RaveSmart Bitches Trashy BooksI adored this book so much, but it’s not a light or easy read ... Readers should know that this is a moving and deeply empowering book with an uplifting ending, but it’s not an entirely happy ending ... The language in this book is just stunning ... Everything is tactile, there’s a powerful sense of place, and people have real physical needs, so it’s beautifully anchored in reality while also making use of fantasy ... It’s so gripping, so beautifully written, and such a powerful homage to women’s voices and the need to unify against a common enemy. The protagonists are all flawed in ways that make sense and they are believable and relatable.
Jen DeLuca
MixedSmart Bitches Trashy BooksWell Played did not leave a lasting mark upon me. It was an enjoyable book to read and it gave me the chance to attend a Renaissance Faire via imagination in a year when the real Faires are cancelled. This is a cosy romance with minimal conflict, which makes for comforting but not what I’d call riveting reading ... This is a gentle and obvious Cyrano de Bergerac story with very little conflict ... For me, the big draw was the sense of community both in and out of the Renaissance Faire, and getting to see Stacey resolve her sense of being stuck in life.
Mary Robinette Kowal
RaveSmart Bitches Trashy Books\" Despite a great deal of science-driven science fiction, this is, at heart, a mystery novel and political thriller ... Like the other Astronaut books, this book has great science content and a fascinating portrayal of what establishing a lunar colony would be like in both technical terms and in terms of characters ... This book has a compelling plot, with a cascade of things going wrong, puzzles to solve both scientific and criminal, and real emotional heft ... every loss, every moment of suspense, every piece of news comes as a real punch to the reader, especially the long time reader. Every success feels like a real triumph.
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Ursula K Le Guin
PositiveSmart Bitches Trashy Books... [Le Guin\'s] new collection...is like opening a big pile of letters from someone I admire and love so I can imagine drinking tea with them while we plot revolution and the overthrow of the patriarchy ... While I enjoyed everything in the book, the most electric section is \'Talks, Essays, and Occasional Pieces.\' When Le Guin speaks, she imparts warmth and humor while also conveying an unwavering devotion to fighting injustice. She is not malicious but neither does she mince words. Everyone, regardless of their feelings about abortion, should read her short piece \'What It Was Like.\' a transcript of a speech she made to the Oregon chapter of NARAL in 2004, about the times before abortion was legal. This speech, when read in its entirety, is so powerful that I had to take a break after reading it; it made me woozy ... This book is, for the most part, for fans on the obsessive-but-not-in-a-bad-way end of the spectrum. Le Guin’s books brought me comfort when I was enduring something terrible and they’ve gone on to nurture my soul and challenge my mind. So for me, this collection is solid gold. The only reason I’m giving it a B and not an A is that it’s not cohesive work (intentionally). It’s like a collection of special features on a DVD.