Audely Bensen Writes

Similarly to A Dowry of Blood, when I saw Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree on the shelf at the library, I snatched it and practically ran to the check-out counter before anyone else could lay claim to it.  This book felt like a hug, an inside joke, and a rainy afternoon watching tv with your high-school friends. It was so nice to read a book full of people whose motivations were so good, and where the tension didn't have me putting the book down every 40 pages to keep my blood pressure even. 

I read The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd on my phone. Normally I don't read fantasy on e-reader, because I find the sensation of holding a physical book to be critical to being able to sink into another world. However, I found myself with a bad case of allergies while in Nashville and couldn't focus on the non-fiction book I'd packed for the trip. Off to hoopla I went, and this was the first book I found that I'd heard of before.  I'm so glad I read this book, even if I'm pissed. While I've never seen anything comping The Cartographers to Brigadoon, it's totally a modern Brigadoon. I'm too late. Alas! This is the risk of retellings: no one owns ideas, and anyone can write a story based on the classics. Maybe someday I'll think of another way to bring a new twist to my old favorites.  All jokes aside, I really liked this book. I thought the interstitial POV's from the parent's friends were really clever. I also felt like this book hit th...