May 2023: The Three Rs – Rest, Recuperation, and Reading

This has been on my radar for a while and was incredibly insightful and funny in equal measure. The book is covers the gamut of writing, publishing, promoting, and surviving a book launch packed with anecdotes from publishing experts including authors, agents, and publishers. It’s a balm for an industry that is still lacking in transparency and information and I’d recommend it to every author at any stage of their career.

The Shadow Cabinet (Her Majesty’s Royal Coven #2) by Juno Dawson
I adored the first book in this series – sharply hilarious and a gorgeous love letter to female friendship. An urban fantasy set in an alternate England which has a secret government bureau of witches – Her Majesty’s Royal Coven. There’s politiking, old grudges and bonds, and many a ’90s throwback. If like me you had your jaw on the floor at the end of the first book, you will not be disappointed in Dawson picking up the action and filling out the world and characters’ backstories and relationships even more deeply.

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Fairies by Heather Fawcett
This book is cosy in places but also dark in others – a historical fantasy with some unexpected surprises and the way this story slowly unfurled and let me sink into it was just divine. Featuring fae, academic rivalries, and really fun experiments in form including epistolary sections through the protagonist’s diary and her field notes as she compiles her encyclopedia of fairy lore.

Song of the Mango and Other New Myths by Vida Cruz-Borja
It’s no secret that I’m a devotee of the short story and I’ve been anticipating this collection from Cruz-Borja for a while! It’s deeply joyful for me to read speculative stories by other Filipino authors and these stories range across gothic, fantasy, and sci-fi showcasing the breadth and depth of the author’s language and imagination. I loved the play with form such as newspaper articles and the author’s concept of a ‘new myth’ mixing folklore and visions of future worlds.

White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link
Link is a titan in the short story form and it’s been quite a wait for fans for her new collection. These stories are bizarre and delicious, keeping me on my toes as a reader with the lyrical writing and mixing the macabre, surreal, and the modern. It’s a pleasure to watch a writer in the element of their craft and I continue to be surprised by Link’s work, which is a testament to her pushing the envelope on the form of the short story and what it can be.