New month, new book thread!
My first book of May was Gender Explorers by Juno Roche
The world needs stories of trans joy and trans kids being free to discover themselves. But it’s hard to be reminded of how much we’ve lost in just 5 years.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/af043749-6ac2-444e-986d-103e62833846
Book 2 was Killing It by Asia Mackay.
I love stories featuring women who kill. Big fan of the whole genre.
An assassin working for a secret government agency returns to work after baby leave. For my tastes, though, it was too focused on the mumsy side of things and not enough on the assassin bit.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/73617a2e-b233-4fa8-98ed-00422eb30787
Book 3 was A Mythical Case of Arson by Melissa Erin Jackson
A fun paranormal cosy book-snack with an array of diverse characters.
Get it direct from the author: https://payhip.com/b/ONckv
Book 4 was The Last Days of the Dinosaurs by Riley Black.
The first half looks at the state of the world on the day the asteroid hit. The second half digs into the hours, days, weeks, and millennia that follow.
The epilogue adds a beautiful touch.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/8b7dde10-b6a0-4488-9676-48bcb6dc700d?redirect=true
Book 5 was Heart of the Covenant by S.L. Dove Cooper.
This adorable cosy sci-fi book is a novel in short stories.
Hedriar leaves home for the first time to take up a role on a space station, where she meets a diverse group of friends who help her adapt to her new life.
But it direct from the author: https://dovelynnwriter.itch.io/heart-of-the-covenant
Book 6 was The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris by Evie Woods
Following a tragic loss, Edie follows her dreams to France.
This one wasn’t really for me … but I recommended it to my mother. Those who enjoy their fiction on the soppier side will love this one.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/076d6dcf-3e9e-4e3e-a625-cf72f9086d76
Book 7 was On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder.
Everyone needs to read this book. It’s almost 10 tears old and yet more relevant than ever. It wanted to be a warning – instead it was prophetic. But it also gives hope for how to combat fascism and tyranny.
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/b7d677bc-af3e-43c0-810d-c59005b24457
Book 8 was Once Upon A Galactic Time by N.D. Shar.
This is a fun and fresh space opera for fans of mil-sci-fi who are tired of the same old stale-male-pale storylines.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/0ef54c02-d39f-4677-bc5d-c9bf193ab8f2
Book 9 was Feeding the Machine: The Hidden Human Labour Powering AI by James Muldoon, Callum Cant, Mark Graham.
This book is an indictment of unfettered capitalism, exposing how it exploits all workers everywhere.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/7449e981-2c2b-4b35-9122-3b8efbaef72f
Book 10 was Selected Stories by Dorothy Parker.
She of the zingy one-liners. Biting, sarcastic, hilarious. I enjoy her quips, so I decided to read some of her shorts. I expected them to be funny – but they were all so desperately sad.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/86eb05d1-cd5b-4ae6-82fb-737442054c6e
Book 11 was The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves.
I adore Matthew and Jonathan’s relationship. It’s really the depth and complexity of the characters that sets this series apart.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/9a263076-1576-4e35-8cca-64b340bdc9ad
Book 12 was Unwritten Law by Helena Kennedy QC and Rib Davis.
Interesting selection of true stories about legal cases that changed the law in the UK.
Very short review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/4451821f-9991-4a04-883d-c5c0ac1c5287
Book 13 was Sinopticon: A Celebration of Chinese Science Fiction by Xueting Christine Ni.
As with any collection of shorts from multiple authors, some stories resonated more with me than others did. An excellent selection of stories that are fresh and a bit different from the norm.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/2a99426a-ce24-4714-87f8-3666d3377871
Book 14 was I Bet You'd Look Good in a Coffin by Katy Brent.
This series is definitely one of my favourites in the genre. If the vigilaunties in my books ever met Kitty, they’d absolutely adore her – just like I do.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/220b2692-1b19-4027-8fb9-c78683f8d565
Book 15 was How To Change It: Make a Difference by Joshua Virasami.
A valuable look at how to persuade people change their minds.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/3aa5f7d3-2ccc-4b78-99c5-a0694ae089df
Book 16 was Sundered Moon by Fae'rynn
For my tastes, this one was too heavy on the romance and the sexy times … but I’m a weirdo. And I appreciated the wider plot.
Get it direct from the author: https://faerynnistired.itch.io/sundered-moon
Book 17 was The Squiggly Career by Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis.
Most of the book was focused on providing readers with strategies and ways of thinking to help progress their careers without necessarily focusing on the traditional ladder trajectory.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/9bc03685-fc5d-424b-b128-2ec5a8a9ae9f
Book 18 was The Fall by Louise Jensen.
An absolutely gripping, page-turner of a story. It was let down a bit by the convoluted ending and rose-tinted epilogue. But still, overall, a decent read.
And the dog lives.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/5f4b6c55-eb20-4d55-83e1-bcd5cee532d3?redirect=true
Book 19 was Life as a Unicorn by Amrou Al-Kadhi.
In some ways, the author embodies the statement that hurt people hurt people. But they don’t try to cover it or deny it. They’re not bragging but nor are they here to pretend they’re perfect.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/ff8db504-f3ee-454a-83d4-1bf4da3e217b?redirect=true
Book 20 was Rollback by Robert J. Sawyer.
Sawyer doesn’t write novels; he writes treatises on ethics and morality in story format. In this one, he explores issues of family and monogamy and relationships. Highly enjoyable.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/4f6a5e69-78a8-42e8-bc00-6ed7708dce1e?redirect=true
Book 21 was Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto.
Vera Wong is so adorable. I mean, I don’t want her sticking her nose into my life … but I’ll read any of her stories and I hope there are 99 more still to come.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/c5701733-e608-487a-8626-65dd87073dac
Book 22 was Shada by Gareth Roberts, Douglas Adams.
I knew this was based on an old BBC serial but I didn’t realise it the episodes were never finished.
This was a fun classic Doctor Who story rife with Hitchhiker’s Guide references.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/b531f7ab-f8c7-45f0-853f-01a8a6e475f0
Book 23 was The Great Halifax Explosion by John U. Bacon.
Imagine a world where Canada and America aren’t allies, where’s Canada has closer ties to Europe than to America, where America keeps threatening to annex Canada.
Even if you’re not interested in the explosion (fascinating as it is), it’s worthwhile for the history and its relevance to today.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/9efb75f4-e053-4924-b906-cb5930bb7958
Book 24 was Ogres by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
A little dystopian novella that packs a massive punch.
I’m not a fan of second person – but it was absolutely the right call here.
Mini review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/0eac5f94-83e4-4c68-ab87-c65e41c5ec67?redirect=true
Book 25 was Unsettling Canada by Arthur Manuel.
This book is informative. But if you can only read one book on the plight of indigenous people in Canada, I’d recommend A Knock on the Door by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission instead.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/946792f9-c41b-4438-ab59-f0ca98431359?redirect=true
Book 26 was Chaotic Apéritifs by Tao Wong.
This series is pure literary comfort food.
But the decision to hire an American narrator for a quintessentially Canadian story is odd.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/fc4749eb-b424-4164-9ae2-4b7e649ec15f
Book 27 was Tempest, Take Me Home by Charlie Knight.
This book is a warm, affirming hug. I dislike romance but I love an established couple. This book very much delivers.
Too much sexy time for my tastes, but that’s just me.
Get it direct: https://cknightwrites.itch.io/tempest-take-me-home
Book 28 was Don't Believe A Word by Susan Lewis.
A compelling story with complex characters.
But one whole thread added tension throughout the book. Then at the end, suddenly it was all, ‘Oh, yeah, ignore that. It was nothing after all.’
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/60e7ba2a-96d6-4f95-9a6e-aba45e38304a?redirect=true
Book 29 was README.txt by Chelsea Manning.
The story of a traumatised young woman trying her best to do what’s right.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/e947640c-d528-4e56-ba87-30be2bd671e1
Book 30 was A Grim Reaper's Guide to Catching a Killer by Maxie Dara.
Fun, fresh take on the grim reaper. A warm and affirming cast of characters and an innovative plot but too much pregnancy talk for my tastes.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/ebf1ba9a-877b-4366-a5b6-9580adf65e4f?redirect=true
Book 31 was What Lies Beneath by Peter Faulding.
Fascinating insight into the world of search and rescue.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/9a167ece-e769-432d-be03-a419c3c39b43
Book 32 was It's the End of the World and I'm in My Bathing Suit by Justin A. Reynolds.
I read a kids’ book. What of it? And it was so much fun! It was absolutely adorable.
Review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/01723829-f0d4-4bd7-88df-6a3bb50f71a6
Book 33 was Papercuts by Colin Bateman.
Fun novel in the form of short stories about a struggling local newspaper in small town Northern Ireland. Excellent cast if distinct characters.
Mini review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/c7a095c5-8d5a-4b1f-a29c-75e8ff9d2df7
@clacksee Shada was finished in animation.
It's also on the Doctor Who, The Collection Season 17 Blu-ray box set. However, we didn't watch it from there and at the moment no idea if they updated the animated sequences.
The filming indeed had never completed due to strikes, and some of the material was used in The Five Doctors.
Shouty person
RanaldClouston
Dutch Whovian Community