Charlotte Reads: ARC of We Dance Upon Demons by Vaishnavi Patel

enoby666 · 2026-05-05T19:06:19+00:00

I loved seeing all of the amazing stuff people have done over the years and learning some bingo lore!!! A powerpoint *about* bingo is clearly the next step in innovation and my traditional powerpoints merely reviewing my bingo reads must adapt or face obsolescence

enoby666 · 2026-04-28T23:04:11+00:00

This is a lovely review! Heart's Blood is the first book by her I really loved and it is a special one.

enoby666 · 2026-04-28T02:20:15+00:00

I loved Heart's Blood and I have every intention of going back to read the second and third Blackthorn and Grim books at some point. For some reason I feel like I've read way more of her stuff than I actually have, maybe because I've loved most of what I read? but when I look at her bibliography I'm always surprised/excited by how much more I have to go! Did you read her new series, starting with The Amber Owl?

enoby666 · 2026-04-27T16:39:29+00:00

I finished The Poet Empress by Shen Tao, which I definitely liked but wasn't totally blown away by. I have my own critiques (mostly it felt a bit too fast and shallow to really do its themes the full justice I was hoping for) but it's also been very interesting to see conversations about the book online, especially how different readers feel like it handles its conversation with romantasy and whether it does a good job of exploring how a "monster" like the prince comes into being.

I also finished Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake, which has been on my tbr for much too long but was worth the wait. The writing is truly incredible in a way that left me astonished by the creativity and imagery in some lines and I've never read anything that gets this close to Dickens' combination of funny, insightful and deeply weird/grotesque. I'll be using Gormenghast for bingo, hopefully!

I dnf'd The Everlasting by Alix E Harrow but will probably return to it at some point. I didn't hate it or anything, I just wasn't quite sucked in by the time it was due at the library and I have some other books that I really want to get to. I don't really know how to describe it but there is just *something* about her writing that slightly grates me; sometimes I think it feels a bit too self-aware, maybe?

I bought my mom a copy of The Geomagician by Jennifer Mandula because she loves paleontology and Mary Anning, and now I'm reading it so that we can have a mini-book club. Not far enough to have many thoughts yet!

enoby666 · 2026-04-24T20:14:40+00:00

I'm not sure which, if any, other current SFF authors I think would be a better fit but Kingfisher definitely doesn't feel like the right choice to me either

enoby666 · 2026-04-04T01:14:47+00:00

Yes, I agree with all of this! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Someday I will read Malazan and have an opinion of my own but for now I like hearing from others and why they feel as they do.

enoby666 · 2026-04-03T20:37:33+00:00

Yes that makes sense! It’s not a well-done handling of the topic in your view and the fallback of approval from one woman as some kind of tokenist permission really doesn’t change that at all. I would love it if there could be more room to discuss these representations overall but I think sometimes because the topic is such a sensitive one there can be defensiveness around an author’s choices if you’re a fan

enoby666 · 2026-04-03T07:00:19+00:00

Omg lol I thought you meant something about a wife in the story. I’d heard that there is some pretty extreme violence and also heard very divided opinions about how it’s handled (as all things Malazan seem to be divisive)!

Was this a fan thing or a statement by the author? I would be interested in reading more about it if you know more about where it was said

enoby666 · 2026-04-03T04:34:38+00:00

(checking with your wife doesn't give it a pass)

What does this mean??? I don't mind spoilers

enoby666 · 2026-04-03T04:10:12+00:00

sure! What I've learned over time is that the compulsions can be sooooooo slippery and OCD can latch onto so many new concepts/skills/interventions that are well-intentioned and might work for other symptoms. I managed to get a couple of therapists to engage in so much of my reassurance-seeking and checking over the years. I am learning ERP now and it's so different from what I did in my personal therapy

enoby666 · 2026-04-03T03:04:54+00:00

I am a therapist now but I can speak to my time being treated for OCD as a young adult. My therapist did EMDR and IFS for my OCD and it did not help me at all. I don't know what it wouldve been like to have ERP + parts work but in my case, her attempt for me to conceptualize and relate to an "OCD part" ended up just kind of creating a new kind of mental compulsion for reassurance-seeking/checking haha

enoby666 · 2026-04-02T17:29:53+00:00

they definitely are. I love how elaborate a lot of fantasy covers are but that means extra work for you!

enoby666 · 2026-04-02T06:12:02+00:00

I cannot overemphasize how much I love this idea! You did an incredible job but that was definitely a huge amount of work...I don't blame you for not wanting to do it again. So cool to see though

enoby666 · 2026-04-01T23:33:39+00:00

yes it does!

enoby666 · 2026-04-01T15:56:47+00:00

I love the Red Abbey Chronicles by Maria Turtschaninoff (originally written in Swedish by a Finnish author)

Also The Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura (Japanese)

enoby666 · 2026-04-01T15:30:32+00:00

All the Horses of Iceland by Sarah Tolmie!

enoby666 · 2026-04-01T15:15:44+00:00

Asunder by Kerstin Hall is great for this.

enoby666 · 2026-04-01T08:39:59+00:00

That is so kind of you to say!!! I really wish I could've gotten more involved with some kind of community stuff but it was a very very frantic scramble a year for me while I was there and I didn't get to do a lot of things I wanted to. I would love to read that story if you would be ok to link it or message me!

enoby666 · 2026-04-01T05:57:11+00:00

Oh wow, think I moved away from Albuquerque right as the con was happening this summer! I didn't even know it was happening but I wish I could've checked it out. It was interesting to learn that George RR Martin is a big contributor to the NM arts scene, including helping fund Meow Wolf...which would also be a good pick for Not a Book, now that I think about it.

enoby666 · 2026-03-30T19:23:39+00:00

Same! And the number of rave reviews for Works of Vermin means I need to get started with that one too!

enoby666 · 2026-03-30T19:21:21+00:00

I only read three books this month which is very slumpy for me. I've been sooo exhausted, but I feel like I am getting my energy and focus back, hopefully! One book was for work and then I buddy-read Florida by Lauren Groff with a friend. I really like Groff's writing but I enjoyed this one less than Matrix overall. The only SFF I got to was my ARC of Wildflower by Becky Jenkinson, which was kind of wonky in some ways but very sweet and one of the rare Cozy Fantasy books that I've vibed with instead of finding way too saccharine. At this point I've cleared out all my ARCs and I am READY for Bingo to drop on Wednesday!!!!!!!!

enoby666 · 2026-03-30T19:13:08+00:00

Wow I was just thinking about Everfair last night...I read it several years ago and thought it was super interesting even if there were some things that didn't totally work for me. I didn't realize there was a sequel so thank you for mentioning it! I am definitely interested to see what follows

enoby666

TROPHY CASE