The author/artist is a friend of a friend, and said friend recommended this one. Lovely limited palette fairytale in red, gray, black, and white. I gotta be honest that I don't remember much except "wow pretty art" and "haha lesbians :3" so I should reread it. Still, 5/5.
Another recommendation by same friend as above, who shared the extra copy they had of Tiger, Tiger with us. It's a little bit young adult, but I still enjoyed it. For if you love the Age of Sail aesthetic and stealing your brother's identity (and ship) so you can get out of the obligations of being a young woman. Definitely Sweet and Wholesome vibes (in a non-jugemental way, but if you dislike sweet wholesome stories it's won't be your cup of tea).
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy (Monk & Robot #2) - Becky Chambers
Read in one go on the train from Kinosaki to Kyoto. The previous book in the series felt like it was trying too much at the same time, and this part does better at picking on thing to Be About. Slow paced, about what we need, with attention on nature and living in harmony with it and each other.
Abandoned. Another holiday read. The premise seemed fun, alien children go to earth to see if the stories about a cosmic horror imprisoned under the sea are true (they are), but the writing wasn't for me. Really needed more editing.
Bored Gay Werewolf - Tony Santorella
Abandoned. And a second abandoned holiday read. A floundering twenty-something gay werewolf falls in with a mlm (multi level marketing, not men loving men) werewolf who seems intent on radicalising him in the most toxic alt right alpha male way possible. I love werewolves, have since I was a kid, so it's not hard for me to enjoy a werewolf story. However, again, the writing style didn't do it for me, and even the full moon transformation scene couldn't save this book from being abandoned.
I'd forgotten I read this, and logged it exactly nowhere. Five months late, but Scalzi's writing isn't for me, and I had to physically power through, which I did, because I love kaiju. But I didn't necessarily enjoy it.
Final holiday read, this time actually finished. Short but enjoyable, and could've read a whole novel of this. Lesbian romance-ish fantasy? A divine being chooses to protect a mortal queen, and one piece of the key to divine power, against the would-be god who subjugated her culture, falls in love, has a massive revenge breakdown when she gets murdered, swears to keep her dead lover's infant daughter (and now Key piece) safe.
Fantasy with a science fiction lining. What if you were raised as a child sacrifice, got freed and then raised as living weapon by the mage who freed you, and then met someone who was also raised as a living weapon/sacrifice, and you were both girls 😳😳😳.
I can't not read Yael's writing, this pact was forged when I joined the writing group she mentored. Luckily it's also massively enjoyable, despite "literary psychosexual thriller" not being as much my genre. As seen in the review section of things like The Guardian and NY Times. I did pick up on the Big Reveal fairly quickly, but that's why authors do foreshadowing. Wonderful writing, very hard to put down.
Urban fantasy based on the Magor books by Edith Eri Louw, now in comic form! As Sabrina is a friend, reading was mandatory. Very enjoyable, with lovely art (as expected), plus extra points for my D&D blorbo making a cameo.
Abandoned. Wanted to start with something short we own a physical copy for to be able to make an informed pick for the Hugos, but man, Scalzi's writing is not for me. I slogged through it with Kaiju Preservation Society because I love kaiju but man. Scalzi's style is a more hip and with it, but equally how do you do, fellow kids Whedonspeak, and honestly, between that and the Category 5 Americanisms, I didn't even make it to the second chapter.
Roaring 20s Rich & Famous, But In Space. I love a good romance novel, and I'm a sucker for women being the disaffected rich playboy with a soft side. Bought at Worldcon 2024, Glasgow.
I picked it up for automatons in Ancient Athens, but it featured very little of that. Instead, it was mostly a set up for a "righteous teens with new and refreshing ideas about gender and love and sexuality are going to do a YA and change the hearts and minds of Ancient Athens to allow girls to be people." I really wish it had had more on the automatons. Bought at Worldcon 2024, Glasgow.
Another recommendation by Sabrina, a lovely short comic that left me wanting more. Big time Utena vibes, with the tense relationship between duelists academic fencers, that is more than one of them assumes it is. Fun use of the limited palette of greyscale and blue. To put it in a way The Youths say, "dark academia rivals to lovers yuri at its best."
To add:
The Gurkha and the Lord of Thursday - Saad Z. Hussain, Camp Damascus - Chuck Tingle, Witch King - Martha Wells (Fave Read of the Year), Dungeon Meshi V1-4 - Ryoko Kui