calissa: A low angle photo of a book with a pair of glasses sitting on top. (Mt TBR)
[personal profile] calissa
This would usually be the point at which I rake over my reading stats for 2019. However, since this is already late and I don't have the energy, I think I'm going to forego it this year. That said, I will note that it was a record year for number of books read, cracking the 200 barrier for the first time.

I also note that I acquired a lot of books this month, mostly romance novels. I figure I can't have too many of those, given how things are at the moment.


Mt TBR Status


Mt TBR @ 1 January 2019: 442
Mt TBR @ 30 November 2019: 378
Mt TBR @ 30 December 2019: 422

Books Read


202. Tarnished Knight by Bec McMaster. A novella in the Steampunk London series. Follows the romance of two side characters to the main series. I often find side stories don't add much to a series; while this did nothing to advance the worldbuilding, it was a satisfying romance.

203. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray. Follows the rise and fall in fortune of two young women with contrasting temperaments. Much like Jane Austen, Thackeray makes some pointed commentary about society and the voice of the book is reasonably entertaining. But my goodness, it needed to be about half the size.

204. Merry Happy Valkyrie by Tansy Rayner Roberts. A weather presenter returns home to do a feature on the only Australian town that always snows at Christmas. I'd gone into this expecting a romance and while there was some, I was somewhat disappointed to find at heart it was actually more of a fantasy story. Still, it was a fun holiday read and I enjoyed the setting.

205. American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Audio. Fresh out of prison and reeling from news of the death of his wife, a man accepts a job from a mysterious stranger. The audio production was excellent, but the story left me ambivalent.

206. The Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko. Urban fantasy in translation from Russia. The forces of Light and Dark have a treaty to maintain a balance but quietly work behind the scenes to further their agendas. The book is divided into three cases dealt with by the Night Watch, but nevertheless maintains an overarching plot. It's an interesting balance of action and philosophy, concerned with the morally grey in a situation that on the surface looks black and white.

207. Marry Me, Micha McFee by Kate Gordon. Maddy is still carrying scars after a bad break-up years earlier, but a piece of graffiti inspires her to seek love once again. Sweet enough, but the protagonist creates extra drama for herself by not listening to others, which I didn't love and felt was a little forced. However, I loved her dad and her found family of friends who are 100% there for her.

208. To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis. Ostensibly a sci-fi time travel, it's mostly a comedy of manners (and errors) set in Victorian Oxford. Utterly delightful.

209. Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris. Gorgeously written but I didn't find reading it a particularly enjoyable experience. None of the characters were particularly likeable, though the book always did a good job of showing how they came to be the way they were and of giving them nuance. The ending went some way towards redeeming my experience, but I was still left feeling a bit unsettled.

210. Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. Contemporary m/m romance. The First Son of the President of the United States falls in love with an English prince. Every bit as good as the hype wanted me to think.

211. Make Art Not War Challenge by Monica Valentinelli. A non-fiction writing pep talk with some simple challenge rules. I've been finding it helpful.

212. The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss. Broke after her mother's death, Mary Jekyll discovers a lead on the whereabouts of Mr Hyde. Eager to collect the reward for news about the criminal, she takes the information to Sherlock Holmes in the hopes of discovering more and instead gets swept up in one of the detective's cases. I appreciated the sheer variety of female characters and the way they were drawn from classic gothic monster stories. There was a little romantic tension between Mary and Sherlock, but it remained delightfully understated. I'll be checking out the sequels.

213. The Champion of Baresh by Susan Grant. Jemm disguises herself as a man so she can compete at an underground fight club. She does so well at it, she gets scouted by a prince who is looking to redeem himself by taking his professional team to the championship. This ended up being way better than the trashy romance I was expecting, doing some thoughtful digging into class issues and being a woman competing in a man's world.


Books Acquired


Tarnished Knight by Bec McMaster
The Clockwork Menace by Bec McMaster
Haven by Rebekah Weatherspoon
Rafe by Rebekah Weatherspoon
Be Not Afraid by Alyssa Cole
That Could Be Enough by Alyssa Cole
His Bride for the Taking by Tessa Dare
Bad King by Minx Malone
The Pursuit of... by Courtney Milan
Be My Fantasy by Alisha Rai
Stay My Fantasy by Alisha Rai
Captivated by Charlotte Stein
Sheltered by Charlotte Stein
The Queen's Gambit by Jessie Mikalik
A Heart in Sun and Shadow by Annie Bellet
Darkness at Dawn by Devin Hanois
Taming the Darkness by Devin Hanois
Tikka Chance on Me by Suleikha Snyder
To Do List by Lauren Dane
All That Remains by Lauren Dane
Sweet Charity by Lauren Dane
Race of Thieves by SM Reine
Under His Kilt by Melissa Blue
Perv by Melissa Blue
Prince in Leather by Holley Trent
The Vampire's Last Dance by Deanna Chase
True Colors by Thea Harison
The Leopard King by Ann Aguirre
Brave Hearts by Phoenix Sullivan
In Her Wildest Dreams by Farrah Rochon
Pink Slip Katrina Jackson
A Thief in the Nude by Olivia Waite
At His Countess's Pleasure by Olivia Waite
Make Art, Not War by Monica Valentinelli
A Christmas Party by Georgette Heyer
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Classic Works from Women Writers edited by A.J. Odasso
Invisible Women: Data bias in a world designed for men by Caroline Criado-Perez
The Year of the Crocodile by Courtney Milan
What Happened at Midnight by Courtney Milan
The Lady Always Wins by Courtney Milan
Once Upon A Marquess by Courtney Milan
Her Every Wish by Courtney Milan
After the Wedding by Courtney Milan
Unveiled by Courtney Milan
Unlocked by Courtney Milan
Unclaimed by Courtney Milan
Unraveled by Courtney Milan
This Wicked Gift by Courtney Milan
Proof by Seduction by Courtney Milan
Trial by Desire by Courtney Milan
Silver Moon by Catherine Lundoff
Out of This World by Catherine Lundoff
Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia edited by Anita Heiss
Archivist Wasp by Nicole Kornher-Stace
Ghost Bird by Lisa Fuller


Fanfic and Online Reading


Lena's Decision by Bec McMaster. A short story in the London Steampunk series, and one that does a good job of filling in part of the plot that had been glossed over.

The Black Lotus Club by MistressKat. Guardian fanfic. When his co-workers insist he takes backup on an undercover mission to a BDSM club, Zhao Yunlan turns to Shen Wei. Well written and I enjoyed it immensely.

Lumos by birdsofshore. Harry Potter fanfic, recommended by Be The Serpent podcast. Harry and Draco are forced to share a room when they return to Hogwarts to complete their final year. Everyone learns a whole lot more than they expected to.

Date: 2020-01-09 08:24 am (UTC)
pantha: (Default)
From: [personal profile] pantha
Wow. I keep thinking I do well with getting to nearly 100 books and then you and Becca and Lynn just keep knocking things out of the park... *sigh*

Looks like you had some good ones in December. Huzzah! I am glad. ^_^

(Also, eeeee! A Connie Willis book!!! <3<3<3 I read her Doomsday Book a few years back (which is excellent, btw) and keep meaning to read more of her timetravel series.)

You also seem to have acquired a nice selection of books. If you are still looking for light and fluffy (but with some serious sides, done well), I can strongly recommend In Pursuit Of...

Date: 2020-01-10 07:50 pm (UTC)
pantha: (Default)
From: [personal profile] pantha
Meh, my goal is 52 per year. So, anything over that is great. *shrug* I more just blink in incredulity with you lot. :P

And yes, Doomsday Book is EXCELLENT (though, umm, yeah -- it's Black Death era, of course it's going to be full of a fair bit of death -- if you go into it with that in mind, you should be find).

Yeah... I saw that nonsense. Seems like an excellent way to support her. Do let me know if you read them. I very much liked her Mrs Martin's and In Pursuit Of... but have not bought any others as I am usually rather leery of M/F romances (which is silly, but *shrug*).

Date: 2020-01-12 12:48 pm (UTC)
pantha: (Default)
From: [personal profile] pantha
I think they do tend to come with a lot of potentially problematic baggage. That said, I'm a huge fan of Courtney Milan's Hold Me: contemporary featuring a trans femme heroine and a bi hero. They flirt in science.

Why, hello, book I 100% need to read! <3

Date: 2020-01-13 05:44 pm (UTC)
pantha: (Default)
From: [personal profile] pantha
This sounds most excellent. Definitely will have to get hold of a copy soonish. ^_^

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