This is an overdue roundup of what I’ve read; it’s also uninspiring, with seven of the ten books being C range. The theme is “books that I didn’t think were that good and also were kind of depressing.” Wanting Daisy Dead by Sue Watson This was an Amazon First Read. ... more >
On a gloomy November night, eleven-year-old Tiphany Stokes saves an old lady from collapsing in the street. An antique doll named Gretel watches them, longing for Tiph to rescue her from life in a shop window. Though none of these three characters realizes it, their worlds are about to change: ... more >
As spiritualism reaches its fevered pitch at the dawn of the 20th century, a Scottish girl crosses the veil to unlock a powerful connection within an infamous asylum in this thrillingly atmospheric, exquisitely evocative exploration of feminine rage and agency. Leaving behind a quiet life of simple comforts, Nairna Liath ... more >
When Brid Harcus is sent to the Orkney Islands, in the far reaches of Scotland, she has high hopes for her trip being short, straightforward and lucrative. Her mother has inherited a cottage from her Great Aunt Jennet which has been unlived in and unloved for decades, and the time ... more >
The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley is a sparkling historical novel of wild and wonderful mechanical automata, love in a variety of forms, and gentle themes of identity, with a cast of fabulous characters. In 1755, Abel Cloudesley, a London watchmaker and creator of remarkable mechanical automata, is mourning his ... more >
The Navigating Fox is a fantastical fable of “knowledgeable creatures”, in the vein of Brian Jacques’s Redwall series but for adults, by Hugo and Nebula Award finalist Christopher Rowe Quintus Shu’al, the world’s only navigating fox, is in disgrace after guiding an expedition to its doom, leaving no survivors. One ... more >