sashahc's reviews
189 reviews

To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I don’t post about all the books I read.  Sometimes I don’t like them or don’t want to review them for some reason.  I also re-read a lot, so don’t usually post those.  But I reread one for the umpteeth time over the vacation and was reminded how delightful it is.  One of the original cozy fantasies, “To Say Nothing of the Dog” by Connie Willis is a time traveling historians Victorian upstairs/downstairs comedy of manners.  It involves boating on the Thames, seances, jumble sales, penwipers, a globe eyed nacreous ryunkin, and an untrustworthy cat (not to mention a put-upon dog).  Also, it answers the eternal question about time travel agencies - What about the poor costumers?  It’s on my perennial re-read list. 
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

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challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I just finished “Martyr!” by Kaveh Akbar.  It’s a hard one to classify.  It has poetry, dream segments, first person interstitials from supporting characters, and jumps from its main narrative back and forth through time.  It’s sad, funny, philosophical, and thoughtful.  It deals with addiction, depression, colonization, injustice, spirituality, justice, and queer love.  It’s a heavy one, though worth reading.  
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Last Stop by Django Wexler

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adventurous funny lighthearted tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I read “Last Stop,” a sort of sci-fi adventure by Django Wexler.  Lovable mercenaries in search of a lost city vs acid spitting bugs and the nasty people who want to find it first!  Much fighter plane flying, deadly situations, and snappy dialog.  A found family crew dynamic.  It was very fun and I look forward to more.
A Shore Thing by Joanna Lowell

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emotional funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I just finished “A Shore Thing” by Joanna Lowell, a fun and sweet Victorian romance between a woman botanist and a trans man artist and bike shop owner.  It has bike races and hunting for seaweed and queer found family and clever best friends and blustering bros.  A delightful and diverting read.
Time and Tide by J.M. Frey

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emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 "Time and Tide" by J.M. Frey is a Victorian time travel sapphic romance with  surprising depths.  There are complex family dynamics, clever conversation, PTSD, unladylike adventures, and some dastardly behavior with an excellent comeuppance.  Plus some hand wringing over time travel paradoxes.  It's a very fun one.
The Bright and Breaking Sea by Chloe Neill

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I'm a sucker for competency in main characters in books.  Continuing the 1800s theme, I just read "The Bright and Breaking Sea" by Chloe Neill.  It's Napoleonic coded and the MC is a woman sea captain with magic who is finding spies, doing heists, and taking no guff.  It's got intrigue, adventure, danger, and biscuits.  I'm very looking forward to the next one. 
The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

“The Stardust Grail” by Yume Kitasei is about a Japanese exoplanet settler turned academic turned interstellar thief.  A sci fi Indiana Jones, if you will.  It’s got space heists, spaceship crew found family, lots of sentient species, space wars, dangerous traps (!!) and alien museums.  It’s twisty and turney and lots of fun.
The Stars Too Fondly by Emily Hamilton

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

“The Stars Too Fondly” by Emily Hamilton is many things - heist, found family space voyage, first contact, and multi dimensional fight for humanity.  It’s also a clever and charming sapphic romcom, and a pleasure to read. I look forward to the next #book from this author.
The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

“The Last Hour Between Worlds” by Melissa Caruso is delightful.  A bad-ass investigator on maternity leave must team up with her thief rival / crush to travel across dimensions, defeat ancient gods, and save reality in time to relieve the babysitter.  It’s funny, charming, action packed, and down to earth.  And queer.  Highly rec’d.
Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

“The Moon of the Crusted Snow” and “The Moon of the Turning Leaves” by Waubgeshig Rice are a post-apocalyptic duology set in an Anishanaabek reserve in what is now Canada.  It focuses on a young family and their community trying to survive and keep hope after the lights go out. As with many in the genre, the #book s are about the worst and best of people.  They are engrossing, intimate, dark, but ultimately hopeful.