Think Julia: How to Think Like a Computer Scientist by Ben Lauwens

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a great book introducing you to how to use Julia to solve problems. I describe Julia to others as - what if Python had been designed for data analysis instead of falling backwards into that role? This book is well-written and does a great job at presenting the way Julia works.

A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through? by Kelly Weinersmith

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Any time anyone on the news or a podcast talks about us founding a colony on Mars, you should hand them this book. Basically it is a ridiculous thing to say on any timescale that the people currently advocating it would want. Zach and Kelly go through all the reasons why we are NOWHERE near the level of tech we would need for this to work. (Also, it’s on bad legal ground and would probably lead to war)

The Innocent Sleep by Seanan McGuire

3 of 5 stars

I had a feeling I would like this more than the previous book (which covers the same events from Toby’s point of view) and I was right. A large portion of book 17 took place in a world without consequence. Meanwhile, this book, told from Tybalt’s point of view, has him working actively the entire time to fix things.

I’m finally caught up with the main novels. Just have to finish the final novella and a few short stories while I wait for the next book this fall.

Sleep No More by Seanan McGuire

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Maybe you read Marvel’s What If back in the day or saw the recent series. Maybe you’re familiar with DC Comics’ Elseworlds. This book was mostly like reading one of those. It’s not a spoiler since the last chapter of the previous book revealed what revenge on Toby looked like. That made this book less interesting to me.

Because Toby was either dreaming or in The Matrix or somehow else experiencing a fake world, none of the consequences of her actions felt like they had any stakes. Very late in the book it was revealed that there were SOME consequences - mostly mental/emotional. Near the end I felt that perhaps there was some interesting emotional work that McGuire did via this book. (And the last 7 or so chapters did resolve the conflict from the previous book and get things back to a clean slate as well as revealing a little more about the world)

Be the Serpent by Seanan McGuire

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is the lowest rating I have given an October Daye book. It mostly comes down to the final chapter, but we’ll get to that in a moment.

This should have been a book I loved. It had ALL the lore. We almost (as far as I know) know the answers to all the things - what happened to Oberon and his wives. How was The Ride broken and what were the consequences. What has The Sea Witch’s plan for Toby been all along? We now know all that and more. Also at this point Toby is firing on all cylinders. She knows how to rely on her friends and family. Everything was going to well until we got to that final chapter….

Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins: Series I & II Collection by Matthew Mercer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Whether you’re a fan of Critical Role’s Vox Machina storyline from the live play or the cartoon on Amazon Prime, this is a fun set of stories that tell how the group got together and some of their early adventures. This version is oversized when compared to a traditional trade paperback or graphic novel, but it’s got a nice quality to the cover as well as the pages.

When Sorrows Come by Seanan McGuire

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Toby’s finally getting married. If you’ve made it this far, you know nothing is ever that simple for Toby. (And McGuire has been preparing us for that via Toby and Tybalt’s chatter about the wedding for 1-2 books now) Overall I enjoyed the book and the cast reunion that the event leads to.

I’m going to get a little more spoilery than I usually do with my reviews, but by book #15 you should know if you’re in or not with series rather than depending on a review.

I’d Rather We Got Casinos: And Other Black Thoughts by Larry Wilmore

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is one of the oldest books that I added to my “to read” list on Goodreads. It was #28 and I added it on 3 Oct 2014. Wilmore was probably on the Daily Show at the time, which is where I know him from (subsequent roles not withstanding). At the time I found him to be very funny.

A Killing Frost by Seanan McGuire

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another book that seems to tie a bow on Toby’s plotlines. I’ve said something akin to this more that once, but this time truly seems as though McGuire has finally finished up all the plotlines. (Not 100% true, there’s a certain person who is white as snow who isn’t QUITE done yet….) The climax of this book seems to finally resolve the one HUGE plot that I thought would mark the end of the series. Yet I know, here in 2025, that there are another 5 or so books (and multiple short stories). I have one theory - I think someone who was very angry at the end of this book will be teaming up with someone else who has cause to be upset with Toby. Other than that, I have no idea what could be awaiting our protagonist.

The Unkindest Tide by Seanan McGuire

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The sea witch has been promising for a while now that things would be coming due soon with the Selkies. The day has arrived. But Toby’s involved, so nothing is going to go all that smoothly. We get to see a new realm and another very important fae. We get more lore dumps. We get family reunions. Of course, Toby gets stabbed.