Category Archives: reading

My June 2022 Reading Log

Posted on July 11, 2022 by Victoria Janssen

Fiction: Aunty Lee’s Deadly Specials is second in this mystery series set in contemporary Singapore. Aunty Lee provides catering, including a dish that can be deadly if prepared improperly, and two people die after eating it. As you might imagine, … Continue reading →

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My February Reading Log

Posted on March 4, 2022 by Victoria Janssen

Fiction: To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers is a novella about crowdsourced interstellar exploration, astronauts sent off from a world suffering the ravages of climate change, with the twist that they do plan to come back, after interfering … Continue reading →

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My December Reading Log

Posted on January 16, 2022 by Victoria Janssen

Fiction: Plus-One by Barbara Hambly is a novelette in her Windrose series; I had been hoarding a couple of it for a while, as it’s from my favorite of her various fantasy series. Joanna and Antryg are attending a martial … Continue reading →

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#TBRChallenge 2022

Posted on January 1, 2022 by Victoria Janssen

This year, I’ll again be participating in the TBR Challenge hosted by Wendy the Super Librarian. My goal is to post reviews of a themed book on the third Wednesday of every month. Feel free to join me! Tag your … Continue reading →

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#TBRChallenge – Festive: Cotillion by Georgette Heyer

Posted on December 15, 2021 by Victoria Janssen

It’s true! I’ve never read Cotillion by Georgette Heyer! Until now. This book was published in 1953, so I felt free to include spoilers in this post. I found the novel charming, with typical Heyer character types, plotlines, and shenanigans, … Continue reading →

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#TBRChallenge – Competition: The Galaxy Game by Karen Lord

Posted on November 17, 2021 by Victoria Janssen

The Galaxy Game by Karen Lord is a complex, far-future space opera that includes the sport of Wallrunning. The skills and implications of Wallrunning, it turns out, influence events on an interstellar scale. I was very pleased to re-encounter characters … Continue reading →

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#TBRChallenge – Gothic: Doll Bones by Holly Black

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Victoria Janssen

Doll Bones by Holly Black is Middle Grade, but more than spooky enough for my tender sensibilities. What I love most about this book is that it’s really about making stories, and the power of making stories. Narrator Zach and … Continue reading →

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#TBRChallenge – Unusual Profession: Set This House in Order by Matt Ruff

Posted on September 15, 2021 by Victoria Janssen

Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls by Matt Ruff won the 2003 James Tiptree, Jr. Award, now renamed the Otherwise Award, which “celebrates science fiction, fantasy, and other forms of speculative narrative that expand and explore our … Continue reading →

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My August Reading Log

Posted on September 10, 2021 by Victoria Janssen

Fiction: The Enigma Game by Elizabeth Wein, set mostly in Scotland during World War II, is a prequel to Code Name Verity. The main characters are Louisa Adair, a half-English/half-Jamaican teenaged girl; an elderly German immigrant woman who adopts the … Continue reading →

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#TBRChallenge – Author with More Than One Book in TBR: The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages

Posted on August 18, 2021 by Victoria Janssen

Coincidentally, like last month’s TBR Challenge book, The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages is set during World War Two and revolves around a friendship forged between two girls. However, these girls are ten years old, and the story is … Continue reading →

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