The January Book Club – Higher Magic by Courtney Floyd
On January 8th at 7PM ET we’ll meet to discuss Higher Magic by Courtney Floyd – we’re giving you advance heads up for this one, since our meeting will be a little earlier in the month (and also to give you lots of time to read this one because it is a DELIGHT!)
Here’s the description: “First-generation graduate student Dorothe Bartleby has one last chance to pass the Magic program’s qualifying exam after freezing with anxiety during her first attempt. If she fails to demonstrate that magic in classic literature changed the world, she’ll be kicked out of the university. And now her advisor insists she reframe her entire dissertation using Digimancy. While mages have found a way to combine computers and magic, Bartleby’s fated to never make it work.
This time is no exception. Her revised working goes horribly wrong, creating a talking skull named Anne that narrates Bartleby’s inner thoughts—even the most embarrassing ones—like she’s a heroine in a Jane Austen novel. Out of her depth, she recruits James, an unfairly attractive mage candidate, to help her stop Anne’s glitches in time for her exam.
Instead, Anne leads them to a shocking and dangerous discovery: Magic students who seek disability accommodations are disappearing—quite literally. When the administration fails to act, Bartleby must learn to trust her own knowledge and skills. Otherwise, she risks losing both the missing students and her future as a mage, permanently.”
Could this BE any more perfect for us?? We can’t wait to talk about it with you!
Here are some reviews!
“Higher Magic is my catnip. By what dark arts I know not, Floyd has summoned up a wonderful wizard-grad-school slice-of-life, replete with organizing, romance, anxiety, camaraderie, and courage. More please!” – Max Gladstone, NYT Bestselling Co-Author of This is How You Lose the Time War
“Floyd creates a spellbindingly accurate reimagining of the grad school experience, where magic does little to improve the struggle of trying to succeed in academia for neurodivergent or nontraditional students…A campus novel with a fantasy twist, Floyd’s debut will charm anyone who’s had to fight for their place in higher education.” – Library Journal
“Higher Magic is a magical treat with charm, magic, mystery, and subtle commentary about friendship, acceptance, and inclusion.” – San Francisco Book Review
To join us, make sure you’re on the $7+ tier on our Patreon for the month of January!