I wish I had meaningful advice to offer on getting through this dark time. Things are scary out there, lives and livelihoods are both in danger, and I don’t have answers for you. All I have to offer are some of the books that I’ve been reading, that are helping me to stay sane

The City We Became, by NK Jemisin

This book is amazing, which comes as a surprise to exactly no one who has been following the Hugos the last few years. This book is much lighter than her Broken Earth trilogy, but no less bitingly insightful. It’s a love letter to New York City, and giant middle finger to the xenophobia of HP Lovecraft, and I can not recommend it highly enough. She does things with language here that made me laugh out loud with delight.

Sal and Gabi Break the Universe, by Carlos Hernandez

haven’t read much middle grade fiction since I stopped working at a bookstore, so if I hadn’t read this for a class (Writing the Other: Deep Dive Into Description, which I highly recommend to any other writers out there), I would have missed out on something really fun. Hernandez deals with some heavy themes (loss of a parent, Diabetes, and a sick newborn), but somehow never loses the fun of this story.

I intend to reread this once I’ve gotten farther in my study of Spanish on Duolingo, to see if I can parse any more of the Spanish dialogue. The story is perfectly understandable without that – anything important is explained by Sal in his own voice – but I think it would be fun to do.

The King of Next Week, by EC Ambrose

This is a quiet novella, about a dreamer who marries a djinn, set shortly after the American Civil War, in New Hampshire. It’s everything I want from a historical fantasy: strong details to ground me in the time period, and enough magic to make the familiar strange and the strange familiar. It’s a little bittersweet, but it will make you think without breaking your heart.

Adventures of the Incognita Countess, by Cynthia Ward

This novella reminded me of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, but much more sapphic. It’s a delightful blending of Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, and a few other classic works of British fiction from the time, all converging on everyone favorite doomed vessel: the Titanic. The narrator starts off with some frustrating prejudices, but is disabused of them by the end. It’s a fun adventure, a send-off on classic horror, and a love story.

I’ll stop here, since I doubt anybody wants to know everything I’m reading right now. I hope you are all safe, and warm, and fed. Take care of yourselves, and each other.

Things are hard out there, friends. We’re all struggling with the stress of not knowing how this pandemic is going to play out, with isolation and fear and the urge to constantly refresh social media and read more news articles, because maybe this one will have the answers. We’re tired. We’re strained. And we still need distractions in order to preserve our sanity.

Fortunately, we still have books. I shared some of my favorite light books last week, and here some more.

In Other Lands, by Sarah Rees Brennan

Young adult discovers magical land. Young adult is destined to save magical land. It’s a time-honored tradition in fantasy literature, so it’s no surprise that there are so many books dissecting the trope these days. I love many of them, but In Other Lands is far and away the funniest.

Elliot is the kind of smart-ass we all longed to be when we were younger, the kid who simply can not keep his mouth shut, and is constitutionally incapable of bowing to authority (or anyone else) when he knows that he is right. And while he is generally right about a lot of things, he has the people skills you would expect from the love child of a porcupine and a cactus. It’s problematic.

The plot is loosely woven, following Elliot over several years of schooling. We get to watch him grow into himself and his friendships in a way that is shockingly rewarding. This is probably the spikiest books I’m recommending – there were a few points where Elliot’s inability to keep his mouth shut causes some interpersonal conflicts that pained me in my heart – but it’s all worth it in the end. Plus, there’s some great bisexual representation, which I don’t see very often.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, by Becky Chambers

A friend described this book as the science fiction equivalent of a warm hug, and I could not agree more! This book contains some of the most emotionally healthy relationships I have ever seen committed to writing.

The ensemble cast (mostly human, but including a couple of aliens who differ from us is pretty important ways) and the episodic story (most of it really is just the crews adventures as they travel to a small, angry planet) both won me over. I found myself binge reading chapter after chapter, not because of narrative tension and the need to find out how conflicts would be resolved, but out of affection for the characters and a desire to spend more time in their company.

This may be the most gentle book I have ever read, and I can not recommend it highly enough if you are feeling terribly overwhelmed.

Heroine Complex, by Sarah Kuhn

Do you like superheroes? Do you feel like superhero stories don’t center female friendships enough? Do you long to see women of color kicking ass? Then you’re going to love this book.

Evie Tanaka and Aveda Jupiter have been friends since elementary school. Now, Aveda is San Francisco’s first super hero, and Evie is her personal assistant. Only, their relationshipsdynamic has not really changed since they were kids. Oh, and the demon attacks that have plagued the city for years are intensifying, bringing decades-old conflicts between Evie and Aveda to a boil.

This book balances effervescent fun, the very real challenges of long-term friendship, and some steamy romance. The characters tend to be over-the-top, but something about their relationships feels very real to me. And it’s the first in a trilogy, all three of which are available right now!

Minor Mage, by T. Kingfisher

I’ve already written a longer review of this delightful novella on Luna Station Quarterly, but here’s the gist of it. During a terrible drought, a village send their only mage to bring back the rain. Unfortunately, Oliver is only twelve years old, knows a total of four spells, and is not exactly prepared for this sort of an epic undertaking. Fortunately for them all, Oliver (and his familiar, a very down-to-earth armadillo) are able to rise to the challenge.

I hope you’re all staying healthy. Remember to be gentle with yourselves, now more than ever.