Category Archives: reading

#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 | Leave a comment

My July Reading Log

Posted on August 15, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

My reading in the first half of the month was re-reading of large quantities of work by Cecilia Tan and P. Djèlí Clark, in preparation for Readercon panels. I didn’t make substantial notes on either panel, so I don’t have … Continue reading →

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

My June Reading Log

Posted on July 18, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

Fiction: Miss Morton and the Spirits of the Underworld by Catherine Lloyd turned out to be second in a historical mystery series set in 1830s England. The author managed the excellent trick of giving me enough hints of book one’s … Continue reading →

Posted in fanfiction, historical fiction, music, mystery, reading, romance novels | Tagged , | Leave a comment

#TBR Challenge – Back in My Day…: Siren Queen by Nghi Vo

Posted on July 16, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

Siren Queen by Nghi Vo is fantasy set in 1930s Hollywood. The nameless first person narrator, whose Chinese immigrant father owns a laundry, first sees silent films by selling an inch of her hair; later, she plays the roles of … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, reading, sf/f | Tagged | 1 Comment

#TBR Challenge – Road Trip: John Constantine, Hellblazer Vol. 18: The Gift by Mike Carey and Denise Mina, Leonardo Manco, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Lorenzo Ruggiero, and Frazer Irving

Posted on June 18, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

John Constantine, Hellblazer Vol. 18: The Gift by Mike Carey (Author), Denise Mina (Author), Leonardo Manco (Illustrator, Artist), Giuseppe Camuncoli (Artist), Lorenzo Ruggiero (Artist), Frazer Irving (Artist) is a road trip to hell (rather than from hell, heh). The story … Continue reading →

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

My May Reading Log

Posted on June 14, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

Fiction: The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope is historical fantasy set in the 1920s Black neighborhoods of Washington, D.C.. Clara Johnson is able to speak with spirits called Enigmas, which can help humans with problems via a “Charm” but … Continue reading →

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

#TBRChallenge – Older Couple: The Odyssey, translated by Emily Wilson

Posted on May 21, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

I’d actually already started reading The Odyssey, translated by Emily Wilson shortly after it came out, then was distracted and moved on to something else (I no longer remember what or why). I think Penelope and Odysseus qualify for the … Continue reading →

Posted in poetry, reading | Tagged | 1 Comment

My April Reading Log

Posted on May 16, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

Fiction: In Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri, Mehr is the illegitimate daughter of an imperial governor whose mother, from the desert Amrithi tribe, abandoned her and her sister when they were young. While living in relatively pampered seclusion with … Continue reading →

Posted in contemporary, mystery, reading, romance novels, sf/f | Tagged | Leave a comment

My March Reading Log

Posted on April 18, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

Fiction: Passions in Death by J.D. Robb is fifty-ninth in this series and yes I am still reading it because every once in a while I crave a mystery because the point of mystery novels is for justice to prevail. … Continue reading →

Posted in fanfiction, lesbian, lgbtqia+, m/m, reading | Tagged | Leave a comment

#TBR Challenge – Location, Location, Location: White Sands, Red Menace by Ellen Klages

Posted on April 16, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

White Sands, Red Menace by Ellen Klages follows The Green Glass Sea, a middle grade book about a lonely young girl, Dewey, whose father is working on the Manhattan Project. In 1946, World War II has ended; Dewey and her … Continue reading →

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