My friend Chavala keeps track of all the books she reads in a year on her blog (she attempts to read 50 books a year).

I'm always curious to see what she has read as well as which ones she stars or double stars because Chavala was the first adult girl with whom I shared my shameful speculative fiction secret (that would be at Earlham College).

So I guess I'll try to do the same this year, although I don't know if it will last or not. It struck me that I easily read 50 books in a year, but that very little of them stick with me in a meaningful way.

So here goes the first entry:

Secret History of Moscow by Ekaterina Sedia

First of all, let me say, I HATE Ekaterina Sedia because she was born and raised in Moscow (so English is a second language, right?) and she is a wonderful writer.

The book is about Galina, whose sister turns into a crow one day. Galina, an artist and a cop discover the entrance to this underground world where demigods and mythological figures hang out.

I needed Google to figure out some of the characters, as I am only rich in East Asian historical details, but found it overall very comprehensible.