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The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games)

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The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games) Suzanne Collins, 2020 Premise: This prequel to the Hunger Games trilogy shows the youth of Coriolanus Snow. Explores the impact of war, deprivation, and propaganda on the children of the Capitol - choices are made and paths are set.  I really liked this, but going by the reviews, some people do not understand it. I empathize with a reader who doesn't want to read from the villain's perspective, but some people seem to think the reader is supposed to always identify with the protagonist.  The whole point of this book, as far as I can tell, is that there were a lot of factors shaping the kids in the Capitol, but Snow could have chosen differently. Yes, he was exposed to significant propaganda from a young age. Yes, he was under pressure from his family to be a certain way and from his society to think a certain way. But the book makes a point of showing other characters who find themselves with similar opportunities, and mak...
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The Electric State

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The Electric State Simon Stalenhag, 2017 Premise: Michelle is traveling to the coast to find something important. No one can help her. Many people are dead or nearly so, hooked into a VR technology that gave people something so much better than reality that they were lost to it. Accompanied only by a robot, she reflects on her life and tries to avoid ominous forces. After not finishing the recent Netflix adaptation because it's boring, I found many people online bemoaning how bad the movie was compared to how good the book is. So I asked the library to send it my way when there was a spare copy. A few months later, here we are.  It's a really cool book, y'all. It's largely an art book, made up of these huge, eerie paintings, depicting a tech-heavy world crumbling under its own inventions. Lonely vistas overseen by abandoned towers or half-buried robots, watched by ubiquitous advertising, but no people. The images are accompanied by text describing sections of Michelle...
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Mrs. Victoria Buys a Brothel

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Mrs. Victoria Buys a Brothel Talhí Briones, 2025 Premise: It's 1865 when Victoria finally leaves. She leaves her abusive husband with no destination and hardly any plans. A friend helps her flee Salt Lake City, and she ends up in a tiny Western town with only enough local cowboys to support a few small businesses. There, she'll find friendship, purpose, and maybe actual love. Awwww.  Say it again.  Awwwww!  This romance novel was super-cute. I loved the cast of quirky, complex characters, the setting, and the story. This wears its fandom origins on its sleeve, but that just means it doesn't apologize for spending time on characters' feelings or for packing the cast with a huge array of diverse backgrounds and personalities.  I like a romance that balances the romance storyline with additional plot elements and this definitely delivers. Victoria and love interest Natane are both older women with lots to learn about each other. Victoria challenges herself to do what s...
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The Pairing

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The Pairing Casey McQuiston, 2024 Premise: Theo and Kit haven't seen each other in four years, since their epic lifelong-friendship-turned-relationship imploded. Somehow, they each separately decided to finally take the European food and wine tour they had canceled due to their breakup, and now they're stuck on a gorgeous three-week vacation together. In an effort to let bygones be bygones, they decide to try being friends again (and to compete to see who can hook up with more hot Europeans while on the tour). But maybe nothing compares to having just the right partner. I'm not sure I loved this quite as much as I loved the frothy fun of Red, White, and Royal Blue or the paranormal adventure/history lesson of One Last Stop , but I did really, really like it.  I liked both protagonists. Wine genius, pop-culture aficionado, and self-described fuckup Theo narrates the first half, and we see their insecurity and their determination. Pastry professional and art geek Kit takes o...
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All the Murmuring Bones

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All the Murmuring Bones A.G. Slatter, 2021 Premise: Miren O'Malley (last true daughter of those O'Malleys, the ones who fortune used to favor) has always lived in the big house by the cliffs by the sea. That's where her grandparents raised her and where she expected to live out her days. But when her grandfather dies and her grandmother tries to arrange her marriage to restore their family fortunes, everything changes overnight.   This was a very cool book. I've seen Irish/Celtic elements in many fantasy novels, but this world was completely steeped in them. It was extensive to the point that early on I wasn't sure whether it was set in an alternate world or just Ireland with real magic. And just the feel of it - combining a generations-long story of family secrets with supernatural and dark fairy tale elements (and in-world fairy tales as well). Very cool. Much like some of the oldest tales and myths, the story does meander a bit, and ends up as a journey containin...
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Death of the Author

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Death of the Author Nnedi Okorafor, 2025 Premise: Zelu is struggling. Struggling with her career, with her body's limitations, with her family and her art. She decides to write a new story, and everything changes. First, I loved this.  I loved Zelu and all her complications. She's a young woman disabled by a childhood injury, but that's only a part of who she is. She's the product of a complex, demanding Nigerian-American family, but that's only another factor. She's an author, but when we meet her, she's struggling with that. The book flips between Zelu's life in the near future/alternate present and excerpts of the sci-fi novel that makes her famous. It's impressive that I liked both sides of the narrative. I wasn't skimming through the "real world" parts to get to the more overtly sci-fi sections or vice versa.  I really, really liked the characters and the story and the themes. It explores the relationship between art and the public...
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Some Desperate Glory

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Some Desperate Glory Emily Tesh, 2023 Hugo Winner - 2024 Premise: It's not easy being the last outpost of humanity. You have to give up a lot. You have to be committed to the cause. You have to not listen to the propaganda that says that maybe you're actually in a cult... What a book! It might have first gotten on my radar for winning the Hugo, but I had forgotten that by the time I read it, so I was unexpectedly delighted with this.  At least a few SPOILERS must follow here, but before we get there, I'll say that I recommend this for anyone who likes complex/morally messed-up protagonists and some heavy topics in your sci-fi adventure.  I've seen it recommended for fans of the Locked Tomb (not just for the blurb from Tamsyn Muir on the cover), and I agree with that. It starts from a place where you don't know what the protagonist doesn't know about the world they live in, and discovering the truth behind their home is incredibly compelling. (The author's n...
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