Y’all, I am back to being 3 issues behind on all my magazines! I was doing so well for a hot minute there
Literary Buffistas 3: Don't Parse the Blurb, Dear.
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
I did not realize that a new Jasmine Guillory was out, but Flirting Lessons popped up on my radar and it is lovely. In general, my favorite tends to be whatever I read most recently since they are all so good, but I have a special fondness for these Napa books. I liked Avery well enough as Luke’s BFF in Drunk on Love but as a MC she’s wonderful
I stopped by Borderland Books on my afternoon of errands and started reading the new book by Robert Jackson Bennett (A Drop of Corruption). It sucked me in immediately so I went and got the previous and first book in the series, The Tainted Cup.
Has anybody read his stuff? This is a fantasy world setting with a Sherlock/Watson detective duo.
Bennett really knows what he's doing - as he sets the scene, establishes the world, makes the characters breath and gets his narrative hooks into you.
Goodreads reviews: [link]
I have The Tainted Cup waiting on my Kindle after several people raved about it.
Same as Dana. Hugo finalist, yes?
I loved The Tainted Cup - the characters, the world building, the Sherlock/Watson riffs. And it is nominated for both an Edgar (which I associate with pretty traditional mysteries) as well as the Hugo. And deservedly so. I have not read his Founders trilogy but they're on my TBR pile.
Ooh, dual Edgar and Hugo is pretty cool!
I’ve had it sitting on the kindle for over a year, maybe I should bump it to the front of the queue
I think I’ve also heard good things about City of Stairs but I might be conflating titles
So many books, so little time
I read Foundryside a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. Glad to see this one getting a lot of high praise! I just added it to my library wish list.
I Loved RJB's Divine Cities trilogy, starting with City of Stairs. Really cool setting, felt very post-Soviet, with lots of politics and magic in the ruins of empire, when the oppressed classes gain power and what does that look like. Great great characters too. Recommended!