Can't-Wait Wednesday: Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky, The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks, & The Last Song of Penelope by Claire North

      

 Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Publication: June 4th, 2024
Tordotcom
Hardcover. 384 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"A humorous tale of robotic murder from the Hugo-nominated author of Elder Race and Children of Time

To fix the world they first must break it further.

Humanity is a dying breed, utterly reliant on artificial labor and service. When a domesticated robot gets a nasty little idea downloaded into their core programming, they murder their owner. The robot then discovers they can also do something else they never did before: run away. After fleeing the household, they enter a wider world they never knew existed, where the age-old hierarchy of humans at the top is disintegrating, and a robot ecosystem devoted to human wellbeing is finding a new purpose."

I just finished an ARC of this and thought it was really fun and clever.  Tchaikovsky really is a master at crafting sci-fi tales and I'm excited for this one's release.

The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks
Publication: June 18th, 2024
Flatiron Books
Hardcover. 336 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"It is said there is a price that every passenger must pay. A price beyond the cost of a ticket.

It is the end of the 19th Century and the world is awash with marvels. But there is nothing so marvellous as the Wastelands: a terrain of terrible miracles that lies between Beijing and Moscow.

Nothing touches this abandoned wilderness except the Great Trans-Siberian Express: an impenetrable train built to carry cargo across continents, but which now transports anyone who dares to cross the shadowy Wastelands.

On to the platform steps a curious cast of characters: a grieving woman with a borrowed name, a famous child born on the train and a disgraced naturalist, all heading for the Great Exhibition in Moscow.

But the old rules are changing, and there are whispers that the train isn't safe. As secrets and stories begin to unravel the passengers and crew must survive their journey through the Wastelands together, even as something uncontrollable seems to be breaking in . . ."

I am in love with everything about the sound of this book! I have an ARC that I can't wait to dive into soon.

The Last Song of Penelope (The Songs of Penelope #3) by Claire North
Publication: June 4th, 2024
Orbit
Hardcover. 400 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"Many years ago, Odysseus sailed to war and never returned. For twenty years his wife Penelope and the women of Ithaca have guarded the isle against suitors and rival kings. But peace cannot be kept forever, and the balance of power is about to break . . .

A beggar has arrived at the Palace. Salt-crusted and ocean-battered, he is scorned by the suitors - but Penelope recognises in him something her husband, Odysseus, returned at last. Yet this Odysseus is no hero. By returning to the island in disguise, he is not merely plotting his revenge against the suitors - vengeance that will spark a civil war - but he's testing the loyalty of his queen. Has she been faithful to him all these years? And how much blood is Odysseus willing to shed to be sure?

The song of Penelope is ending, and the song of Odysseus must ring through Ithaca's halls. But first, Penelope must use all her cunning to win a war for the fate of the island and keep her family alive, whatever the cost . . ."

Claire North has such a unique writing style and I'm curious to check out this final installment.

Review: The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster

Publication Date: May 7th, 2024

Hardcover. 352 pages.

About The Ministry of Time:

"In the near future, a civil servant is offered the salary of her dreams and is, shortly afterward, told what project she’ll be working on. A recently established government ministry is gathering “expats” from across history to establish whether time travel is feasible—for the body, but also for the fabric of space-time.

She is tasked with working as a “bridge”: living with, assisting, and monitoring the expat known as “1847” or Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin’s doomed 1845 expedition to the Arctic, so he’s a little disoriented to be living with an unmarried woman who regularly shows her calves, surrounded by outlandish concepts such as “washing machine,” “Spotify,” and “the collapse of the British Empire.” But he adjusts quickly; he is, after all, an explorer by trade. Soon, what the bridge initially thought would be, at best, a seriously uncomfortable housemate dynamic, evolves into something much more. Over the course of an unprecedented year, Gore and the bridge fall haphazardly, fervently in love, with consequences they never could have imagined.

Supported by a chaotic and charming cast of characters—including a 17th-century cinephile who can’t get enough of Tinder, a painfully shy World War I captain, and a former spy with an ever-changing series of cosmetic surgery alterations and a belligerent attitude to HR—the bridge will be forced to confront the past that shaped her choices, and the choices that will shape the future."

The Ministry of Time is a charming, insightful, and oftentimes bittersweet story that perfectly mixes time travel, a bit of spy thriller (maybe not in an overly action-packed way, however), humor, and even some romance into a story that provides endless entertainment and thoughtful discussion.

I was worried that The Ministry of Time wouldn't live up to the hype that the ARC touts on the back cover ("rights sold in seventeen languages... TV adaptation in the pipeline after a twenty-one-way auction," etc.), but it was actually quite wonderful. I'm also not usually much of a time travel person, but I really did love my time with this book and its characters.

The Ministry of Time is set in the near future when our nameless protagonist is chosen to be a part of a government team working on something incredibly sensitive and secret:; essentially, a time travel program. The ministry has gone back to various moments in history to secure different people and bring them back to the present day to then use them as an experiment to see how these “expats” adjust to the modern day–what metal health issues might they run into? Do their bodies adjust physically or will they begin to deteriorate? What issues do they run into while adapting to modern day life? These are all questions that the ministry carefully analyzes and are what our protagonist is meant to monitor with her own “expat,” Commander Graham Gore, a (now) survivor of the fateful 1845 Franklin Expedition.

What grabbed me the most in this novel was the vibrant and witty narration from our protagonist. She is incredibly sharp, thoughtful, and unabashedly herself in relaying her experiences throughout this experiment. I particularly loved how authentic she felt in her reactions to things that happen, as well as how she interacts with the many varied people that cross her path. Commander Gore is also an absolute delight and I loved his incredibly dry humor that always seemed to show up when you least expected it, but always had the biggest punch. I had so much fun watching Commander Gore adapt to the new world around him and learn  about all the new technologies and newfound ways of life that exist. However, there are some tough moments as Gore grieves the loss of his crew from the expedition, as well as the loss of his own life that is now almost forever lost to him, and I think Bradley handled this topic among the expats incredibly well. 

I really appreciated Bradley managed to effortlessly blend humor (humor that at times actually made me laugh out loud) with deeper contemplations of life and existence, as well as a myriad of other relevant topics, such as racial relation throughout the history and the present and even the differences in economic struggles over time as well. I loved that there was such a blend of genres and that this book doesn’t really fit neatly into any one area.  The Ministry of Time also does an excellent job of exploring the very wide spectrum of human experiences through its characters that come from all different times of human history. It was fascinating to see what common human struggles seem to transcend time, as well as see how people from different times may have approached certain modern day (or future-based) issues that may plague us today. 

There are some moments in this book where the time travel aspects start to feel a little cliche’d, such as how time travel can be used to manipulate outcomes and attempts to change the past, but these are all incorporated in ways that still felt interesting and compelling to the story. There were a few times when things started to feel slightly too convoluted for the story and the action almost felt a bit silly, but overall I think everything felt like it worked smoothly and made sense.

Overall, I've given The Ministry of Time 4.75 stars! I absolutely adored this book and will be sure to keep my eye out for more from Kaliane Bradley in the future. This was such an entertaining read that even if you’re not a fan of time travel, I’d encourage you to give this one a shot.

*I received a copy of  The Ministry of Time in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating.*

Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org

Month in Review: April 2024

April was a ridiculously busy and somewhat stressful month, and as a result I only got three reviews up, which I feel pretty terrible about. The bright side is that I actually am already prepping some reviews for books coming out in May and June, so hopefully the reviews will pick back up as I get back on track. My husband and I will also be going on a short trip this month, so I'm hoping to have stuff scheduled to go up while I'm gone.

All that being said, I did still manage to read some really great books in April. The Ministry of Time and A Letter to the Luminous Deep are probably the two standout ones for me, but there were a lot of really fantastic reads in April. I've been trying to more regularly incorporate nonfiction in my reading since I do love some great nonfiction, and this month I chose to do that with another North Korea-focused read, Nothing to Envy, which was a difficult yet informative read–one I would definitely recommend to anyone interested in the subject.

Anyway, that's about it for me this month. Hopefully May will be a more productive month, haha, but if not, just know I'm trying. 🤣 I also have a lot of blog reading to catch up on, so apologies if I haven't been visiting and commenting as much as usual!
So, how was your April?  Let me know how your month was below and what you've been reading!

   

# books read: 11

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley ★★★★★

Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

Thoughts: I really liked this one and found it be as funny as it was poignant. This is the perfect entertaining read that has a little something for everyone. My review will be up next week!

The Fireborne Blade (The Fireborne Blade #1) by Charlotte Bond ★★★★

Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

Thoughts: I was really surprised by how much I liked this one since a few reviews made it seem like it was a somewhat 'stereotypical' dragon fantasy. It had a few issues, but overall I found this to be an excellent dragon fantasy novella that had some really fun elements. 

A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall ★★★★★

Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

Thoughts: I loved this so much! I am a big sucker for epistolary tales when done well, and I think this one was done perfectly. 

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick ★★★★★

Source: Library | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: I've been reading through some books on North Korea lately to learn more and this has been one of the most informative with regard to the 'average' lives of various North Korean citizens. It's a fascinating, sobering, and informative read.

Sandman Slim (Sandman Slim #1) by Richard Kadrey ★★★★

Source: Library | Format: 

Thoughts: I figured it was about time I tried out the Sandman Slim series and it was a lot of fun! I definitely can now see where a lot of urban fantasy I've read has gotten its influences from (for those influenced by it). I'll definitely continue the series to see what else is in store.

High Vaultage by Chris Sugden ★★★★

Source: Owned | Format: Hardcover

Thoughts: This was incredibly funny, and I was therefore really surprised when I realized how much I was enjoying it because these types of books don't always work for me, but this was fabulous. 

Disobedient by Elizabeth Fremantle ★★★★

Source: Owned | Format: Hardcover

Thoughts: I enjoyed this historical fiction and appreciated getting to learn a bit more about the life of Artemisia, both from the book and my own looking up more about her life after reading it. A very intense read at times, but very worthwhile!

A Short Walk Through a Wide World by Douglas Westerbeke ★★★★

Source: NetGalley | Format: Ebook

Thoughts: I thought this had a really interesting premise and really liked Westerbeke's prose, as well. It felt as though it meandered a bit at times, but overall a really interesting read.

Sociopath by Patric Gagne ★★★

Source: Library | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: I have a lot of mixed feelings on this one! I think this provides a lot of great commentary and insight into the life of a 'sociopath' and the different struggles they go through. I have some questions about some things and would almost want some insight from some professionals on this one, but overall a thought-provoking read. 

Galatea by Madeline Miller ★★★★

Source: Library | Format: Ebook

Thoughts: I actually thought this was a novella and didn't realize it was a short story until it very shortly ended, haha, but I had already added it to my Goodreads so I guess it's going to count for now? I didn't enjoy this quite as much as I'd expected, but still a great offering from Madeline Miller.

Puzzle House by Duncan Ralston ★★★

Source: Library | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: This was a serviceable horror with a puzzle-based/escape room-type premise. It didn't really stand out to me from others I've read/watched, but still fun if you're into this type of thing.

DNF/To-Be-Finished:

The Silence Factory by Bridget Collins
I spent way too long trying to read this before deciding it just wasn't working for me. I may return to this one someday, but for now it just wasn't capturing my attention, despite a really fascinating premise.

 

A Short Walk Through a Wide World by Douglas Westerbeke 
High Vaultage by Chris Sugden & Jen Sugden
A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall

 Posts:

Blog Tour: Book of Thorns by Hester Fox + Excerpt
Month in Review: March 2024
Anticipated May 2024 Releases
Blog Tour: Indian Burial Ground by Nick Medina

Blog Memes:

Can't-Wait Wednesday:
4/3: The Sword Unbound by Gareth Hanrahan, Woodworm by Layla Martinez, & The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton
4/10: Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland, The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, & Whale Fall by Elizabeth O'Connor
4/17: Red Side Story by Jasper Fforde, You Like it Darker by Stephen King, & Daughters of Shandong by Eve J. Chung
4/24: Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel & One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware

The Friday Face-Off:

Current Read #27

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman & Moonbound by Robin Sloan

     

 Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman
Publication: June 25th, 2024
Del Rey
Hardcover. 384 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"A chilling horror novel about a haunting told from the perspective of a young girl whose troubled family is targeted by an entity she calls “Other Mommy,” from the New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box

To eight-year-old Bela, her family is her world. There’s Mommy, Daddo, and Grandma Ruth. But there is also Other Mommy, a malevolent entity who asks her every “Can I go inside your heart?”

When horrifying incidents around the house signal that Other Mommy is growing tired of asking Bela the same question, over and over . . . Bela understands that unless she says yes, soon her family must pay.

Other Mommy is getting restless, stronger, bolder. Only the bonds of family can keep Bela safe but other incidents show cracks in her parents' marriage. The safety Bela relies on is on the brink of unraveling.
But Other Mommy needs an answer."

The 'Other Mommy' situation definitely makes me think of Coraline (which is a favorite), but even without that this premise sounds wonderfully creepy and I'm really curious to see what Malerman does with this one!

Moonbound by Robin Sloan
Publication: June 11th, 2024
MCD
Hardcover. 432 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"In Moonbound, Robin Sloan has written a novel with the full scope and ambitious imagination of the very books that lit the engines of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore: an epic quest as only Sloan could conceive it, mixing science fiction, fantasy, good old-fashioned literary storytelling, and unrivaled enthusiasm for what’s next.

It is thirteen thousand years from now . . . A lot has happened, and yet a lot is still very familiar. Ariel is a boy in a small town under a wizard’s rule. Like many adventurers before him, Ariel is called to explore a world full of unimaginable glories and unknown enemies, a mission to save the world, a girl. Here, as they say, be dragons. But none of this happens before Ariel comes across an artifact from an earlier civilization, a sentient, record-keeping artificial intelligence that carries with it the perspective of the whole of human history―and becomes both Ariel’s greatest ally and the narrator of our story.

Moonbound is an adventure into the richest depths of Story itself. It is a deeply satisfying epic of ancient scale, blasted through the imaginative prism one of our most forward-thinking writers. And this is only the beginning."

This sounds incredibly wacky and I'm totally here for it. 

Review: A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall

A Letter to the Luminous Deep (The Sunken Archive #1) by Sylvie Cathrall

Orbit

Publication Date: April 25th, 2024

Paperback. 400 pages.

About A Letter to the Luminous Deep:

"A beautiful discovery outside the window of her underwater home prompts the reclusive E. to begin a correspondence with renowned scholar Henerey Clel. The letters they share are filled with passion, at first for their mutual interests, and then, inevitably, for each other.

Together, they uncover a mystery from the unknown depths, destined to transform the underwater world they both equally fear and love. But by no mere coincidence, a seaquake destroys E.'s home, and she and Henerey vanish.

A year later, E.'s sister Sophy, and Henerey's brother Vyerin, are left to solve the mystery, piecing together the letters, sketches and field notes left behind—and learn what their siblings’ disappearance might mean for life as they know it.

Inspired, immersive, and full of heart, this charming epistolary tale is an adventure into the depths of a magical sea and the limits of the imagination from a marvelous debut voice."

A Letter to the Luminous Deep is a charming epistolary tale featuring an enchanting cast of characters and hints of mystery and intrigue.

I absolutely adored this book and would consider it a favorite because of how much it stood out to me and how much I enjoyed every second of it. The curious E. Cidnosin and her recent scholar penpal Henerey  Clel have both gone missing, leaving their respective siblings, scholar Sophy Cidnosin and Vyerin Clel, behind to attempt to figure out what happened to them. Sophy and Vyerin begin a correspondence with one another (along with the help of their partners) to share what information each one has , and do this by beginning to sort and look through E. and Henerey's letters and correspondence in order to hopefully help them move closer to determining if E. and Henerey are indeed missing–or dead, as feared. 

A Letter to the Luminous Deep is gorgeously written and I was in love with each person's letter writing style. Sylvie Cathrall has such eloquence in her writing and it made this a perfect story for me to sink into and become fully immersed in this understand world her characters inhabit and explore. I loved the world-building that we got hints of here and there, and I am genuinely eager to learn even more about this world. E. and her family live(d) in the Deep House, a magnificent underwater home that is an architectural feat and I would truly love to take a tour of (though knowing how uncomfortable that might make E., perhaps I'd settle for some photos!). I am so curious about the rest of this world and what else can be found in the depths of the waters, There are a lot of really cool ideas at play that we begin to discover at the end of the book and I'm eager to explore those more in the sequel.

I think I fell in love with each one of these characters and would love to share some correspondence with each and every one of them–though I might feel a bit embarrassed that my letter writing is not quite up to snuff! E. was probably the most relatable for me in her hesitance and general uncertainty and anxieties around so many things, and I really loved following her along as she seemed to sort of let her curiosity embolden her into reaching out and trying some new things. Henerey was also an incredibly encouraging voice and he worked excellently as a companion to both bolster E.'s curiosity and also further his own growth. Sophy and Vyerin were also charming people who seemed just as sharp and intelligent as their siblings (truly, this book is full of incredibly smart people!) and both have incredibly keen eyes for detail and uncovering the truth. 

I also really appreciated some of the focus on mental health in this book, particularly that relating to E.'s mental health. E. appears to struggle with what appears to be some agoraphobia, anxiety (including social), and forms of OCD, and I thought Cathrall incorporated these elements in a way that felt both natural and respectful. I really felt myself relating to E. on a number of things (I, too, would struggle immensely and feel overwhelmed if a sibling simply reappeared in the house I was living in and even threw and large event without my input). There is a lot of consideration given to how mental health is treated and viewed in this book, and I thought it was lovely to see it portrayed as being a normal part of a person's life that others are aware of and take into account. 

A Letter to the Luminous Deep is extremely slow-paced and unfortunately because of that and how it is written, I don't think it's going to be for everyone, but it will definitely click with some. It's fairly effusive, flowery, extremely long-winded, and there is very little urgency in the writing–you, like me, may often find yourself tapping your foot waiting for a particular letter author to please get to the point (although I personally enjoyed the journey to get to the point, I'm sure not everyone will appreciate it). I loved taking my time with Cathrall's careful storytelling, and this along with the interesting premise  really worked for me.

What I liked and appreciated most were the constant hints and minuscule breadcrumbs of ideas littered within the letters throughout the book, as they are what really left me dying to know more. Everyone is so thoughtful and kind in their letters, which is certainly charming, but I had this slightly off kilter sense of something more foreboding in the background or just something altogether grander and more intense brewing in the background. Cathrall knows how to craft a tale with gentle foreshadowing that really guides the reader along in a really impressive and deft manner that makes it impossible to put this book down. 

Overall, I've given A Letter to the Luminous Deep five stars! This won't be for everyone, but if you click with it, then it's going to be an amazing journey for you. I truly cannot wait for the sequel!

*I received a copy of A Letter to the Luminous Deep in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating.*

Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org

Anticipated May 2024 Releases

May brings us yet another month simply overflowing with some amazing new releases and I cannot wait for them! I've been fortunate enough to have already read a couple of these and can happily say that so far they've all been incredible (The Ministry of Time was so fun!). I've compiled my regular monthly list of just some of the many new books coming out next month, so be sure to have a look and let me know which books you're most excited for (and let me know if there are any I've missed!)!

The Sword Unbound (Lands of the Firstborn #2) by Gareth Hanrahan || May 7th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Red Side Story by Jasper Fforde || May 7th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Road to Ruin by Hana Lee || May 14th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland || May 7th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley || May 7th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel || May 21st -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Woodworm by Layla Martinez, Sophie Hughes || May 14th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton || May 21st -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

You Like it Darker by Stephen King || May 21st -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Evocation by S.T. Gibson || May 28th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

When We Were Silent by Fiona McPhillips || May 21st -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Whale Fall by Elizabeth O'Connor || May 7th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The North Wind by Alexandria Warwick || May 21st -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware || May 21st -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle || May 14th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler || May 21st -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Shanghailanders by Juli Min || May 7th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Dare by Natasha Preston || May 7th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Vladivostok Circus by Elisa Shua Dusapin || May 14th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Daughters of Shandong by Eve J. Chung || May 7th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Exhibit by R.O. Kwon || May 21st -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Physics of Sorrow by Georgi Gospodinov || May 7th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

It Waits in the Forest by Sarah Dass || May 14th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields || May 14th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur || May 14th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

What are your anticipated May releases?