esme – Cannonball Read 17

“…the domestic angel of Victorian fantasy momentarily gave way to a bloodthirsty ghoul”

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: Or the Murder at Road Hill House by Kate Summerscale

July 23, 2024 by esme Leave a Comment

Bingo: Rage Someone recommended The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher to me and, as someone who likes a good mystery and who started watching the tv show but then dropped it because of all the muttonchops, it seemed right up my alley. In theory I should love Kate Summerscale’s portrait of a middle class Victorian era family tragedy. In practice I think it could have used some editing and perhaps not every stone needed to be unturned (or turned?); however, I can be in the mood […]

“Only living here wasn’t exactly turning out to be normal.”

Night of the Living Queers by Shelly Page and Alex Brown

June 4, 2024 by esme Leave a Comment

In honor of Pride month (well, actually, Overdrive selected it for me because it was available, and, fortuitously, it fits the theme!), I picked up Night of the Living Queers, edited by Shelly Page and Alex Brown. This YA short story collection, which is unfortunately named, in my opinion, was terrific. As with any short story collection, there were a few stories that didn’t work so well for me, but as a collection, writing quality was uniformly high, the variety was delicious in terms of […]

“Zahra and I were complete; we were the sun and the wind, the sky and the earth, life and death, above the world and untouchable.”

The Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee

May 13, 2024 by esme Leave a Comment

I was a big fan of Fonda Lee’s Green Bone Saga, so when I stumbled on this novella, I was thrilled! In the sprawling Green Bone Saga, Lee crafted a dynasty in which 10s of key actors loved and hated and fought and died over several countries and thousands of pages. In The Untethered Sky, Lee narrows the scope to a single girl and her bird – well, never her bird, but the bird that she tends. I didn’t read the blurb on this book, […]

“I met a man who wasn’t there…”

The Adversary by Emmanuel Carrère

October 10, 2023 by esme Leave a Comment

Strange worlds, bingo I ‘found’ Emmanuel Carrère in a Guardian summer reads column. I must not have read it too carefully, because I didn’t end up reserving the recommended book at my library, but an earlier work, which I then absolutely tore through. The Adversary is a work of true crime, superbly translated by Linda Coverdale, about a man who annihilates his family. Jean-Claude Romand is a bourgeois doctor, a World Health Organization (WHO) researcher, who lives in France near the Swiss border. He is […]

“I suggest a daring stealth adventure, and you have to ruin it by telling me it’s going to involve books.”

AMarvellous Light by Freya Marske

May 18, 2023 by esme Leave a Comment

Freya Marske’s A Marvellous Light is a charming enemies-to-lovers novel that definitely includes books. Briefly, Sir Robin Blythe is appointed as a parliamentary liaison tasked to investigate magical events and brief the prime minister. Edwin Courcey, a bookish man, is his magical contact and, perhaps, supervisor. Blythe is unaware that there is magic in England when he assumes the role, but shortly after, he is set upon in a dark alley and a magical tattoo is imprinted on his arm; he seeks out Courcey for […]

“…with understanding, all things were possible.”

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

May 2, 2023 by esme Leave a Comment

Riddle me this: what do you create when you combine a violin prodigy, “the Queen of Hell”, and an alien doughnut maker? If you are Ryka Aoki, you create a wild, delicious, devastating, hilarious brew. Does it hold together in a tight narrative? Light from Uncommon Stars does not. Does it thrill your senses and grow your heart? It absolutely does. We are first introduced to Katrina Nguyen, a teenage trans girl, as she is running away from a brutal home, carrying her beloved violin. […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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