When The Expanse first aired on the SyFy Channel (spell it correctly, you reprobates) Mr. Elyse was super excited because he was a fan of the books the show was based on. It took me a few episodes to get there, but this is now one of my favorite TV shows and I’m so excited for Season 3 to drop in April. The Expanse is a richly developed sci-fi world where political tensions have run high. … Continue reading Stuff You Should Be Watching: The Expanse
Hi there, Wednesday! Today is a busy day for me as I’m picking up new glasses, buying booze for this week’s Covers & Cocktails, grabbing some groceries to make some slow cooker Mongolian beef, oh and I joined a gym. So I’ll be getting sweaty and awkward somewhere in that schedule. But I hope you all are having a productive day and if not, that’s totally okay! … I love Kickstarter so much. I’ve backed … Continue reading Links: Ursula Le Guin, Quantum Leap, & Maple Trees
We’re back from RT! I’m sure we’re all a little sleepy and playing catch up. For those who attended the convention, it was really lovely meeting all of you. For those who didn’t, we hope you can make a future convention because it’s a heck of a lot of fun. … Publishers Weekly had an interesting write up on how women are dominating the indie publishing world: Some women PW spoke with said they felt … Continue reading Links: Indie Publishing, Karate, & Politics
Happy Wednesday! It’s time for some links. Big thanks to all you awesome readers for sending me cool stuff to feature! Please, keep ’em coming! … From Reader Susan, who sent me a link to Jim C. Hines’ blog, in which he swapped the genders of characters in passages from scifi/fantasy novels: While Mr. Douglas was speaking freely on a subject he knew little about, Jane C. Henshaw, LL.B, M.D., Sc.D., bon vivant, gourmet, sybarite, popular author … Continue reading Links: Jim C. Hines, The Landmark Trust, and Relaxation Techniques
Arena grew on me once I accepted that the story I was reading is less complicated than the story promised by the back of the book. There’s no big dark conspiracy to unravel, but there is a satisfying story about empowerment and self-actualization in a world dominated by corporate greed. It’s a solid coming-of-age story with a multi-racial female protagonist who is both a physical and mental athlete in a male dominated sport. Kali Ling … Continue reading Arena by Holly Jennings
Welcome to Wednesday Links! As usual, here are some pretty cool things the Bitchery has found around the internet recently. Author Ilona Andrews recently wrote a blog post on the Alphahole trope in romance and it is spreading like wildfire! This construct has less to do with preconceived gender roles and more to do with the story arc. A hero or heroine’s journey must be a climb or a descent, otherwise the story has no … Continue reading Links: Alphaholes, Women in Hollywood, the Love Shack, & Romance in Scifi!
A new scifi/urban fantasy series by Kim Harrison?! Well, yes please. When I first read the blurb, it described the book as Minority Report meets The Bourne Identity, but with a woman protagonist. Peri Reed is a drafter for the government. She has the ability to alter time after it’s happened, but the longer she drafts and the more time she attempts to change, the larger the toll it takes on her body. She loses … Continue reading The Drafter by Kim Harrison
RECOMMENDED: Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger by $1.99! This is the first book in the Finishing School series, which both Carrie and I highly recommend. This is young adult with a steampunk historical setting. And would you look at that cover. Readers loved the creative, whimsical setting, though some expressed difficulty in reading a lot at one time. They had to take breaks every few chapters because of the overwhelming twee-ness. The book has a 3.7-star rating on GoodReads and, if you’re looking to binge read the series, the next two books are also on sale for $1.99. Curtsies & Conspiracies ( A | K | G | AB ) and Waistcoats & Weaponry ( A | K | G | AB | Au ).
RECOMMENDED: Season for Surrender by Theresa Romain is $2.99 right now at most if not all vendors. This book was a Sizzling Book Club Pick, and Sarah loved it all kinds of ways. It takes place at a scandalous holiday house party, and features a hero who learns how to be a better person, and a heroine who isn’t taking any crap from anyone. As Sarah wrote when she announced this book as the club selection, “Y’all, they are in the library a great deal, and those are some of the best scenes in the book.” The book is also on sale to promote a Hero v. Hero romance tournament by Kensington, so feel free to vote when it opens February 9th!
Yes, it’s here, my precious, we likes it! Unbound, by Jim C. Hines, the third book in the Magic Ex Libris series is finally out, to my great rejoicing. Yes, you will have to read the previous two books to appreciate this one (Libriomancer and Codex Born). Yes, you will love them. Libriomancer introduced the characters, led by Isaac Vainio, magician and librarian. Isaac is a libriomancer, meaning he can use magic to pull objects … Continue reading Unbound, by Jim C. Hines
RECOMMENDED: The Bees by Laline Paull is $1.99! I LOVED this book. Margaret Atwood, whom I worship like a saint, tweeted about the book, calling it a mix between a Cinderella story and an Arthurian tale. I knew I had to read it. On GoodReads, I gave it a 4-star rating and a mini review:
This book was unlike anything I’ve read before, and I found it both unique and mesmerizing. However, the last fifty pages seemed to lack the care and craft of the ones before it. The ending was over in a rush and I felt Flora’s story should have continued on with more detail. Regardless, I was impressed with Paull’s storytelling and her ability to make bee life interesting.
Also, it’s legitimately about bees. Like bees that think and talk and exist in their strange bee society. It so weird, but so good. That’s all I can say.
