There are few things better than hitting a hot reading streak, where each book is a delight to read. It’s so rare!
But here are three books I really enjoyed.
This Body’s Not Big Enough for Both of Us by Edgar Cantero. Ridiculously funny spoof of Noir PI style stories, where it’s less about the crime committed and more about the personality of the PI. Cantero can be hit or miss for people, but I loved this book and bugged my friends by reading excerpts to them, giggling maniacally the whole time.
The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean. Lots of hype around this book but all of it is actually deserved. It’s got a neat world-building premise of a different type of “human” that lives on the edges of society with their own rules. This book works so well because of its spare style. The protagonist is a desperate mother with her back against the proverbial wall, trying to create a better life for her son. It could be very grim and depressing but because it’s so streamlined (though not to the point of feeling sketchy), it just flows and flows and takes you along for the ride. I will look for other books by this author.
And then there’s Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Fairies by Heather Fawcett. I adored this book. I am a sucker for an academic character dealing with fantasy creatures. I am also a sucker for fish-out-of-water stories where a city lady has to deal with rural life; and a sucker for a romantic relationship where it is evident to everyone but the heroine for a time. I loved the characters here, but I also really loved the fairy elements. I will definitely be picking up the sequel in January!
And it looks like there will be more awesome reading to come: I have Martha Wells’ System Collapse, Alix Harrow’s Ten Thousand Doors to January, and the final Robert Jackson Bennett book in the Founders Trilogy, plus Samit Basu’s The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport. And oh! Can’t possibly forget a new Olivia Atwater! The Witchwood Knot looks delightful. I will have to get my hands on it soon.
What’s that saying? So many books, so little time?
lane robins 