Started: 10/22/23
Finished: 12/15/23
YA trilogy with interesting (although often very confusing) magic, high-strung heroes, a completely insane and evil villain, and an occasionally baffling time-travel plot. I enjoyed it, but I didn’t love it.
Started: 10/20/23
Finished: 11/2/23
Political intrigue, an arranged marriage, assassination plots, and a love story. I’ve been meaning to read something by this author, and this was a good start. And there’s a sequel!
Started: 10/1/23
Finished: 10/31/23
A yearly tradition now! I really enjoy reading this in October, one chapter a day, following along with the story.
Started: 9/24/23
Finished: 10/1/23
I like plenty of fantasy and SF where the heroes save the world, but sometimes it’s nice to read something cozy, with a smaller problem to solve. The full title is “Legends & Lattes: A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes”. The main character is an orc who has retired from standard D&D adventuring to open a coffee shop in a small town. Friends are made, enemies are conquered, coffee is served. It’s a really nice satisfying small story.
Started: 9/23/23
Gave up: 9/24/23
Sometimes quirky takes on classic literature work for me, and sometimes they really don’t. This could have been cute – Victor Frankenstein has a scientist sister who can do everything he can do, but they’re a WEIRD family, so when she realizes she can’t find love the usual way, she decides to make her perfect man. Except she reanimates a real person, and then she gaslights him every time he starts to remember his actual family. So not cool. Maybe she realizes what she’s doing is wrong, tells him the truth, and he falls in love with her anyway? Or she lets him go (because what she’s doing is wrong) and her real love turns out to be someone she already knew? I’ll never know.
Started: 9/15/23
Gave up: 9/16/23
I have heard so much good about this book and this series, so I started the audiobook and quit almost immediately. Main character was TOO young/immature, all of the dialogue was too misogynistic, and maybe it gets better, but I don’t want to get through this to find out. Maybe I could deal with it better if I were reading it at my own pace instead of listening. Maybe someday I’ll try again.
Started: 9/2/23
Finished: 9/15/23
I didn’t realize until just now that the full title of this book is “Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution”. Sounds about right. It’s an alternate history with lots to say about racism and exoticism and conspiracy. Interesting magic stuff, sometimes a bit slow, and while I don’t really want a sequel, I do want to know what happens after.
I read The Poppy War (same author’s first book, maybe?) a few years ago, and I didn’t like it at all. This is much different, much better, and makes it much more likely that I’ll read Yellowface (also acclaimed).
Started: 8/18/23
Finished: 8/31/23
Post-apocalyptic story with Little Red Riding Hood vibes. I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed it. I think the apocalypse was a plague? There were a couple of monsters, but it wasn’t a zombie-type plague. Our Red has to trek across the countryside to Grandma’s house, avoiding the government and bad guys, keeping her companions safe (when she can).
Started: 8/25/23
Finished: 8/25/23
I read this in one sitting, stuck on an airplane in DC waiting out weather delays and then crew change delays. It’s YA, but YA like A Wrinkle in Time, YA like Diana Wynne Jones – you know, timeless and very very good. We have semi-normal kids going through a tough time, noticing odd things around them, and then super-crazy stuff happens and they save the world, all mixed up with folklore and history and mythology.
Started: 8/23/23
Finished: 8/24/23
I did not like this book. I finished it because – I don’t know. It was short? Dangers of tech, evil corporations, blah blah blah.
Started: 6/19/23
Finished: 6/24/23
This book (about an orphanage for magical children) is wonderful, and I recommend it to everyone. It’s lovely, it’s kind, it’s magical, and I love it.
Started: 4/21/23
Finished: 5/4/23
Magic mixed with steampunky tech, thieves and slaves and corrupt institutions, our heroes set out to change the world and suddenly they’re dealing with old gods? Oh, no! Also, a wisecracking animate inanimate object. Love those.
Started: 4/12/23
Finished: 4/19/23
Weird and sad and lovely and weird. And sad. But good! But weird.
Started: 4/1/23
Finished: 4/12/23
According to my notes, I read this book, but I have no memory of it. Really. I’m borrowing it again to refresh my memory.
Oh, there it is. Yeah, the mechanics of this far-future, alien planet, super-all-powerful (except not) gods book didn’t speak to me. But I finished it! I’m just not interested in continuing the series.
Started: 3/9/23
Gave up: 3/10/23
I just couldn’t get into this one. I read the summary, I started the book, and I was pretty far into it (maybe 20%?) and I still had no idea what was going on. Not for me.
Started: 3/9/23
Gave up: 3/9/23
I didn’t last long with this one. It sounded so promising! Mercenary librarians! But no – annoying characters, and despite starting in an action scene, NOTHING HAPPENED for entirely too long.
Started: 2/26/23
Finished: 3/5/23
Man, I love a good love story in space. Good people who are good and want to do good. Yay!
Started: 11/3/22
Finished: 11/8/22
This started out super interesting (it’s set in LA’s Chinatown and written like a movie script), and it’s a fast read, but I nearly gave it up around 2/3 of the way through. I don’t think there’s any question about the conceit (that I don’t want to spoil for anyone), but I will admit to be confused about what was reality and what was, I don’t know, maybe allegory?, a couple of times.
Started: 10/1/22
Finished: 10/31/22
I read this for the first time last year, and I’m thinking about making it an October tradition. Here goes year 2. The book has one chapter per day, so that’s how I’m reading it. It’s delightful. I think my favorite chapter is October 17.
Definitely doing this again next year.
Started: 10/9/22
Finished: 10/16/22
Finally, a regular book that I really enjoyed. Secret libraries, magic, intrigue. Reminded me of Rachel Caine’s Great Library series, but more adult. The sequel will be published this week, and I am #10 on the waiting list at the library. Can’t wait!