Ice Vegas by Larry Niven and Stephen Barnes

August 3, 2026

Ice Vegas by Larry Niven and Stephen Barnes

A retired assassin comes out of retirement to stop a megalomaniac's quest for world domination.

DNF at 40%. Based on the synopsis, I was expecting a different book, more about an underground entertainment Mecca somewhere below Greenland and a detective trying to solve a final case. But this was mostly an internal monologue by a spy/assassin, pondering how she got where she is. The themes like world domination and the threats posed by technology seem like classic sci fi themes from the last half of the 20th century. Also, including an octopus in the story seemed like a rip-off of Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. Disappointing.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

The Boleyn Secret by Alison Weir

July 30, 2026

The Boleyn Secret by Alison Weir

Twelve year old Katherine Carey is a companion and playmate to her toddler cousin Princess Elizabeth, daughter of Henry VIII and his second queen Anne Boleyn. To Kate's horror, she is summoned to the Tower of London to attend her aunt Anne at her trial and execution. Kate is convinced that her aunt was innocent and that Henry committed an atrocity. Later, Kate is called to court to serve as a maid-of-honor to Henry's fourth queen, Anne of Cleves. Throughout her life, Kate maintains her relationship with Elizabeth through Henry's reign, the turmoil following his death, and Elizabeth's eventual ascension to the throne.

Another well-researched book in the author's series on the women of the Tudor court, this one focusing on Katherine Carey, daughter of Mary Boleyn and niece of Anne Boleyn. Many contemporaries as well as historians believed that Katherine was the daughter of Henry VIII, as Mary was carrying on an affair with Henry in the years before Katherine's birth - some note a resemblance to both Elizabeth I and Henry VIII but many of the portraits from the 16th century have a similarity. Based on the known portrait of her, Katherine was actually better looking than either of them. While Katherine is the main character, Elizabeth I is also a main player, as much of the story is about her relationship with her cousin Katherine. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys fiction about the Tudor court.

Portrait of Katherine Carey

It's Not What You Think by Clare Macintosh

July 24, 2026

It's Not What You Think by Clare Macintosh

Nadeeka comes home from work to find the police at her house and her boyfriend dead on the floor. From the way he had been acting, she suspected that he had been seeing someone else and was planning to leave her. But the mystery only deepens as Nadeeka tries to piece together what her boyfriend had really been up to.

No. No, it wasn't. What I thought it was going to be.

It's the middle of summer, and I was expecting a juicy "is he cheating/isn't he cheating" thriller, with a host of suspects: the current girlfriend, the girlfriend's ex, the boyfriend's new side piece, the side piece's partner, the boyfriend's ex, the BFF, the jealous buddy, the creepy neighbor, etc. But this turned out to have heavy poitical/social themes. Not my thing at all, especially since it's a reflection of what is going on in the world today. There were a couple of twists but I saw both of them coming well in advance. 

I've read other books by this author and really enjoyed them. This one, not so much, although I'm sure it will appeal to many readers. Disappointing.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

The Secret Life of Sunflowers by Marta M0lnar

July 23, 2026

The Secret Life of Sunflowers by Marta Molnar

During his lifetime, Vincent Van Gogh struggled to earn a living as a painter while also battling mental illness. His brother Theo and sister-in-law Johanna supported him financially and emotionally, but eventually Vincent slipped deeper into mental illness and took his own life. Shortly after his death, his brother Theo was hospitalized for consumption and insanity, and died a short time later. Theo's widow was left with the task of selling Vincent's paintings and keeping his name alive, while also supporting herself and her young son.

I like historical fiction where I learn about unknown people or events. I knew Vincent Van Gogh's brother was married and had a child, and that Theo died not long after Vincent. Johanna Bonger, Theo's widow, believed in Vincent's genius and worked hard to promote his work, while also running a boarding house and raising her child. There is a dual timeline here and I enjoyed Johanna's story far more than Emsley's narrative. The dual timeline structure has been used a lot in fiction, especially the trope of an heir cleaning out an old house and finding a secret diary or letters as well as a priceless antique. I found myself skimming over Emsley's story which was predictable and not all that interesting, and I didn't care about any of the characters in those sections. On the other hand, Johanna was an amazing woman who worked to promote Vincent's work at a time where it was unheard of for women to act as an artistic representative.

Van Gogh's Sunflowers

Bodies of Magic by Freya Marske

July 22, 2026

Bodies of Magic by Freya Marske

Five medical students are about to take their final exam to graduate from medical school. It's a practical exam and has five parts, and they must work as a team to pass. But when they arrive for the first part, they find the body of one of their most brilliant classmates dead on the floor. The five students must band together to solve the mystery while still passing the exam.

I really liked the concept of this book and wanted to love it. But there was a lot of information thrown at the reader, especially in the first half, and the pacing dragged at first. It picked up in the second half and raced to its conclusion. Because there were five main characters, we didn't really get to explore their individual powers, which was also disappointing.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.