Books:

**** Historical Atlas of the Celtic World by John Haywood


Stories:

** "Black Magic" by Resa Nelson
** "Logicist" by Carol Emshwiller
**** "Blocked" by Geoff Ryman
*** "The Language of the Whirlwind" by Lavie Tidhar
*** "The Sky is Large and the Earth is Small" by Chris Roberson
*** "Through the Blood" by Mette Ivie Harrison
**** "Gizzard Stones" by Garth Upshaw
**** "Shatterach Gates" by Paul Daly
**** "Stone Man" by Nancy Kress
**** "Halloween Town" by Lucius Shepard
*** "Mermaid" by Robert Reed
*** "Remembering" by Deborah J. Ross
*** "Never Blood Enough" by Joe Haldeman
**** "I Waltzed with a Zombie" by Ron Goulart
**** "Orm the Beautiful" by Elizabeth Bear
**** "The Manticore Spell" by Jeffrey Ford
***** "The President's Book Tour" by M. Rickert
*** "Through Time and Space with Ferdinand Feghoot—LXXI" by Ron Partridge
*** "Squirrel Errant" by Michael H. Payne
***** "Another Life" by Charles Oberndorf
**** "Shadows on the Wall of the Cave" by Kate Wilhelm
**** "The Constable of Abal" by Kelly Link


Quick Takes:

Historical Atlas of the Celtic World by John Haywood: not just maps (although it includes many excellent ones), but a series of short, readable essays on different phases of the Celtic world from prehistory to present day, thorough and historically sound.

"Gizzard Stones" by Garth Upshaw (Beneath Ceaseless Skies): Exciting, engaging tale for goblin lovers everywhere. Nice world-building.

"Halloween Town" by Lucius Shepard (F&SF): very entertaining novella that may be fantasy, or sf, or perhaps just bizarre. Think Twin Peaks meets The Island of Dr. Moreau.

"Orm the Beautiful" by Elizabeth Bear (Best SF & Fantasy of the Year, v2): a beautifully written and genuinely original dragon story.

"Another Life" by Charles Oberndorf (F&SF): compelling and thought-provoking story of a time when people are reborn in new bodies, but with memories only up to the time of their last 'backup'.

"The Constable of Abal" by Kelly Link (Best SF & Fantasy of the Year, v2): intriguing and inventive fantasy involving ghosts, gods, and witchcraft.


My ratings:
***** excellent: memorable, satisfying, a pleasure to read
**** very good: well written, good read
*** good: readable, engaging, but not very memorable or exciting for me
** sub-par: a rough read, I found it flawed or just uninteresting to me
* huh? someone published this?

My ratings are part objective appraisal of the writing, part unapologetic personal preference (certain subjects and subgenres just don't appeal to me as much as others)