Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This week’s theme is Books Set in Another Time (These can be historical, futuristic, alternate universes, or even in a world where you’re not sure when it […]
Every now and then a book comes along that makes you feel like you’re a better person for reading it—The Warm Hands of Ghosts is undoubtedly one of those books. The Warm Hands of Ghosts details a time, World War I, which is so often lost in the shadow of what came next. Author Katherine Arden lovingly and unapologetically places that time period out in the sun and shows it […]
I had certain expectations going into Circe, a novel about the legendary exiled Greek Goddess and witch who turned men into pigs, had the voice of a mortal, and lived with tamed lions and wolves. I pictured a wrathful goddess who suffered no fools through her powerful witchcraft. Instead, Circe offers a rejected and insecure goddess who is not like the others, and plops her on an island to live […]
The Lost Queen markets itself as a mix between Outlander and Camelot—a bold claim. As I love Arthurian legend, I was excited to read this novel, which is based on the twin sister of the man who served as the inspiration for the legend of Merlin. I really enjoyed this premise of The Lost Queen, and all of the historical aspects of sixth-century Scotland, but I wouldn’t say it had […]
She Who Became the Sun is astonishingly, a debut novel, written by Shelley Parker-Chan, which feels like a Chinese historical drama, complete with all the political scheming and social climbing, and combined with interesting fantasy elements. But the real beauty of She Who Became the Sun is the characters. My god, are these characters developed, nuanced, and complex. The pain these characters feel emotionally is absolutely palpable, touching, and makes […]