hello world
Truly I am so in love with this book that I cannot believe it’s only been a week. I actually think about it at least once a day (usually more). If you know me irl, or if you have read this book, please message me so I can yap, I don’t know how much more my father can take before he looses his mind. He hasn’t even read the book yet.
The Shadow Ephemeris by Mark Munsell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
** I received a copy of this book for free from BookSirens; my review is my own, and I leave it voluntarily.
I’d give it ten stars if they would let me. This book is absolutely beautiful, and not just because of the art contained within. This book is a love note and a warning all in one, and I am so unbelievably thrilled that of all the books in my TBR, of all the books in general, I found this one. Also, it’s another debut – did no one inform the author that a debut has no right to be this good? – most of the time debuts are meant to have some rough edges, you know?
Starting with the art, each chapter title has a gorgeous, and appropriate, image to go with it. I love when books have this detail and I am head over heels for this one in particular.
The protagonists are mostly satellites and computers: aging, sentient, bound together in a groups that feel as real and lived-in as any group of characters I’ve ever read. Real satellites are referenced with obvious care and knowledge (naturally, considering the author’s career). (view spoiler)[The flock, The Northstar Tribe, the spies, the moon all of the dynamics are perfect. The perspective of the Great Silence is genuinely mind-bending. The digital contagion arc is executed so cleanly it feels inevitable rather than convenient (Deus ex 1975-program-ah?).
At first I was a little lost with the human character, and to be honest I questioned his inclusion at all, but the book earns that thread. Everything eventually lands. (hide spoiler)]
What surprised, and thrilled, me most is how the novel keeps changing shape in your hands. It opens like a thriller, then becomes a love letter to satellites and computers, then a cautionary tale, then a love letter to the scientists and engineers who came before us, then a cautionary tale again. It never feels inconsistent, just perfectly layered. By the end it does feel like all of them at once, but to me it mostly reads as a love letter (maybe that’s not the intention) and, I could potentially be projecting. I am finishing my engineering degree right now, and I can’t tell you how badly I needed this book to slap me across the face and tell me I still love this subject, and how badly I needed it this week in particular.
Overall, this book is beautiful, literally and figuratively, and is being catapulted to the very top of my favorites shelf.
A slight aside here: a fair amount of technical terms appear in this book, and as someone in the tech field (not space, but I still made it out OK) this was fine for me, but may confuse other readers. Good thing the author includes a technical glossary for those who may be confused. This level of thought for the reader is so wonderful to see, and endears me even further to this book (also there is an official soundtrack, which is not half bad).
A good sci-fi marathon, took me way too long to read this, I kept grieving for Bob. He is over it and going on an adventure and I’m staring at my ceiling at 2 am…
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I love, so very many things about this book: the concept, the main character… character(s), the setting, all of it is absolutely a joy to read.
What a fun exercise in science fiction! The prose is on point and the tone is perfect.
I was slightly struggling with all the PoVs (view spoiler)[ thank goodness the Bob’s renamed themselves or I would’ve lost the plot completely. (hide spoiler)]
100% going to go consume the entire series now.
I needed a serious pallette cleanser after those two, and back-to-back, I would usually go to Primal Hunter or Dungeon Crawler Carl for this, but those felt too sci-fi, and lord knows those were heavy this week. I loved this memoir, such a crazy story, I didn’t know it was possible to live vicariously in non-fic, but I assure you it is.
Backpack, Jacket, Surfboard: My Journey Across America, Then and Now by Graham Broyd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
** I received a copy of this book for free from a goodreads giveaway; my review is my own, and I leave it voluntarily.
Have you ever been sitting at the dinner table with your father, having a normal evening, and then had him drop the most random insane story into your lap, sending you for a loop, and then he just goes back to eating like it was nothing? This book feels exactly like that. Except, in this instance, it’s actually laid out (as well as 40 year old memories can be) and includes a return trip as close to the original as possible (sans the hitchhiking – thank god).
This book is full of insane stories (and occasionally pictures, from the first and second trips the author took across America) and was such a fun read. I am not usually big on nonfiction, but I’m glad I found this one and gave it a read (even if several of the author’s stories gave me second hand anxiety).
Not my usual fare, but I guess I was just in a pairing kind of mood this week? A very nice non-fic about a topic I had no previous knowledge of.
The House of Cromwell: Britain’s Forgotten Dynasty by Miranda Malins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
** I received a copy of this book for free from NetGalley; my review is my own, and I leave it voluntarily.
So, I am not much of a history buff – English or otherwise- and I also wouldn’t describe myself as much of a nonfiction reader. Before I read this, I had no idea who any of the Cromwell’s were. So, why did I want to read this book? What has possessed me, you ask? I’m not sure, but I did enjoy this book (even if it took me quadruple the time it would have as a novel of the same length).
I am pretty impressed with Malins’s ability to keep me engaged through this history book (sixteen-year-old me would faint if she knew I read a history book willingly).
This particular non-fiction does read a bit like a textbook (this is not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s a more formal tone than something like a memoir or a more casual Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection) and can be a bit dry at times.
Overall, this is definitely worth the read. I mean, I managed to enjoy it (in rather smaller doses than I usually take my books), and it is the exact opposite of my usual style.
No notes, it’s Frieren, obviously it’s good.
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Vol. 14 by Kanehito Yamada
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I never understood celebrity drama, but I must admit, after this, I definitely got sucked into it a bit.
I Want to Be Famous: When Everybody and Nobody Is a Celebrity by Bobby Finger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
** I received a copy of this book for free from a Goodreads giveaway; my review is my own, and I leave it voluntarily.
I seem to have a knack for getting ahold of books from podcasts and not realizing it until after I’ve already started it. I was not previously a fan of Bobby Finger and Lindsey Weber, but I have checked out the podcast since getting this book, and it’s not half bad.
I’m not a huge follower of celebrity culture: I’m really a book person, so any celebrities I pay attention to are usually just the actors in book-to-movie adaptations (and even that only lasts until the adaptation comes out).
That said, I liked the lighter, conversational tone of the book and the writing style is good. It’s got a little bit of a conversational tone, not super stiff nonfiction writing, which makes sense as the authors are podcasters.
Anyone who’s already into celebrity culture will probably love this. The rest of us may need a little warming up, but it’s still quite good (even if this isn’t your usual thing, you should give it a shot).
I do believe I bit off more than I can chew with this one, it says it all over the tin, was definitely my fault, but man did this hurt my feelings.
A Devil So Wicked by A.S. Keeper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
** I received a copy of this book for free from NetGalley; my review is my own, and I leave it voluntarily.
I’m struggling with this review, including the overall rating (I’m settling myself between 3 and 4 stars).
I really liked the fae lore, the magic system, and the premise. It’s refreshing to see how the author fully leans into the grief of these characters, not rushing them through it or ignoring it entirely, and it was quite a cathartic read. I also loved Samael; he was the light in all the angst.
Oh, and there is angst, a lot of angst. Most of the book sits in that heavy space, with a little bit of hope at the end and a clear setup for future books.
The middle is where I struggled. It drags quite a bit, but then – so does grief – so I’m torn. On the one hand, it is extremely realistic; on the other, I was a little bit bored in some places.
The romance also loses me a little bit. Arsen’s early actions are so extreme, and yes, I know, it’s a dark romance – but I’m still having trouble buying her falling for him after all of that (maybe I’m just a hopeless romantic at heart?).
Overall, it is a solid dark romantasy, and I did enjoy it. If you are primarily after a raw look at grief, a slow-burning romance, and a cool magic system, you’re going to love this. If you are a bit softer (like me), it may be a little too far for you (the author does have a warning at the beginning of the book, with a full breakdown).
And because I do not learn, this hurt my feeling again, and again, it was totally my fault. Review to come, I just need to sob into my dog’s fur for awhile first.
The Tulip Poplars by Silas House
My rating: 4 of 5 stars