Review – Walking Practice

Posted February 3, 2026 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review – Walking Practice

Walking Practice

by Dolki Min

Genres: Horror, Science Fiction
Pages: 166
Rating: two-stars
Synopsis:

Squid Game meets The Left Hand of Darkness meets Under the Skin in this radical literary sensation from South Korea about an alien's hunt for food that transforms into an existential crisis about what it means to be human.

After crashing their spacecraft in the middle of nowhere, a shapeshifting alien find themself stranded on an unfamiliar planet and disabled by Earth's gravity. To survive, they will need to practice walking. And what better way than to hunt for food? As they discover, humans are delicious.

Intelligent, clever, and adaptable, the alien shift their gender, appearance, and conduct to suit a prey's sexual preference, then attack at the pivotal moment of their encounter. They use a variety of hunting tools, including a popular dating app, to target the juiciest prey and carry a backpack filled with torturous instruments and cleaning equipment. But the alien's existence begins to unravel one night when they fail to kill their latest meal.

Thrust into an ill-fated chase across the city, the alien is confronted with the psychological and physical tolls their experience on Earth has taken. Questioning what they must do to sustain their own survival, they begin to understand why humans also fight to live. But their hunger is insatiable, and the alien once again targets a new prey, not knowing what awaits...

Dolki Min's haunting debut novel is part psychological thriller, part searing critique of the social structures that marginalize those who are different--the disabled, queer, and nonconformist. Walking Practice uncovers humanity in who we consider to be alien, and illuminates how alienation can shape the human experience.

Walking Practice features 21 black-and-white line drawings throughout.

Translated from the Korean by Victoria Caudle.

Dolki Min’s Walking Practice (as translated by Victoria Caudle) was not to my taste, but interesting all the same. The alien narrator’s story is very much a metaphor for queerness (inasfar as something so obvious is still a metaphor) and transgression, and maybe also disability/neurodivergence too. There are observations about gender which aren’t particularly fresh/startling/unusual for a queer narrative, but nonetheless, pretty well expressed. The alien’s physiology and issues on earth are thought out enthusiastically, aiming for wildly non-human and doing a pretty good job of it.

Buuut the gore/sex was just a lot, and the scene which seemed kinda fatphobic where it wasn’t clear if it was a critique or joining in was… offputting, and the formatting when the alien is in its own form was a bit maddening and difficult to read. I did appreciate the translators’ note about the orthographic choices in the original and trying to find a way to mirror that in English — she didn’t have an easy job here!

So not a total success for me, but it was interesting.

Rating: 2/5 (“it was okay”)

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Top Ten Tuesday: Cool Typography

Posted February 3, 2026 by Nicky in General / 18 Comments

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is about interesting cover typography… which is a tricky topic for me, because I’m a very non-visual person! That said, it also sounds fun, so let’s see what I can do.

Cover of Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher Cover of This Will Be Fun by E.B. Asher Cover of A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross Cover of Love, Theoretically, by Ali Hazelwood Cover of Paris Daillencourt is About To Crumble by Alexis Hall

Cover of Radiant Black vol 1 by Kyle Higgins et al Cover of Tied to You vol. 1 by WHAT and Chelliace Cover of Copper Script by KJ Charles Cover of An Unkindness of Magicians by Kat Howard Cover of Planting Clues: How Plants Solve Crimes by David J. Gibson

I make no promises about the quality of the books, because I’ve only read four of them and only loved two. All the same, these covers jumped out at me as doing interesting things with the typography (like following the layers of the cake, the echoed upside-down A, the letters of Tied to You being tied together, the broken crime-scene tape).

For my money, the coolest is An Unkindness of Magicians, though: it’s a pretty plain font, but somehow it’s making that pale-on-pale look work, and the branches are growing into the letters… a lot of the time bright colours draw the eye, but this cover draws the eye by eschewing colour, including in the title text.

I’m very curious to see what others have unearthed, and what other people feel looks cool!

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Review – The Iron Bridge

Posted February 2, 2026 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review – The Iron Bridge

The Iron Bridge

by Rebecca Hurst

Genres: Poetry
Pages: 128
Rating: three-stars
Synopsis:

Rebecca Hurst's first collection bridges memory and observation, noting the detail of the natural world and our changing relation to it. The book's places are made familiar by walking. It encounters other worlds alive with new and recovered ideas and images - from the folk traditions of her Sussex childhood, to archival encounters with a nineteenth-century nurse-explorer, and her undergraduate training as a Kremlinologist. Her language is deeply rooted, as keenly aware of etymologies as of history. Shaped by myth, history and desire, the poems of The Iron Bridge are theatrical, fierce, music-infused.

Rebecca Hurst’s The Iron Bridge was a fairly random pick to use my National Poetry Library card, from one of the collections of prizewinners and shortlisted titles — a debut prize, if I recall correctly. The collection includes various poems and a few prose-poems/pieces of microfiction, some of it themed together and some of it less obviously so.

I enjoyed quite a few of the poems, and Hurst’s word choice/cadence, though I definitely preferred the poems over the prose-poems/microfiction, and I thought she was a little over-fond of the descriptor “needle-sharp” (which came up at least three times). I liked “Arrivals/Departures” a lot, in particular.

I’d try other collections by Hurst in future, definitely. Not an instant favourite, but glad I checked it out.

Rating: 3/5 (“liked it”)

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Review – Pyramids

Posted February 1, 2026 by Nicky in Reviews / 8 Comments

Review – Pyramids

Pyramids

by Joyce Tyldesley

Genres: History, Non-fiction
Pages: 288
Rating: four-stars
Synopsis:

From the development of monumental architecture around 3,000 BC to the fabulous edifices that rose up from the desert plains of Giza, Pyramids chronicles how and why Egypt's pharaohs built on so grand a scale. Joyce Tyldesley, writer, lecturer and broadcaster on Ancient Egypt, cuts away modern myth and prejudice to reveal the truth behind the conception, design and constructiion of these astonishing structures. By tracing Egypt's pyramid-building society back to its roots, Tyldesley not only shows how and why the Egyptians built pyramids, but how the pyramids helped to build Egypt itself.

Joyce Tyldesley’s Pyramids is a non-sensational deep-dive into the pyramids, how they were built (not in architectural detail, admittedly, but with some explanations of e.g. levelling them, how they used bedrock, etc), what they were built for, and basically everything we know about them and the sacred landscapes around them. There’s a bit of general Egyptian history as well to add context, but it’s mostly about the remains and what we can discover from them, and what they might have meant to the builders.

It’s pretty thorough, and though I could’ve wished for colour illustrations, there are some black and white illustrations and diagrams where it helps to illustrate the text (though the text isn’t organised to flow around them very well).

If you’re a huge fan of ancient Egyptians and the pyramids, this is worthwhile. I found it fascinating, and clearly-written, but it might be a bit dry if you don’t have a deep interest in the subject. It doesn’t really discuss any of the conspiracy theories except very briefly to dismiss them, except for digging a bit into the so-called Pyramid Inch.

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)

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Review – Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, vol 3

Posted January 31, 2026 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments

Review – Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, vol 3

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation

by Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù

Genres: Fantasy, Light Novels, Romance
Pages: 379
Series: Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (LN) #3
Rating: four-stars
Synopsis:

SHOOT DOWN THE SUN

The bloody war against the Wen Clan once led Wei Wuxian to seek power in demonic cultivation, and the dark acts he committed drove a wedge between him and Lan Wangji. Now, those old sins come back to haunt him as his reincarnated identity is revealed to the cultivation world. But even as the other clans call for Wei Wuxian’s death, Lan Wangji stands by him, making Wei Wuxian realize what he took for disapproval in the past might have been a much deeper emotion.

The third volume of MXTX’s Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation flew by for me, with just a little pacing mismatch for me because of the rapid flips between the two timelines. It’s true that the long interludes in the past in Heaven Official’s Blessing weren’t always appealing either, but it’s weird and disorientating to flip back and forth quickly between chapters. I guess there’s no perfect answer there.

I loved seeing a bit more of young Wei Ying and Lan Zhan, all the same, especially Wei Wuxian’s first kiss, and all the tragic goings on of the fall of the Jiang Clan. I’m curious how much we ever learn about Wei Wuxian’s time in the Burial Mounds, and how he got back out: it might be one of those cases where less is more, much as in Heaven Official’s Blessing we never learn exactly how much Xie Lian has been poisoned, tortured, nearly killed, etc.

There are still a lot of characters and a lot going on, but I feel like I’ve got hold of most of the important things now. I’m curious how everything comes together, and — unusually for me — very tempted to start on the next book right away.

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)

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Stacking the Shelves & The Sunday Post

Posted January 31, 2026 by Nicky in General / 37 Comments

Here we are again, another weekend! Monday sees me back at work, but this week has still been my time off, though I haven’t spent as much time reading as I would’ve liked.

Books acquired this week

It’s been a quiet week on this front, though I did receive a finished print copy of Heather Fawcett’s Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter. I received the eARC a few weeks ago, but I’m really grateful to Hachette for sending me a physical copy too — I’d actually thought I wasn’t selected, so it was a surprise to get the shipping info a couple of days ago!

Cover of Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett

I also borrowed a new book from the National Poetry Library:

Cover of Smart Devices: 52 Poems, ed. Carol Rumens

But, overall, a quiet week.

Posts from this week

As usual, let’s start with the review roundup!

And the non-review posts:

What I’m reading

I said I wasn’t reading as much as I’d hoped, but let’s take a look at the books I’ve managed to finish this week anyway!

Cover of The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter manga vol 6 Cover of The Meteorites by Helen Gordon Cover of Heaven Official's Blessing manhua vol 1 by STARember

Cover of The Grendel Affair by Lisa Shearin Cover of Guardian (light novel) vol 1 by Priest Cover of The Iron Bridge by Rebecca Hurst

So not the worst progress either!

I’m not sure what I’ll read this weekend, but right now I’m thinking of working to finish up Heather Fawcett’s Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter and T. Kingfisher’s Snake-eater, and I’m also partway through Smart Devices, the poetry collection I borrowed this week. Maybe I’ll read some manhwa too, to help catch up a bit to my reading goal before I get too far behind — but only if the whim strikes me, as always!

Linking up with Reading Reality’s Stacking the Shelves, Caffeinated Reviewer’s The Sunday Post, the Sunday Salon over at Readerbuzz, and It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? at The Book Date.

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Review – Solo Leveling, vol 13

Posted January 30, 2026 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review – Solo Leveling, vol 13

Solo Leveling

by Dubu, Chugong

Genres: Fantasy, Manga
Pages: 296
Series: Solo Leveling #13
Rating: four-stars
Synopsis:

Outnumbered a hundred to one, Jinwoo and his shadow army ready themselves for the fight that will determine the fate of the whole world. As hunters worldwide gather to make mankind’s last stand, Jinwoo focuses on the gate closest to home and those he loves. A superior strategy is his only hope in the face of such overwhelming odds, but as the first wave emerges, it’s clear his foes are already a step ahead of the new Shadow Monarch... Has Jinwoo leveled up enough to defend humanity from certain destruction?!

If I understand rightly, this 13th volume is the last of Solo Leveling‘s main story, which… it feels like the last 2-3 volumes all happened in a massive rush, because so much happens here. I wasn’t surprised by the fact that ultimately — despite all his allies — Jinwoo went at it totally alone. The clue is in the title: Solo Leveling. In the end, all he can depend on is himself: he learned that lesson very early on.

Now we know why he needed to learn it.

I don’t entirely know how I feel about the time travel plot here: it diminishes some of the sacrifices so far, but it entails a different kind of sacrifice, so… hm.

I think I’d like to read the light novels now: I wasn’t sure at the outset whether I would, because this isn’t my go-to style of story. But, in the end, I like reading a little of everything, and I’m curious to read in a bit more detail, and get an idea of where the story here might’ve been interpreted differently.

[Note: since writing the review, I have indeed started on the light novels, and I love them. Reviews will come eventually, though I still have a huge backlog of written but not yet posted reviews.]

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)

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Review – The Green Ages

Posted January 29, 2026 by Nicky in Reviews / 6 Comments

Review – The Green Ages

The Green Ages: Medieval Innovations in Sustainability

by Annette Kehnel

Genres: History, Non-fiction
Pages: 352
Rating: one-star
Synopsis:

Fishing quotas on Lake Constance. Common lands in the UK. The medieval answer to Depop in the middle of Frankfurt.

These are all just some of the sustainability initiatives from the Middle Ages that Annette Kehnel illuminates in her astounding new book, The Green Ages. From the mythical-sounding City of Ladies and their garden economy to early microcredit banks and rent-a-cow schemes, Kehnel uncovers a world at odds with what we might think of as the typical medieval existence.

Pre-modern history is full of inspiring examples and concepts that open up new horizons. And we urgently need them as today's challenges - finite resources, the twilight of consumerism, growing inequality - threaten what we have come to think of as a modern way of living sustainably.

This is a revelatory look at the past that has the power to change our future.

Annette Kehnel’s The Green Ages is trying to offer a way forward for society based on examples of the past — not necessarily saying they’re fully transferrable, or that everyone can simply swear themselves to eternal poverty, or anything like that, but to show that there are ways forward that aren’t endless profit. That “progress” doesn’t have to look like this. I admire the sentiment, and I even agree that some aspects of the past are worth re-examining and potentially emulating, or at least adapted.

That said, her examples are either deeply naive or very disingenuous, or a mixture of both. For example, to promote communal, self-sufficient living, she uses the examples of the Benedictines and the Cistercians — which famously became extremely wealthy, at the very least, if not outright exploitative. She says the sale of indulgences was an early form of crowdfunding, and I think this quotation is a good one to show how weird her interpretations are:

Indulgences worked roughly like modern crowdfunding initiatives, with all the attendant opportunities as well as risks. They were used to finance major infrastructure and creative projects, and sustained some of the most important Renaissance artsists, from Raphael to Michelangelo. Yet they also show that the crowd’s patience can eventually run out, and were a major trigger factor for the Reformation.

This is just… bizarre.

In the end, where I have my own understanding of a subject, I can tell that she’s completely misunderstanding the past. I can’t evaluate all of her examples for myself, but based on what I can evaluate, I trust none of it.

It’s a nice idea for a book, but it just… doesn’t hold up to the most cursory critique (because believe me, my grasp on history is often tenuous where it doesn’t directly intersect my literary knowledge).

Rating: 1/5 (“didn’t like it”)

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Review – The Meteorites

Posted January 28, 2026 by Nicky in Reviews / 8 Comments

Review – The Meteorites

The Meteorites: Encounters With Outer Space & Deep Time

by Helen Gordon

Genres: History, Non-fiction, Science
Pages: 265
Rating: three-stars
Synopsis:

From your window you can see the stars and distant planets: light years away, it's easy to think that our existences and theirs will never intersect. Yet meteorites - mysterious, irregular rocks of sometimes immense value - connect us with the vastness of the universe. They may have brought the first life to our planet, and today they still reveal extraordinary scientific insights.

Helen Gordon reveals the fascinating stories of fallen meteorites and the lives they've touched - from collectors to kings, scientists to farmers. She meets amateur astronomers and gem dealers, goes meteorite hunting across rooftops and learns what objects moving through space can tell us about the fragility of life on Earth.

Helen Gordon’s The Meteorites is an exploration of what meteorites are and what they’ve meant to humanity. It digs into some of the science around meteorites, but also discusses historical meteorites (collected long after they fell) both scientifically and socially, and meteorites that were adapted by people of the past into keepsakes and monuments, and other modern ways of engaging with meteorites (like collecting them).

For me, there was maybe a bit more focus on the social side of meteorite-appreciation than I was interested in. People wanting to appreciate the aesthetics of meteorites and use them for decorations aren’t that interesting to me — for many of them, meteorites are like any prestigious art object, a way to show off. Some are interested in the rarity, whether or not the meteorites are beautiful. Ludicrous amounts of money changes hands, with some specimens getting lost to science. Gordon writes about non-scienticist collectors in quite a few chapters, and while some are responsible and willing to share their meteorites for testing etc, I have questions about treating meteorite collection like a hobby.

Mind you, citizen science around micrometeorites could be pretty cool and useful, so I guess it’s not so clear-cut.

Anyway, where it stuck to the more scientific stuff I was more interested, but I didn’t particularly feel connected with the whole… sense of wonder, numinous, connection-to-the-cosmos type bits. I get that more through doing science or reading about people doing science, generally; the idea of standing where a significant meteorite fell is fairly uninteresting to me.

Rating: 3/5 (“liked it”)

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