June 22, 2021 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Wishes

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Five dandelion seeds floating through the air The instructions for this week’s prompt said to list the top 10 books you’d love to own and include a link to a wishlist so that people can grant your wish.

I’m tweaking it just a little because a) my TBR pile is already huge, and b) I don’t have actual titles or authors for any of my wishes…yet?

Instead of asking any of you to buy books for me, I’m asking for recommendations instead if you know of any titles that might match up to my bookish wishes below.

Wish #1: Fiction about neanderthals. 

For example, I liked:

The Clan of the Cave Bear series by Jean M. Auel

The Neanderthal Parallax trilogy by Robert J. Sawyer

The Last Neanderthal by Claire Cameron

These all happen to be loosely based in the speculative fiction genre, but I’m quite open to other genres. Neanderthals are cool no matter which genre they appear in or whether they’re a main or side character!

 

Wish #2: Cozy mysteries about main characters who are part of minority groups

I occasionally enjoy a good cozy mystery, but I haven’t read many about characters who are people of colour, LGBT+, disabled, etc.

It’s time to change that if any of you can help.

 

Wish #3: Non-romance stories about animals who do NOT die in the end.

A romantic subplot here or there is totally fine, but I’d prefer the main storyline to be about something else. Mysteries,  fantasy, science fiction, nonfiction, mainstream fiction, or any other genre works perfectly well for me. A sprinkling of horror is cool, too, so long as it’s not gory.

The important thing is that Fido or Fluffy lives happily ever after.

 

Wish #4: Alternate history 

For example, I liked:

The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick

I enjoy alternate history books based on specific historical events just as much as I do the ones that get creative with their world-changing events. See also: the aftermath of a zombie uprising.

 

Wish #5: Humorous short stories or novellas

They can be from any genre or era.

I don’t know about all of you, but I’ve spent the last eighteen months actively seeking out cheerful and uplifting things to read.

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June 17, 2021 · 11:55 am

Author Promo Opportunity at Long and Short Reviews

Calling all of the authors who follow my site! I just received word that Long and Short Reviews is ready to accept submissions for their 14th Anniversary Party. From their post on the topic:

This celebration is for all fiction genres we feature and review (romance, erotic romance, YA/Middle Grade, Mystery/Suspense, SFF and mainstream fiction) as well as non-fiction books (memoirs, self-help, etc.) and poetry, and will run August 23 – 27, 2021. We expect a huge turnout, with thousands of visitors, just like we’ve had every year on our anniversary! It’s a chance for some significant exposure.…

Along with several other prizes, we plan on giving away at least two $100 Amazon/BN GCs, and several smaller Amazon/BN GCs, all of which are sure to be a draw. Number and dollar amount of prizes will be based on participation. The more authors who participate, the more and bigger prizes we’ll offer and the more eyes on YOUR book! So… share this invitation everywhere 😊

Click on the link above for more information, including the form you’ll need to fill out if you’re interested in participating.

This is a wonderful opportunity for networking, finding new readers, and discovering great authors in many different genres.

August 1 is the deadline. Some years the available slots have filled up quickly, so I’d recommend signing up sooner rather than later if you’re able to do so.

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· 1:00 am

One Look Back: A Review of During the Dance

 

During the Dance by Mark Lawrence book cover. Image on cover is a silhoutee of a ballet dancer with two arms and one leg up in the air.Title: During the Dance

Author: Mark Lawrence

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: July 4, 2014

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Contemporary, Historical

Length: 9 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 2.5 Stars

Blurb:

A story of love, loss, and the dance in between. Absolutely not a romance.
A short story about a child with a gift for seeing past the world.

Review:

Content warning: Death of a child. I will not be discussing it in my review.

Memories are the gateway to the past.

The writing itself was lovely. Without wandering into spoiler territory as it would be easy to do for something of this length, this was set in the narrator’s past as well as his present. He glided between them effortlessly, and his descriptions of his early childhood memories in a low-income but nurturing family often made me smile. There were some hints about exactly when this was set, but I appreciated the fact that the author left the precise decade up to interpretation. That along with the poetic framing of the scenes made it feel timeless in the best possible interpretation of that word.

Unfortunately, there were several tantalizing and important clues that were never developed. While I’d certainly understand if some of them were left up to the reader’s imagination due to how young the narrator was when the earliest events of this tale took place, it was confusing for me as a reader to not have enough information to put everything together. I spent most of these nine short pages convinced that the things the child was seeing were a warning or threat of some kind because of how often they seemed to appear right before something bad happened. It was perplexing to never get confirmation or denial that this theory might be the right one.  This would be a great jumping-off point if the author ever decides to write a sequel.

I appreciated what this story had to say about grief and loss. While the first pangs do tend to ebb with time, there is no expiration date on those emotions. Sometimes they can pop up again years later when something unexpectedly stirs up an old, half-forgotten memory. Mr. Lawrence did well at showing how suddenly these moments can happen and how they affect someone who wasn’t planning to spend their day reliving the past.

Yes, this review is a bit vaguer than my usual fare, but During the Dance really is something that should be leapt into without any spoilers in advance. If anything I wrote here tickles your fancy, I’d recommend reading it for yourself and coming up with your own conclusions.

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June 16, 2021 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: The Best Parts of Each Season

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

Can you guess which season I like the most based on these lists?

a chocolate ice cream in a cone held up against a blue and white sky

Summer 

Many different fruits and vegetables are in season.
Lots of sunshine.
The sun is still in the sky at dinner time.
Festivals and parades happen during the summer.
Ice cream is an acceptable dinner on a hot, humid day.
Nearly every day is a good day for swimming

 

A path through the woods in autumn. Red maple trees line both sides of the path and have littered it with their fallen leaves.

Autumn

Halloween!
Leaves changing colour are beautiful.
Candy corn is on sale
Some fruits and vegetables still in season.
Mild temperatures.
New seasons of TV shows begin.
peeled tangerine next to two whole tangerines

Winter 

No seasonal allergies for months on end
Clementines, oranges, and other citrus fruits are in season.
Most TV shows are still airing new episodes.

 

Close-up photo of cherry tree blossoms

Spring

The days get longer, sunnier, and warmer.
Mild temperatures.
Spring thunderstorms are awe-inspiring.
Flowers bloom and bring colour to the landscape.
Migratory birds and other species return to Ontario.
The first green shoots and buds appear in early April here.
All plants once again have leaves and/or flowers by May.
The first spring vegetables like asparagus are available again.
Strawberries, one of my favourite fruits, are in season at the end of spring.
The cherry trees blossom. They smell and look incredible.
One can go outside with a light jacket or even no jacket at all.
Parks that closed over the winter will reopen again.

 

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June 15, 2021 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on My Summer 2021 TBR

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Somewhat blurry shot of two pages of a book that are slightly kept apart. You can see a sliver of the sky or a nearby blue wall through the end of them. As always, this TBR list is not set in stone.

So much depends on which books are available at my local library, how long their waitlists are, and whether I find other titles that demand to be read first.

I admire those of you who can make a TBR list and stick to it no matter what. That is impressive!

If no release date is noted in the list below, that means the book was published earlier this month.

So they can be purchased today or maybe even requested from your local library (if libraries exist where you live and it’s available there).

There’s something nice about having a mixture of books that can be read immediately and ones that will require a few months of patience.

 

Shirley Chisholm Dared- The Story of the First Black Woman in Congress  by Alicia D. Williams book cover. Image on cover is a drawing of a black woman wearing glasses.

1. Shirley Chisholm Dared: The Story of the First Black Woman in Congress  by Alicia D. Williams  

Why I Want to Read It: This is a slice of U.S. history I know nothing about. In my experience, picture books can be a fun way to learn about historical figures you’re unfamiliar with.

 

Wake- The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts  by Rebecca Hall book cover. Image on cover is a drawing of eight slaves standing on a hill as they watch a city begin to burn.

2. Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts  by Rebecca Hall

Why I Want to Read It: Same as #1.

 

Sisters of the Neversea  by Cynthia Leitich Smith book cover. Image on cover is a drawing of three children wearing pajamas and flying in the air above their homes.

3. Sisters of the Neversea  by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Why I Want to Read It: It’s a retelling of Peter Pan. How cool is that?

 

Hola Papi- How to Come Out in a Walmart Parking Lot and Other Life Lessons by John Paul Brammer book cover. Image on cover is a drawing of the author wearing a sombrero and typing on a typewriter.

4. Hola Papi: How to Come Out in a Walmart Parking Lot and Other Life Lessons by John Paul Brammer 

Why I Want to Read It: This memoir looks like it will be a heartwarming, hilarious read.

 

Far Out- Recent Queer Science Fiction and Fantasy  by Paula Guran book cover. Image on cover is a drawing of a magical woman in a blue dress who looks like she's doing a spell. There are twinkling lights around her.

5. Far Out: Recent Queer Science Fiction and Fantasy  by Paula Guran

Why I Want to Read It: I’m always interested in new queer science fiction and fantasy.

 

We Have Always Been Hereby Lena Nguyen book cover. Image on cover shows a rocky outcropping on an alien plant that has a huge moon in the sky.

6. We Have Always Been Here by Lena Nguyen

Release Date: July 6

Why I Want to Read It: This book encompasses some of my favourite science fiction tropes like enduring radiation storms, exploring dangerous new planets, and seeing how humans react to androids who are nearly indistinguishable from them.

 

Cursed Bunny  by Bora Chung book cover. Image on cover is a drawing of an alert purple hare.

7. Cursed Bunny  by Bora Chung

Release Date: July 15

Why I Want to Read It: Honestly, the title and cover were what made this a must-read for me. I love rabbits and am so perplexed by the idea of them being cursed.

 

The Book of Accidents  by Chuck Wendig book cover. Image on cover is a black-and-white-photograph of a ghost standing in front of an old and possibly abandoned house in the woods.

8. The Book of Accidents  by Chuck Wendig 

Release Date: July 20

Why I Want to Read It: The Covid-19 pandemic has squelched most of my interest in horror, but Wendig is such a creative storyteller that I just might see if I can handle the scary stuff he comes up with. Plus, it’s Halloween-themed, and I love Halloween.

 

Cat Problems  by Jory John book cover. Image on cover is of a stressed-out cat sitting in a cardboard box.

9. Cat Problems  by Jory John

Release Date: August 3

Why I Want to Read It: Cats are enigmas to me in part due to my terrible allergy to them. I can’t be around them at all, so everything I know about them comes from the funny stories and occasional complaints people share about them online. The thought of a cat having a list of complaints about the humans in his or her life makes me grin.

 

Living Beyond Borders: Stories About Growing Up Mexican in America by Margarita Longoria book cover. Image on cover is a drawing of a man with a butterfly on his shoulder walking into a Mexican village.

10. Living Beyond Borders: Stories About Growing Up Mexican in America by Margarita Longoria

Release Date: August 21

Why I Want to Read It: To listen to the contributors’ perspectives. I’m also an immigrant and love reading about the wide variety of experiences that can be found in immigrants around the world.

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June 10, 2021 · 1:00 am

Placid Revelations: A Review of The Lake

The Lake by Tananarive Due book cover. Image on cover is of lightning striking a lake in the middle of the night. Title: The Lake

Author: Tananarive Due

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Publication Date: August 11, 2011

Genres: Science Fiction, Horror, Contemporary

Length: 21 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 4 Stars

Blurb:

A free short story taken straight from the pages of THE MONSTER’S CORNER, an all original anthology from some of today’s hottest supernatural writers, featuring stories from the monster’s point of view.

In THE LAKE, Abbie LeFleur, a lifetime Bostonian, who hides her scales, webbed feet, and an incredible hunger for people, has relocated to Graceville to start her life anew when she sets her eyes on a young student in her English class.

Review:

Every town has its own unique way of doing things.

Abbie’s character development was well done, especially given the short length of this piece. I loved picking out new clues about how she was changing as she adjusted to her new job and home. Sometimes they were subtle, but they always made sense given who she’d been in the beginning.

There was one small thing I never understood about this story, and it had to do with the way the citizens of Graceville reacted to a new person moving there. In my experience, secrets are nearly always quickly exposed in small towns whether they belong to the newcomer or those who were born there. It didn’t make sense to me that Abbie could have lived there for as long as she did without anyone stopping by to welcome her and give her advice. Whether or not this character would heed their warning was an entirely different manner, but I struggled to understand why it was never given in the first place.

The ending made me shudder. While this was firmly rooted in the horror genre, but it wasn’t bloody or gory at all. Instead, the author relied on hints about what might happen next to frighten her audience. I love this sort of horror and had a wonderful time imagining what a sequel might be like. If the author ever writes it, I’ll read it for sure!

The Lake is a solid summer read for anyone who enjoys psychological horror.

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June 9, 2021 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: The Best Gift I Ever Received

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

A black gift box with a gold bow on it. The best gift I’ve ever received was learning how to have a wonderful time while spending little to no money.

When I was a kid, my parents taught us to enjoy hikes, camping, picnics, storytelling (courtesy of library books or amusing tales from my parents’ childhoods), and swimming in local bodies of water among many other activities.

This was a tradition they continued even once their financial situation improved and we could technically afford the occasional visit to a movie theatre or amusement park.

Yes, there were times when I was a preteen and teenager that I envied the flashier outings and presents some of my classmates talked about after summer vacation. I don’t intend to portray myself as a saintly kid or anything like that, but the funny thing about growing up is how much your perspective can change over time.

I entered adulthood with a vivid imagination and a long list of hobbies and interests that I can enjoy regardless of how much money is or isn’t left over after all of the bills are paid.

Even when I do go on something closer to a traditional vacation, I’m happiest when I enjoy it by swimming in the hotel pool or wandering around town and pretending I’m a local. You never know what cool parks, monuments, or hole-in-the-wall diners you’ll find if you go with the flow, walk past the tourist traps, and see what hidden gems are a few blocks or miles away.

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June 8, 2021 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Loved that Made Me Want More Books Like Them

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Close-up photo of typhography and typecases I feel like I talk about the same books every time a topic like this one comes up.

Did any of you have the same reaction to this prompt?

I’m going to do my best to only mention books I haven’t gushed about a dozen times before, so this will be a pretty eclectic list that doesn’t mention science fiction and fantasy (my favourite genres) at all.

Let’s dig into it.

 

Exercised- Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding by Dan Lieberman book cover. Image on cover is a cave painting of someone running on a treadmill

1. Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding by Dan Lieberman

Why: There is so much conflicting information out there about diet, exercise, and living a healthy lifestyle. I relish the opportunity to read the latest scientific theories on this topics, especially as it pertains to how humans lived back when all of our ancestors were hunter-gatherers.

 

The Doctors Blackwell: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine to Women and Women to Medicine book cover. Image on cover is a photograph of both Doctor Blackwells.

2. The Doctors Blackwell: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine to Women and Women to Medicine by Janice P. Nimura

Why: There’s something to be said for reading about trailblazers and the obstacles they faced. I was saddened by the crushing sexism they faced and amazed by how much their persistence permanently changed not only the face of medicine but what people expected from their doctors.

 

The Toronto Book of Love by Adam Bunch book cover. Image on coer is a drawing of two birds sitting in a pink field of flowers.

3. The Toronto Book of Love by Adam Bunch

Why: It’s fascinating to see how so many things related to love, marriage, infidelity, and courtship are influenced by one’s culture and historical era. These are also topics that generally aren’t discussed in history books.

 

American Baby- A Mother, a Child, and the Shadow History of Adoption by Gabrielle Glaser book cover. Image on cover is of ink impressions of a baby's footprints

4. American Baby: A Mother, a Child, and the Shadow History of Adoption by Gabrielle Glaser

Why: The subject of this book was teenager who was forced to  place her baby for adoption in the 1960s because she was young and unmarried. It was a traumatic event for both her and her baby. Many non-fiction books about this topic are unflappably cheerful and positive. I think it’s important to also read about how unethical adoptions have happened so that adoption agencies and society will hopefully never make the same mistakes again in the future.

 

A Funny Kind of Paradise by Jo Owens book cover. Image on cover is a drawing of an elderly woman sitting in a wheelchair

5. A Funny Kind of Paradise by Jo Owens

Why: There are so few books out there written from the perspective of a character who is living in a nursing home or other institutional setting. We need more of them if you ask me!

 

The Book of the Earthworm by Sally Coulthard book cover. Image on cover is a drawing of large earthworms crawling through the soil in a peaceful rural setting near trees and fields.

6. The Book of the Earthworm by Sally Coulthard

Why: I love reading about the latest scientific discoveries about mundane things like earthworms. It’s neat to think that we still have a lot to learn about what’s happening right below our own feet.

 

7. The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin

Why: Intergenerational friendships are beautiful things. While most of my friends are roughly the same age that I am, it’s delightful to occasionally meet someone much older or younger than you are and immediately click with them. I believe we can all learn a lot from being open to befriending folks in completely different stages of life when the opportunity arises. Some friendships were simply meant to be in my opinion. Reading about them is almost as wonderful as experiencing them in real life.

 

That’s as many books as I was able to come up with! I look forward to reading your responses to this week’s prompt.

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June 3, 2021 · 1:00 am

The Last-Chance Mission: A Review of Project Hail Mary

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir book cover. Image on cover shows an astronaut floating through space while tethered to their ship. There is a large sun or planet in the background. Title: Project Hail Mary

Author: Andy Weir

Publisher:  Ballantine Books

Publication Date: May 4, 2021

Genres: Science Fiction, Mystery

Length:476 pages

Source: I borrowed it from my local library.

Rating: 5 Stars

Blurb:

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.

Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone.

Or does he?

An irresistible interstellar adventure as only Andy Weir could deliver, Project Hail Mary is a tale of discovery, speculation, and survival to rival The Martian—while taking us to places it never dreamed of going.

Review:

Content warning: Death and serious bodily injuries. I will not be discussing these things in my review.

Failure isn’t an option here if humanity is to survive.

There were multiple sections of this book that went into great detail about the physics and math behind the experiments Ryland ran as he attempted to solve the scientific mystery that was threatening to drive humanity to extinction. This was most definitely a work of hard science fiction. I suspect that people who have university-level degrees in math, science, or technology will get the most out of those passages, but I did understand what the main character was saying. Keep pushing through those passages if you struggle with them. They’re important for the plot, but the narrator will often explain them again in other ways later on if you need a refresher.

I loved the foreshadowing. Yes, it was a little more heavy handed than what I’d typically expect to find in this genre, but given the complex and technical nature of most of the problems Ryland needed to solve I think that was the best choice for most people who will be reading this.

The hopeful nature of the storyline was delightful, so don’t be fooled by the urgent and sad vibe of the first couple of scenes. There were so many wonderful plot twists after that point, some of which I didn’t see coming and found quite relieving once they did arrive. As much as I want to go into vivid detail here, I keep my reviews spoiler-free and want you all to discover these moments for yourselves.

Ryland was a well-developed character whose wry sense of humour often made me chuckle. I enjoyed seeing how quickly and (usually) calmly he came up with new ideas when he was in a crisis and his previous solutions didn’t pan out. He honestly reminded me a bit of Mark Watney from Weir’s earlier book, The Martian. While these characters lived in different universes, I enjoyed comparing and contrasting them. Some of Ryland’s strengths were things that Mark probably would have found difficult, so that was an extra layer of amusement for anyone who is already familiar with this author and his previous works.

Project Hail Mary was an amazing adventure that I heartily recommend to anyone who loves hard science fiction.

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June 2, 2021 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: My Favourite Book and How I’d Cast It for a Movie

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

This is one of those topics I could write an entire book about. There are so many amazing stories out there that have either never been made into films or were made into such terrible ones that I’ll never stop hoping for a remake. (*cough* Clan of the Cave Bear).

TRed, closed cinema curtains.herefore, I narrowed this week’s topic down a little to a recent book that I’m dying to see turned into a film but has not yet been optioned so far as I know.

The Deep by Rivers Solomon was a science fiction novella written about the descendants of pregnant African slaves who were thrown overboard into the ocean as the slave ships sailed to the Americas. (My review of it is here).

The main character, Yetu, lived in a mermaid-like society that chose one member to carry all of their ancestral memories of those events and how the survivors built a new life for themselves on the ocean floor. Being assigned this role was an honour but also a burden.

While there were definitely heavy scenes to read given the references in it to slavery, murder, and the impacts of intergenerational trauma, I loved what this novella had to say about making peace with the past and finding hope in your current circumstances. It also did a wonderful job showing why it’s important to seek out supportive, kind people wherever you may find them who are willing to listen and help during tough times.

This story would be the perfect show to watch in today’s social climate for teens and adults.

An ocean wave curling in on itselfThere weren’t a ton of characters in this novella in general because of how short it was and how much time was spent on flashbacks of the past.

Some of my favourite characters who showed up later on in the plot are too wrapped up in spoilers for me to include here.

I will share actress ideas for two of the main characters who I think would be great for those roles below.

 

Yetu was the main character. She was an intelligent young woman who was roughly in her teens when the events of this tale took place. She was quite nervous about taking on such a huge responsibility and honestly didn’t want it.

I think Coco Jones would be a fantastic Yetu.

 

Amaba was Yetu’s mother. She was a well-respected woman in her community who cared deeply what others thought of her. Her daughter’s success (or failure) would have enormous repercussions on Amaba’s social standing for many years to come.

I’d love to see Danai Gurira play Amaba.

 

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