Cleopatra

Cleopatra by Saara El-Arifi, 352 pages

Cleopatra's story has been told hundreds of ways over thousands of years, yet none of them have really been from her point of view. But this book rectifies that. Instead of focusing on how she seduced Caesar and Marcus Antonius, and then how she died, this book paints a portrait of her as an intelligent woman, a loving mother, and a compassionate ruler. And since so much of what we know about Cleopatra is based on what historians who never met her told Plutarch, who was referenced by Shakespeare, who was read and performed by the masses, what El-Arifi writes in this book is just as likely to be true as anything else. It's captivating, it's thought-provoking, and it's a compelling story that doesn't end the way you think it might.

Also, I listened to the audiobook of this, and I must highly recommend it. It's read by Adjoa Andoh (best know to Bridgerton fans as the esteemed Lady Danbury) who does an AMAZING job of bringing an historic queen to life. The perfect narrator for this book.

City of Others

City of Others by Jared Poon, 368 pages

Benjamin Toh is a middle-management government employee, working with his understaffed Division for Engagement of Unusual Stakeholders to handle the supernatural elements of Singapore and keep them from interfering with the normal world. Generally speaking, they're pushed to the limit, fixing run-of-the-mill unexplained phenomena and getting rid of pesky fantastical beings, but when a boring check on a building glitching out of existence turns into something much more dangerous for the whole city, Ben and his motley crew must stretch themselves even farther, all while keeping it out of the attention of the higher-ups.

This is a delightful urban fantasy, full of Singaporean folklore and mythological creatures, and wonderful group of characters. I particularly love the way that Ben and his team have to balance their supernatural work with the mundane tasks (writing and re-writing memos) of bureaucracy. I was also pleasantly surprised by the way in which Ben's attitude toward work and his team's abilities changed as they got deeper and deeper into the problem. An excellent and diverse addition to the subgenre of urban fantasy.

Automatic Noodle

 Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz, 163 pages.

Four food service robots wake up in the flooded remains of the ghost kitchen they worked in, with no idea what happened or how to pay their bills. They decide to reopen the restaurant under their own power, making the kind of food they can actually be proud of, and building something just for them. But anti-bot sentiment is brewing in near future San Francisco, and a review bombing campaign threatens to destroy everything they worked to build.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I really liked the characters, and some things were executed in a way that was very interesting. For example, I found the exploration of how PTSD would work for robots really interesting. However, I also found some of the world building pretty hard to buy, to the point of being nonsensical in some cases, which is sort of a problem in such a short book. I know many people who loved this one, but I'm afraid it's more mixed for me. I must acknowledge that the cover rules though. 

 

Interior Chinatown

 

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu, 288 pages.

Willis Wu is always playing the role of "Generic Asian Man," and in the world of Black and White, a procedural cop show eternally in production, he can't expect much more. Secretly he longs to be Kung Fu Guy, the ultimate for Asians who have made it. But these lofty, unreachable aspirations are just a restriction of a different sort, and Willis doesn't know how to dream a bigger American Dream.

I first reviewed this book here five years ago, and I definitely liked it better the second time. Perhaps it is more experience with contemporary literary fiction, but I found myself much more okay with the uncertainty on a reread, which left me in a better place to appreciate how phenomenal this book is thematically. Which I maybe should have guessed, since I've been thinking about it periodically for five years. This book deals with racism, assimilation, and the myth of the model minority in a way that is not only nuanced and thoughtful, but also frequently funny. Willis uses the structure of Hollywood to make sense of the nonsensical in life in a way that is very interesting, even if I found it deeply confusing on my first read. I would definitely recommend this book. 

REBEL GIRL

 Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk by Kathleen Hanna, 336 pgs, © 2024

This is a great punk rock memoir. The writing is short and choppy and it moves pretty quickly--by the second section, Hanna's covered most of her traumatic childhood and is trying to get into college. As the father of a daughter, a lot of this book was kind of a hard read for me. Hanna suffers though physical and emotional abuse after abuse, all at the hands of the men in her life, her own father being the worst--I wanted to push him off of a bridge. And then I found myself getting frustrated with the author when she would occasionally go back to him. She usually did that when she needed something, but I just wanted to shake her and shout "get away from this guy!" At a certain point, she's older and stronger and cuts him off entirely. On some level, this is a good entry text into understanding how alcoholism and trauma runs in families from generation to generation. Hanna internalized all of her trauma and it manifests in self-sabotaging ways throughout her life but she perseveres as she gets involved in the local art scene and ultimately, starts a band in college--Bikini Kill. 

What a life she's had--her contributions to the punk/grunge scene and the Riot Grrrl movement, opening for Sonic Youth, recording with Joan Jett. She's even credited with giving Kurt Cobain the title of Nirvana's first hit single, Smells Like Teen Spirit. By the end of the book. she's faring much better. She's married to Adam Horowitz AKA Ad-Rock from the Beastie Boys and they've adopted a son. Her band Bikini Kill has gotten back together and touring and she's genuinely working through a lot of her past trauma and trying to take better care of herself. By the end I was so relieved for her--the whole time you're reading this, you just want good things to happen to her, she seems like such a good person--she reminded me of some of the punk kids I knew in high school. 

Level 13

 Level 13 (A Slacker Novel) by Gordon Korman, 256 pages  © 2019

My daughter and I read the first one of this short series, she read this in a night or two and wanted me to read as well. Basically reads like the first book, each chapter is the interior monologue of a different character. Silly and funny, easy grab for 3rd to 5th grade readers, especially boys interested in video games and hijinks. 

The Roma: A Traveling History

The Roma: A Traveling History by Madeline Potter (2025), 222 pgs. 

The Romani people have faced persecution throughout the many lands to which they have traveled, and in which they now live, but their culture and their resilient community members persist. In this book, Romani author Madeline Potter combines personal experience and historical fact to paint a truly beautiful picture of the Roma across time and space. She tells Romani folktales, writes about Romani artists and activists and athletes, and sheds light on a group which has historically been--at best--written off and--at worst actively stereotyped and discriminated against. After being enslaved in Romania, forced to assimilate in France, ignored in the United States, and put through the horrors of the Samudaripen, the Romani Holocaust, the Roma have remained. This history is a beautiful recognition of the pain that has been inflicted and the triumphs that shine through. 

This is a wonderful introduction to Romani history. Madeline Potter does a great job of addressing stereotypes and disputing them with historical fact and context. There is so much about the Roma I did not know, and I really appreciated how accessible this book is in introducing the reader to so much culture. Each chapter encompasses a quick history in a certain country, and despite including so much knowledge, it is a pretty quick read. I highly recommend for those looking to learn more about this marginalized group.

The (Most Unusual) Haunting of Edgar Lovejoy

 

The (Most Unusual) Haunting of Edgar Lovejoy by Roan Parrish (2025) 366 pages

Jamie is nonbinary trans masculine (they/them). Edgar is gay. When they meet, there is an instant connection, but Edgar flees because he sees a ghost. This is a frequent occurence. He does all he can to avoid ghosts, which makes his nighttime social life just about nonexistent. His main support comes from his sister, Allie. Their father left long ago, their mother is apparently mentally disabled and out of their lives, and their brother disappeared 6 years ago.

One of Jamie's jobs is being part of a team that creates haunted houses for Halloween. The spookier the better. Jamie is also part of a political family that still sees them as a woman.

As a relationship develops between Jamie and Edgar, Jamie is frustrated as they are called to participate in their sister's upcoming wedding, while their family ignores Jamie's achievements in helping create fabulous haunted house attractions. Meanwhile, Edgar is trying trying to live with less fear. And for anyone who wonders what sex might mean for a trans nonbinary person and a gay man, you'll find that here, too.

Not Quite Dead Yet

 Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson (2025), 400 pages

This was an interesting premise. Jet, a twenty-seven-year-old, trying to figure out her life becomes the unintended (?!?) victim of a crime that leaves her with seven days to live. Motivated by the ticking time bomb in her head, she is determined to solve who murdered her before she actually dies. 

I actually really enjoyed this book. It is a fun premise that kept the story line moving. You can't dawdle too much when you only have a week to live. I believe this is Jackson's first non-YA book and, honestly, it still feels like a YA book. This is not to say YA books aren't good, but if you are looking for something different from Jackson, this is not it. Which is actually ok.

As the World Falls Down

 As the World Falls Down (Galaxy #2) by Jadzia Axelrod with art by Rye Hickman (2026) 208 pages

I've been excitedly waiting for this continuation of Galaxy's origin story. This trans hero by a trans author has a lot of unique qualities in her favor. We get to explore her super powers more. There is more superhero action in this volume with less getting to know her girlfriend Kat. There are less land of Oz references, which I missed. Supporting roles for Dreamer and Superman make a lot of sense. There are frames where Hickman's art works really well. However flashback frames, and Superman's portrayal, and certain "in motion" frames are a bit awkward. I found the art of mixed quality, but not bad at all.