The Happiness Collector (publication day December 2, 2025) by Crystal King has an interesting premise–combining modern fantasy with Greek mythology. It was completely weight-neutral as well! As the book opens, Aida, a historian, finds out that the company who was to publish the book that was a necessary part of her graduate work was folding,Continue reading “The Happiness Collector”
Tag Archives: fiction
Of Monsters and Mainframes
I was so completely charmed by Barbara Truelove’s Of Monsters and Mainframes (publication day June 3, 2025) that I just about read it in a single sitting! Space travel meets vampires, werewolves, Frankenstein, a mummy, and cthulhu-people! Primarily told from the perspective of two spaceship AIs, with interludes told from the perspectives of others whoContinue reading “Of Monsters and Mainframes”
Disappoint Me
I was charmed by Disappoint Me (publication day May 27, 2025), much more so than Nicola Dinan’s first book, Bellies. Max and Vincent are the two main characters. Max is a trans woman, a lawyer who analyzes contracts as an AI, and is in between boyfriends, bored by the queer London scene. She falls downContinue reading “Disappoint Me”
Project Hail Mary
I read Andy Weir’s first book, The Martian, years ago, but hadn’t read any others until my book group picked his 2021 Project Hail Mary. As the book opens, an unnamed man is awakening without knowing who or where he is, and he slowly realizes he is alone on a spaceship, the medical robot havingContinue reading “Project Hail Mary”
The History of a Difficult Child
The History of a Difficult Child (2023) is Mihret Sibhat’s first novel, and I wish there had been more buzz about it, as it is so inventive and original, and the primary character–the “difficult child” Selam Asmelash–has such a strong voice! Sibhat uses multiple perspectives to tell Selam’s story, beginning before her birth to DegituContinue reading “The History of a Difficult Child”
The Cemetery of Untold Stories
Julia Alvarez’s newest novel, The Cemetery of Untold Stories (2024) was a delight! I so loved her In the Time of the Butterflies and Afterlife that I knew I couldn’t miss this one. Alma, the celebrated writer known as Scheherazade, is in the twilight of her career, and has boxes and boxes of unfinished draftsContinue reading “The Cemetery of Untold Stories”
The River We Remember
I loved The River We Remember (2023) by William Kent Krueger, which was a selection for my library book group. I didn’t have any previous knowledge of the book or the author, but I devoured it after the last line of the prologue, which describes the story as how the channel catfish in the riverContinue reading “The River We Remember”
Camp Sylvania
I loved reading Camp Sylvania (2023) by Julie Murphy, as an adult with a child who is now also an adult. I so wish that there had been books like it when I was a fat child or even a fat parent of a child. Books like Camp Sylvania are so, so needed, so thatContinue reading “Camp Sylvania”
My Big Fat Fake Marriage
I enjoyed the ride of My Big Fat Fake Marriage (publication day March 11, 2025) by Charlotte Stein, although there weren’t any surprises. The banter, though, is superb!! Set somewhere in England, Hazel, who goes by Connie as an adult, works for a marketing company and is somewhat jaded, although she is close to herContinue reading “My Big Fat Fake Marriage”
All the Water in the World
I absolutely loved All the Water in the World (pub. date January 7, 2024) by Eiren Caffall! This literary climate story is told from the perspective of Nonie, a 13-year old girl who has lived on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History for eight years, with her father, and older sister Bix,Continue reading “All the Water in the World”
Reading While Fat 