Julia S.

Nonstop book reviewer lady! Also writer, editor, curmudgeon.
I’m booktweeting everywhere you might expect me, because I love books and birds

[Julia S. @booktweeting]

I’m booktweeting everywhere, because I love books and birds. My own website is also booktweeting, and there will be links there to my various accounts that the management here doesn’t want us to share. Hoping we can stay in touch!

[Julia S. @booktweeting]

https://t.co/1MLjdNr4bP AN ALCHEMIST TURNS DETECTIVE in this fast-paced fantasy thriller set in an alternate-19th century London. Great evocations of magic and legendary creatures. B PLUS

[Julia S. @booktweeting]

https://t.co/cKYhRxLNto A LOOK AT INTERNET FAKERY takes a computer scientist deep into the history of frauds, hoaxes, disinformation, and propaganda. Lots of detail, especially about the earliest days of the Internet and current AI controversies. SOLID B

[Julia S. @booktweeting]

https://t.co/AS0TSZ33vC BREATHTAKINGLY INVENTIVE SPECULATIVE FICTION explores the nature of identity in a future world where nanites and artificial intelligences challenge the definition of humanity and even existence. Beautiful, transcendent writing shines. A MINUS

[Julia S. @booktweeting]

https://t.co/PACBvUza0r DREAMLIKE COSMIC HORROR tale sparks its fire from the friction between legendary primordial evil and ordinary teenage despair. Beautifully crafted novel will leave you haunted. A MINUS

[Julia S. @booktweeting]

https://t.co/1wZhRE2czC ENTERTAINING NEW SERIES debut from Richard Osman combines a tense, globetrotting thriller plot with a delightfully quirky cast of characters, all with the writer’s signature wit and warmth. B PLUS

[Julia S. @booktweeting]

https://t.co/DQz4NwICSw SHARP, CYNICAL THRILLER set in the publishing world is the perfect followup to 2021’s The Plot. Lots of twists and turns, a fabulously realized antiheroine, and endless dish about the book-industrial complex. B PLUS

[Julia S. @booktweeting]

https://t.co/4B7y7HCaXA STUNNING REIMAGINING OF CLASSIC science fiction themes from a distinctively Comanche perspective. Spaceships and family ties and legends and absolutely unforgettable characters weave a thrilling intergalactic adventure. A MINUS

[Julia S. @booktweeting]

https://t.co/gBqb1paOJj GRIPPING HISTORICAL THRILLER set in 1894 Minneapolis finds women from very different strata of society bound together in the fight against a ruthless and mysterious enemy. Fascinating details and characterizations. B PLUS

[Julia S. @booktweeting]

https://t.co/dzD8jpLBIk A TOUCHING MEDITATION ON GARDENS combines the personal and the historical, and balances lush descriptions of plants and their beauties with a thoughtful exploration of how gardens can be both revolutionary and reactionary acts. B PLUS

[Julia S. @booktweeting]

https://t.co/rxo34MyVrz ENDEARING YARN-SHOP MYSTERY set in a small Tennessee town features a cast of colorful characters of all ages, including some surprisingly helpful alpacas. Well crafted start to a new series. B PLUS

[Julia S. @booktweeting]

https://t.co/36UYBYzUJl CHARMING, INSIGHTFUL MEMOIR from megasuccessful director Jon M. Chu combines spicy celebrity insider stories with more serious reflections on filmmaking, fame, and growing up Asian in California. B PLUS

[Julia S. @booktweeting]

https://t.co/ikdghxNFCQ A LOVE LETTER TO OTTERS and the wonderful, varied landscapes and waterscapes of Britain is packed full of both information and charm. Elegantly written and powerfully evocative! B PLUS

[Julia S. @booktweeting]

https://t.co/wCicBqTlTt INSIGHTFUL, UNSPARINGLY CANDID memoir by a writer whose husband died suddenly by suicide explores the whole labyrinth of grief and healing, including its false starts and dead ends as well as the twisting paths forward. B PLUS

[Julia S. @booktweeting]

https://t.co/AvdIqdzm3k THE IDEA OF THE “FAUSTIAN BARGAIN” is traced through history from early Christianity to the Charlie Daniels Band in this brilliant, idiosyncratic, sometimes cantankerous, always witty book. Rich in detail, it’s an intellectual delight. A MINUS

[Julia S. @booktweeting]

https://t.co/m9dVxSYfBd METAPHYSICAL FANTASY ADVENTURE incorporates near-future technologies, haunted islands, reincarnation, and a dragon. Lots of interesting ideas, plenty of action, and a light dusting of romance. SOLID B

[Julia S. @booktweeting]

https://t.co/LMrSLJEcXQ A BROODING, GLORIOUS HOLLYWOOD thriller intertwines the stories of a young Mexican woman making her acting debut and the Biblical epic of Salome in which she stars. Richly textured 1950s studio detail and an unforgettable main character. A MINUS

[Julia S. @booktweeting]

https://t.co/Rpu4mtLclk THE PITFALLS OF THE GIG ECONOMY explored in this memoir by a forensic analyst who moonlights as an Uber and Lyft driver. Beautifully balanced between touching and funny personal stories and a broader view of how grindset culture takes its toll. A MINUS

[Julia S. @booktweeting]

https://t.co/iprvVnEjm1 AN AI ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE hits Australia hard, and a group of strangers must band together to survive—if they don’t annoy each other to death first. Action-packed and very funny adventure! B PLUS

[Julia S. @booktweeting]

https://t.co/3LaPiMB5ik A SEXY, PICARESQUE HEIST caper nestles some profound observations about alienation, modernity, and feminism at its core, without losing a bit of the novel’s extravagance or momentum. A MINUS

[Julia S. @booktweeting]

https://t.co/XDE1wtbv6k PHILOSOPHICAL ROCK-AND-ROLL NOIR mystery has a fresh voice, memorable characters, and a powerful sense of place. Absorbing and satisfying read with a lot of nuance. A MINUS