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Automatic Noodle and Valet

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Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz and Valet by J.P. Lacrampe

Two novels featuring robots set in different versions of future California are appealing readalikes.

Automatic Noodle was published in 2025 and has become a bestseller. I don’t think I’ve ever had authentic hand-pulled biang biang noodles in San Francisco or anywhere else, but they sound delicious. And except for human Robles and Cayenne, who has eight arms like an octopus and taste sensors, none of the workers at Authentic Noodle can taste them, as they’re robots. Staybehind was a military bot during the war between California and the United States. Sweetie presents as a human woman with three legs while Hands has a torso but no head or legs. Along with Robles and delivery van Sloan, they open and run a noodle restaurant.

Staybehind discovers a talent for decorating the restaurant while Sweetie connects with other robots in the city. Reviews are great, but only at first. A charming story set in future San Francisco, where robots who struggled during the war are now working for a more independent and happier future. Newitz has a new book out this month that sounds quite different but also intriguing: A Wall is Also a Road.

Valet is set in southern California in the future. I was expecting a funny book like Wodehouse’s Jeeves and Wooster stories of the early 20th century but the humor didn’t really appear until about page 70. Cy is a robot, assigned by Mrs. Elizabeth St. Clair to optimize her son Grayson, 35, a ceramic artist who loves to party with his rich and equally unambitious friends. His late father founded AI+ Labs and his sister Charlotte is the acting CEO. Smug Elsa, a much newer model robot, assists their mother.

Cy is friendly with talkative older robot Larry, who’s in danger of being downgraded from valet to a mech bot. With Cy’s help, Larry heads down the coast in a boat to escape his fate. When Grayson learns that Charlotte wants to sell AI+ Labs, he plans to thwart her, with Cy’s help. The action really picks up when Cy, Grayson, Grayson’s dog, and engineer Livi leave the city and end up in a most unusual low-tech community. Cy is focused on keeping his battery charged when not using another of his unexpected skills, like setting a broken bone. Grayson is a more appealing character outside of San Francisco, both to the reader and Cy; he was probably utterly bored in his ultramodern, high-tech world. The setting reminds me a bit of Sourdough by Robin Sloan. Kevin Wilson blurbs this book, and his quirkiness and absurdity do make him a readalike as well.

While Automatic Noodle was a quicker, easier read, I really cared about the characters in Valet and got caught up in the story once the action picked up. Craving noodles now? Here’s a recipe to try: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/biang-biang-noodles-recipe.

Brenda

Tales from the Territory

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Tales from the Territory: Stories from the World of Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

This fantasy collection has five stories, three brand-new, by the author of Legends & Lattes. I had read the other two before, but enjoyed rereading them. This is a beautiful book from Subterranean Press, with illustrations.

Goblins & Greatcoats is a prequel to Brigands & Breadknives. Goblin Zyll solves a crime in a dramatic fashion and meets the magical knife Bradlee, which Zyll calls Breadlee. This was previously published.

Just a Thimbleful is the charming story of the beginning of ratkin Thimble’s baking career, in Thune. Thimble quietly takes over his father’s job working in a mansion’s kitchen, where new recipes are always rejected. Thimble is inspired by a visit to a shop that sells spices and wants to create something delicious with cinnamon. Thwarted at the mansion, Thimble gets his chance when the Legends & Lattes coffee shop opens.

Pages to Fill, previously published, tells orc Viv’s story as a treasure hunting mercenary orc.

Mirograph introduces Tandri as a university student who meets with a professor who goes a little too far with magic and photography. This one is eerie, and fairly short.

Cavaliers & Coffees is set after Legends & Lattes. Viv, Tandri, Thimble, and Cal become increasingly worried when a rival coffee shop opens nearby, with lower prices and inferior baked goods.  There are hints that a future story set in Thune could appeal to tea drinkers.

Brenda

Monsters of Ohio

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Monsters of Ohio by John Scalzi

Mike Boyd, having lost his job with the Department of Agriculture, returns home to small-town Richland, Ohio, where his father and stepmother give him a rather lukewarm welcome. Richland, a fictional town in Darke County, where the author lives, is struggling because a large corporation is taking over the town’s largest employer, Bradson Foods, and plans to close it down. He reconnects with Dave, the only police officer left in town, and meets Andi, who is organizing a Monster Mash festival.

If you haven’t read award-winning author Scalzi’s often humorous science fiction books, this might not sound like a fun read, but it is. There are a few kinds of monsters in this book, including the corporate kind, yet it’s safe to read after dark. Something very strange happens to some of the residents of Richland. There is a little gore and horror, but no real violence. Some pets go missing, but they are all found in the end. Why monsters are appearing in Richland makes for a very entertaining story, but to reveal more would spoil the fun.

This book will be published on November 3; I read a digital review copy. Starter Villain, When the Moon Hits Your Eye, and Kaiju Preservation Society are other fun books by Scalzi if you need something light and snarky sooner.

Brenda

Teach the Torches to Burn

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Teach the Torches to Burn by Christina Dodd

Daughter of Montague Series Book 3

This novel is for readers of historical fiction who also enjoy mysteries, romance, and humor. In the 3rd book in the Daughter of Montague series, Rosie, the 20-year-old daughter of Romeo and Juliet (no, their love story didn’t end in tragedy) is set to marry her prince. Montagues and Capulets are coming from all over Italy for the occasion. They still don’t get along, so how to keep the peace for the week of the wedding? Lots of winter activities are planned, plus Great Uncle Magno is not invited. Of course, he shows up anyway.

Magno is a braggart and claims to be a wine expert. Poisonings are attempted; who is the target and who is the culprit? Cal and Rosie try to keep their family safe and solve the mystery while Rosie is also organizing the wedding. Cal wasn’t her first choice as groom, but they are falling in love.

Mystery, adventure and romance all combine in a fun historical novel. A fourth book is planned, and there are also two novellas. I suggest starting with the first book, A Daughter of Fair Verona.

Brenda

Probable Caws

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Probable Caws, a Meg Langslow Mystery by Donna Andrews

I always look forward to new Meg Langslow mysteries. Enjoyable, very cozy, with plenty of humor, eccentric characters and a variety of animals. The books are usually set in or near the fictional town of Caerphilly, Virginia. Meg, a blacksmith, and her husband Michael, two sons and their large extended family are at a nearby castle/manor helping with the unexpected arrival of many horses. The book cover shows a mesh scarf meant to keep flies away from a horse’s eyes. A cute subplots tests other methods of getting flies to leave horses alone.

One of the mares is pregnant and finds Meg’s company calming, so she’s often in the pastures and stables. Annoying swans and wise crows are featured as well as horses. The plot is about two brothers and what happens to the family farm when their 100-year-old father dies and no will is found. The castle is owned by a generous and wealthy musician, who played percussion in several heavy metal bands. His chef is happily serving all the volunteers lusciously described Italian dishes. A holiday mystery, Jay to the World, is due out in October. The Meg Langslow mysteries are a comfort read for me, in print or on audio. The first book is Murder With Peacocks, but you can really start anywhere.

Brenda

Moss’d in Space

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Moss’d in Space by Rebecca Thorne

This was just what I needed; a cozy science fiction book from the author of the Tomes and Tea fantasy series, which begins with Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea.

Two sisters live on Colony 13, a large human space station. Torian has studied solar engineering and worked on a spaceship for Fleet Captain/smuggler Amelia. Once, and only once, they kissed. Torian’s older sister Celise is a medic. The not-so-healthy atmosphere on Colony 13 makes her cough, and the long-term prognosis is not good. Torian save up enough money to buy a very small spaceship covered in moss. The moss turns out to be inside as well, and sentient. Meet Moss, sort of a hybrid entity. Torian and Moss head out on adventures, first to the planet Rhymarra, and then on the mostly abandoned space station Vaesa. Moss is holding a grudge against a long-lived alien who left the ship behind on Colony 13, but Moss finds Torian’s curiosity and loyal recklessness oddly appealing. This is not at all hard science fiction, with a refreshing lack of violence or much danger. I thought this was a fun and charming read. I look forward to the second book, to be published next summer. Fun trivia: the author also works as a flight attendant.

Brenda

Stay for a Spell

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Stay for a Spell by Amy Coombe

I didn’t want this cozy fantasy romance to end. A remarkably good first novel, this is a fun and satisfying read. Princess Tanadelle, or Tandy, is on yet another royal visit. Her next carriage stop is to dedicate the new market square in Little Pepperidge. Tandy has just finished the last book she packed when she sees a bookstore. There’s only time for a very short visit, but the next morning, she becomes a cursed princess and new proprietor of a bookstore. The bookstore is very crowded and needs rather a lot of tidying.

Distraught, her parents send a parade of princes to try and break the curse with a kiss. Her teen bookstore assistant Sasha is fascinated and pirate Bash is amused. A lovely story, but I don’t want to give away any more plot twists, other than to say that Tandy is not at all upset at the break in her royal routine. I look forward to the author’s second book.

Brenda

More Than Enough

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More Than Enough by Anna Quindlen

This was a compelling read; hard to put down, which is rare in a contemporary novel that isn’t a thriller or a mystery. It left me smiling, if a bit wistful. That said, this book isn’t for everyone. Content includes dementia, infertility, family secrets, and cancer.

Why was this a good read for me, with all those topics covered? This novel also has memorable characters that I cared about, humor, a happy marriage, friendship, good scenery, and alpacas. Alpacas are pretty charming!

Polly teaches high school English in a private school for girls in New York City. After a short and unhappy first marriage, Polly is happily married to Mark. Mark is kind, supportive, and is a zoo veterinarian. Polly meets three friends 9 or 10 times a year for an unusual book club. The four women agree to buy the buy, but not to read it. No, I don’t get it, but money does not appear to be an issue for any of these women. Her friend Sarah has a city apartment and a house in Connecticut with gorgeous gardens. Sarah becomes friends with Mark’s mother Lou when their house needs renovation.

Polly’s dad has dementia and has moved to a posh memory care facility, and her mother is a judge. Polly is her father’s favorite child, but her brother doesn’t hold it against her. Some of Polly’s students and former students are featured, along with another teen. There are brief poetry quotations, and references to famous women novelists.

Brenda

Darksight Dare

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Darksight Dare: a Penric & Desdemona Novella by Lois McMaster Bujold

Another Penric and Desdemona fantasy novella is always a treat to read. Following The Adventure of the Demonic Ox, Penric’s brother-in-law, General Arisaydia, has sent him a new challenge. Young Captain Cinar Camurat, a cavalry officer, sails with his brother from Cedonia to seek help from Learned Penric, a Temple Sorcerer and physician with a demon named Desdemona. Cinar was blinded recently, and hopes that Penric can help him regain his sight, as he once helped Arisaydia. At first meeting, Penric knows that he can’t, but perhaps there is another way to help Cinar.

In a village about two days away, there is a woman named Iva, who is dying young. She also has a demon, and is afraid the Temple will kill the demon when she dies. Instead, Penric reassures her that her demon can move to another host, in this case, and not exactly as planned, to Cinar. Demons give their hosts a sort of dark sight. Still worried about the Temple, Cinar and his demon flee, but in a moving and funny way, choose to help rather than hide as Iva did. Another reader pointed out that one of the appeals of this novella is that there is no villain, which is refreshing. There is adventure and plenty of humor in the Penric and Desdemona novellas, and they are also heartwarming. I plan to reread some more of the novellas, which begin with Penric’s Demon, which is also in a 3-novella collection, Penric’s Progress.

Brenda

Hemlock & Silver

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Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher

This novel is inspired by the fairytale Snow White and has hints of Alice Through the Looking Glass, but isn’t too similar to either. Fantasy with some romance and a little horror, there is also a talking cat in Hemlock & Silver. Well, Grayling is probably a cat.

Anja is a healer who specializes in researching antidotes to poisons. Anja is summoned by the King to diagnose and treat Snow, the King’s 12-year-old daughter. Snow is frequently ill, and may have been poisoned. Very reluctantly, Anja travels with the King’s retinue and guards Javier and Aaron across the desert to the King’s country home.

Snow’s mother and sister have died, so the King will do anything to save her. Anja eventually discovers silvered apples that Snow has eaten, and learns that they come from the other side of the mirror. Anja, Grayling the Cat, and handsome guard Javier have adventures in the beautiful and creepy mirror world. Reflections there do not always behave as predicted, and Snow has an unexpected reason for eating the silvered apples. Some humor along with the adventure, plus a romance, make for an enchantingly good read.

Brenda