Reading Wednesday
May. 16th, 2019 06:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cinaed Or Thursday, as the case may be, because I did my usual outreach on Tuesday and it's thrown my whole week off.
Recently Finished
Still chipping away at my pile of library books, and I forgot to do this last week, so this looks like more books than it is. I read The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden, Once Ghosted, Twice Shy by Alyssa Cole, Tiamat's Wrath by James S. A. Corey, How Long 'til Black Future Month? by N.K. Jemisin, A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine, and Fearless Girls, Wise Women, & Beloved Sisters: Heroines in Folktales From Around the World by Kathleen Ragan.
It took me a few chapters to get invested in The Bear and the Nightingale, but wow that prose! It definitely felt like a fairytale without being trite, I really found the main character's relationship with her family fascinating, and the ending was unexpected but good. I'll definitely be looking for more in that series.
Once Ghosted, Twice Shy is a f/f novella set in Alyssa Cole's Reluctant Royals series, and was very charming. I loved both characters. I don't have much to say about it, not because it wasn't good, but because it was very short and sweet story.
Tiamat's Wrath is the latest book in The Expanse series and was a wild ride. I really love how the writers have expanded into so many women's POVs compared to the first few books, and how deftly they've brought in characters from earlier books. I cannot wait for the next one, which I think is the final one? Also, uh, I have a lot of feelings about what happened to certain characters. A lot.
How Long 'til Black Future Month is probably one of the best short story collections I've ever read, hands down. There was so much variety, and so many interesting stories. I haven't never been able to get into her longer works, but I loved 90% of her short fiction in this and hope that she does more. I also really hope a few of the stories get nominated for Yuletide this year.
Speaking of some of the best things I've read, if you like speculative fiction that looks at imperialism, spy intrigue, and awesome worldbuilding, or if you liked the Imperial Radch series, PLEASE READ A MEMORY OF EMPIRE. It's about a diplomat from a free colony that is sent into the heart of the nearby encroaching empire to a) figure out if the previous ambassador was murdered and b) keep the empire from annexing her world. It's seriously one of the best books I've read this year, and is queer and complicated and wonderful. I loved it a lot.
Fearless Girls was also an interesting collection, even if some of the stories got a little repetitive. Still I enjoyed the read and would love to see some of the stories expanded into full length novels!
It took me a few chapters to get invested in The Bear and the Nightingale, but wow that prose! It definitely felt like a fairytale without being trite, I really found the main character's relationship with her family fascinating, and the ending was unexpected but good. I'll definitely be looking for more in that series.
Once Ghosted, Twice Shy is a f/f novella set in Alyssa Cole's Reluctant Royals series, and was very charming. I loved both characters. I don't have much to say about it, not because it wasn't good, but because it was very short and sweet story.
Tiamat's Wrath is the latest book in The Expanse series and was a wild ride. I really love how the writers have expanded into so many women's POVs compared to the first few books, and how deftly they've brought in characters from earlier books. I cannot wait for the next one, which I think is the final one? Also, uh, I have a lot of feelings about what happened to certain characters. A lot.
How Long 'til Black Future Month is probably one of the best short story collections I've ever read, hands down. There was so much variety, and so many interesting stories. I haven't never been able to get into her longer works, but I loved 90% of her short fiction in this and hope that she does more. I also really hope a few of the stories get nominated for Yuletide this year.
Speaking of some of the best things I've read, if you like speculative fiction that looks at imperialism, spy intrigue, and awesome worldbuilding, or if you liked the Imperial Radch series, PLEASE READ A MEMORY OF EMPIRE. It's about a diplomat from a free colony that is sent into the heart of the nearby encroaching empire to a) figure out if the previous ambassador was murdered and b) keep the empire from annexing her world. It's seriously one of the best books I've read this year, and is queer and complicated and wonderful. I loved it a lot.
Fearless Girls was also an interesting collection, even if some of the stories got a little repetitive. Still I enjoyed the read and would love to see some of the stories expanded into full length novels!
Currently Reading
I just finished Tiamat's Wrath last night and haven't picked up a new book yet!
What's Next
At this point I'm still going with books that are due back at the library with holds on them, which means next up is either Bird by bird : some instructions on writing and life by Anne Lamott or A beautiful poison by Lydia Kang.
