![]() The smell when you walk through the doors led us straight to the bakery for those fresh fry pies.
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![]() ![]() and marshal a team of unlikely allies from across the magical multiverse. ![]() To stop them, the girls will have to draw on all of their powers. Soon they're dashing from one universe to the next, leaving havoc in their wake-and, inadvertently, bringing the Wicked Witch and Hook together in a deadly supervillain love match. But the trio-now teenagers, who've had their fill of meddling authority figures-aren't content to sit still in a classroom. What happens to Alice when she comes back from Wonderland? Wendy from Neverland? Dorothy from Oz? The three meet here, at Cheshire Crossing-a boarding school where girls like them learn how to cope with their supernatural experiences and harness their magical world-crossing powers. ![]() ![]() ![]() There was almost no room for breathing, and this was especially true in the middle section of the book, and I have to say that it did bore me a bit. Unfortunately, this novel by far the most action-packed volume of the series so far. If you’ve been following my reviews, you know how much I enjoyed reading The Dresden Files, but at the same time, you’re also probably sick of me criticizing the pacing of its action scenes in some volumes. Small Favor, the tenth volume in the series, is an installment full of actions. Suffice to say the life for Harry and his friends are imperiled once again. There’s a lot going on here Were-goats, the Archive, the Knights of the Cross, Marcone, Mab, and last but not least, Nicodemus and the Denarians. Mab, the Queen of Air and Darkness, calls in an old favor from Harry Dresden, and immediately all hell breaks loose. Just when he thought his life is looking up, everything seems to be at peace, but then the past visits. “Punctuality is for people with nothing better to do.” I actually wish I can prolong my speed, but it seems likely that by October or November, I’ll be fully caught up with the series. ![]() ![]() To the longtime fans of the series, here’s a brief reminder that Peace talks, the long-awaited sequel in The Dresden Files series, is out now! As for me, I’m still slowly catching up. For better or worse, Small Favor is a fully action-packed packed-have I mentioned packed?-volume. ![]() ![]() Even as he’s enlisted in the underground war between slavers and the enslaved, Hiram’s resolve to rescue the family he left behind endures.Ĭoates is a distinguished writer in residence at NYU’s Arthur L. So begins an unexpected journey that takes Hiram from the corrupt grandeur of Virginia’s proud plantations to desperate guerrilla cells in the wilderness, from the coffin of the Deep South to dangerously idealistic movements in the North. ![]() This brush with death births an urgency in Hiram and a daring scheme: to escape from the only home he’s ever known. Years later, when Hiram almost drowns in a river, that same power saves his life. When his mother was sold away, Hiram was robbed of all memory of her-but was gifted with a mysterious power. Young Hiram Walker was born into bondage. ![]() In conversation with Damon Young, author of What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You BlackerĪn essential voice of our times, National Book Award–winning author of Between the World and Me Ta-Nehisi Coates brings us his debut novel, The Water Dancer, “a work of both staggering imagination and rich historical significance.” ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Kincaid just couldn’t leave behind Nemesis and Tyrus, the Emperor’s nephew. But in The Diabolic, Nemesis realises that perhaps she’s not as inhuman as she thought, and there are other things to her beyond killing.Īlthough The Diabolic was originally written to be a stand alone novel, author S.J. She’d do anything to protect Sidonia, and would gladly kill to do so – it’s what she was created to do. So when Sidonia is taken hostage, Nemesis takes her place in disguise. Genetically engineered as protectors, Nemesis is expected to give her life to protect her charge – and take lives if that is what it takes. ![]() Instead, he’s taken Nemesis, one of the galaxy’s most ruthless killing machines. When a senator’s daughter is taken hostage by the power-mad Emperor, threatened by Sidonia’s father’s rumoured rebellion, he has no idea that he hasn’t taken the senator’s daughter at all. Red Queen meets Hunger Games, The Diabolic explores femininity, humanity, and power – with some pretty awesome fight scenes thrown in. The Diabolic series is a much-needed addition to the dearth of YA fiction right now. Did you read The Diabolic in 2016? No? Well, after hearing about The Empress, you’re going to want to rush out and settle in for the long haul… ![]() ![]() While I was prepping for our chat today, I found an interview with Liri and Eva of Book People, that you wanted to dive more into a lot of the stories that we see in Gleanings to do with, you know, Faraday and also about like Scythe Curie becoming the woman she is. Gleanings is a collection of stories of Scythes we’ve already met and a couple of strangers who pull back the curtain and show us more of this fantastic futuristic utopian world. A collective of humans chosen to be the hand of Death and take the lives that no longer end. All of that has been replaced with the benevolent AI Thunderhead, who takes care of the living, but for the immortal masses who still need to die, there exists the Scythedom. ![]() ![]() This interview is a personal win for me because it is with the brilliant mind behind the Arc of a Scythe series, Neal Shusterman! The original trilogy explores a world where humanity has done away with bureaucracy, corrupt government and even death. ![]() ![]() ![]() Charlie returns in a much more significant role, Calamity remains delightful, Doc Impossible continues to prove to be the Best Adult of All Time, and new characters like Kinetiq, the gender queer laser blasting badass, swiftly found their place in my heart. The cast is also expanded, providing both more figures for impressive action and more characters for Daniels to make you obsessed with. It's creative and engaging, the kind of thing that will leave you sitting at the edge of your seat with each blow. ![]() There's more superhuman action than ever before, with Danny getting into her role as Dreadnought providing many opportunities for more intense fights than ever before. The plot seemed weaker to me at first glance, but as the story comes together and everything falls into place, it undoubtedly meets and surpasses the first book in every aspect. I was reading a paperback copy of this book along with the audio book, and in any form this story is unparalleled. How could anything live up to the emotional roller coaster of wonder and despair and magnificence and beautiful queer storytelling of that masterpiece? Sovereign was the answer to that question. ![]() I was a HUGE fan of April Daniel's first book, Dreadnought, but I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from the sequel. Read it!!! Audible is for some reason not letting me write more than that, but if it's stopped being unreasonable there is SO much more I could say about this. Fifteen words cannot even come close to capturing how good this book is. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Stop Them Dead (Expected: September 26, 2023).Wish You Were Dead (2021) (Short Story).Footloose (2019) (Short Story with Val McDermid).In the Nick of Time (2014) (Short Story with Ian Rankin).The personal demons Grace faces each day as he tackles a new horrifying crime is a recurring theme throughout the series, and it is only in reading the Roy Grace books in order that you can understand this character development without stumbling across any potential spoilers. ![]() In reading the Roy Grace books in publication order, you will come to understand Grace’s backstory in the way Peter James intended. While each book contains its own crime for Detective Superintendent Grace to solve by the novel’s conclusion, there are additional benefits to reading the Roy Grace books in order. All of that is exemplified when you read the Roy Grace books in order. Peter James is well-known for his unexpected plot twists, sinister characters, and accurate portrayal of modern-day policing. If you’ve never read the Roy Grace books in order before, you’re in for a plot-twisting, page-turning treat. ![]() Intelligent, crafty, and refreshingly real, Grace has enamored fans for nearly two decades. Whether you first met Detective Superintendent Roy Grace as John Simm on the screen or have been following along since the publication of the first book in 2005, there is no denying his allure. ![]() ![]() In between, there is a tragic misunderstanding, sorrow, and heartache. It’s the story of youthful love that recognizes no boundaries, either of time or distance, beginning in a society governed by fixed norms of class, tradition, and social status, where roles are defined by one’s gender and family name, and ending a lifetime later in America. ![]() ![]() The Stationery Shop, the second novel by Marjan Kamali, is a big, ambitious, beautifully executed novel that draws the reader in and never lets go. Two teenagers, Roya and Bahman, have a chance meeting in a stationery shop that will forever alter the course of their lives, leading them to an improbable meeting 60 years later - after the coup that abruptly ended the short reign of Prime Minister Mossadegh, the revolution of 1979 that deposed the Shah, marriage to other people, the birth and death of children - in a senior center in Massachusetts. ![]() Tehran, Iran, 1953, a time of political change, of hope for democracy and self-determination. ![]() ![]() ![]() But as their friendship flourishes, societal prejudices become impossible to escape, in this quietly devastating novel about the burden of the past and the redemptive power of friendship. Tokue makes the best bean paste imaginable, and begins to teach Sentaro her art. Until one day an elderly, handicapped woman enters the shop. With only the blossoming of the cherry trees to mark the passing of time, he spends his days listlessly filling the pastries. Instead, he works in a confectionery shop selling dorayaki, a type of pancake filled with a sweet paste made of red beans. Sentaro has failed: he has a criminal record, drinks too much, and hasn’t managed to fulfill his dream of becoming a writer. Through Tokue’s story, Sukegawa eloquently explores the seeds of biases and challenges us to truly listen to the natural world and the messages it artfully hides." "Although Tokue’s past is a reflection of a dark chapter of Japanese history, her wisdom, patience, and kindness shape this touching and occasionally wistful novel. Readers in search of gently illuminating fare-e.g., Shion Miura's The Great Passage, Jeff Talarigo's The Pearl Diver-will appreciate this toothsome treat." ![]() "Sukegawa-enabled by Watts's lucid translation-tells an endearing, thoughtful tale about relationships and the everyday meaning of life. ![]() |