B Reviews / Book ReviewsAustria / class differences / England / Historical / music / opera / post WWI / self made man / social privilege / Vienna8 Comments
In the spring of 1922, young Austrian Princess Theresa-Maria – known to her ancient aunts as ‘Putzerl’ – abandons her crumbling castle and her royal duties. Disguising herself simply as Tessa, she enrolls as under wardrobe mistress of the International Opera Company and soon loses herself in the intoxicating world ... more >
B Reviews / Book Reviewsage gap / bisexual / Contemporary / demisexual / Gay / hockey / m/m romance / queer8 Comments
Dear Rachel Reid, I’ve been meaning to try your books for a while now, having heard good things about them and I am a fan of hockey romance (notwithstanding that I’ve never watched a game and know very little about the sport, but you know… details), so I snapped up ... more >
B Reviews / Book Reviews#ownvoices / aromantic / asexual character / children's literature / Dragon / fairy tale / Fantasy / lesbian / LGBTQA / novella / spiders / transgender character / transsexualNo Comments
Every time something goes missing from the village, Sir Violet makes his way to the dragon’s cave and negotiates the item’s return. It’s annoying, but at least the dragon is polite. But when the dragon hoards a person, that’s a step too far. Sir Violet storms off to the mountainside ... more >
B Reviews / Book Reviews1980s / Athletes / coming-of-age / female friendship / high-school / LGBTQA / POC / POC author / self discovery / teens / YA / young adult fiction4 Comments
Acclaimed novelist Quan Barry delivers a tour de female force in this delightful novel. Set in the coastal town of Danvers, Massachusetts, where the accusations began that led to the 1692 witch trials, We Ride Upon Sticks follows the 1989 Danvers High School Falcons field hockey team, who will do ... more >
B Reviews / Book ReviewsChina / dysfunctional family / family relationships / POC / POC author / post-apocalyptic / Science Fiction / short stories / space opera / VietnamNo Comments
Here is The Dragon that Flew Out of the Sun and Other Stories, a short compilation of Xuya universe stories: sentient spaceships, the dark between the stars, and–always–food and memory and family. Review Several reviewers here have read and raved about Aliette de Bodard but up until now, I’d not ... more >
B Reviews / Book ReviewsChef / Contemporary / dysfunctional family / family relationships / literary adaptation / omniscient voice / restaurants / Scotland / second chance at love4 Comments
Inspired by Jane Austen’s Persuasion. She returned to save her family’s dying legacy–but found the ghosts of her past alive and well. Susan Napier’s family once lived on the success of the high-end restaurants founded by her late grandfather. But bad luck and worse management has brought the business to ... more >