Tag Archives: Literary

On the Calculation of Volume III – Solvej Balle (tr. Sophia Hersi Smith and Jennifer Russell)

Posted on 10/03/2026 by Roseanna

Recently, Ada Palmer had an essay published in Strange Horizons, talking about how writers within SF are also historians. I disagreed with several things in the essay, but have to admit it has been a great conversation starter. Especially as … Continue reading →

Posted in All, Awesome, Literary, Science Fiction | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On the Calculation of Volume II – Solvej Balle (tr. Barbara J. Haveland)

Posted on 16/02/2026 by Roseanna

I didn’t review the first book of On the Calculation of Volume, and that was a mistake. It was exceptionally good, following an antiquarian bookseller called Tara Selter as she finds herself trapped in a timeloop, reliving one November day … Continue reading →

Posted in Awesome, Else, Literary, Science Fiction | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Hav – Jan Morris

Posted on 14/02/2026 by Roseanna

Did I write a whole ass essay on genre for Strange Horizons? Perhaps. But that hasn’t stopped me thinking about it. And only more so since I read Hav by Jan Morris, for which any decisions I make about genre … Continue reading →

Posted in All, Awesome, Else, Fantasy, Literary, Science Fiction | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

What I Read On My Holiday – 2026

Posted on 11/02/2026 by Roseanna

Reading holiday has once again been and gone in triumph. This year, we booked a cottage in the middle of nowhere in Wales and it was more precipitously in the middle of nowhere than we necessarily bargained for. However, after … Continue reading →

Posted in All, Detective/Mystery, Else, Fantasy, Literary, Poetry, Science Fiction | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Private Rites – Julia Armfield

Posted on 29/12/2024 by Roseanna

My overwhelming impression of this book is rain. Constant, undramatic, pervasive, it haunts the margins of the story so effectively that it has overwhelmed my memory of it, forming a damp sheen over the foregrounded aspects of the story. It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in All, Awesome, Horror, Literary, Science Fiction | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

Posted on 21/09/2024 by Roseanna

When you say of a book “oh it’s doing a lot of things”, that’s normally at least a subtle burn, a mild sass. The implication is one of too many balls juggled, and thus at least a couple dropped. But … Continue reading →

Posted in All, Awesome, Else, Literary, Romance, Science Fiction | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Saint of Bright Doors – Vajra Chandrasekera

Posted on 22/05/2023 by Roseanna

I didn’t really know what to expect when I started reading this, but honestly, I think that was the best plan I could have had. Expectations would have only held me back (and/or been absolutely useless to me). The Saint … Continue reading →

Posted in All, Awesome, Else, Fantasy, Literary | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

What I Read Last Week – 10th – 18th September

Posted on 20/09/2022 by Roseanna

Yeah I know that’s eight days, but it’s basically a week. Close enough. Anyway. Ocean’s Echo by Everina Maxwell. I reviewed this more fully and coherently over at Nerds of a Feather, but because this is my blog, I can … Continue reading →

Posted in All, Fantasy, Literary, Romance, Science Fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What I Read Last Week – 28th March to 3rd April

Posted on 05/04/2022 by Roseanna

I’ve been a bit rubbish at blogging recently, but it’s mostly been because I haven’t felt as if many of the books I’ve read were up to a full blog post on their own. Solution: a week of books in … Continue reading →

Posted in All, Fantasy, Literary, Poetry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How to be Both – Ali Smith

Posted on 03/01/2020 by Roseanna

I’ve been meaning to read an Ali Smith book for ages. However, that book was Autumn, which I’ve still not got round to acquiring. But! This one was great, so in fact this has served to give me a kick to … Continue reading →

Posted in All, Literary | Tagged , , | Leave a comment