Winter's Orbit

Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell, 430 pages

When Prince Kiem is called into the Iskat Emperor's room, he isn't completely surprised by the order to marry for diplomatic reasons. He is, however, surprised to be marrying Count Jainan — a man from the foreign planet Thea, and one whose previous partner (Kiem's cousin) died just a month before — just one day later. The reason for this rush is the upcoming re-signing of the Resolution, a 20-year treaty that will guarantee peace within the sector of space in which Iskat and Thea exist. Serious and intelligent, Jainan is everything that charming Kiem isn't, and as the two ease into their marriage, they begin to realize that Jainan's first husband may have been murdered, and the man certainly wasn't who he seemed to the public.

This is a fun read that combines a love story with plenty of political intrigue, and Maxwell does justice to both parts equally, which is no mean feat. It's almost like reading a lighter version of the award-winning A Memory Called Empire (which should be taken as a compliment). Definitely recommended.

The Dark Archive

The Dark Archive by Genevieve Cogman, 338 pages

After an almost completely skippable sixth book in this series (which pains me, as that was the heist book and I generally love heists), Cogman has returned to form with The Dark Archive. And a bit part of that probably has to do with Irene working in her base world, with her regular allies (dragon prince Kai, detective extraordinaire Peregrine Vale) and the ally-ish Fae (Lord Silver, Sterrington). In this installment, Irene and the aforementioned allies have all been subject to a series of assassination attempts, likely due to the recent truce between the Fae and dragons, though none of them are sure who's behind the attempts. The return of some past foes — as well as Irene's new Fae apprentice, Catherine — serve to keep things fresh and interesting. Loved this one, and can't wait to read what's next for Irene!

Thirteen Days in September: Carter, Begin and Sadat at Camp David

Thirteen Days in September: Carter, Begin and Sadat at Camp David / Lawrence Wright 345 pgs.

In 1978, the leaders of three nations got together and tried to solve a dispute that was really much bigger than any or all of them.  Jimmy Carter went out on a limb and convinced Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin to come to Camp David and attempt to hash out a solution.  This book covers each of the thirteen days the meetings ended up taking even though there were many times it looked like the talks would break down.  The author gives a lot of background on each group, their history and the results.  This was an amazing event in history and this book is an amazing account. Great work.

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