Book Review – The Past is Red

11 Nov 2024 1 Comment

by Clare in Books, Reviews Tags: , , , , , , ,

I don’t think that I had ever read anything by author Catherynne M. Valente, and that’s one great reason to participate in a book club. The Past Is Red is a novella that was chosen by one of my book clubs and was not a story that I’d been aware of until then (paid link). It was nominated for the 2022 Hugo Award for Best Novella. Read on below to see what I thought.

I read the e-book edition.

Here is the blurb:

The future is blue. Endless blue…except for a few small places that float across the hot, drowned world left behind by long-gone fossil fuel-guzzlers. One of those patches is a magical place called Garbagetown.

Tetley Abednego is the most beloved girl in Garbagetown, but she’s the only one who knows it. She’s the only one who knows a lot of things: that Garbagetown is the most wonderful place in the world, that it’s full of hope, that you can love someone and 66% hate them all at the same time.

But Earth is a terrible mess, hope is a fragile thing, and a lot of people are very angry with her. Then Tetley discovers a new friend, a terrible secret, and more to her world than she ever expected.

This novella is divided into two parts. The first one is a previously published novelette – The Future Is Blue – while the second part is new material. Together they tell the story of a post-apocalyptic world in which the inhabitants are not trying to rebuild the society that was lost, but are content to simply live amid the remnants.

I had a hard time getting into this story and didn’t finish it in time for the book club discussion (although I did still finish it). The story is set in Garbagetown which is where those humans who have survived catastrophic sea level rise have managed to eke out an existence on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. I think that part of what limited my enjoyment of this story was that the timeline hops around and there wasn’t a well-defined plot. Our narrator is not always reliable, which also made it challenging to orient myself in this unfamiliar future world.

Despite these things, Garbagetown itself was fascinating, and I would have loved to have learned more about how it reached its current state. The city is divided into different regions, each named for the type of garbage that they contain. The inhabitants all dream of the day that they will find solid land, and this tiny sad bit of hope keeps many of them going.

Part of this story evoked the old Kevin Costner movie, Waterworld, but without the Mad Max-ian aspects of fuel-obsessed clans fighting over resources. While our protagonist, Tetley, has to still find enough supplies to survive, she also never tries very hard to do more than that. When Tetley finally makes contact with an unexpected friend, I had hoped that this would lead to more of a science fiction-y resolution to the dilemma of those trapped in Garbagetown. But this was not that kind of story, and I’m probably not the right audience to truly have enjoyed this book.

What novellas have you enjoyed and would recommend? Let me know in the comments (above).

Find more of my book reviews here.

Book Review – Somewhere Beyond the Sea

09 Nov 2024 Leave a comment

by Clare in Books, Reviews Tags: , , , , , ,

Somewhere Beyond the Sea is the newest book by T.J. Klune, and is book #2 in the Cerulean Chronicles. I enjoyed book #1 – The House in the Cerulean Sea – a lot and you can find my review of it here (paid links).

I read the e-book edition.

Here is the blurb:

A magical house. A secret past. A summons that could change everything.

Arthur Parnassus lives a good life built on the ashes of a bad one.

He’s the headmaster of a strange orphanage on a distant and peculiar island, and he hopes to soon be the adoptive father to the six dangerous and magical children who live there.

Arthur works hard and loves with his whole heart so none of the children ever feel the neglect and pain that he once felt as an orphan on that very same island so long ago. He is not alone: joining him is the love of his life, Linus Baker, a former caseworker in the Department In Charge of Magical Youth. And there’s the island’s sprite, Zoe Chapelwhite, and her girlfriend, Mayor Helen Webb. Together, they will do anything to protect the children.

But when Arthur is summoned to make a public statement about his dark past, he finds himself at the helm of a fight for the future that his family, and all magical people, deserve.

And when a new magical child hopes to join them on their island home—one who finds power in calling himself monster, a name that Arthur worked so hard to protect his children from—Arthur knows they’re at a breaking point: their family will either grow stronger than ever or fall apart.

Welcome back to Marsyas Island. This is Arthur’s story.

The ending of the first book made it obvious that there would be a sequel, but did not leave any significant hints of how that story would go. The plot in the second book tells a new story, but it is thematically a continuation of the first book. Not much time is spent on re-introducing the characters, so if you’re interested in reading this series, go back to start with the first book.

While I have to say that I didn’t like this second book as much as the first, I don’t want that to really detract from my review at all. Somewhere Beyond the Sea is a wonderful book, but the first one is truly a tough act to follow.

Linus is no longer the main driver of the story in this book, but remains pivotal as support for Arthur as he navigates the more public role he has chosen to take on. The children at Marsyas grow up a bit in this sequel, while still engaging in their endearing shenanigans.

So why didn’t this book quite live up to the expectations I had from the first one? I felt like the plot was too loosely constructed and rather unfocused. The characters on Marsyas also never felt like they were in enough danger to me. I didn’t believe that DICOMY would take the children away from Arthur and Linus, so the story lacked the tension and conflict that I wanted to see. However, this was still a book that I enjoyed, and I think that my negative nitpicking is truly a reflection of how GOOD the first book was.

I have put all of TJ Klune’s other books on my to-be-read list. Which one should I start next? Let me know in the comments (above).

Find more of my reviews here.

October 2024 Reading Wrap Up

04 Nov 2024 Leave a comment

by Clare in Books Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

October is over and wow, did that month go by fast! I was traveling for part of the month, and between my trip and a flurry of work before and after, it has brought me to November before I was ready. Our weather here has been unseasonably warm and dry, making the autumn leaves spectacular, but also uncomfortable to burrow under blankets for reading without that fall chill. Before I look ahead at November though, let’s look back at my reading for October.

Books finished: Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. Klune, Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon, The Past is Red by Catherynne M. Valente, The Hemlock Queen by Hannah Whitten, The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (paid links).

I had really enjoyed The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune and you can find my review of it here. I picked up the sequel as soon as it was released. I continued to read the Outlander series, with Drums of Autumn being the fourth book. You can see my recent review of that one here. The Past is Red was a choice for a local book club and was a shorter read as a novella. While on my trip, I read The Hemlock Queen, which is the sequel to The Foxglove King (review here), then picked up the more serious The Underground Railroad as a stand-alone read (paid links).

If you read my blog occasionally, you may have noticed that I listen to audiobooks a lot. If you’d like to try an Audible membership, you can currently sign up here to get a Premium Plus membership for $0.99 (paid link).

Currently reading: The Boys Omnibus Vol. 1 by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera, The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon, The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart (paid links).

I will actually finish The Boys graphic novel this month, really! I’m continuing my read of the Outlander books and I’ve head that this fifth volume is less popular with other readers, so I’ll see how it goes. So far I’m only a few chapters in. The Saint of Bright Doors won the Nebula Award and was nominated for the Hugo for best novel. I’m about halfway through that one. Then I just started to read The Gods Below after receiving the beautiful Fairy Loot edition (see my previous post about this).

What else am I hoping to read in November? Here are some of the books that I’m considering.

Dawn by Octavia E. Butler is a selection for a book club discussion at the beginning of December. It’s also time to get back to my Wheel of Time reading with book #7 – A Crown of Swords. I read one book by Mark Lawrence in the past and was very much NOT a fan of it (because of the main character). However, The Book That Wouldn’t Burn caught my interest and maybe I’ll enjoy this one (paid links).

I have had Scorpica by G. R. Macallister on my shelf for a couple of years after hearing the author speak at New York Comic-Con. I also have the second book in the series. Then lastly, I picked up The Black Bird Oracle by Deborah Harkness as an audiobook. This is the latest installment in her All Souls series. I have also been watching Netflix for the third season of the television series based on her books – A Discovery of Witches (paid links).

I have been trying to be more intentional in creating time to read since I hit that slump in the mid-summer. I find that creating the right space and atmosphere helps. Do you like to set the mood for your reading? Here are some items that I would love to have on hand on a quiet chilly day. I like to buy candles, even when I already have candles, and this Hello Fall one is available in spicy pumpkin, apple cinnamon, or morning autumn scents (paid link).

Having a fuzzy blanket or throw is mandatory for fall and winter reading for me. Here are a couple of throws that look nice and plush and warm. This gray one comes in a variety of colors. For a heavier option, this one shown below in dark blue fleece might be nice, and also comes in several colors (paid links).

Something would be wrong with me if I didn’t pick up new books in October. A new Fairy Loot book arrived – Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy. This is a new author and I’m excited to dive into this one soon. This special edition is also gorgeous, with foil inlay inside the cover, illustrations on the inside of the dust jacket, and printed edges.

My mother lent me The Alice Network, which appears to be a historical fiction novel about female spies during World War I (paid links). It doesn’t appear to be a fantasy or science fiction story, but sometimes that is okay.

I don’t want to think about it too much yet, but 2024 is nearly over. I am woefully behind on my Goodreads challenge for the year (31 of 96 books read). Their widget won’t even tell me how many books per week I need to read to meet my (unrealistic) goal.

What are you reading? What books are you still looking forward to reading in 2024? Let me know in the comments (above).

Book Review – Drums of Autumn

30 Oct 2024 2 Comments

by Clare in Books, Reviews Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

I have finished another book in the Outlander series, by Diana Gabaldon. Drums of Autumn is the fourth book in the series (paid links), and you can find my reviews of the earlier books in the series below:

I listened to the audiobook edition.

Here is the blurb:

What if you knew someone you loved was going to die? What if you thought you could save them? How much would you risk to try?

Claire Randall has gone to find Jamie Fraser, the man she loved more than life, and has left half her heart behind with their daughter, Brianna. Claire gave up Jamie to save Brianna, and now Bree has sent her mother back to the Scottish warrior who was willing to give his life to save them both. But a chilling discovery in the pages of history suggests that Jamie and Claire’s story doesn’t have a happy ending.

Brianna dares a terrifying leap into the unknown in search of her mother and the father she has never met, risking her own future to try to change history . . . and to save their lives. But as Brianna plunges into an uncharted wilderness, a heartbreaking encounter may strand her forever in the past . . . or root her in the place she should be, where her heart and soul belong.

I thought that this installment of the series took longer to get started, but ultimately brought the characters together in new and more complicated ways. This book also added more time spend in different viewpoints, with Brianna and Roger becoming more involved in the central plot. Thankfully, the trans-Atlantic journeys in this volume went by in fewer pages than that in the previous book.

Many of the problems that the characters encounter could have been easily solved if they had been more open about talking to each other. Unfortunately, certain assumptions are made that nearly lead to catastrophe. But without circumstances like that, we wouldn’t find conflict and tension in stories, which would make them a lot less interesting to read.

In the third book, Voyager, and again in this one, the characters speculate on the nature of their time travel. This aspect of the series starts out as a completely mysterious occurrence, but as they try to figure out how to intentionally travel through time, I have to wonder how this will play out in future books.

I just started the next book, The Fiery Cross, so I’ll be back with a review on that one in 6 to 8 weeks (paid link)!

Have you read any of the Outlander books? Have you watched the show? I just saw the first episode of the first season last week (for the second time). Let me know in the comments (above).

Find more of my reviews here.

Book Review – The Familiar

28 Oct 2024 Leave a comment

by Clare in Books, Reviews Tags: , , , , , , , ,

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo is a new stand-alone novel set in late 16th century Spain that incorporates significant fantasy elements. I have enjoyed several of Bardugo’s other books, so read on below to see what I thought of this one (paid links).

You can find my review of her other books here:

I read this in hardcover.

Here is the blurb:

In a shabby house, on a shabby street, in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her scheming mistress discovers the lump of a servant cowering in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles, she demands Luzia use those gifts to better the family’s social position.

What begins as simple amusement for the bored nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Pérez, the disgraced secretary to Spain’s king. Still reeling from the defeat of his armada, the king is desperate for any advantage in the war against England’s heretic queen—and Pérez will stop at nothing to regain the king’s favor.

Determined to seize this one chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world of seers and alchemists, holy men and hucksters, where the line between magic, science, and fraud is never certain. But as her notoriety grows, so does the danger that her Jewish blood will doom her to the Inquisition’s wrath. She will have to use every bit of her wit and will to survive—even if that means enlisting the help of Guillén Santangel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both.

This book opened more slowly than some of the author’s other stories, but Luzia’s life was richly depicted and it was easy to get drawn in to the sense of place that was established in the opening. As she gets drawn into the schemes of those better off, she tries to grasp some small piece of agency for herself, making her choices more understandable as she knowingly puts herself at risk.

Like much of Leigh Bardugo’s other novels, there was an element of romance within this story. This threw me at first, because I had not read the description of one character accurately and had made some incorrect assumptions. However, I was able to reorient myself and this ultimately didn’t take anything away from the story for me.

I felt like I didn’t understand the magical aspects of this world quite as well as I would have liked. Perhaps that was because this was a stand-alone novel and I simply had fewer pages to become comfortable with the backstory and myths that were revealed as the plot unfolded.

Despite these nitpicks, I did enjoy this novel. I found it to be a refreshingly different type of story from the author, and while I would love to discover another novel that was as good as Six of Crows, it is also great to know that she can vary her work to keep it fresh.

Which of Leigh Bardugo’s books have you read? Which was your favorite? Let me know in the comments (above)!

Find more of my reviews here.

September 2024 Reading Wrap Up

02 Oct 2024 Leave a comment

by Clare in Books Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Is everyone awake now? September has ended and that means that we’re entering the final quarter of 2024 and it’s time to look back at my reading for the past month!

I had another slow month, but I had to travel for work. So while that helps me read (while on a plane), it takes up time with the event and the packing and preparations. In September I finished reading Moon Shot: The Inside Story of America’s Moon Landings by Alan Shepard and Deke Slayton (review here) and The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo (paid links). I should have a review of The Familiar up later this week.

I had taken the graphic novel The Boys Vol. 1 with me on my trip, but then misplaced it when I unpacked, so I didn’t make much progress on it. It has since been found, so I should finish that soon. I’m also almost done with Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. Klune (the sequel to the amazing The House in the Cerulean Sea) and The Drums of Autumn (Outlander #4) by Diana Gabaldon (paid links).

I recently signed up for one of those monthly subscription boxes (Fairy Loot), with the theme of this one being fantasy novels. My first delivery arrived last week and it’s a pretty hardcover of The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart.

Jewels and snakes on the edges of the pages.

I haven’t read anything by this author, but her earlier series (The Drowning Empire: #1 = The Bone Shard Daughter, #2 = The Bone Shard Emperor, #3 = The Bone Shard War) has been on my radar as a series of interest. The Gods Below looks like the first book in a new series (paid links).

I’ve included some pretty pictures of the features of this special hardcover edition.

Pretty artwork on the inside covers.

What’s up next for my reading? I’ll be traveling again, but for a vacation. While I’m sure I’ll have plenty of activities to keep me busy, I also plan to do some poolside and beachside reading.

I plan to start reading The Past is Red by Catherynne M. Valente this week for a book club discussion next week. I should be able to start the fifth Outlander book – The Fiery Cross soon. Then as far as other picks, I don’t know how many of these I’ll get to, but some of the possibilities include The Hemlock Queen by Hannah Whitten, The Book That Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence, and The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (paid links).

Have you read any of these books? How do you decide what to read next? Let me know in the comments.

Book Review: Moon Shot – The Inside Story of America’s Race to the Moon

16 Sep 2024 1 Comment

by Clare in Books, Reviews Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

I’ve read a handful of books that detail the history of the U.S. space program, and this was one that I picked up on sale some time ago. Moon Shot by Alan Shepard and Deke Slayton (with Jay Barbree) follows the story of these two astronauts through the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs, and a little beyond (paid link). Read on below to see what I thought.

I read the e-book edition.

Here is the blurb:

On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, and the space race was born. Desperate to beat the Russians into space, NASA put together a crew of the nation’s most daring test pilots: the seven men who were to lead America to the moon. The first into space was Alan Shepard; the last was Deke Slayton, whose irregular heartbeat kept him grounded until 1975. They spent the 1960s at the forefront of NASA’s effort to conquer space, and Moon Shot is their inside account of what many call the twentieth century’s greatest feat—landing humans on another world. Collaborating with NBC’s veteran space reporter Jay Barbree, Shepard and Slayton narrate in gripping detail the story of America’s space exploration from the time of Shepard’s first flight until he and eleven others had walked on the moon.

The focus of this book was more narrow than some other ones that I’ve read on the history and experiences of the early U.S. space program. While it does outline the larger political environment and events of the 1950s and 1960s that were instrumental in the creation of NASA and the public support of the space race to some extent, someone who isn’t already familiar with the history might not get the full picture from this book. The story follows the two astronaut authors and details their personal challenges as they trained to fly their missions. Other important events are included, but without as many details as might be found elsewhere.

Overall I enjoyed this book because it provided a more personal perspective on that time and even extended into the Skylab and the Apollo-Soyuz projects. The only part that I didn’t like was how the ending cut suddenly to a political rant about the NASA budget and goals from near the time this book was published. The tone of this section was different, and as it turns out, SpaceX and other private companies have made many of these complaints irrelevant now.

If you search for this book, you may find a similarly titled one by astronaut Mike Massimo that is more about what he learned about himself and how to live based on his experiences in space.

Have you read any other books about the history of the space program that you would recommend? Let me know in the comments (above).

Find more of my reviews here.

Book Review – A Court of Thorns and Roses

13 Sep 2024 Leave a comment

by Clare in Books, Reviews Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

I read a banned book a few weeks ago. The first book in the popular fantasy series by Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Thorns and Roses (as well as several of her other titles), has been in the news in recent years for supposedly being too explicit to be in school libraries (paid links). On a whim, I picked this novel up and you can find my thoughts on it below.

I read the e-book edition.

Here is the blurb:

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

This book struck me more as a romance in a fantasy setting than a fantasy novel with romance. For the first half of the book, the story was about the relationship between Feyre and Tamlin, more than anything else. Yes, the story isn’t set in our world and there is plenty of magic, monsters, and history here, but as a lowly human, Feyre doesn’t know very much to start with. The initial events reminded me of classic fairy tales, particularly Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast.

About halfway through the book, this changes. Feyre becomes more invested in the faerie world as a result of taking control of her situation and learning the truth of what is going on. I liked the book much better from this point, and the introduction of more characters and higher stakes helped to make this a richer story. I enjoyed the rest of the novel and will likely pick up the second book soon.

The idea that this book is too sexually explicit for teenagers is laughable. I read those scenes and was underwhelmed. You know what’s more explicit than the writing in this book — teenagers’ imaginations. I’ve read other books that are marketed to adults that are more graphic, but Sarah J. Maas’ books are categorized as YA or young adult. Young adult books are not for all ages of children, but are intended to be read by teenagers and typically feature characters who are a couple of years older than their audience. Here is an article by a librarian who can explain why teenagers need to be able to read books like this better than I can.

Have you read any books by Sarah J. Maas? Which did you like the best? Which would you skip?

Find more of my book reviews here.

Book Review – The Echo Wife

03 Sep 2024 Leave a comment

by Clare in Books, Reviews Tags: , , , , , , , ,

I have previously read Magic For Liars by Sarah Gailey and really enjoyed it (but I didn’t post a review here). I had been meaning to get to another of her novels and finally found time to read The Echo Wife for a recent book club discussion (paid links).

I read the e-book edition.

Here is the blurb:

I’m embarrassed, still, by how long it took me to notice. Everything was right there in the open, right there in front of me, but it still took me so long to see the person I had married.

It took me so long to hate him.

Martine is a genetically cloned replica made from Evelyn Caldwell’s award-winning research. She’s patient and gentle and obedient. She’s everything Evelyn swore she’d never be.

And she’s having an affair with Evelyn’s husband.

Now, the cheating bastard is dead, and both Caldwell wives have a mess to clean up.

Good thing Evelyn Caldwell is used to getting her hands dirty.

I think that this book held a lot of promise with the subject matter, but in some ways, it failed to deliver on all of the ideas that it initiated. The blurb doesn’t explain the premise in this book well, but at its heart, it’s about the science of cloning and the ethics behind the use of those clones. If you create a human clone in a lab and use it for research, is it murder when you need to end your experiment and practically dispose of the materials? What if that clone has a personality and a life of its own? Is that situation any different?

In this book, the researcher’s husband creates a clone of her, but with modifications that fit his idea of a perfect spouse. Of course, the experiment goes horribly wrong, and that is the focus of this story. Oddly, it occurs in a vacuum, with little concern for the rest of the world that might notice something wrong in the cloning laboratory. This story could have easily turned into an action-packed thriller with police investigations and car chases, but that isn’t the focus here.

I don’t think I agreed with the characters’ decisions in the end, but I also don’t have a clone of myself hanging around, so it’s truly hard to know if I’d make a different decision or not. I enjoyed the book, even if I felt rather underwhelmed by the treatment of the topic.

Have you read any books by Sarah Gailey? Do you have any books on the ethics of cloning that you would recommend? Let me know in the comments (above).

Find more of my reviews here.

August 2024 Reading Wrap Up

31 Aug 2024 Leave a comment

by Clare in Books Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

It feels like I just did one of these posts with my belated June and July 2024 Reading Wrap Up. But it’s already the end of August, so I’m going to look back on how my reading went for this month.

My reading plans often stray…

In August, I finished reading The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey and then randomly picked up and quickly finished the frequently banned book, A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (reviews coming next week). I am still working on Moon Shot: The Inside Story of America’s Race to the Moon by Alan Shepard and Deke Slayton and Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon (in audiobook format). Since I’ve been catching up on the most recent two seasons of The Boys (on Amazon Prime), I also started to read the first omnibus collection of this comic (paid links).

What else am I looking forward to in September other than less humidity, sweatshirts, and fall colors? Here are some books I might pick up next month:

Of course, that’s 9 books, which I should know by now is not realistic for me. We’ll see where the month leads!

How has your reading been going for the year? What have your favorite books been so far? Are there any books that have autumn themes that you would recommend?

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