Book Review: The Outskirter's Secret by Rosemary Kirstein

Title: The Outskirter's Secret (The Steerswoman Book 2)
Author: Rosemary Kirstein
Published: Smashwords, 2014 (1992)
Rating: 5 of 5
Page Count: 340
Total Page Count: 197,635
Text Number: 584
Read Because: continuing the series, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: Rowan heads deep into the Outskirts in search of the fallen Guidestar. The series's fantasy-meets-science fiction premise doesn't grow tiresome, in large part because the major plot twist is unpredictable but logical—drawing the reader into the protagonist's limited PoV, while still allowing their wider knowledge to inform the worldbuilding. The strengths of the first book, the detailed, lived-in world and the compelling ways in which characters reason through the mysteries that surround them, persist. And the developments in this volume as significant enough that this doesn't feel like a middle or a filler book, despite two more sequels. I loved this, and can't wait to continue the series.

Book Review: You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felecia Day

Title:You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)
Author: Felicia Day
Published: New York: Touchstone, 2015
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 300
Total Page Count: 197,295
Text Number: 583
Read Because: watching a Geek & Sundry show, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: In this memoir, internet phenomenon Felicia Day recounts her childhood, acting career, and the creation of webseries The Guild. She has a conversational, accessible voice (sometimes too accessible: the many pauses to overexplain aspects of nerd culture slow the pace) which makes this a quick, easy read. This is about what I expected, which doesn't mean it's boring. Day's self-deprecating nerdy persona is both natural and groomed for consumability, and as charming/relatable as always; she simultaneously demystifies her success and discusses the particular cultural phenomenon she's encountered, including (a mainstream, non-intersectional take on) misogyny within geek culture. This is engaging but not world-changing. I don't particularly recommend it, but if you're interested then it's harmless.