New month, new book thread!
My first book in April was Her Name Is Knight by Yasmin Angoe
This is another author I discovered thanks to the Crime Writers for Trans Rights 2025 auction. And I am hooked on Nina the assassin.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/257af3f6-3cec-4b5a-9755-d455f4cb1846
Book no. 2 was Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite.
Adorable queer cosy sci-fi murder mystery!
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/c14c74d8-56b8-4f11-8846-c782108b99c3?redirect=true
Book 3 was Killing Orders by Sara Paretsky.
VI is an intriguing character and this series paved the way for more recent female-led detective novels.
But… This book was published in 1984 and it shows its age.
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/c3efbe89-a3dc-411c-bb85-cb0436b2c2c1
Book 4 was Life Sentence by A.K. Turner
I’m thoroughly enjoying this series with its twists and turns. Cassie and Phyllida are both intriguing characters. And just a little hint of the paranormal.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/8df2d341-e08b-4f25-8a1d-daddf01182fc
Book 5 was Doppelganger by Naomi Klein.
We could learn from the Right. Not to tolerate intolerance – but to learn to meet people where they’re at. To work together to defeat injustice.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/161214e4-10f5-4e7d-b843-7c81a5f3ff0c?redirect=true
Book 6 was Network Effect by Martha Wells
I adore Murderbot, but I did find it tough to follow all the various threads and characters.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/4a90869a-450b-48aa-99dd-b432d9cbae61?redirect=true
Book 7 was Triple Strike: Threads of Fate by G.M. Gray
A bit of light-hearted space opera with a dash of MM romance.
Get it direct from the author: https://gmgray.itch.io/triple-strike-threads-of-fate
Book 8 was The Last Dog on Earth by Adrian J. Walker
This dark but (ultimately) uplifting may be a little on the nose for the times we’re living in.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/f123ffe2-9307-4162-90d9-2d4eb274cbd0?redirect=true
Book 9 was What's the Matter with Mary Jane? by Candas Jane Dorsey.
I adored this weird little queer murder mystery set in Edmonton.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/ff025166-52ad-4543-936a-895dabbf692d
Book 10 was Doctor Who: Molten Heart by Una McCormack
The Doctor and the gang visit a planet where people live on the inside not the outside. And something isn’t right.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/0308823e-6229-4a9a-b88d-bb291b3599dc
Book 11 was Blackout by Marco Carocari.
When Franco accidentally witnesses a murder, it brings back decades-old memories. Only the cops don’t believe him. And one of them seems to have a vendetta against him.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/7057f69e-6ab7-436d-87f3-211db9aff40b
Book 12 was Firewalkers by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
The Earth’s wealthiest people live in glamorous ships orbiting the dying planet. Those left behind eke out a meagre living in overcrowded slums. When power goes out, Mao, Lupé, and Hotep are sent out to investigate.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/7255b339-b8ff-43da-bf83-5fb915d3c479?redirect=true
Book 13 was Joy to the World by Maia Ross.
If I go missing, I want Irma Abercrombie and all her assorted weaponry to hunt me down.
Very short review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/8a1daa20-2d99-4ae3-9193-bc1461a15d13?redirect=true
Book 14 was Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert by Bob the Drag Queen.
Bob the Drag Queen certainly isn’t the first Drag Race alum to write a book. But is she the first to publish fiction? I’m not sure, but it’s the first one I’ve read. And it is outstanding.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/fec66457-4d6a-49ba-af1f-6397102a9484?redirect=true
Book 15 was Holy Island by LJ Ross
After a string of fantastic reads, I was due for one that wasn’t the right fit. Not every book is for every reader … and that’s okay.
Full review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/1f254e59-bc21-4822-8648-4c1e92c8398e?redirect=true
Book 16 was Five Unicorn Flush by T.J. Berry
This series is outstanding and it makes me sad that there wasn’t a third book. A rich and unique world populated by complex, deeply flawed characters.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/855b72e8-af80-46fc-ad72-be3833c9dec8?redirect=true
Book 17 was Autocracy Inc: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World by Anne Applebaum
Relevant quotes:
‘Sometimes the point isn’t to make people believe a lie; it’s to make people fear the liar.’
‘No democracy is safe.’
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/c00deb28-72e3-4425-99a8-88c3fbbe51ee?redirect=true
Book 18 was Voice of the Sea by Siri Paulson.
The Little Mermaid … but make it cli-fi.
Very short review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/0acf3c39-9b8f-468e-abea-32f3e6e31fc8?redirect=true
Book 19 was Neuromancer by William Gibson.
Everyone should read it at least once, but readers who prioritise plot and world-building will get more out of it than those who crave deeply layered characters.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/c2b8425d-e6b4-4b0b-bc18-ea1e0ff9ba0a?redirect=true
Book 20 was Hard Time: A V. I. Warshawski Novel by Sara Paretsky.
V.I. Is a compelling character. I can definitely see how Paretsky has influenced others writing female private investigators.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/0ec285fa-e92e-459d-b122-cb95970c1eeb?redirect=true
Book 21 was Death Comes to Marlow by Robert Thorogood.
The book makes more sense than the TV series does.
Very short review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/59f67052-080c-441e-b0ac-b365f0a7c1da
Book 22 was Queer Space Force: an anthology edited by dave ring.
My favourites were Cotton Dreams by Rashid Darden and Forecast: 2031 by Marlena Chertock.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/62d6d027-6b43-4774-a4f6-13f4c2a8f0bb
Book 23 was Dreamland by Rosa Rankin-Gee.
This is another tough one. It is BLEAK. It is dark. It is excellent … but an escape from the current dark times it is not.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/1e416cf8-823d-419a-b5a7-477e5e0a9fee?redirect=true
Book 24 was Blackmail and Bibingka by Mia P. Manansala.
Lila and co are back again. And surprise! There’s been another murder. And once again, the cops have Lila’s family in their sights.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/e21da5e1-55c2-4f07-8b55-e5b5ad592522?redirect=true
Book 25 was None of the Above: Reflections on Life Beyond the Binary by Travis Alabanza.
It’s rare that a book resonates as strongly as this one did. Alabanza’s views on gender are very much in line with my own.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/77ae8ab4-479c-471d-b76f-66492903ca26
Book 26 was The Pink Diamond by Tris Husband.
Starts as a noir private eye mystery in a gender-bent Greek mythology-based world. I was so into it. But then, at the end, it takes a 90° turn into erotica.
Get it direct from the author: https://trishusband.itch.io/the-pink-diamond
Book 27 was The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers.
A freak accident throws five very different people together.
I just adore this queer cosy sci-fi series. Characters you can’t help but adore. I really hope there will be more to this series.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/95e092fe-b33f-4b80-874e-55527e36e978?redirect=true
Book 28 was The Couple at Causeway Cottage by Diane Jeffrey
Kat and Mark move to a small island off the coast of Northern Ireland. From the start, Mark was deeply unlikeable and borderline abusive. But I didn’t trust Kat either. And everyone was keeping secrets.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/cc17830e-bcaf-485b-9aaf-5bb92b9b72da
Book 29 was Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World by Katharine Hayhoe.
This book is all about how to open up conversations about climate change. But many of the strategies in this book are useful for all kinds of difficult conversations.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/3551a967-55f3-4124-ba97-6dbf4df7948f
Book 30 was Red Queen by Juan Gómez-Jurado.
Meh. I see why the normals like this so much. It’s fast-paced and engaging. But, for me, it relies too much on stereotypes and cliches.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/5f07d977-e6e6-4246-94c8-b3c123f67286
Book 31 was The Light & Shade of Ellen Swithin by DG Coutinho.
Don’t be put off by the terrible title and cover. I read a lot of books about women who kill. This one brought something fresh and different to the genre. Campy, edgy fun! Go read it.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/39d58b8a-a3ff-47a8-a625-693055ad1128?redirect=true
Book 32 was Crash Landing by Lashawnda Sanders.
This one felt like reading an outline of a novel rather completed novelette.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/a5f5efe6-f24d-4cbe-8dd7-092e801f09b5
Book 33 (and my final for April) was Trapped by Henrik Fexeus and Camilla Läckberg.
A female cop with OCD and an autistic man with a special interest in stage magic and reading people team up to solve a series of unusual murders.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/6960320e-7abf-4cc0-b378-03f84d8f2580
@clacksee @bookstodon @lgbtqbookstodon
Becky Chambers Monk and Robot are every bit as good as the way fairer series. I hold them very close to my heart
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