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The Three Dahlias: an adventure for Golden Age mystery-lovers
I have this hypothesis that many modern “mystery” novels are actually adventures with a mystery skin on top. It may just be that I have a stricter definition of “mystery” than others, but in my opinion, a true mystery must be clued up by the author. An adventure, on the other hand, can involve as…
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TCO Reviews: The Book that Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence
There is nothing more tantalizing to a reader than a book about a library. The setting – shelves on shelves of endless books, towering to the ceiling – is like a dream come true. If you throw a little adventure and fantasy to the mix, as Mark Lawrence promises in The Book that Wouldn’t Burn,…
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Interior Chinatown as a dreamy introspective epistolary
This epistolary challenge has led me to really push my reading boundaries, even within a genre I love. I kicked the year off with Piranesi, a haunting and creative story told through journal entries – and a long-overdue read. And this month, I’ve had the pleasure to read Interior Chinatown, a novel written as a…
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Amina al-Sirafi: an adventurous portrait of motherhood
I’ve been reading a lot of mystery lately, so I was very excited to pick up a copy of The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi and really lose myself in fantasy for a while. Going into the book, I expected a story different from others I’m used to reading (I don’t read a lot of pirate…
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TCO Reviews: Perilous Times by Thomas D. Lee
It feels like the Knights of the Round Table are having a bit of a moment. I can think of at least five Arthurian fantasy revivals published in the last few years. And as a mythology retelling nerd, I’m loving the resurgence – and all the modern takes. Whether exploring a smaller part of the…
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An ode to independent bookstores: an oasis of caring and exploration
Last Saturday was Independent Bookstore Day, and I (of course) bought a pile of books at my favorite bookstore in SF, Dog-Eared Books. There’s nothing like walking into a great bookstore, and I always leave with a stack of new reads. Not only that – I always find new books I could never find anywhere…