#Cozy mystery novella

[biandlesbianliterature]

A sapphic Sherlock Holmes book, but in space, and with an F/F second chance romance. If you’re looking for a quick but engaging read, The Mimicking of Known Successes is a great choice. Whether you’re a sci-fi fan who thinks you could use a little mystery or a mystery fan who thinks you could possibly branch into sci-fi, I think you could come into this book from either angle and be satisfied.

The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older was reviewed at the Lesbrary

[chrisodonline]

I have been thinking about the show and you guys a lot more, not just because we're approaching the anniversary of the end but because...it seems like LA ties keep popping up everywhere!

I know I haven't been active, but I do like coming back to see you guys on my dash even if I have no idea what you're posting about because I'm not part of those fandoms. I've been debating on coming back more -- or going back to that LOL, Z blog I started just to make sure I keep writing and staying in touch. So, we'll see.

Work has been crazy, and I just took the first actual day(s) off in a good while. I had some rough losses near the end of last year, and then huge project after huge project has meant not just working without days off but also working on my days off. Finally actually took a couple days off and did nothing. And I actually got a good amount of writing done, so now I don't want to go back. (I find I actually do get going a lot quicker if I start by hand, but my joints cramp up soooo quickly. It's always been annoying. ANYWAY.)

What finally prompted this was I was watching last night's SNL, and NCIS:LA got a mention, despite being off the air. (There was a joke about character actors and appearing on arcs on shows with titles that are only letters. There were four spots, and LA was the fourth. IT IS STILL REMEMBERED! But holy crap, how about that Hawai'i turn? Wow. Anyway.)

In the past year, small things have made me think about LA:

-Waking up to an old episode from a syndicated outdoors show (I sleep with the TV on, don't judge me) that featured Gerald McRaney talking about his acting career -- filmed years ago -- and doing outdoors stuff -Spotting Medalion in a small spot on New Girl -Being addicted to Disney Dreamlight Valley when I was redirecting my impulse shopping addiction into cozy gaming (that was basically ADHD-crack because of all the tasks you just have to complete!). How is this relevant? Because the only fish I could seem to catch most of the time? COD! -Todd popping up in new commercials all the time -Getting into Elsbeth and watching CBS shows on Paramount and hearing the little logo music after or before a show and remembering watching LA on the platform a lot towards the end

And I know there are many more, but age + too may back-to-back storms and natural disasters have made my memory even wonkier. (We currently have a joke about our "weekly tornadoes" here. It's funny because it's not completely a joke. Lololol.)

Anyway, I won't lie to say there wasn't some freedom and relief that came with the show's ending. But there are definitely parts of it I miss like you guys.

[tamiveldura]

Friday Update!

Brief! Because I am Le Tired.

For the Anthology Workshop, I have skipped assignment #1 last week so that I could finish writing Vampire Mated, the novella I also happened to start just last week. I wrote 23k in six days and it's 50% kinky sex and it's also the fastest thing I've ever written and I LOVE it.

It's due to the editor first week of July and I need to do some formatting for that.

Hold on to that, more of Mated to come.

This week the Anthology Workshop assignment #2 (of six) was a cozy mystery set at a beach. On my YA/fantasy penname S.T. Lynn (long time fans will recognize the Cinder Ella trilogy, now in paper and hardback https://www.tamiveldura.com/product/black-trans-fairy-tales-omnibus/) I have a short story series called the Mischief Mysteries. They're a set of cozies from the point of view of a pet rats (based on my own rats years ago).

None of the Mischief Mysteries are available anywhere. I'm holding them for now until I have enough for a substantial collection OR I can find a good trade/small press market for them.

All that to say I wrote a Mischief Mystery for the cozy assignment and turned it in today. I think it's a strong story and I have all my fingers crossed that the editor buys it (but I won't know until the workshop in August!)

Sorry to leave you in suspense 😂

The third assignment next week is MilScifi, which I love, with two incredible, intimidating editors. I have a MilScifi short story series (check out the Boundary Shock Quarterly magazine, I'm in every issue starting at 14: https://www.boundaryshockquarterly.com/), but I'm not dedicated to using that world if the call for subs doesn't fit. I'll know on Monday!

I'm going to take a break this weekend and play the crap out of APICO. Save the bees.

[danielleurbansblog]

Meet This Author: Courtney Davis

Q: When did you first begin writing the Fawn Malero Mystery series?I started the series in the fall of 2020. After a rather long period of at home time and evaluating what I wanted and when I was going to go do it, I decided to get back on the writing train and I started that by writing the first two Fawn Malero books in a rather short period of time. Q: Who are the main characters?The main…

[60s-heartshaped-chevrolet]

SPECIFIC MOVIE RECOMMENDATIONS #1

🌙✨ Gothic Fairy-Tale Films with Strong Female Leads ✨🌙

🍒❤️‍🔥Hey lovelies,

If you're like me find endless inspiration in the aesthetics of gothic fairy-tales, then you're in for a treat! I've created a list of enchanting atmospheric films, perfect for a cozy evening with your favorite tea.

To start with, of course, an absolute classic: a folk horror, menstrual tale with possibly the most aesthetically beautiful frames I've ever experienced in cinema. I constantly post something from this film on my blogs.

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970): This surreal Czechoslovakian film follows young Valerie as she discovers a dreamlike world filled with vampires and magic. It's a visually stunning exploration of adolescence and awakening womanhood.

2. Daughters of Darkness (1971): This cult classic Belgian horror film features a mysterious, seductive countess who preys on young lovers in a deserted hotel. it’s a hypnotic blend of gothic allure and vampiric intrigue.

3. Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979): Werner Herzog's remake of the classic silent version. The film captures the gothic essence with stunning visuals and a chilling, melancholic tone. It's a mesmerizing exploration of fear and beauty.

4. The Vampire Lovers (1970): This Hammer Horror classic stars Ingrid Pitt as the alluring vampire Carmilla, who preys on young women in a secluded 19th-century village. it’s a captivating blend of horror and sensuality.

5. Beauty and the Beast (1978): This dark fantasy film, directed by Juraj Herz, offers a unique and eerie retelling of the classic fairy tale.Ideal for those who love a blend of dark romance and fairy-tale magic.

6. Viy (1967): This Soviet horror film, based on Nikolai Gogol's novella, follows a young priest who must spend three nights watching over the body of a witch in a haunted church. With its eerie atmosphere, stunning special effects, and deep roots in Slavic folklore, it's a captivating blend of supernatural horror and gothic fantasy.

That's all for today. I have many more films like these saved on my watchlist, so once I find some gems, I'll make another list. You can also look forward to a list of my favorite old fairy tales adaptations.

Kisses 💌💌

[seraphinitegames]

Christmas in Wayhaven.

It’s magical.

…Quite literally.

--

Christmas has come to Wayhaven, and you and Unit Bravo have been thrown into another mystery with a little more sparkle than usual!

Upside-down Christmas trees, toys springing to life, and an army of waddling plastic Santas are just some of the magical festive pranks being cast on townsfolk and places alike.

To find whoever is casting these supernatural antics, you and the team of vampires are sent chasing around town in search of the merry Christmas culprit before magic is revealed to everyone in Wayhaven.

But the festive spirit brings with it a dreamy air that makes all too easy to get distracted by just how romantic Christmas can be with a vampire at your side…

-

Grab it on Itch.io, or join our Patreon Community for exclusive epilogues* and goodies and enjoy this short, novella-style interactive side-story set within the world of Wayhaven, where you are the main character! It’s a Christmas tale filled with cozy festive fun and plenty of fluffy romantic moments.

(This game can be played as a Stand-Alone story away from the main series of The Wayhaven Chronicles. But it should be noted that it does involve characters and relationships that have developed already during the main games, but extra explanation is provided throughout where needed to help you enjoy it to the fullest!)

*Holiday Magic will be part of the Crow Quill tier and up and the Epilogues are available on the Swan Quill tier and up. Stock media provided by ikoliks / Pond5 Stock media provided by Canva

[wormwoodandhoney]

Do you have any recommendations for any cozy or spooky (not scary) autumn book?

sorry this has lived in my inbox for 45 years, i have been ~*depressed*~!! here are my recommendations for spooky not scary and cozy books! if you have triggers, please check for them before diving in, as even cozy spooky books might sneak something in!

the shady hollow series by juneau black: literally soooo cozy. a mystery series set in a beatrix potter-type world in which an intrepid fox reporter solves various murders in her small woodland town.

spirit hunters by ellen oh: a middle grade spooky story about a young girl with the ability to see ghosts, and how she must save her younger brother.

garlic and the vampire by bree paulsen: a sweet graphic novel about an anxious anthropomorphic bulb of garlic who must save her friends in the garden from a vampire.

cackle by rachel harrison: more "adult" than the other books on this list, this is about a woman who, after a bad breakup, moves to a small town and befriends a mysterious older woman who has untold powers. note: this is not sapphic and it should have been!!

the strange case of the alchemist's daughter by theodora goss is about the daughters of jekyll and hyde and the club they form with other historical horror daughters.

the butcher of the forest by premee mohamed: definitely the darkest on this list, but i wanted to give you a darker option without gore (or at least without much gore). this is a novella about a wild, dangerous forest that has taken the king's young children, and the older woman tasked to save them, as she is the only person to have ever made it back out.

on my own cozy tbr this october: practical potions and premeditated murder, chaos at the lazy bones bookshop, the village library demon-hunting society

[aroaessidhe]

aro & ace books: autistic aspecs!

The Many Half Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester - YA paranormal, an autistic acespec MC, aroace side character

Compound Fracture - thriller, MC figures out he's autistic & arospec

The Tale That Twines - fantasy, autistic grey-aro love interest (MC is also demi & neurodivergent and says it's been suggested e's also autistic)

Convenience Store Woman - contemporary novella. not explicit, but the MC is pretty clearly aroace and autistic coded, most of the story is about these experiences

Kea's Flight - scifi with a bunch of autistic characters, one major character is an ace lesbian

Poisoned Primrose - cozy mystery, autistic bi-ace MC

Party of Fools - high fantasy, one of the MCs is an autistic ace lesbian (+ other aroace / autistic characters)

Odd Blood - paranormal romcom, autistic demisexual MC

Earthbound Hearts - YA contemporary/fantasy, autistic ace lesbian MC

How To Sell Your Blood and Fall In Love - urban fantasy - 1/2 MCs is demi/greyaro

The Reanimator's Heart - historical paranormal - 1/2 MCs is demi

The Summer Love Strategy - YA contemporary, the love interest is an autistic demi-aroace trans girl

See also: The Mariah Mission - YA contemporary, the love interest is ace, and autistic coded (mentioned in author's note),

#aspec books / aspec database / tumblr masterpost

[wearethekat]

Anticipated New Releases of 2024

**As anticipated by Me. Mostly SFF. Links are to goodreads because that's what I use, sorry. Anything marked "new to me" I haven't read anything by that author before and therefore can't vouch for the quality. I just think the premise is neat.**

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands, Heather Fawcett (16 January)

Sequel to the charming novel about the fairy anthropologist.

Exordia, Seth Dickinson (23 January)

Well, it isn't a new Baru Cormorant, but this modern SF about first contact may be the next best thing.

City of Stardust, Georgia Summers (30 January)

New to me. A young woman descends into the underworld in order to break her family's fatal curse.

The Tainted Cup, Robert Jackson Bennett (6 February)

New to me. A sherlock holmes flavored duo solves the mystery of the murder of an imperial official in a labyrinthine fantasy realm.

What Feasts at Night, T Kingfisher (13 February)

The sequel to the mushroom horror book What Moves the Dead.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts, Katherine Arden (13 February)

A ghost story set in WW1 about a woman searching for her missing brother.

The Fox Wife, Yangsze Choo (13 February)

New to me. A detective in 1908 Manchuria investigates a young woman's death in an area full of mythical foxes.

Redsight, Meredith Mooring (27 February)

New to me. Unpowered priestess and Imperial pawn is set on a collision path with a pirate with a grudge for the Imperium (Gay romance).

Sunbringer, Hannah Kaner (12 March)

Sequel about the professional godkiller Kissen.

Jumpnauts, Hao Jingfang (12 March)

New to me. A SF novel in translation from Chinese, with three scientists joining forces to deal peacefully with a first contact situation.

The Woods All Black, Lee Mandelo (19 March)

I liked Mandelo's debut novel very much so I'm excited to read this queer horror novella set in 1920s Appalachia.

Floating Hotel, Grace Curtis (19 March)

New to me. A series of cozy character vignettes on a space cruise ship after a murder has occurred. One of the four (!) space hotel murder crimes books coming out this year.

The Emperor and the Endless Palace, Justinian Huang (26 March)

New to me. Reincarnation gay romance set in 4 BCE China, the 1740s, and modern-day LA.

Alien Clay, Adrian Tchaikovsky (28 March)

Far future space xenoarchaeology by a man trapped on a prison planet.

Someone You Can Build a Nest In, John Wiswell (2 April)

New to me. Bizarre lesbian cannibalism monster romance from the point of view of the monster.

The Familiar, Leigh Bardugo (9 April)

Glad to see Bardugo writing more adult fantasy, and this one is especially exciting because it's a fantasy set in early modern Spain with a Jewish main character. Fun to see a more original historical period.

A Sweet Sting of Salt, Rose Sutherland (9 April)

New to me. Lesbian selkie romance.

Death in the Spires, KJ Charles (11 April)

Charles branching out from romance into historical Oxford murder mystery about a group of friends with dark secrets.

Audrey Lane Stirs The Pot, Alexis Hall (22 April)

The new Hall thinly veiled british baking show romcom. Libby says it's releasing in April but I've heard nothing from the author so I think it may be Alecto'd (shifted to next year)

Necrobane, Daniel M Ford (23 April)

Sequel to the dungeons and dragons-esque low fantasy lesbian necromancy book.

A Letter to the Luminous Deep, Sylvie Cathrall (25 April)

New to me. Sweet underwater epistolary academic romance.

How To Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, Django Wexler (21 May)

New to me. A young hero caught in a fantasy time loop gives up and tries being the villain in an attempt to escape.

Goddess of the River, Vaishnavi Patel (21 May)

Another woman-centered retelling of Hindu mythology, this time based on the river goddess Ganga.

Escape Velocity, Victor Manibo (21 May)

New to me. Evil and toxic private school alumni jockey for position in a space hotel event in an attempt to escape a dying Earth.

The Fireborne Blade, Charlotte Bond (28 May)

New to me. Gay dragon slaying knight novella.

Evocation, ST Gibson (28 May)

New to me but looks very cool. Attorney and medium David attempts to escape his deal with the devil with the help of his ex boyfriend and his ex boyfriend's wife (Poly romance).

Service Model, Adrian Tchaikovsky (4 June)

In an SF future, a robot kills its human owners and ventures out into a world where human supremacy is beginning to crumble.

Lady Eve's Last Con, Rebecca Fraimow (4 June)

New to me. A con artist seeks revenge on the man who hurt her sister, who's coincidentally also on a space cruise ship (Sapphic romance subplot).

Triple Sec, TJ Alexander (4 June)

An actual mainstream published poly romance (!!) by trans author Alexander.

Running Close to the Wind, Alexandra Rowland (11 June)

Gay! Pirates! Scheming! Alt fantasy world! Monks! I liked Taste of Gold and Iron a lot and I'm very excited for this one.

The Knife and the Serpent, Tim Pratt (11 June)

New to me. Space opera about an interdimensional organization. Also, there's a sentient starship.

The Witchstone, Henry Neff (18 June)

A childhood favorite of mine's adult debut, featuring a demon who suddenly has to shape up at his curse keeper job after eight hundred years of slacking.

Rakesfall, Vajra Chandrasekera (18 June)

VERY excited to read more weird queer sff from this author after a fantastic debut. Looks weird. I'm in.

Foul Days, Genoveva Dimova (25 June)

New to me. A witch in a Slavic fantasy inspired world flees her evil ex, the Tsar of Monsters. There's also a plague and a detective.

Saints of Storm and Sorrow, Gabriella Buba (25 June)

New to me. Filipino inspired anticolonialist fantasy novel about a nun who is secretly practicing the religion of her goddess.

The Duke at Hazard, KJ Charles (18 July)

A queer regency with an incognito duke by one of my particular favorite romance authors.

Long Live Evil, Sarah Rees Brennan (30 July)

!!! Very excited to see a new adult fantasy by Brennan. A reader is dragged into a fictional world and finds herself the villain.

A Sorceress Comes to Call, T Kingfisher (20 August)

A retelling of The Goose Girl from reliably good fairy tale stalwart Kingfisher.

Buried Deep and Other Stories, Naomi Novik (17 September)

Collection of Novik's short stories.

Swordcrossed, Freya Marske (8 October)

VERY excited to see a new book by talented writer Marske. A man falls in love with the duelist hired for his arranged wedding. MEANWHILE. details of the fantasy world wool industry.

Feast While You Can, Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta (29 October)

New to me. Small town queer cave horror.

The Last Hour Between Worlds, Melissa Caruso (19 November)

Multiple reality murder mystery spy vs spy type antics, with lesbians.

[writeblrfantasy]

have you been wanting to get both of my cozy queer fantasy novellas?

they're available for a combined price of 3.99 on kofi! that's about 100 pages worth of an easy, loving read that will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. two easy stories and a smile on my face <3

blurbs below the cut!

Prince Sternard has never wanted the throne. He’s spent a few happy few years away from home as the head of the kingdom's army, and he wants nothing more than to never return to awful childhood memories and his tyrant father. However, when the palace falls to disease and his father dies, Sternard must return home and face the ghosts he's running from.

At the palace, he meets the only survivor of the epidemic, an uptight but bright secretary named Cecil.

As Sternard and Cecil work alone to rebuild the palace from tragedy and the echoes of his father’s tyranny, Sternard finds himself settling into his new life with much more ease than he anticipated-–and all because of the brilliant secretary with an increasing hold on his heart.

⭐⭐⭐

Lord Serian of Blackwood Hall is a healer of fame and legend. In his hidden home, he heals the sick and injured and asks for nothing in return except that they keep the location of the Hall a secret. After they've healed, they leave, and Serian passes quiet days with just his staff for company. Such has been his life for years.

When a stranger shows up half dead at Blackwood Hall one stormy night, Serian is instantly intrigued. As the stranger Adar recovers, Serian learns of his kindness and wandering ways, though Adar remains cagey about what led him to Blackwood Hall.

As they grow closer, and Serian forms a growing attachment to his mysterious stranger, he's forced to confront the reminder that Adar will have to leave just as every patient does.

GENERAL TAGLIST: @worldbuildng @muddshadow @nikkywrites @47crayons @directionoftime

@chayscribbles @magic-is-something-we-create @rodentwrites @notwritinganyflufftoday

[literary-illuminati]

2024 Book Review #49 – The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Anna Older

I originally had aspirations of reading every Hugo nominee for best novella as well as best novel before the actual voting, but in retrospect that was always something of a bad joke. But a few weeks too late, my library hold on this did come in – I read it over a few days of lazy summer morning’s at a friend’s cottage, which was basically the ideal circumstances. It’s hardly high art, and not really my favoured subgerne of mystery regardless, but does accomplish its aspirations of being a cozy low-tension mystery-romance with style.

The story is set on Jupiter, some time after the environmental situation on Earth became sufficiently dire that humanity fled en mass to a life aboard rail-connected platforms floating in Jupiter’s (now ‘Giant’s’) skies. Mossa is one of the Investigator’s charged with solving crimes and disappearances, most pressingly the disappearance of a scholar in classical Earth ecosystems from the easternmost platform on a line. Expecting a suicide, she nonetheless travels to the University and calls upon Pleiti, her old university ex and now an established scholar in a similar field. From there, the two of them unravel the mystery together and things go basically as you’d expect them to.

Which is to say, this is billed as ‘cozy Holmesian murder mystery’, and each part of that description is much, much more important than the one that comes after. There is maybe two pages of what might be considered tension in the whole affair, and in general the reading experience is just the relaxing experience of watching a narrative travel along well-oiled tracks without anything much in the way of surprises and reversals. As Holmes-alikes go, Mossa isn’t bad. Not amazing, probably more of an archetype than a character, but the archetype and the dynamic of Holmes-and-Watson-but-they’re-lesbians-who-dated-in-college is handled as elegantly as the conceit really allows. The murder mystery largely exists to provide a structure for everything else – and I do viscerally dislike the fact that the actual villain is only introduced on the page at the same time the whole scene is revealed in the final confrontation. Feels like cheating.

The biggest part of ‘everything else’ is the setting. The vision of Jovian life was clearly worked out with a lot of love and care, and rather more effort is spent on the details of day-to-day life and academic bureaucratic politics than is on the specifics of the ostensibly driving mystery. I can’t speak to the plausibility of any of it, but that’s hardly the driving motivation here – it does successfully feel like a real world lived in by real people (if, perhaps, mostly improbably gentle and polite ones). Society is familiar and domestic enough to still fit the comfy label, but different enough to still feel plausibly alien. Though the fact that ‘conservative’ is an actual slur does kind of verge into self-parody of the whole genre of cozy progressive sci-i, here.

The romance is fine, I suppose? I’m hardly the target audience. That the two of the would get together in the end was absolutely never in question, and the book didn’t even pretend otherwise. And so it never really becomes an object of dramatic tension – the whole romance plot basically boils down to Pleiti lightly angsting over whether Mossa is sending mixed messages on purpose, only to eventually have her reveal she was awkwardly wondering she reciprocated before asking her out. There are lots of cute moments and no conflict to speak of.

This is a quick novella (fewer than 200 slight pages, in my copy), so there’s only so much it can be expected to do – but where it fell apart for me is actually the points where its ambition reached beyond just being a cozy murder mystery. There’s this light dusting of themes – of a conflict betwee nthe classisits who are so determined to perfectly recreate the pre-apocalyptic environment of earth in one go that they will study and plan for an eternity while humanity’s exile continues, versus the villains being desperate to return to a world with flowing water and solid ground that they’re willing to take drastic, independent action. The book acts like this was a real conflict the book explored and welt upon, patting itself on the back with a hopeful conclusion about Pleiti being the perfect woman to start a new synthesis of things – but honestly I just don’t buy it. It’s implicit but only barely touched on until literally the villains big monologue in the third act, which is a shame because you could get some really good ideological and political meat off that bone. Fees like wasted potential.

But yeah on the whole, not at all my genre, but fun lazy summer read.

[transman-badass]

So come January, I'm gonna write a new Cthulhu Mythos novella - an affectionate/horror parody of the 'cozy mystery' genre, set in modern day Arkham with all the cosmic horror that involves. But I'm having trouble choosing my protagonist. I've got two trouble magnets options right now:

Wes: A 19yo trans redhead from Alabama, he comes to Arkham on a scholarship to Miskatonic U, and to work part-time as a security guard on campus. He is determined to keep the good parts of the South with him, especially the food, even though the bad parts are a big reason for why he left. But not the biggest. He’s a very typical small town kid - friendly, big-hearted, and all too trusting.

Ryan: A [also probably trans] 20 or 30 something with mismatched eyes and a strange accent. While officially a photographer, he's really in town to chase his passion for occult knowledge and new experiences. Calm and bright-eyed, he looks forward to his future in Arkham, away from the shadows of his past he can’t bear to think about. Turns out he has a knack for magic and can talk to cats.

If one or both of these characters sounds familiar to you, well, there's a reason for that ;)

[crowns-of-violets-and-roses]

Hugo Novellas 2024

Did not read: Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher.

I swore off Kingfisher after her novel that won the Hugo last year. I looked at the overbearingly twee description of this concluded that there's no chance I'd enjoy it so I skipped.

I might read another of Kingfisher's books someday but she isn't getting an nth chance to win me over today.

5. The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older

An author who I did give a second chance by reading this. While it's a vast improvement over the last book I read by Older it's not enough of one.

It's set on a gas giant with a rail line circling the planet where people live on platforms along the line. The worldbuilding is on the surface interesting but can lack depth at times. For example the academic debates in the setting feel like they've been playing out for a few years (or less in some cases) instead of the centuries the setting suggests.

The novella is a hybrid murder mystery-romance. A detective Mossa contacts her Pleiti old girlfriend who is now an academic in the classics department (notably not the same discipline as classics in our times) to help her solve a mystery after another academic disappears and is presumed either to have killed himself or died. The mystery elements are competently executed; the romance less so.

It feels very self indulgent in ways that don't fit. Mossa literally starts referring to Pleiti as “my dear Pleiti" which just leaves me wondering are we meant to take this as Mossa making a deliberate reference to Holmes or what exactly.

(And this is petty and not on the book/author but everyone keeps describing the novella as "cozy" and cozy has a specific meaning for crime fiction which doesn't apply here and it bugs me.)

There are endless descriptions of food which I'm not against on principle but it's often the same food over and over and over again. Scones, scones and more scones. I like scones but at least shake it up a little!

None of these are severe problems but the best parts of the book are rarely more than okay so there's nothing to make up for it's shortcomings elsewhere.

4. "Seeds of Mercury" by Wang Jinkang (trans. Alex Woodend)

The initial premise of this novella has a fun reversal of the "inheriting a fortune from a distant relative" plot where the protagonist is already a rich businessman and inherits a quixotic scientific venture which is an endless money sink - nanomachines that could evolve like biological life over millennia.

Beyond that general concept many of the specific details reminded me of the Futurama episode A Clockwork Origin to the point I'm curious if someone on the Futurama staff read it when it was originally published in Chinese (although it's entirely possible they were inspired by other works of SF with similar plots instead).

It cuts back and forth between the present and sections sets in the distant future. The sections set in the present are much stronger for the most part and they never quite feel they gel together.

There's a disabled character who has an appearance that people view as hideous and he's presented sympathetically but the way it's dealt with was clumsy at best.

While I said above that the present sections are stronger even there the characters often feel wooden and unrealistic.

The central idea behind this novella is fine even if nothing terribly original. The execution however doesn't entirely work. This proves to be common to everything in this story. There's a lot of potential in all it's aspects but in the end that potential is never fully realised.

3. Rose/House by Arkady Martine

This wasn't the worst novella of this bunch but it was by far the most disappointing. I didn't have any expectations of Wang Jinkang and went in to Older's novella knowing it was likely I wouldn't enjoy it but Martine's Teixcalaan duology is great and I've been intending to read Rose/House since it came out.

It opens with a death in Rose House - a house that is an A.I. created by world famous architect Basit Deniau considered his greatest architectural triumph.

The death, suspected of being a murder, forms the impetus for the plot. Selene Gisil, a former student who denounced Deniau and who he named as his heir, is the only person who the A.I. will leave access the house (for one week a year) and is called back by the local police so they can investigate.

It's one of those increasingly common near future settings where everything is worse because of climate changes and it's downstream effects but that's largely background rather than focused on.

Perhaps the greatest disappointment of the book is the house just isn't that interesting. The A.I. as a character is as interesting as any of the others but the physical house itself didn't enthrall me. If you're going to make Rose House and architecture so central to the book the house itself needs to grab your attention and stick in your mind when you finish reading and it didn't.

We rotate between the POVs of Gisil and two local police officers. The story starts strong and gradually peters out until it comes to an end and you find yourself thinking "that's all?"

Martine is an talented author and there are moments that shines through. Ultimately though while she's a great author this book doesn't show her at her best.

2. Mammoth at the Gates by Nghi Vo

The latest entry in Nghi Vo's Singing Hills Cycle. It again follows Cleric Chih of the Singing Hills Monastery. Chih's order is tasked with with finding, recording and remembering stories of the past and they have talking hoopoe spirits with perfect memories as companions to help them with this task.

Instead of being out searching for stories to record this entry sees Chih return to the Monastery and meeting up with old friends including Always Brilliant his hoopoe companion. When Chih arrives back he finds his mentor Thien (who was once royalty) has died and there are, per the title, mammoth at the gates. The mammoths have been brought by Thien's grandaughters who are seeking to take his remains while the monks wish his funeral to be in accordance with their own customs.

This entry is not particularly spectacular or groundbreaking but it does what it sets out to do and it does it well. If you enjoyed the others books in this series you'll most likely enjoy this one too. It's portrayal of grief and change is powerful and moving. It also has moments of joy and cuteness that avoid being cloying.

It’s a good book. I wouldn’t necessarily nominate it for an award myself but I can see why others would.

"Life Does Not Allow Us to Meet" by He Xi (trans Alex Woodend)

This was the standout best of the novellas nominated this year. A novella about two new astronauts and the old astronaut (named like the author He Xi) who guides them who have been recruited to return to a water planet named the Caspian Sea. A previous mission ended in disaster with a woman He Xi loved being killed and warning the known route was too dangerous. A new route has now been discovered and they have been sent back to the planet. A return over 50 years in the making.

There are frequent awkward infodumps. At one point a character explains he's infodumping because he wrote his thesis on the subject which is all the justification needed but before and after there are no attempts to justify characters infodumping or it being dropped directly in the narrative. It's strange because some elements of the story are dripfed in a carefully measured manner but it doesn't even bother trying for anything else.

I wouldn't say romance is centre stage to the book exactly but love, including romantic love, and how it affects people is something the story focuses on.

Thematically it deals with heavy subjects: colonialism, genocide and whether contact with alien species would inevitably lead to conflict and war. It's matter of fact in how it relays atrocities which combined with some unsettling imagery only serves to make them more chilling. The story's handling of these subjects isn't flawless but I found it compelling.

So much of my thoughts about this novella hinge on the ending which is impossible to discuss without giving the whole story away. I may make another spoiler filled post about it at some point.

It's not perfect but out of the five I've read it’s easily the best novella among them. Highly recommended. As near as I can tell it's the only story of his that has been translated into English. Hopefully this will win and spur more translations of his work.

General Thoughts

Overall I think this is a weak year for the novella category. There's nothing terrible nominated but He Xi's is the only standout. Comparing it to other recent years every other year has 2-3 novellas I'd rank above the other five here.

[orions-quill]

Introducing all my projects

My brain loves coming up with new ideas but struggles to pick one to work on, so I thought that maybe sharing a little bit about each of them might help me choose what to focus on. Here goes.

Project New World

Fantasy trilogy about four sacrifices who escape their fate in order to try to solve the curse tormenting their people. Queer polyamorous relationship, mythology, language, culture all created from scratch. My longest project for sure, I've been working and reworking it for a while.

Project Labyrinth

When the MC's older sister comes back home in a coffin, she decides to join her coven to figure out what happened to her. Lesbian MC and romance, witchcraft and murdery mystery.

Project Knight

A princess and her knight cast a spell that makes them reeincarnate many years in the future, and now they must deal with the consequences of what they did in their past life. Lesbian romance, transfem knight, magic all around.

Project Time

A triad own a business in which they travel to the past to bring back everyday objects from famous people to their rich costumers; shenanigans ensue. Polyamory, one nonbinary MC, dnd-esque cozy fantasy novella.

Project Golden

A prophecy says that the Vessel of the God of Change will bring about "the end of time"; the solution? To suppress his memories. No romance, focused on friendship and the struggle against destiny.

Project Dragon

After watching his father be sentenced to death for high treason, our protagonist joins a band of merry pirates who ride dragons and cause chaos, more at 9. I don't know much about this one but you can expect it to be queer, 100%.

Project Moonlight

Witches can't be killed, so instead they're "buried" in the lake, chained to weights of iron. One day the MC is called by a very powerful witch to free them, it is time they get revenge. Lesbian MC, don't know much beyond that.

There's two more but I don't know enough about them yet so! Here you go c:

[danielleurbansblog]

Review: A Desperate Cat Lady

Synopsis: Illegal guns. Dangerous old-ladies. Now a dead body. Angela’s life is getting more complicated by the minute. A boring life is not in Angela’s future, with her being a black market guns dealer. Tripping over a dead-body is now bringing a lot more attention from law enforcement than she cares to have. If only she could get control of the Silver Hair Gang, and their quest to find the…

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 2/27/2024

this is the longest ive ever been unemployed and media is only doing so much to beat back the horrors. so let’s talk about the media instead of the horrors

listening

Come Up For Air by We The Commas, off i think one of the autogenerated spotify indie mixes?

sort of a rollicking modern little surf rock thing, they describe themselves as "surf and alternate rhythm and blue" which is pretty bang on imo. they're all brothers (their last name genuinely is Comma, which i salute as a fellow weird last name haver), and cite john mayer (i don't really hear it) and the beach boys (yes i hear this very much) as some of their influences. a song i had on loop for an entire forty minute drive and did not get tired of. spotify

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reading

three books that MUST go back to the library tomorrow bc their autorenew is up and i was emotionally unable to get a library card without tooling around and getting a stack of books a month ago.

thank you philip.

i really only liked the Carmilla adaptation by Amy Chu, bc it really gets at what i didn't realize was the heart of the original 1872 lesbian vampire novella: a toxic gay housing situation you have fallen into and can't get out of bc your area is so so so expensive and housing is so so so tenuous. i have read the original but not in a while, this is an excellent modern adaptation centering around a nyc social worker in the late seventies that presupposes no knowledge and intertwines the original novella in the form of a stolen rare book. (nonconsecutive pages)

i don't have much to say about the DC young adult comic about the circus career of one of the Robins (Dick Grayson). i didn't love the loose artstyle and am not in its intended age range plus it had a bit too much therapyspeak, but it did have a clever use of a very limited color palette.

let's yank the amazon description for the detective novel, which i grabbed bc it vaguely pinged something in my brain about one of the fallout 4 sidequests and i've picked books up for worse reasons (SPOILERS):

Jacob Rigolet, a soon-to-be former assistant to a wealthy art collector, looks up from his seat at an auction—his mother, former head librarian at the Halifax Free Library, is walking almost casually up the aisle. Before a stunned audience, she flings an open jar of black ink at master photographer Robert Capa’s “Death on a Leipzig Balcony.” Jacob’s police detective fiancée, Martha Crauchet, is assigned to the ensuing interrogation. 

i simply fucking hated this authorial style and tone and ditched it two chapters in. i don’t currently have the patience for reading about a clinically insane mother and hate crimes against Jewish people. despite the fairly dark premise, the first two chapters veer into cozy mystery with very short sentences, which do not a noir make. now, it does not advertise itself as noir or neo-noir, but as an homage to noir. it is for me unbearably smug. in my most unkind heart of hearts i want to say it's like if wes anderson tried to make a noir. this is a book that wants you to know it has read other noirs. yes thank you ive read several others, that’s why im reading this one, stop reminding me of better books i could be reading.

there's some weird descriptions of womens' bodies in here. chandler (my beloved) is certainly guilty of this as well, but he lavishes a sort of equal opportunity eye on the men in his mysteries. cf the infamous daniel lavery description.

when i read a chandler description of someone’s physical appearance there’s a fruity bisexual aftertaste in my mouth. Howard Norman, below, saying a woman takes great care of herself puts my hackles up. i understand the difference between an author and a character believing something and i don’t want to read a book where either the author or the character have this sort of pitying condescension towards a woman’s body. im feeling extremely terrible about my own body right now due to the various maladies, and another sort of breaking point for me is when an author repeatedly describes "naked breasts" (exact wording) pressing against someone's torso. it feels so juvenile. that's the sexiest thing you can possibly think of??? that's the sexiest way you can think of to describe an early mornign moment of intimacy???? augh i read the NYT review and it gets worse.

shut the FUCK up. i left my apartment at 1130 PM to go put this book in my CAR. i don't want it in my HOUSE.

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watching

Bullitt (1968, dir. Yates, free on Tubi). the baddie in this is Robert Vaughn (who i know from cowboys), a guy i fucking love to see. i can take or leave Steve McQueen but he does such a killer job parallel parking in this movie and i wish all driving movies made their leads parallel park. shockingly realistic hospital, morgue, and police work scenes, apparently was one of the big films to popularize blood squibs. also love to see a haunted man splash water on his face and stare into a mirror.

if you asked me how long the famous car chase was i would have said like 2:30? substantial but snappy. no!!! eleven minutes!! (video a bit trimmed). also a rare movie that makes a foot chase through an airport as exciting as that eleven minute car chase!!!

the mob dodging plot was a little hard to follow, but i was operating on like four hours of sleep and a rum and coke. this has got to be a tremendous movie to watch when you’re home and sick on the couch huddled under a blanket. i mean this as a compliment, as someone who watches Escape from New York whenever i feel very sick

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playing

really wanted to get to 69 shrines before writing this post and finally did it. all the little divine beasts walking along the loading screen are SO cute i've never gotten all four before

all the divine beasts are unlocked and the champions laid to rest! im feeling some type of way emotionally speaking about all of them telling link IMMEDIATELY that it wasn't his or zelda's fault they died

rudania has the worst boarding mission (in order of ones i most enjoyed it's camel [SO fast and SO fun], bird [lots of time to think and plan and aim], elephant [did not make me do a tedious stealth mission but i am bad at locking on to rapidly moving things behind me, much like in real life], and lizard. the lizard stealth mission is simply unpleasant). however, my brain really clicked with the puzzles in rudania: i had to consult a walkthrough once for an optional chest. in order of interior beast puzzle enjoyment for me it's lizard, bird, elephant, and camel. really got stuck for a long time on the waterwheels with the elephant before consulting a walkthrough.

the yiga clan stealth mission was not as hard as i thought it would be. i don't know why i put that off for two real life weeks but i will not learn my lesson and i will never improve. this boss battle was just silly.

the vah naboris interior puzzles were not fun. idk what it was about them or my brain that made me have such a bad time, but i spammed revali's gale and skipped a lot of chests bc i was not having fun. this is why god invented the walkthrough but sometimes. shit is just too fiddly.

i did succeed on the thunder ganon boss battle first try, but i came in with extra hearts from mipha's grace, used another mipha's grace in the fight, went through five fairies and seven hearty simmered fruits that were 5x durians (which gives you 20 extra hearts or some shit). fucking nightmare. i was stuck on one hit left on ganon for like five minutes bc he got stuck in the very fast flurry attack cycle. unpleasant. deeply grateful it only made me smack him with the magnesis pillar once bc that was also really fiddly with my poor reaction time + poor fine motor skills + previously mentioned ancient controller with some drift. in order of boss battle enjoyment i think it's lizard (made me think and kept me on my toes a little but i did have to look up how to break the shield), elephant (you can just kind of tank it), bird (same), and camel (extremely not fun).

this was WITH a fully upgraded gimp suit btw. that shit (ganon) just hits hard.

shrine shenanigans:

crowned beast very fun, i have one or two of kass' songs left and then i hope i get to see him back in rito village with his family??? a little nervous bc i went right to the jungle spring without hearing his song first so idk if that will. count??? or softlock me.

the MOUNDS of failed cooking attempts around this shrine on the grasslands side of the gerudo barrier mountains were SO funny.

unlocked all the spring shrines. what a fun mission. what a fun climb.

went to my FAVORITE shrine!!! going into what you think will be a normal cave and discovering it is DEEP with a BIG WHALE INSIDE is top three video game whale moments (the other two are diving with the whales in ABZU and meeting the last whale in the first dishonored).

other bits and bobs:

eggman rocks???

this quest was really cute and i wish there was a corresponding quest for the guy hanging around the broken heart pond, but it always makes me laugh whenever a dragon shows up in the background of a screenshot. a really great touching moment but watch out for the elemental orbs rapidly approaching us

also made me chortle. get it together barta.

i wish the helm was upgradable but i think making me kill a molduga in order to borrow it is a pretty fair trade actually.

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making

i originally had a really long thing here about litterbox trials and tribulations but i have decided to spare you all. you're welcome.

many balcony improvements, including putting up trellises and installing bird spikes to hopefully keep a very persistent orange tom off my balcony and away from my girls.

there are a goofy number of obstacles in the way of me making a proper planting diagram (sketchbooks buried deep in closet. flung the seeds in a box on a shelf i need to find my stepstool for. can't find pencil sharpener) so for the second week in a row that's not happening. however, sprouts.

baby italian lettuce blend

bush beans in the front and cucumbers + sweet peas in the back.