Mt TBR Report: March 2020
Apr. 6th, 2020 07:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
calissaWell, I can certainly say 2020 has been an excellent year for reading. The restrictions in place to keep everyone at home have made a great incentive to work through Mt TBR. I think there's a good chance that I'll be down to 400 books by the end of April, maybe May if I'm incautious with my acquisitions (though the closure of the local library and their rubbish e-catalogue makes that easier).
One other thing of note is that I've changed the way I'm approaching fanfic. In an effort to promote more fanfic reading, I've decided to officially count it as part of Mt TBR and to list it under Books Read.
Relatedly, I have a few fanfic pieces below but haven't made notes on them. This was purely down to bad record-keeping throughout the month and a lack of spoons to reverse engineer. I hope to do better going forward.
Mt TBR @ 1 January 2020: 427
Mt TBR @ 29 February 2020: 419
Mt TBR @ 31 March 2020: 412
29. Fence, Vol. 1 by C.S. Pacat and Johanna the Mad. Contemporary graphic novel. After getting his butt kicked in a tournament, a scrappy young fencer gets a scholarship to a fencing school, only to discover his roommate is the rival who defeated him. A fun read, but the pace is a bit slow and it didn't hook me in as much as I'd expected it to.
30. The Last Necromancer by C.J Archer. Victorian fantasy. Charlotte has spent the last five years disguised as a boy and living on the street, having been kicked out of her home by her father when she manifested necromantic powers. Now she finds herself hunted by two different men. This was not my cup of tea. It started out with an attempted prison rape and instances of sexual violence continued through the story. There's also a bit of a questionable dynamic between Charlotte and her love interest. It's a shame because I enjoyed some of the found family feels this had.
32. Glitter and Gold by not_poignant. Fae Tales fragment.
33. The Coherence of Light by Xparrot. Guardian fanfic.
34. The True Queen by Zen Cho. Second in the Sorcerer Royal series. Regency fantasy. Two sisters with amnesia are sent from the Malay archipelago to England via a shortcut through the fairy realm. Naturally, one goes missing along the way. The story does some wonderfully subversive things to its Regency setting and has some delightfully queer vibes (though perhaps a touch underplayed).
35. Skyward by Brandon Sanderson. YA sci-fi. The daughter of a traitor battles to become a fighter pilot like her father. This was my first foray into Sanderson's work and it was... readable. Pacy, but I found some of the characters were a bit flat and the ending had a bit too much deus ex machina for my taste.
36. Lumberjanes, Issue 1 by Noelle Stevenson. YA comic. Unfortunately, this was only the first issue, so was entirely too brief. It seemed a lot of fun, though, so I think I'll keep an eye out for the collection.
37. But for this moment, for all time by naye and Xparrot. Guardian fanfic. Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei are about to go out on their first date. These companion pieces show the moments leading up the the date from the perspective of each of the characters. It did a nice job of capturing the anticipation and anxiety, as well as showing where the perspectives don't match.
38. Power and Majesty by Tansy Rayner Roberts. Historically-inspired fantasy. First in the Creature Court series. When Velody's stolen magic is returned to her, she is called upon to lead the Creature Court and protect the unsuspecting city in which she lives. This was much darker than I'm used to seeing from Tansy and contains some horror elements, as well as wrestling with issues of abuse. I'll be continuing with the series, but treading a little more carefully. The setting was definitely a unique one: 1920s fashion and technology with Ancient Rome's calendar of festivals.
39. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Classic science fiction. A man whose job is to burn books begins to have doubts about his work. I found this more entertaining than 1984 and still holds relevance, but on the whole, not my jam. Bradbury manages to have a manic pixie dream girl, who he then fridges. Also, I felt there was a bit of a discrepancy between Bradbury's railing at the status quo and his ideas on the influence of minorities on literature as expressed in the interview included in my edition (celebrating the book's 50th anniversary)
40. Blazing Dawn by Becca Lusher. Fantasy. First book in the Dragonlands series. Reread.
41. Embers of War by Gareth L. Powell. Space opera. First in the Embers of War trilogy. A sentient warship quits the navy over her role in an atrocity and joins an organisation dedicated to rescuing ships in distress. Entertaining enough with some great settings. However, the characters were a little flat and the voices of the various narrators needed more distinction (with a few notable exceptions).
42. A Courtship of Dragons by Becca Lusher. Fantasy romance novella, part of the Dragonlands series. Having worked alongside each other for a little while, Estenarven and Mastekh have discovered truth in the adage that opposites attract and embark on their courtship. Among dragons, this involves the giving of a series of very particular gifts. A sweet, low-conflict story. I enjoyed the requirements of the gifts and the way (almost) everyone around the two characters ships them and pitches in to help.
43. Naked in Death by J.D. Robb. Sci-fi crime. First in the In Death series. When she's called upon to investigate a politically sensitive murder, a detective finds herself falling for one of the most rich and handsome celebrities in the world. Of course, the fact he's a suspect complicates things. On some level, this reminded me a lot of the TV show Castle, except the characters are a bit more hard-boiled (and this book predates the show by almost 15 years).
44. Late in the Day: Poems 2010-2014 by Ursula K. Le Guin. Pretty much what it says on the cover. I enjoyed this immensely. I have a soft spot for nature poetry and Le Guin, of course, has a way with words.
45. Storm Rising by Becca Lusher. Fantasy. Second book in the Dragonlands series. Elder Khennik travels to the Dragon Moot with Rift Riders in tow, hoping to muster support to save his homeland from the Cloud Curse. The characters remain delightful and I found the curse's more subtle manifestations to be an interesting twist.
46. Moon Called by Patricia Briggs. Urban fantasy/paranormal romance. First in the Mercy Thompson series. When a stray werewolf lands on Mercy's doorstep, trouble follows, and Mercy finds she has to return to the pack that raised her for help. The worldbuilding is pretty good, giving a sense of stepping into an existing world with complicated relationships and politics. There is, of course, the standard love triangle, but I liked the story enough to continue with the series for now.
47. Cloud Cursed by Becca Lusher. Fantasy. Third book in the Dragonlands series. Elder Khennik and the Rift Riders head to Spire Heights in the hope of uncovering the source of the curse. This book started to feel rather formulaic, being much of a piece with the second book, and with the main relationship proving to perhaps be a little too slow-burn for me (though I generally love slow-burn). However, the characters continue to be a delight, with the development of a few new connections. There was also some excellent plot twists, particularly concerning the water dragons.
48. Fleet of Knives by by Gareth L. Powell. Space opera. Second in the Embers of War trilogy. Trouble Dog and her crew discover that the allies who helped save them are now proving to be their greatest threat. Still readable enough, but the characters remain flat and it entirely lacked the interesting settings I enjoyed in the first. I found it hard to follow the motivation of the antagonist, since she flip-flopped around so much.
The Spoils of the Spoiled by not_poignant
Fight Like a Girl by Clemantine Ford
Fredrica by Georgette Heyer
Understorey by Inga Simpson
Fleet of Knives by Gareth L. Powell
Fence, Vol. 1 by C.S. Pacat and Johanna the Mad.
Lumberjanes, Issue 1 by Noelle Stevenson
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
Light of Impossible Stars by Gareth L. Powell
One other thing of note is that I've changed the way I'm approaching fanfic. In an effort to promote more fanfic reading, I've decided to officially count it as part of Mt TBR and to list it under Books Read.
Relatedly, I have a few fanfic pieces below but haven't made notes on them. This was purely down to bad record-keeping throughout the month and a lack of spoons to reverse engineer. I hope to do better going forward.
Mt TBR Status
Mt TBR @ 1 January 2020: 427
Mt TBR @ 29 February 2020: 419
Mt TBR @ 31 March 2020: 412
Books Read
29. Fence, Vol. 1 by C.S. Pacat and Johanna the Mad. Contemporary graphic novel. After getting his butt kicked in a tournament, a scrappy young fencer gets a scholarship to a fencing school, only to discover his roommate is the rival who defeated him. A fun read, but the pace is a bit slow and it didn't hook me in as much as I'd expected it to.
30. The Last Necromancer by C.J Archer. Victorian fantasy. Charlotte has spent the last five years disguised as a boy and living on the street, having been kicked out of her home by her father when she manifested necromantic powers. Now she finds herself hunted by two different men. This was not my cup of tea. It started out with an attempted prison rape and instances of sexual violence continued through the story. There's also a bit of a questionable dynamic between Charlotte and her love interest. It's a shame because I enjoyed some of the found family feels this had.
32. Glitter and Gold by not_poignant. Fae Tales fragment.
33. The Coherence of Light by Xparrot. Guardian fanfic.
34. The True Queen by Zen Cho. Second in the Sorcerer Royal series. Regency fantasy. Two sisters with amnesia are sent from the Malay archipelago to England via a shortcut through the fairy realm. Naturally, one goes missing along the way. The story does some wonderfully subversive things to its Regency setting and has some delightfully queer vibes (though perhaps a touch underplayed).
35. Skyward by Brandon Sanderson. YA sci-fi. The daughter of a traitor battles to become a fighter pilot like her father. This was my first foray into Sanderson's work and it was... readable. Pacy, but I found some of the characters were a bit flat and the ending had a bit too much deus ex machina for my taste.
36. Lumberjanes, Issue 1 by Noelle Stevenson. YA comic. Unfortunately, this was only the first issue, so was entirely too brief. It seemed a lot of fun, though, so I think I'll keep an eye out for the collection.
37. But for this moment, for all time by naye and Xparrot. Guardian fanfic. Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei are about to go out on their first date. These companion pieces show the moments leading up the the date from the perspective of each of the characters. It did a nice job of capturing the anticipation and anxiety, as well as showing where the perspectives don't match.
38. Power and Majesty by Tansy Rayner Roberts. Historically-inspired fantasy. First in the Creature Court series. When Velody's stolen magic is returned to her, she is called upon to lead the Creature Court and protect the unsuspecting city in which she lives. This was much darker than I'm used to seeing from Tansy and contains some horror elements, as well as wrestling with issues of abuse. I'll be continuing with the series, but treading a little more carefully. The setting was definitely a unique one: 1920s fashion and technology with Ancient Rome's calendar of festivals.
39. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Classic science fiction. A man whose job is to burn books begins to have doubts about his work. I found this more entertaining than 1984 and still holds relevance, but on the whole, not my jam. Bradbury manages to have a manic pixie dream girl, who he then fridges. Also, I felt there was a bit of a discrepancy between Bradbury's railing at the status quo and his ideas on the influence of minorities on literature as expressed in the interview included in my edition (celebrating the book's 50th anniversary)
40. Blazing Dawn by Becca Lusher. Fantasy. First book in the Dragonlands series. Reread.
41. Embers of War by Gareth L. Powell. Space opera. First in the Embers of War trilogy. A sentient warship quits the navy over her role in an atrocity and joins an organisation dedicated to rescuing ships in distress. Entertaining enough with some great settings. However, the characters were a little flat and the voices of the various narrators needed more distinction (with a few notable exceptions).
42. A Courtship of Dragons by Becca Lusher. Fantasy romance novella, part of the Dragonlands series. Having worked alongside each other for a little while, Estenarven and Mastekh have discovered truth in the adage that opposites attract and embark on their courtship. Among dragons, this involves the giving of a series of very particular gifts. A sweet, low-conflict story. I enjoyed the requirements of the gifts and the way (almost) everyone around the two characters ships them and pitches in to help.
43. Naked in Death by J.D. Robb. Sci-fi crime. First in the In Death series. When she's called upon to investigate a politically sensitive murder, a detective finds herself falling for one of the most rich and handsome celebrities in the world. Of course, the fact he's a suspect complicates things. On some level, this reminded me a lot of the TV show Castle, except the characters are a bit more hard-boiled (and this book predates the show by almost 15 years).
44. Late in the Day: Poems 2010-2014 by Ursula K. Le Guin. Pretty much what it says on the cover. I enjoyed this immensely. I have a soft spot for nature poetry and Le Guin, of course, has a way with words.
45. Storm Rising by Becca Lusher. Fantasy. Second book in the Dragonlands series. Elder Khennik travels to the Dragon Moot with Rift Riders in tow, hoping to muster support to save his homeland from the Cloud Curse. The characters remain delightful and I found the curse's more subtle manifestations to be an interesting twist.
46. Moon Called by Patricia Briggs. Urban fantasy/paranormal romance. First in the Mercy Thompson series. When a stray werewolf lands on Mercy's doorstep, trouble follows, and Mercy finds she has to return to the pack that raised her for help. The worldbuilding is pretty good, giving a sense of stepping into an existing world with complicated relationships and politics. There is, of course, the standard love triangle, but I liked the story enough to continue with the series for now.
47. Cloud Cursed by Becca Lusher. Fantasy. Third book in the Dragonlands series. Elder Khennik and the Rift Riders head to Spire Heights in the hope of uncovering the source of the curse. This book started to feel rather formulaic, being much of a piece with the second book, and with the main relationship proving to perhaps be a little too slow-burn for me (though I generally love slow-burn). However, the characters continue to be a delight, with the development of a few new connections. There was also some excellent plot twists, particularly concerning the water dragons.
48. Fleet of Knives by by Gareth L. Powell. Space opera. Second in the Embers of War trilogy. Trouble Dog and her crew discover that the allies who helped save them are now proving to be their greatest threat. Still readable enough, but the characters remain flat and it entirely lacked the interesting settings I enjoyed in the first. I found it hard to follow the motivation of the antagonist, since she flip-flopped around so much.
Books Acquired
The Spoils of the Spoiled by not_poignant
Fight Like a Girl by Clemantine Ford
Fredrica by Georgette Heyer
Understorey by Inga Simpson
Fence, Vol. 1 by C.S. Pacat and Johanna the Mad.
Lumberjanes, Issue 1 by Noelle Stevenson
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
Light of Impossible Stars by Gareth L. Powell
