Welcome to Litsy!

I *nearly* bailed on this ‘hardboiled detective‘ novel from the #ToBlonglist but persevered and, about 30% in, found myself caring for one of the MCs which turned the book around.

It could also be called speculative fiction as it‘s set in an alternative 1920s USA, where First Nations people live side by side with Blacks and whites, but still with the KKK on the rise and a ritualistic murder on a rooftop setting the whole town on edge.

#OctoberWrapUp #MonthlyReads

I loved the top 6 books. The Fated Sky was probably my favorite followed closely by Legends & Lattes.

The bottom four prepper books were awful. Bought these to read for hurricane season. They were so general and focused on apocalypse type events. Not helpful for the person Prepping for Tuesday, not Doomsday.

100% pick. Since the sequel takes place mostly in space, there‘s less focus on events from the 1950s and 60s, but the way the characters relate to one another is the reminder. I especially liked seeing how the relationship between Elma and Parker developed. Now I need to buy this series because my library doesn‘t own #3 The Relentless Moon and book #4 comes out in 2025👩🏻‍🚀🚀

Dr. Elma York takes Miltown for her anxiety. I freaking love her character. Incredibly relatable even though she‘s a math savant who started college as a kid. These were the final sentences of Mary Robinette Kowal‘s author note🧡

Started a reading spree this afternoon with the astronauts blasting off to Mars and not everything is going smoothly.

Loving book #2 in The Lady Astronaut series. Still prepping for the first Mars expedition. The alternate history angle has really sucked me in.

4 ⭐️s
I really love this time travel/alternate history series! Chomping at the bit for the third one so I‘ll need to track that down asap. A LOT happens in this globe spanning epic w/ a large cast of characters, but it doesn‘t feel bogged down. I adore many of the characters (especially the Hollard siblings and their royal love interests 😉) and I think the author does a great job of not making the ancients stupid or inferior to the Nantucketers.

Doris (a white woman) was minding her own business in her sleepy English cottage when she was kidnapped, shipped off and sold into slavery to serve Black people.

This book takes all the justifications for slavery and racism and by turning them onto white people along with a slice of satire and silliness, really shows how ridiculous (and arrogant) us whites are.

I liked this, but I'd hoped to love it.