I’m considering two novels about the haunting of unlikeable women today: Jennifer Thorne’s Diavola and The Witch In The Well by Camilla Bruce. I liked one of these far more than the other, but which? Clue: one has cover art to give you nightmares, the other has hashtags #IYKNK
There are several series that showcase how bad I am at finishing things. I blame ARCs for constantly pulling attention away from buying and reading books even when I’m already invested in them. Enter Melissa Caruso, whose debut trilogy Swords and Fire is an all-time favourite, but whose second series Rooks and Ruin languished on my shelf for no fault of its own. It has taken me five years to slowly read this trilogy, which does it a major disservice: it’s fast, fun, dramatic, self-assured and delightfully queer.
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish, and is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. It’s all about books, lists and sharing the love we have of both with our bookish friends. This week is a genre freebie, and I’m dwelling on the delights of archaeology and antiquities in science fiction and fantasy.
The journey we began during ScifiMonth has ended: our little crew has completed our read-along of the Imperial Radch trilogy by Ann Leckie. The inevitable confrontation with Anaander Mianaai is at hand. Can Breq and her allies defeat the ruthless manipulator who has ruled the Radch for thousands of years?
Wait, where did February go. Hey, you there, bring that month back before it gets away! I often find time disappears on me when I travel as if days away from home aren’t real …and I spent a third of this month in London (for my birthday) and Zagreb (for work). I squeezed in a long hike and wrecked my knees (oops) and more reading than you might expect…
It’s time to inflict as much damage as possible – but with Breq badly injured, she’ll have to rely on her lieutenants to lead the charge against Anaander Mianaai. Has Breq won enough local influence to garner the support they will need to succeed in Tisarwat’s desperate plan?
The Great Series Read Project is an acknowledgement that many of us are better at starting series than we are at finishing them. When I signed up, I was in denial – historically, I was very focused on finishing series! – and I’ve slowly admitted that I’ve become terrible at it. Six years in, I’m considering which of the series I’ve started I actually want to finish.
If Breq has learned anything over her long life, it’s shoot first – especially when you own a gun your enemies can’t see that fires ammunition they can’t shrug off. If those who love Breq have learned anything during their association with her, it’s that she cares about their safety a good deal more than her own. As we head towards the end of the trilogy, who will be left to fight Anaander Mianaai?
We’re not pausing for breath before we find out what lies beyond the Ghost Gate. Our read-along barrels straight into Ancillary Mercy this week as Breq returns to Athoek Station. Justice is complicated, propriety is teaching your guests to distinguish fish you eat and fish you look at, and everyone is looking for some benefits…
The final week of our read-along so it’s showdowns and consequences time at Athoek, where we find out where everyone’s loyalties really lie. To a point – this is a second book, so there’s plenty of mysteries for us to dive into next week when we start Ancillary Mercy.
I’ve enjoyed the snowy start to the year, in spite because of wading through knee deep snow and skidding over ice on our adventures. A read-along has kept me flexing my out of shape blogging muscles (a little at least), and I’ve set what’s sure to be my maddest goal for the year…
Week three of our Ancillary Sword read-along takes us from Athoek Station to the planet below, as Breq embarks on a formal period of mourning in an attempt to stave off alien reprisal. As you would expect during a quiet retreat, there’s so much going on this week there won’t be room to talk about it all!
Week two of our Ancillary Sword read-along finds us on Athoek Station, coming to understand the nuances of life within the Imperial Radch. Every empire is hegemonic, but few empires completed erase all trace of the cultures they have consumed – which is to say this week features a lot of local world building, and hints at the introduction of an intriguing new angle in the near future…
Before I turn my back on 2025, I’m catching up on all the films I saw in the second half of the year (a stack, thanks to the Inverness Film Festival in November). There’s 3 new favourites, many films I admired, and a few I appreciated rather than enjoyed and am unlikely to watch again. Top pick for your winter watching: Pillion, the unexpectedly sweet if explicit dom-com (thanks Mr Skarsgard).
Having been enthralled by our visit to the Imperial Radch during ScifiMonth, we’re continuing our read-along this year with Ancillary Sword because there’s no way we’re waiting for next November to find out what Breq does next. Expect spoilers from the get-go as this is the first of four discussion posts, not a review.
onemore.org 