I know, I know – it’s not summer yet; call it wishful thinking. But let me start things out right with one book, and I’ll have more as the Eugene rains turn to sun and summer truly begins. I discovered G. Willow Wilson, who’s probably best known for authoring the new Ms. Marvel comics featuring Kamala Khan, a Pakistani-American teen from New Jersey. When I heard Wilson was giving a talk at the public library here, it gave me the excuse I needed to finally read “Alif the Unseen.” Wow – a very enjoyable book. Crash a Middle Eastern computer hacker on the run from the law together with a bunch of jinn, then sit back and watch. Not only is this book tremendously entertaining, I think it’s a bridge between the average American reader and the modern Middle East. And it won the 2013 World Fantasy Award. Well worth picking up.

With that as the notable exception, this year I’ve mostly been reading as a preliminary judge for the Endeavour Award. But that’s coming to an end soon, so – look forward to more in the upcoming months!