Started: 2/8/21
Finished: 2/12/21
T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon when she’s writing kids’ books) is one of the guests of honor at this convention I’m (virtually) attending this weekend, so I figured I’d read her next to most recent book before then. I’ve read three before this and loved them, and I love this. I love it when I find a new favorite.
Started: 1/30/21
Finished: 2/3/21
I love Sarah Gailey and everything they’ve written. This is their first YA book – it’s about friends with magic, and it starts dark. The main character is pretty insecure ways that feel real even though they’re not how any of my insecurities work. I’m not totally crazy about how the magic works. I mean, it’s not explained and I don’t think it has to be, but the friends seem to be so convinced that this one thing will work, and I don’t know why they would think that. Except it’s likely they are trying to convince themselves it’ll work. Anyway, I liked it, I enjoyed it, and a lot of things about it were really good. I’m just not sure it’s really good.
Started: 12/27/20
Finished: 1/2/21
NOT what I expected. I mean, the book cover says straight out it’s a Victorian/Regency novel but with dragons, and it would be ridiculous to expect dragons to behave exactly like humans even with that premise, but a couple of things still took me by surprise. Good surprise, if these two genres are your thing (and they are mine).
Started: 12/15/20
Finished: 12/19/20
I’ve been a little off Ann Patchett for a few years. I’m afraid to re-read Bel Canto, which I read several times years ago and LOVED and gave as gifts to many many people. What if I have changed enough that I don’t love it anymore? Anyway, I picked up The Dutch House. First, it’s good. When I couldn’t read it, I wanted to read it. Second, turns out that in order for me to LOVE a book, I need it to have a plot. It’s not that nothing happens – it’s a family saga, plenty happens – but it’s a family saga, so there’s no mystery to solve, no murder to avenge, no THING to DO. And I have learned that I prefer books that have a THING the characters need to DO.
Started: 11/1/20
Finished: 11/13/20
This book marks the first time I’ve been disappointed by an Ann Leckie book. The style is different, but interesting-different, not off-putting, so that was fine, but I finished this book over a month ago and I cannot remember the ending. I remember the reveal, but I don’t know what happens to the characters. So…I suppose that’s saying something about how I feel about this book.
Started: 7/26/20
Finished: 7/29/20
SO DISAPPOINTING. I mean, it was enjoyable enough, but I was expecting a completely different story since this is supposed to be a sequel to the White Silence AND it picks up right after the other ended. It went in completely different directions (more than once!) and seemed to have nothing to do with the plot of the first book (which had not been resolved), and when it did pick up the plot of the first book (sort of), it resolved unsatisfactorily. Meh. Also, the writing felt more amateurish than the first book and both books felt like that compared to her other books. I don’t understand how that could be, but there it is.
Started: 7/23/20
Finished: 7/26/20
This book, or at least parts of it, scared both Corey and Mel, so I went into it gingerly. If it was dark outside and I thought it was going in a scary direction, I put it down until the next day. Maybe that’s why the parts that scared them didn’t scare me. Regardless, I liked it. Weird sinister things kept happening to the character, and I REALLY wanted to know what was going on. Super glad there was a second book.
Started: 7/8/20
Finished: 7/12/20
Astronauts doing science! Science fiction, but heavy on the science, and oh so optimistic.
Started: 7/5/20
Finished: 7/8/20
Fourth in the Wayward Children series, this one takes one of our characters back in time to when she found her door. It’s so good, and the ending is so sad. It felt sadder than the others, but I’m not sure why – they’re all sad stories because they can’t find their way back to where they feel they belong. I should re-read the first one, at least.
Started: 7/2/20
Finished: 7/5/20
Young wizard goes on an adventure! Light, quick read, good characters.
Started: 6/25/20
Finished: 7/2/20
Seanan McGuire is amazing. She writes SO many books, in SO many different universes, and they’re all fascinating and DIFFERENT. This one is weird but not hard to read, compelling while also making my brain work, and I really really really liked it.
Started: 6/10/20
Finished: 6/23/20
The setting here is immediately weird and a little hard to understand, but fascinating, and I really want to know what’s going on and how it works. I still feel that way having finished the book. Good? Yes. Easy? No.
Started: 6/5/20
Finished: 6/10/20
Last in the Winternight trilogy, with a really satisfying ending. I LOVED this trilogy.
Started: 5/29/20
Finished: 6/4/20
Sequel to The Bear and the Nightingale, which I raved about two years ago. It came out last year, and I have the third book already, so I am behind. I flew (using my current definition of “flew”) through this – it’s so good.
Started: 5/23/20
Finished: 5/29/20
I love Sarah Gailey (they are responsible for my hippo cowboy stories), so I am so glad to say I REALLY enjoyed their first novel. Magic noir!
Started: 3/27/20
Finished: 4/1/20
The last book in the psychics/witches/preppy school boys/etc. series that I like entirely too much. It’s about time something happened. I mean, stuff has been happening in all of the other books to move the story forward, but this thing they’ve been working toward since the first book is FINALLY HAPPENING.
The ending is good, it’s both unexpected and expected, and I feel like it happened a little too quickly. I’d realize I was 80% done and think there’s NO WAY it can be done in only the pages remaining. But it was, and it was good and yay.
Started: 2/14/20
Gave up: 3/9/20
I really liked that other Holly Black trilogy, so I picked this book up from the library. I couldn’t find time to start reading the physical copy, so I borrowed the audiobook a few days later and listened to it in the car…for as long as I could. Teenagers and vampires and the angst that goes with a centuries-old vampire who finds something deep and unique and irresistible and different and blah blah blah about a 17-year-old girl and I cannot count the ways in which I do not care.
Started: 2/26/20
Finished: 3/4/20
Third book in The Raven Cycle (witches, psychics, magic, prep school boys, etc.), and it’s a really good continuation of the story. We get more forward movement, more characterization, more good storytelling, AND it has teenagers being teenager-y and grown-up and all over the place in what feels real, despite the magic. I am waiting impatiently for the 4th book to be available from the library.
Started: 2/14/20
Finished: 2/18/20
Second book in the trilogy with psychics, witches, magic, ghosts, and prep school boys, and it started with a swerve that took me by surprise in a very good way, and I liked this book a LOT. Also, turns out it’s not a trilogy, it’s a…tetralogy?
Started: 2/8/20
Finished: 2/13/20
The next book about time-traveling historians! Yay! This is the 6th book in the series, and it has been entirely too long since I read one of these. It was fun, as usual, and I won’t wait as long to read the next one.