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TCO Reviews: Death Comes to the Costa del Sol by M.H. Eccleston
When I’ve got the January blues, I find myself longing for sunshine and warm beaches. So when I came across Death Comes to the Costa del Sol by M. H. Eccleston, I was excited to escape endless rain to the seaside resort of Estipona. (Thanks to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for the digital review…
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Long-term loves: a list of underrated romances for Valentine’s day
Happy Valentine’s Day! I’m not typically a reader of romance novels – I tend to like my romance subplots with a big ol’ helping of plot on the side. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have favorite literary romances. And because I’m feeling mushy, I thought I’d share some of my favorites with y’all today.…
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TCO Reviews: Crime and Punctuation by Kaitlyn Dunnett
When it comes to linguistics, I go back and forth between prescriptivist and descriptivist. I know, intellectually, that language flows with the people, and forcing “correct” rules on it ignores how languages evolve to accommodate new needs. Still, there’s part of me that loves the clear meaning that you get with a well-defined, broadly accepted…
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Magicians and mystery: unraveling the secrets of the loneliest sleuths
In a mystery series, the protagonist is key to a reader’s enjoyment. The proper selection of protagonist can have critical impacts on a reader’s willingness to accept the investigation. Does it makes sense that this character investigates this crime? Does her expertise seem actually relevant to her solution? And, to an equal extent – does…
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The Magic Touch: Four Black fantasy authors who spin up diverse and engaging worlds
February is Black History Month in the US, and I’m celebrating by sharing my favorite fantasy novels by Black authors. Growing up, fantasy was too often dominated by the same stories and tropes and plot beats. These novels break new ground in terms of creativity and storytelling. Innovative magic systems, exciting wordlbuilding, and compelling characters…
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Piranesi: the loneliness and dramatic irony of journal entries
Have you ever seen a piece of art get so hyped up that you avoid it, because you’re worried that there’s no way it can live up to it? This is how I felt about Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, a weird and wonderful novel that unfolds via journal entries. Despite seemingly everyone in the entire…
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TCO Reviews: VenCo by Cherie Dimaline
Since I was a young girl, I’ve loved fantasy novels, especially those in urban settings. It was never Big Battles that did it for me – instead, I preferred to see magic used in daily life, on human scale. To this day, I prefer this juxtaposition of the ordinary and extraordinary – whether it’s a…
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The World of Pondside: Cozy mystery with a video-game twist
I’ve always loved the idea of video games as interactive art. Growing up, cozy puzzle-solving games like Professor Layton were a welcome interactive escape. Later, in college, I discovered channels like Extra Credits that got me thinking critically about how the interactivity of games sets them apart. And Cozy Grove, with its wholesome story of…
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TCO Reviews: Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson
I was really excited to get the chance to read Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson. Many thanks to the publisher for the gift! This fun take on the manor house mystery will release January 2023, and I honestly liked it so much that I’ll probably buy myself a copy to…
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They Do It With Mirrors, Part 2: creating a character ecosystem
It’s time to take a closer look at the two TV adaptations of They Do It With Mirrors. This is a bit of a tricky one, because the novel has distinct strengths and weaknesses. Specifically, the novel features quite strong character portraits but a questionably consistent theme. Last week, we discussed that the overall effect…