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TCO Reviews: The Starseekers by Nicole Glover
Faithful readers already know I have a huge love of both mystery and fantasy novels. I love reading and writing about these genres, particularly when entries feature complex characters and social settings to match. What might be less familiar are my STEM roots. My father is a professor in the department of engineering; my mother,
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TCO Reviews: Menu of Happiness by Hisashi Kashiwai
Fall might be the season of warm sweaters and spiced beverages, but it’s also, rightfully, soup season. Between the cooling temperature and the harvest, there’s nothing better than gathering in community over a delicious meal. It’s with this feeling in mind that I cracked open Menu of Happiness, another delicious tour through Japanese food and
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TCO Reviews: The Killer Question by Janice Hallett
The air is crisp, orange is back in season, cinnamon has started to permeate – mystery season is back. And what better way to celebrate than a new Janice Hallett? Long-time readers will know that Hallett is one of my favorite modern crime authors. She’s one of the only authors working in epistolaries today, and
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TCO Reviews: Hemlock and Silver by T. Kingfisher
As summer turns early fall, it’s time to start putting aside the beachy reads in favor of cozier aesthetics. It’s early for true dark academia vibes – I don’t need roaring fireplaces just yet; but I also want something a little more thoughtful and grounded. I’m hoping that T. Kingfisher’s recent desert retelling of Snow
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Fantasy politics with a mystery twist in A Drop of Corruption
Robert Jackson Bennett is back! And he’s advancing the stories of Ana and Din, an imperial investigator and her assistant. Regular readers know how much I adore RBJ, and I’ve been extremely excited for this next release. A Drop of Corruption rejoins Ana and Din months after the events of The Tainted Cup. They’ve been
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March 2025 Roundup: a packed month ahead of a promising April
The sun finally came back out to play this month in the Bay. Of course, this meant lots of lovely reading picnics or afternoons with the Kindle on our sunny rooftop. Spring has sprung – and so, apparently, has my reading pace. 52 Book Club: A series of beneficial binges I managed to read 13
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Masters of multimedia murder in Janice Hallett’s The Examiner
Long-time readers will know that I am an avid reader of everything Janice Hallett writes. Hallett is a master of the modern epistolary, constantly coming up with creative new ways to hide information in plain sight. And so I’m thrilled to wish a Very Happy Book Birthday to her latest and greatest, The Examiner! What
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Myth, magic, and madness in Hearts that Cut
I have many, many apologies to make to my NetGalley list. Reading and reviewing new releases is one of my favorite parts of having this blog, and yet I’ve been extremely behind in doing my homework. We’ll be making up for that in the next month or two, starting with one of the books I’ve
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Through a glass, darkly in Catchpenny by Charlie Huston
LA has an – interesting – reputation. It’s the City of the Stars, but also all the machinations required to keep those dreams going. Wannabe actors (and now influencers) flock there, hoping for a Big Break, but the break can only come for so many. But what happens to those who get left behind? In
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Time trials in The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
Time-travel is a tricky subject, both to read and to write about. When done well, time-travel stories can be suspenseful and thrilling. Hermione’s Time-Turner adventures, even with their flaws, taught me how much character writing can impact a time-travel plot. More recently, The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle set up an unputdownable Golden Age