Tag Archives: reviews

October 2026 Reading Round-Up

Posted on November 7, 2026 | Leave a comment
Wickhills by Premee Mohammed

My favorite book this month

This month, I really loved some of these books (Wickhills, Backwoods Banshee, Yield Under Great Persuasion, and The Killing of a Chestnut Tree) and really hated two of them (A Fae in Finance and Terrestrial History). This fall, I’ve unintentionally read several sequels without having read their first books: I Punched an Alien and Now We’re in Couple’s Therapy, The Silent Appeal, This Knight Topples Empires, and Homeward for a Spell. Only the first of these required having read the first book in the series.

Not sure what to make of my reading trends right now. I have been craving gentle stories, caring narrators, and competent protagonists.

Books I COMPLETED

I’ve included snippets from my reviews and additional thoughts.

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Top Ten Tuesday: One-Word Reviews

Posted on November 3, 2026 | Leave a comment

Top Ten Tuesdays prompt for November 3: One-Word Reviews for the Last Ten Books I Read

Choosing one word for some of these books was very difficult. In a couple of cases, I ended up describing how I felt after finishing them.

This Knight Topples Empires: A Minor Character on a Major Quest by Ry Herman

This Knight Topples Empires

Genderfun

The Killing of a Chestnut Tree by Oliver K. Langmead

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Gentleness

A Fae in Finance by Juliet Brooks – unsatisfying

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Unsatisfying

The Bishop of Durham Attempts to Surrender the City by Susannah Clarke

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Dream-like

Wickhills by Premee Mohammed

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Squeeeeeeee

The Silent Appeal by Janice Hallett

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Solid

Yield Under Great Persuasion by Alexandra Rowland

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Restorative

Backwoods Banshee by David R. Slayton

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Satisfying

Dog Wizard by Barbara Hambly

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Done

I Punched an Alien and Now We’re in Couples Therapy – by Kimberly Lemming

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Effortful

Wow, most of these books are from series. Wickhills and Yield are standalones. Fae and Tree are both the first books in a series. Oddly enough, I jumped into reading a few book 2s (Knight, Silent, and Alien) without having read their book 1s. It usually doesn’t matter so much with romances and mysteries. However. I initially DNF’d Alien because it does require reading I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom-Com first.

 

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September 2026 Reading Round-Up

Posted on October 12, 2026 | 1 comment
Bodies of Magic by Freya Marske

My favorite read of the month

Books I COMPLETED

I’ve included snippets from my reviews and additional thoughts.

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August 2026 Reading Round-Up

Posted on September 6, 2026 | Leave a comment
Dungeon Book cover

Charming and unexpected

SFF Cons

Last weekend was WorldCon in Anaheim Los Angeles. I was able to attend in person for 2 days! I caught up with some old friends and went to some great panels. There was also a fitness expo/zumba workshop happening at the Anaheim Convention Center. In some cases, it was difficult to pick out who was attending which event.

I feel like I’ve been in a nostalgia haze, remembering other SFF cons I have attended. Which primed me to instantly purchase The Best of CJ Cherryh by DAW Books Humble Bundle. She was the Guest-of-Honor at my first ever con–OKon in 198-. I also met Suzette Haden Elgin, Bob Aspirin, and Phil Foglio. Yes, I’ve already started pricing out more purchases.

Books I COMPLETED

I read all of the Hugo nominees for novelette and short story. I am so happy that “Never Eaten Vegetables” by HH Pak won for Best Novelette. I felt it was a stacked list. None of the short stories impressed me.

I’ve included snippets from my reviews and additional thoughts.

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