Heterodyne and the Sleeping City (2014) Phil & Kaja Foglio Needs more Jagers. Rating: 7/10 Published by Studio Foglio
Girl Genius Volume 12: Siege of Mechanicsburg (2013) Phil & Kaja Foglio The problem with Girl Genius is that it’s been running so long I forget much of what has happened previously. And the fact that I’ve had this volume for about a year before getting around to reading it doesn’t help. This doesn’t mean […]
Ms. Marvel Volume 1: No Normal (2014) G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphonsa Marvelous! This is a lot of fun, and had me giggling multiple times! Kamala Khan is your average 16-year-old Muslim girl living in New Jersey–which means there is nothing average about her. She wants all the things she can’t have–or isn’t allowed to […]
The Mislaid Magician: or Ten Years After (2006) Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer The third Cecelia and Kate book comes ten years after their Grand Tour. Both have offspring that seem to get into as much trouble as their mothers did when they were younger, and some of the children seem to be showing […]
The Grand Tour: or the Purloined Coronation Regalia (2004) Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer We last saw our heroines married and getting ready to start their Honeymoon Grand Tour, or travel across Europe, which begins with the trip across the Channel. “Don’t fret,” Thomas told him, in what I thought was a most unfeeling […]
Sorcery & Cecelia: or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot (1988) Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer I had somehow managed to forget how marvelous this story is. Kate and Cecy are two young ladies in Edwardian England–where there is magic. Kate has been sent to London for her Coming Out during the Season, while her cousin […]
The Winter Long (2014) Seanan McGuire I held onto the book for a while, solely because I knew I was going on vacation, and would have the time to read the whole thing in one sitting. This book tied up some loose ends that I hadn’t realized were loose ends, and made for a slow […]
The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches (2014) Alan Bradley The previous book ended with the news that Harriet de Luce had been found. This book opens with Harriet’s body returning to Buckshaw, in all pomp and circumstance–none of which does Flavia and her sisters and father much good, since their home is still up for […]
Speaking from Among the Bones (2013) Alan Bradley The wolves are no longer at the door. Her father can no longer keep up with the creditors, and they’re out of money. Meanwhile, the vicar is excavating the bones of Saint Tancred, on the 500th anniversary of his martyrdom. But as much as some people want […]
I Am Half-Sick of Shadows (2011) Alan Bradley It’s almost Christmas, and Flavia has grave suspicious about St. Nick. How he really come down the chimney to leave gifts? And if he does, can he be caught? Unfortunately, the de Luce household is in an even greater uproar than normal, since Father is allowing a […]
A Fatal Waltz (2008) Tasha Alexander The third Lady Emily book finds Emily engaged to Colin Hargreaves, however, his work has caused their wedding to be put off, and now Lord Fortescue is doing everything he can to break their engagement for he doesn’t like Emily, and believes Colin’s work is too important for him […]
A Poisoned Season (2007) Tasha Alexander The second Lady Emily mystery finds Lady Emily Ashton still trying to find her place in society as a widow, and battling her mother’s domineering attempts to get Emily remarried. Emily is still refusing Colin Hargreaves offer of marriage, but not because she doesn’t love him, but because she […]
Silent on the Moor (2009) Deanna Raybourn Lady Julia Grey and her sister–against the wishes of both their father and older brother–are headed to Yorkshire, the Grimsgrave estate, where Brisbane has taken up residence and is attempting to rehabilitate the manor. There is a lot of work ahead of him. Although I guessed relatively quickly […]
Silent in the Sanctuary (2009) Deanna Raybourn After discovering her husband’s murderer, Lady Julia Gray has gone to Italy to recuperate, living with her brothers, Plum and Lysander, and enjoying the country. But after her brother Lysander returns home married (much to everyone’s surprise) the three are ordered home by their father, ostensibly to spend […]
Silent in the Grave (2007) Deanna Raybourn First, a mea culpa. In my memory, I confused this with another book. A book that I found ho-hum at best. I also read this at a time when I was still irritated when someone put romance into my mystery (or fantasy or whatever), and I remembered this […]
The Archangel Project (2008) C.S. Graham October ‘Toby’ Guinness is an Army vet who was washed out with a psychiatric discharge after an incident in Iraq. “You didn’t want to go to Iraq?” said the Colonel. “Are you kidding? The only people who actually want to go to Iraq are either seriously delusional or very, […]
The InCryptid Short Stories: Jonathan Healy and Frances Brown (2013/2014) Seanan McGuire Having read the latest InCryptid book, I realized I had downloaded a bunch of InCryptid short stories, but not gotten around to reading them. Since I didn’t feel like starting a new book, I blew through them all. As of right now, all […]
Half-Off Ragnarok (2014) Seanan McGuire I don’t know what it is about this series. I love the Toby McGuire series. I love the Toby short stories I’ve read. But every book in this series I’ve expected to love as much as I love the Toby series, and I just… don’t. These aren’t bad books, and […]
A Red Herring Without Mustard (2011) Alan Bradley This is the third Flavia de Luce book, and the de Luce family still hovers on the edge of ruin. I’ll actually be curious to see how long into the series this particular sword hangs over their heads. But that is not the start–or even the main […]
The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag (2010) Alan Bradley This is the second Flavia de Luce book. Flavia is eleven and fascinated by chemistry and poisons. And murder, although that was a recent discovery. She has two older sisters who dislike and torment her, and a father who is wrapped up in his stamps, […]
Magic Bites (2008) Ilona Andrews After finishing off the Inspector Salvo Montalbano series, I’ve been picking up books, trying to figure out what I was in the mood to read. There were several new releases that I quite liked, but they didn’t help me fall into what I wanted to read after. At a loss, […]
Midnight Blue-Light Special (2013) Seanan McGuire So… I had pre-ordered this, and then it sat, unread, for… ten months. I think, first and foremost, it’s a sign that I’ve become predominately an eBook reader. (Further evidence? The last Cat and Bones book is sitting on my coffee table, staring at me, wondering why I haven’t […]
Bad Blood (2013) Dana Stabenow So, I was contentedly reading along, noting the parallels between part of this story and Romeo & Juliet, reading, reading, reading, and then I reach the last page. “What? What the hell?” (Looks for another chapter) “What the hell?” Is this the end of the series? I have no clue. […]
The Collected Short Stories (2013) Dana Stabenow I first came across Dana Stabenow as the editor of an anthology of fantastical mysteries. From there, I picked up her Kate Shugak mysteries, although I fully admit I have only read the books that come AFTER The Incident. I’ve actually read most of the Kate Shugak short […]
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (2009) Alan Bradley As usual, I didn’t re-read the blurb before diving in, so I had no idea what was was starting, besides a mystery. The title made me think of the South, and cotton plantations, and pecan pie. I was very very wrong in this. It […]
Chimes at Midnight (2013) Seanan McGuire I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed it. And I tore through it pretty much in a single sitting. But it still felt off for some reason. First, the good things. I love Tybalt, and there was lots of Tybalt in this story, so that was great. […]
Tempest Reborn (2013) Nicole Peeler Alas, all good things come to an end: this is the final book of the Jane True series. I’m honestly delighted with the whole thing. I hate series that go on too long, or series where every book is a cliffhanger that is little more than a teaser for the […]
A Caribbean Mystery (1964) Agatha Christie This has always been my favorite Miss Marple mystery, probably because I got to watch part of it on TV, with Jameson Parker as Tim Kendal, which is important, because I was a HUGE Simon & Simon fan. (And I just now realized that Brock Peters played Dr. Graham!) […]
The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side (1962) Agatha Christie This is probably the Miss Marple mystery that has embedded itself most firmly in my mind. There are so very many thing from here that randomly pop up. Out flew the web and floated wide; The mirror crack’d from side to side; ‘The curse is […]
They Do It With Mirrors (1952) Agatha Christie Another Miss Marple mystery–comfort reading for when I’m sick. Miss Marple is asked by her friend Ruth to look into the circumstances of Ruth’s sister, Carrie Louise. Jane Marple and Ruth and Carrie Louise were school mates, and remained in touch through the years. Ruth feels there […]
A Pocket Full of Rye (1953) Agatha Christie Rex Fortescue dies in his office, immediately after drinking his morning tea. Besides the strange poison used to kill me, police are confused by the fact he coat is full of cereal–rye. Miss Marple doesn’t make her appearance until almost halfway through the story, but Inspector Neele […]
The Mad Scientist’s Guide to World Domination: Original Short Fiction for the Modern Evil Genius (2013) John Joseph Adams “Professor Incognito Apologizes: an Itemized List” by Austin Grossman “Father of the Groom” by Harry Turtledove “Laughter at the Academy: by Seanan McGuire “Letter to the Editor” by David D. Levine “Instead of a Loving Heart” […]
In Sea-Salt Tears (2012) Seanan McGuire The Luidaeg has been a complicated character throughout the October Daye series. This story gives us a glimpse of the relationship between the Selkie and The Luidaeg. The only way a selkie can become a true fey is to inherit one. But there aren’t many skins, so most selkie […]
The Sleeping Partner (2012) Madeleine E. Robins Huzzah! The return of Sarah Tolerance! I came across the first two books around the time they were published (2003 and 2004) and was disappointed when no further volumes were forthcoming. Luckily, the series (or at least this book) was picked up by another published, which gives us […]