Joanna

🎧 Audiobook

If you love ancient history, this should be on your to read list. I felt echos of Jean M. Auel’s Earth Children series, along with Follett’s trademark sweeping generational epic with a strong sense of place.

As with most Follett books, it took a while to warm up through slow setting of the scene and characters, but gains its pace around 40% in. It is a quiet, slow-burn which reflects the period well (stress was not a word in Neolithic England). Not much actually happens though - even the building of Stonehenge isn’t really central to the story. It’s more a prehistoric slice of life, which can get a little dull. I think if I had read the book, rather than listened to the audiobook which was skilfully narrated by Richard Armitage, I may have gotten bored at times. But I’m also appreciative of a more meditative story these days, so it suited my mood.

I appreciate Follett’s refreshingly sexuality-inclusive take on prehistory, and the subject of gender equality that Follett delved into, particularly the way he tackled the issue of women as property throughout the story. This was well done and something I don’t think I’ve ever encountered by a male author in historical fiction.

This is fiction, so of course there were a few modern sensibilities thrown in (such as men knowing their biological role in making babies, or it being taboo for older men to want to have sex with young women (though it still doesn’t seem to register in mainstream 2026 that this is an issue)). But these were pretty minimal.

I did feel the story could have benefited from more detail to the spirituality, ruling nature of environmental forces, and relationships with nature and animals, since these would all have been primary forces in peoples’ lives at the time.

Overall, an enjoyable slow-burn read, but not Follett’s best.

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5/5 for narration by Richard Armitage. Armitage has such a lovely voice to listen to. His narration draws you in, he paces his speaking really well, and does an amazing job bringing the characters to life.

I enjoy the fascinating gothic oddities of nineteenth century black and white illustrations, but this didn’t quite hit the mark for me. It felt a bit too modern and playful, rather than old and creepy. Perhaps it didn’t help to view the digital copy; the hardcopy is said to be completely black with gilt cover, more of a dark vibe.

Nevertheless, Porcelli clearly has a passion for this style and his illustrations are detailed and thoughtful. This would be a suitable addition to any library leaning toward the macabre curiosities or fantastical creatures.

And if I had to pick, my favourite oddity would be Rickworms that live in a rock. What delightful little weirdos!

Thank you Ronald Porcelli, Familius, and NetGalley for the digital advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.

This is an atmospheric tome of word treasures; A beautifully illustrated love letter to our world, its ever changing aspects, and the words humans use to describe it; A collection of words from across cultures that describe who we are and where we live in ways that are rooted in their linguistic birthplace; A lexigraphic celebration of our planet and our connections to everything and everyone who shares it.

Each page has a word or two and their meanings, and is accompanied by beautiful artwork by the author. Often Sanders has included moving historical, environmental or social context. Language is so closely tied to how, where and why we live; Sanders does an admirable job in giving these words the depth and weight they deserve.

This is more of a meditative coffee table book to dip in and out of, though you could just as easily read from cover to cover.

Thank you Ella Frances Sanders, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and NetGalley for the digital advance review copy. All opinions are my own.

At first I enjoyed this dystopia told in first person AI-perspective, but the first half of the book quickly became tedious. The second half is mostly better.

Each chapter is its own story of how an AI entity becomes more than its intended purpose. Unfortunately, the first half of the book just reads as lazy story concepts centring discontented men whining about how hard they’ve got it, so their AI takes over in a humanly selfish way, modelling itself on its owner. The second half is more interesting, with AI embodying societal uses such as currency. The best and most moving chapter was the last one about embedded neural AI that accompanies a person with dementia.

This could have been a really interesting take on AI speculative fiction. The writing itself is fine but not particularly inspiring given it feels we’re on the cusp of such AI concepts becoming reality.

Thank you Zachary Mason, Grove Atlantic, and NetGalley for the digital advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.

As an animal lover and appreciator of our natural world, this little tome was just the thing for lifting my spirits.

As we all know, animals are weirdos, and each comic in this book gives you a heart-lifting boost of animal weirdo serotonin with some interesting nature factoids. If you’ve ever watched birds being birds in their bird world and loved it, you’ll know what I mean. And it’s not just birds here - there are lots of other animals and plants that pop their snouts/stems/antennae in. There are also important messages delivered really well around species decline, invasive species, and climate change.

Mosco’s comics convey a childlike wonder with a quiet smile, provoke an amused groan or a chuckle, warm a swelling heart, and make you wish you could just give that crazy bird/salamander/moth/squid/dinosaur/rodent/shrub/microbe a cuddle - and then make plans to act on your renewed resolve to help protect them.

As an Australian, it’s helpful for me - and hopefully others - to know that the author is American, so many species and locations in the book are in reference to North America as well as northern hemisphere seasons and traditions. But there is plenty here to satisfy readers from anywhere.

Mosco clearly knows her biology, and her appreciation for all creatures’ and ecologies’ important places in the natural world underpins her art. We’re living in their world, and we just happen to be lucky enough to observe them going about their business.

This would be a great gift for anyone who appreciates art, animals and nature. It does contain some innocent animal mating innuendo, but I’d say it’s totally appropriate for kids as well as adults.

I loved this game, 10/10.

Side note: I’m glad to see that the balloon in this game gets zero points. Balloons are terrible. ZERO points for balloons!

Thank you Rosemary Mosco, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and NetGalley for the digital advance review copy. All opinions are my own.