I have liked these books in the past, a little bit of French history, a little bit of delicious food descriptions, a nice cozy community where people get along, a mystery somewhere along the lines, moral law enforcement. This one is not great and maybe that’s a me thing, but there seemed to be walls of “tell me don’t show me” about French history, not much of a mystery, a big dramatic flood which was a nice story of civic engagement but otherwise felt bolted on. There were a lot of unresolved threads throughout the story and maybe that’s setting us up for a future book but it’s all very unclear. This one felt muddled and not really up to the standard of the Bruno books.

There are books of poetry that I read where I think “I like these poems but I probably wouldn’t like this person” and this was one of those. Some excellent short poems about birds and rural living and growing up with an abusive dad and traveling on a shoestring and using the word “augur” far too many times, but I’ve been enjoying getting back into poetry and I’m glad I read this.

I thought this was going to be a comedian memoir of some kind and I’ve always liked Slate and her lateral way of looking at things. However this book is written in a lateral sort of prose-poem-ish style that I could not get into at all and noped out by chapter three.

A young woman moves to a new place and gets involved with the local theater kids while a deeply negative voice inside her head says she’s a creepy loser who will never have friends. She becomes the director of a one-act play in a somewhat incongruous way. The play winds up starring her total crush and a few more people who mostly she becomes friendly with. There is some low-key conflict and then the resolution you are expecting (it’s ON THE COVER). Good story, definitely for a younger audience than me. A lot of DRAMA but the sort you’d expect in a story about high school theater kids.

This isn’t a graphic novel exactly, more like an illustrated guide to a topic that is well-assisted by some good imagery. This book gets into a lot of scholarship on the subject of class. It’s UK-based but applicable basically anywhere. Told from a social-justice-forward perspective which I personally enjoyed, it outlines the major thinkers on the subject and where they agree and disagree on how to look at this complex topic. Want to think more deeply about class? Read this.

Another in this series of forensic mysteries, this one talks about the excavation of a possible King Arthur and some white supremacists in the northern part of the country. Ruth’s baby is toddling (and feels precocious for 18 months, but what do I know) and there was less “Big thriller part at the end” for which I was grateful and more druid stuff which I always enjoy. If you’d been thinking “I want to know more about Cathbad” this is your chance. If you like this series generally, this is a good book in the series.

I was given this book to blurb. It’s written, with help, by the guy who built the first mass-produced cable modem and helped usher in the broadband era. It takes place in the 128 beltway near where I grew up and it was fun getting to remember the tech world of that era (one my dad was closely involved in). You see a lot of familiar faces and towns. Yassini-Fard is a gracious man, giving credit where it’s due, throughout this narrative. The retelling is uneven in parts and bounces around in a few places, but network nerds should still love it.

A regency mystery with two unmarried sisters, fraternal twins, who try to help people in need by doing things which are entirely unsuitable for women in their era. Gus is a brazen problem solver whose height makes it easier to be a commanding presence. Julia is good at all the social graces and deep knowledge of peerage. They both have their limitations but they try to do things as a team. I enjoyed the setting and both of these characters and, once again, terrible cover and really good book.

A scifi story about a woman who ran away to Primus from Earth in a future time where civilized people settled other planets and Earth remained as it is, barbarous and petty. Saraswati fled her terrible royalty family to make a go of it as a chef (which she was already doing on Earth - running a very well regarded restaurant). She meets Ko, a woman making VR sims. They do not hit it off at first, then they do. Great stuff about food and foodways and what it means to be from a place. Bad cover, good book.

Oh my heart. A lovely, complex book about a gay US teen with Iranian parents. His mom died when he was young, his dad is closed off but ok, not supportive when he came out, but didn’t kick him out of the house either. A trip back to Iran to see his dying grandpa opens a LOT of doors of introspection as well as revelations. The story is told in three story lines (son, dad, grandpa) as they are each figuring out their own lives against an Iranian political backdrop of the times they are in. A lot of untold stories that finally see the light of day.