Tag: SFFgenre

Books

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

Post author By Lexlingua
Post date April 8, 2021
22 Comments on The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

I really wanted to give this book a 10-rating, to put it in my Top 10 of 2021 list later in December. Unfortunately, while The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle was interesting and certainly novel, I just couldn’t fall in love with this book.

The Plot:

Aiden Bishop finds himself trapped at Blackheath Manor, where he has been invited to attend the homecoming party for Evelyn Hardcastle. It should have been a happy occasion. But night after night, Aiden finds his “spirit” transmigrated to the body of a different guest at Blackheath — all on the same day. If Aiden can figure out who wants to kill Evelyn, he can escape this repetitive time-loop. Trouble is, Aiden has “competitors” in this game, and only one victor can escape Blackheath.

Tags #CloakDaggerChal, #Mythothon, 6.5-rated, mysteries, reading-challenges, SFFgenre

Best of List Memes Watchlist

Wednesday Weekly: 20 TV Shows I Binge-Watch(ed)

Post author By Lexlingua
Post date March 31, 2021
32 Comments on Wednesday Weekly: 20 TV Shows I Binge-Watch(ed)

I discovered a cool meme recently, The Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge, hosted by Long and Short Reviews. The topic for March 31 is TV Shows I Binge-Watch(ed). Here they are, and maybe you’ll find something new-to-watch here!

1 / Jessica Jones (Season 1)

Why I binge-watched: the “neo-Noir” tones, a Marvel Comics hero rediscovering confidence, great friendships, Krysten Ritter as Jessica, David Tennant as Kilgrave, and Melissa Rosenberg’s screenwriting.

2 / Stranger (Seasons 1 and 2)

Available on Netflix. A public prosecutor teams up with a cop to fish out the corrupt, while their two departments remain at loggerheads. Realistic but still marvelously uplifting.

Tags 10-rated, animation, favorites, Funnies, kdramas, listmania, mysteries, period dramas, SFFgenre, shows, Wednesday-Weekly

Books Recommendations

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell: A Tough Scifi Must-Read

Post author By Lexlingua
Post date March 26, 2021
13 Comments on The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell: A Tough Scifi Must-Read

^{Not one sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.}
Matthew Ten, Verse Twenty-Nine

I read The Sparrow some time back, but I am reviewing it here only now. The book raises some uncomfortable questions about our perception of and our (according to the book, unfounded) expectations from God. Mary Russell does a spectacular job of blending science and religion in this book. For both agnostics and believers alike, this is a story that will send you reeling.

The Sparrow is set in the future, and revolves around Emilio Sandoz. Emilio is a devout Jesuit priest and a good man whose friends love him. Sandoz’s biggest strengths are his self-awareness, and his faith in God which can move mountains. But that faith is about to be tested.

Tags 10-rated, first contact, science-fiction, SFFgenre, theology, Top101

Art & Illustration Books Music & Poetry Starred Recommendations Watchlist

More Japanese Recs: Folklore, Haiku & Anime

Post author By Lexlingua
Post date March 23, 2021
8 Comments on More Japanese Recs: Folklore, Haiku & Anime

This is the final month for the Japanese Literature Reading Challenge, so I really had to hurry up with this one. I had two main recommendations for this month: Once and Forever: The Tales of Kenji Miyazawa, and an anthology of Japanese Haiku poetry compiled by Yamamoto and Addiss. And although not “literature”, also the superbly mind-bending scifi anime, Paprika.

Tags 10-rated, animation, fantasy-fiction, folklore, Japanese Literature, poetry friday, reading-challenges, science-fiction, SFFgenre

Books Recommendations

Review: Thorn by Intisar Khanani

Post author By Lexlingua
Post date March 21, 2021
12 Comments on Review: Thorn by Intisar Khanani

Book: Thorn (Dauntless Path Book 1)
Author: Intisar Khanani
Published: March 2020
Trope: Goose Girl Retelling, Identity Theft with a Twist
Rating: 8 of 10 / Recommended

Thorn has been getting a lot of blogger attention lately, even though released much earlier. When I realized it was a cozy Goose Girl retelling, I knew I had to give it a try. I liked it exceedingly, but Thorn also turned out to be quite unusual.

Tags cozy-fantasy, folklore, retellings, SFFgenre, Young Adult

Books Starred Recommendations

Wild Sign by Patricia Briggs

Post author By Lexlingua
Post date March 18, 2021
10 Comments on Wild Sign by Patricia Briggs

Wild Sign Gifts from Santa — Wild Sign is Book #5 for Cloak & Dagger 2021

Wild Sign by Patricia Briggs was like water after a reading drought! I was half afraid that the series would have lost its charm, but I needn’t have worried. Happy to report that this was an awesome read.

Tags #CloakDaggerChal, 10-rated, mysteries, SFFgenre, Urban Fantasy, Weres

Art & Illustration Books Index Starred Recommendations

Throwback Thursday: A Few Old SFF Favorites

Post author By Lexlingua
Post date March 4, 2021
16 Comments on Throwback Thursday: A Few Old SFF Favorites

I was looking at some of my older reads, and rounded-up a few that I’d really liked. So here they are, and may be if you’re looking for new things to try out, you’ll discover a few gems here.

Tags audio-stuff, cozy-fantasy, dystopian, fantasy-fiction, favorites, graphic novels, historical, manga, science-fiction, SFFgenre, short-story, tam-lin, the Fae, throwback-thursday, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult

Books Starred Recommendations

Princess Floralinda & the Forty-Flight Tower by Tamsyn Muir

Post author By Lexlingua
Post date February 22, 2021
11 Comments on Princess Floralinda & the Forty-Flight Tower by Tamsyn Muir

Tamsyn Muir is better known for her Gideon the Ninth, winner of the 2020 Locus Award for Best First Novel. Princess Floralinda & the Forty-Flight Tower is a novella in a very different universe, and is just absolutely wonderful.

A witch has locked up Princess Floralinda on the 40th floor of a tower. Floralinda now just has to sit there patiently till a prince comes along to rescue her. Except to do that, he has to battle out a monster on each of the 39 intervening floors, starting with the diamond-scaled dragon on Flight One. Floralinda agrees to wait.

And waits. And waits …

Tags 10-rated, comic fantasy, coming of age, cozy-fantasy, droll-wit-humor, fantasy-fiction, favorites, SFFgenre

Books Memes Recommendations

Six Degrees: Not your Usual Guest Experiences

Post author By Lexlingua
Post date February 6, 2021
22 Comments on Six Degrees: Not your Usual Guest Experiences

It’s time for #6degrees. Start with the monthly read, add six books, and see where you end up. Inspired by the 6 Degrees of Separation Meme hosted every month at Books are my Favorite and Best.

February 2021’s book is Redhead By the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler. Redhead is about a “Tech Hermit”, Micah Mortimer, whose neat, routined life goes topsy-turvy when guests appear uninvited at his door. This made me think of various house guest experiences, especially for some of the more reclusive literary characters.

Tags #6Degrees, characterizations, classics, Funnies, introverts, SFFgenre

Books

The Lord of Dreams by C.J. Brightley

Post author By Lexlingua
Post date February 1, 2021
10 Comments on The Lord of Dreams by C.J. Brightley

A human girl gets translocated to the Fae world for mysterious reasons. There, she meets the Nightmare King, who sets her a task to help rout the Unseelie invaders. Not an easy task! The rules of the Fae world are strange, and Claire has very little to guide her. Even the Nightmare King, once the Lord of Dreams, seems to oscillate between villainy and madness. Can Claire be the hero she always wanted to be, in The Lord of Dreams?

Six words to describe this book: gentle, folkloric, dream-like, odd, confusing, hypnotic.

Tags 6.5-rated, fantasy-fiction, portal-fantasy, riddles, SFFgenre, the Fae