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Historical Fantasies: Gods of Jade and Shadow & His Majesty’s Dragon

5 Feb

Gods of Jade and Shadow
by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Gods of Jade and Shadow was our Hoboken Public Library Science Fiction/Fantasy Book Discussion Group’s pick for last June. The story is set in 1920’s Mexico. It is the coming of age story of Casiopea Tun who is treated like a servant compared with her spoiled male cousin. When Casiopea opens the chest in her grandfather’s room she get a sliver of bone stuck in her finger linking herself to a Mayan Death God who is dealing with his own family rivalry with his brother. Casiopea is a fun spunky heroine and I enjoyed reading her story as well as all the interesting spins Moreno-Garcia put on Mexican folk lore. This wasn’t as popular with the group as some of Moreno-Garcia’s work such as Mexican Gothic, but will delight fans of fairytale/folklore retellings. I think this might also be enjoyable for a teen audience as well.

His Majesty’s Dragon
by Naomi Novik
We read His Majesty’s Dragon for our Book Discussion Group in August 2025. The story takes place during the Napoleonic Wars in Europe. Captain Will Laurence is plunged from his seafaring life, into the world of Dragons when his ship captures a French frigate carrying a rare and highly prized dragon egg from China. The group had mixed feelings about the book. Some found the book slow paced and light on battles for something military focused, while others were charmed by the witty dragon, Tremeraire. I enjoyed seeing Laurence and Tremairaire’s bond grow over the course of the novel. If you enjoy His Majesty’s Dragon there are eight other books in the finished series to also enjoy. My son who loves fantasy stories about dragons also enjoyed the novel; his favorite part was in the beginning when Will is first raising Tremeraire.

Our next HPL Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Discussion Group is on February 23 at 6 PM. We will be discussing another fun fantasy, The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty. Hope you can join us!

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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LGBTQ Romances: One Week to Win the Chocolate Maker and Delilah Green Doesn’t Care

28 Jan

If you love our blog, than we have some great news; starting in February new posts will go live twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Here are two romances perfect for some Valentine’s Day reading.

One Week to Win the Chocolate Maker
by Timothy Janovsky
One Week to Win the Chocolate Maker is a sweet grownup romance twist on the Willy Wonka story. In this version Charlie is an adult and aspiring tattoo artist though his blue collar family is still poor and desperately in need of cash. His version of a golden ticket comes when he finds an advertisement for a match making contest to win the heart of the scion of a famous Italian chocolatier family, Dario Cotogna. He is one of five contestants (representing a range of genders since Dario is pansexual) who slowly drop off as in the book (and movies) that the story takes its inspiration from. Dario suffers from agoraphobia and his late grandfather set the competition in motion as a way to push him out of his comfort zone and hopefully find a partner. What at first was simply a way for each man to meet their transactional goals becomes much more. It was fun seeing how Janovsky took the material from one of my early childhood favorites and shaped it into something though recognizable was still new and infused with added depth. The story is very much written in Janovsky’s own voice rather than mimicking Dahl’s quirky, but occasionally a bit dark and cynical literary style. Whether you are a fan of the original story or just like a fun romance this should be a treat; you can also check out Janovsky’s other romance novels Never Been Kissed and You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince and New Adult.

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care
by Ashley Herring Blake
Delilah Green Doesn’t Care is a fun romance between Delilah, a former high school misfit and now successful photographer, and Claire, a single mom who was also one of her step sister’s cool clique. The two meet again during the wedding prep for Delilah’s step sister, Astrid’s wedding. Their meeting brings up some old hurts from their high school days, but also sparks of attraction. The story does a nice job of depicting individuals working through complex family and friendship dynamics. Besides the romance between Claire and Delilah there is also a un-romance plot where they and Astrid’s other friends try and break up the wedding which they are sure will doom Astrid to unhappiness due to her truly horrible fiancé. I thought Kristen DiMercurio did a nice job narrating the audiobook that I enjoyed listening to. If you enjoy this story, you can also borrow several other sapphic romances by Ashley Herring Blake including Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail, Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date, and Dream On, Ramona Riley.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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