Author Archives: Barbara Howe

Quiet in Her Bones

Posted on 13 January 2023 by Barbara Howe

 Ten years ago, Nina Parvati Rai vanished without a trace, taking with her a quarter of a million dollars in cash. Her disappearance was assumed to be an act of defiance: a bored socialite’s revenge on her wealthy, controlling husband. … Continue reading →

Posted in Kiwi author, Mysteries, New Zealand | 2 Comments

2023 Preview

Posted on 30 December 2022 by Barbara Howe

I love mysteries, fantasies, and science fiction, so what could be better than a good murder mystery in a fantasy or science fiction setting? There are a number of those in my TBR pile, so it’s not surprising they figure … Continue reading →

Posted in A Writer's Life, Speculative fiction | Comments Off on 2023 Preview

2022 Recap

Posted on 16 December 2022 by Barbara Howe

I started off this year with a post about the half-dozen books on the top of my TBR pile, and was only happy with one of them (When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain). What about the others? I loved … Continue reading →

Posted in A Writer's Life, Fantasy, Kiwi author, LGBTQIA+, Mysteries, Science Fiction | Comments Off on 2022 Recap

The Rogue and the Peasant

Posted on 2 December 2022 by Barbara Howe

Esme is destined to be a queen. At least, that’s what her mother has always said, and Esme doesn’t doubt her, despite living like a peasant in a small village all her life, where she plays—and fights—with the miller’s children, … Continue reading →

Posted in Fairy Tales, Kiwi author | 1 Comment

Middle Distance: Long Stories of Aotearoa New Zealand

Posted on 19 November 2022 by Barbara Howe

Middle Distance: Long Stories of Aotearoa New Zealand is a recent anthology of stories around 10,000 words each, shorter than a novella but longer than the typical short story. For me, these long stories (novelettes?) were a nice change of … Continue reading →

Posted in Kiwi author, LGBTQIA+, New Zealand, Short stories, Speculative fiction | Comments Off on Middle Distance: Long Stories of Aotearoa New Zealand

Aftermath

Posted on 5 November 2022 by Barbara Howe

Aftermath: Stories of Survival in Aotearoa New Zealand is a collection of about two dozen stories, poems, and images, set in post-apocalyptic New Zealand. The disasters represented range from the quite possible (catastrophic climate change, nuclear war, earthquakes, pandemics, …) … Continue reading →

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Sanctuary

Posted on 21 October 2022 by Barbara Howe

The refuge in Sanctuary, by New Zealand author Andi C Buchanan, is a many-roomed house dating from the 17th century. Once a mansion, it is now in a state of disrepair, tended to by residents with inadequate funds for its … Continue reading →

Posted in Fantasy, LGBTQIA+ | Comments Off on Sanctuary

Beyond Magenta

Posted on 30 September 2022 by Barbara Howe

I read Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out, by Susan Kuklin, for this year’s Banned Books Week, since it has popped up in the American Library Association’s Top 10 Challenged Books list several times since it was published in 2014. … Continue reading →

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Banned Book Week 2022

Posted on 17 September 2022 by Barbara Howe

It is, once again, Banned Book Week: the American Library Association’s yearly campaign to draw attention to efforts to remove certain books from classrooms and libraries. Their current list of the most frequently challenged books is here. As far as … Continue reading →

Posted in On Reading, Politics | Comments Off on Banned Book Week 2022

The Hands of the Emperor

Posted on 10 September 2022 by Barbara Howe

I am conflicted about The Hands of the Emperor, by Victoria Goddard. I’m giving it three stars on goodreads.com, a compromise between five stars (It’s wonderful! You have to read it!) and two (meh). Let’s start with the part I … Continue reading →

Posted in Fantasy | Comments Off on The Hands of the Emperor