Can I Recycle This? A Guide to Better Recycling and How to Reduce Single-use Plastics by Jennie Romer Nonfiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Good information on the recycling process/stream. If your town supports curbside recycling, what happens to those items that go into your recycling bin? Are they really getting recycled? Are you sure what you’re adding is actually recycleable? You’ll want to check with your local waste management company to be sure, … Read more
Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher Adventure Fantasy Romance * * * * Stars (Great!) When Princess Marra learns that her older sister is trapped in an abusive relationship, she vows to find a way to release her from her torment. This involves a lengthy quest to acquire the tools and companions she needs to do so – a bone dog, a gravewitch, her own fairy godmother (who is actually much better at curses than … Read more
The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi Science Fiction Suspense * * * * Stars (Great!) Jamie Gray finds himself out of work when the food delivery startup he works for downsizes him during the pandemic. Fortuitously, an acquaintance offers him a job with an animal rights organization he works for – conveniently leaving out the fact that the “animals” are in fact not of this world and that he’ll need to travel to another … Read more
The Chosen Twelve by James Breakwell Science Fiction * * * * Stars (Great!) 22 children are all that’s left of the human race. They’re being trained by robots (Edubot is their main instructor) and other AIs using simulations to colonize a planet that’s basically antithetical to human life. Previous colonists managed to create a species of intelligent, but extremely hostile kangaroos that kill anyone they encounter, and the world wasn’t exactly welcoming to begin … Read more
Upgrade by Blake Crouch Dystopian Science Fiction Suspense Thriller * * * * Stars (Great!) After a near apocalyptic event, the world really cracks down on any sort of genetics research and technology. Logan Ramsay, whose mother (renowned scientist) was ultimately responsible for the Great Starvation, has become an agent committed to stomping out the illegal genetics black market. During a sting, he’s caught in a blast and infected with a gene-altering virus that essentially … Read more
Strong Poison Lord Peter Wimsey series, book #6 by Dorothy L. Sayers Mystery Realistic Fiction Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) Lord Peter is solving another mystery. This time, it’s the mystery of mystery novelist Harriet Vane – who supposedly murdered her own fiancée. But as he is investigating the mystery, Peter finds himself falling in love with Harriet. Before long, he is racing to prove her innocence – and get her … Read more
Thrones and Dominations Lord Peter Wimsey series, book #12 by Jill Paton Walsh and Dorothy L. Sayers Mystery Realistic Fiction Review #1 * * * Stars (Pretty good) Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet have returned from their slightly chaotic honeymoon and are now moving into life together. Before they come back they meet a couple in Paris – Rosamund and her husband who backs plays. Wimsey’s slightly incorrigible sister organizes a dinner for them to … Read more
Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses by Kristen O’Neal Fiction Funny Supernatural * * * Stars (Pretty good) Priya has to take a medical leave of absence from college (pre-med, Stanford) when she is diagnosed with Lyme disease. On some days she can barely function due to pain and brain fog. While she is recuperating she meets new friends through her blog and they form a chronic illness support group. Priya is closest to Brigid (both … Read more
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune Adventure Fantasy LGBTQ+ Romance Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) The story follows a 40-year-old man named Linus Baker, who works at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth evaluating the well-being of children kept in orphanages authorized by the government. One day Linus is tasked with a new highly classified assignment: to journey to Marsyas Island orphanage and supervise 6 mysterious and … Read more
Gender Queer: A Memoir By Maia Kobabe LGBTQ+ Autobiography Graphic Novel Nonfiction * * * * Stars (Great!) This is Maia Kobabe’s graphical memoir of eir (e uses e/em/eir pronouns) journey to self-discovery as a nonbinary, asexual person. It took some time for em to find the language to describe what e felt/was experiencing, and how to explain it to others (this book is part of that process), as well as a supportive community and … Read more