Count Alexander Rostov, recipient of the Order of St Andrew, member of the Jockey Club, Master of the Hunt, was the heir to his family's estate, Idlehour, in Nizhny Novgorod, Russian. But no longer. After the revolution and a brief court appearance before the Emergency Committee of the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs, the Count becomes a permanent resident of the Hotel Metropol in Moscow. At at age 30, in 1922, he begins the second stage of his life there under house arrest. If he so much as steps into the street, he will be shot. So begins a masterful work of historical fiction, one of the best books I have read in a long time, and the most engaging work I have ever read about this turbulent period of Russian history (1922- 1954). The Count is confined, but in a spot where much of the world can come to him. The Hotel Metropol has six floors, two restaurants, an American style cocktail bar off the lobby, a barbershop, a flower shop, a tailor shop, a ballroom and many basements. It is regularly visited by members of the Party, trade union meetings, and- when they are finally allowed back into the country- foreign ambassadors, journalists, and tourists. Even so, after just a week of confinement the Count is wondering if he will go insane from boredom... until he meets Nina, a 9 year old girl who also calls the hotel home. So begins a friendship which will change the course of both of their lives forever. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

I've been looking forward to this book for a long time and I was not disappointed! It's a fastastical and emotional story of a family born with specific types of magic. Aster, one of 12 grandchildren who live in a large rambling house on a rural property, is supposed to grow up into a shapeshifter like his male cousins, his father and his uncles. His sister is training to be a witch like their mother, aunts, and grandmother- the formidable ruler of their clan. But Aster is more interested in the girl's magic, and what's more he seems to have a knack for it. Unfortunately it is forbidden. When he starts trying to learn witchcraft in secret, he learns the terrible fate of someone who tried the same thing in the past. Will he be able to heal a horrible family wound? Will he be able to live as his true self? Ostertag has beautifully woven queer themes into this all-ages fantasy tale.

I feel honored to have been following Lucy Bellwood's demon dialogues online since the very beginning. The pieces from her very first inktober challenges are just as sharp and insightful as the later pieces written during the 100 days project. It's very cool to see how her art developed into the finished style she choose for the bulk of the book. Everyone, but especially creative people, struggle with these same type of demon voices: mine tell me that I haven't done enough, no matter how much I do. Case in point, when I got home from Lucy's book release party at 10pm instead of lying in bed and re-reading the book as I should have I sat down at my computer to write three blog posts and answer emails. Was that an instance of me caving to my demon? Or an instance of using my demon's nudging to be productive? What Lucy's book tells us is that both can be true at the same time. The demon is trying to help, but its actions are frantic, sometimes pushing us too hard, at other times holding us back. We can't banish this demon- we must learn to live with it instead. Lucy's book offers a compassionate guide to successful demon co-habitation.

A historical fiction family drama written by the creator of Downton Abbey, set in an earlier era but sharing many of that show's themes. The opening chapter takes place just before the battle of Waterloo, when a pair of lovers of differing social classes are divided by the conflict. Then the narrative jumps forward 25 years to the fashionable London neighborhood, Belgravia, recently transformed by a series of ambitious building projects. I listened to this as an audiobook and was completely engaged by the first 1/3 of the story. Then the pace of the plot slowed to a crawl, and meandered through an unbelievable boring middle section that seemed to last for hours. I came close to giving up, but stuck with it, and it did regain some of its momentum at the end. I wouldn't recommend it though.

A very fun first sampler issue of a new magazine from Lion Forge with resources for new D&D players. This issue has a whole game module, which follows 5th edition rules, and could be playable with a new D&D group in a single session. Plus gorgeous illustrations, a map, and an article on modifying classic monsters with creative add-ons.

A beautiful, Ignatz-award-winning short story from the author of The Witch Boy. The hunter of the title was left outside a small village as a baby. She was raised by a villager and takes pride in her ability to provide for her adopted community. But an encounter with a beast from the woods shakes her life to it's very core- her identity as a villager, a hunter, a wife and even as a human being are all called into question.