A shorter list this month because the weather is nicer, because I long to be outside, because a lot of things. I’m falling behind on Shakespeare, unfortunately, but I’ll pick him up again once I’ve gotten through the books I have planned for May. I’m thinking of running off and starting the Wheel of Time series, which I loved in high school and haven’t tackled since. I might very well regret that decision, but that’s okay. I’ll have some fun along the way, if nothing else. See you next post!

I haven’t shared these in a while, so: Want to see what I’m up to? I’m on The Storygraph, wandering around on Mastodon, or you can send me an email. Drop me a line if you like!

Provenance, by Ann Leckie

A lower-stakes novel set in the world of Leckie’s Ancillary trilogy. Just about every turn in the lot is pretty easy to see coming, but the writing is lovely and the characters are great. As always, Leckie is good at giving politics some dimension without lingering on them for too long.

I picked this collection up after reading Pinsker’s And Then There Were (N-One), which is a truly trippy take on the Agatha Christie original. So. Good. I enjoyed many of the stories here, but the clear centerpiece is the Nebula- and Hugo-winning “Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather”, which plays out its fantasy/low-key horror drama on a Genius-style lyrics annotation site. If you don’t read the whole collection, at least try that one! It’s incredible and a pretty great pitch for Uncanny Magazine, which is linked here and originally published the story.

Bluebird, Bluebird, by Attica Locke

This mystery (focused on a racially-motivated murder in Texas), made me feel gross. So much of it felt skin-crawling to read, in a really awful way. It is, however, really, really, really well written and if you’re a mystery person I strongly recommend checking it out.

My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness, by Nagata Kabi

I don’t read much manga, so I have to admit that I struggled a bit reading this. Once I got into the flow (right to left, back to front), I enjoyed reading this memoir. The art is great, the story is by turns deeply sad and very funny, and it is not what I expected it to be.

Superman Smashes the Klan, by Gene Luen Yang

Yang tackles complex discussions of racism and acceptance in a comic that feels accessible to older children. The art gives Superman a simple but striking appearance, the writing is wonderful, and I could see this being used to start some great conversations between parents and their children. I also wish the series had continued past the adventure in this volume!

Every Good Boy Does Fine: A Love Story, in Music Lessons, by Jeremy Denk

Classical pianist Jeremy Denk is a fun writer and relatively unsparing of himself, which makes this memoir a good read. I listened to the audiobook, which is perfectly narrated by the author. The audiobook includes bits of music, which makes Denk’s points about some of the pieces he’s discussing easier to understand. This may very well have been my favorite book of the month, though it helps that I’m currently re-learning how to play the piano myself.

Hild, by Nicola Griffith

This historical novel presents the early life of Saint Hilda of Whitby, an English abbess of the seventh century. It’s not a quick read, but Griffith presents exactly the right amount of detail and keeps the story moving. My only frustration is that the book doesn’t feel complete, exactly — the ending is a bit abrupt. That’s okay, though. Book 2, Menewood, is out and I have my copy sitting next to me at this very moment. I’m sure it will be wonderful.