January 2020 Reading Thread

[Ian Fortytwo]

I'm reading Diary of a Somebody, by Brian Bilston.

I have treated myself to two omnibus books by David Gemmell, Hawk Queen and Stones of Power. I have also bought The Once and Future King, by T. H. White.

 

[Randy M.]

This [Locke & Key]series has caught my eye in the local comic shop recently. I'll give it a serious look.

My appreciation for comic art seems to have atrophied after the time Jack Kirby and that generation passed the torch. Anime/manga and art derivative of it doesn't do much for me. So I was pleased to see that this is more along the lines of what I used to enjoy, and very nicely rendered and detailed. I have found it interesting that one character seems drawn a bit like an anime character to me and I haven't quite decided what that means if anything.


Randy M.

 

[williamjm]

I finished David Craig's Resurrection Men, which I thought was a good debut novel. I thought the characterisation was good, I liked the two main protagonists and there were a number of interesting supporting characters. While it does introduce early on some strong hints about the threat they are facing, I thought it did a good job of gradually revealing the details of the world-building. The book does have a lot of antagonists in it, who could potentially have blended together but they do all have their own agendas and tangled webs of rivalries which helps distinguish them. The mix of wealth and squalor in the late 19th Century Glaswegian setting does seem to fit well with the storyline. The epilogue of the book had an intriguing twist (which I didn't see coming, even if I had some suspicions that there was some hidden truth), I'm curious where the story is going to go next.

I'm now reading Jeanette Ng's Under the Pendulum Sky, another story in the 19th Century, although in this case it is one where Britain and other countries have a trading relationship with the faerie land of Arcadia. The protagonist leaves England to follow after her brother who is living in a huge Gothic castle as a missionary to the fae. The start of the book was maybe a bit slow as Cathy waits for her brother to return to the castle, and there was a lot more discussion of biblical theology than I was expecting (although I guess the whole missionary thing should have been a hint). However, once Cathy's brother returns and the court of Queen Mab follow soon after the story becomes much more compelling. I think the depiction of the faeries and their realm also has the right mix of bizarre elements and twisted logic.

This series has caught my eye in the local comic shop recently. I'll give it a serious look.

I saw a trailer for the Locke & Key TV adaptation recently and it did look intriguing.

 

[HareBrain]

My appreciation for comic art seems to have atrophied after the time Jack Kirby and that generation passed the torch. Anime/manga and art derivative of it doesn't do much for me.

I recommend this to everyone so I might as well to you: have you looked at Monstress? It's the best graphic novel art I've come across, and about the best story/plot.

 

[Galactic Bus Driver]

Spoiler

So, 25 days in of January completed and 31 titles finished:
"Illuminae", book one of the Illuminae Files series by Amy Kaufman (with Jay Kristoff). Not sure what to think of this one, and I've yet to return to the series. I may not bother, but we'll see.

"Rook," book one of the Checquy Files series by Daniel O'Malley. Kind of James Bond met the X-files and had a love child. Quite entertaining so far.

"The Decoy Princess" and "Princess at Sea," books one and two of the Princess Contessa duology by Dawn Cook. If you're familiar with Kim Harrison, you'll be familiar with Dawn Cook since Kim Harrison is her pen name. Pretty good fantasy novels.

I could technically count these next books as five as that's how they were originally released, but since I did the audio books this time, I'm only counting three since they were published that way in audio. The Spiderwick Chronicles.

"Nevernight," "Godsgrave," and "Darkdawn," books one through three of the Nevernight Chronicles by Jay Kristoff. I almost didn't read these, at least, not yet, because of Kristoff's involvement with the Illuminae Files, but damned if I'm not glad I did. Very good dark fantasy.

"The Very First Damned Thing," the prequel to book one of the Chronicles of St. Mary's by Jodi Taylor. A pretty good time travel romp and I'm looking forward to continuing the series.

"PERfunctory afFECTION" bu Kim Harrison. No witches, wizards, werewolves, vampires, ghosts, ghouls or demons (day-walking or not). Just a contemporary novel about a woman, her psychiatrist and a drug entering human trials. Had I heard the premise before I leapt at the Kim Harrison book, I would have viewed it askance and placed it much further down the TBR list. Very glad I didn't.

"The Regional Office is Under Attack" by Manuel Gonzales. An odd book about a travel agency that doubles as a covert operations base and provides esoteric vacations to the incredibly wealthy, creates cyborgs, and launches black-ops. Not one I'd recommend, but not so bad that I wish I hadn't read it.

"Kingdom of Needle and Bone" by Mira Grant. A cautionary tale about the dangers of the anti-vaxer movement and the need for herd immunity. So far I've liked everything Mira Grant has written. This was no exception.

"The Deserter," book one of the Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor series by Nelson DeMille and Alex DeMille. If you're familiar with Nelson DeMille, get ready for another great thriller.

"Thin Air" by Richard K. Morgan. Nothing of his has been as good as his Takeshi Kovacs books, but this one comes close.

"The Wild Heart of Stevie Nicks" by Rob Sheffield. Biography of Stevie Nicks. Not a terrible amount of depth, but it was a good free 'Audible Only' selection.

"Sparrow Hill Road" and "The Girl in the Green Silk Gown," books one and two in Seanan McGuires Ghost Roads (InCryptid series spin-off) series. The first is a collection of short stories bound up with a framing story. The second is a novel and they're both really good. I would go so far as to say must-reads if you've read and enjoyed her InCryptid books.

"The Color of Magic," "The Light Fantastic," and "Equal Rights. Books one through three of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. It's Pratchett, 'nuff said.

"The Devil's Breath," "The Lazarus Curse," "Shadow of the Raven," and "Secrets of the Stones," books three through six of the Dr. Thomas Silkstone series by Tessa Harris. Mysteries very similar in tone to Sherlock Holmes mysteries. Very enjoyable reads.

"Rocannon's World," book one of the Hainish Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin.

"Bitches and Brawlers" and "Howls and Hallows," books four and five of the Steampunk Red Riding Hood series by Melanie Karsak. Fun steampunk tales based loosely on Red Riding Hood.

"Thief's Covenant" and "False Covenant," books one and two of the Widdershins Adventures series by Ari Marmell. Might and magic fantasy with a young female thief as a protagonist. Very good so far.

So, 40 titles for the month of January. Not too bad.

Along with the aforementioned, I've finished:

"Act of War," book 14 of Brad Thor's Scot Harvath series. Not the best thrillers ever written, but Brad Thor does a decent job with these.

"Birthmarked," book 1 the Bookmarked Trilogy by Caragh M. O'Brien. Very slow starting post apocalyptica. I almost DNF'd this one, but let it go a bit longer and it got better enough. I'll get to the others, but probably not right away.

"Stiletto," book two of the Checquy Files series by Daniel O'Malley. I am really looking forward to more of these books being published. Very entertaining.

"Black Crow, White Snow" by Michael Livingston. Interesting but not riveting fantasy. I'll probably look to see what else is available from Mr. Livingston, but it won't be a priority.

"Metrophage" by Richard Kadrey. Kadrey's first published novel. Decent (barely) cyberpunk, but absolutely nothing special. Had this been the first of his I ever read, I likely would have missed "Butcher Bird" and the Sandman Slim series and that would have been a shame.

"Mort," "Sourcery," and "Wyrd Systers," books four through six of the Discworld. Too much Pratchett is not enough!

"A Serpent's Tooth," book 9 of the Walt Longmire mysteries by Craig Johnson. I've never been a fan of westerns and I'm hit and miss with mysteries, but after watching the show on A&E then Netflix, I decided to give the books a try. Quite glad I did.

40 books in 31 days puts me on pace for ~470 titles for the year. Considering that I only read one or two titles the first five days of the month (holiday stuff can get in the way), I'm actually on pace to finish over 500 titles this year. Whether I can maintain the pace is yet to be determined, but I'm certainly in good shape to hit the goal I set of 405 titles in 2020. Considering my TBR list, even if I can maintain the pace, it'll still take me a decade or so to catch up, even if the publishing industry completely fails tomorrow.

 

[Galactic Bus Driver]

Finished Goldenhand last night, a fine end to the series. I'm aware there's a prequel but don't have it.

Started Greg Egan's Instantiation, a new short story collection I picked up a few days ago.

I may have to toss the Old Kingdom series on the short list for a re-read. Those were really good books and the goal I set for 2020 is 405 titles, not necessarily 405 new titles.