In Pursuit of My Own Library

I found myself on another steampunk binge in the month of May. It doesn't seem to be too hard to do these days with the ever expanding popularity of the genre. This time we fell down the dark side of the rabbit hole. Now for a review of a book that has now been added to the list of my all-time favorites. I just finished it last week and want to re-read it already. The Singular and Extraordinary Tale of Mirror and Goliath by Ishbelle Bee I will be quite honest when I say I picked this book based on its cover. It is beautifully fascinating. The imagery manages to boggle my  mind into seeing 3D. Then I read the small excerpt and really needed to read it. So very, very glad that I did. I will easily give this novel 5 stars. I will also honestly point out that this will not be a story for everyone. The whole tale has a dark side. There is a mild scene of gore, but overall the violence is limited to a Tim Burton macabre death.  Mirror has something trapped inside her and she

I have gotten horribly lost in the weeds again. And I do mean that somewhat literally--spring time has brought me plenty of cleaning time in the flowerbeds. With a break from the daily grind, I'll make this a special weekend of many posts! Unseemly Science by Rod Duncan While I usually try to get these reviews out before the book launches, (and I was really excited for this book) this one unfortunately didn't get me all that jazzed. It was a case of hype bringing some expectations that cannot be fulfilled. I was extremely impressed with The Bulletcatcher's Daughter (which you can read the review for over here ) last year. The fresh steampunk aspect of not overly mechanized storyline with the charm and adventure of travelers made an unforgettable story. I was hooked from the beginning. Naturally I was pumped to get the advanced read of Unseemly Science .  However, this second novel seems to have struggled from some dishonest beta readers.  The pacing just seemed off

In November 2013, I experienced Anna Kashina's wonderful Eastern European fairy tale Mistress of the Solsitice . It was a wonderful foray into the folklore of a different culture than I am used to from my childhood. Last month, I was presented the opportunity to go back into a folktale from another background; and by one of my favorite authors no less. After a very crazy April, I needed the escape to the land of make believe. What I got was impressive and immersive. Uprooted by Naomi Novik This folktale comes to us from a Polish background. If you are unfamiliar with Naomi Novik, she writes a brilliant series about a Napoleanic era dragon named Temeraire. She is an author who can spin an amazing tapestry with her words that just shines brighter in this folktale setting.  I am not sure  from  which fairy tale this story originated. I do know that I fell in love with this story. We are introduced to a small village on the very outskirts of a kingdom bordered by a man-eating