Perhaps it's time for me to get outside and read again. Winter is out and with it the sad and depressing stories of death and disease, we may now focus on stories of happiness and hope and a bit of light-hearted fun!
Legends & lattes : a novel of high fantasy and low stakes
Baldree, Travis, 1977- author.
SCIENCE FICTION Baldree Travis
"The much-beloved BookTok sensation from Travis Baldree, Legends & Lattes is a novel of high fantasy and low stakes. *The new paperback edition will include a very special, never-before-seen bonus story, 'Pages to Fill.'* Come take a load off at Viv's cafe, the first & only coffee shop in Thune. Grand opening! Worn out after decades of packing steel and raising hell, Viv, the orc barbarian, cashes out of the warrior's life with one final score. A forgotten legend, a fabled artifact, and an unreasonable amount of hope lead her to the streets of Thune, where she plans to open the first coffee shop the city has ever seen. However, her dreams of a fresh start filling mugs instead of swinging swords are hardly a sure bet. Old frenemies and Thune's shady underbelly may just upset her plans. To finally build something that will last, Viv will need some new partners, and a different kind of resolve. "Take a break from epic battles and saving the world. Legends & Lattes is a wholesome, cozy novel that feels like a warm hug. This is my new comfort read."-Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch's Heart"--
One last stop
McQuiston, Casey, author.
FICTION McQuiston, Casey
"From the New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue comes a new romantic comedy that will stop readers in their tracks... "Dreamy, other worldly, smart, swoony, thoughtful, hilarious - all in all, exactly what you'd expect from Casey McQuiston!" - Jasmine Guillory, New York Times bestselling author of The Proposal and Party for Two Cynical twenty-three-year old August doesn't believe in much. She doesn't believe in psychics, or easily forged friendships, or finding the kind of love they make movies about. And she certainly doesn't believe her ragtag band of new roommates, her night shifts at a 24-hour pancake diner, or her daily subway commute full of electrical outages are going to change that. But then, there's Jane. Beautiful, impossible Jane. All hard edges with a soft smile and swoopy hair and saving August's day when she needed it most. The person August looks forward to seeing on the train every day. The one who makes her forget about the cities she lived in that never seemed to fit, and her fear of what happens when she finally graduates, and even her cold-case obsessed mother who won't quite let her go. And when August realizes her subway crush is impossible in more ways than one-namely, displaced in time from the 1970s-she thinks maybe it's time to start believing. Casey McQuiston's One Last Stop is a sexy, big-hearted romance where the impossible becomes possible as August does everything in her power to save the girl lost in time"--
One of my favorite books from last year--I cannot stop recommending it. It's a gay romance which involves time travel and mystery. Maybe this is perfect for those visits to a big city, when you're on the subway and realize the incredibility of life and everyone around you.
- Zach
Light from uncommon stars
Aoki, Ryka, author.
SCIENCE FICTION Aoki Ryka
"Good Omens meets The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet in Ryka Aoki's Light From Uncommon Stars, a defiantly joyful adventure set in California's San Gabriel Valley, with cursed violins, Faustian bargains, and queer alien courtship over fresh-made donuts. Shizuka Satomi made a deal with the devil: to escape damnation, she must entice seven other violin prodigies to trade their souls for success. She has already delivered six. When Katrina Nguyen, a young transgender runaway, catches Shizuka's ear with her wild talent, Shizuka can almost feel the curse lifting. She's found her final candidate. But in a donut shop off a bustling highway in the San Gabriel Valley, Shizuka meets Lan Tran, retired starship captain, interstellar refugee, and mother of four. Shizuka doesn't have time for crushes or coffee dates, what with her very soul on the line, but Lan's kind smile and eyes like stars might just redefine a soul's worth. And maybe something as small as a warm donut is powerful enough to break a curse as vast as the California coastline. As the lives of these three women become entangled by chance and fate, a story of magic, identity, curses, and hope begins, and a family worth crossing the universe for is found"--
Another great queer novel, though this one focuses less on romance and mostly on a love for music and humanity. Listen to some classical music as you read this outside and grab a donut from your local bakery, it'll provide a perfect 4D experience for the one of the best books I've ever read.
- Zach
Elatsoe
Little Badger, Darcie, 1987- author.
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Littleba Darcie
"Imagine an America very similar to our own. It's got homework, best friends, and pistachio ice cream. There are some differences. This America has been shaped dramatically by the magic, monsters, knowledge, and legends of its peoples, those Indigenous and those not. Some of these forces are charmingly everyday, like the ability to make an orb of light appear or travel across the world through rings of fungi. But other forces are less charming and should never see the light of day. Seventeen-year-old Elatsoe ("Ellie" for short) lives in this slightly stranger America. She can raise the ghosts of dead animals, a skill passed down through generations of her Lipan Apache family. Her beloved cousin has just been murdered, in a town that wants no prying eyes. But she is going to do more than pry. The picture-perfect façade of Willowbee masks gruesome secrets, and she will rely on her wits, skills, and friends to tear off the mask and protect her family" --
This one is perfect for a windy, downcast day I think--when you can't get yourself out of bed and there's a chill sneaking back through the windows. A reminder of winter, though soft in comparison to the deadly snows. Elatsoe is a mystery novel, but focuses itself on community and the care one must take for those alive and dead. Give it a read.
- Zach
Reaper man
Pratchett, Terry.
SCIENCE FICTION Pratchett, Terry
Death is missing - presumed... er... gone. Which leads to the kind of chaos you always get when an important public service is withdrawn. Meanwhile, on a little farm far, far away, a tall dark stranger is turning out to be really good with a scythe. There's a harvest to be gathered in...
With Spring comes the planting of crops and the growth of a new world around you. Reaper Man provides a nice laugh filled journey alongside death who is taking a bit of a holiday you could say. What better time for life to flourish! Maybe you can read this after a long walk in the Spring weather, thinking and appreciating the work of farmers and workers, and hopefully not be too accosted by allergies if you suffer them alongside myself.
- Zach
Klara and the sun
Ishiguro, Kazuo, 1954- author.
FICTION Ishiguro Kazuo
"From her place in the store that sells artificial friends, Klara--an artificial friend with outstanding observational qualities--watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass in the street outside. She remains hopeful a customer will soon choose her, but when the possibility emerges that her circumstances may change forever, Klara she is warned not to invest too much in the promises of humans. In this luminous tale, Klara and the Sun, Nobel Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro looks at our rapidly changing modern world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator to explore a fundamental question: what does it mean to love?"--
An appreciation of the SUN! Our life giving light. We're put in the shoes of a lovely robot named Klara and her search for meaning in a world much like our own. There's a sweet innocence to this story along with companionship and hope for a brighter future. But hope isn't enough and action is taken to try to better our future in hopes the Sun continues to provide its warmth and care. Read in the Sun.
- Zach
The ten thousand doors of January
Harrow, Alix E., author.
SCIENCE FICTION Harrow Alix
In the early 1900s, a young woman embarks on a fantastical journey of self-discovery after finding a mysterious book in this captivating and lyrical debut. In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place. Then she finds a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page turn reveals impossible truths about the world and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own. Lush and richly imagined, a tale of impossible journeys, unforgettable love, and the enduring power of stories awaits in Alix E. Harrow's spellbinding debut--step inside and discover its magic.
You never know what's behind the next door. Look for different worlds and wandering companions--this is a book for adventure and friendship. Go explore and find out where you're from and where you want to be.
- Zach
This is just a lovely, cozy read. Cozy may be a winter thing, but think of your recent nights of rain, grabbing a cup of something warm and sitting with a puzzle--that's the night this book is for. I recommend the audiobook highly. If you're into DND this is especially for you.
- Zach