Spare Man | 
I just love the idea of Nick and Nora Charles in space. I hope someone writes that book someday. 🔥
At this point, though I loved The Calculating Stars, I think Robinette is Not For Me. Her attempts at sparkling banter between lovers are simply cringe.
#DoubleSpin
pickI was a beta reader for this book (I'm even in the acknowledgements!) so while this is the first time I've read the published book, it's not the first time I've read the book. It was so much fun! And it's been so long I actually forgot the the ending so that was great.
Highly recommended for a great science fiction mystery on a giant cruise ship. And lots of great representation.
panI mostly hated this. I only finished it because it‘s for my book club.
Positives:
1. I liked The Thin Man inspiration-which is one of my favorite classic movies and book series.
2. The dog was cute
3. The attempt at normalizing not assuming gender.
Negatives:
1. Both main characters aren‘t great. She is essentially a rich brilliant scientist who makes so many bad choices. He is boring. Their money solves everything.⬇️
pickMary Robinette Kowal‘s SF mystery is a delightful homage to Dashiell Hammet‘s THE THIN MAN, featuring a great central couple and making astute observations about fame, privilege and wealth. Although the mystery is a little thin, the side characters (especially Fantine who I adored) and their interactions carry you along and I admired how Kowal looks at what it is to live with chronic pain and loved the way everyone falls in love with Gimlet.
Chugging along through THE SPARE MAN, with Rocco for company. I like the book, but I‘m also in that place where I‘m 100 pages from the end and that feels like way too many pages for the plot. We‘ll see if it earns its length.
so-soI really wanted to like this Hugo-nominated futuristic take on Dashiell's Nick and Nora characters. Usually, I love sci-fi/mystery combos, and I've liked several of Kowal's other books. But I didn't care for the characters and the tone was too cutesy for my taste.
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pickTesla & Shal are just trying to enjoy their honeymoon without getting recognized. Until Shal gets accused of murder, & more bodies start dropping.
This was utterly charming. It had the vibes of old school noir, ala Nick & Nora, without a lot of all the -isms of that genre. But also in space! On a luxury space cruise! The pacing felt a little wonky. But there‘s also an adorable service dog & a lot of fun to be had & cocktail recipes! 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑
pickMy reading has been slowing down, and this was a great slump buster. It‘s a retelling based on an older mystery, and I really enjoyed the way it played with some noir detective elements without the sexism. I love reading Kowal‘s books about space; she does a great job of providing lots of information about how life in space works in her world while keeping it very engaging. I sincerely hope she writes more space mysteries, I will read all of them!
pickFun and delightful! Which might be weird adjectives for a murder mystery, but it really was 😂 Set on a cruise spaceship and making good use of the setting, this novel features a disabled protagonist with PTSD and a service dog. Oh, and gobs of money and power. I enjoyed all the different, interesting characters and the ride the mystery took me on. I did roll my eyes a few times at how everyone was so charmed by Gimlet.
Really nice seeing my name in the acknowledgements. Now to read the published book and see what has changed since the beta read.
