The Ursula K. Le Guin Fiction Awards 2026

One of my favorite all-time novels

For the people who do check in this Blog, you may have noticed that I've been trying to read my way through the Ursula K. Le Guin catalogue. Le Guin wrote Sci Fi (the Hainish books), Fantasy (the Earthsea stories), fiction, poetry, etc. My first attempt at her work was during a Sci Fi Novel course I took at university. Two books a week and the mid-term was either analyze a short story or write a new ending for one. I chose the latter. The final was either a book report on a novel or write a short story. So I once again chose the latter. It was a great course as it exposed me to so much Sci Fi. Back then it was probably considered a bird course, but I liked it. Anyway we read the Left Hand of Darkness, one of the Hainish books and I've read it probably two more times since then (1976ish). 

The Lady herself

Over the years, I've read another 28 of her books and also interviews of her. I've still got quite a few others, because the lady was prolific. Unfortunately she died in 2018, at the age of 88. But she does live on as her estate has created the annual Ursula K. Le Guin Fiction Award. I first became aware of it last year. From the short list of eight books, I did order two, The West Passage by Jared Pechacek which I have already read and enjoyed immensely. A very imaginative story. I also ordered The City in Glass by Nghi Vo, which I have yet to read, although I have read The Empress of Salt and Fortune by her. It was also great. Going back through the previous years, it seems to have started in 2022, I have ordered a few others, it looks like 4. I've enjoyed It Lasts Forever and then It's Gone by Anne de Merken and also Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky and have a couple of more on my shelf.

Anyway the short list for 2026 is now out and you can click on it to go to the link, if you'd like to check it out. I've ordered 5 of the books on the list -

1. Sunward by William Alexander (2025).

"A cozy debut science fiction novel by National Book Award–winning writer William Alexander, this story of found family follows a planetary courier training adolescent androids in a solar system grappling with interplanetary conflict after a devastating explosion on Earth’s moon.

Captain Tova Lir chose a life as a courier rather than get involved in her family’s illustrious business in politics. Set in humanity’s far future, hiring a planetary courier is essential for delivering private messages across the stars.

Encouraged by friends, Tova begins mentoring baby bots, juvenile AI who are developmentally in their teens, and trains them how to interact within society essentially becoming their foster mom. Her latest charge, Agatha Panza von Sparkles, named herself on their first run from Luna to Phoebe station. But on their return, they encounter a derelict spaceship and a lurking assassin, igniting a thrilling chase across the solar system.

Tova and Agatha’s daring actions leave Agatha’s mind vulnerable, relying on Tova’s former AI pupils for help. As Tova starts gathering her scattered family around her, she is chased through the solar system by forces who want her captured and her family erased. This debut science fiction novel by National Book Award–winning author William Alexander is a must-read for fans of Becky Chambers and Ursula K. Le Guin. Lovers of poignant science fiction, where the bonds of found family, the evolution of AI, and the building distrust of centuries of bias, come together in this visionary look at humanity’s future."

2. Midnight Timetable by Bora Chung (first published 2023).

"From the author and translator of the National Book Award finalist and Booker Prize shortlisted Cursed Bunny, comes a new novel-in-ghost-stories, set in a mysterious research center that houses cursed objects, where those who open the wrong door might find it’s disappeared behind them, or that the echoing footsteps they’re running from are their own…

The acclaimed Korean horror and sci-fi writer’s goosebump-inducing new book follows an employee on the night shift at the Institute. They soon learn why some employees don't last long at the center. The handkerchief in Room 302 once belonged to the late mother of two sons, whose rivalry imbues the handkerchief with undue power and unravels those around it. The cursed sneaker down the hall is stolen by a live-streaming, ghost-chasing employee, who later finds he can’t escape its tread. A cat in Room 206 reveals the crimes of its former family, trying to understand its own path to the Institute’s halls.

But Chung's haunted institute isn't just a chilling place to play. As in her astounding collections Cursed Bunny and Your Utopia, these violent allegories take on the horrors of animal testing, conversion therapy, domestic abuse, and late-stage capitalism. Equal parts bone-chilling, wryly funny, and deeply political, Midnight Timetable is a masterful work of literary horror from one of our time's greatest imaginations."

3. The Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes (2025).

"He was sent to kill a pest. Instead, he found a monster.

Enter the decadent, deadly city of Tiliard, a metropolis carved into the stump of an ancient tree. In its canopy, the pampered elite warp minds with toxic perfume; in its roots, gangs of exterminators hunt a colossal worm with an appetite for beauty.

In this complex, chaotic city, Guy Moulène has a simple goal: keep his sister out of debt. For her sake, he'll take on any job, no matter how vile.

As an exterminator, Guy hunts the uncanny creatures that crawl up from the river. These vermin are all strange, and often dangerous. His latest quarry is different: a centipede the size of a dragon with a deadly venom and a ravenous taste for artwork. As it digests Tiliard from the sewers to the opera houses, its toxin reshapes the future of the city. No sane person would hunt it, if they had the choice.

Guy doesn't have a choice."

4. One Message Remains by Premee Mohamed (2025). I would read anything by Premee. I like her stuff.

"Pageantry, pomp, pretense, and peril—"The General's Turn,” originally published in The Deadlands, drew readers into the dark world of a ceremony where Death herself might choose to join the audience... or step onto the stage.

Award-winning author Premee Mohamed presents three brand new stories set in this morally ambiguous world of war and magic. In “One Message Remains,” Major Lyell Tzajos leads his team on a charity mission through the post-armistice world of East Seudast, exhuming the bones and souls of dead foes for repatriation. But the buried fighters may have one more fight left in them—and they have chosen their weapons well.

In “The Weight of What is Hollow,” Taya is the latest apprentice of a long-honored tradition: building the bone-gallows for prisoners of war. But her very first commission will pit her skills against both her family and her oppressor.

Finally, in “Forsaking All Others,” ex-soldier Rostyn must travel the little-known ways by night to avoid his pursuers, for desertion is punishable by death. As he flees to the hoped-for sanctuary of his grandmother's village, he is joined by a fellow deserter—and, it seems, the truth of a myth older than the land itself."

5. Slow Gods by Claire North (2025).

"My name is Mawukana na-Vdnaze, and I am a very poor copy of myself.

Slow Gods is the galaxy-spanning tale ​of one man's impossible life charted against the fate of humanity amongst the stars—a powerfully imaginative space opera from multi-award-winning author Claire North. 

In telling my story, there are certain things I should perhaps lie about. I should make myself a hero. Pretend I was not used by strangers and gods, did not leave people behind.
 
Here is one out there in deep space, in the pilot's chair, I died. And then, I was reborn. I became something not quite human, something that could speak to the infinite dark. And I vowed to become the scourge of the world that wronged me. 

This is the story of the supernova event that burned planets and felled civilizations. This is also the story of the many lives I've lived since I died for the first time.  
 
Are you listening? "

I could have easily ordered the other books as well, but, hey, I was trying to behave. Anyway, if you want to explore the Sci Fi genre, check out the the books above and also go to the webpage of the award. Take care.

As June 2025 Winds Down...

The temperature has cooled down the past couple of days and we even had some rain, not lots but we needed it. It's been somewhat confusing regarding Jo's chemo. This past weeks was cancelled but when her doctor came back from vacation, he said it shouldn't have been so we were off to the clinic yesterday. It knocked her out a bit but she slept most of the evening and overnight, but she's much better today. 😊 

So the month is winding down... ALREADY! Time for a quick update on what I've been reading, etc. You know the skit if you read this Blog at all. All 12 of you.. 

Just Finished (2 books completed since my last update)

1. A Fragment of Fear by John Bingham (Mys / 1965). I've enjoyed a few of Bingham's books, this one didn't do it for me.

"A Fragment of Fear is the 4th mystery / thriller that I've read by English author, John  Bingham and it was the one I enjoyed the least, unfortunately. I like his writing style very much but I can't say I liked the main character very much and the ending was a bit wishy washy for me... Oh well. I will continue to read his stories but this one didn't work.

So, mystery writer James Compton is vacationing in Naples. He had been in a car accident which injured his legs so he has taken the opportunity to go there to just vacation and also to strengthen his legs. He's due to marry Juliet and she is in the US for work, so this is his opportunity to relax a bit. While there, he makes acquaintance of an elderly British woman, Mrs. Dawson. As the story begins, she's just been murdered in the ruins of Pompeii. Compton gets interested in the case and thinks it might make a nice mystery story.

Compton finds many odd things happening in Naples, the hotel manager is acting strangely, the police haven't solved the case. Compton finds her room door open so goes in and does a bit of a search. He also goes to the graveyard and finds only one decrepit wreath, from some group called the Stepping Stones. 

From the little bit of information he finds in her room, he discovers that she normally lives near Brighton in a hotel with other elderly people. Questioning them about Mrs. Dawson, she finds them somewhat disingenuous and cranky. On his way back to London on the train, he shares a room with a dumpy woman who he finally has a conversation with. As they leave, she gives him an envelope, which basically warns him off from further investigation. Now the story gets quite odd.

The letter has been typed on Compton's typewriter in his apartment. He decides to bring the letter to the police, only to find a police officer already on his door step. Oddly, the woman on the train has filed a complaint with the police. The cop says they don't really believe her, but Compton is quite obstreperous and finally forces the letter on the cop.

He discovers the next day, while reading the paper, that the woman has been murdered. Feeling he has to report his contact with her to the police, he goes to the police department but is basically not believed. Other odd things continue to happen and I won't get into all of them because it does make the story interesting. 

Compton is kind of like John Hannay in the 39 Steps, a man against an unseen threat and kind of isolated from any kind of help. Except Compton isn't all that nice. He's provided many opportunities by this 'threat' to stop investigating the murder of Mrs. Dawson, even to threatening Compton's fiancé, but due to his intransigence, he lets matters unfold, whether or not Juliet is hurt.

The story does finally unravel but it's not quite as satisfying as I would have liked. I liked the idea of the story, the mysterious threats, the isolation that Compton feels, but it wasn't quite good enough for me, I'm afraid. (2.5 stars)"

2. The Minority Report and Other Classic Stories by Philip K. Dick (Sci Fi / 1987) I really enjoyed this. Dick is one of the unique writers of our time.

"I've been reading and enjoying the Sci Fi of Philip K. Dick since my university days. My favorite has always been The Man in the High Castle, probably my first attempt at a Dick work, if I remember correctly. I think it was one of the books we read for my Sci Fi novel course in my university days. I've read it 3 or 4 times and have also enjoyed the TV series, although I've never seen the end. But over the years, I've read another 11 books and also an interview with him. Some I enjoyed more than others; Dr. Bloodmoney was excellent, as were Do Androids Dream, A Maze of Death, etc. I could obviously go on. 😎😁

My latest attempt was for a short story challenge I'm doing this year, The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick 4: The Minority Report by Philip K. Dick|which was published 1987, although my particular copy is entitled, The Minority Report and Other Classic Stories by.... 

OK, now that we have that all settled, I enjoyed the collection very much. It consists of 18 stories and at the end are notes on each story. There is also an introduction by James Tiptree. The title story, The Minority Report, was made into a movie starring Tom Cruise and the movie was better. But I think that's because you can flesh out a movie much more. The story was still interesting. 

Let's see... some favorites. Waterspider was maybe my favorite as it was actually quite funny. It's a time travel story where people from the future believe Sci Fi writers are precogs and they especially want Poul Anderson to come to the future to help explain the problem they are having with space travel. He's picked up at a Sci Fi convention so we meet various other Sci Fi authors, including Philip K. Dick. The plan backfires and that old adage 'don't change the past' or it will impact the future... Well, it does in a funny kind of way.

Another time travel story, Orpheus With Clay Feet involves a man, Jesse Slade, who's bored with his life in the future (ok, his present) so he goes to a 'travel' agency where they send you into the past to motivate his favorite Sci Fi author, James Dowland, to switch from writing TV westerns to creating his magnum Sci Fi opus. Of course this also back fires and the travel agency has other plans for Jesse (neat idea). As a nice twist, Orpheus With Clay Feet was written by Dick under the pseudonym of, you guessed it, James Dowland. hee hee.

The last story Oh, to be a Blobel is supposed to be anti war story, how war makes you more like the people you are fighting. An interesting quote from Dick in his notes on this subject, "Hitler had once said that the true victory of the Nazis would be to force its enemies, the US in particular, to become like the Third Reich - i.e. a totalitarian society - in order to win. Hitler, then, expected to win in losing. As I watched the American military - industrial complex grow after WWII I kept remembering Hitler's analysis, and I kept thinking how right the son of a bitch was." (prophetic much??) Another aspect of this story reminded me of The Gift of the Magi by O Henry, in a sort of convoluted way.

I could go on but I'll stop there. Suffice it to say, the collection of short stories did not disappoint. Every story was entertaining. Dick shows the ability to shift from novels to short stories very easily. What else can I say but he's one neat dude. I still have seven more books of his sitting on my book shelves to enjoy. Yay! (4.0 stars)"

Borrowed from Simon & Shuster

Editor's Note - A call from my local book store just came in saying some books I ordered have arrived. Happy Saturday!! I'll update when I get back.... Editor's Note X 2 - I'm back. 4 books in.. and, no, Jo didn't swear at me, no matter what I told Kelly at the book store, that store being Books 4 Brains.

Currently Reading (started since last update)

1. The Dead Side of the Mike by Simon Brett (Charles Paris #6 / 1981). I've been enjoying the Charles Paris books, actor / writer and part time detective.

"Murder at the BBC? It's almost unimaginable.

When Andrea Gower, the beautiful studio manager is murdered, the producer's only concern is the dead air emanating from the transmitter.

But Charles Paris, the now famous actor/detective has come to Broadcasting House to give a talk, and ends up as a mystery voice on a showbiz quiz show.

Paris has to wallow through layers of BBC scandal, and uncovers a complicated fraud - with clues concealed in seemingly innocent announcements.

These clues lead to a trap that is nearly the end of Mr. Paris in 'The Dead Side of the Mike'."

3. Pump Six and Other Stories by Paolo Bacigalupi (Short Stories / 2008). I've previously read and enjoyed The Wind-up Girl by Bacigalupi. I'm hoping these are as enjoyable.

"Paolo Bacigalupi's debut collection demonstrates the power and reach of the science fiction short story. Social criticism, political parable, and environmental advocacy lie at the center of Paolo's work. Each of the stories herein is at once a warning, and a celebration of the tragic comedy of the human experience.

The eleven stories in Pump Six represent the best Paolo's work, including the Hugo nominee "Yellow Card Man," the nebula and Hugo nominated story "The People of Sand and Slag," and the Sturgeon Award-winning story "The Calorie Man.""

Newest Arrivals

(A few books to add here)

1. The Genocides by Thomas M. Disch (Dystopia / 1965)

"In this harrowing novel, the world's cities have been reduced to cinder and ash and alien plants have overtaken the earth.  The plants, able to grow the size of maples in only a month and eventually reach six hundred feet, have commandeered the world's soil and are sucking even the Great Lakes dry. In northern Minnesota, Anderson, an aging farmer armed with a Bible in one hand and a gun in the other, desperately leads the reduced citizenry of a small town in a daily struggle for meager existence. Throw into this fray Jeremiah Orville, a marauding outsider bent on a bizarre and private revenge, and the fight to live becomes a daunting task."

2. The Road Through the Wall by Shirley Jackson (Hor / 1948) Jackson's first novel.

"The compelling novel that began Shirley Jackson's legendary career

Pepper Street is a really nice, safe California neighborhood. The houses are tidy and the lawns are neatly mowed. Of course, the country club is close by, and lots of pleasant folks live there. The only problem is they knocked down the wall at the end of the street to make way for a road to a new housing development. Now, that’s not good—it’s just not good at all. Satirically exploring what happens when a smug suburban neighborhood is breached by awful, unavoidable truths, The Road Through the Wall is the tale that launched Shirley Jackson’s heralded career."

3. The Listener by Robert McCammon (Hor / 2018). One of two books I got by McCammon, one from a Little Free Library that I walked past on my morning walk. I've previously enjoyed Boy's Life.

"1934. Businesses went under by the hundreds, debt and foreclosures boomed, and breadlines grew in many American cities.

In the midst of this misery, some folks explored unscrupulous ways to make money. Angel-faced John Partlow and carnival huckster Ginger LaFrance are among the worst of this lot. Joining together they leave their small time confidence scams behind to attempt an elaborate kidnapping-for-ransom scheme in New Orleans.

In a different part of town, Curtis Mayhew, a young black man who works as a redcap for the Union Railroad Station, has a reputation for mending quarrels and misunderstandings among his friends. What those friends don't know is that Curtis has a special talent for listening... and he can sometimes hear things that aren't spoken aloud.

One day, Curtis Mayhew's special talent allows him to overhear a child's cry for help (THIS MAN IN THE CAR HE'S GOT A GUN), which draws him into the dangerous world of Partlow and LaFrance."

4. Ties that Bind; The Story of an Afro-Cherokee Family in Slavery in Freedom by Tiya Miles (Indigenous / 2005). One of the books discussed in a previous read, The Bad Indians Book Club.

"This beautifully written book tells the haunting saga of a quintessentially American family. It is the story of Shoe Boots, a famed Cherokee warrior and successful farmer, and Doll, an African slave he acquired in the late 1790s. Over the next thirty years, Shoe Boots and Doll lived together as master and slave and also as lifelong partners who, with their children and grandchildren, experienced key events in American history—including slavery, the Creek War, the founding of the Cherokee Nation and subsequent removal of Native Americans along the Trail of Tears, and the Civil War. This is the gripping story of their lives, in slavery and in freedom.

Meticulously crafted from historical and literary sources, Ties That Bind vividly portrays the members of the Shoe Boots family. Doll emerges as an especially poignant character, whose life is mostly known through the records of things done to her—her purchase, her marriage, the loss of her children—but also through her moving petition to the federal government for the pension owed to her as Shoe Boots's widow. A sensitive rendition of the hard realities of black slavery within Native American nations, the book provides the fullest picture we have of the myriad complexities, ironies, and tensions among African Americans, Native Americans, and whites in the first half of the nineteenth century."

5. Kill Creek by Scott Thomas (Hor / 2017). A new author for me, suggested in 101 Horror Books You Should Read before You're Murdered.

"At the end of a dark prairie road, nearly forgotten in the Kansas countryside, is the Finch House. For years it has remained empty, overgrown, abandoned. Soon the door will be opened for the first time in decades. But something is waiting, lurking in the shadows, anxious to meet its new guests…

When best-selling horror author Sam McGarver is invited to spend Halloween night in one of the country’s most infamous haunted houses, he reluctantly agrees. At least he won’t be alone; joining him are three other masters of the macabre, writers who have helped shape modern horror. But what begins as a simple publicity stunt will become a fight for survival. The entity they have awakened will follow them, torment them, threatening to make them a part of the bloody legacy of Kill Creek."

6. The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig (Hor / 2021). Wanderers by Wendig was one of my favorites of last year.

"Long ago, Nathan lived in a house in the country with his abusive father—and has never told his family what happened there.

Long ago, Maddie was a little girl making dolls in her bedroom when she saw something she shouldn’t have—and is trying to remember that lost trauma by making haunting sculptures.

Long ago, something sinister, something hungry, walked in the tunnels and the mountains and the coal mines of their hometown in rural Pennsylvania.

Now, Nate and Maddie Graves are married, and they have moved back to their hometown with their son, Oliver.

And now what happened long ago is happening again . . . and it is happening to Oliver. He meets a strange boy who becomes his best friend, a boy with secrets of his own and a taste for dark magic.

This dark magic puts them at the heart of a battle of good versus evil and a fight for the soul of the family—and perhaps for all of the world. But the Graves family has a secret weapon in this battle: their love for one another."

The 1st two books in the Misewa Saga series, an indigenous young adult series.

7a. The Barren Grounds by David A. Robertson (#1 / 2020). I've enjoyed Robertson's Reckoner graphic novel series and Sugar Falls.

"Narnia meets traditional Indigenous stories of the sky and constellations in an epic middle-grade fantasy series from award-winning author David Robertson.

Morgan and Eli, two Indigenous children forced away from their families and communities, are brought together in a foster home in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They each feel disconnected, from their culture and each other, and struggle to fit in at school and at their new home -- until they find a secret place, walled off in an unfinished attic bedroom. A portal opens to another reality, Ask, bringing them onto frozen, barren grounds, where they meet Ochek (Fisher). The only hunter supporting his starving community, Misewa, Ochek welcomes the human children, teaching them traditional ways to survive. But as the need for food becomes desperate, they embark on a dangerous mission. Accompanied by Arik, a sassy Squirrel they catch stealing from the trapline, they try to save Misewa before the icy grip of winter freezes everything -- including them."

7b. The Great Bear by David A. Robertson (#2 / 2021).

"Eli and Morgan journey once more to Misewa, travelling back in time.

Back at home after their first adventure in the Barren Grounds, Eli and Morgan each struggle with personal issues: Eli is being bullied at school, and tries to hide it from Morgan, while Morgan has to make an important decision about her birth mother. They turn to the place where they know they can learn the most, and make the journey to Misewa to visit their animal friends. This time they travel back in time and meet a young fisher that might just be their lost friend. But they discover that the village is once again in peril, and they must dig deep within themselves to find the strength to protect their beloved friends. Can they carry this strength back home to face their own challenges?"

8. Baal by Robert McCammon (Hor / 1978). This is the book I found in the Little Free Library.

"A woman is ravished...

and to her a child is born...
unleashing an unimaginable evil upon the world!

And they call him BAAL in the orphanage, where he leads the children on a rampage of violence...in California, where he appears as the head of a deadly Manson-like cult...in Kuwait, where crazed millions heed his call to murder and orgy.

They call him BAAL in the Arctic's hellish wasteland, where he is tracked by the only three men with a will to stop him: Zark, the shaman; Virga, the aging professor of theology; and Michael, the powerful, mysterious stranger."

9. The Luck of the Vails by E.F. Benson (Mys / 1901). I recently finished his first mystery, The Blotting Book.

"When the Luck of the Vails is lost,

Fear not fire nor rain nor frost;
When the Luck is found again,
Fear both fire and frost and rain.

The Luck of the Vails is an exquisite gold cup, encrusted with precious jewels. On the eve of his twenty-first birthday, Harry Vail, twelfth baronet, discovers the chalice hidden in soft leather folds up in the attic. Little can he imagine, as he unwraps this unexpected gift, the birthday curse he is about to bring down upon his head.

Set amid the rolling Wiltshire dales and the clattering, gaslit streets of London, The Luck of the Vails gradually reveals a long, bitter history of corruption and violence amongst the old aristocracy. It is a vintage crime story."

And now the 4 books that arrived today... phew...

10. Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq (Indigenous / 2018). A new author for me.

"From the internationally acclaimed Inuit throat singer who has dazzled and enthralled the world with music it had never heard before, a fierce, tender, heartbreaking story unlike anything you've ever read.

Fact can be as strange as fiction. It can also be as dark, as violent, as rapturous. In the end, there may be no difference between them.

A girl grows up in Nunavut in the 1970s. She knows joy, and friendship, and parents' love. She knows boredom, and listlessness, and bullying. She knows the tedium of the everyday world, and the raw, amoral power of the ice and sky, the seductive energy of the animal world. She knows the ravages of alcohol, and violence at the hands of those she should be able to trust. She sees the spirits that surround her, and the immense power that dwarfs all of us.

When she becomes pregnant, she must navigate all this.

Veering back and forth between the grittiest features of a small arctic town, the electrifying proximity of the world of animals, and ravishing world of myth, Tanya Tagaq explores a world where the distinctions between good and evil, animal and human, victim and transgressor, real and imagined lose their meaning, but the guiding power of love remains.

Haunting, brooding, exhilarating, and tender all at once, Tagaq moves effortlessly between fiction and memoir, myth and reality, poetry and prose, and conjures a world and a heroine readers will never forget."

11. Blood over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang (Fantasy / 2023). Yup, a new author.

"Magic has made the city of Tiran an industrial utopia, but magic has a cost—and the collectors have come calling.

An orphan since the age of four, Sciona has always had more to prove than her fellow students. For twenty years, she has devoted every waking moment to the study of magic, fueled by a mad desire to achieve the impossible: to be the first woman ever admitted to the High Magistry. When she finally claws her way up the ranks to become a high mage, however, she finds that her challenges have just begun. Her new colleagues will stop at nothing to let her know she is unwelcome, beginning with giving her a janitor instead of a qualified lab assistant.

What neither Sciona nor her peers realize is that her taciturn assistant was once more than a janitor; before he mopped floors for the mages, Thomil was a nomadic hunter from beyond Tiran’s magical barrier. Ten years have passed since he survived the perilous crossing that killed his family. But working for a high mage, he sees the opportunity to finally understand the forces that decimated his tribe, drove him from his homeland, and keep the Tiranish in power.

Through their fractious relationship, mage and outsider uncover an ancient secret that could change the course of magic forever—if it doesn’t get them killed first. Sciona has defined her life by the pursuit of truth, but how much is one truth worth with the fate of civilization in the balance?"

12. The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee (Sci Fi / 2026). I believe it was recommended on the CBC book page. I did not know the Lee was Canadian.

"A battle-worn corporate samurai undertakes one last mission on a merciless planet where death is always a mere breath away, in this standalone dystopian epic from the author of the modern fantasy classic Jade City.

LIVE BY THE CODE. DIE BY THE KNIFE.

Isako is a legendary swordswoman, but every legend must come to an end. When her long-time client unexpectedly retires, she plans to follow—to walk out into the frozen wasteland of their planet with her head held high and her family enriched by her death. But when she’s offered a final mission, she can’t refuse, especially when she realizes who lies at the center of it all: Martim, her last—and worst—apprentice, who’s somehow made his way to the top. As she’s thrust into a world of corporate espionage and shadowy secrets, what she uncovers could forever change humanity’s existence among the stars."

and finally...

13. Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark (Hor / Hist Fiction / 2020). I've seen around but never bought. It was recommended in 101 Horror Novels.... 

"In America, demons wear white hoods.

In 1915, The Birth of a Nation casts a spell across America, swelling the Klan's ranks and drinking deep from the darkest thoughts of white folk. All across the nation they ride, spreading fear and violence among the vulnerable. They plan to bring hell to Earth. But even Ku Kluxes can die.

Standing in their way are Maryse Boudreaux and her fellow resistance fighters, a foulmouthed sharpshooter, and a Harlem Hellfighter. Armed with blade, bullet, and bomb, they hunt their hunters and send the Klan's demons straight to hell. But something awful's brewing in Macon, and the war on hell is about to heat up.

Can Maryse stop the Klan before it ends the world?"

There you go folks. Some reading ideas to fill your summer reading list. Enjoy July.

It's Father's Day so Time for a Reading Update

Dad had the best lap to lie on, right Jenn?

Firstly, I want to wish my Dad a Happy Father's Day! Love you, Dad!

Jo is having her afternoon nap so I thought I'd take this opportunity to do a quick book update. Alright!

Completed Books

1.  Shotgun by Ed McBain (87th Precinct #23 / 1963). A favorite police procedural series.

"If you like a good police procedural type mystery, the 87th Precinct series is one for you. Shotgun is the 23rd book in this entertaining series by Ed McBain and no, I haven't read the 23 books. I've read out of order somewhat with this one as it fit into one of my reading challenges. While there are personal features in the lives of the featured cops that might be missed, their back stories are told enough in the particular book that you aren't missing anything.

The 87th Precinct is a police precinct in an unnamed US city. It follows the cops that work there. As far as I can tell, it's not always the same cops in a particular story, there do seem to be some main ones. In this case, you've got Detectives Kling and Carella handling the main case and the night shift, Meyers and Hawes handling the other case.

Kling arrives on the scene of a nasty double murder, a man and a woman murdered by shotgun blast, two each to the head. (Note. The crimes can be violent but they aren't sensationalized. Everything is quite matter of fact). The main story follows this investigation as well as the lives of the two cops. (Oh, it's close to Hallowe'en) The other crime is the murder of a woman in her apartment. She has been stabbed and murdered with a knife in her home.

So that's the main premise and we basically follow the cops as the move around the city, living their lives, sorting out clues to the crimes, interrogating people, gathering facts, etc. It all sounds mundane and maybe it is. But McBain turns it into a fascinating story. His description never wastes a word. You can picture the city, the people, their lives. He is a great story teller.

I kind of had the main mystery figured out but that really didn't matter. I still wanted to see if I was correct and how the cops got there. The 2nd murder resolution was kind of neat. It's just a nice page turner, a well written, well crafted story. I've read 3 or 4 now and enjoyed them all very much. (4.0 stars)"

2. The Blotting Book by E.F. Benson (Mys / 1908). A new author for me.

"The Blotting Book, originally published in 1908, was my first exposure to English writer, E.F.  Benson, who lived from 1867 - 1940. It was one of the early mystery novels. It appears that Benson only wrote a couple in this genre amongst his other works. 

It's a pretty simple story, actually, no fuss, no bother, just an entertaining, descriptive, quick little story. A young man, Morris Asheton is about to inherit his estate, having attained 25 years of age, or soon anyway. He is very excited as he is about to propose to a lovely young lady. However, his solicitors, Mr. Taynton and Mr. Mills, have been mucking about a bit with his money and he doesn't actually have as much as he thinks.

Between the two, they have a bit of a plot to fix things. Mills has put about some scandalous words about Morris to his fiancé's father that has put a damper on the whole wedding idea. And Mills also is black mailing Taynton about his fiddling with Morris's future money.

Lots of anguish, especially from Morris, who wants to deal harshly with Mills and also by Taynton, who needs to recoup his financial losses and also somehow deal with Mills' threats. In the midst of all this, a horrendous storm hits the Brighton / Falmer area. Mills, who is supposed to return from his London office on that night, doesn't make it home.

Eventually, his body is discovered and in the investigation Morris is charged with the murder and a trial is held. I'll leave it there. This isn't really spoilers as it's pretty well all mentioned in the brief synopsis. 

Benson is a bit of a flowery writer but still entertaining. He's an excellent observer of settings and characters and presents an interesting story. At times it seemed a bit overblown but I still enjoyed the set-up, the mystery and the ultimate solution. He doesn't develop the characters over much, just enough to give you a flavor of them, enough to help you ascertain their reasoning and motives. All in all, a nice short, satisfying mystery. (I've ordered another, The Luck of the Vails. (3.5 stars)"

3. Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker (Hor / 2026). Another new author for me and this was her latest.

"I heard of Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker from various book podcasters that I follow and they seemed quite excited about trying it. So needless to say, being an easily influenced person when it comes to books 😉, I figured I should check it out as well. It was an interesting read.

Japanese Gothic is a sort of fantasy / fairy tale / time travel / interdimensional type story, I think. It follows two main characters, Lee, a young man who lost his mother when he was 12 and is still dealing with it, taking lots of Ativan and not dealing with people very well, especially his father. Then you have Sen, from the 1800s, daughter of one of the last Samurais who lives with her family in a house in Japan, where her father is hiding from the Emperor's army. Oddly enough, Lee is now staying with his father, James and Dad's girlfriend, Hina in the same house that Sen lives (d) in.

So,  there are some SOME!!! complications as well. Lee was attending college in the States and believes he murdered his roommate and that is the reason he dashed off to Japan. Sen, as a young girl, was sacrificed to the ocean by her mother, because she thought by doing so, her son would be saved from... maybe typhoid?? Sen was returned to the house by some woman who lives under the ocean, the sacrifice receiver...

Oh yes, the main 'complication'. There seems to be an opening in the space / time continuum (borrowed by myself from Star Trek.. Thanks!) that allows Lee and Sen to interact by a doorway in their room. Lee hopes to get Sen to help him find his mother's spirit. (There is a back story there, about whether his mother died (in some way?), was kidnapped, or something... which his father won't discuss. Let's see.. Sen's father was part of a revolution of Samurai's against the Emperor which was defeated. Instead of dying on the battle field with his comrades, Sen's father returned home and hid his family away and now spends his time training Sen to be a Samurai (he's very abusive)...

Got the story now? Did I mention the sort of fairy tale about the man who saved a tortoise and lived 300 years under he ocean with a princess? Ah, well, they do play a part.

So it's a complex fascinating story that I'm not sure I totally understood, especially when it came to the resolution. Did I like the characters? Lee and Sen are both very damaged, especially Lee, and it's hard to really like them. Lee's and Sen's dads aren't very likable either, Lee's because he can't deal with the disappearance of his wife or with Lee's issues and Sen's because he's not a very nice guy to his family (putting it mildly). I did like minor characters, especially Hina and wish she were in it more and there is a servant who works for Sen who is loyal and caring... 

But you don't have to like everybody. The journey that Lee and Sen are on is quite interesting. The various stories are interesting, even if there is a fair bit of violence.. at times. The twists and turns are all fascinating and the ending, while I think, to me anyway, still left questions was also interesting. I enjoyed exploring the book. It wasn't perfect but it was well-written, beautifully described and held my interest throughout. (4.0 stars)"

4. Bad Indian's Book Club by Patty Krawek (Non Fic / 2025). 

"Bad Indians Book Club: Reading at the Edge of a Thousand Worlds by Patty Krawec is a book about books, by genre, focused on books about and by indigenous / marginalized peoples. I seem to be reading a few of these books focused on books of late. Unfortunately (really, it's fortunately... 😉) they all give me ideas for more books to purchase to read. Patty Krawec is an Anishinaabe / Ukrainian writer and she presents this book in a fascinating, unique way.

It was started when Patty was asked by friend to recommend a book or two to help him better understand indigenous experience and thought. As Patty says, she is incapable of doing anything in the simplest way. His request became a twitter feed, a book club and a series of panel discussions over the course of a year, which she called 'Ambe A Year of Indigenous Reading'. Each month they talked about a handful of selected books and were invited to talk about other books.

They covered all genres; Why Indigenous writing matters, Science and Nature, History, Refusing Patriarchy, Memoir, Fiction, Horror and Speculative Fiction and Graphic Novels. Before each section, Patty provides snippets of her own short story, created for this novel, the story of Kwe, Ojibwe for Woman, more specifically Life Giver, Life Carrier. It, on its own is a fascinating story.

I just found it a beautifully written, thoughtful book with its analysis of the indigenous world and their ideas and thoughts. 

Oh, Bad Indians are "those who challenge the stories we tell about the society in which we live, because the things we believe have consequences that are often borne by others, consequences we may not see." 

You should read it to get the full experience because anything I say probably can't do it justice. 

Chi-miigwech, Patty for sharing this. (Hoping I used the term correctly) (4.0 stars)"

5. The Will of the Tribe by Arthur W. Upfield (Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte #27 / 1962). My second book in this series.

"The Will of the Tribe is the 3rd Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte mystery I've read and the 27th in the series by Australian writer Arthur W. Upfield, so yes, you could say I've been reading out of order. 😎

Inspector Bonaparte is a half caste member of the Australian police forces and he has been sent solve the murder of a man who's body was discovered in an old crater. There is a lot of discussion of aboriginal mythology in this story. one thing the crops up is that even though there seem to be disputed time frames for when the crater might have been created, there are no aboriginal myths about it. (It's figured that the crater happened early 1900s then. This isn't critical to the story, I just wanted to belabor the point).

The body is seen from the air. The local police officer Howard and his trackers head out to the location (oh, it's on the Northwest coast in the desert, I believe), assisted by the local ranch owner, Brentner and his ranch hands. Bonaparte's instructions, from his unnamed superior are to find out how the body got there, let the local police sort out the murder itself. It's all very mysterious. He's not told who the body is, just to investigate.

It's a fascinating, complex story. Bony, as he likes to be called, is a man with footholds in two worlds, the white and the aboriginal and he treads carefully in both. It's a culture I don't totally understand (oh, I think the story is set in the late 40's.), but you've got various groups. The white ranch owners, there two young girls, and some white ranch hands and the cook. There is the Captain, an aboriginal from the local tribe, who's been educated in white schools and is the ranch foreman. There is Tessa, a young aboriginal girl, about 18, who was adopted by Mrs. Brentner, and who wants to send Tessa off to school to become a teacher. The local 'tame' aboriginal tribe is run by Gup-Gup and his medicine man, Poppa. They provide ranch hands from their tribe in exchange for food and cigarettes. Then there is the 'wild' aboriginals who live on the fringes. It's an arrangement that seems to work, even if their are tensions.

So Bony finds himself in the midst of this group of people and works to get to know them, to understand their relationships and to solve the murder. Oh yes, and trying to avoid the attacks of Mr. Lamb... what a neat animal, very funny. Consider Mr. Lamb as a pool cue and the people on the ranch as his balls and you'll get the idea.

Bony is a wonderful detective, a great character who is smart, deductive and who everyone seems to like (even if they might be suspects) and respect, especially the Brentner's young girls. It's a fascinating story and case and resolved very nicely ultimately. Upfield's writing, his description are beautiful, and he presents a great picture of life in that time and in that region of Australia's wilderness. I have a few more Bony books on my shelves and look forward to continue to explore Bony's past, his life and his cases. (3.5 stars)"

Currently Reading (as per normal, these are books commenced since my last update)

1. A Fragment of Fear by John Bingham (Mys / 1965) I've enjoyed every mystery that I've read by Bingham so far.

"James Compton, a young journalist and crime writer, becomes intrigued by and then involved in the mysterious death of an older woman British tourist apparently on holiday near the ruins of Pompeii. On his return to England he becomes further implicated in what he now knows was a murder but his efforts to help the police are sabotaged by unknown forces who discredit him to such an extent that his evidence and his theories are devalued. However, so determined is he to bring the criminals to justice that he endangers not only his own life but that of his fiancée Juliet on the very day of their long awaited wedding."

2. Sepulchre by James Herbert (Hor / 1987). I'm really enjoying exploring Herbert's work.

"There is a house called Neath that holds a dark and terrible secret.

In that house, there is a psychic called Kline who is part of its secret.

The Keeper is guardian of the house, of the psychic, and of the secret.

But now an outsider must protect them from a terrible danger. Halloran will combat men who thrive on physical corruptions; he will find love of a perverse nature; he will confront his soul's own darkness. And, eventually, he will discover the horrific and awesome secret of the Sepulchre."

3. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (The Empyrean #1 / 2023).

"Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans; they incinerate them. With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant. She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet with every day that passes, the war outside grows deadlier; the kingdom's protective wards are failing; and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret."

4. Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts by Margaret Atwood (Bio / 2025) Atwood is on my bucket list of authors to try and read all of her work.

"How does one of the greatest storytellers of our time write her own life? The long-awaited memoir from the author of The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments, one of our most lauded and influential cultural figures.

‘Every writer is at least two the one who lives, and the one who writes. Though everything written must have passed through their minds, or mind, they are not the same.’

Raised by ruggedly independent, scientifically minded parents – entomologist father, dietician mother – Atwood spent most of each year in the wild forest of northern Quebec. This childhood was unfettered and nomadic, sometimes isolated (on her eighth 'It sounds forlorn. It was forlorn. It gets more forlorn.’), but also thrilling and beautiful.

From this unconventional start, Atwood unfolds the story of her life, linking seminal moments to the books that have shaped our literary landscape, from the cruel year that spawned Cat’s Eye to the Orwellian 1980s Berlin where she wrote The Handmaid’s Tale. In pages bursting with bohemian gatherings, her magical life with the wildly charismatic writer Graeme Gibson and major political turning points, we meet poets, bears, Hollywood actors and larger-than-life characters straight from the pages of an Atwood novel.

As we travel with her along the course of her life, more and more is revealed about her writing, the connections between real life and art – and the workings of one of our greatest imaginations."

5. Talk Treaty to Me: Understanding the Basics of Treaties and Land in Canada by Crystal Gail Fraser & Sara Komarnisky (Non Fic / Canada / 2026). I read an article about a treaty about to be ratified in the Comox Valley and some of the difficulties being experienced and when I saw this book, it seemed appropriate that I should learn more about this subject. Seemed like fate to me.

"Treaties cover much of Canada. Some were established thousands of years ago, with Land and animals, and others date back to the time when Europeans first arrived in North America. These agreements make it possible for all of us to live, work, play, and profit on these Lands. Additionally, treaties have profoundly shaped the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. In Talk Treaty to Me, Crystal Gail Fraser and Sara Komarnisky untangle the complexities of treaties and set forth a path to a greater understanding of all our roles, rights, and responsibilities. In this accessible, clear, and concise book, they discuss:

- Treaties among and between Indigenous Peoples

- The history of treaty-making between Indigenous Peoples and Britain, then Canada, from the very beginning to the present day

- Concepts like Métis scrip, modern Land claims and self-government agreements, Indigenous sovereignty, and unceded territory

- The (dis)honouring of treaties and the role of Canadian settler colonialism

- How the creation of Canadian borders interrupts Indigenous sovereignty and nationhood

- Important insights from gendered and queer perspectives on treaty and Land

- The politics of land acknowledgements

- Reconciliation and Land Back movements

With a quick-reference timeline, maps, and black-and-white photographs throughout, Talk Treaty to Me concludes with a call to action and specific, tangible steps that all of us can take every day to support truth and reconciliation."

New Arrivals (only one book since my last update, not including Talking About Treaties).

1. The Xanadu Manuscript by John Rowe Townsend (Sci Fi / 1977).

"Visitors from the future complicate the lives of several inhabitants of Cambridge, England."

I think I might go have a snooze as well.. Happy Father's Day!