Author: Tim Scheidler

Jana: This week I continued making progress with Helene Wecker’s The Hidden Palace, and was able to immerse myself in Becky Chambers’ novella A Psalm for the Wild-Built, the first volume in her MONK AND ROBOT series. Each book is enjoyable and thought-provoking in completely different ways, and I foresee strong recommendations for both in my future.

Bill: This week I read the basic but interestingly informative Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting by Lisa Genova,

Jana: This week has been (like most weeks lately) tremendously busy, so I’m still working my way through Helene Wecker’s The Hidden Palace. I’m liking it quite a lot, and I wish I could just sit down and read for more than 10-15 minutes at a time! My hope is to have a chance to finish it next week, along with some half-completed reviews that I really want to get posted. There just never seem to be enough hours in the day!

Bill: This week I read the best short story collection I’ve read in a number of years — The Rock Eaters by Brenda Peynado (rave review to come).

Kat: I’m reading Machine by Elizabeth Bear. It’s slow-going so far. I’m more interested in the non-fiction book I’m reading: How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease by Dr. Michael Greger. It was recommended by two of my kids who are vegans. It’s very informative and full of scientific citations, though I suspect there’s a bit of cherry-picking going on (pun intended). But it’s clear that a whole-food plant-based diet is the healthiest way to eat and I’ve been moving that way in the past few months for both health and ethical reasons.

Jana: This week I read Hard Reboot, a fast-paced and fun “giant mecha battlebots” novella by Django Wexler, and Even and Odd, the latest middle-grade novel from Sarah Beth Durst; I really admire how well Durst incorporates real-world struggles into her candy-colored fantasy stories. Reviews forthcoming. Next week will be devoted to The Hidden Palace, the just-released sequel to Helene Wecker’s gorgeous novel The Golem and the Jinni.

Kat: I’m reading some of the Locus finalists including Tracy Deonn’s Legendborn, Grady Hendrix’s The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, and Rebecca Roanhorse’s Race to the Sun. I’ve also read a few of the short stories. Other than the Locus finalists, I’ve read two books by Andre Norton that were recently published in audio format: The Crossroads of Time and Quest Crosstime. 

Marion: I’m currently reading a small-town slasher horror novel called The Ghost Tree by Christina Henry. She does a nice job of setting and time period (1985). I also started dipping into a nonfiction book about the 1930s packhorse librarians in Kentucky, Down Cut Shin Creek. It’s got a bonus–it’s filled with photos of these resilient women!

Sandy: Moi? I am currently reading an early novel from one of my favorite authors, sci-fi Grand Master Jack Williamson. It is his 1931 offering entitled The Stone From the Green Star,

Kat: I read two Andre Norton stories this week: The Crossroads of Time and Quest Crosstime. They’ve been released together in a new audio edition by Tantor Audio. Now I’m re-reading (in audio format) some Tolkien with my teenage daughter. While we work on a jigsaw puzzle together, we’ve read The Hobbit and now we’re on to The Fellowship of the Ring.

Marion: I’m reading an ARC of Daryl Gregory’s southern gothic horror novel  Revelator.

Kat: Since you heard from me last my semester ended, so I now have more time for reading. The Fall of Koli was a totally unexpected ending to M.R. Carey’s RAMPART trilogy. This Virtual Night by C.S. Friedman is a book I’ve been waiting for for years. It was entertaining but not as good as This Alien Shore. Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi is up for awards this season. Terry and I are working on a review of this memorable story.

Marion: I’m caught up in S.B. Divya’s SF adventure Machinehood. I’m loving the beautifully realized future world, the action and the dilemmas the characters face. I was all set to recommend it to Kat, but she’s already reviewed it!

Sandy: Moi? I am currently reading my third book in a row by San Francisco-born author/poet Stanton A. Coblentz. I had previously enjoyed his first book, 1928’s The Sunken World, and his fifth, 1931’s Into Plutonian Depths,

Kat: Two more Nebula Award finalists this week. These are up for the Andre Norton Award for best Young Adult fiction. A Game of Fox & Squirrels, by Jenn Reese, was a beautifully written and moving fantasy novel about a young girl dealing with the consequences of child abuse in her family. Star Daughter, by Shveta Thakrar, is about a teenager who is half star and, as her powers begin to emerge, must visit her mother’s celestial court. I love the South Asian inspired setting of this one.