Loving the sly humour and pop culture references in Poison City. The alcoholic dog is also fantastic.

"Finally, after the most harrowing ten minutes of Yuri's life, the engines fell silent. He had become the first human being to journey into space... 'Welcome, ambassador!' said a cheerful voice."

Andy Weir's latest work is a collection of short stories only available on the Tapas app. I'm working through the collection, but "Yuri Gagarin Saves The Galaxy" is outstanding.

#booktober day 4 is bookmarks - these are the ones not currently in books. My oldest one, full of 4 leaf clovers, bits of bookmarks that have come free of their clasps, a list-turned-bookmark (list still not done or started) and my science-fi buy. Thanks for the prompt @RealLifeReading !

Told entirely in free verse with fantastic footnotes by Nick, 8th grader and soccer-devotee, Booked is sensational. It involves rapping school librarians, crushes, mandatory dictionary reading and so so much more awesomeness. I loved it, and my 14 & 18 year old sons did too. Rec for: teen boys, anyone who cares for a teen boy, soccer players, word lovers. Not rec for: I'm struggling to think of... I don't know... worms? Seriously, go read it!

I wanted to adore this book. I was hooked, captivated by Lily (the canine lead character) and how she is shown to speak. The author's obvious love of dogs had the ghosts of dogs-past digging through my heart as I read. However Lily's owner was so insufferable as a person I couldn't bear to finish.

A barely OK modern retelling of The Taming of the Shrew, but quite disappointing coming from the usually amazing Anne Tyler. Characters were generalised, stereotypes, and mostly unbelievable. Recommended to: Shakespeare-retold devotees. Not recommended to: previous enjoyers of Tyler's works.

A graceful, gentle yet powerful discussion of death and grief, aimed specifically at kids (but it punches adult hearts as well). A gorgeous addition to my "book medicine" shelves. Rec'd to: those dealing with grief. Not recommended for: anyone who suggests "just get over it, don't talk about it."

Hope for the man and the boy rips your guts out over 300 pages of minimalist, yet evocative and wrenching, prose. It's not a happy tale, but it's worth the heartache and held breaths.

"Don't yell at me... I didn't bite you!" Snark, sexuality and spaceships! Loving The Cold Between and its faceted, complicated and believable characters.

John Scalzi writes magic - pathos and hilarity within lines of each other. #favouritebook

"Congratulations, you have been chosen to act as Death, it's a dirty job, but someone has to do it." I've only just found out A Dirty Job has a sequel, and can't wait to laugh myself asthmatic reading it!