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Possibly even better than the first.

This almost got abandoned. I liked it well enough, just kept putting it down and reading other things. I think maybe there were too many viewpoint characters, so I didn’t really get invested in any of them. I think the cat telepathy could have been a selling point if I’d liked any of the cats more than I did. They could have been really funny, but were just a little funny instead. The most funny parts were definitely the children of the father and the alien mom. I think it took too long to finally figure out the mystery of what was going on. I would have liked to see more of the space ship, I think.

Another standout from this year. I got to enjoy it a second time as my wife wanted to talk about it while reading it. (At my recommendation, but I only picked it up because of Annalee Newitz.)

This was both sexy and sweet. Sad and satisfying. Also, I loved how it was a fantasy setting, but elements of the real world kept bleeding in. There are probably layers of meaning here, but I read it mainly at a surface level. The style was VERY reminiscent of Nimona (which is a high compliment). I recommend this.

I also read the two sequels (they were bundled in a box set), You have to Fucking Eat, and Fuck, Now there are Two of You. These are written in verse, and surprisingly poetic, despite the last line of every couplet having swear words in it. I enjoyed them, and they are no doubt amusing for every parent, but I don't think they are particularly appropriate for kids.

One of the standouts from this year. Lovely.

complete edition.

It's sometimes fun to read a work that's based on a thing you've already consumed a lot of in some kind of other format, particularly when the original format included audio, and in the new format you can then hear the characters in your head as you read. I guess what I mean here is that this adaptation, this medium-transplant, was particularly true to character. There were definitely some very funny parts here, but the third chapter was the weakest (and shortest), by far. Fans of Jerry will especially love this.

This was achingly sweet and a crowning achievement. It sounds like it was published posthumously and quite possibly some of it was finished after Terry Pratchett’s death as well. It’s a great story and a very quick read. I enjoyed it immensely.

audiobook

Review for just the titular story. I've read some of the essays, but it's more "reading slowly" territory from here on out.

I had read the first half of this in volume 3.

I picked up a used copy (I don't think you can find new copies, other than maybe for Kindle) of this book recently. My copy was published in 1992, but it contained 3 prefaces: one written specifically for that edition, another for a 2nd edition from ten years before that, and a third, from the original publication, 12 years before that in 1969. Sid Saxon died in 2002, another 10 years after this edition.

I am enjoying paging through this book, and eventually, I do expect to have read it all, but like others in my collection that just list out the details of specific games, it's not really meant to be read, it's meant to be used as a reference for playing.

Read this adventure in one sitting. I love the trope of sentient AI who can control their emotional responses like a volume slider. This had a touch of murderbot, but the main character was more vulnerable, less Superman (superbot?). Great mystery, and very fun. I will probably seek out more by this author!