Fantasy and science fiction books and blogposts
When people talk about going to Italy, they travel for the art, the history, the landscapes and the pasta. And yet, what I most want to talk about is the lemons. After leaving Pompeii, we headed to Minori, a small town on the Amalfi Coast. The Amalfi Coast is the kind of place you film... Continue Reading →
Witness me trying to catch up on my Reading Round-ups with this really long Round-up of all things June and July. I've organized it by genre so that you can just skip to your favorites there. If you can't find something you enjoy on this list, I cannot help you. I read far too many... Continue Reading →
There is perhaps no more famous archeological site than Pompeii Scavi, the excavation area for the buried city of ancient Pompeii. There is a modern Pompeii right next door, so be sure not to confuse them. One is an ancient city founded by the Etruscans, conquered by Rome, that ended in three days of fire... Continue Reading →
Let's start where things began. I've flown since Covid started, but I haven't flown internationally. It's not an easy lift at the best of times. Add to the ongoing pandemic a record-breaking hot summer with tons of storm cells dancing their way across the northeast, and you have a recipe for a real bad time.... Continue Reading →
Earlier this year, a friend from college reached out to me to say she was getting married. I was excited! Where was the wedding? Italy, she said. As some of you may remember, I took three months away last year, an exorbitant amount of time that required more than a bit of finagling, to explore... Continue Reading →
Hello my dears, it's time for an ARC review! This week I'm happy to bring you Wake the Bones, a lovely Appalachian horror tale out on July 12, 2022. I want to write something to describe this book that is as lyrical as the prose itself, but I will not in any fashion manage. Kilcoyne... Continue Reading →
May has been very busy, but I got some good reading in. There were so many titles I didn't get to this month that I'm very excited about, so look forward to the June post (assuming I can read a little faster!) The Lotus Palace by Jeannie Lin I loved this book. The Lotus Palace... Continue Reading →
Sometime in the past couple of years someone said, in an Instagram Story or a Tiktok or some other ephemeral medium, something that stuck with me: "You can't see the end of the path until you walk it." The person in question was talking about the environmental movement, about how it seems impossible to adapt... Continue Reading →
A Marvelous Light by Freya Marske I did enjoy this book, but I don't think it is quite what I was expecting. It opened with a pretty gruesome murder. It was in fact dotted with murders, and abuse, and a lot of really grim things. But that was layered over with a romance that was,... Continue Reading →
There is nothing quite like comfort when you're sick, so it's no surprise that I finally got around to my planned rewatch of Disney's Encanto this month. And can I just say -- the movie holds up on the rewatch. It remains entertaining. And more importantly, there are all sorts of little hints and clues... Continue Reading →
Amanda J. McGee, Author 
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