
I really enjoyed the first one in this series and I can’t believe it has taken me a year to get to the second one!

I really enjoyed the first one in this series and I can’t believe it has taken me a year to get to the second one!

This was a book I supported on kickstarter and I’m so excited to get into it!

This month, our book club’s theme is Leadership. In honor of Black History Month and President’s Day, I decided to read Heavenly Tyrant because it’s based on the first Chinese Empress. At the end of the first book, Zeitan has taken power, but can she keep it?

This is the third book in this series and I’m excited for both the mystery and everything I’m going to want to bake after I’ve finished!

I have no idea what this is about but everyone in my knitting group loved it, so I’m excited it’s finally available from my library!


This is the story of Briseis, a young woman who has the magic touch when it comes to plants. She receives a surprise inheritance and she and her Moms move to a grand house in Rhinebeck, New York. She discovers secrets and mysteries in the house.
This was so fun. I was so interested to what happened next that I wanted to keep listening. It also inspired me to start a little knitting project, which I was able to finish while I was listening. These little wrist warmers with their falling leaves are so cozy.

Back to the book, I was delighted by the characters and their growth through the story. This is a series and I’ve already requested the next one from the library!
This was such a great trilogy. I am curious to see how it turns into a movie or TV series. I know the rights have been sold and Tomi is involved in the script. Zelie has been through so much and honestly wouldn’t have faulted her for giving up but of course she didn’t. Nor did her brother and friends. At the end of the last book, the Maji were successful in overthrowing the king but then overtaken by the Skulls from across the sea. King Baldyr has been hunting Maji’s because he needs the one to help him achieve Godhood. We all know this is Zelie. She escapes but not before he implants in her gold medallion that changes her powers. She has a vision that she must find the other magical person Baldyr needs. Another woman from a mysterious nation, New Gaia. Mae’e is a great addition to the books. I liked her stoicism and fire. I know that might not make sense but it’s true. It was nice to see an expansion of the world but we did sacrifice what was going on in Orisha since most of the action was happening elsewhere. The other criticism I have that the ending wasn’t as satisfying as I wanted it to be. I feel the epilogue could have given a little bit more. Other then that I found it to be a fun adventure like the other books. Baldyr is a much scarier villain then the previous king was. The stakes were much higher because the threat wasn’t just to the Maji or Orisha but to New Gaia as well. This was a good series and I am looking forward to what Tomi does next.

If you’re familiar with Hannah Gadsby’s body of work, in particular her show Nanette, then you have a good idea what the tone of this book is. This memoir is cleverly structured, taking your through Hannah Gadsby’s childhood, teen years, days at uni, her early career, and the big life changes that brought her to writing her shows Nanette and Douglas. If you’ve seen those shows, the material is familiar, but it’s written in such a touching and thoughtful way and with new details that even knowing they outline of the story, I couldn’t turn this off.
Additionally, the book spends a fair amount of time walking through what it was like growing up in Tasmania in the 90s, when homosexuality was illegal there. I can’t help but think how important this story is in a time when the lives of trans kids are constantly debated. Gadsby has given us the gift of her story and insight into the very personal consequences for the people under debate.
This was a really touching and wonderful memoir and I recommend it. But keep a box of tissues nearby. This book made me openly weep.