Mt TBR Report: January 2020
Feb. 3rd, 2020 09:23 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
calissaA decent start to the year. I note that I tended more towards romance novels as the month became more and more stressful.
Mt TBR @ 1 January 2020: 427
Mt TBR @ 31 January 2020: 416
1. The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillop. A young, reclusive sorceress is given her nephew to raise and finds the course of her life changed. I found this a thoughtful work of feminist fantasy, one that steers away from common narratives around revenge.
2. Rupert Wong, Cannibal Chef by Cassandra Khaw. An urban fantasy novella with strong horror vibes set in Kuala Lumpur. A hapless young man is coerced by a god into investigating the death of the god's daughter. The main character reminded me a fair bit of Terry Pratchett's Rincewind: well-intentioned, but bumbling and in over his head. It was well written, but not entirely my jam.
3. Dark Deceit by Lauren Dawes. Paranormal romance/urban fantasy. One of the last dark elves is contracted to kill the head of the Valkyries but finds himself developing feelings instead. This didn't really work for me. Not enough thought had been put into the transition between mythic times and the modern day setting. Loki was far too easily duped for a trickster god. And there was a disappointing amount of slut shaming, despite trying to prove its credentials otherwise.
4. Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia edited by Anita Heiss. Read for LDUH book club. An anthology of essays from a wide variety of Indigenous Australians. Some were writers and storytellers, others opera singers, football stars, actors, school students, teachers and everyday people. Unsurprisingly, readability (to me as a white, educated woman) tended to vary, but it was well worth the read.
5. Archivist Wasp by Nicole Kornher-Stace. A ghost hunter strikes a bargain with the ghost of a supersoldier to go into the underworld and find his partner. I found it bleak to begin with, but got sucked in by the relationship between Wasp and the ghost. It was refreshing to see a strong platonic friendship between a man and a woman. The worldbuilding was also a great mix of fantasy and science fiction, which I adored. And the ending was pitch perfect.
6. Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian. The princess of a conquered kingdom lives in the palace under her oppressors thumb, beaten whenever her people rebel. One day she is pushed too far and goes from biding her time to making her move. There's some very unsubtle messages around colonialism and the treatment of minorities, but given how OTT it is (and given the author is white), it felt more like it was trying to be dark and woke rather than being authentic. There was also a love triangle, but one that felt rather weighted to one side. Entertaining enough, but nothing particularly original.
7. Once Upon A Marquess by Courtney Milan. After her father and brother were branded traitors, Lady Judith Worth is left to raise her two youngest siblings in much reduced circumstances. The last thing she wants to do is turn for help to her ex-fiance and the man who ruined her family. As always, Milan writes such nuanced and thoughtful characters. The heroine is forced to examine some long-held beliefs about her family, while the hero wrestles with the consequences of his actions (and finds that they are more far-reaching than he first realised). But despite the bad blood between them, the relationship holds genuine affection and is frequently lightened with humour. Milan also continues to portray a diverse group of characters, particularly for historical romance. The hero is a former opium addict and has some obsessive tendencies (though I wouldn't go so far as to call him obsessive-compulsive), while the heroine's youngest sister seems to be on the autism spectrum. All in all, it justified to me again why I will buy anything Milan writes.
8. Latchkey by Nicole Kornher-Stace. Second in the Archivist Wasp Saga. When Isabel's village comes under attack, she's forced to confront old ghosts. Literally. I wasn't sure I wanted a sequel after I finished Archivist Wasp but had already bought Latchkey. I needn't have worried. I enjoyed being reunited with the characters and to meet new ones. I particularly enjoyed the supportive (if complicated) relationships between Isabel and the ex-upstarts... but I've always been a sucker for female friendships. That, the return of the ghost, and the addition of a raiding party gave this book a feel slightly reminiscent of Mad Max: Fury Road. Unfortunately, it ended on a bit of a cliffhanger and the next one is not due out until 2021.
9. Her Every Wish by Courtney Milan. The second in the Worth Saga. Following the death of her father, Daisy and her mother have slowly fallen into poverty. Determined to earn enough money to aid her ailing mother, Daisy applies for a charity bequest to start a business... and finds herself a laughing stock, as the bequests are intended (though never explicitly stated) to be for men. So, when her roguish former lover Crash offers to help her develop the confidence and swagger to make it through the final round, she accepts against her better judgement. Historical romance is almost exclusively focused on the upper class, so it was refreshing to see one focused on the lower classes. Crash, in particular, comes from a long line of sailors and whores. The scene where he talks about how he is proud of that is especially beautiful. He is also of Chinese descent, something also very uncommon in historical romance. As with the first book in the series, this relationship has had some bumps along the way and I relished seeing the characters reckon with that and grow.
10. Writing and Enjoying Haiku: A Hands-On Guide by Jane Reichhold. While it was informative, the author certainly has some Opinions and I feel like there's some subtle racism at work. Also, since it was published in 2002, the information on publication and anything related to the internet seems quite dated. However, it did make a reasonable starting point for the topic.
11. The Djinn Falls in Love and Other Stories edited by Mahvesh Murad and Jared Shurin. An anthology of stories from around the globe about the djinn. Although there were a couple of stories I didn't enjoy, and a few I didn't quite get, I found this a strong anthology on the whole. My one quibble is that although the authors were from around the globe, there still tended to be a North American bias, as the writers either lived there or were published there.
12. The Pursuit Of... by Courtney Milan. Historical m/m romance. A black American soldier spares the life of a British officer. Determined to pay the soldier back, the officer sets off with him on a long trek to Rhode Island. Funny, earnest and utterly charming.
13. Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare. Historical f/m romance. A duke hires a barmaid to foil his mother's plan to marry him off. The relationship between the heroine and the duke's mother is equally as lovely as the one between the leads and I like the way this works to put the heroine in an especially awkward position.
14. An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield. I listened to this one on audio, narrated by the author. It's a memoir of becoming an astronaut and living on the International Space Station. A fascinating tale, though I found it a little motivational-speaker in places (possibly I should have paid attention to the subtitle, which is What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything). However, it ended up being a good one to listen to while preparing to deal with a bushfire emergency.
DNF
Battleaxe by Sara Douglass. Not really in the mood for dude-heavy epic fantasy (it surprised me a bit from such a seminal Australian female writer of fantasy).
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Phillip K. Dick. The apocalypse is here, I don't need male existential angst.
Rosa and the Veil of Gold by Kim Wilkins. I just couldn't connect to any of the characters.
An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield
Starless by Jacqueline Carey
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
The Harp of Kings by Juliet Marillier
The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black
Scar Tissue and Other Stories by Narrelle M. Harris
Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho
Shades of Wicked by Jeaniene Frost
Empire of Ivory by Naomi Novik
The Governess Game by Tessa Dare
Mt TBR Status
Mt TBR @ 1 January 2020: 427
Mt TBR @ 31 January 2020: 416
Books Read
1. The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillop. A young, reclusive sorceress is given her nephew to raise and finds the course of her life changed. I found this a thoughtful work of feminist fantasy, one that steers away from common narratives around revenge.
2. Rupert Wong, Cannibal Chef by Cassandra Khaw. An urban fantasy novella with strong horror vibes set in Kuala Lumpur. A hapless young man is coerced by a god into investigating the death of the god's daughter. The main character reminded me a fair bit of Terry Pratchett's Rincewind: well-intentioned, but bumbling and in over his head. It was well written, but not entirely my jam.
3. Dark Deceit by Lauren Dawes. Paranormal romance/urban fantasy. One of the last dark elves is contracted to kill the head of the Valkyries but finds himself developing feelings instead. This didn't really work for me. Not enough thought had been put into the transition between mythic times and the modern day setting. Loki was far too easily duped for a trickster god. And there was a disappointing amount of slut shaming, despite trying to prove its credentials otherwise.
4. Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia edited by Anita Heiss. Read for LDUH book club. An anthology of essays from a wide variety of Indigenous Australians. Some were writers and storytellers, others opera singers, football stars, actors, school students, teachers and everyday people. Unsurprisingly, readability (to me as a white, educated woman) tended to vary, but it was well worth the read.
5. Archivist Wasp by Nicole Kornher-Stace. A ghost hunter strikes a bargain with the ghost of a supersoldier to go into the underworld and find his partner. I found it bleak to begin with, but got sucked in by the relationship between Wasp and the ghost. It was refreshing to see a strong platonic friendship between a man and a woman. The worldbuilding was also a great mix of fantasy and science fiction, which I adored. And the ending was pitch perfect.
6. Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian. The princess of a conquered kingdom lives in the palace under her oppressors thumb, beaten whenever her people rebel. One day she is pushed too far and goes from biding her time to making her move. There's some very unsubtle messages around colonialism and the treatment of minorities, but given how OTT it is (and given the author is white), it felt more like it was trying to be dark and woke rather than being authentic. There was also a love triangle, but one that felt rather weighted to one side. Entertaining enough, but nothing particularly original.
7. Once Upon A Marquess by Courtney Milan. After her father and brother were branded traitors, Lady Judith Worth is left to raise her two youngest siblings in much reduced circumstances. The last thing she wants to do is turn for help to her ex-fiance and the man who ruined her family. As always, Milan writes such nuanced and thoughtful characters. The heroine is forced to examine some long-held beliefs about her family, while the hero wrestles with the consequences of his actions (and finds that they are more far-reaching than he first realised). But despite the bad blood between them, the relationship holds genuine affection and is frequently lightened with humour. Milan also continues to portray a diverse group of characters, particularly for historical romance. The hero is a former opium addict and has some obsessive tendencies (though I wouldn't go so far as to call him obsessive-compulsive), while the heroine's youngest sister seems to be on the autism spectrum. All in all, it justified to me again why I will buy anything Milan writes.
8. Latchkey by Nicole Kornher-Stace. Second in the Archivist Wasp Saga. When Isabel's village comes under attack, she's forced to confront old ghosts. Literally. I wasn't sure I wanted a sequel after I finished Archivist Wasp but had already bought Latchkey. I needn't have worried. I enjoyed being reunited with the characters and to meet new ones. I particularly enjoyed the supportive (if complicated) relationships between Isabel and the ex-upstarts... but I've always been a sucker for female friendships. That, the return of the ghost, and the addition of a raiding party gave this book a feel slightly reminiscent of Mad Max: Fury Road. Unfortunately, it ended on a bit of a cliffhanger and the next one is not due out until 2021.
9. Her Every Wish by Courtney Milan. The second in the Worth Saga. Following the death of her father, Daisy and her mother have slowly fallen into poverty. Determined to earn enough money to aid her ailing mother, Daisy applies for a charity bequest to start a business... and finds herself a laughing stock, as the bequests are intended (though never explicitly stated) to be for men. So, when her roguish former lover Crash offers to help her develop the confidence and swagger to make it through the final round, she accepts against her better judgement. Historical romance is almost exclusively focused on the upper class, so it was refreshing to see one focused on the lower classes. Crash, in particular, comes from a long line of sailors and whores. The scene where he talks about how he is proud of that is especially beautiful. He is also of Chinese descent, something also very uncommon in historical romance. As with the first book in the series, this relationship has had some bumps along the way and I relished seeing the characters reckon with that and grow.
10. Writing and Enjoying Haiku: A Hands-On Guide by Jane Reichhold. While it was informative, the author certainly has some Opinions and I feel like there's some subtle racism at work. Also, since it was published in 2002, the information on publication and anything related to the internet seems quite dated. However, it did make a reasonable starting point for the topic.
11. The Djinn Falls in Love and Other Stories edited by Mahvesh Murad and Jared Shurin. An anthology of stories from around the globe about the djinn. Although there were a couple of stories I didn't enjoy, and a few I didn't quite get, I found this a strong anthology on the whole. My one quibble is that although the authors were from around the globe, there still tended to be a North American bias, as the writers either lived there or were published there.
12. The Pursuit Of... by Courtney Milan. Historical m/m romance. A black American soldier spares the life of a British officer. Determined to pay the soldier back, the officer sets off with him on a long trek to Rhode Island. Funny, earnest and utterly charming.
13. Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare. Historical f/m romance. A duke hires a barmaid to foil his mother's plan to marry him off. The relationship between the heroine and the duke's mother is equally as lovely as the one between the leads and I like the way this works to put the heroine in an especially awkward position.
14. An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield. I listened to this one on audio, narrated by the author. It's a memoir of becoming an astronaut and living on the International Space Station. A fascinating tale, though I found it a little motivational-speaker in places (possibly I should have paid attention to the subtitle, which is What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything). However, it ended up being a good one to listen to while preparing to deal with a bushfire emergency.
DNF
Battleaxe by Sara Douglass. Not really in the mood for dude-heavy epic fantasy (it surprised me a bit from such a seminal Australian female writer of fantasy).
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Phillip K. Dick. The apocalypse is here, I don't need male existential angst.
Rosa and the Veil of Gold by Kim Wilkins. I just couldn't connect to any of the characters.
Books Acquired
Starless by Jacqueline Carey
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
The Harp of Kings by Juliet Marillier
The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black
Scar Tissue and Other Stories by Narrelle M. Harris
Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho
Shades of Wicked by Jeaniene Frost
Empire of Ivory by Naomi Novik
The Governess Game by Tessa Dare
