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I have completed five more books and five more paintings to go on my physical bingo board (will be linked in the comments below)

And now onto the reviews

Bookclub:

Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente 3.5/5

This was more a book about vibes than anything. Like there is a plot and technically character development, but it is mostly a series of fantastical, flippantly descibed vingettes to explain the history of the sentient universe

I was on board for most of it. I loved the variety and weirdness of each new world, but I do think the actual plot could have been better incorporated. The two human protagonists have a very interesting intimate, but estranged relationship that is directly acknowledged in the text. However, the story fails to develop this past a baseline tension between them. There is no heart to heart or any real discussion. There is a half-assed apology which is quickly dismissed and thw build up to the apology happens nearly entirely off page

I also thought the ending could have been stronger. The ‘muting’ of Decibal was a strange extra hurdle that i found unnecessary. Although i did like the alien that insulted him via compliments and was happy to see her get more page time

Overall it was a fun concept and interesting way to flesh out an entire universe

Published in the 70s (HM):

The Hearing Trumpet by Leonora Carrington

4.5/5

This is a surrealist novel whose narrative shifts and changes as the story progresses

It starts as a contemporary fiction about an elderly woman being sent by her family to an assisted living facility that is run by a culty preacher that holds some intense, Puritanical beliefs

The narrative then shifts to a murder mystery and has an extended interlude about a historical nun who was either the devil or a saint depending on your viewpoint

Characters disappear and appear as the narrative shifts once again becoming a climate crisis apocalyptic story as Mexico is covered in feet of snow (the main character also briefly visits hell at this time)

Overall this book is dreamlike and the narrator is unreliable (but not intentionally so). Don’t read this if you are not content with confusion

Translated (HM):

Walking Practice by Dolki Min

5/5

I loved this. I loved how in a book about a maneating alien, the most intense battles were against flights of stairs

I liked how human Mumu felt. They loved and hated humanity. Angels and food were both the same. They wanted to scare whoever read their journals. They needed to eat humans, but couldn’t bear to see how much their prey wanted to live

Mumu grieved their planet, their loved ones, their life of comforts. Mumu is alone and forced to contort their body uncomfortably every day. They are always off balance, always on the outside. Never loved, never themselves

They long for someone who can accept them as they are. To see a family member, friend, lover or even a stranger if only it was a being like them. But Mumu is not destined for community

Non-Human Protagonist (HM)

Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton

3/5

This book was sold to be as a humorous zombie apocalypse story told through the perspective of a pet crow. And the book was best when it was that. ST was charming with a very unique personality and understanding of all things MoFo. It often felt lighthearted even when surrounded by serious problems. This lead to the more gruesome deaths feeling jarring and out-of-place

I specifically have a problem with how Dennis was handled. The circumstances of Dennis’ death really cheapened the story for me. Dennis is proven to be clever and capable throughout the book and ST has to overcome the biases he held over Dennis’ head. The previous scene, Dennis was a hero and the only one able to be the hero. Only for him to immediately be killed in the dumbest way possible (it also just doesn’t make sense as Dennis refuses to go near the MoFos for the rest of the book). It felt like the author was making a weird joke that erased a whole chacter arc

I also felt like there was a pacing issue with most conflicts being introduced and happening in the last third. I think the mutants and the roaming wolves should have been incorporated earlier and developed more before the major conflict came to head

However I really liked the dynamics between the animals (on both species and individual levels) and the chapters from different perspectives really served to flesh out the changing world

The Afterlife (HM):

Mad Sisters of Esi by Tashan Mehta

5/5

I love a story within a story with some anthropological articles thrown in just for extra flavor

I appreciate how deeply love is displayed in this book. A man goes against his way of life, his entire belief system for his brother and then again for his granddaughters. A girl condemns herself to a life of loneliness to spare her sister the hardships of joining. A man goes to the end of the universe to spare his wife. A woman reshapes the entire black sea to preserve her sister’s memory and hopefully bring her back to her one day. I love how most of the devotion is between sibling

Everything in this story felt inevitable, but preventable if they just had the right glimpses of the future. It was tragic and written in the stars and entirely their own faults.

The stories were cyclical. One sibling always leaves the other. No matter how similar the world made them. Nothing coukd change it. Nothing could stop it

This book made me want to cry and call my brothers and make sure they will never be lost to time away from me

This year, I’ve decided to create a physical bingo board throughout the year with a miniature painting to represent each book. Which has been fun so far! I linked the artwork in the comments if anyone is interested

And onto the reviews for the first five I’ve managed to complete

Unusual Transportation (HM):

The Serpent Sea by Martha Wells (4.5/5)

This is the second book of the Raksura trilogy. The Indigo Cloud court has successfully returned to their ancestral tree, but it quickly becomes clear that something is not quite right. To return the tree to its former glory, they have to travel to a city built atop a leviathan, which is of course the unusual transportation.

I really liked this edition to the series. Wells continues to add richness and depth to the world without veering too far from the plot. We explore Moon’s dynamics with his new court and his insecurities as a consort without just rehashing the exact issues from the first novel

Author of Color:

Monstrilo by Gerardo Sámano Córdova (4/5)

This book is exactly as it is advertised: a literary horror about grief. A grieving mother takes a part of her son’s lung and feeds it until it becomes Monstrilo.

He is monstrous, inhuman, and hungry. Even after his family manages to mold him into the shape of a boy. He is protected and denied his nature, as the parents see him as the only remnant of their deceased son.

I loved that this book allowed people to be unlikeable in their grief, especially the mother as women are so rarely allowed to have ugly reactions in media. I also loved the writing style shifts between different perspectives. Though I wish the perspectives were more interwoven rather than in big chunks. I would have liked to see the parents’ perspectives on either side of a rather substantial time jump that occurs

Published in 2026:

Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett (2.5/5)

This was unfortunately not for me. I love the Emily Wilde series, but this novel definitely leans more into the realm of Hallmark movies.

I liked the magic system. I liked the atmosphere. But I don’t think the plot or world was as solid as Fawcett’s previous work. It is info dumpy at times and every conflict is resolved perfectly in Agnes’ favor even when the text has done nothing to justify it.

But it was a very cozy, nice read and I can imagine it appealing to a lot of people

Feast Your Eyes on This (HM):

Stonefish by Scott R. Jones (5/5)

I originally picked this up for the One Word Title prompt, but after learning rule #1, Everybody Hungry, I decided it belonged here.

This is a cosmic horror story where ‘bigfoot’ siting are actually people who stumbled across the interdimensional being that control (and antagonize) the world.

I’m finding it difficult to explain anymore about this book, but it is a wild ride and I absolutely loved it. If you want to complete hard mode with something delicious, but do not like cozy fantasy then I highly recommend this book; the food is lovely but the world is gruesome

I made a sesame crusted ahi tuna, asparagus, and rice pilaf to complete hard mode

Choose a Book by its Title (HM):

The Worm and His Kings by Hailey Piper (4/5)

I chose this book because it popped up in a thread about cosmic horror recommendations. It’s a novella and I wish it was longer. It has cults, fallen civilizations, timey-wimey shennanigans, giant women, and betrayal.

It is confusing and evocative in an amazing way. When reading this, I could picture Junji Ito illustrating each scene

I didn’t even mind that no actual worm was ever on the page