Category Archives: reading

#TBRChallenge – “Vintage”: The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones

Posted on February 18, 2026 by Victoria Janssen

For this month’s “Vintage” theme, I went with a historical novel. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones is gory historical horror set in 1912 Montana that’s in conversation with Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice. More importantly, … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, reading | Tagged | Leave a comment

My January Reading Log

Posted on February 13, 2026 by Victoria Janssen

Fiction: Troubled Waters by Sharon Shinn is first in the “Elemental Blessings” series, a secondary-world fantasy with magic and personality types associated with/linked to elements or combinations thereof. The protagonist, for example, is linked mostly to water, which has a … Continue reading →

Posted in fanfiction, reading, sf/f | Tagged | Leave a comment

#TBRChallenge – “Still Here”: Cold Bayou by Barbara Hambly

Posted on January 21, 2026 by Victoria Janssen

I am behind on the Benjamin January series of historical mysteries on purpose, because I like to save them up for when I have extended time to read and appreciate. Cold Bayou by Barbara Hambly (2018) is sixteenth in the … Continue reading →

Posted in mystery, reading | Tagged | Leave a comment

My December Reading Log

Posted on January 16, 2026 by Victoria Janssen

Fiction: The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo is horror, a genre I read only rarely, but I was completely gripped by the 1930s rural setting. Leslie Bruin, a trans man and veteran nurse of World War One, now works … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, horror, reading, sf/f | Tagged | Leave a comment

#TBRChallenge 2026

Posted on January 9, 2026 by Victoria Janssen

TBR Challenge 2026 is a fun way to actually read all those books I’ve been accumulating over the years. “Your mission, should you choose to accept it: once a month pull a dormant book out of your TBR pile and … Continue reading →

Posted in reading | Tagged | Leave a comment

#TBR Challenge – Change of Plans: Much Ado About Margaret by Madeleine Roux

Posted on November 19, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

Much Ado About Margaret by Madeleine Roux was very sweet and satisfying, by which I mean there’s a happy ending (of course! it’s a Romance!) and even the villains of the piece become sympathetic in the end, at least to … Continue reading →

Posted in reading, romance novels | Tagged | Leave a comment

#TBR Challenge – Here There Be Monsters: Troll: A Love Story by Johanna Sinisalo

Posted on October 15, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

Here There Be Monsters: Troll: A Love Story by Johanna Sinisalo [2004] is speculative fiction, but also has a feel of literary fiction. I would probably call it dark fantasy because of tone, themes, a killing, and some domestic abuse. … Continue reading →

Posted in reading, sf/f | Tagged | Leave a comment

#TBR Challenge – Friend Squad: Earls Trip by Jenny Holiday

Posted on September 17, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

Earls Trip by Jenny Holiday is a light historical romance with a mournful beginning. (By “light” I mean light on the historical details and with modern-sounding dialogue, which can be a feature or a bug, depending on your tastes.) Archie … Continue reading →

Posted in reading, romance novels | Tagged | Leave a comment

My August Reading Log

Posted on September 12, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

Fiction: I re-read Lois McMaster Bujold’s initial three books set in the “world of the Five Gods,” The Curse of Chalion, Paladin of Souls, and The Hallowed Hunt. I’d loved them when they first came out, but it’s been well … Continue reading →

Posted in reading, sf/f | Tagged | Leave a comment

#TBR Challenge – Do the Hustle: The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson

Posted on August 20, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

Content warning: this book has past harm to a dog (but it did not die). The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson would today be considered Middle Grade, I think. It’s set in 1908 Austria. Infant Annika is found abandoned … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, reading | Tagged | Comments Off on #TBR Challenge – Do the Hustle: The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson