January 2023 archive

District and Circle by Seamus Heaney

District and Circle by Seamus Heaney

Things, moments, people, poems. Heaney finds inspiration for the poems in District and Circle in things that he encounters or imagines, moments he hopes to preserve or evoke in others, people he remembers, and poems he either recalls or translates. Places, which loomed larger in other collections, are less present here, though of course they …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/01/29/district-and-circle-by-seamus-heaney/

Cold Water by Dave Hutchinson

Cold Water by Dave Hutchinson

Dave Hutchinson, like William Gibson, is an artiste of the slightly funny deal. They run all through Cold Water, and trying to figure out just who is running a caper on whom is one of the pleasures of the novel. Carey Tews, the novel’s main protagonist, is a Texan who’s been in Europe for decades …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/01/28/cold-water-by-dave-hutchinson/

Come Away From Her by Samuel W. Gailey

Cover art lately has been impressive all across the industry but y’all, look at this gorgeous thing. It’s even prettier than the Kiki Smith etching that inspired the book, in my opinion anyway. And in my opinion? Come Away From Her reads like Marilynne Robinson deciding to turn her hand at commercial fiction a la …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/01/26/come-away-from-her-by-samuel-w-gailey/

The Moon Tonight: Our Moon’s Journey Around Earth by Jung Chang-hoon & Jang Ho

Happy Lunar New Year, readers! What more serendipitous opportunity for us to talk about the moon than in the first days of this auspicious time? This wonderful picture book details the way the moon orbits around the earth and how we experience it, both visually and via the tides. In prose that’s as carefully chosen …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/01/24/the-moon-tonight-our-moons-journey-around-earth-by-jung-chang-hoon-jang-ho/

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

I’m so glad I finally found the time to get to this oldest book on my TBR-pile! I’ve had it there since it was nominated for a Hugo two years ago, but other deadlines pushed it aside till I finally had a moment this January to dive in. And oh, what a smart, elegant, emotional …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/01/20/the-space-between-worlds-by-micaiah-johnson/

Paris Hide-And-Seek by Masumi

translated from the original French by Anita Conrade. My sister went to Paris for her 40th birthday (lol, I went to The Melting Pot for mine) and got this delightful book for my youngest son Theo! Well, for all the kids, but since the protagonist is named Theo, it’s hard to believe that it’s not …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/01/17/paris-hide-and-seek-by-masumi/

The Romanovs by Simon Sebag Montefiore

The Romanovs by Simon Sebag Montefiore

Even by the standards of European monarchs, many of the Romanovs were terrible people. Peter the Great had his oldest son killed by torture. Earlier, Peter’s half-sister Sophia had tried to prevent him from assuming the throne, and if he had lost that contest he might well have paid with his life. Ivan VI succeeded …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/01/15/the-romanovs-by-simon-sebag-montefiore/

Not Saying Goodbye by Boris Akunin

Not Saying Goodbye by Boris Akunin

Events at the end of Black City left Erast Fandorin, the Sherlock Holmes of Tsarist Russia, in a coma. The beginning of Not Saying Goodbye reveals that he has been in that state for a bit more than three years. Masa, his faithful companion for more than a quarter of a century, has watched over …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/01/13/not-saying-goodbye-by-boris-akunin/

The Loud House Vol 17: Sibling Rivalry by The Loud House Creative Team

This might be one of my last reviews of this series, and not due to any change in the quality of the book. Quite the opposite: it feels like my reviews are becoming static because the content is so consistent from volume to volume. That said, I don’t actually feel like this latest collection is …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/01/12/the-loud-house-vol-17-sibling-rivalry-by-the-loud-house-creative-team/

Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw

I always really, really want to like Cassandra Khaw’s work more than I do. Ngl, this desire is due in large part to the Malaysian connection, which is enforced in spades by the fact that the entire cast of this book is Malaysian as well! Our five friends — after a fashion — converge on …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/01/11/nothing-but-blackened-teeth-by-cassandra-khaw/