Reading roundup

 

A Case of Possession - K.J. Charles: the sequel to The Magpie Lord, a supernatural mystery set in Victorian London with a central m/m relationship. Quite a lot of explicit sex (as is typical for K.J. Charles) but a solid plot as well.

Act Your Age, Eve Brown - Talia Hibbert: the third of Hibbert's romances about the three Brown sisters. Both of the protagonists of this one are autistic, which I found particularly interesting, but the sex-to-conversation ratio was skewed a bit too much towards sex for me.

Burnout - Emily and Amelia Nagoski: an interesting and helpful look at the causes of burnout and how to recover from it.

Those Who Hold The Fire - Victoria Goddard: prequel short story to The Hands of the Emperor, very charming.

The Sandman: Overture - Neil Gaiman: both a prequel and an epilogue to the series. Clever and beautiful.

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street - Natasha Pulley: steampunky m/m romance. Clever plotting and very charming.

At the Feet of the Sun - Victoria Goddard: the sequel to The Hands of the Emperor, and the epic ace romance of my dreams.

But You Don't Look Autistic At All - Bianca Toeps: another memoir by an autistic woman. I found this one particularly interesting because the author is Dutch, and it was interesting to see how growing up with undiagnosed autism is both the same and different in different cultures.

Sisters of the Vast Black - Lina Rather: NUUUUNNSS IIIIIN SPAAAACE! Also, they are badass nuns who are working to oppose a fascist government.

The Raven and the Reindeer - T Kingfisher: a lovely sapphic reworking of The Snow Queen.

The Tower at the Edge of the World - Victoria Goddard: a short story set in the same universe as her other novels, giving an insight into one of the characters' backstory.

What Abigail Did That Summer - Ben Aaronovitch: Peter Grant's cousin Abigail gets mixed up in supernatural goings-on (with talking foxes) while Peter is away during the events of Foxglove Summer. Fun and nice to get a different point of view.

Hither, Page - Cat Sebastian: vaguely seasonally appropriate murder mystery-cum-m/m romance set in postwar England, very sweet.

Legends & Lattes - Travis Baldree: an orc mercenary decides to retire and open a coffee shop. A bit reminiscent of Pratchett, great fun, also very sweet and cosy.

The Red Scholar's Wake - Aliette de Bodard: a sapphic romance between a sentient pirate spaceship and a scavenger who has been taken prisoner. Gorgeously visual prose, full of swirling colours and images, beautifully romantic. Plus pirates.

In The Company Of Gentlemen - Victoria Goddard: another short set in the Nine Worlds, with a couple of glimpses of familiar characters.