dont worry about it

Between Two Fires, Christopher Buehlman i really, really loved this book and am kicking myself for not reading it sooner. a bad man trying to make good for his weird daughter. what does it mean to be a good person under hellish circumstances? lotta catholic stuff flew right over my head i must admit but loved how this brought the medieval era to life

On Tennis this was a reread but i still love how DFW writes about tennis. he makes the sport come alive so beautifully it makes me momentarily care about it even a little

How to Cook a Wolf, M.F.K. Fisher a guide to recipes and how to eat well during WWI & WWII. lovely prose and an interesting read, written by someone with a genuine love for food and a truly wonderful voice

Journeys, Stefan Zweig short essay collection about travelling in Europe spanning 1900s to early 1940s. really interesting, beautiful descriptions, writer is a snob. what more could you ask for?

The Everlasting, Alix E. Harrow really enjoyed this !!!! a great premise, not entirely unpredictable, definitely not without flaws, but truly made me love the characters very deeply. i think going in knowing as little as possible is a boon

Apparently Sir Cameron Needs to Die, Greer Stothers genuinely funny, delightfully surprising, and clearly made with a lot of love. for fans of ferdibert which i am, soooo ! !

If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller, Italo Calvino what could i say about this book that hasn’t been said before? it’s as good as everyone says it is. maybe even better

Voyage Around My Room french aristocrat writing a comedically over the top narration of his time under house arrest because he was in an illegal duel. great narrative voice. read it for free now!! (very short)

The Summer War, Naomi Novik i love a novik novella, however as a guy who isn’t into fairies and fairy courts there is a limit to its appeal. but if that’s your bag hop in. great style as always

The Tainted Cup & A Drop of Corruption, Robert Jackson Bennett murder mystery SFF with generally elegant and v interesting world building sign me UP. love me a soggy man who can [redacted for spoilers]

Stoner, John Williams ooooh my god genuinely so beautiful. the writing is so crisp and so clear. an incredible experience to read. more of a style over story book, though the story is lovely and meditative too

Loved One, Aisha Muharrar an interesting set up for a book about grief that resists easy answers. i do love a protagonist who makes crazy choices. i wanted more from it, but was an enjoyable read and i would read more from this author

Onna no Sono no Hoshi fucking delightful slice of life manga. genuinely thee funniest jokes delivered so flawlessly. wayama can do no wrong

Pale Rider, Laura Spinney really great overview of the 1918 pandemic. very hard to balance a global perspective with any degree of detail in a single book, but does it well

The Black Death, Philip Ziegler another great overview, this time of the 1349 plague. an early attempt to synthesize scholarship, written with a clear voice and a drive to humanize the devastation. great!

The Will Darling Adventures (trilogy), KJ Charles tasty period romance. great protagonists, and substantial plot - so much so not sure if id categorize it as romance? which for me is a major plus, love to see two guys put in situations

The Incandescents, Emily Tesh magical school story from pov of a teacher at the school. imo it didn’t quite stick the landing, but some great set pieces, interesting ideas, good characters - a fun read, esp if you teach

The Big Sleep, Raymond Chandler really beautiful style, obviously the “noir voice” has been done to death but truly shines here. easy to read in bogart’s voice (a plus). also very funny! a nightmare to track the characters/motives but whatever, im just along for the ride

The Empress of Salt and Fortune, Nghi Vo a good premise executed well love to see it. truly not much more to say, i love fantasy novellas

Written on the Dark, Guy Gavriel Kay i love a Kay book i cannot lie. the style here took some getting used to, but i enjoyed the premise (a brief moment in history expanded and told from the perspective of ‘minor’ figures). always love thinking about history and stories, etc.

In Winter I Get Up at Night, Jane Urquhart oooo i love stories about memory and landscapes. great to read something set in the prairies that i love so much. admittedly took me a while to get into the rhythm of the narrative but then found it really enjoyable

The Empusium, Olga Tokarczuk really great atmosphere, lovely attention to setting. lotta similar themes to I Drive My Plow Over the Bones of the Dead (only a good thing) + i do love stories set around the turn of the century

Everything is Tuberculosis, John Green fun to read this so soon after the empusium. a very readable overview of tb, how it’s been portrayed and perceived over time and the human made systems that enable tb to continue to thrive in the 21st c. remarkably hopeful, despite the topic

The Great Mortality, John Kelly covers pretty much the same ground as Ziegler’s book, but i did like how much cultural/historical context surrounding the plague was included. emphasis is definitely more on the context and consequences of the plague than the details of the plague itself

Star Shipped, Cat Sebastian i’ll read everything cat sebastian publishes forever bc she is my GOAT !!! that said, not a huge fan of books that incorporate fandom but did find it mostly endearing here. a great read for anyone who struggles with feeling like a burden on their loved ones

Clouds Over Paris, Felix Hartlaub really beautiful descriptions of paris written by a german soldier during the occupation. as advertised many striking descriptions of clouds: