souloftherose's 2018 reading - thread the third

I’m Heather and this is my 9th(!) year in the 75 Book Challenge Group. I'm in my midthirties and live in a small town to the northwest of London in the United Kingdom with my husband and our rescue cat, Erica.

I read a lot of fantasy and science fiction (including children's/young adult books) as well as a good spattering of crime/historical/other fiction. A fair number of the books I read are older books - I particularly enjoy 18th and 19th century fiction, golden age detective novels and fiction from the first half of the 20th century. I read mainly for pleasure and relaxation/stress relief - I do occasionally try to take myself out of my comfort zone by reading contemporary literary fiction and I also started to read some books about the Bible (specifically the Hebrew Bible/Christian Old Testament) last year - so there will probably be a bit more of that although as the latter are not exactly light reading it takes me a while to get through them.

Last year I read 165 books - I'm sort of aiming for 150 books this year along with the perpetual resolution to make a dent in the TBR piles.

Erica enjoying the heatwave.....

Books read in January
#1 Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb (Reread)
#2 Arabella of Mars by David D. Levine (TBR)
#3 Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire (TBR)
#4 Mockingbird, Vol 2: My Feminist Agenda by Chelsea Cain (Marvel Unlimited)
#5 God Stalk by P. C. Hodgell (TBR)
#6 The Hog's Back Mystery by Freeman Wills Croft (Amazon Prime)
#7 Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz (Library)
#8 The Victorian Chaise-Longue by Marghanita Laski (TBR)
#9 The Semi-Attached Couple and the Semi-Detached House by Emily Eden (Free kindle)
#10 Future Visions: Original Science Fiction Inspired by Microsoft by various authors (Free kindle)
#11 Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger (Reread)
#12 Binti: Home by Nnedi Okorafor (Reread)

Books read in February
#13 Binti: The Night Masquerade by Nnedi Okorafor (TBR)
#14 White Mughals: Love and Betrayal in Eighteenth-Century India by William Dalrymple (Library)
#15 Crooked House by Agatha Christie (Reread)
#16 The Five Books of Moses: A Translation with Commentary by Robert Alter (TBR)
DNF Star Wars, Vol. 1: Skywalker Strikes by Jason Aaron (Marvel Unlimited)
#17 The Absentee by Maria Edgeworth (Library)
#18 Curtsies and Conspiracies by Gail Carriger (Reread)
#19 A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie (Reread)
#20 An Accident of Stars by Foz Meadows (TBR)
#21 Memory of Water by Emma Ittaranta (Library)
#22 A Taste of Honey by Kai Ashante Wilson (TBR)
#23 Dark of the Moon by P. C. Hodgell (TBR)
#24 Changing Planes by Ursula K. Le Guin (TBR)
#25 Unexpected Stories by Octavia E. Butler (Humble Bundle)
#26 Faith Unraveled: How a Girl Who Knew All The Answers Learned to Ask Questions by Rachel Held Evans (TBR)

Books read in March
#27 Mother of Winter by Barbara Hambly (TBR)
#28 Voyage of the Basilisk by Marie Brennan (Library)
#29 The Brimming Cup by Dorothy Canfield (TBR)
#30 Calamity by Brandon Sanderson (Library)
#31 Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (Library)
#32 Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb (Omnibus)
#33 Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell (TBR)
#34 Peking Picnic by Ann Bridge (TBR)
#35 The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden (Library)
#36 Waistcoats and Weaponry by Gail Carriger (Reread)
#37 Quick Curtain by Alan Melville (Library)
#38 Dreams Before the Start of Time by Anne Charnock (Amazon Prime)
#39 Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson (TBR)
#40 The Lady Vanishes by Ethel Lina White (TBR)
#41 Jenny Wren by E. H. Young (TBR)

Books read in April
#42 A Short History of Fantasy by Farah Mendlesohn and Peter James (TBR)
#43 The Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard (TBR)
#44 The House of Binding Thorns by Aliette de Bodard (Library)
#45 A Tyranny of Queens by Foz Meadows (TBR)
#46 River of Teeth by Foz Meadows (TBR)
#47 Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty (TBR)
#48 Under the Pendulum Sun by Jeannette Ng (TBR)
#49 Civilisations: How Do We Look? / The Eye of Faith by Mary Beard (Library)
#50 Before Mars by Emma Newman (TBR)
#51 Camilla by Frances Burney (TBR)
#52 Manners and Mutiny by Gail Carriger (TBR)
#53 Mrs McGinty's Dead by Agatha Christie (Reread)

Books read in May
#54 The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton (Library)
#55 Poison or Protect by Gail Carriger (TBR)
#56 All Systems Red by Martha Wells (Reread)
#57 Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (TBR)
#58 The Dervish House by Ian McDonald (Library)
#59 In the Labyrinth of Drakes by Marie Brennan (Library)
DNF Autonomous by Analee Newitz (Library)
#60 They Do It With Mirrors by Agatha Christie (Reread)
#61 Jane of Lantern Hill by L. M. Montgomery (TBR)
#62 Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb (Reread)
#63 The Flowers of Vashnoi by Lois McMaster Bujold (TBR)
#64 The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter (TBR)

Books read in June
#65 Nemesis Games by James S. A. Corey (TBR)
#66 Ghost Ship by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (TBR)
#67 Lila by Marilynne Robinson (TBR)
#68 The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman (TBR)
#69 New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson (Library)
#70 Seeker's Mask by P. C. Hodgell (Omnibus)
#71 How to Stop Time by Matt Haig (Library)
#72 The Black Tides of Heaven by J Y Yang (Hugo Voter's Packet)
#73 Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee (TBR)
#74 Saga, Vol. 4 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Library)
#75 Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor (Library)
#76 Saga, Vol. 5 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Library)
#77 Summer in Orcus by T. Kingfisher (Hugo Voter's Packet)

Books read in July
#78 The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi (Hugo Voter's Packet)
#79 Raven Stratagem by Yoon Ha Lee (TBR)
#80 Saga, Vol. 6 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Library)
#81 Saga, Vol. 7 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Hugo Voter's Packet)
#82 Paper Girls, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang (Library)
#83 Paper Girls, Vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang (Library)
#84 In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan (Hugo Voter's Packet)
#85 Paper Girls, Vol. 3 by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang (Library)
#86 The L Shaped Room by Lynne Reid Banks (TBR)
#87 The Boy on the Bridge by M. R. Carey (TBR)
#88 Circe by Madeline Miller (Library)
#89 Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder (TBR)
#90 Prime Meridian by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Storybundle)
#91 How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran (TBR)
#92 Latchkey by Nicole Kornher-Stace (TBR)
#93 My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris (Hugo Voter's Packet)
#94 I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett (Reread)

Books read in August
#95 Early Riser by Jasper Fforde (TBR)
#96 City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett (TBR)
#97 The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (Reread)
#98 Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb (Free kindle)
#99 Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (TBR)
#100 Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening by Marjorie Liu (Library)
#101 A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers (Reread)
#102 A Calculated Life by Anne Charnock (Amazon Prime)
#103 The Enclave by Anne Charnock (Amazon Prime)
#104 Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers (TBR)

Books read in September
#105 Bitch Planet: Triple Feature Volume 1 by Kelly Sue Deconnick (Library)
#106 The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa (TBR)
#107 Deerskin by Robin McKinley (TBR)
#108 The Drowning Eyes by Emily Foster (TBR)
#109 Babylon's Ashes by James S. A. Corey (TBR)
#110 City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett (TBR)
#111 Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (Library)
#112 Fables: The Deluxe Edition Book Twelve by Bill Willingham (Library)
#113 Romancing the Inventor by Gail Carriger (TBR)
#114 Within the Sanctuary of Wings by Marie Brennan (Hugo Voter's Packet)
#115 The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal (TBR)
#116 The Furthest Station by Ben Aaronovitch (Library)

Books read in October
#117 Exit Strategy by Martha Wells (TBR)
#118 The Evolution of Adam: What the Bible Does and Doesn't Say About Human Origins by Peter Enns (Library)
#119 The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman (TBR)
#120 The Wanderer by Frances Burney (TBR)
#121 Uncanny Magazine Issue 23: July/August 2018 edited by Lynne Thomas and Michael Damien Thomas (Uncanny Subscription)
#122 The Chrysalids by John Wyndham (TBR)
#123 Monstress, Vol. 2: The Blood by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Library)
#124 In the Vanishers' Palace by Aliette de Bodard (TBR)
#125 The Citadel of Weeping Pearls by Aliette de Bodard (TBR)
#126 The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton (TBR)
#127 Fables: The Deluxe Edition Book Thirteen by Bill Willingham
#128 The Lake Boy by Adam Roberts (TBR)
#129 Fables: The Deluxe Edition Book Fourteen by Bill Willingham (Library)
#130 River of Stars by Guy Gavriel Kay (Library)
#131 Dead Man's Folly by Agatha Christie (Reread)

Books read in November
#132 City of Miracles by Robert Jackson Bennett (TBR)
#133 Revenant Gun by Yoon Ha Lee (TBR)
#134 Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (Library)
#135 Through the Woods by Emily Carroll (Library)
#136 The Mad Ship by Robin Hobb (TBR)
#137 The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal (TBR)
#138 Fables: The Deluxe Edition Book Fifteen by Bill Willingham (Library)
#139 The Marvels by Marcus Selznick (Library)
#140 Tombland by C. J. Sansom (TBR)
#141 The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill (TBR)

Books read in December
#142 A Long Day in Lychford by Paul Cornell (TBR)
#143 The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin (TBR)
#144 Rosewater by Tade Thompson (TBR)
#145 The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (Library)
#146 The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman (Reread)
#147 Paper Girls, Vol. 4 by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang (Library)
#148 How to Read the Bible: A Guide to Scripture Then and Now by James L. Kugel (TBR)
#149 Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (Library)
#150 The Dark Days Pact by Alison Goodman (Reread)
#151 The Dark Days Deceit by Alison Goodman (TBR)
#152 The Curate's Wife by E. H Young (TBR)
#153 Time Was by Ian McDonald (TBR)
#154 The Expert System's Brother by Adrian Tchaikovsky (TBR)
#155 The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J. K. Rowling (Reread)

Books acquired in 2018




#1 Golden Witchbreed by Mary Gentle (Kindle)
#2 Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire (Kindle)
#3 Saplings by Noel Streatfeild (Paper))
#4 The Victorian Chaise-Longue (Paper)
#5 Binti: The Night Masquerade (Kindle)
#6 Frederica by Georgette Heyer (Kindle)
#7 The Nonesuch by Georgette Heyer (Kindle)
#8 The God Stalker Chronicles by P. C. Hodgell (Kindle)
#9 Young Wizards New Millennium 9-Volume Box Set by Diane Duane (Kindle)
#10 A Taste of Honey by Kai Ashante Wilson (Kindle)
#11 Faith Unravelled by Rachel Held Evans (Paper))
#12 Feast or Famine? by Ekklesia (Paper))
#13 Mother of Winter by Barbara Hambly (Kindle)
#14 The Macdermots of Ballycloran by Anthony Trollope (Paper)
#15 Jesus and Judaism by E. P. Sanders (Paper)
#16 The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley (Kindle)
#17 Under the Pendulum Sun by Jeanette Ng (Kindle)
#17 Camilla by Fanny Burney (Paper)
#19 The Lady Vanishes by Ethel Lina White (Kindle)
#20 The Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard (Kindle)
#21 Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty (Paper)
#22 A Tyranny of Queens by Foz Meadows (Kindle)
#23 River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey (Kindle)
#24 Before Mars by Emma Newman (Kindle)
#25 Between Two Worlds by Emma Newman (Kindle)
#26 City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett (Kindle)
#27 Manners and Mutiny by Gail Carriger (Kindle)
#28 Poison or Protect by Gail Carriger (Kindle)
#29 Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (Kindle)
#30 The Flowers of Vashnoi by Lois McMaster Bujold (Kindle)
#31 The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman (Kindle)
#32 The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill (Kindle)
#33 Ghost Ship by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (Kindle)
#34 Latchkey by Nicole Kornher-Stace (Paper)
#35 Babylon's Ashes by James S. A. Corey (Paper)
#36 Seeker's Bane by P. C. Hodgell (Kindle)
#37 Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee (Paper)
#38 Searching For Sunday by Rachel Held Evans (Paper)
#39 Clockwork Boys by T. Kingfisher (Kindle)
#40 The Boy on the Bridge by M. R. Carey (Kindle)
#41 Raven Stratagem by Yoon Ha Lee (Paper)
#42 Revenant Gun by Yoon Ha Lee (Paper)
#43 The Wanderer by Fanny Burney (Paper)
#44 Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder (Kindle)
#45 Ringworld by Larry Niven (Paper)
#46 A Very Private Eye by Barbara Pym (Paper)
#47 Trollope on the Net by Ellen Moody (Paper)
#48 Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers (Paper)
#49 Early Riser by Jasper Fforde (Paper)
#50 Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (Kindle)
#51 How to Marry a Werewolf by Gail Carriger (Kindle)
#52 Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (Kindle)
#53 Romancing the Werewolf by Gail Carriger (Kindle)
#54 The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa (Kindle)
#55 The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman (Kindle)
#56 The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso (Kindle)
#57 A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny (Kindle)
#58 The Drowning Eyes by Emily Foster (Kindle)
#59 City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett (Kindle)
#60 Romancing the Inventor by Gail Carriger (Kindle)
#61 The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal (Kindle)
#62 Exit Strategy by Martha Wells (Kindle)
#63 The Burning Page by Genevieve Cogman (Kindle)
#64 The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton (Paper)
#65 The Curate's Wife by E. H, Young (Paper)
#66 To Bed With Grand Music by Marghanita Laski (Paper)
#67 Patience by John Coates (Paper)
#68 I Met a Traveller in an Antique Land by Connie Willis (Paper)
#69 Bess of Hardwick: First Lady of Chatsworth, 1527-1608 by Mary Lovell (Paper)
#70 In the Vanishers Palace by Aliette de Bodard (Kindle)
#71 Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell (Paper)
#72 Marion Fay by Anthony Trollope (Paper)
#73 The Bertrams by Anthony Trollope (Paper)
#74 The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin (Paper)
#75 A Time to Dance, No Time to Weep by Rumer Godden (Paper)
#76 The Citadel of Weeping Pearls by Aliette de Bodard (Kindle)
#77 The Rediscovery of Man by Cordwainer Smith (Paper)
#78 No One Noticed the Cat by Anne McCaffrey (Paper)
#79 City of Miracles by Robert Jackson Bennett (Kindle)
#80 Tombland by C. J. Sansom (Paper)
#81 The Lost Plot by Genevieve Cogman (Kindle)
#82 The Mad Ship by Robin Hobb (Kindle)
#83 The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang (Kindle)
#84 Rosewater by Tade Thompson (Kindle)
#85 Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirlees (Kindle)
#86 The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal (Kindle)
#87 A Long Day in Lychford by Paul Cornell (Kindle)
#88 Jade City by Fonda Lee (Kindle)
#89 Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett (Kindle)
#90 The Queen of All Crows by Rod Duncan (Kindle)
#91 Empire of Sand by Tusha Suri (Kindle)
#92 The Dark Days Deceit by Alison Goodman(Kindle)
#93 City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty (Kindle)
#94 Dimanche and Other Stories (Paper)
#95 Europe at Midnight by Dave Hutchinson (Kindle)
#96 Europe in Winter by Dave Hutchinson (Kindle)
#97 Europe at Dawn by Dave Hutchinson (Kindle)
#98 Bookworm by Lucy Mangan (Kindle)

An idea borrowed from Liz (lyzard), this lists ongoing series that I am actively reading. This doesn't include series where I have the first book in my TBR pile (i.e. series I haven't started reading yet aren't included). An asterisk indicates a series where I already have a copy of the next book and bold indicates an intention to finish the series soon(ish)...

Series I'm actively* reading (*for a rather lax definition of active)

Darwath: Next up Icefalcon's Quest by Barbara Hambly (5/5)
The Expanse: Next up Persepolis Rising by James S. A. Corey (7/9)
The Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire: Next up The Custodian of Marvels by Rod Duncan (3/3)
*The Fractured Europe Sequence: Next up Europe at Midnight by Dave Hutchinson (2/3)
*Green Knowe: Next up: The River at Green Knowe by L. M. Boston (3/6)
Hainish Cycle: Next up Four Ways to Forgiveness by Ursula K. Le Guin (7/8)
*Helliconia Trilogy: Next up Helliconia Winter by Brian Aldiss (3/3)
*The Invisible Library: Next up The Burning Page by Genevieve Cogman (3/8)
The Interdependency: Next up The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi (2/2)
The L-Shaped Room: Next up The Backward Shadow by Lynne Reid Banks (2/3)
Liaden Universe Novels: Next up Dragon Ship by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (15/21)
*The Long Earth: Next up The Long War by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter (2/5)
Lumberjanes: Next up Lumberjanes Vol. 6: Sink or Swim by Shannon Watters (6/?)
Monstress: Next up Monstress, Volume 3: Haven by Marjorie Liu and Tana Sakeda (3/?)
Ms. Marvel: Next up: Ms. Marvel, Vol. 7: Damage per Second by G. Willow Wilson (3/4)
Paper Girls: Next book Paper Girls, Vol 5 by Brian K. Vaughan (5/?)
Peter Grant: Next book Lies Sleeping by Ben Aaronovitch (7/7)
*Realm of the Elderlings: Next up Ship of Destiny by Robin Hobb (6/16)
Saga: Next up Saga, Volume 8 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (8/9?)
*The Stormlight Archive: Next up Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
Tensorate: Next up The Red Threads of Fortune by JY Yang (2/5)
Discworld: Tiffany Aching: Next up The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett (5/5)
Wolves Chronicles: Next up The Witch of Clatteringshaws by Joan Aiken (11/11)

Series I've stalled on but want to get back to
*Albert Campion: Next up The China Governess by Margery Allingham (17/19)
The Adventures of Arabella Ashby: Next up Arabella and the Battle of Venus (2/3)
Arbai trilogy Next up Raising the Stones by Sheri S. Tepper (2/3)
*Barsoom: Next up The Warlord of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs (3/11)
Bas-Lag: Next up The Scar by China Mieville (2/3)
*Barsetshire Books by Angela Thirkell: (Reading out of order) Next up The Brandons (5/29 read)
*Chronicles of the Kencyrath: Next up To Ride a Rathorn by P. C. Hodgell (4/8)
Dark Gifts: Next up Tarnished City by Vic James (2/3)
*Dolphin Ring Cycle: Next up Sword at Sunset by Rosemary Sutcliff (5/8)
Dragonslayer: Next up The Eye of Zoltar by Jasper Fforde (3/4)
*Ebenezer Gryce: Next up The Circular Study by Anna Katharine Green (9/13)
*Fionavar Tapestry: Next up The Darkest Road by Guy Gavriel Kay (3/3)
*The Girl Who: Next up The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two by Catherynne M. Valente (3/5)
Hilary Tamar: Next up The Shortest Way to Hades by Sarah Caudwell (2/4)
Jimm Juree: Next up Grandad, There's a Head on the Beach by Colin Cotterill (2/2)
Les Voyages Extraordinaires: Next up From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne (4/54)
Luna: Next up Luna: Wolf Moon by Ian McDonald (2/3)
Maigret: Next up Maigret in Holland by Georges Simenon (7/76)
The Penderwicks: Next up The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall (2/4)
*Richard Hannay: Next up The Three Hostages by John Buchan (4/5)
*Roderick Alleyn: Next up Enter a Murderer by Ngaio Marsh (2/32)
Romantic Poets and Nephilim: Next up A Time to Cast Away Stones in The Bible Repairman and Other Stories by Tim Powers (2/3)
Ruth Galloway: Next up A Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths (5/11)
Simon Schama's A History of Britain: Next up A History of Britain: The Wars of the British 1603-1776 by Simon Schama (2/3)
Dr. Siri Paiboun: Next up: Curse of the Pogo Stick by Colin Cotterill (5/13)
*Tales of a New Jerusalem: Next up Family Britain, 1951-57 by David Kynaston (2/5?)
*Turtle: Next up Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver (2/2)
Vlad Taltos: Next up Dragon by Steven Brust (8/14)
Young Pilots: Next up Black Dove, White Raven by Elizabeth Wein (3/3)

Series I'm rereading
*Chief Inspector Armand Gamache: Next up A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny (7/11)
*Hercule Poirot: Next up: Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie (34/39)
*Miss Marple: Next up A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha Christie (6/12)
*Thursday Next: Next up The Woman Who Died a Lot by Jasper Fforde (7/7)

Up to date series
The Cinder Spires: Latest book The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher (1/?)
Craft Sequence: Chronological Order Latest book The Ruin of Angels by Max Gladstone (6/6)
Dominion of the Fallen: Latest book The House of Sundering Flames by Aliette de Bodard (3/3?) (Jul 19)
Empire of Masks: Next book The Monster Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson (1/?)
Galactic Commons: Latest book Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers (3/3)
The Gentleman Bastard Sequence: Next up The Thorn of Emberlain by Scott Lynch (4/7?)
Gilead: Latest book Lila by Marilynne Robinson (3/4)
The Kingkiller Chronicle: Next up The Doors of Stone by Patrick Rothfuss (4/4)
Lady Astronaut: Latest book The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal (2/4)
Matthew Shardlake: Latest book Tombland by C. J. Sansom (7/7)
The Machineries of Empire Next book Hexarchate Stories by Yoon Ha Lee (3/4) (Jun 19)
Mistborn Latest book Mistborn: Secret History by Brandon Sanderson (7/8)
The Murderbot Diaries Latest book Exit Strategy (4/4)
Old Kingdom: Latest book Goldenhand by Garth Nix (5/5)
Penric & Desdemona - Publication Order: Latest book The Prisoner of Limnos by Lois McMaster Bujold (6/6)
Planetfall: Next book Atlas Alone by Emma Newman (4/4) (Apr 19)
Shades of Grey: Latest book Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde (1/3)
A Song of Ice and Fire: Latest book A Dance with Dragons by G. R. R. Martin (5/7?)
Sorcerer Royal: Next book The True Queen by Zen Cho (2/?) (Mar 19)
The Sunbolt Chronicles: Latest book Memories of Ash by Intisar Khanani (2/3)
Vorkosigan Series: Latest book Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold (17/17)
Wayward Children: Next book In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire (4/5) (Jan 19)
Winternight: Next book The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden (3/3) (Jan 19)
Witches of Lychford: Latest book A Long Day in Lychford by Paul Cornell (3/3)
Wolf Hall: Latest book Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel (2/3)
Wormwood Trilogy: Next book The Rosewater Insurrection by Tade Thompson (2/3) (Mar 19)

Completed series
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor (3/3)
The Divine Cities by Robert Jackson Bennett (3/3)
Fables by Bill Willingham (22/22)
Finishing School by Gail Carriger (4/4)
The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (3/3)
Lady Helen by Alison Goodman (3/3)
The Manifold Worlds by Foz Meadows (2/2)
Mockingbird by Chelsea Cain (2/2)
The Reckoners by Brandon Sanderson (4/4)
Rendall Sisters by E. H. Young (2/2)
Lady Trent's Memoirs by Marie Brennan (5/5)

And I think that's all the posts I need...

Happy new one, Heather! Erica is looking very relaxed up there!

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread Heather!

>6 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie - she is a pretty happy cat at the moment. Hardly ever inside and spends most of the time flopped under a hedge somewhere (or under the rosemary bush which is the green spiky looking thing in the picture).

>7 drneutron:, >8 humouress: Thanks Jim and Nina!



Book #78: The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi - 4.1 stars
Book #79: Raven Stratagem by Yoon Ha Lee - 4.0 stars

The final two novels on the list of 2018 Hugo nominees and both were very good. I was most dubious about the Scalzi before reading as I disliked Old Man's War and was meh about Redshirts but I really enjoyed The Collapsing Empire. It's the first in a new series (The Interdependency) and it's a politicking, space opera romp about the collapse of an interstellar empire. In some ways it's mostly set-up for the next book but I found it an enjoyable and easy read and am looking forward to finding out what happens next.

Raven Stratagem is the sequel to Ninefox Gambit - another politicky, space opera with slightly less romping and more serious themes than the Scalzi although still fun. I enjoyed this slightly less than 9fox but I think maybe because I had expected RS to be a more direct sequel to 9fox and was a little disconcerted when it was written from a different viewpoint and I was left wondering for quite a while if I had misunderstood the end of 9fox (I hadn't). Still wondering what will happen in Revenant Gun, the final volume.

Happy new thread, Heather.

Hi Heather, happy new thread!

>9 souloftherose: I did like Raven Stratagem and found The Collapsing Empire a good read that didn't convince me.

Happy new thread, Heather!
Forecast here is 36(!) degrees for Friday and maybe some rain Saturday...
I hope it doesn't get that bad at your place.

Happy New Thread, Heather!

I don't think I've ever seen Erica outside before; at least someone's enjoying your summer. :)

Happy new thread, Heather!

>13 lyzard: I miss summers in England.

Glad Miss Erica can get her sun fix!
I'm happy to have picked up the fact that B. Chambers has a new book already out and to see that I haven't missed #2 in the Cinder Spires. I keep thinking I'll just go ahead and read *9-Fox* and keep not doing it. Apparently, HP is about the most I can manage right now even though I look at other things wistfully.
Stay cool! It rains all around us, and we get 4 or 5 drops. *sigh* Also, it's hot.

Happy new thread, Heather! Hope you're having an enjoyable summer with lots of time for good books!

Happy New Thread, Heather.

I'm so glad you're reading the Saga GN series. It's the best one out there right now, as far as I'm concerned. And what great art from Fiona Staples.

>10 BLBera: Thanks Beth!

>11 quondame: Thanks Susan. I was either convinced by The Collapsing Empire or in one of those reading moods where I didn't really require convincing. Perhaps just pleasantly surprised that I finally enjoyed a Scalzi book :-)

>12 FAMeulstee: I hope so too, Anita! Forecast here is 31 for Thursday and Friday with (hopefully) some storms and rain forecast on Friday too. London will be hotter though.

>13 lyzard: Thanks Liz! She is generally an outside cat in the summer but even more so this year. I am trying to make sure I had water to her wet food as she won't otherwise drink it..

>14 Familyhistorian: Thanks Meg!

>15 humouress: I feel like I miss summer in England too - this is not an English summer! Sometimes I wonder if I forgot to come home from the south of Spain....

>16 LizzieD: Yes, Record of a Spaceborn Few is out! And I have a signed copy :-) I hear you on the rain envy - really hoping this week's forecast is telling me the truth!

>17 Carmenere: Thanks Lynda!

>18 jnwelch: Thanks Joe. The Saga GN series is great - I've also started reading Paper Girls: Vol 1 (same author, different artist) which I've been enjoying a lot - has a bit of a Stranger Things vibe. Have you read those?

>19 souloftherose: Yes, I love the Paper Girls series. The time travel can get complicated, but I love the characters.

Ugh, my library hasn't ordered the new Chambers yet. They run 3-4 weeks behind on new releases, except thrillers they expect to be popular.

Yay for kitty sun fixes.

Happy new thread, and a belated congratulations on reaching and surpassing 75!

Happy new thread, Heather. Erica is so cute!

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread Heather - nice topper of Erica :)

Your series lists look intimidating but there are some great books and lots that I need to add to my TBR list.

Thanks for visiting my thread and all you have done.

>20 jnwelch: The characters are awesome, Joe. I think it helped that I read the first three volumes back to back so I didn't find the time travel confusing. I am looking forward to seeing where they go with the story.

>21 libraryperilous: Sorry you're having to wait for Record of a Spaceborn Few Diana :-(

>22 bell7:, >23 MickyFine:, >24 Kassilem: Thanks Mary, Micky and Melissa!

>25 calm: Thanks calm.

'Your series lists look intimidating'

Yes - I frequently find it so myself!

----------------------------------------------

So, the heatwave here broke at the weekend and we had some rain which was wonderful! Now back to sunshine but at the much more reasonable 24C, however the forecast shows it is warming up again toward the weekend.

I have been feeling horribly tired lately - have been able to go to work and do already arranged things at the weekend but otherwise spent large parts of the weekend in bed. Today (day off) is completely clear of things that need to be done as is the coming weekend so I'm hoping if I just rest a lot whatever's wrong will go away. To help with that I have the new Jasper Fforde to read, Early Riser! Sadly doesn't seem to be released in the US until Feb 2019 (sorry 'Mericans)



Also, for any who haven't already seen this on her thread, one of calm's kitties, Xander, was in an accident this month and has had to have one of his legs amputated. He is otherwise fine now but calm has started a gofundme to help meet the cost of the vet's bills and look into adaptations to help Xander get around again. Links to the gofundme and her thread below if anyone has any spare pennies.

https://www.gofundme.com/bjbwk-help-for-xander
http://www.librarything.com/topic/281227#6538232

Book #82: Paper Girls, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang - 4.3 stars
Book #83: Paper Girls, Vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang - 4.1 stars
Book #85: Paper Girls, Vol. 3 by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang - 4.2 stars

More graphic novels from my Hugo reading (Vol 3 is nominated for a Hugo this year) - this is a really fun series that I've been meaning to try for a while about a quartet of 12 year old paper girls from the '80s who are trying to deliver their round on Hallowe'en and are overtaken by strange events. This definitely has a Stranger Things vibe and quite a complicated plot and mystery which is still not fully fleshed out by the end of the third volume. Eagerly awaiting Vol. 4.....

>26 souloftherose: Ugh I'm so jealous!! I'm dying to read Early Riser.

>26 souloftherose: Sorry to hear that you are feeling tired. I hope the day off and the new book will help.

Thanks for mentioning Xander, he is is still hiding under the bed :(

Hi, Heather. I have put up the thread for the group read; no hurry in starting, though. See you there!

Group read of The Wanderer by Frances Burney

Just passing through, Heather. Take care of yourself!!

>28 norabelle414: Sorry Nora. But I think I saw you say on Micky's thread that you might get a chance to pick a copy up in Europe? If so, yay!

I don't know why they stagger publication dates like that. I know he's been touring bookshops here (didn't manage to get to one) so maybe they're postponing US publication date so he can go to the US and do the same thing there?

>29 calm: Thanks calm. Still weirdly very tired - ended up having two mini-naps today. Think it is just too hot for me.

I was glad to see from your update that he's starting to show an interest in playing with toys again. {{{{{Xander}}}}}

>30 lyzard: Thanks!

>31 LizzieD: Thank you Peggy!

Book #84: In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan - 3.9 stars

Another one of this year's Hugo nominees for the YA award (which, yeah, technically isn't a Hugo). This is a very humourous look at the tropes of young adult portal fantasy with a snarky, over-intelligent protagonist, Elliott, and a lot of poking fun at gender stereotypes too. Think Diana Wynne Jones' The Tough Guide to Fantasyland or Dark Lord of Derkholm but with the sarcasm dialled way up.

I really liked this although it took me a little while to get into because I found Elliott a little too spiky and sarcastic at first. Also, despite the cover, you have to wait a long time for the mermaids which I was a bit disappointed about (in fairness, so was Elliott).



Book #86: The L Shaped Room by Lynne Reid Banks - 4.0 stars

Jane, a young middle-class, unmarried woman in the late 1950s becomes pregnant after a disastrous love affair and moves into a shabby bedsit in Fulham (the eponymous L-shaped room) after being thrown out by her father. She's determined not to accept help from anyone but is befriended by the other inhabitants of the house who are all social outcasts in one way or another. In many ways this was quite a heart-warming story but I was taken aback at the casual (almost naive) racism displayed towards a black character (although the character was sympathetically portrayed overall) and I was also left uncomfortable at the way a number of characters talked about Jewish people although again, one of the main characters is Jewish and portrayed sympathetically.

So, recommended in one way because it's a lovely story. But recommended with caution because of the depiction of those characters. There are two sequels which I will look out for because I want to know what happens to Jane.

>32 souloftherose: Yes your mention of it inspired me to do some digging and I should be able to get Early Riser in Germany in September.
I don't know why books take so long between countries! Especially for an established author. He always comes around here (Washington DC) on his book tours but it's not always right when the book comes out.

>33 souloftherose: We've come some ways, haven't we, Heather? When I read the Mass Observation Project diaries, I'm appalled at the casual racism, most especially applied to the Jews. I think it's valuable to read the good stuff from every period in part so that we can see where we were. (We've had this conversation before among our particular set of 75ers, and I'm really not trying to start it up again.)

Hi Heather. I hope it's cooler and you are feeling better.

The new Fforde looks interesting. The Banks sounds interesting. I think one must take into account the times. As Peggy says, this seems to be an ongoing discussion.

>34 norabelle414: It is frustrating but yay for being able to get a copy in Germany.

Apparently Foyles in London did a special Early Riser window display (particularly apt given the ongoing heatwave here)



>35 LizzieD:, >36 BLBera: Yes, I sometimes find it weirdly encouraging to read things like that in relatively recent books (this one published 1960) and consider how much change has happened (although obviously these sorts of attitudes have not completely gone away). And, yes, I find it helpful to read and know what the attitudes were but I can understand that not everyone will be able to/want to.

>36 BLBera: Thanks Beth. It hasn't been cooler but the weather forecast promises me that temperatures will drop tomorrow and stay around 20C for the next week. And I am so happy!

I am feeling a bit better - I have had to be a lot stricter with myself about resting on days off work and I think it's helped. I had two mini-naps on Sunday which left me feeling more human too.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

A brief pause in book reviews to mention some TV shows we've been watching.

I feel like the last person to discover Brooklyn Nine-Nine which I only heard about after everyone was upset about it potentially being cancelled (it hasn't been). So husband and I have watched the first 4 seasons on Netflix and absolutely loved it. Think we blew through each season in about a week (they are short episodes). It's funny and kind and diverse and affirming and feel-good. Season 5 is out but not on any of the streaming channels in the UK yet.

And I finished Agents of SHIELD season 4 (I know I'm so behind) - I found the Ghost Rider sections hard to get into (I had never heard of this Marvel character before) but loved the Ada storyline and intrigued by the ending. Again, season 5 isn't available to stream but it was on sale so I bought it intending to watch it straight away.

BUT, then they announced a new Star Trek series about Jean-Luc Picard (release date TBA) so I have switched to finishing my rewatch of ST:TNG (season 6) just to make sure I'm prepared. This news made me so happy! Patrick Stewart! Jean-Luc Picard! Make it so!

I'm looking forward to the new Star Trek as well. I love Patrick Stewart.

Such a tease!! I want that new Jasper Fforde NOW!! : )

I recently got hooked on his YA The Last Dragonslayer series. I am eagerly awaiting the fourth on that one. Luckily, I realized while reading your "Series To Be Continued" that I haven't finished the Thursday Next series, so I can happily go search that one down until something else gets published in the US.

Happy new thread!

>37 souloftherose: What a great display, Heather.

I haven't watched either of those shows; my television watching this summer has mostly revolved around tennis. Still, it's good to have the recommendation.

Hooray for naps!

That's a fine and relaxed kitty up in the topper! As you can tell, I'm running behind on threads.

>38 The_Hibernator: Patrick Stewart is always excellent! I have no idea how long we'll have to wait for the new Star Trek - a while I'd guess as I don't think they've started filming yet.

>39 Berly: Sorry Kim! I really enjoyed the Last Dragonslayer books but never read the third book because someone told me it ends on a cliffhanger. According to Fforde's website Dragonslayer #4 should be out late 2019. But glad you've found you still have another TN to track down!

>40 BLBera: I used to be really into the tennis and now I keep forgetting to watch it when it's on. We did watch the Athletics part of the European Championships last week which we enjoyed a lot.

>41 thornton37814: Thanks Lori! Although it's a bit cooler here now it's still her favourite spot in the garden. It's at the front of the house so she can watch the street from there but feels protected behind the rosemary bush.

>42 souloftherose: I think a rosemary bush sounds like a marvelous place to hang out!

Thanks for reminding me of The Collapsing Empire - I just requested it from the library. Speaking of the library, I'm waiting for Record of a Spaceborn Few, too. Budget/funding issues bring book orders to a halt every summer.....

>33 souloftherose: I enjoyed The L-Shaped Room when I read it. I didn't realize there were two sequels. They sound interesting but I don't know if I need any more books to follow up on at the moment - there are just so many good books!

>43 Dejah_Thoris: I do like a rosemary bush - I had never realised before that they flowered and ours attracts a lot of bees in the spring which is nice.

I've decided to reread the first two Becky Chambers books before starting Record of a Spaceborn Few so my copy is still patiently waiting for me - but hopefully soon!

>44 Familyhistorian: Sometimes I think my compulsion to read all the books in a series isn't necessarily a healthy one - I'll see if I get to them or if another book calls instead!

---------------------------------------------------------------

Work is really busy at the moment and I am really behind with reviews. So I am just going to do a quick summary of the rest of July's reading:




Book #87: The Boy on the Bridge by M. R. Carey - 3.8 stars
Book #88: Circe by Madeline Miller - 4.3 stars
Book #89: Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder - 2.5 stars
Book #90: Prime Meridian by Sylvia Moreno Garcia - 4.3 stars
Book #91: How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran - 4.0 stars
Book #92: Latchkey by Nicole Kornher-Stace - 3.7 stars
Book #92: My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris - 4.5 stars
Book #93: I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett - 4.1 stars

Special mentions to Prime Meridian by Mexican author, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, which is a poignant novella set in Mexico City in the near future about a woman who dreams of going to Mars. Other than its near future setting it's not very science-fictional (despite the gorgeous cover art no-one actually goes to Mars) but very moving in an understated way. I think this deserves more readers and I am going to track down her other books.

Another special mention to My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris which is an outstanding graphic novel - set in 1960s Chicago it starts off with a mild horror vibe but soon covers everything from murder, the Holocaust and cancer. Just stunning. I think volume 2 has just been released and I'm really tempted to buy both volumes in paper copy (I read volume 1 as an ebook from the Hugo voter's packer but I don't think that does justice to the artwork....)

And Circe by Madeline Miller which I enjoyed very much (it has been too long since reading The Song of Achilles to recall which book I prefer and which has left me wanting to read more Greek mythology. So I've pulled Margaret Atwood's The Penelopiad off the shelf and spent some time looking at translations of The Odyssey in my local library catalogue but knowing my track record with reading projects who knows when/if I'll get to these...

I owe a proper review of Latchkey for Early Reviewers which I will try to write this weekend....

>45 souloftherose: I'm currently reading the new Emily Wilson translation of The Odyssey and it is a delight. I'm hoping to get to Circe later this year.

>45 souloftherose: I'm not sure I'll like My Favorite Thing is Monsters, but I'll give it a try on your recommendation. My library system has it :)

Hi, Heather! I'm back home after my perambulations across half the country (3000 miles total) and catching up. I'm impatiently waiting for the Fforde to be available here in the US and will of course gobble it up immediately. Might have to do some Fforde rereads in the interim...

Had The Collapsing Empire on my Kindle after I finished the dead tree books I took with me and left with my sister. Agree, enjoyable space opera and a lot of set up for future books. I also got Latchkey as an ER book and read it last month--an interesting follow-up to the first book.

Okay, you are the umpteenth person to recommend My Favorite Thing is Monsters and I give, so you get the credit for the book bullet!! : )

Dang! My library doesn't have it. Maybe my next Powell's trip...

Hi Heather - You had a lot of good reading lately. Prime Meridian and My Favorite Thing Is Monsters both go on my WL. Thanks, I guess.

I'm so glad you loved My Favorite Thing is Monsters, Heather. Me, too! The second volume is currently scheduled here for release in Sept. 2019 - I hope they move that up.

>46 norabelle414: I loved the Emily Wilson translation of The Odyssey, and it's the third one I've read - the others being Fagles and Lombardo. Really, really good. I've got her Iliad on the tbr shelf.

>1 souloftherose:, >45 souloftherose: Rosemary bushes are one thing I envy about the British climate. When we lived there, we had a massive bush just outside the door into the garden. Over here, they need to be in pots so they can be brought indoors before the first frost. I love their scent and use rosemary often in cooking, so I have a medium-sized pot on our deck.

>42 souloftherose: >43 Dejah_Thoris: I bet Erica smells delicious! Actually, I planted some rosemary recently and only later realised (though I think I did know) that rosemary grows into a bush. Let's see if mine gets there. If it attracts bees, even better!

I'll have to take a photo of Jasper in his favourite cool spot in the garden. He stopped for a while but seems to have started again - digging out a wallow next to the garden wall. Retriever + sand does not make for a clean house, unfortunately. At least it's a limestone floor and not carpet.

>46 norabelle414: Thank you for the recommendation of the Emily Wilson translation of The Odyssey - I think that's out in paperback here later this year so I have it wishlisted.

>47 Dejah_Thoris: I probably wouldn't have picked up My Favorite Thing is Monsters if it wasn't for the Hugo nomination Dejah - not sure it really sounded like my thing either but it surprised me by how much I enjoyed it. Definitely a graphic novel that's hard to categorise.

>48 ronincats: Welcome back Roni! I am behind on threads (too much busyness at work) and need to catch up.

>49 Berly: Hope you can find a copy of My Favorite Thing is Monsters Kim!

>50 BLBera: Hope you enjoy both of those Beth!

>51 jnwelch: Hmm, I think the UK websites must have the release date of Vol 2 wrong - they're still showing August 2018 but the book is showing as out of stock. And no release date on the publisher's website either...

>52 lauralkeet: I really like our rosemary bush although it grows really fast and tends to take over the path to our front door if we're not careful. Also my grandmother is called Rosemary so it reminds me of her too :-)

>53 humouress: Yep, rosemary gets very bushy if left to its own devices (as ours often does) but then the cat likes sheltering behind it. I wonder what it smells like to a cat?

'Retriever + sand does not make for a clean house, unfortunately.' - I can imagine! I wonder if the sand feels cool once he's dug down a little way? And yes, take pictures please!

Book #95: Early Riser by Jasper Fforde - 3.8 stars

"I could talk about loyalty and the cold, Tunnocks Teacakes and the desolate beauty. Of the code that glues us winterers together, or the loneliness of the souls who call it home. But I think the one thing that struck me is that the Winter isn't a season - it's a calling."

Jasper Fforde is back! And in his usual feat of imagination taking us into the deep of winter in an alternate Wales where temperatures get so low the only way the human race can survive is by the majority of the population hibernating for the winter. In Fforde's usual way there's so much background and detail to the world-building and jokes that I'm sure I missed things on my first read (as I often found I did with Pratchett's books) but whilst this isn't my favourite of Fforde's books it was a lovely return to form and I'm very happy he seems to be writing again.

And finally a review of last month's ER book:



Book #92: Latchkey by Nicole Kornher-Stace - 3.7 stars

Latchkey is the sequel to Archivist Wasp which I read and enjoyed a couple of years ago. I didn’t expect a sequel (the storyline in AW is complete) so was excited to see Latchkey listed as part of Early Reviewers recently.

For a description of Latchkey and AW I’m going to defer to the author’s description in the acknowledgements: ’a weird little cross-genre novel about a far-future post-apocalyptic ghosthunter priestess, the ghost of a near-future genetically-enhanced supersoldier, and their adventures in the underworld’

Latchkey is slow-moving in comparison with other young adult books but I enjoyed the slower pace and the focus on friendships between Isabel and the other upstarts and Isabel and the ghosts (it's very refreshing to read a YA book with absolutely no romance and I understand this is a deliberate choice on the author's part). Whilst the post-apocalyptic world can be dark the focus on friendships and the way the different people in the world end up coming together to try to help each other means there’s quite an optimistic feel overall.

Although the stories in each book are complete it still feels like there’s a lot to learn about the Before-time and what happened to the ghosts and to the world and I hope Kornher-Stace has plans to reveal more about these elements in future books.

Sounds like an interesting one...

>45 souloftherose: I think I rated How to be a Woman the same, it was certainly an entertaining read.

>55 souloftherose: Maybe I need to re-read some Thursday Next.

I think, though, if a book is billed as funny, I go looking for the laughs and I don't get it; I had the feeling of missing things with Pratchett's books too. (It took me a while to get the 'insurance' joke.) But if the humour sneaks up and surprises me, it's funnier, plus there's that moment of discovery.

Wow, nearly a month since I've posted here! Work has been hectic so although I have been reading (albeit at a slower rate than usual) I haven't had much time or energy for LT. I am still trying to participate in the group read of Frances Burney's The Wanderer (with much thanks to Liz for her patience with me being such a slow reader at the moment) and hoping to finish this chunkster in October sometime.

As I haven't a hope of catching up with reviews I am just going to do a post to cover August and then another to cover September.

>57 drneutron: Yes, it's definitely an interesting series Jim - I'd recommend them.

>58 LovingLit: Yes, very entertaining! I must check out her other books.

>59 humouress: Humour can be hit and miss for me in books too Nina. I enjoy Terry Pratchett and Jasper Fforde but have found I've bounced off a lot of other authors who I've been recommended because I like Pratchett and Fforde - I tried several of Tom Holt's comic fantasy novels before I just had to accept that I don't find him funny at all. But I have enjoyed his dark fantasy written as K. J. Parker. I think there's something in what you say - that if you go into a book with expectations that it will be really funny then it can disappoint.

Remaining August reads:




Book #96: City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett - 4.2 stars
Book #97: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers - 4.5 stars
Book #98: Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb - 4.2 stars
Book #99: Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells - 4.5 stars
Book #100: Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening by Marjorie Liu - 3.3 stars
Book #101: A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers - 4.8 stars
Book #102: A Calculated Life by Anne Charnock - 4.0 stars
Book #103: The Enclave by Anne Charnock - 3.8 stars
Book #104: Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers - 4.2 stars

Including a reread of The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet and A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers before diving into Record of a Spaceborn Few. I enjoyed the latter a lot - sort of domestic science fiction in that whilst it's set on a generation ship in space the book is about the everyday concerns of a group of people on the ship.

Rogue Protocol was almost as good as the previous books in the Murderbot series and I am eagerly awaiting Exit Strategy next month.

A Calculated Life and a follow-up novella called The Enclave by Anne Charnock were books I enjoyed more than the other Charnock novel I read earlier this year (Dreams Before the Start of Time which won the Clarke award). These two stories are set in a near future society where there are different classes of humans depending on the extent to which they are genetically engineered (unmodified humans of course, being the lower class). The story is told from the perspective of Jayna, one of the most altered humans and charts her journey of self-discovery and exploration in this society. It's beautifully written and doesn't go overboard on the dystopian nature of this future world. In fact, I was left thinking that it was not at all dissimilar from our current one in many ways. The Enclave is a follow up novella which won this year's BSFA award for short fiction and looks at a different aspect of the same world. Both recommended.

Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening was a gorgeously illustrated graphic novel but the violence and complications of the plot left me feeling a little confused. I'm going to try the next volume (both have won awards) and hope I can keep the plot straight in my head.

City of Stairs and Ship of Magic both also very good beginnings to fantasy trilogies.

Hi Heather! I'm all caught up on what you've been up to after being absent for a while. There have been soooooo many book bullets - you always read such interesting stuff. I see you loved A Closed and Common Orbit as I did when I read it for the first time this year. I haven't got to the third part yet but will try and do so soon as I love that series. A generation ship though? So no return to the characters from the first book? I was kind of hoping for that, much as I enjoyed the new characters we met in book two. I will try and start Ship of Magic soon, especially as I see you have already finished! But then this was a re-read for you anyway, wasn't it?
I feel like I need to give Jasper Fforde another spin. I read one ages ago, the one it that series where people can hop into books or whatever the conceit was; it's the one where there are lots of dodos running around, I seem to remember. Anyway, I was initially quite taken with it but ran out of patience by the end. That was a long time ago though; maybe I should try again. Any recommendations where to start?
Hope all is well with you and you are finding a bit more time for reading and relaxing after a busy period!

Hi, Heather. I'm always relieved when I see anybody cast the smallest doubt on J. Fforde and T. Pratchett. Neither of them tickles me. I see where humor is intended; I just don't find them worth more than a small smile - if that.
On the other hand, I really loved the first 2 B. Chambers and look forward to #3.
I also LOVED the RJB trilogy and think *Stairs* is the weakest of the three, and it was awfully good.
I read Ship of Magic and liked it O.K. but haven't gotten back to the other two.
I'm a bit proud that I know something of your reading at the moment. That doesn't happen often. Long may you flourish and review!

Hi Heather. I'll be in London for a couple of weeks (sans kids!) if you're able to catch up.

I'm afraid I've been falling behind with the Liveship group read; too much happening in RL even though my fingers are itching for a book. I think what's keeping me going is that I'm planning a raid on Forbidden Planet. I just hope I've made enough space on my shelves ...

Looks like you got a lot of good reading done in August! What did you do in September?

Thank you to Hannah, Peggy, Nina and Roni for posting in my absence! I made it through my last couple of weeks at work before my holiday, got a bit of a cold and am now off work for a couple of weeks and hoping I can shake off the cold, get my energy levels back and my brain working again!

>62 HanGerg: Hi Hannah! Some of the characters from The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet are mentioned in passing in the new book but otherwise, yes, it's about new characters again.

Hobb's Liveship trilogy is all new to me - I had previously read the first five books featuring Fitz (not realising the Liveship books existed when I first read them) - I have been very bad at checking in to the group read thread and as I'm not sure anyone else has got to Ship of Magic yet I might hold off starting the next book which I think we were due to start this month (eek - where has the time gone?)

I'm pretty sure the Jasper Fforde series you tried was the Thursday Next series from the description (starts with The Eyre Affair). I'd suggest trying either the latest novel (Early Riser) which is a standalone or his YA series which starts with The Last Dragonslayer but is currently unfinished. They all have the same sort of surreal sense of humour though.

>63 LizzieD: Peggy, I think you were one of the peoplewho recommended the RJB trilogy so strongly and it is really good - I finished City of Blades last month and agree that it was even better than Stairs. I may well read Miracles this month.

>64 humouress: Hi Nina! Oh - a raid on Forbidden Planet sounds good! I'll pop over to your thread and see what your plans are.

>65 ronincats: Thanks for the reminder Roni - September reading post hopefully coming tomorrow.

Right, a day later than promised but September books below:





Book #105: Bitch Planet: Triple Feature Volume 1 by Kelly Sue Deconnick - 3.2 stars
Book #106: The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa - 3.8 stars
Book #107: Deerskin by Robin McKinley - 3.8 stars
Book #108: The Drowning Eyes by Emily Foster - 3.4 stars
Book #109: Babylon’s Ashes by James S. A. Corey - 3.9 stars
Book #110: City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett - 4.2 stars
Book #111: Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik - 4.8 stars
Book #112: Fables: The Deluxe Edition Book Twelve by Bill Willingham - 3.2 stars
Book #113: Romancing the Inventor by Gail Carriger - 3.8 stars
Book #114: Within the Sanctuary of Wings by Marie Brennan - 3.8 stars
Book #115: The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal - 4.7 stars
Book #116: The Furthest Station by Ben Aaronovitch - 3.4 stars

My local library is terrible at cataloguing graphic novels so I thought Bitch Planet: Triple Feature Volume 1 was the first volume of the Bitch Planet graphic novel series by Kelly Sue DeConnick (Bitch Planet, Vol 1: Extraordinary Machine. Instead Triple Feature is a collection of short stories set in the Bitch Planet universe but I didn't figure this out until halfway through which was very confusing. That aside, this is an interesting selection of stories and artists but I think it would be best read after reading the main series which I would still like to read.

The Housekeeper and the Professor was a book I picked up for a shared read for the August TIOLI challenges... and then didn't finish it until September. It's a sweet story by a Japanese author about a housekeeper looking after a mathematics professor who's suffering from amnesia.

Deerskin by Robin McKinley is a retelling of the Donkeyskin fairytale - it's rather a dark fairytale originally and McKinley's retelling doesn't change that (incest and rape) but the focus is on how the heroine recovers from the trauma - although I did feel that the first third of the book where you are waiting for the dreadful thing to happen could perhaps have been sped up a little. Overall a hopeful book but one I had to be in the right mood to read.

The Drowning Eyes by Emily Foster is a Tor.com novella I've been meaning to read for a while about an apprentice weather magician on the run from some pirates.

Babylon's Ashes is the 6th book in the Expanse series following on from the galaxy-changing event of Nemesis Games and everyone is still trying to deal with the fallout from that event. Far more POV characters than the usual four - I'm not sure if that worked as well but it was still very enjoyable and I hope to get to Persepolis Rising soon.

City of Blades - as Peggy says above this was even better than City of Stairs. I particularly enjoyed the fact that the main character is an older woman (50s or so) which is still too rare in sff books. I'm probably going to read City of Miracles this month to finish off the trilogy.

Spinning Silver, another fairytale retelling but this time of Rumpelstiltskin, was brilliant. Several female lead characters, all of whom form friendships with one another and end up working together, there are romance elements but these are not at the forefront of the story. I think I enjoyed this even more than Uprooted.

Fables: The Deluxe Edition Book Twelve contained Fables, Vol. 16: Super Team and Fables, Vol. 17: Inherit the Wind - I found Super Team fairly silly - for some reason Pinocchio is trying to get the Fables to form a fighting superhero team (like the Avengers) but it just sort of fizzles to nothing. Inherit the Wind starts the next story-arc which is about finding a successor to the North Wind from Bigby and Snow's cubs. This was a bit better but I'm starting to feel like the series as a whole may have lost steam. Still, as I'm near the final volume I think I will press on and finish it.

Romancing the Inventor is another romance novella in Gail Carriger's Parasol Universe - this time featuring a f/f romance between Genevieve Lefoux and a young maid, Imogen Hale. I like these novella romances because it feels like there's enough time for the characters to get to know each other and for a romance to develop. Next I will be starting the Custard Protocol series (as I'm trying to read in chronological order). And if you can't tell from the series names, then yes, these are all slightly silly but very good fun.

Within the Sanctuary of Wings is the conclusion to Marie Brennan's Lady Trent series - I enjoyed this series a lot and was happy with where the series ended.

The Calculating Stars is the first in a new series by Mary Robinette Kowal (I've had lots of her books on my to read list for a long time but have never read any of her novel length works). This is set in the same series as her award winning novelette, The Lady Astronaut of Mars - in the early 1950s an extinction-sized meteorite hits earth and the space program has to be accelerated so that other planets can be colonised before the earth's climate becomes inhospitable for life. Dr. Elma York is a Jewish calculator and pilot who ends up working as a calculator on the space program but wants to be an astronaut. She also struggles with anxiety. I expected this to be more of a comfort read than it was - Kowal does a very good job of exploring the gender politics of the time as well as racial prejudices towards Jews and other races, but this didn't always make for a comfortable read. Having said that it was also very difficult to put this book down. The sequel, The Fated Sky is already out and I hope to read it soon.

The Furthest Station - a novella in the Peter Grant series. This one takes Peter out of his comfort zone to Chesham (which was fun because I used to live near there). Fun but quite slight.

Just a quick hello, Heather.

I stalled on A Closed and Common Orbit, which surprised me since I liked The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet so much. It's still on my shelves, though, hoping I'll try again.

>63 LizzieD: I'm a bit proud that I know something of your reading at the moment. That doesn't happen often. Long may you flourish and review! Unlike Peggy, I don't know anything about anything you're reading, but you're really knocking 'em out!

Wow, 116 books already! Good job!

September looks like it was an excellent reading month for you. I really need to bump the Kowal up.

>67 souloftherose: Love the UK cover of Spinning Silver. It's on The List already but that cover is much more inviting than the North American edition, IMO.

>68 karenmarie: Hi Karen! A Closed and Common Orbit has a different structure compared to TLWtoSAP in that it's jumping back and forth between different viewpoints in different time periods. Hopefully you get into it better when you're next in the mood.

>69 The_Hibernator: Thanks Rachel!

>70 libraryperilous: Thanks Diana! I need to bump the Kowal sequel up.

>71 MickyFine: I prefer the UK cover too as I did for Uprooted- I think the US covers for both those books have featured a woman on the front cover who they've made look slightly ominous.

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We're back from the Peak District - we had a very quiet holiday as we were both pretty tired and then Dan got a cold. So we mostly stayed in the cottage and rewatched Brooklyn Nine-Nine (picture below basically sums up the holiday).



We did manage to visit a couple of National Trust properties whilst driving up and back which both had second-hand bookshops. And we found a lovely bookshop in one of the towns near to where we were staying. And before we went away I had a mini-LT meetup with Genny and Claire (sakerfalcon) in Oxford when we went to see the Tolkien exhibition at the Bodleian and may also have found ourselves in a couple of Oxfam bookshops in Oxford.

Which is a long way of saying I bought lots of books.....

The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton
The Curate's Wife by E. H. Young
To Bed With Grand Music by Marghanita Laski
Patience by John Coates
I Met a Traveller in an Antique Land by Connie Willis
Bess of Hardwick: First Lady of Chatsworth, 1527-1608 by Mary Lovell (bought at Hardwick Hall!)
Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell
Marion Fay by Anthony Trollope
The Bertrams by Anthony Trollope
The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin
A Time to Dance, No Time to Weep by Rumer Godden
The Rediscovery of Man by Cordwainer Smith
No One Noticed the Cat by Anne McCaffrey

Ooh, secondhand Persephones.

>73 elkiedee: I know! And one had the bookmark inside it too.

---------------------------------

We had enough energy to look round Hardwick Hall properly which I was very happy about because it's one of the National Trust properties I've been wanting to visit for a while. They currently have an exhibition on called We are Bess which focuses on Bess of Hardwick, the suffrage movement and then modern women who have faced similar challenges to the ones Bess faced. It was a really interesting exhibition so, at the end of the visit I decided I needed to have Mary Lovell's biography of Bess of Hardwick to read.

You can read more about the exhibition and see the portraits of the modern women who were featured via the link below.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hardwick/features/we-are-bess-exhibition

Your vacation sounds marvelous (Tolkien Exhibit!! Bodleian!! Meet-up!! (pics?) Peak District and cozy fire!!).

What a great haul, Heather! Your holiday sounds fabulous to me except for Dan's cold. I'm happy that you got to look at Hardwick Hall and really happy to hear that you, Genny, and Claire got together - and for a Tolkien exhibit - at the BODLEIAN! I'm drooling!!!

>75 ronincats: Thank you. And sorry, no pics from the LT meetup. It did cross my mind towards the end that we probably should take some but then I didn't do anything about it.

>76 LizzieD: Thanks Peggy. Hardwick and the Tolkien exhibit were both very good. It was in the newer section of the Bodleian but we did pop over the road and see the outside of the old Bodleian library which is very beautiful.

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I am struggling a little bit this week with the back to work blues which have not been helped by my brain switching into anxiety mode - I have only done one day back at work and I am already exhausted. I'm struggling not to feel frustrated with myself because there is absolutely nothing to feel anxious about - I like the people I work with, I like my job, and I have no idea what I am feeling anxious about.

Anyway, day off today and other than a few jobs in town (buying some Duplo for my 4 year old nephew's birthday and library visit) I am going to try to watch some TV and crochet to take my mind off it.

But first some October reviews:



Book #117: Exit Strategy by Martha Wells - 4.2 stars

I've read a number of shorter works/novellas this month - the first, Exit Strategy by Martha Wells, is the fourth and final novella in the wonderful Murderbot series (although there will be some full length novels featuring Murderbot at a later date). If I say I thought Exit Strategy was the weakest in the series so far that isn't saying it's by any means a bad book - just that the standard for the series is so high. Whilst this was a little slower to get started than the other books, the conclusion was very satisfying as Murderbot is finally reunited with the original team from All Systems Red. Highly recommended.



Book #118: The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman - 3.5 stars

The second book in the Invisible Libraries series - these are light and easy to read books which was what I was in the mood for. Irene's librarian assistant, Kai, has been captured by the Fae and she heads to an alternate Venice to rescue him. I enjoyed this slightly less than the first book but it's nice to read a series with a competent female heroine who has to rescue her male colleague rather than the other way round - having said that, I think the stories work better when Kai and Irene can interact which they couldn't for most of this book. Hopefully they're are back adventuring together in The Burning Page (which I have already downloaded as it's discounted in this month's Amazon UK deals).

>78 souloftherose: I felt about the same as you on The Masked City. Such a fun series, even when it's not running on all cylinders.

Hi, Heather - just a note that I will probably be reading The Kellys And The O'Kellys next month---not as a project, for once, but maybe a shared read if you cared to join me? :)

>79 MickyFine: It is a really fun series Micky.

>80 lyzard: Thanks for letting me know Liz. Whilst I'm tempted I think I'm going to pass because I don't have a copy of The Kellys, still haven't read The MacDermots and was tentatively planning to try to read In a Glass Darkly next month.....

Book #118: The Evolution of Adam: What the Bible Does and Doesn't Say About Human Origins by Peter Enns

I'm counting this although I didn't quite finish it - it's a book I read more because I was interested in the author than the subject and this was the only book the library has by this author. The first half of the book looks at different ways of reading the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible stories about Adam (which I found interesting); the second half looks at how Paul interprets these stories in the New Testament which I found less interesting.

As I'm more interested in the general topic of how to read and interpret the Bible I think I will find Enns other books more interesting.

I'm back from London - I'm sorry we couldn't manage a meet up - but reading is still on go-slow.

You go ahead with the Liveship read and I'll catch up whenever. I have read this series before, so I'll be fine.

>78 souloftherose: Ok, so the Murderbot novellas are done?! Fingers crossed for an omnibus edition. And yay! to future novels. Also, glad to hear the Invisible Library series is easygoing fun. I'm just in the mood for something like that (having just finished Ship of Magic and feeling a bit blue for all the poor slaves), and I have it on my kindle. Double yay!

Sorry to hear about the anxiety woes. I think I've said this before, but I do think the change of weather has a lot to answer for. It certainly does for me. I was feeling very low at the start of the month. I've upped my Vitamin D intake (with tablets, but I do also try to stay in the little pools of sunlight that crop up here and there) and I'm feeling much better. Apparently, quite a high percentage of the UK population has low Vit D levels, as the sun is never strong enough in the winter (on the rare occasions it shows up at all) to create any.

>81 souloftherose:

No worries. :)

>83 humouress: Sorry to hear you're still on a reading go-slow Nina. I'll probably read The Mad Ship in November but please do add your comments whenever you get to it.

>84 HanGerg: Yep, Murderbot novellas are all published now. I think I saw the author say there would be an omnibus edition but not until the full length Murderbot novel is released in 2020.....

And yay for Invisible Library series! Yes, it should be a good antidote to the intensity of the Robin Hobb books.

I think I just found it really hard to adjust to going back to work after our time off. August and September are the busiest times of the year for me at work and although I had a two week break in October it wasn't quite enough to recharge (or the amount I had recharged just made it harder to get back into the routine!). This week has been a little better so far although for me anxiety is something that is always present to some extent. I've tried Vitamin D before and it didn't have any effect for me although I've read the studies that suggest it may be beneficial in general. I actually quite like the winter and autumn seasons and I find hot weather has a much worse effect on me than grey skies or cold weather seems to.

Book #120: The Wanderer, or, Female Difficulties by Frances Burney - 3.9 stars

This is the last novel Frances Burney wrote and, for some reason, the only one not currently in print which I think is a shame because for me this is the strongest of her novels (although not necessarily the easiest to read).

Published in 1814 (the same year as Jane Austen's Mansfield Park) but written more in an 18th century style and set mostly in England in 1793 against the background of the French Revolution, The Wanderer sets out how difficult it was for young women to survive at that time without the protection of a man or money (which generally also came from a man).

From a modern day viewpoint the book suffers from some repetitiveness in that Burney makes her heroine repeatedly try different solutions to her difficulties only to fail at each attempt but from an 18th/19th century perspective the point needed to be repeated. And whilst women now (thankfully) have more financial independence, the repeated themes of women being threatened by men, mistreated by men and doubted by men sadly felt all too relevant as I was reading this over the summer. So, not exactly a cheerful book despite the convenient 'happy' ending but I think an important one and one that deserves more attention (and an edition in print).

I've had Burney on my TBR for ages. Need to bump her up in this trashfire timeline.

>88 libraryperilous: Trashfire timeline seems about right at the moment.... I would normally recommend starting with Evelina for Burney - it's her first book, shorter and lighter in tone. But I don't remember it being as strongly feminist either.

Book #121: Uncanny Magazine Issue 23: July/August 2018 edited by Lynne and Michael Thomas - 3.9 stars

A special dinosaur themed edition of Uncanny Magazine (which I took out a subscription to this year)! This was a lot of fun and the stories were of a consistently high quality. My favourites were:

The Tale of the Three Beautiful Raptor Sisters and the Prince Who Was Made of Meat by Brooke Bolander - an interesting twist on a traditional fairy-tale

By Claw, By Hand, By Silent Speech by Elsa Sjunneson-Henry & A. Merc Rusted - a deaf researcher creates a bond with a dinosaur she’s studying using sign language

Bones in the Rock by R. K. Kalaw - a dinosaur searches for the missing bones of her long lost love.

Red Lizard Brigade by Sam J. Miller - a pair of lovers find themselves divided.

All the above stories (and more) can be found online for free.

https://uncannymagazine.com/uncanny-magazine-issue-23-cover-and-table-of-content...

Book #122: The Chrysalids by John Wyndham - 4.2 stars

I feel like I've been saving this one as it was the last unread Wyndham novel I had a copy of (there are more I haven't read that I don't own). In theme this is almost a companion novel in theme to The Midwich Cuckoos - in both books a group of children have special abilities but Chrysalids is told from the children's viewpoint and Cuckoos from the viewpoint of the unaffected adults. Wyndham's very good at the slow build-up of tension in what turns out to be a post-apocalyptic dystopia. But he's also good at making the dystopian world quite understated (I think this is one of the reasons why he is so often accused of writing 'cosy catastrophes') which in some ways is more effective. Strongly recommended (and thanks to Ilana/smiler69 for the nudge to finally read this!)

>90 souloftherose: Uncanny Magazine sounds like fun! Off to check out the link....

Jasper Fforde -- I get his sense of humor. Pratchett's books? Not so much. But they are both worth a try and then its up to the reader's own taste. Thanks goodness there are so many authors, right? : )

>92 Berly: Hi Kim! Completely agree about humour and individual taste. And hope you can find something from Uncanny that's appealing - I like that they have all the stories for free online (which I think a lot of sff magazines do).

Book #123: Monstress, Vol. 2: The Blood by Marjorie M. Liu and Sana Takeda - 3.9 stars

The artwork is still gorgeous and a little too violent for me but I found the storyline easier to follow than Volume 1 and now definitely want to continue with this series. I would not recommend leaving long gaps between the different volumes (and I'm planning to pick up Volume 3: Haven sooner rather than later.

Hi Heather - I hope the anxiety is better. Your holiday sounds wonderful, and the book haul looks great as well. The Burney is one I'll look for.

I've enjoyed Fforde, but it's been awhile, so I feel like I should start over. Is Early Riser a standalone?

The Invisible Library books look good as well.

>94 souloftherose: That looks like an interesting graphic novel. I've started reading one a week in hopes of still making my 75 books this year, and if it works, I'll probably continue that pattern next year to get up to 75 times 2. :) I'll keep this book in mind.

They are very good, highly recommended!

Hi, Heather. Just speaking as I can't comment on anything you're reading or have recently read. I've noted them though.

Oh, need to get to the Monstress series. And the Uncanny issue sounds brilliant.

re: trashfire timeline: Is there a German word for "Dems flipped close to 40 seats, but everything else royally sucks and is hot garbage on a hot August day"?

>95 BLBera: Thanks Beth. The holiday feels a long time ago now but I do feel more like I am back in the routine of work. Yes, Early Riser is a standalone so you can jump straight into that one without needing to bet caught up with any of his other books.

>96 The_Hibernator: The Monstress series is really interesting Rachel - most of the characters are women and a lot of the different societies included in this fantasy world are matriarchal which I enjoyed. Volume 3 has just come out but you need to start with Monstress Volume 1: Awakening to make sense of it all.

>97 drneutron: Glad to hear you've enjoyed them too Jim!

>98 LizzieD: *waves to Peggy* - thanks for stopping by!

>99 libraryperilous: The Uncanny issue was a lot of fun.

'Is there a German word for "Dems flipped close to 40 seats, but everything else royally sucks and is hot garbage on a hot August day"?'

If there isn't, there should be!

Book #124: In the Vanishers' Palace by Aliette de Bodard - 4.0 stars

From the author’s website: ’In the Vanishers Palace is a dark retelling of Beauty and the Beast, where they are both women and the Beast is a dragon. Set in a ruined universe inspired by Vietnamese folklore, where scholar-magicians and spirits walk the earth…’

Aliette de Bodard is rapidly becoming one of my favourite authors of short fiction - In the Vanishers' Palace is her latest release and it's a retelling of Beauty and the Beast inspired by Vietnamese folklore and dragons. It's set in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world which has been partially ruined by a mysterious group of creatures called the Vanishers who have now vanished and left the people of world to try to pick up the pieces. It's fantasy (because dragons and magic) but also felt science-fictional in places (post-apocalyptic and I kept feeling like the Vanishers might be aliens). Adding in the romance element and it's a testimony to de Bodard as a writer that such a short work can successfully manage all these elements. The prose was beautiful as I've come to expect from de Bodard and the story was poignant. Plus there's an awesome description of the beast's library :-)



Book #125: The Citadel of Weeping Pearls by Aliette de Bodard - 4.5 stars

From the author’s website:

’The Citadel of Weeping Pearls was a great wonder; a perfect meld between cutting edge technology and esoteric sciences—its inhabitants capable of teleporting themselves anywhere, its weapons small and undetectable and deadly.

Thirty years ago, threatened by an invading fleet from the Dai Viet Empire, the Citadel disappeared and was never seen again.

But now the Dai Viet Empire itself is under siege, on the verge of a war against an enemy that turns their own mindships against them; and the Empress, who once gave the order to raze the Citadel, is in desperate needs of its weapons. Meanwhile, on a small isolated space station, an engineer obsessed with the past works on a machine that will send her thirty years back, to the height of the Citadel’s power.

But the Citadel’s disappearance still extends chains of grief and regrets all the way into the fraught atmosphere of the Imperial Court; and this casual summoning of the past might have world-shattering consequences…’

After finishing In the Vanishers' Palace I moved straight onto The Citadel of Weeping Pearls by the same author which is set in her science-fictional Xuya universe (and was the last of her short fiction that I haven't read available in ebook format).

Again, for a work of short fiction this covered so much ground without feeling rushed - war, politics, grief, family relationships and a little bit of a detective storyline on top of that. Beautifully written and a book I'm still thinking about several weeks later.

Hi Heather: The Bodard books look interesting. I do like the covers.

Heather, I am impressed! You've read a lot of books thus far! Your reading ability is very impressive for sure.

Hi Heather - just catching up on some threads, this hasn't been my most LT-focused year. My reading has also suffered. Have you read No one noticed the cat?, I enjoyed it and have Marion Zimmer Bradley's The gratitude of kings from the same series, both bought in a library sale because the size and covers were very compelling.
I had My Favorite Thing Is Monsters out from the library but didn't get past the first couple of pages - typical of my reading this year. I'm about to start Imposters by Scott Westerfeld.

>101 souloftherose: *sigh* You got me; I’ll look out for her.

Have you read The Tea Master and the Detective? It's on my list of favorite reads for 2018. I've had On a Red Station, Drifting on Mt. TBR for ages.

I've been seeing In the Vanishers' Palace discussed on Twitter a lot so I guess I need to move that one up my list!

Agreed, they look great. Are they available for Kindle Heather? (Is that what eBook means? I'm a bit clueless on all the formats)
Like the sound of the graphic novel too. And a little way back you reminded me I need to dip back into Saga. I stopped at volume 6, and didn't know the story continued so I have some catching up to do!

Hi Heather.

Congrats on 125 books so far this year.

>82 souloftherose: The Evolution of Adam sounds intriguing to me since I read the Bible cover-to-cover last year.

>91 souloftherose: I have The Midwich Cuckoos on my shelves. I really need to pull it down and get it read this year!

I'm glad to hear that you feel more like you're back in the routine of work. Vacations were always wonderful, but coming back always depressing.

'Is there a German word for "Dems flipped close to 40 seats, but everything else royally sucks and is hot garbage on a hot August day"?' Here in NC we had a definite blue wave - we got rid of the Republican Super Majority AND defeated two constitutional amendments that would have further reduced the power of the (currently Democratic, 'natch) Governor.

>102 BLBera: They are beautiful covers Beth.

>103 Whisper1: Thank you Linda!

>104 avatiakh: I haven't read No One Noticed the Cat yet but glad to hear you enjoyed it. Sorry to hear you didn't get on better with My Favorite Thing is Monsters. I haven't read any Scott Westerfeld for ages so will be interested to read your thoughts on Imposters.

>105 humouress: Sorry to hit you with those Nina - I suspect her novels are more readily available in print editions than her short fiction.

>106 libraryperilous: I did read The Tea Master and the Detective and loved it! I think that was what got me on such a Bodard reading kick this year. On a Red Station Drifting is also good although I preferred Tea Master and Citadel.

>107 archerygirl: Do - I think you'll enjoy that one!

>108 HanGerg: Hi Hannah. Yes, ebook just stands for electronic book and they are generally available in a variety of different formats for different ereaders. They are definitely available for kindle as that's how I read them.

>109 karenmarie: Thanks Karen! The Evolution of Adam had some interesting sections for me but the overall aim of the book was to answer a very specific question from a Christian perspective that I just wasn't that interested in (the question is around evolution and specifically the existence of an historical Adam). I'd recommend the book if that's a question you're interested in - it's very concise (only about 120 pages).

I think the The Midwich Cuckoos is really good but I am very biased when it comes to John Wyndham and think everything he wrote is very good. I have bought way more books than I planned this year so I have been trying to hold off of buying his remaining works at least until the new year.

That sounds like excellent news from NC. I admit I am slightly jealous of American politics at the moment (which feels like a very weird thing to say given who is still President but at least you've had some good news.) We seem to be trapped in Brexitland with no hope in sight....

Book #126: The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton - 4.2 stars

It's been way too long since I read any Wharton and I'd forgotten how much I enjoy her writing. The ghost stories in this collection are fairly understated from a spooky perspective which is how I like them - more gothic in style than full-blown horror and a lot of questions left unanswered in the reader's mind at the end of each story.

>111 souloftherose: I've read a ton of Edith Wharton and she figures prominently in my collection of green spines, but I haven't gotten to this one yet. Looks like a good one, and maybe I should nudge it up my TBR a bit.

>111 souloftherose: I now have that on hold!

>111 souloftherose: Ugh, the dog one broke my heart when I read the collection a few years ago. I also liked this quote, from "All Souls'": "Who that has lived in an old house could possibly believe that the furniture in it stays still all night?"

That's a sharp looking cover!

>109 karenmarie: Yes! There was good stuff in the state/down ballot races, including wins on progressive referenda in red states. I was a bit too pessimistic right after the election, I think.

>112 lauralkeet: I enjoyed it a lot Laura.

>113 quondame: Hope you enjoy it Susan!

>114 libraryperilous: Yes, the dog story was particularly sad.

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I didn't mean to take such a long absence from my thread but ended up getting some kind of cold/virus which knocked me out for most of last week (it felt like it was going to be a cold but the cold never turned up). So, I am once again behind with reviews and threads on LT.



Book #127: Fables: The Deluxe Edition Book Thirteen by Bill Willingham - 3.0 stars
Book #129: Fables: The Deluxe Edition Book Fourteen by Bill Willingham - 3.5 stars
Book #138: Fables: The Deluxe Edition Book Fifteen by Bill Willingham - 2.5 stars

(Covering Fables, Vol. 18: Cubs in Toyland through to Fables, Vol. 22: Farewell)

After 4 years and fifteen volumes (in the deluxe hardback editions) I felt this series ended with more of a whimper than a bang - I think Willingham and co should have stopped after the Mr Dark storyline concluded. Cubs in Toyland was ok but I found the Rose/Snow conflict very boring to read about and I only carried on reading because I was so close to the end and wanted to say I had finished this. Also, having read other graphic series recently (Saga, Paper Girls, Monstress) the Fables series starts to seem very white and very male-orientated by comparison.

Book #139: The Marvels by Brian Selznick - 5.0 stars

A children's graphic novel made up of two linked stories - one set in the 18th and 19th century and told entirely in images tells the story of one family in the theatre over many generations. The second is in text and set in 1990 about a boy who has run away from boarding school.

This was such a beautiful story - I knew I would love Selznick's artwork but I think the story made this my favourite of his so far.

I hope you are feeling better, Heather. I miss you when you are not around!

>115 souloftherose:

But you FINISHED A SERIES, right?? :D

>117 ronincats:

Likewise!

Take care, Heather.

Dropping out of lurk to wish you an easy, happy week. Take care of yourself, Heather!

>117 ronincats: Thank you Roni. I think I am feeling mostly better now - counting down the days until I finish work for the Christmas and New Year period but trying to remind myself that even though I do get time off over Christmas and New Year it never ends up being as restful as I think it will be!

>118 lyzard: But you FINISHED A SERIES, right?? :D

Yep (*happy dance*).

>119 LizzieD: Thank you Peggy!

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Book #140: Tombland by C. J. Sansom - 4.4 stars

The 7th historical mystery in the Matthew Shardlake series - this was longer and slower than I remember earlier novels in the series being but seemed appropriate given the themes and subject matter. As well as the usual murder mystery for Shardlake to solve the other focus of the book is the (not previously known to me) peasants’ rebellion of 1549 led by Robert Kett (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kett%27s_Rebellion) which Shardlake, Barak and Nicholas are inadvertently caught up in. This felt like the real story of the book (the solution to the murder felt almost like an afterthought) and it’s a powerful one. Given the current political climate, reading this felt strangely cathartic: being reminded of periods when things had been much worse and a narrative that wasn’t one of people overcoming obstacles (spoiler alert - Kett’s Rebellion failed).

>120 souloftherose: Thanks for your thoughts on Tombland. Cushla commented on her thread about the slower pace of the story, and that at times it felt more like a history book than a mystery. She hadn't finished the book yet so not sure what her final verdict will be. I like the idea of this being cathartic though -- we could certainly use that.

>120 souloftherose: I noticed Tombland was a huge tome, but as I haven't read the previous one yet, it's going to be a while before I get to it. Good to know it will feel a little slower but is worth it. I have Robert Kett and the peasants' rebellion rings a bell, but it's not something I know details about, so that'll be interesting!

>121 lauralkeet:, >122 archerygirl: Part of the length of the book is a 100 page historical note at the end detailing Sansom's sources and which bits of the novel are based on historical sources. So I suppose that makes it only a 750 page novel!

Thinking about it more, I think I enjoyed it more when I stopped thinking of it as a thriller/mystery and started treating it as a non-fiction read which typically take me longer to work through. You could tell Sansom had really got caught up in the period he was researching.

>122 archerygirl: When I heard there was going to be a new Shardlake book published this year I originally thought I might reread them all but they are generally all chunksters so I'm sort of relieved I didn't try that in the end.

If I am ever going to get caught up with my reviews I need to write more than one a week!

Some briefer thoughts on final October reads:



Book #128: The Lake Boy by Adam Roberts - 3.9 stars

A NewCon Press novella which I received from Early Reviewers. This was a very strange short piece of fiction - I'm pretty sure I didn't understand it but I definitely enjoyed it. The story is told in epistolary format through the diary of Cynthia, a minister's sister living in the Lake District with her brother in 1795. Cynthia has possibly some kind of mental illness/mania although as she is also a lesbian (and has been put in an asylum for this in the past) it's hard to be certain. Definitely an unreliable narrator of some kind. And then there's maybe some kind of alien visitation which went entirely over my head. I enjoyed the epistolary format and the writing felt authentically late 18th century - if Roberts wrote a straight historical novel I would read it and enjoy it greatly.

I've only read one of Adam Roberts many novels (By Light Alone) and this has reminded me again that I should try more of them.

Book #130: River of Stars by Guy Gavriel Kay - 3.3 stars

I remember really enjoying Kay's Under Heaven - a historical fantasy set in a world based on 8th century Ancient China - and as River of Stars is a standalone sequel (same world but a few centuries later) I picked it up for a shared TIOLI read expecting another thumping good read.

It was ok I guess? Kay's books are always quite long but this one really dragged for the first 300 pages and I only really got into it in the second half. All of the events and characters seemed very disconnected and it took a long time to feel like there was a coherent over-arching narrative rather than a collection of character sketches and philosophical musings. So, not bad, but definitely not Kay's best and it didn't give me the burst of enthusiasm I was hoping for to read more of his backlist.



Book #131: Dead Man's Folly by Agatha Christie - 3.3 stars

I remember this Poirot mystery more for the setting (based around Christie's home in Devon, Greenways), the always enjoyable Mrs Oliver and the effects of the post-WWII period on the upper classes and their country houses. I found the solution to this one to be a little unbelievable and fairly forgettable.

>123 souloftherose: that's helpful Heather, I'll keep that in mind when I read the book.

I. CAN'T. WAIT for Tombland. Sounds as though he wrote it just for me.
Meanwhile, Dead Man's Folly --- Can it be that there's a Christie that I don't own????? Off to the shelves to investigate!

>126 lauralkeet:, >127 LizzieD: I hope you both enjoy Tombland when it's finally released state-side!

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I've finished work until the New Year but so far time off work has been spent mainly feeling very tired. Dan and I have a list of films to watch whilst I'm off work - so far rewatches of Die Hard (yippie-ki yay!) and Bridget Jones. Die Hard 2 will be our film this evening which will be the first time watching for me.

In reading I'm too tired to feel much enthusiasm or attempt anything which requires much brain but I've been enjoying a reread of Alison Goodman's regency historical fantasy with demonhunters series in preparation for a first read of the concluding volume The Dark Days Deceit. (Books 1 and 2 in the series are The Dark Days Club and The Dark Days Pact). These have just the right mix of historical fiction, fantasy elements and romance for me.

Hoping your holidays are filled with good friends and good books

>129 Carmenere: Thank you Lynda - wishing the same to you!

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More film/movie watching: Die Hard 2 last night - not as good as the first one but still fairly entertaining. I don't feel compelled to watch more of the sequels so will probably pause there for now.

And The Wizard of Oz this afternoon - I'm actually not sure I've watched it all the way through before.

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And to catch up on some more reviews - I finished another series!



Book #134: Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff - 3.3 stars
Book #149: Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff - 2.5 stars

The second and third books in the Illuminae files trilogy - a young adult science fiction/space opera series co-written by two Australian authors. I loved the first book, Illuminae, when I read it last year - it's an epistolary novel for a science fiction age, written in video logs, instant messages and emails as well as the internal thoughts of an Artificial Intelligence programme and I thought it was great. Gemina and Obsidio are similar stories told in the same format which I was looking forward to reading but unfortunately I found them so similar as to be disappointingly derivative - as well as the format of the books the plot and characters are basically recycled (although the characters have different names) and this made it easier to start to spot weaknesses in the writing and characterisation to the extent that I was left feeling increasingly disappointed as I read through the books. I probably should have given up on the third book but by that point I was determined to finish.

So, I still think Illuminae is an innovative and very enjoyable YA novel. I would read that and then just pass on the sequels.

>130 souloftherose:

You should at least watch the opening sequence of the third one, the first encounter between Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson is hilarious.

I finished another series!

WHOO!!

(Or in other words, Happy Christmas, to you and yours!)

When I was a small child I enjoyed watching the Wizard of Oz up to the point where the flying monkeys show up. I think it might have been one of those movies my parents would turn off early because it gave me nightmares. Fortunately I grew out of that, but I still don't like those monkeys!

Happy Holidays Heather!

>128 souloftherose: I've got book 3 home from the library and have it saved up for early new year reading.

>130 souloftherose: I have these two books as I liked the first one and also enjoyed an author event with Amie Kaufman about collaborative writing. I did dip into book 2 when it first came out but couldn't handle the format at the time, I need to be in the mood to read the unusual format. I'll probably try book 2 again at some stage but they've become more low priority.

>131 lyzard: Ok, Die Hard 3 is back on the list but maybe not for immediate watching (I think I can only take so much Bruce Willis at a time) :-)

>132 SandDune:, >134 The_Hibernator:, >136 Ameise1: Thank you Rhian, Rachel and Barbara for the Christmas wishes! Hoping you all have a lovely Christmas too!

>133 lauralkeet: Oh yes, the flying monkeys are scary. Also the wicked witch including the scene where she melts - I think I read they had to cut a lot of the witch's scenes from the final film because she was just too good at being scary!

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The last couple of days we've been busier with other things (shopping, wrapping, meeting up with friends) so only one more film added to the list - Hot Fuzz which is an excellent film even if I have to close my eyes for some of the more bloody bits.

Best wishes for the season, Heather!

>137 souloftherose:

"Oh, give it up, Frank, you silly bastard!" :D

I find the bloody bits sufficiently obviously CGI that I'm okay with them, but I admit that Timothy Dalton's fate makes me howl and cringe.

ETA: Just to let you know, for a combination of equally stupid OCD and TIOLI reasons, I'm probably going to be pushing The Kellys And The O'Kellys into February (i.e. starting it at the end of January but dragging it out to make it officially a February read. And yes, I'm planning in detail that far ahead. :D ).

Happy holidays, Heather

Merry Christmas from Philadelphia, Heather! I look forward to seeing you again in 2019.

Seasons Greetings from Singapore! Wishing you and your family joy, peace, good fortune and good health now and in the coming year.

Merry Christmas, Heather! Hope you have had a lovely day.

I confess to never having seen Die Hard. I think I"m the only person left who hasn't. On Christmas Eve Tim decided it was a good idea to watch Highlander...I think he'd forgotten how violent it is and just remembers the great Queen soundtrack. Next year, we'll be watching something Christmassier!

>135 avatiakh: Sorry Kerry - I messed up my numbering when replying and missed your message. I thought The Dark Days Deceit was very good and because it's set in December and January makes a good Christmas/New Year read.

Hopefully you will enjoy Gemina and Obsidio more than I did - I think with hindsight reading them back to back was a mistake as it just highlighted how similar they were. If I'd read them several months apart I think I would have enjoyed Obsidio a lot more.

>138 lyzard: Yes, that's the point at which I have to look away too! And no problem at all re The Kellys and the O'Kellys - I have a copy on my shelf so it's ready and waiting to go whenever.

>139 PaulCranswick:, >140 kidzdoc:, >141 humouress:, >142 cushlareads: Thank you to Paul, Darryl, Nina and Cushla for the Christmas wishes. I hope you're all having a lovely day too.

>141 humouress: Doggy picture! Always very difficult to get our dog to be calm in front of the Christmas tree - a couple of firm tail wags from the right position used to knock a fair number of the pine needles off when we had a real tree!

>142 cushlareads: I wouldn't have said in the past that I was really into action films but my husband has slowly convinced me that they can be fun. The first time I watched Die Hard a few years ago I didn't like it but we've since really got into a fun TV show called Brooklyn Nine-Nine which is a comedy about a Brooklyn police department and one of the characters is completely obsessed with the Die Hard films so there are lots of references. This persuaded me to try watching it again and this time I really enjoyed it.

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I probably won't get round many more threads today so sending good Christmas/holiday wishes to anyone else who stops by!

Book #146: The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman - 4 stars
Book #150: The Dark Days Pact by Alison Goodman - 4.7 stars
Book #151: The Dark Days Deceit by Alison Goodman - 4.5 stars

Do not judge this series by the book covers.

I have a real soft spot for historical fantasy, particularly in a 19th century setting, but I find the historical element can sometimes be disappointingly generic. The Lady Helen/Dark Days series (no-one seems to know what to call it) delivers on the historical details of London, Brighton and then Bath during 1812, adds a dash of feminist commentary on women's roles and then throws in some romance, blood and demon-hunting (another reviewer has described the series as "basically Buffy the Vampire Slayer, if Buffy was also kind of Elizabeth Bennett.")

I read the first two books last year (I think Roni recommended them to me?) and then reread them again in preparation for The Dark Days Deceit being released (which I think concludes the series although I would very much like there to be more about Lady Helen). On rereading the first book felt like a lot more setup and worldbuilding than it did on a first read but still very good. DDP and DDD were excellent.

I'm not really sure why this series hasn't got more attention - Goodman is an Australian author and I've noticed Antipodean authors are often more likely to slip under the radar of British and American readers. The series is marketed as young adult in the UK and it could be classed as YA but it could also not be classed as YA. I'm really struggling to think of anything else that's like this series but it's very, very good and the first book is relatively cheap as an ebook in the UK at the moment. Recommended for historical fantasy fans.

I've noticed Antipodean authors are often more likely to slip under the radar of British and American readers.

Xenophobes. :)

>143 souloftherose: We were worried that Jasper would chew stuff off the tree or otherwise misbehave but he’s pretty much ignored the tree and it’s accoutrements, thankfully. He was very excited about his presents, though.

Is Brooklyn 99 good then? The kids seem to like it but the trailer I saw seemed to be the kind of slapstick humour I’m not keen on.

>144 souloftherose: Hmm, maybe I’ll give Dark Days another go. I read the first a while back but it seemed to be heading towards a love triangle for no good reason so I thought I’d get while the getting was good. Looks like I shouldn’t have got.

>145 lyzard: *snort* *delicate, lady-like noise*

>144 souloftherose: Congratulations on reaching 2 x 75, Heather!

Gosh, I missed it. Congratulations Heather!

Merry Christmas, Heather!

>144 souloftherose: Actually I *am* going to judge those books by their covers, because I really like them ;-)
That series is definitely going on my list!

Ooh, yes: well done hitting 150!

Congrats on the double 75, Heather!

In defense of American (and Canadian) readers, it often takes for bloody ever for Australian books to get published over here. For example, I had to wait for 2 years before I could read The Wild Girl by Kate Forsyth after reading about it on here from one of the Aussie 75ers.

Having intermittent posting issues today (this has been reported as a bug here in case anyone else is having the same issues http://www.librarything.com/topic/301071) but I seem to have at temporarily got the ability to post again on this thread at least so I'm going to attempt replies and then some book reviews.

>145 lyzard:, >152 MickyFine: Maybe it's a bit of knock-on effect - people are less likely to buy the books and then publishers are less likely to pick up the rights to publish. And I do often find interesting books on Kerry's (avatiakh's) thread only to find they're really difficult to get hold of.

Mind you, there are still times when US and Canadian authors are not picked up by publishers in the UK (I had to wait a couple of years for Gail Carriger's books and now she only self-publishes in the UK) or when British authors are not picked up by overseas markets so I guess it applies everywhere.

>146 humouress: Brooklyn 99 is my most favourite TV show Nina, so yes, I would say it's very good! I wouldn't say there's much slapstick humour in it - certainly not in the sense of humour found in physical pain caused to people. There's a lot of humour in the wordplay and subverting expectations of where the plots are going to go and in generally being a bit silly and surreal at times but it's good-natured humour and generally doesn't belittle the characters which I find refreshing.

Re Dark Days - there is a love triangle element but it didn't annoy me as they often do. I think because the historical setting of the novel gave some rationale to this as women of that time were very limited in how much they could go against society's conventions.

>147 FAMeulstee:, >148 humouress:, >149 Dejah_Thoris:, >151 lyzard: thank you Anita, Nina, Dejah and Liz!

>150 norabelle414: Ha! I really hope you enjoy this series Nora. For the second book I really preferred one of the alternative covers (not sure if it's the US or Australian cover) as Lady Helen spends a fair amount of this book dressed as a man.



>152 MickyFine: Maybe the UK got Kate Forsyth's books before Canada did - I read Bitter Greens and thought it was very good but there were so many rape scenes that I'm not sure I could say I enjoyed it exactly. It has put me off trying her other books a little bit.

Doing a quick catch-up on my remaining November reads.




Book #132: City of Miracles by Robert Jackson Bennett - 4.3 stars
Book #133: Revenant Gun by Yoon Ha Lee - 4.1 stars
Book #135: Through the Woods by Emily Carroll - 4.0 stars
Book #136: The Mad Ship by Robin Hobb - 4.0 stars
Book #136: The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal - 4.2 stars
Book #141: The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhil - 4.2 stars

I finished/got up to date with several series:

Robert Jackson Bennett’s Divine Cities trilogy concluded with City of Miracles which was my personal favourite out of the whole series (although it was very tough to call as they were all very good). Sigrud was the main character for this instalment and there were some wonderful Bond-esque action sequences (thinking particularly of the cable car scene). I don’t think there are any more books to come in this particular fantasy world but Bennett has started a new series and I have the first book, Foundryside, waiting for me on my kindle.

Yoon Ha Lee’s Revenant Gun was a good conclusion to the Machineries of Empire series. The plot was just as twisty as the first two books and I think I would need to reread the whole series to try and get my head round everything that was going on. I think there’s a short story collection set in the same universe to be released next year.

I enjoyed MRK’s The Fated Sky almost as much as The Calculating Stars. The focus of TFS was narrower as most of the book is set on a crewed spaceship travelling to Mars. I’m looking forward to the sequels but wish we could spend time with Elma in less stressful situations at some point. After finishing this book I then reread the short story The Lady Astronaut of Mars which started this series (although it’s set after both the novels published so far) and it was very moving.

Through the Woods is an adult graphic novel which includes 5 or 6 short stories - they’re hard to classify but they’re broadly ghost/horror stories with an Angela Carter feel (they reminded me most strongly of The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories although I don’t think Carroll’s are based on fairytales. These are haunting and spooky rather than truly horrific.

The Mad Ship was another good instalment in Hobb’s Liveship Traders trilogy - this series is less heart-wrenching than the Farseer trilogy however I haven’t felt in the mood to pick up the final volume, Ship of Destiny which I think is because I’m feeling daunted about another big doorstopper.

The Girl Who Drank the Moon was an engaging children’s story about a witch and a village who believe they have to sacrifice a child to her every year. This was a very enjoyable read and the plot didn’t go where I expected it to.

>153 souloftherose: I posted over on the bug thread, you need to add "https" to the URL and that will fix your problem (temporarily, until you click on a link that doesn't have "https" in it)

>154 souloftherose: I've been rewatching Brooklyn 99 from the beginning to get ready for the new season and it really is so good from the start. There is a bit of fatphobia but not nearly as much punching-down as most sitcoms. Though season 5 is still my favorite because of how socially conscious and self-aware it is.

I am smack in the middle of The Calculating Stars and loving it so much! So well written!

I really liked Foundryside, so I think you will as well.

Hope you are able to have some relaxing time during the holidays, Heather.

>120 souloftherose: Thanks for your thoughts on Tombland, Heather. I don't think it's been released in the U.S. yet. I do love Sansom's books and will be on the lookout for it in 2019.

Sorry I've been woefully negligent in posting here. I do lurk and just don't have much to say these days. Except that I want to wish you a Very Happy New Year full of good reading!

I hope you're having a wonderful Christmas holiday, Heather.

>116 souloftherose: Marvels definitely goes on the list.

>155 souloftherose: These all look good!

Happy New Year! I hope to see you around in 2019.

Just popping by to wish you a Happy New Year Heather! I look forward to swapping more great reads with you in 2019! And thanks for hosting the Robin Hobb group reads - I've really enjoyed both of the trilogies we read in 2018 and am eager for more next year, if the rest of the "gang" are still up for it!

>156 norabelle414: Thank you Nora - that fixed everything for me and it looks like Tim has now done a more permanent fix.

We've rewatched the first 4 seasons of B99 several times but only watched season 5 for the first time in October this year. We will probably rewatch that season again before season 6 is released (which will be later in the UK than Jan - *sob*).

>157 ronincats: Thank you Roni - I forgot you'd already read and enjoyed Foundryside. That reminder has made me look forward to it even more.

>158 Donna828: Thank you Donna and please don't apologies re lurking - I have got so behind with so many peoples threads this year and don't always have the energy/brainpower to post anything when I do read them.

I think Tombland is coming out in the US in Spring 2019 maybe? Not sure why there's a gap in the release date for this one.

>159 BLBera: Thanks Beth!

Another bunch of reviews:



Book #142: A Long Day in Lychford by Paul Cornell - 2.5 stars
Book #143: The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin - 4.1 stars
Book #144: Rosewater by Tade Thompson - 4.1 stars
Book #145: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson - 4.0 stars

I've loved Paul Cornell's series of what I like to call 'rural fantasy' novellas set in the fictional town of Lychford about a trio of modern day witches but the third instalment, A Long Day in Lychford, was a bit of a disappointment. The story was mostly about the effects of the 2016 Brexit referendum on the inhabitants of Lychford and although I agree with Paul Cornell's views on the effects of Brexit I didn't enjoy this being the focus of the novella - perhaps because I was expecting something that would take me away from the increasing sense of despair over politics or whether it just felt too heavy-handed I'm not sure.

I followed this with another novella, Le Guin's The World for Word is Forest which is similarly written in response to a political issue (the Vietnam war) and very message-focused but the Le Guin spoke to me very deeply. The setting is an alien planet which humans are colonising and exploiting the indigenous alien inhabitants who have no history of violence on their world. The story looks at the effects of the human colonisers on the alien planet and on the alien inhabitants. It may be a tad message heavy but it's very powerful.

Rosewater by Tade Thompson is a novel first published in 2016 which was only picked up for publication in the UK this year (unusual because Thompson is a British author). It's a science fiction thriller set in the fictional city of Rosewater, Nigeria (the UK and US are both out of the picture in this near future because of reasons that only become apparent later in the book). It requires attention to follow the plot as we're jumping back and forth between the main character's actions during three different time periods - we slowly find out what happened in the past to bring about the present state of events (a weird alien biodome has taken up residence in Rosewater which heals everyone in the vicinity on an annual basis) and what is happening in the present. I really enjoyed the Nigerian setting which was vividly brought to life both in terms of the location and the culture. Although the story in this book is complete this is a planned trilogy with the sequel released next year (although I think the next book has a different protagonist).

I also finally read a Shirley Jackson novel - The Haunting of Hill House - and can't believe it's taken me so long to pick up something by this fabulous author. A chilling rather than scary haunted house story and I would definitely need to reread this one to pick up all the nuances. As soon as I had finished I started looking up which of her other books the local library has copies of. I may try the Netflix series (although I'm worried that will be scarier than the book).

The husband bought me Rosewater for my birthday - he was intrigued by the unusual (for SF) setting. Plus it got lots of rave reviews, I think. Will hopefully get to it sometime in early 2019.

>154 souloftherose: Being from New Zealand I do tend to read quite a chunk of Australian / NZ stuff. Also our libraries source books from all over, so we are rather blessed, just a pity that the retail price of books here is outrageously expensive.
One of my favourite go-to places each year for a good booklist is The Irish Times, they do an author recommends book list that is extensive and interesting, a few Irish gems and lots of interesting fiction that I haven't usually come across through the year.
Also just made my way through this Irish list for children's books as well - https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/books/book-reviews/something-for-every-...

>143 souloftherose: Thanks for those comments on the Kaufmann books. My daughter has just finished Lord of the Rings & reread The Hobbit. She only lasted to the halfway point on watching the extended versions of the films as it just became an overload situation (she last saw them as a young child and said all she remembered from that was the orcs - bad parent I was!). She's starts a paper on Tolkien in the New Year and is now deeply immersed in Beowulf for same paper.
She's a fan of Brooklyn Nine Nine and I've watched quite a lot with her too. Fun.

I also got caught by the LT bug, thanks to mickyfine who suggested the fix to me.

Have you read A winter's promise by Christelle Dabos? I'll be giving it a go in the New Year.

>144 souloftherose: Can't wait to make a start on The Dark Days Deceit. This is a great series. I read her Singing the Dogstar Blues back when it was first out and loved it, had always meant to read her dragon books and then The Dark Days came along.

Congratulations on the 2 x 75, Heather!

I've got that Revenant Gun conclusion ahead of me, so I'm encouraged to see your positive take on it. Like you, I enjoyed The Girl Who Drank the Moon.

Congratulations on reaching 2 x 75, Heather!

Happy New Year's Eve!!

Wishing you and yours a happy and joyous 2019, filled with peace, love, and great books.

>163 HanGerg: I hope you enjoy Rosewater Hannah - the good reviews and unusual setting prompted me to pick it up too and I really enjoyed it.

>164 avatiakh: I hadn't heard of A Winter's Promise before but I love the cover and the reviews seem promising so I'll look forward to your thoughts on that one.

>165 jnwelch: Thanks Joe - I hope you enjoy Revenant Gun. I thought it was a good conclusion to the trilogy.

>166 FAMeulstee:, >167 thornton37814:, >168 Berly:, >169 Dejah_Thoris: Thank you Anita, Lori, Kim and Dejah! Happy new year to you all too!

Final December reviews and then I will be venturing into the 2019 group.....



Book #147: Paper Girls, Vol. 4 by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang - 4.0 stars
Book #148: How to Read the Bible: A Guide to Scripture Then and Now by James Kugel - 4.5 stars
Book #152: The Curate's Wife by E. H. Young - 4.5 stars

Paper Girls, Vol 4 is the fourth instalment of the retro/futuristic time-travelling adventures of four teenage paper girls from the 1980s. There's been a very slow reveal throughout this series about what exactly is happening and why and this instalment added quite a bit of explanation. This is great fun and I've reserved Vol. 5 from the library (which I think was only released recently).

How to Read the Bible is an overview of different interpretations of the Hebrew Bible (what Christians refer to as the Old Testament) by scholar and Orthodox Jew, James Kugel. It's not a typical commentary as it doesn't quite go through the Hebrew Bible book by book - some sections (e.g. parts of the the Pentateuch) are covered in a lot of detail and other books are just covered in one chapter. In each section Kugel compares how ancient readers of the Bible (both Jewish and Christian) interpreted the Bible compared to modern scholars. He doesn't really make any attempt to reconcile these different interpretations (although as a scholar himself one can assume he believes modern interpretations have value) so those looking for a definitive answer to the question raised in the title are likely to be disappointed but this was a very readable overview/introduction and always fascinating.

The Curate's Wife by E. H. Young is a sequel to her earlier novel, Jenny Wren and continues the story of two sisters living in 1930s Bristol (Radstowein the novel), Dahlia and Jenny Rendall. Dahlia is now married to Cecil Sproat, a young curate and the focus of this novel is on how Dahlia and Cecil adjust during the first few months of their marraige - an unequal marriage both in terms of social class and from a romantic viewpoint as Dahlia married Cecil for friendship rather than from love. Their new marriage is contrasted with the longer marriage between the vicar and his wife which is also going through a troubled period. Whilst it took me a while to get into Jenny Wren, I was almost immediately caught up in the small day to day concerns of the characters in The Curate's Wife and very moved by this book.

Then moving onto some shorter fiction to finish off the year



Book #153: Time Was by Ian McDonald - 4.5 stars
Book #154: The Expert System's Brother by Adrian Tchaikovsky - 4.0 stars
Book #155: The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J. K. Rowling - 4.0 stars

Time Was is a beautiful novella about a bookseller who finds some love letters in an old book of poetry and uncovers a mystery surrounding a romance between two young men during WWII. This one will go on my award nominations list.

The Expert System's Brother was also very good - it's set in a human colony on an alien planet and follows one young boy who becomes an outcast from his local village.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a reread of the HP companion novel. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would - although short each short piece is very well written and has a good fairytale feel (with a twist of Harry Potter world added).

Congratulations on your double 75 Heather!

I don't see your thread in the 2019 group, so I'll wish you Happy New Year over here in the meantime.

>173 humouress: Thanks Nina! My 2019 thread is setup now (after being delayed by a bad headache):

Link to my 2019 thread - please come and join me.