Hello lovelies! I have overcome the wasting plague (mostly) and returned (kind of). Thank you very much to Editor-in-Chic Shara for covering for me while I was down. I’m back and ready to roll. Sort of. When she asked if I was well enough to return, the conversation between us went a little like this:
To be fair, Shara’s office needed a little greenery. That said, let’s go!
Monday
Our regular column, My Favorite Things, was back with our very own Betsy Whitt! Go check out the things that Betsy loves best right now. What are those things? “Geeky nails, an all-time favorite author who actually completes her series, a unicorn who believes that little girls are real, an animated urban fantasy, and cooperative gaming.” Go see! Spoiler: I’ve played some of the games that Betsy talks about, and they are indeed awesome. But you don’t have to take my word for it (even if you should).
Tuesday
Merrin started us off on Tuesday with a review of the new Mass Effect: Andromeda novel, penned by N.K. Jemisin and Mac Walters, Initiation. This review is part of a year-long resolution project in which Merrin resolves to read Jemison’s entire body of work during 2018. Merrin’s also a Mass Effect fan. So what did she think of this novel? You’ll have to read her review to find out (no spoilers for the book, but possibly for the game, if you haven’t played it).
Our second post on Tuesday was a book review from Kendra Merritt. Kendra’s a big reader/reviewer around here, and she always has interesting things to say in her reviews. This time she has a review of Warprize, a fantasy romance. Click here to see what she thought of this book and feel free to discuss the book with her, if you’ve read it.
Wednesday
Are you a tabletop role-play gamer? If not, Andrea Judy has a beginner’s guide for the wistful, would-be RPG players of the world (*cough* me *cough*). The best part? This post came from Andrea’s Christmas with her family, wherein she led her parents and niece through a round of Dungeons and Dragons. How awesome is that? I’m not sure I could talk my parents into playing any game that wasn’t one of the standards, so extra brava points to Andrea!
Our second offering on Wednesday was a book review from moi. I read Into the Drowning Deep in a 36 hour stretch in between naps while I was suffering through the aforementioned plague. It was a great book! Check out my review here, and fear not, spoilers are extremely thin.
Thursday
Thursday’s first post came from Venessa Giunta with her thoughts on Doctor Who‘s “Twice Upon a Time.” I can’t personally comment on the occasion, as I haven’t started watching Doctor Who yet. (WHO’S THROWING THINGS? THAT ISN’T VERY POLITE!) Ahem. Anyway please read Venessa’s thoughts on the special and feel free to join in the conversation.
Following this, Kelly McCarty shared a review of Michael Poore’s Reincarnation Blues. There are some spoilers in this review, so if you’re concerned about that, skip ahead to the final section to read Kelly’s quick take on the novel.
Friday
On Friday, *counts* wow, TEN OF US got together to chatter on about our favorite reads from 2017. However, some of us couldn’t narrow it down to just one, and one person in particular had FIVE favorites (Lane). What did you read in 2017 that you loved? Come check out our favorite books from last year! There are some entries that won’t be a surprise (mine!) and others that just might give you something to think about. It’s a great post, check it out here! Maybe you’ll find something that catches your fancy!
Book Club
Are you reading Octavia Butler’s excellent novel, Dawn? Please do! We would love to have you join us in our book club discussion later this month. If you haven’t weighed in on our Hogfather conversation, please do! Hogswatch may be over, but there’s never a wrong time to discuss Pratchett. We love to chat! Come talk to us! If you’re finished with Dawn, well done, you! We’re reading Nalo Hopkinson’s Brown Girl in the Ring in February, so why not get a jump on that? You can visit this link to vote on our March selection. We’re celebrating Ireland in the month of March, and the books we’re choosing between are Daggerspell by Katherine Kerr, Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier, and The Dreaming Tree by CJ Cherryh. They all look excellent, but in the end, like the Highlander, there can be only one.
Oh come on. Like you didn’t see this coming.
Image via 20th Century Fox
Connor is awesome and all, but you know Methos is winning that particular Game. 😉