@missbluestocking​ asked me about books in the same vein as The Abyss Surrounds Us and River of Teeth in early June. I went on a reading binge for things that might fit the bill. It’ll be an ongoing thing, but I’m a little burnt out now. Here we go!

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. I’ve heard it described as a “cozy space opera,” which is apt. It opens with a young woman who grew up on Mars joining a “tunnelling” ship (think stable wormholes) with an interesting and eccentric multi-species crew. It has incredible world-building and great characters. Its sequel, A Closed and Common Orbit, has a different tone and is more of a bildungsroman that alternates between two characters introduced in the first book.

Noteworthy by Riley Redgate. This is the only non-SFF book on my list, but I wanted to include it. Jordan Sun is a junior at a prestigious performing arts school and constantly gets passed over for roles because of her range. As she ruefully puts it: “Being an Alto 2 in the musical theater world is sort of like being a vulture in the wild: You have a spot in the ecosystem, but nobody’s falling over themselves to express their appreciation.” Then she gets an email announcing that there’s a vacancy in the Sharpshooters, the school’s adored all-male a cappella octet. They’re looking for a Tenor 1, which is in her range… It’s funny, it’s emotional, and has a good helping of gender and sexuality exploration.

The Adaptation series by Malinda Lo. Reese and her debate partner David are at the airport when dozens of planes across the country are downed by bird strikes. They get in a car crash during the ensuing chaos and wake up in a military hospital. After she returns home, Reese begins having weird memories and has an instant connection with a girl named Amber. More of a sci fi thriller.

Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst. Cozy WLW fantasy romance. Princess Dennaleia knows her duty: marry the prince of a neighboring kingdom and keep her magical abilities a secret. Amaranthine is the prince’s unorthodox sister, who is more at home in stables and taverns. Horsemanship isn’t really a thing in Denna’s mountainous home, but it’s a big deal in her fiancé’s. Mare is tasked with teaching her to ride and they don’t get along at all. Then an assassination makes them reluctant allies. (See also: Malinda Lo’s recommendation post.)

Dreadnought by April Daniels. Danny is a closeted trans girl who inherits the powers of a dying superhero and she gets the body she’s always wanted. Downsides: shitty parents, finding her place in the hero community, and trying to track down the supervillain who killed her predecessor.

Timekeeper by Tara Sim. Alternate Victorian England with a little sympathetic magic. Time itself is regulated by clock towers: for example, a tower missing one of its numbers might mean an hour goes missing. Danny is a young Mechanic sent to fix Enfield’s clock tower after recovering from a suspicious accident at another tower. The apprentice who meets him there is mysterious and curiously doesn’t know much about maintaining clocks. Kind of a speculative historical fiction fairy tale.

i’m pretty sure it’s midterms. the middle of the semester is always exhausting, but adding on a bunch of extra papers and assignments and sometimes new jobs and relationships can be really overwhelming. happens to me every semester.

is this not hannibal