In which I catch up to my TBR, at least on Kindle, and read whatever the hell I want instead.
Honestly, this was an interesting batch. The last few books from the July Cozy the Day Away sale; catching up with a manga I really liked at the beginning, but that has kind of lost me since; a writing-craft book that started out being useful and then got too complicated for my soft brain; and a few books I bought on paper at a science fiction and fantasy event.
Let’s dive in.
The one on the top row that’s hard to read in this screencap is Moon-Bright Tides. Human woman x scaly fishperson mermaid romance, fairly short. It was nice.
Celia Lake continues to do her own thing and be awesome. Rather than reading the entire catalog back to back, I’ve enjoyed picking up one here and there, but I have liked every single one I’ve tried.
Poised in Either Eye was one I had heard recommended on a cozy fantasy podcast; it might be cozy fantasy. I don’t know what cozy is, which we covered last time. What it is is a delightfully strange slow-burn romance between two interdimensional dragons in human form: a candy-raver manic pixie dream boy and a pissed-off all-black-and-piercings audiophile. I do not generally like the kind of uwu infantilized character Zephyr is, but I was on board despite him. (I do generally like the kind of character Mateo is, so maybe that just carried me along. And let’s be clear, the character is an adult; he just acts like a seven-year-old.)
It’s hard to read the title in this screencap, but the last book in the first row is Halfway to Better by Susan Kaye Quinn, a solarpunk short story compilation. It’s the first in a string of books that I bought at the local science fiction and fantasy writing convention this past summer. I’m familiar with the concept of solarpunk – Monk and Robot is, I think, under this umbrella – but I haven’t read a whole lot of it. Yet. I really enjoyed this compilation. I think one of my problems with the stuff I’ve been reading lately is the false dichotomy between “all is hopeless and you should give up” and “the only way to survive is to deny that anything could ever be less than perfect.” There are other options, such as “things are bad, and through human empathy and ingenuity, they can be better.” Which is where solarpunk comes in.
Anyway, I liked it. Moving on.
I thought it was just me that felt oddly indifferent to the second half of Chainsaw Man, but now that I’ve caught up, I’ve ventured onto the internet and found that this is a pretty common opinion. Which is too bad. I’ll still give it a chance; I’m not repelled, just slightly bored. (And confused. Why is the Falling Devil chef-themed? Why isn’t the Famine Devil that thing instead of a boring schoolgirl?)
Oak King Holly King / Tales from Blackthorn Briar – gay fae smut that has a lot of fun with British and Northern European fae legends. I liked the first book, though the follow-up felt like a string of extras from a Patreon I didn’t pay for. But hey, if I had been a devoted fan who had waited for it for a while and not a rando who read the two volumes back to back, and uh, also not semi-asexual, I’m sure I would have appreciated it more.
Story Genius was a solid rec about plotting. I was on board with “start with what your character is wrong about, then challenge them” (this rephrasing is wildly oversimplified). But when the system rolls out with pages for each scene and everything, I kind of got lost. I’m sure it’s a fine system.
Nettle & Bone – I almost came here after finishing the book to post “this is now an Agnes fan account,” but it wouldn’t feel right without 1997-style scrolling text.
Seriously though, Agnes. MY GIRL. I don’t want to spoil any more than that. I’ve never seen that particular note hit before (re: good & evil), I don’t think. And I appreciate it so much.
The Rainfall Market was a print ARC that was sent to me secondhand, so I am not sure if I’m supposed to review it or if I shouldn’t have it at all? I honestly don’t know. What I can say was that it was a fun ?middle-grade? novel that is being marketed to adults for some reason. I’m not an expert about children’s lit, mind you; I don’t know the literal, technical requirements for a MG novel. It was light and sweetly goofy and had a cute animal sidekick. I’m probably going to hell for name-checking The Wizard of Oz as a comparison, but I mean it as a compliment.
The Age of Magical Overthinking was an interesting nonfiction book about cognitive distortions in the internet age. It’s compassionate in its approach — the tone is never “look at these idiots,” it’s “I’ve done this, you’ve probably done this, here’s why we do this.” I originally heard about it through the author’s podcast Magical Overthinkers, so there’s also that medium to try it out.
Someone You Can Build a Nest In was a poor choice to bring along for a medical waiting room (don’t worry, everyone is fine), and the striking cover drew a lot of nosy attention at my day job (this is another reason why I normally read on Kindle). But I liked it a lot. Basically tradpub caught up with How to Get a Girlfriend (When You’re a Terrifying Monster) by Marie Cardno and took it a couple of notches further. I’m not mad about that. I love a proper monster. Not in the physical sense, though I support y’all too.
Happy reading, all.