Pretty happy with five books in a month and, honestly, it wasn’t hard when they were all this great. Hopefully I can keep up the pace moving into February. On to new stories and new worlds! 7/7

UPDRAFT, by Fran Wilde If you’re looking for secrets & schemes, this is the book for you. The author weaves mystery through an intricately built world unlike any I’ve read. It’s also filled with a fantastic cast you can’t help but root for. Definitely getting the next! 6/7

ASCENSION, by Nicholas Binge Hell yeah, epistolary! This sits at the nexus of 3 great interests: mountaineering, horrible creatures, and footnotes. Loved the dreaminess & feeling of malleable reality wrapped up in a framework that makes it seem more like an artifact than novel. 5/7

STARTER VILLAIN, by John Scalzi Hard not to listen to this with a big grin the whole time. It’s fun, funny, and gleeful in its taking down of the baddies. As always, Wil Wheaton’s narration captures the voices of the author’s characters and ensures you’re going to have a good time. 4/7

RED RABBIT, by Alex Grecian Love a good western, and this is not only one of those, but a weird and wonderfully horrific kind of odyssey. It has great action, but the parts I can't get out of my head are the quieter, more poignant moments. I flew through this—highly recommended. 3/7

THE ARCHIVE UNDYING, by Emma Mieko Candon What a ride! Amazing worldbuilding that unfolds over time, but what really struck me are the characters and how the author plays with perspective and sense. Absolutely worth returning to. Also, Yung-I Chang’s narration is superb! 2/7

You too!

Oh cool, that’s top of my TBR! In print, I’m continuing with Nicholas Binge’s ASCENSION, and in audio starting THE WATER OUTLAWS, by S. L. Huang. Very excited!

Thinking about drawing a map next? I'd love to do that for my world sometime.

Congrats, great way to start the day!