November was a month I spent fully at house in Montreal, studying, engaged on my novel, and doing the web page proofs for Everyone’s Excellent, the completely completed novel popping out in June subsequent 12 months. I learn nineteen books, and a few of them had been nice. Then in early December I bought a migraine earlier than I completed penning this submit and forgot to complete it, which is why it’s so late. Sorry!

Nicked — M.T. Anderson (2024)
The story of a monk going from Bari to Myra to steal the corpse of St Nicholas with a gaggle of varied folks with their very own motivations for making the journey. I wished to love this greater than I really did. It was effective, however studying it all the time felt like a little bit of a slog. It by no means shocked me, or actually drew me in; it hit all of the beats you’d count on from the premise.

Windfall — Jennifer E. Smith (2017)
YA romance a couple of boy who wins the lottery and the lady who purchased him the ticket. Smith is an excellent author, and so I loved it. In some ways this was the alternative of Nicked, the place the premise was nice and the execution didn’t work for me—this had a premise I disliked but it surely was properly sufficient written to tug me by means of anyway.

Sunward — William Alexander (2025)
Bathtub e book. Now it is a very, excellent e book. It’s SF, set in a settled photo voltaic system with out Earth, and it’s about households and robots and what it means to be an individual. It’s as if Will imprinted on John Varley’s Eight Worlds tales and determined to reimagine the setting with fashionable sensibilities. It’s additionally an excellent instance of how one can write higher about human nature when you may have one thing to distinction it with. I raced by means of this quick e book and completely loved it. Extremely beneficial.

The Sea Wolf’s Mate — Zoe Chant (2019)
Second on this collection of shape-shifter romance novels, very undoubtedly style romance, with pretty well-done worldbuilding of the shape-shifters. On studying this second one, I actually don’t just like the magical “that is your mate” recognition factor, it takes all of the enjoyable out of it. However I did just like the seal-kid rescue half.

Amongst Our Weapons — Ben Aaronovitch (2022)
That’s extra prefer it: a novel in the primary sequence that feels prefer it has some plot development. Although there was a factor the place a earlier character was talked about/reintroduced in such a method that it made it clear to me that she’d be showing within the e book, which was a bit clunky, however I used to be so glad to be seeing her once more I didn’t thoughts. I feel I’ll surrender on the novellas, they really feel like trivial aspect quests and I don’t actually get pleasure from them, however the full-length books are nonetheless enjoyable. Numerous good issues on this episode. However don’t begin right here, that is e book 9, for goodness’ sake—begin with e book 1.

Mad Tuscans and Their Households — Elizabeth W. Mellyn (2014)
Actually glorious non-fiction e book concerning the remedy of the mentally ailing and mentally handicapped in Renaissance Tuscany, largely drawn from authorized data, and completely fascinating. Typically individuals are claiming somebody is mad to get out of contracts. Typically somebody is raving and attacking folks within the streets. The options are patched collectively and typically work and typically don’t, and typically we don’t know what occurred, solely what all of the contributors within the trial stated—and typically we don’t have the result both. A extremely nice learn, and thought-provoking too. Very readable in addition to considerate and type. Advisable when you’re in any respect .

Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Thief — Maurice Leblanc (1907), translated by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos
Completely pleasant collection of tales a couple of French thief who’s impossibly good at his job, and the way he will get away with issues. Not fairly heist tales, however a part of what carved out the style house for heist tales to exist later. These are ridiculously enjoyable, and I completely loved studying them. I used to be suitably shocked by the shock look of Sherlock Holmes—apparently this was unauthorised fanfic and Leblanc bought into hassle for it. It’s attention-grabbing to see Holmes as he was seen in 1907. However the true pleasure right here is Lupin on the prepare, Lupin on the boat, Lupin in jail… tons of enjoyable.

In Italy for Love — Leonie Mack (2024)
Romance novel set in Italy, and a surprisingly good one. A younger Australian lady who has come to Italy for love and had a horrible time and is able to depart goes to a unique a part of Italy to attend for issues she wants to attend for, and finds precise love there. Nicely written, excellent Italy, surprisingly believable romance. It’s so nice when considered one of these seems to be really good. Should learn extra Mack.

Thieves’ Dozen —Donald Westlake (2004)
Re-read. Assortment of quick tales about Dortmunder, and due to this fact additionally heist tales—I loved the Lupin a lot I felt like studying one thing else in the identical normal house. These are gentle and enjoyable, and a few of them are a lot better than others. I don’t know who I’d advocate these to—when you’ve learn Dortmunder already you in all probability learn about them, and when you haven’t they’re not the place to begin. (What’s the Worst That Might Occur? is the place to begin.) Enjoyable to revisit.

Teacup Magic: The First Assortment — Tansy Rayner Roberts (2021)
Oh, these had been such enjoyable. Lastly, romantasy that I like! Superbly foolish worldbuilding, taken critically. There’s a romance, there are thriller plots, the entire thing is fluffy however attention-grabbing and enjoyable. I don’t know why I like this and have discovered different books within the style which might be very comparable boring—possibly it’s that Tansy Rayner Roberts is an excellent author with the proper of sunshine hand? Or that she is aware of what worldbuilding is so she provides simply sufficient to carry collectively? I don’t suppose it was simply that I used to be within the temper for it, as a result of I used to be within the temper for the others once I tried them. Anyway, these are Heyer-with-magic in the identical vein as Sorcery & Cecelia and I commend them to your consideration. There are extra, and I’ll be studying them.

Spring Magic — D.E. Stevenson (1942)
No precise magic, sadly. A lady who has by no means asserted herself goes for a vacation in Scotland in 1941 and every part seems for the very best. Good Scotland, good Blitz, good portrayal of youngsters, as all the time in Stevenson. Surprisingly good portrayals of various sorts of marriages. Not high tier Stevenson, however partaking. And I’m endlessly fascinated by the fiction set in WWII and written whereas it was occurring, versus written traditionally. There are a complete lot of issues which have develop into a part of our canon of Blitz, evacuation, and many others, which had not but solidified, and in addition we all know the form of the battle and what occurred, and a German touchdown in northern Scotland in 1942 didn’t occur, so no person writing now would have a regiment there to stop one.

The Letters of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Vol 1 (1845)
Re-read. How I like these letters, how I like RB and EBB, how they love one another and work laborious on understanding that. You in all probability know the plot—her father was very possessive, she was an invalid, and spoiler: They run away to Italy on the finish of quantity 2, which I haven’t learn since 1988, as a result of there wasn’t an e-book of quantity 2 the final time I learn quantity 1. However now there’s! For those who just like the letters in A.S. Byatt’s Possession you’ll like this e book, by which two Victorian poets go from strangers to pals to being in love. I used to be in the course of this (it’s very lengthy) once I learn the sonnets final month and bought them in full context. He was sending her all his work and he or she was critiquing it, however she didn’t present him these sonnets, which most individuals suppose are her greatest work, till they had been in Italy. From the sonnets and the letters I might let you know which days she wrote them, however she didn’t present anybody. Studying these letters I maintain considering of the factor in Possession the place Roland considers how letters are written with a recipient in thoughts however simply that recipient, not posterity. These letters weren’t written for us, however for one another, however now they’re not right here and the letters stay, we might as properly get pleasure from them. I like them a lot and I would like them to be pleased regardless that I do know issues about love they have no idea. On to quantity 2!

Unusual Bedpersons (1994), The Cinderella Deal (1996) — Jennifer Crusie
Each re-reads and tub books. Crusie has written about how these books each have the identical plot, they usually do, and that makes it fascinating to learn them as a pair and see how totally different they’re… how the identical author can take the identical plot and make it one thing utterly totally different. Cinderella Deal was the model she wished to write down, Unusual Bedpersons is the model her editor insisted on. They each have good, various things occurring. They each have the plot of a chilly man inviting a heat lady to fake to be his fiancée for a weekend, which turns into one thing actual. Each the ladies develop, even when they don’t develop up. Evaluating them, the element, the beats and the rhythms, is an excellent train in how books work. They’re additionally a whole lot of enjoyable. Crusie is just too compelling to learn as a shower e book, a chapter at a time. Numerous instances the water bought chilly as I learn only a bit extra.

Coronary heart of the Matter — Emily Giffin (2010)
Re-read. Very odd e book, with its sympathies in an odd place. There are two ladies and one man, a physician. The ladies are his spouse and the mom of considered one of his sufferers. And Giffin isn’t good at understanding when she’s made a personality appear egocentric and unsympathetic to me. Primarily she does it by writing about folks with a lot privilege I simply roll my eyes at their issues, and that’s very a lot the case right here.

Elfin Music: An Anthology of English Fairy Poetry — Arthur Edward Waite (2005)
Truly Victorian, not initially revealed in 2005, a group of poems on “elfin” themes. A few of them are nice, a few of them are the sort of terrible Tolkien talks about in “On Fairy-Tales.” Actually attention-grabbing to learn all of them collectively, particularly as Waite consists of centuries’ value of poetry in English, with out the work that has come after and develop into our style. A few of them are seminal, some very a lot are usually not. Free on-line, and an illuminating if not precisely enjoyable learn.

I Suppose I’m in Love With an Alien — Ann Aguirre (2025)
This was nice. A chat group for people who find themselves into alien abduction and aliens and Roswell nonsense the place it seems that… I imply you possibly can guess, proper? However Aguirre does it very properly, and this was a delight.

Making Historical past — Okay.J. Parker (2025)
A brand new novella from Parker, what a deal with! Whereas his novels are normally navy historical past in made up worlds, his shorter work is usually metaphysically attention-grabbing. This issues an try and make up some pretend historical past to justify a battle that backfires spectacularly. Like most Parker, it’s a quick, absorbing learn.

The Eights — Joanna Miller (2025)
A lot-lauded first novel about ladies at Oxford within the rapid aftermath of the Nice Struggle which was only a notch shallower than I wished it to be. The ladies had mysterious pasts, which all turned out to be very unsatisfying—revelation is a tough downside. When the creator retains one thing again from the reader there ought to be a purpose for it, and when it’s revealed it shouldn’t be the plain guess. This was adequate to maintain me studying however there was by no means fairly sufficient to get my enamel into.