How to Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis: kinda life-changing tbh, I think I may need to obtain a copy of my own. Lots of tips and things I'd heard before but this sort of consolidated it all into a philosophy of life which was really helpful for me.
Good Guys by Sharon Bala: a novel about a fictional charitable organization and how well-intentioned foreign aid can cause profound harm to individuals and communities. Explores the sneakiness of hypocrisy and how dangerous thinking you're "doing good" can be. Really made me think and reevaluate my own mindset several times, which I appreciate.
Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett: reread. I recklessly purchased the entire Watch series during a bout of depression. I don't regret it.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
What a month. Have had both some really good, exciting news this month and some more difficult life stuff. Grateful to be home with family and friends for the holiday season, and as always, it feels like I'm not doing enough work or seeing enough of friends. (Or reading enough!) My dissertation submission is definitely starting to freak me out, and might mean a slow reading start to 2026, but so it goes. 2025 ended pretty well though, reading-wise:
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy- 4/5 stars
There was a lot I liked about this! Very twisty and also quite poignant. Unique setting and compelling characters, though I wished it ended a little differently.
Iron Tongue of Midnight (The Forge and Fracture Saga #3) by Brittany N. Williams- 3.75/5 stars
A solid conclusion, very much in line with the rest of the series. I did sometimes wish that Joan learned some things a bit faster, but what can you do. Great world!
Moon of the Crusted Snow (The Whitesky Saga #1) by Waubgeshig Rice- 4/5 stars
Ended up being less action-heavy than I expected, but I kind of liked that? A fresh take on the apocalypse genre that I really liked, though it was a bit slow for a book that really wasn't very long.
His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire #1) by Naomi Novik- 5/5 stars
I feel like my rating for this is a bit generous, but it scratched the same itch for me as A Natural History of Dragons. I wouldn't even necessarily say that I'm a huge dragon person, but I guess I really like it when they're smoothly and scientifically incorporated into a historical world.
The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown- 3.25/5 stars
I felt the story for this was actually quite well executed and the concept was very well done. I didn't connect with our characters though, especially our protagonist who was just a little too blandly good for me.
Reader Immersion in Latin Prose and Verse Narrative by Luca Graverini*
All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries #1) by Martha Wells- 3.5/5 stars
I see why people are so into Murderbot; I'm not sure I'm quite there with them. For such a short work, some of the character work particularly for Murderbot felt kind of repetitive, but I'm definitely willing to continue the series.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson- 3.75/5 stars
What I enjoyed most about this possibly was the essay at the end that gave a little context about Jackson's life, which I knew almost nothing about. But the novel was good too, eerie and unsettling, even though I knew the little twist at the end. Makes me want to reread Hill House!
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh- 4/5 stars
A little insta-love-y, but more excusable in a folktale setting and it was really sweet in its message. Cool world and thoughtful characters.
The Binding by Bridget Collins- 2.75/5 stars
I feel like the blurb gave too much away which might have been fine if we hadn't retread a lot of the same information in flashback that took up a huge portion of the middle of the book. It also felt kind of predictable.
Godkiller (Fallen Gods #1) by Hannah Kaner- 4.25/5 stars
Fascinated by this world and I like our main characters--really interesting dynamics. But the twist at the end made me sad, even though I think it's good writing.
*read for academic purposes and therefore not rated
Currently Reading: Victorian Ghost Stories: An Oxford Anthology edited by Michael Cox and R. A. Gilbert
I've thought of starting a book blog before, but alas - I never have enough to say when I don't have someone to bounce off of, or at least can't figure out how to say it. Plus, I mostly read nonfiction, so...probably not the most thrilling reviews. In lieu of that...here's what I read in May.
Courting Scandal: The Rise and Fall of Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford - James Taffe
Jane Boleyn: The True Story of the Infamous Lady Rochford - Julia Fox
Young and Damned and Fair: The Life of Catherine Howard, Fifth Wife of King Henry VIII - Gareth Russell
Inside the Tudor Court: Henry VIII and His Six Wives Through the Writings of the Spanish Ambassador Eustace Chapuys - Lauren Mackay
Wolsey: The Life of King Henry VIII's Cardinal - John Matusiak
Cardinal Wolsey - Mandell Creighton
Remembering Wolsey: A History of Commemorations and Representations - J. Patrick Hornbeck II.
The Life and Death of Thomas Wolsey Cardinal: Once Archbishop of York and Lord Chancellor of England - Sir William Cavendish
Obviously, I got 'on a tangent,' as I do sometimes. I've gathered this may have something to do with the ADHD, though not from particularly official sources, so don't quote me on that. In this case, it was partially a return to old tangents; while I'd not read the last three books on this list before, my reading journal indicates I previously went on a bit of a tangent on the subject of Cardinal Wolsey in February and March of 2021. I was also immensely pleased, in my Kindle recommendations earlier this month, to find a book on Chapuys; he was always one of those background figures in the historical fictions I read as a kid that I wished I knew more about. Gotta read his letters myself sometime, since it seems, from the Google, that they can be viewed online in English translation.
I'll give Lauren Mackay this: she's much more honest than a lot of authors are when she reached places where the information simply no longer exists, or at least hasn't been recovered yet. There was enough 'prose' to keep it interesting, but not excessive attempts to state things about the ambassador that she couldn't back up with evidence. This, I felt, was in sharp contrast to Julia Fox; I loved the descriptions of the court, the attempts to tell a story, and these things definitely have a place in history-writing, but here they were fairly blatantly...fluffy, I suppose. Now, I'm hardly one to complain of fluff, rather fond of soft things myself, but it was glaringly obvious, when she said Lady Rochford must have been thinking or feeling something, that she was essentially filling in the blanks with a story of her own devising. Sometimes the 'costume' of historicity the text wore was something it looked 'comfortable' in and sometimes it was quite obviously a poorly-researched French hood shoved awkwardly onto the head of an actress with zero knowledge of sixteenth century fashion and how to wear it, but there were always leaps from one point to another. In contrast to that, I felt that Gareth Russell balanced his reader-drawing prose fluff with his historical analysis much more adeptly when considering Catherine Howard; I've read his book more than once over the past couple of years and expect I'll read it again in years to come. I came away with no impression of James Taffe's work, alas, except that he clearly wrote his book as an exasperated rebuttal to Julia Fox; I was, unfortunately, very sleep-deprived when I read that, so I'll have to read it again sometime. My lack of sleep, however, is not why I read the rebuttal first and the book it was responding to second...even though I'd had Fox's book in my physical TBR shelves for several years and only stumbled across Taffe's the day I bought it. I'm told I've always had a tendency to do things in the wrong order and somehow make it work anyway, so why mess with a good system at this point?
As for one book being a rebuttal to another - here we come to one of my favorite things about reading history, which is to say, how often historians blatantly attack or support each other in their writing. In the last couple of chapters of Remembering Wolsey, I was irrationally delighted to see the author offer opinions on every book I read during my 2021 tangent as well as one of the ones I read this time around. It's amusing (to me) to sort of...get to know the different personalities: "hm, yes, I can see why someone would say that about Ives," or "yeah, I never did get Starkey's position on that, all things considered," or "ha, that was almost the exact same thing I said two years ago about Ridley!" It's...oddly cozy, I suppose.
Hornbeck was especially interesting as he wasn't writing about what happened - he was writing about the trends in how people have remembered what happened over the past few centuries. There were interesting thoughts on historical fiction throughout, especially near the end; that one may warrant a full independent review, if I can muster the energy to write it out. For now, however - there's all the reading I did in May.
What exactly does this “memorial to the Lubavitcher Rebbe” look like? If it is a statue and it does not end up coming to life in the climax I shall be Very Disappointed.
I am very impressed that my spellchecker knew “Lubavitcher.”
The Ottoman Turks made some excellent planning decisions and the good guys really need them on their side.
Even as a kid I was struck by the “Emma Lazarus” coincidence. (Uh, sorry. Non-coincidence.)
The whole “U. S. = Universal Salvation” thing seems a liiiiittle too good to be true. I am pretty concerned that Ana is going to explain this theory to someone at a dramatic moment and the someone is going to point out that the full abbreviation is U. S. A. and that is going to stand for something super ominous.
“Ten minutes!” he said, his face unreadable behind his dark glasses. “If you’re not back, we leave without you!” I can’t believe someone uttered these words to someone else going off to find a placebomancer, and the someone else managed to return with the placebomancer ... a couple of minutes later? and not, like, at nine minutes and fifty-nine seconds having to leap the gap from the dock to the boat? what kind of fifth-rate placebomancer is this?
Simeon, buddy, I hate to break it to you, but that whole bunker thing is going to do you not a whit of good. This looks to be the end of the world, which suggests something second-coming-y is just about due, which means that nominative determinism means your time is nearly up. Start practicing your Nunc Dimittis, dude.
“I’m not God,” she said. “I’m American. Universal salvation or bust.” Can I get that on a t-shirt?
What on earth does Simeon think he’s doing going on about Noah. The clear analogy here is Abraham. You are looking at the great city and are forewarned of its destruction and Ana is getting ready to argue with God that it be spared. (For the sake of ten righteous men?)
...if Simeon is deliberately setting himself up as the Obtuse Selfish Villain tempting Ana away from the One-In-A-Million-Chance To Save Everyone, You Naïve Fool, in order to increase her odds of success, because it’s for the greater good, I am going to be so impressed.
A lot on the go but I only finished one this month, a reread of Mordred: A Tragedy by Henry John Newbolt with a view to possibly directing it this winter. Same as last time, I loved the first two thirds or so and was annoyed by the last part, but I realized it was largely down to one scene, so. I rewrote it. Gawain now remains loyal to Arthur, because I just couldn't believe he'd defect, and Mordred's motivations are (I think) a bit clearer.
Writing in iambic pentameter is an absolute high as it turns out.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
Can anyone believe it's already July? Summer is flying by. I've been working my way through course prepwork, but also been hanging with family and friends quite a bit. Went to a pride parade, spent some time at the lakehouse, had a few crazy storms and power outages. It's been a busy month, and the next one will be too. Great reading month though!
Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi- 3.75/5 stars
This was interesting. One of those books that I feel like I would've gotten more out of if read in a classroom setting or with some group discussions, but still enjoyable and thought-provoking on my own. Magical realism, horror, and history all combined in one.
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo- 3.25/5 stars
For some reason I thought this was about vampires but turns out it's very much not? Anyways, I liked it well enough. I think it was a bit tough because I liked Luzia more than Santangel, though I'm not sure I have a great reason why. The relationships between the three main-ish women were nuanced, but I'm not sure I got too much out of the Inquisition setting, which seems a horribly insensitive thing to say.
When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain (The Singing Hills Cycle #2) by Nghi Vo- 4/5 stars
A breezy, lovely read. Like the first in this series, the emphasis on storytelling combined with a rich world was delightful. Novellas are tricky for me because I rarely connect closely to the characters, but the characters were were a lot of fun to read about. I look forward to the next one!
Country by Michael Hughes- 5/5 stars
Wow. I was blown away by this one. Retelling the Iliad in Northern Ireland during the troubles is already a fascinating premise, but Hughes did an excellent job, in my humble opinion. He managed to make the story feel entirely unique and fresh while sticking very, very closely to the language and plot of Homer's epic. This reminded me why I love mythic retellings and that there are a lot of interesting things to be said about some of them...
The Bone People by Keri Hulme- 4.25/5 stars
This was a beautiful and painful book. Kind of slow, but in a nice way as it took its time building up its characters and bringing us into their world. The ending was simultaneously lovely and frustrating in many ways, but I really enjoyed the middle of the novel the most, though it was bittersweet to watch our main trio wrestle with their relationships.
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
I didn't rate this one because it felt difficult to put a number on something so personal. I'm way late to the party on this one, I know, but I do understand the hype. Absolutely made me cry, but made me laugh too.
Paratexts: Thresholds of Interpretation by Gérard Genette*
Jade City (The Green Bone Saga #1) by Fonda Lee- 4.5/5 stars
I really, really, really liked this! It's a very different kind of fantasy world, and Lee is clearly thinking a lot about it works, but I'm not overwhelmed with a lot of technical terminology or a complex magic system. I like that it's built around one family (to be honest, I could do a with a touch less of the glimpses of side characters, but just a touch, mostly I like that too), and there were some bits that really surprised me.
*read for academic purposes and therefore not rated
Currently Reading: Jade Legacy (The Green Bone Saga #3) by Fonda Lee and Classics and the Uses of Reception edited by Charles Martindale and Richard Thomas
Reading report June 2026! (kinda late but oh well...)
Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley: thriller starring an Anishinaabe woman. This book is kind of incredible. Having a protagonist/narrator who's kind of a geek and likes to infodump about her culture is a stroke of genius imo. Violence against First Nations women is integral to the story and really hit me in the gut, especially the way sexual assault is so common that they've created community rituals to support each other as survivors. I loved the Elders and the use of Anishinaabemowin words and phrases without immediately explaining what they mean, just as part of normal speech. I appreciated the way romance was handled as something powerful but not necessary for the characters' growth. Highly, highly recommend.
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree: dungeons and dragons setting with a coffee shop. Characters bucking expectations, friendship, bit of queer romance. Delightful.
Men At Arms by Terry Pratchett: reread. The Watch is comfort material at this point.
Animal Farm by George Orwell: I'd never read this. It's surprisingly short and easy to get through and the prose is excellent. It shows the flaws and slow corruption of idealism very clearly, and the ending is perfect in that you can see it coming but it still feels like a twist.
