Review: Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter

Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have a confession.  I turned down an advanced copy of Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett because I thought it would be too romantic for me.  It was being billed as romantasy, and even with the fantastic cover and the lure of cats, I just felt I wouldn't like it.  But, this book did not give up on my.  It kept showing up everywhere.  It was recommended to me repeatedly.  Finally, I decided to put it on hold at the library and let fate decide when/if I should read it.  Well, it came off hold so fast, fate was sending an unmistakable signal.  I now regret turning down the ARC.  There is romance, but I feel in love with the dedication to cat rescue.  The cat shelter isn't a throwaway concept.  It is actually important to the story!  I'm sorry for misjudging you.  If you are passionate about cat rescue and don't mind a little romance, check this out!

Bonus points for so many cats who aren't forgotten throughout the story.  

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Review: Questland

Questland by Carrie Vaughn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Questland by Carrie Vaughn is like a dream come true.  If I were offered the chance to go to a theme park based on fantasy literature and gaming, I would not hesitate to say yes.  Actually, why doesn't this exist yet?  I guess they sort of tried it with Star Wars, and I still regret I didn't get to go before it shut down.  I need this to be a real thing.  Sorry, I am digressing from the book.  Our geeky main character is hired to go take back said theme park from the developers who  went rogue.  She is given a small team of mercenaries (my term) who actually do have combat skills but not really gaming skills to assist her in this mission.  I loved all the references.  I thought this book was a lot of fun even though there were some sad parts.  

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Review: Platform Decay

Platform Decay by Martha Wells
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Platform Decay is the eighth book in The Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells.  I recommend reading all of the books because they are fairly short, and it will give you a good sense of who the characters are in this one.  You could read this as a standalone, but I think you would wonder why you should care about some people.  

As always, Murderbot is hilarious and deadly.  I like the addition of having Murderbot check in their emotions periodically.  I was often, "same Murderbot same."  I love seeing the growth in Murderbot's character.  Also, how often can you read a book that is essentially a sci-fi thriller with incredible violence and belly laugh at the same time?

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Review: Automatic Noodle

Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Don't read Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz on an empty stomach!  I was immediately craving Chinese hand-pulled noodles and had to make some to get through the book.  Spoiler alert:  There are noodles in the book.  This is a sweet book about robots who just want to do what they love.  It isn't hard to draw the comparisons to the current situation with immigrants in America, documented or not.  The bigger lesson, in my opinion, is how much are lives are driven by algorithms and how easy it is for someone with an agenda to influence our "reality."  Still, this book left me with a warm heart and a strong noodle craving.


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Review: Letters from an Imaginary Country

Letters from an Imaginary Country by Theodora Goss
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Letters from an Imaginary Country is a collection of short stories by Theodora Goss.  I was already a fan of Goss, but this is also a great introduction to her work for those that might not be familiar.  She tends to look at "monsters" through a different lens.  I also like that she explores language, especially Hungarian which is so unique.  If you like the L. Frank Baum books, vampires, Mary Shelley, or sometimes feel like an alien in your own culture/country, I highly recommend reading this book.  

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Review: Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome

Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome by John Scalzi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome is the prequel novella to the Lock In series by John Scalzi.  I haven't read the rest of the series yet.  This could definitely be read as a standalone story.  I'm not sure if it has any spoilers for the rest of the books. I really enjoyed this novella and finished it in one sitting. It reminded me so much of the COVID times I had to go see when it was written.  It was published way before COVID which makes it even scarier to think John Scalzi warned us of what was coming.  Haden's Syndrome is not COVID though.  If it doesn't kill you, there is a chance it will leave you "locked in" your body.  Your mind works just fine but your body won't move.  This creates a whole host of other issues for the entire world. The history is told through a series of interviews with various people who were touched by Haden's in some way.  So good!

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Review: A Parade of Horribles

A Parade of Horribles by Matt Dinniman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A Parade of Horribles is the eighth book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman.  You do need to read these books in order, but I guarantee it is worth the investment.  You will look at the number of pages and say NO WAY AM I READING 784 PAGES!  Then, you will start reading, finish, and be sad that there are not 784 more.  Seriously.  These books fly by so fast even when I force myself to put them down because I don't want to finish because I don't want to wait however long until the next one and I have to do things like sleep and eat.  

We are now at the 10th floor of the dungeon.  It is like the most twisted and deadly version of Mario Kart you can imagine.  If you survive, you get a brief respite to participate in a celebration on the extremely short 11th floor.  There is a parade!  Yay?  I remember making floats for parades when I was in high school.  Good luck, Donut!  Also not sure why everyone has an aversion to peach-flavored beer.  Of all the things to be tortured with, it doesn't sound that bad.

Bonus points for Penelope and all the other critters that make an appearance in this book. I don't think I could choose a biological mount because I would be too worried about their safety to race.  

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Review: The Indigo Room

The Indigo Room by Stephen Graham Jones
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Indigo Room by Stephen Graham Jones is part of the Shivers Collection of Amazon Original Stories.  It stands alone, so you don't need to read the rest of the collection if you don't want to.  This was not nearly as gory as I have come to expect a Stephen Graham Jones book to be.  It goes fast, and the end is a surprise.  I snickered at the representation of office life.  There is always that one person who never seems to have to work on Fridays.  

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Review: Compulsory

Compulsory by Martha Wells
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Compulsory is a prequel short story to the Murderbot Diaries by Marth Wells.  This is very short, like 8 pages.  Just a taste of what Murderbot is like.  You can read it first or go back and read it if you read need a hit of Murderbot while waiting for the next story to come out.  I enjoyed it because it is all the things I love about Murderbot, humor and soap operas.  

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Review: The Many

The Many by Sylvain Neuvel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of The Many by Sylvain Neuvel from Rebellion via NetGalley. This book was just published.

Let's face it. If Sylvain Neuvel writes it, I will read it. I was excited to see he had a new book coming. Look at that gorgeous cover! I had to read it and thankfully, I got my hands on a copy early. Whew! This is a standalone novel unlike his other books. The Test is technically a novella I suppose so it doesn't count? The point is, you can read this without worrying that you might be investing in a whole series if your reading time is limited. I love that this book is told through multiple perspectives with each chapter alternating viewpoints. There are also not many books that tell the story from a tick's perspective. As someone with an allergy that may have been tick-induced, I related hard to Carole even though I didn't particularly like her. I also haven't read anything with such a diverse cast of characters in a long time. I'm not sure you could get more diverse than The Many.

I liked the idea that if people could just understand how others think and feel, we might be able to change society for better. There are a host of ethical issues that come up with that. Also, who gets to define what better means. And also, would you want to know what other people really think? While that could of taken us to some deep dark places, Neuvel keeps it fairly light and positive.

Bonus points for the giraffe. I will not say more than to say it was trippy but so fun.



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Review: The Shadows Tomorrow

The Shadows Tomorrow by Noëlle Michel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of The Shadows Tomorrow by Noelle Michel from Simon & Schuster via NetGalley.  This book will be published around August 4, 2026.

The Shadows Tomorrow by Noelle Michel was translated into English by Frank Wynne.  The story is told across a span of the near future in alternating chapters from different character perspectives.  I won't be giving anything away to say that in this near future, scientists have brought Neanderthals back from extinction much like we have already done with dire wolves.  For research purposes, they are kept in remote sanctuaries and kept from having contact with Homo Sapiens.  They even use the research footage to make a reality TV show called Another Eden so that people can watch them like a virtual zoo.  Ethicists would be losing their minds.  Disturbing premise aside, it is a great book!  

Bonus points for travel bans on meat eaters.  At least, I think that was the proposal.  I'm sure it had to do with carbon footprint or something, but I am all for it!  Would make my travel so much easier!

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Review: Your Behavior Will Be Monitored

Your Behavior Will Be Monitored by Justin Feinstein
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure:  I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of Your Behavior Will Be Monitored by Justin Feinstein from Tachyon Publications via NetGalley.  This book will be published around April 7, 2026.

I was not prepared for how engrossed in Your Behavior Will Be Monitored by Justin Feinstein I got from the moment I picked it up.  I thought I would just read a chapter or two before bed and found myself staying up until the wee hours of the morning because I couldn't quite put it down.  I did eventually because my eyes refused to stay open but picked it right back up as soon as I could and finished it.  I needed to know how this was going to end.  I should have guessed I was going to love this from the moment I saw it was written in an epistolary form.  I tend to really get into books that are not traditionally formatted.  In this case, you are mostly reading transcripts of videos and exchanges recorded by the corporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) that is monitoring everyone at this cutting-edge AI company.  In fact, the employees agree to have everything monitored in order to feed their data to the AI to make it better at what it does.  And as we are seeing in the real world, AI is getting better and better at what it does.  The problem is people are not inherently good and tech bros are definitely not interested in using AI to benefit humankind over turning a profit.  Even the AI recognizes this!  And while this book is set in the nearish future, many of the topics are already here.  Personalized advertising is already happening to an extent.  I don't want to give anything else away because I want you to read the book.  If you are interested in AI at all, even the slightest, I think you will want to read this book. I hesitate to say enjoy because oof, that's probably not the right word.  It is a bit heavier than that and yet, also offers just a glimmer of light.

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Review: The Universe Box

The Universe Box by Michael Swanwick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of The Universe Box by Michael Swanwick from Tachyon Publications via NetGalley.  This book has already been published.

The Universe Box is a collection of short stories by Michael Swanwick.  The stories are a mix of fantasy, speculative, and science fiction.  In addition to some very interesting stories, I found the introduction to the stories fascinating.  When someone comes up with such wild ideas, you do wonder where they come from.  Some of the stories read like myths if you like mythology.  There is some humor.  I appreciate that animals are generously represented.  If you want something different and super well-written, get a copy of The Universe Box.  

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Review: The Kaiju Preservation Society

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi is the right book at the right time.  It is the pop song of books that we all need right now.  Or at least, I needed it right now.  I had it with a side of Taylor Swift.  I came to John Scalzi backwards (and in heels) by reading Starter Villain.  Anyone who could write that book is my kind of writer.  The Kaiju Preservation Society is also my kind of book.  I'm all about animal preservation.  I was excited to learn about what it would take to save Kaiju.  I have held a top secret clearance but do not do food delivery, so I'm not sure how I get into this gig, but if KPS is hiring, please give them my name.  I like that there are smart people in the book, but you don't have to be that smart to understand anything going on.  I also like that it reinforces my belief that all billionaire tech bros are douchebags.  

If you need to escape from our current reality for a couple of hours or days, check this out.  It was delightful from start to finish.  

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Review: The Ministry of Time

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley was billed as a time travel romance which put me off from reading it.  I don't read much romance.  However, a trusted, bookish friend told me I had to give it a try.  In fact, she didn't believe me that it was being a called a romance.  I took her word and started reading.  Honestly, I also wondered why romance was a selling point for it.  There is romance, but it is really about a lot more than that.  It's historical fiction, mystery, and thriller.  It reminded me of the TV show, Beforeigners, and the book, The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O.  That is high praise from me because I loved them both.  I really appreciate that this is inspired by real people and real events.  I like an Arctic exploration story.  Graham Gore was a bit of a hottie with a good reputation, so I could see why he is a leading man type. As a former bureaucrat, I am also a sucker for government agencies.    It had so much more going on that I even enjoyed the romantic parts.  

If you like time travel, check this book out even if romance is not your thing. 

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Review: Angel of Vengeance

Angel of Vengeance by Douglas Preston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Angel of Vengeance is the 22nd book in the Pendergast series by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.  Do yourself a favor, and do not start the series with this book.  At least read, book 21, The Cabinet of Dr. Leng, first.  This book will make much more sense in that context.  That said, things have shifted dramatically from when we started this series.  It was originally mystery/thriller.  Now, there is an element of science fiction involved.  Aloysius Pendergast was always kind of an odd duck, but now we are starting to understand why!  We also get more insight into Diogenes Pendergast.  Angel of Vengeance takes the good parts of Sherlock Holmes and leaves out the misogyny.  (I still like Holmes, but he isn't the best with women.)  In fact, Constance Greene is really the star here.  This is her story as much as Pendergast's.  She's definitely earned it.  I look forward to seeing what the next book holds!  

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Review: The Marriage Act

The Marriage Act by John Marrs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Marriage Act is the second book in the Dark Futures series by John Marrs.  You can read it as a standalone although it does reference other books in the series.  It may have a few spoilers for the Passengers if you want to read that first.  I haven't read them in order and have not had any issues following the story.

In this future, the UK government passes an act that gives big benefits to couple who are willing to sign up for a "smart marriage" that allows them to be randomly monitored for signs of marital discord.  Depending on how bad it gets, they may even be forced to get divorced whether they want to or not.  Marriage becomes so important that to be anything other than smart married is treated like a contagious disease.  Not everyone is on board and Freedom For All is born to oppose the act.  Things get pretty dark.  

The story is told from various perspectives.  There are mysteries and social commentary.  This future is not that far removed from our current world.  In fact, there are aspects currently being suggested by certain US government officials.  It was hard for me to put this down because I really wanted to know how it ended.  So good!  Read it!

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Review: The Passengers

The Passengers by John Marrs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Passengers is part of the Dark Future series by John Marrs.  You can read this book alone without any issues.  It does reference The One and has some mild spoilers for that.  If that bothers you, I would read The One first.  

Combine self-driving cars and the worst of social media and reality television and you get The Passengers.  We already have the ingredients for this recipe. I am not even against self-driving cars because I can see the benefits in certain scenarios to having them.  I do agree that the big issues comes when we let AI make all the decisions.  Because it isn't really making objective decisions, it relies on information it is given and potential bias in programming.  The whole time I was reading this I was thinking of that poor library cat that was killed by a self-driving car.  Yes, I am the crazy person that brakes for all animals even if it means I might get myself killed.  Don't bother to come at me.  You won't change my mind.  

There were a few characters in this that felt over-the-top unlikeable.  Then I realized, there are real people today that are over-the-top unlikeable so I can't fault John Marrs for writing realism.  I did love the way he encapsulated how quick social media is to judge people on a line drawing of their character and showed how that can really be misleading.  As always, I love how he incorporates new articles, interviews, and other epistolary forms of writing to tell the story.  It is one of my favorite things about his books.  

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Review: Interstellar MegaChef

Interstellar MegaChef by Lavanya Lakshminarayan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Interstellar MegaChef is the first book in the Flavour Hacker series by Lavanya Lakshminarayan.  The second book isn't out yet, so you would have to start here.  That would be my recommendation anyway, since this book is the world-building.  It is self-contained so you don't need to read the second book if you aren't ready for a series right now.  

I love a reality cooking competition, so the title of this book really drew me in.  I also love donuts and was very disappointed that I didn't see any in here.  I did however get very hungry while reading and want to eat lots of snacks.  I really enjoyed the diversity of characters and food in this book.  I did not enjoy that some main characters are really unlikeable and what felt unnecessarily mean.  Then again, that may just be a reflection of the world we live in today.  People are unnecessarily mean, especially to people who don't look like them.  I most identified with the Wanderers so that probably didn't help how I felt about Serenity Ko and the potential future of tech.  More space donuts, please!

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Review: We Will Rise Again: Speculative Stories and Essays on Protest, Resistance, and Hope

We Will Rise Again: Speculative Stories and Essays on Protest, Resistance, and Hope by Karen Lord
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of We Will Rise Again: Speculative Stories and Essays on Protest, Resistance, and Hope edited by Karen Lord, Annalee Newitz, and Malka Older from Saga Press via NetGalley.  This book will be published around December 2, 2025.

Here's the truth.  I will read anything that Annalee Newitz is involved with period.  I love their writing, fiction and nonfiction.  When I saw that Annalee was partnering with Karen Lord and Malka Older to edit the anthology, We Will Rise Again: Speculative Stories and Essays on Protest, Resistance, and Hope, I knew I had to get my hands on this book immediately.  Karen Lord is another favorite of mine.  While I was living in Barbados, I kept hoping I would meet her.  I didn't, but I did adopt two cats remind me daily of the island.  

Fawning out of the way, this collection of stories is exactly what so many of us need right now.  Having writers pair up with activists to reflect stories of what the world could be was a brilliant idea.  Each story offers a unique perspective on making a difference through collective action.   At the end of each fictional story, there is an explanation of the activist that inspired the story.  There are also some nonfiction interviews with activists.  If you are looking for ways to get involved, I would be shocked if you couldn't find something to inspire you in here.  If you find reading or hearing the news currently to be incredibly depressing, you owe it to yourself to give this a read.  

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