As a fantasy reader, one of my favorite websites for keeping up with books, writers, and trends in the speculative space is ReactorMag.com (previously Tor.com). Each month, I look forward to the Jo Walton Reads column, where author Jo Walton gives little summaries and reviews of her month’s reading. She has weird niche interests (although one, historical Papal elections, is timely again!) and makes better use of Project Gutenberg to explore out-of-print titles than anyone I’ve ever heard of. I’m trying to be better about reviewing books I’ve read, so I’ve decided to give the Jo Walton method a try here and take a look back at what I’ve read this month. Do you review your reading?
A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett. This is the second in a fantasy mystery series featuring a lightly-Holmes-inspired detective in a world which faces increasing threats from giant creatures (think Godzilla) that come from the sea. At the same time, material from these creatures is used to augment people in almost unlimited ways, giving people enhanced senses and skills. Our main character, Din, who is the detective’s assistant, is enhanced to have perfect recall, which comes in handy in investigations. I’m really enjoying this series so far – the first book was one of my favorites from last year (I reread it in April and still loved it), and this book deepens and widens the world as our detectives get pulled into a murder at the heart of an ongoing political negotiation. Bennett’s great with side characters and with building gritty details into a world to make it feel lived in. I kept thinking about the characters after I finished and wishing there was another in the series already. There was a tantalizing conversation at the end that has me hooked.
The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love by India Holton. A romance with a light fantasy element to it – if you can accept from the start that this book is going to be a little silly, and I could, then it’s a great time. We’re in an alternate historical England, and rival scholars who capture and study magical birds find themselves irresistibly drawn together in a competition that comes with the promise of accolades, money, and tenure. Holton plays with classic genre tropes like rivals to lovers and “only one bed,” and the humor of her writing was really brought out by the audiobook narrator. One character is extremely polite, and yet keeps being pulled into situations where she’s forced to try to hijack vehicles. What’s a girl to do? I’ll admit I laughed out loud more than once.
And What Can We Offer You Tonight by Premee Mohamed. I’ve read a few things now by Mohamed, and I love, love her writing style. This novella was intriguing, featuring a cast of courtesans in a dystopian future who are attending the funeral of one of their own, who suddenly comes back to life, ready for revenge. The book considers power, oppression, justice, and what we owe each other, but for me it wasn’t as fully developed as her other work I’ve enjoyed.
The Geographer’s Map to Romance by India Holton. Book two in the series features a side character from the first book. I might have enjoyed this one more than the first. Again Holton plays with tropes, and we have a marriage of convenience, a second chance romance, and a curmudgeon, all of which I enjoy. Plus, competence! In this book, we follow a couple of geographers who specialize in emergency response when magic interacts badly with certain geographical locations. They agreed to get married a year ago to solve logistical problems, but pride and misunderstandings have caused them to be estranged since only a few days after the wedding. When forced to work together at the site of a magical outbreak, our pair will have to confront the fact that while they are good at their jobs, they are terrible at communicating with each other. Another one that was just delightful to me, and laughter abounded. This series is great for someone looking for a light, funny, and cozy read.
Vanishing Treasures: A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures by Katherine Rundell. I’m always very behind on nonfiction, and I set a goal for myself to read at least 12 this year, thinking I would read at least one per month. Here we are in May, and, alas, this is number two. I listened to this one, narrated by actor Lenny Henry. Rundell takes you through fun and astounding facts and anecdotes about various species that are in some way endangered, then addresses the endangerment and what it means for each creature, so each section was a mix of enjoyable and sobering. It’s a book that inspires action, including both the simple act of getting out and appreciating the wonder of nature around us and the personal work of finding ways to support conservation and considering our own impact on the world.
Death on the Caldera by Emily Paxman. I had an advance reader’s copy of this book, which comes out in mid-June. I can’t say no to a murder mystery on a train, and this one has a secret fantasy royal family in it, plus a different take on witches, which sounded fun! There were a lot of things I liked about this, and the potential is there for a cool story. Where it fell down for me was that Paxman tried to squeeze too many things in – there were too many elements and points of view for the story she was trying to tell. The parts I wish we could have lingered in longer were the central sibling relationship among the secret royals and the magic system, but there’s room to grow. I’ll be interested in continuing the series and seeing if Paxman settles more comfortably into the world she’s created.
The Devil in the Marshalsea by Antonia Hodgson. I’m waiting for my hold on Hodgson’s new fantasy book to come in, so I decided to take a look back at her first book, a historical mystery set in the original Marshalsea debtor’s prison in 1727. Surprise surprise, things were grim there. We follow a somewhat hapless young man who thinks he understands the world and how to read people, until he is arrested for debt and held in the Marshalsea. Almost immediately, he gets embroiled in the politics and horrors of the prison, is recruited to try to uncover a murderer, and starts to fall in love, twice, over the course of a few days. This is another where there were perhaps too many elements that got in the way of each other. Still, there was a fabulous side character I loved and some unexpected humor, and this is a time period I don’t visit very often, so the details were really cool. I’m excited to see how Hodgson’s style translates to fantasy.
Stories from the Tenants Downstairs by Sidik Fofana. This is a hard, personal look at a group of residents of a Harlem high rise who are going through it. I’m right in the middle of this at the time of writing, so I’ll leave the summary there. This is the May book for our All Access Book Group, which meets at Firestone Library. We partner with Special Collections, and they bring out treasures from their collections to help enrich and inform the books we read for the group. It’s always a wonderful time, and I’m excited to see what they have in store for this book!
Up next:
The Railway Conspiracy by John Shen Yen Nee and S.J. Rozan. What’s that you say, a murder mystery on a train featuring a lightly-Holmes-like investigator? I’m there. This is the second in a series, and the first was another of my favorites from last year, set in London’s Chinatown in the 1920s.
I hope you’ve been enjoying your reading year so far. We have a lot of exciting ways to help you find your next favorite coming up: join us on June 5 for a book buzz with representatives from several publishers who will be highlighting titles they think you’ll love. June also kicks off the start of our summer reading program. Stop by the library or ask us for more information on these and other programs.