Sakerfalcon's reading journeys in 2014 ...

Well, 2013 was a good year of reading for me, with some great new authors discovered, some books knocked off Mount Tbr, and some long-sought-after titles acquired for my collection. I haven't had time to look at my stats for the year to see how I fared with my challenges to read more literature in translation and more non-fiction, but some of my favourite books of the year fell into these categories which is a win in itself.

2013 was also the year in which I acquired a kindle (a hand-me-down from a good friend), so I have started reading some books in that format which is a new experience for me. I will never cease to love books in their physical form though, so I don't predict an end to my bookshelf space crisis anytime soon ....

Thank you to everyone who followed and commented on my posts; I hope you'll be back this year and I will do my best to keep you entertained and, of course, to add more books to your wishlists!

I'm currently reading Mr Penumbra's 24 hour bookstore on my kindle which, despite its present-tense narration, I am enjoying. It's set in a huge, mysterious bookshop; how could I not love it?!

I'm also reading a seasonal novel, Ten days of Christmas, about an extended family spending their first Christmas together since before WWII; it's 1946 and we see various cousins, aunts and uncles gathering and plans being made to stage a play.

And I've started rereading The magicians' guild for the Green Dragon group read. So far it is as I remembered - an easy, fun read but without much depth.

I have starred your thread and look forward to your 2014 reads.

Speaking of books with stories located in bookshops, have you read Firmin by Sam Savage?

It is humorous and touching. I think you might like it.

(Sneaky pre-emtive attempt to get something onto your wish list.)

I've got you starred, Sakerfalcon!

Starred for 2014!

Hope you have another good reading year!

Ducking already from anticipated BBs

I wanted to star this thread, but I didn't need to! I guess LT understood that I wanted to follow this all on its own! (Probably because it is a continuation of your previous thread).

And to get right into book talk, I absolutely LOVED Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour bookstore! I've been recommending it wherever I can. It's a great story, the setting is of course wonderful, and I love the atmosphere that Robin Sloan managed to create. He can somehow make computers seem magical. Lovely book!

Starred :) Mr Penumbra is on my TBR pile on my Kindle - sounds like I need to bump it up the list!

Mr. Penumbra sounds interesting. I'm adding it to my TBR list.

Starred. Happy reading!

I loved Mr. Penumbra as well and gave it to two or three people for Christmas. I hope you're still enjoying it!

Yup, yours is another dangerous thread. I'll be skulking about, as well.

Welcome everyone! It's good to have your company!

>2 pgmcc:: It's not enough that I add books to my tbr pile when on your own thread but you have to come here and tempt me with them too! That does sound like a good one though, so I'll let you off :-)

>7 zjakkelien:, 8, 9, 11: I finished Mr Penumbra last night because I just couldn't stop reading. I loved the mystery, the characters and, of course, the bookish settings. All the references to tech will date the book, but I don't feel that that is necessarily a bad thing - it will just pinpoint the exact moment in which the story takes place; perhaps this was the only moment it could have happened? I loved the eccentric book borrowers, and all the geeks with their specialist skills and talents that come in handy in the most unlikely places. Best of all I think I liked when the tech crowd and the bibliophiles came together to work towards their common goals. Secret societies aren't usually something that interests me or that I can empathise with, but somehow it worked in this book. Highly recommended if you haven't yet succumbed!

I also finished The magician's guild, a quick and easy read that I am looking forward to discussing in the group read. It's very much the first book of the trilogy, setting up events and storylines and introducing characters. It could easily have been half the length; far too much time was spent following Sonea's attempts to evade the Guild, when we all knew she was going to end up there anyway. There's nothing especially innovative in the book, but it makes for good fantasy comfort reading because of that.

Still reading and enjoying Ten days of Christmas; the tactless handling of a duplicated gift, and the accidental revelation of a long-kept secret, have turned what should have been a glorious post-war celebration into an unhappy time for all. The play is off. But Uncle Ted has still to arrive ...

I've started reading Golden miles for the Virago group's WWI themed read, which is taking place all year. This month we're looking at the start of the war. Golden Miles is unusual in that it takes place in Australia, in a small gold-mining community rather than the more typical British or European setting. So far everyone is preoccupied with the mines and the issue of small-scale thieving of ore, but I've a feeling that is going to change soon.

I'm also making progress on my plan to read Sherwood Smith's Inda quartet, each volume of which I bought as soon as it came out in paperback, and which have been languishing on Mount Tbe ever since. I have read Inda about 3 times but never made it any further. This morning, having just finished Inda, I started on the second volume, The fox. I've a nasty idea there will be a lot of filler in this one, but I really want to know what happens to all the characters so I'm determined to make it through.

And finally, I'm rereading Consider Phlebas for the group read of the Culture series. I shan't read all of them, but it's been a long time since I read this one and I have been meaning to revisit it for a while.

Starred!

I loved Mr. Penumbra as well. Glad to see you enjoyed it.

Starred!

Ugh. It's going to be at minimum a week until I can get to The Magician's Guild. I have too much to do! I need more time!

I, too, enjoyed Inda, and found The Fox held up very well.

13: I like what you write about Mr. Penumbra, @Sakerfalcon! It describes the experience of reading the book very well.

Claire, I have a confession to make. Despite my sneaky attempt to put a book on your wish list, Mr. Penumbra has ended up on mine.

A fair exchange is no robbery.

Seriously, we're barely a week into the New Year and you're already fueling book buying?! I haven't yet read Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore but it appears it has won a place on my shelf. (Thank heavens for gift cards...)

I might join you and pick up Consider Phlebas, its been quite a while.

Consider Phlebas was the first Iain m. Banks novel I read. I found it while on holiday and thought it was a great yarn. It was not a book with oodles of deep meaning but it was a book I really enjoyed.

In relation to its being a good or bad introduction to the Culture, I think it is as good as anywhere to start. It was the first one published.

If I were a faster reader I would be keen to reread it.

Another welcome to everyone who has dropped by in the last couple of days! Thank you for visiting!

>16 Morphidae:: When you do finally get to start The magicians' guild you will find it quite a fast read if that is any consolation, Morphy.

>17 JannyWurts:: I'm glad to hear that, Janny. I've started The fox a couple of times but I prefer the land-based storylines to what is happening at sea, and the first part of the book seemed to follow more of the seafaring action. But I'm feeling more motivated to keep going this time.

>18 zjakkelien:: Thank you! I'm not very good at writing proper reviews, so I just try and jot down some more-or-less coherent thoughts on what I've read.

>19 pgmcc:: Ha! I'm sure there will be many more such exchanges as the year progresses.

>20 jillmwo: and everyone else who is now considering reading Mr Penumbra: I do hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

>21 Karlstar:, 22: Inversions was the first IMB novel that I read, and of course you really have to have been introduced to the Culture already to appreciate what is going on in that one. I really enjoyed it, but later became aware that I'd missed a whole level of the book. It's one that I'm especially looking forward to rereading this year.

Ten days of Christmas was a nice read for this time of year, as it tracks the ups and downs of a family Christmas gathering at a big house in the country. By the middle of the book everyone has quarrelled with someone else and very few people are still on speaking terms. Both children and adults have opened great rifts and caused hurt to others. It takes the arrival of Uncle Ted to restore harmony and see that the Nativity play can go ahead after all. Some of the quarrels felt as though they arose too quickly and from rather slight causes, but I suppose that is often the way, especially in families. We are shown the worst of all the characters, and at one point I wondered if there was anything truly likeable about any of them. But when peace returns we see their good sides again and (most) are ashamed of the nastiness that they allowed to come out. Things were perhaps resolved a bit too easily, although Stern does a great job of capturing the awkwardness of conversation between people who have only recently made up after a dispute. This is a charming old-fashioned family novel with a few faults, but none that will stop me returning to it at future Christmas times.

I'm over 100 pages into Golden miles and so far WWI has only had a few background mentions. The characters' focus has been on mining and the issue of gold theft, which gets pinned on the miners who occasionally take small amounts, while the bosses get away with taking far more. It brings home just how far away Europe and its doings were to remote Australian communities at this time. But the main character, Sally, is beginning to fear that her 4 sons may get called away to fight ... The book is an absorbing read so far, especially in its descriptions of the claustrophobic horrors of work in the mines.

I'm only about 5 chapters into The fox but as it picks up immediately from the end of Inda, I'm already deep into the action. Smith's characters are so vividly drawn, even those with only small parts to play, that I am anxious to know what happens to them.

I went to the library yesterday and found Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson, so that will be slotted into my reading schedule at some point in the next 3 weeks. The premise of the book didn't really grab me, but Sanderson usually manages to do some interesting things so I'll give it a go.

I just call mine "micro-reviews" and leave it at that!

I gave Mr Penumbra to my brother for Christmas a couple of years ago, based on LT chatter at the time, and then kind of forgot about it. Looks like I'll have to borrow it back!

I've been hesitant to try the Culture series. It sounds very involved and I'm already involved with several other series. I also get the impression it's bleak and gritty, which I'm staying away from at the moment. But if anyone can dissuade me of these notions, I think I could find some room on Mt TBR...

Ah, I've been dithering about Mr. Penumbra for a while and now it sounds like it should get bumped up on the wish list. Sounds good. I'll be here Sakerfalcon.

>24 Morphidae:: I do enjoy the way you structure your micro reviews, and sum up your response to the book briefly yet clearly.

>25 sandragon:: Each volume of the Culture series more or less stands alone; one or two make more sense with a bit of background, but they're not a series in the sense of having a through-running plot. But they are frequently bleak and while there is humour it is pretty black. I'd say go with Mr Penumbra for now instead!

>26 katylit:: Welcome! I hope you have a great year of reading; Mr Penumbra would be a good place to start :-)

I finished Golden miles last night, which I read for the Virago group's WWI themed read. I would not call this a book about the War, although it does have an important impact on the community where the story takes place. Rather it is one of the social and economic factors that shape life in this remote part of Australia. The Gough family are very likeable and sympathetic characters through whom we see various ways of life at the time - the impetuous young soldier, the devoted Socialist, the mine worker and the boy who dreams of life on a ranch far from the mines. While the book slows at times when the author reports long political discussions between characters, she soon picks up the action by focusing on everyday dramas and conflicts. One thing that the novel brought home was how geographical distance didn't lessen the emotional, social or economic impact of the war. Now I have to track down the third volume of this trilogy to see how the Goughs fare in the 1930s.

I'm still reading Consider Phlebas and The fox, but have also picked up Iron kissed as a quick read in between the longer books. I expect I might finish it today, as I'm planning to have a Do Nothing But Read day!

I blame you, Claire. Mr Penumbra has slipped from my wish-list into an actual order that is due for delivery in a week's time. I hope you're proud of yourself now. I hope you realise what you have done and that you are willing to take full responsibility for your actions.

#25/27 - I don't think all of them are bleak; for me a better label would be "displaying complex ethics/moral dilemmas". Very much intellectual books, imho. Either you're in the mood or you're not. If you're up to it I reading one is fun - if not it's a struggle...

>28 pgmcc:: But look at what great company you are in!

>29 Busifer:: You are absolutely right about how complex the novels are; while on one level they are spectacular space opera with lots of thrills and special effects, underneath they are incredibly thoughtful and make one think about the future of the human race and society. I'm really enjoying the reread of Consider Phlebas and looking forward to the others later this year.

This weekend I finished reading The fox, which was excellent. I don't know how I failed to get into it the other times I've tried it. This time I was absorbed right from the start by both the land and sea storylines. Some of the crises from book one are resolved, but new problems rear their heads making sure that I want to get into book 3, King's shield as soon as possible. This quartet is made up of 4 big fat volumes, but the characters are so interesting that their adventures fly by, once you get used to the naming conventions and the numerous titles that many people go by.

I also finished Iron kissed, the third in the Mercy Thompson series. I really like Mercy, a compentent, intelligent heroine who doesn't take risks without thinking through the possible consequences and who is determined to maintain her independence even if it means turning down the handsome men who are after her. This book looks at the fae community, who can be very nasty creatures. It's considerably darker than the previous two in the series, and Mercy is really put through the wringer. It's not gratuitous, and her trauma is sensitively handled. I'm glad I have the next book on hand to find out what she's going to do next.

All this talk of Consider Phlebas is making me want to re-read it. It was the first Banks I read and I recall it being a great read. I was a story that grabbed me and dragged me away on a fast, action-packed whirlwind ride.

Wow, I poke my head in to say a belated happy new year, and immediately I've added another book (Mr. Penumbra) to Mount Tooby (credit to Clam for that lovely name; we've already got too many TLAs around here). And I'm Reconsidering Phlebas, which I've thought about trying before...

#30/31 - Re: Consider Phlebas - all this talk makes me consider Phlebas for a reread sometime this year. It's definitely one of the books which left me with a feeling of having been cheated (on) - as if it was a good ride while it lasted, making promises, but then left me dangling... Perhaps it was only my mood, at that time?

I really enjoyed my reread of Consider Phlebas. It was only the second Culture book I'd read, first time round, and it was interesting to read it again having read more of the series. I remember on first reading assuming that, as Horza believes, the Culture is a Bad Thing and indeed the Enemy, for most of the book. There are some great set-pieces in the book - the opening, the game of Damage and destruction of the Orbital - and one or two sections that are not for the weak of stomach. I'm looking forward to revisiting some of the other novels over the course of the year.

Now I'm reading Ancillary justice, probably one of the most praised SF releases of 2013. I'm about 1/3 of the way through and it's very good so far. The Radch civilization which has conquered large parts of the galaxy "for their own good" has some parallels with the Culture, but much of this book feels more like Le Guin's work in its exploration of gender and cultures. So far it is living up to the hype!

I've also started The silvered by Tanya Huff, which also gained much praise last year. So far the mix of magic, werewolves and warfare has me hooked.

Glad you spilled a bit about Ten Days of Christmas, as I'm stuck in the earlier part of it. I will attempt to slog through to the happier side.

Ancillary Justice sounds like the sort of thing I'm looking for as I try to catch up a bit on my F&SF reading... thanks!

Okay, you've used the magic words Feels more like LeGuin's work regarding Ancillary Justice and so I go over to Amazon and yet again, a book title everyone seems to be recommending on LT is "temporarily out of stock". This is beginning to look suspicious. Mr. Penumbra. Consider Phlebas, etc.

I'm feeling like I'm dealing with a 1930's run on the bank or something.

#37 Hmmmm! A run on a book bank...or a library!
There has to be a story there.

By the way, Jill, I have my almost 30 year old copy of Consider Phlebas beside the bed and my copy of Mr Penumbra arrived on Tuesday.

I ordered Ancillary Justice from my public library system yesterday, and it arrived today! No waiting list there.

>35 2wonderY:: The middle section where everyone is behaving appallingly made me wonder whether I could care at all about any of the characters. It is interesting to see how their differences are resolved. It is quite clear who the author means us to like, and who is to be despised!

>36 Jim53:, 37, 39: I'm now half way through Ancillary justice and it is still going well. Breq is a fascinating character in all her incarnations, past and present. As well as Le Guin, something about the book is reminiscent of Maureen McHugh's work, specifically Mission child, where the people of a freezing, relatively low-tech planet encounter folk from a higher-tech society. Maybe it is just the atmospheric descriptions of the extreme cold.

>37 jillmwo:: It's all a ruse to get you to shop somewhere other than amazon! Not that that is very easy to do these days :-(

>38 pgmcc:: Some great reading materials there!

At some point on Sunday, I stopped being able to put Ancillary justice aside to do other things - eat, check email, etc. It had always been a book that intrigued me and drew me back, but suddenly the plot ramped up as all the pieces that had been set in place came together and things really took off. Breq is a fascinating protagonist, once the AI of a spaceship with ears and eyes in troops of soldiers, now confined to a single body for reasons that we learn of through a series of flashbacks. This gives her a unique perspective on people and events, as she is often unable to interpret emotions, and claims not to feel them herself. I'm using the feminine pronoun because that is probably the most commented-upon feature of the book - the Radch is a post-gender society and Breq refers to everyone universally as female even if they have been identified by others as male. At first I tried to work out and keep track of what gender characters were, but it was impossible, and I realised that it really didn't matter anyway. One silly little detail that I loved was that drinking tea is an important social ritual among the Radch, with tea shops a staple feature. For me, this book lived up to all the great reviews it has received, and I will look forward to the sequel when it arrives. (You are not left on a cliffhanger, but it is clear that Breq has more adventures to come.)

I also finished a library book that I picked up on a whim, Omens by Kelley Armstrong. I've never read any of the author's other books, but this one caught my eye and the premise sounded good - a wealthy young woman learns that she is adopted and her birth parents are notorious serial killers. Fleeing the press leads her to the apparently perfect small town of Cainsville, where she bases herself while starting to find out about her parents and whether they were really guilty of the crimes they are imprisoned for. There is a touch of the supernatural in the form of omens and the Fair Folk, but it is literally only a touch in this first book. I liked the small town setting, and the characters were a nice bunch - sympathetic but not perfect, and there are many who I want to know more about.

I'm advancing through The silvered and really loving the world that Tanya Huff has created. It's a mix of Napoleonic War-type history, werewolves and magic, peopled with interesting characters both good and nasty. In this society, werewolves marry mages and are the ruling class. But an expansionist, anti-magic Empire is attempting to conquer and subdue the "Abominations" to increase its power and territory. We see events through the eyes of a group of five female mages who have been kidnapped by the enemy, a young low-level mage and the male werewolf she teams up with to stage a rescue, and the enemy soldiers charged with escorting the mages and capturing the other two. My only criticism so far is that although werewolves and mages can be of either gender, all the mages we follow are female and all the werewolves male, thus implying a gender essentialism that isn't actually there. Other than that, I highly recommend it based on what I have read so far.

I'm still enjoying King's shield, although Inda is being a bit of a dick to his seafaring friends now that he is back on land with his old mates from the Academy. Looking forward to seeing how his relationships develop.

And I'm also reading Steelheart, another find at the library. I'm not really a fan of the Marvel-type comic books so the premise of this didn't really appeal, but I've enjoyed all of Sanderson's books so far so I thought I'd give it a go anyway. It is not working out for me though; the main character and narrator is annoyingly shallow and something of a Gary-Stu - he has knowledge and ideas that have never occurred to the older, more experienced people he teams up with, and his wild impulsive leaps always pay off (so far). His attitude to the main female character is irritating too - it can be summed up as "I think she's really hot, so why isn't she speaking to me?" All the characters are obssessed with guns and techy gadgets (for good reason, perhaps) and all the talk about that is too much for my taste. I don't think it's a bad book, though certainly not up to the standard of the other books I've read by Sanderson, but it's definitely not for me. I will finish it though.

On my kindle I've just started The circle, even though I've missed the LT group read of it. I'm not expecting too much from this, but it was 99p and did seem to generate some interesting conversations.

41: The Silvered is fairly high on my To-Read list. I'm glad to hear it's made a positive first impression. I did notice that element of gender essentialism you speak of, though, when I did a flip-through. Why is it that women always seem to get shortchanged when it comes to shape-shifting power? Either they can't shift at all (e.g. Lord of the Fading Lands et. seq.), or shape-shifting ability in women is so rare that it's considered downright abnormal (e.g. Shapechangers, Shana Abe's Drakon series, Kelley Armstrong's Bitten), or the female lead's alternate form is something wimpy, like a mouse (e.g. Masques). I would dearly love to read good novels that give us female characters with genuinely awesome shape-shifting abilities. The most satisfying I've come across is the protagonist of Beholder's Eye.

I still really want to read Huff's book, though.

Ancillary Justice is definitely going on the wishlist!

Mine, too.

42> Forgetting Angua of Men at Arms? Then again, she isn't the central character, and we see her much more frequently in human form.

It's the hormonal cycle which messes with shape-shifting. Post-menopausal women are much better at it.

46: You'd be amazed, but some authors have used that exact reasoning.

I really need to read Ancillary Justice, I don't think I've heard anything but good things about it. You've reminded me that I need to read Mission Child as well...

>46 2wonderY:,47 I'm aware of at least one, Catherine Lundoff's Silver Moon, where menopause turns the protagonist into a werewolf.

>42 kceccato: I think I might have recommended it before, but Amelia Atwater-Rhodes' five-book YA series collected in The Shapeshifters has a society where everyone in the multiple societies is a shapeshifter- various kinds of birds and snakes and later also wolves, including the various teenaged protagonists and adults of their parents' generation as well as a society of immortal falcon-shapeshifter wizards where all of the major political players are women. It was an unexpected favorite of mine last year, and I would recommend it (with the possible caveat that there are lots, lots, lots of made-up words, many with apostrophes, if you dislike that sort of thing.)

How many books do you usually have going at once, Claire?

@sandragon, @jnwelch : yes, you really do need to read Ancillary justice. It's a few days since I finished it and the glow of satisfaction is still strong!

@kceccato, @pwaites, @2wonderY : Of course, post-menopausal heroines are as rare in fantasy as powerful female shapeshifters ... What is frustrating about The silvered is that Huff makes it clear that female werewolves and male mages exist and are no rarer than those of the opposite sex, but she chose not to include any in the plot.

@clamairy : Usually 3 or 4. One for commuting/reading at work, one or two that I read in bed, and there's usually another one that I'll pick up at random moments when I'm mooching around at home. I'm trying to read books I already own (aren't we all?!) but when I go to the library and find things there, that means I'll slip them in amongst what I'm already reading, thus adding to the titles on the go at one time. (See below!)

I finished The silvered last night, staying up later than I probably should have to do so. It was an excellent read, with interesting and quite original worldbuilding, a well-rounded cast of characters who display a variety of strengths and weaknesses, and several compelling storylines that converge satisfyingly in the end. I enjoyed the mix of late C18th technology and society with magic and werewolves, a nice change from the usual faux-Mediaeval settings. Mirian and Tomas made an appealing pair of protagonists, and their relationship (more fraternal than romantic in nature) had a nice power dynamic. The five kidnapped mages allowed for an exploration of female friendship and mutual support. The enemy soldiers were never portrayed as indistinguishable evil minions, but as real individuals. I had seen this book highly praised before I read it, and was not disappointed (other than the issue I mentioned above. But I hope that Huff will return to this world and create some new characters to redress this lack.)

Another disruption to my scheduled reading happened this week, when a visit to the library saw me bringing The year of the hare home with me. This slim book is apparently a classic in Finland, and was brought to my attention by an LT recommendation on my home page. It feels like a fable, about a middle-aged journalist who rescues an injured hare and then quits his job and leaves his wife to travel around randomly with the hare. He picks up odd jobs felling trees or repairing buildings and encounters a variety of people along the way, some pleasant, others not so. I was all set to give this 5 stars until I got to the later chapters, when there is a break in the narrative of several months, which broke the flow and changed the nature of the book, IMO. The ending was strong though, and I did enjoy his brief sojourn in the USSR. It still ended up with 4 stars, and is something I'd recommend if you are looking for a short unusual read. The book reminded me strongly of Death and the penguin, and I realised that this was probably what generated the recommendation in the first place! By the way, if you are like me and need to know whether the animal survives, SPOILER it does .

>50 Sakerfalcon:
On menopausal characters, I highly recommend the Winterlands series by Barbara Hambly. Jenny Waynest struggles with it and it's affects on her witch powers, in either the second or third book. Very powerful writing and characters worthy of time spent in company.

Please list other books with menopausal/post-menopausal heroines. I'd love to explore the theme.

You know I think that topic might be worthy of its own thread!!! Please start one, one of you.

I still haven't read much Huff yet. I read one, Blood Price, and wasn't all that impressed. Maybe I should try The Silvered.

53: I really liked her Quarters books, @Morphidae. It has a different feel to it than other fantasy books. I really like that her society is very gender-neutral. Plus, I liked the magic.

53> Definitely try The Silvered, Morphy! Excellent book.

>53 Morphidae:, 54, 55: Yes, I'd definitely recommend The silvered. I've only read the first of the Quarters books, Sing the four quarters, but really enjoyed it.

I finished The circle, and have to agree with the prevailing "meh" reaction. The characters were flat and mostly unsympathetic, and the plot was predictable. I think the problem for me (and many others) is that the premise upon which the book hinges - all online activity being linked into one account under your real name - is too clearly open to abuse from the start, and it was just a case of keeping reading to see how far Eggers ran with it, rather than gradually having our eyes opened to the horror of it all. I have no idea why Kalden would have picked out Mae to help him with his plan, as she is obviously too brainwashed by and eager to please the system. Most of my enjoyment came from reading the OLOB threads discussing the book, rather from the novel itself.

I also finished King's shield, which was another great installment in Inda's story. In this book the main characters are back on land and preparing for war against the Venn. It was a pity that we saw almost nothing of the seafaring characters who we'd come to know in the last two books; I hope they will be back in Treason's shore, the final book in the quartet. Smith has done an amazing job of creating a world and society that feels as though it could actually exist, and her take on gender relations is interesting too.

I've also read Shadowplay, the sequel to Pantomime by Laura Lam. This YA fantasy series is one of the best I've come across recently, with intriguing worldbuilding and well-developed characters. In this book we leave the circus for the world of the theatre, specifically that of stage magicians, meeting new people and learning more about the past of the mysterious Alders and Chimaera. Micah seems to become more comfortable as a person too, which is good to see. Unfortunately the book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, so I am eagerly awaiting the next volume.

Now I'm reading Death comes for the archbishop, which has been on Mount Tbr for years. I like Willa Cather's writing a lot, so I don't know why I kept putting off reading this for so long. It is a beautiful, quiet book that lovingly depicts a unique landscape and the various peoples who live there, and explores how the arrival of the Catholic church affects them. I know that a few others in the Green Dragon have enjoyed this recently and so far I share their high opinion of the book.

On my kindle I'm reading The bone season which, like The circle, I had no great expectations of. It was only 99p and something about the premise of a dystopian future Britain where the clairvoyant are outlawed piqued my interest, despite seeing mostly negative reviews. While I can see some faults with the book (too much in-world slang; an over-complicated hierarchy of clairvoyant types; a heroine who is something of a special snowflake; cartoonish villains) I'm finding it quite engaging and an interesting read. However, I'm worried that we are in for a torrid romance at some point ...

And finally I'm reading a Jack Vance novel that I found at a second-hand shop last week: The blue world. I do love the odd societies he creates and his dry wit, both of which excuse the sometimes thin plots.

Finished Death comes for the Archbishop which was beautiful and moving. I've only been to the Southwestern USA once and now long to go back. Cather describes the landscape so compellingly in its beauty and harshness, and shows how it shapes the lives of the different communities that live there. Latour and Vaillant are both good men whose contrasting personalities each have a role to play in reaching out to those around them and planting the Catholic faith. I really liked that Latour, especially, was respectful of the faith and customs of the native peoples, rather than forcing them to convert to "American" (basically European) ways like so many missionaries did in other fields. This book is well deserving of its classic status and is one that I will be returning to in the furture.

I also finished The bone season, which was just okay. The reservations I mentioned above did not disappear as the book went on and will put me off reading any of the proposed 7 sequels. I never really cared about the characters and found the plot predictable. Also, Paige gets hit on the head so many times in the course of the book that I really think she must have brain damage by now.

I'm off to Scotland for a week's vacation with friends, so will update when I get back. I'm taking my kindle and also a Fred Vargas mystery, Seeking whom he may devour and The stars my destination - got to be prepared in case it rains all the time or we get snowed in!

Enjoy your vacation! :o) Take lots of pictures, please. (My grandmother was born there but I haven't managed to visit yet myself.)

Have an amazing trip - I love going up to Scotland at this time of year!

Enjoy your trip! I hope you have good weather for it.

Lucky @Sakerfalcon to be visiting Scotland. I hope the weather is kind to you. (And do take and post pictures!)

Wonderful place, filled with happy memories! What parts will you see?

Have a fabulous time and, yes, take lots of pictures!

Have a great time! We'll be with you in spirit. And can't wait to see pictures!

Thanks everyone for the good wishes for my trip. My friends and I had a great time, walking in the hills and eating lots of cake! We were based at Newtonmore in the Spey Valley, which is part of the Cairngorms National Park. It's a beautiful landscape with ancient pine forests, round-topped mountains, deep blue lochs and lots of wildlife. We saw golden eagles, hen harriers, red grouse, red deer and red squirrels (why is so much Scottish wildlife red?!) I haven't had time to edit my photos yet but I will be sure to post some when I have.

I managed to finish Seeking whom he may devour before I left, while waiting for the train. It was as good as the other Inspector Adamsberg novels that I've read, with quirky characters and humour that takes the edge off some rather grim killings. I liked that the plot is established before Adamsberg appears, so that we have already met the main characters and can form our own opinions of them rather than seeing everything through the eyes of the detective. I don't read many mysteries as a rule, but I really like this series by Fred Vargas.

While away from home I did read The stars my destination and enjoyed the fast-moving plot. I agree with the improbabilities that others have pointed out on the discussion threads, but had to put my mental blinkers on while reading and suspend disbelief. Gully is certainly not a nice character, but he is an interesting one, as is the future society that Bester has drawn. I'm glad to have read this as it is considered a classic of SF and was a good yarn.

I also finished The blue world, which is typical Jack Vance - a totally original setting, dryly humorous dialogue, a determined hero intent on justice and a ridiculously complicated ritualistic society that the author gently pokes fun at. Good stuff.

Yesterday afternoon was wet and windy so I stayed home and read a library book, Roomies, a YA novel that chronicles the tentatively-developing email-based friendship between two girls who have been assigned as college roommates. The book takes place over the 65 days before term starts and alternates between the two girls' perspectives. Of course they come from contrasting backgrounds and have different interests, but they find much in common too as they deal with family strife, changing friendships, boys, and their hopes for the future. It's a very quick read but rather sweet and I really liked it.

I'm part way through The goldfinch on my kindle, which is interesting so far. I doubt I'm going to like it as much as I did The secret history but it is very compelling at the moment.

#65 We saw golden eagles, hen harriers, red grouse, red deer and red squirrels (why is so much Scottish wildlife red?!)

It is probably the influence of the left.

;)

Thanks for sharing your reading Sakerfalcon, I've put Ancillary Justice on my wish list, as well as a couple of other SF books that led me to on Amazon.

Claire, you might just be guilty of pushing Ancillary Justice onto my tbr pile. You are making a habit of this.

I have noticed several people singing its praises. I read the first few pages of it on the Amazon "Look inside" and, even though it is trying to do something novel (if you excuse the pun) with gender, the type of experiment that can lead to awkward prose, I found myself caught up with the story and wanting to read more. Your comments about the book have tipped the balance.

I will have to return the favour.

By the way, I look forward to seeing your pictures. I have been South, North, East and West of where you and your friends stayed but I have never taken the drive up the Spey Valley.

>87 Sakerfalcon:, 88: Ancillary justice was excellent, I don't think either of you will regret reading it. I will just warn you that it is the first of a trilogy, but it doesn't have a cliffhanger-y ending so you could stop after the first book and be reasonably satisfied. But I think most readers will be keen to see what Breq does next.

Here are a few pics from my trip:


This is Loch an Eilean, at the foot of the Cairngorm mountains.


These are the Cairngorm mountains seen from Glenmore forest.


This is Glen Feshie, on a typically Scottish day of mixed sunshine and showers.


And this is the view from my friend's dad's house, where we stayed. Not bad waking up to that in the morning!

Glen Feshie looks kinda cold -- but not as cold as Clam's pictures! Many thanks for sharing.

Very nice pictures. I particularly like the mountain range one, and Glen Feshie.

Lovely pictures!

So pretty. I don't know why, but I always think of the United Kingdom as having little or no wilderness left. I think it was drummed into us as children that people came to America because of overcrowding, that my imagination sees it as very settled land. Those look like large unsettled expanses to me.

Lee, somebody pointed out a rather surprising way of looking at it some years or maybe decades ago. In South Africa, which we think of as pretty wild, it is rarely if at all possible to get more than 15 km from a public road. In Scotland you can double that relatively easily. The people are much more concentrated in the cities and the Lowlands. I wonder how California features by that measure?

The weather in Scotland is probably what has limited settlement up there. It's extremely changeable, dangerously so in the mountain areas. There are parts of England and Wales that are relatively wild still too, most with National Park status, but it's true that most of our cities are very crowded. Houses come with a lot less land (smaller gardens) than in the US and tend to be smaller overall by comparison.

Glad you like the pictures; this part of Scotland is one of my favourite places and it was lovely to see it in winter - I'd only ever been in summer before.

I'm still enjoying The goldfinch, though I keep wanting to reach into the book and stop Theo from making some of his really bad decisions. I guess that is a sign that I care about him. Right now I'm cross with him for putting Hobie into a bad situation. One thing I do find hard to relate to in the book though is the drug use and dependency. I guess the addictive part of my nature limits itself to book acquisition; I've never been able to understand the need or desire to get drunk, high or whatever. Many of the characters in the novel are heavy drug users and/or drinkers and that distances me from them somewhat. I'm certainly finding it a compelling read despite that though.

I've also started reading Rosemary and rue, the first of Seanan McGuire's October Daye urban fantasies. Somehow UF has gone from a genre I wouldn't touch with a bargepole to something that I'm enjoying more and more. I'm pretty selective about which series I read - I'd rather have actually storylines than endless sex scenes, and I like to see characters grow and develop - and so far this book is very promising.

And I'm rereading The player of games, which I remember being one of the best of the Culture series. So far it is living up to that memory.

Claire, is it not also true that in the 18th and 19th centuries the Scottish Highlands were more densely populated than they are now? But rapacious landowners thought there was more profit in sheep than crofters, and so many of the inhabitants were forced off the land, mostly ending up in Canada. My impression is that ruined crofts from those times are not hard to find, especially in the west Highlands.

Good comments about The Goldfinch. I'm about 550 pages into it, and I keep having the same urge to reach in and stop Theo from making those bad decisions.

>76 hfglen:: Yes, that is certainly true. The Highland Clearances were not a nice part of history ...

75> Due to conversations on various threads, The Player of Games has worked it's way into my TBR pile...

Lovely pictures, Claire. I now have such a longing in my bones to visit. My paternal grandmother was born there and I simply need to see it, at some point.

Clam, of course the other reason for wanting to visit there and pay attention is that it's the home of many respected, indeed revered, Scotch whiskies! ;)

Let me know if you want some more "less sex, more story" urban fantasies. I can give you some recommendations. As you said, they are getting more common. Though I do still enjoy reading fantasy porn now and then. :D

#81 - That, too.

#82 - LOL, Morphy. :oD

Re: pictures et al - Hmn, I've wanted to go to Scotland for ages but don't think going with a motion sick kid in tow would act to heighten the experience. Hopefully I'll still be spry enough to travel wild once he leaves for his own home ;)

>79 pwaites:: If you haven't read any of Banks's SF before, that is a good place to start. I look forward to your comments when you get around to trying it.

>80 clamairy:: Yes, you should definitely visit! But bring waterproofs and mozzie repellent (the latter if you come in summer. Scottish midges are no joke).

>82 Morphidae:: Recommendations would be welcome, Morphy! Not that my Tbr pile needs to grow any taller ... So far I've started and enjoyed the following series:
Dresden Files (Butcher)
Harper Grey (Richardson)
Hollows (Harrison)
Mercy Thompson (Briggs)
Toby Daye (McGuire)
Alex Verus (Jacka)
Felix Castor (Carey)

>84 Busifer:: Scotland is an amazing place to visit and my sister and I loved going there as children/teens, but many of the best places are only accessible via twisty-turny single track roads, so maybe not good for motion sickness.

Last night I finished The goldfinch, having been completely engrossed by the whole book. Theo and the other characters really were vivid, to the point where I worried about them, or wanted good/bad things to happen to them. It's a very long book, which some have complained about, but I couldn't think of any part that I'd have cut; it all flowed seamlessly and built up a detailed picture. @jnwelch, I'm glad I'm not the only one who cared so much about a fictional character; I can safely say that Theo and co will be haunting me for a good while.

I also finished Rosemary and rue which was a really good read and succeeded in making me want to read the rest of the series. I liked Toby, she is a good mix of competent and vulnerable. She tends to try and do things alone, but has plausible reasons for being afraid to trust others - however I could see her beginning to overcome this as the story progressed. SPOILER I did want to shout at her for trusting Devin - right from her first mention of him I got a "no good" vibe. He struck me as sleazy through and through, something which Toby only reluctantly realises right at the end of the book, after the denouement. I was glad to be proved right though - I really didn't want the author to have a man who preys on vulnerable teens be a good guy.

I've just started reading The accursed by Joyce Carol Oates, which seems to be a Gothic novel, set in early C20th Princeton.

And I'm also reading The sundial by Shirley Jackson, which is totally weird right from the first chapter - excellent!

I need to get started on Treason's shore too, before I forget how the huge cast of characters ended up at the end of the previous book.

I enjoyed The Accursed, though it definitely was odd at times...

>86 Marissa_Doyle:: I'm glad to hear good words from you about The accursed, as the reviews seem lukewarm at best. I'm about 100 pages in and enjoying it so far ... the hints of creepy goings-on are tantalizing.

> 86 & 87 - The Accursed is on my TBR (along with a million others, of course), but you two are making me want to put it higher up the list.

I think you just need to fall into it and let it carry you along. I found her depiction of Woodrow WIlson fascinating.

Okay, let's see:

I have given all six books in the Magic series by Ilona Andrews an 8 out of 10 stars. It starts with Magic Bites.

Try Written in Red by Anne Bishop. Do NOT read anything else by her. You will not like it. But the start of this series should be "less sex" enough for you. In fact, I don't remember any sex at all. It is very dark though. She's one of my favorite authors. The second book is coming out shortly.

Hounded by Kevin Hearne is a fun romp. Several LTers have enjoyed it thoroughly. Oberon is everyone's favorite character.

Anything by Charlaine Harris. You can try the Sookie Stackhouse series beginning with Dead Until Dark. It's very popular. But I prefer her Harper Connelly series starting with Grave Sight. Some sex, not overdone.

It's more "Southern Fiction Fantasy" but I adore Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen. It's a book I recommend to just about everyone. Some graphic language in a spot or two, nothing more than that.

There is sex in Jeaniene Frost's books but it's not TOO overbearing or at least it doesn't get in the way of the story. Try Halfway to the Grave.

ETA: What I really like about the Frost books is that there is SO much growth in the relationship between the two main characters. It's so very real. They have had me sobbing with emotion at some points.

"Anti-Recommendations"

Stay away from:

Laurell K. Hamilton
Nalini Singh
J. R. Ward

While I enjoy them, they are fantasy porn, and you will not!

90> I really liked Illona Andrews' series as well.

Written in Red sounds interesting, and it gets good reviews. I've added it to my To Read list. Yes, I'm snooping in on your recommendations for Sakerfalon.

One of the "nice" things about Written in Red is that the werecreatures are NOT sparkly sexy people. For the most part they are violent, aggressive and quite unpleasant.

I'm going to steal some of your recommendations, too, Morphy. I really enjoyed Sookie and I have read the first Harper book and really liked it. I think I would enjoy these other books you have mentioned.

90, 91: I'm stealing the same recommendation as @pwaites, @Morphidae! Written in red sounds good. I agree that her other books (well, at least her Dark Jewels books, I haven't read much else by her) won't be @Sakerfalcon's cup of tea. I did like them, but I also see that in the guise of women-in-control, she manages to belittle them substantially.

I also checked out Halfway to the grave, but the blurb sounds like: poor incompetent woman is forced to learn fighting by cranky hunk, whom she falls in love with in the end. Is the book like that?

I think from your perspective about women being belittled in Black Jewels, you wouldn't like Halfway to the Grave. At the beginning, she isn't as strong as she is in later books. I don't have that perspective in the slightest, so enjoy both. You probably also wouldn't like Hounded - there are no strong female characters in the first book except some goddesses that are on the dark side. Even in the rest of the series, the female is mostly a side kick. Magic Bites will probably be your best bet but even then, the male is physically much stronger.

Written in Red might not be for you either. The main character is submissive and weak at the beginning. There is growth but she isn't a super strong person. And the werecharacters are very dominant and aggressive. It's not a male/female thing but a were/human thing.

95: It's not that I didn't enjoy the Dark Jewels books, I did, certainly the first time I read them. But I was disappointed in Jaenelle, when she renounced her power at the end. Plus, when I started to re-read them, I started noticing things. One of my major disappointments is Surreal, who could have been awesome, but never reached her potential. I did really like the books, and for a while I was completely engrossed in them (well, in the first trilogy, the books after that are mostly of lesser quality, I find), but I think the books would have been a lot better if they hadn't been so half-assed about women in power. If Jaenelle had been comfortable with her own power, if the men had been a little less alpha-male (why on earth is it acceptable for a man to start yelling at a traumatized woman that she should take better care of herself or some such?), if the other powerful women could have been as awesome as the powerful men, instead of always having lesser emotional and/or magical integrity and strength (Cassandra, Surreal).

I guess you are right that Halfway to the grave wouldn't be for me. But Written in red I might still give a try. I'll see how I like i...

>96 zjakkelien: Did you read all the books including the short stories? Jaenelle didn't really renounce her power. It was transformed.

>90 Morphidae:

Seconding Hounded, but I strongly encourage you to find the audio version. Luke Daniels nails Oberon's voice.

>90 Morphidae:: Thank you so much for the recommendations! I've heard good things about the Kate Daniels series and Kevin's Hearne's books, so I'll grab those when I see them. I've read and adored Garden spells and now seek out the author's other books when they appear. Her books remind me of some of Alice Hoffman's. I'll give the Anne Bishop one a try too; having read reviews of the Black Jewels series I had assumed she was an author I'd never want to read so it's good to hear that she's written something I might like. I really appreciate the unsuggestions, too; from what I'd read about Ward and Hamilton I suspected their books would not be for me, so it's good to have that confirmed.

And I'm glad the suggestions have been useful to others too!

I finished reading The sundial last night; what a strange, compelling book it is. A family are gathered at their palatial home after a funeral, when the maiden aunt goes into the garden and has a vision. Her father appears to tell her that the end of the world is coming and only those who remain at the house will be saved. The immediate family and a few invited "extras" start making preparations, though not all are believers and want to stay. They don't get a choice; the matriarch has appointed herself future leader of the promised new world and she won't let anyone interfere with her plans. This is quite a short novel but worth seeking out if you've enjoyed other books by Shirley Jackson and like her brand of weird suspense.

97: Yes, I read all of them, except for the last story in the last book (according to a friend, that story spoiled everything for her). So yes, I do know it's still there, but that doesn't mean she didn't renounce it.

I finished The accursed which was a really good read for anyone who enjoys Gothic novels. The final section seemed a bit too long, but up until then I found it hard to put the book down. It's told by a historian writing in the mid/late C20th about events that occurred in Princeton in 1905-6, and is a patchwork of documents linked and interpreted by the narrator. Fictional characters mingle with the likes of Woodrow Wilson, Grover Cleveland, Upton Sinclair and Mark Twain, to good effect. At the end I was still left wondering what had really happened, given the unreliable nature of the narrator and his evidence - although there was a final confession of sorts I doubted its legitimacy given how much possession there had been in the book, making characters speak and act against their will. The book won't please those who like a definite answer at the end of a story, or those who like a flowing narrative, but I very much enjoyed this clever book.

I'm currently reading an urban fantasy/police procedural from the library, London falling. I didn't think I'd like it based on the first chapter or two, when I didn't like the characters and wasn't interested in what was happening. But when the "fantasy" part arrived with a bang it started to grip me. The characters have become far more likeable and interesting to me now they are out of their comfort zone and having to improvise. Unlike most UF, in this book the POV characters are totally unaware that there is anything more than this mundane world, so when the supernatural bursts through it is a complete shock, and they have only their police procedures and techniques to fall back on. So far the Other is stranger and less easily definable than the usual werewolves or vampires; it's also rather dark and violent.

London Falling sounds good. I've been staying away from most urban fantasy (though I plan a reread of Kelley Armstrong's books); they all started to seem the same to me. But this one definitely sounds interesting.

What Sandragon said. I stay away from urban fantasy like it's the plague - my life is too short to spend on a selection of regurgitated Arthurian/Celtic/other mythical characters displaced into a modern/apocalyptic/dystopian cityscape with added gratuitous sex and angst. This one sounds interesting, though.
Onto the list it goes :)

>102 sandragon:, 103 @busifer: I finished London falling yesterday, and have to say that the last half of the book had me completely gripped. Busifer, it is definitely not like the sort of thing you describe (which also put me off reading UF for ages)! I should give warning that events get quite dark and rather gruesome a few times, but there are also plenty of things to make you smile and give you hope. My edition had a glossary in the back of all the police and some of the London specific vocabulary used, which even I found necessary to use at times. It is a very London-centric book, as the title implies; much of the action takes place in districts that even most natives won't visit regularly. One thing it does very well is reflect the diverse population of the city, especially in terms of racial and sexual diversity. I can imagine readers who like crime fiction but not fantasy would enjoy this book.

I'm now rereading The algebraist, which I didn't much like the first time I read it, yet which has stayed in my mind over the years. Unfortunately I started the reread before Christmas, then got sucked into the Culture group read and now have forgotten some of the detail from the beginning of the book. Doh!

I also have more library books lined up to read, including The wild girl by Kate Forsyth (about the young woman who worked with the Brothers Grimm on their fairy tale collection), Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen (I'm really excited about this one as I love her books) and Vampires in the lemon grove - magical realist short stories by Karen Russell.

And I've just realised how many books I have to read for group reads this month - A free man of color, The cloud roads and One of ours! Looks like I will be busy for a while ...

I will look out for London Falling - thanks!
(And now I also know I'll have to pay attention so I get an edition with a glossary!)

#105 by @Busifer> Oh, I loved London Falling. It's definitely not much like most UF. I see a sequel is due out and can't wait.

Uh oh. *covers eyes*

107: Is it helping, @clamairy?

I saw London falling in the store today, sounded ok, and with recommendations from here, perhaps I should check it out...

London Falling is a book I recently added to my tbr mountain. I have just taken it from its hiding place and put it on the shelf I use to keep books visible so that I can read them soon.

Hey, @clamairy, open your eyes. Go on. You know you want to.

Yeah, go for it, Clam! London Falling was terrific!

After reading the reviews, I think London Falling is far too dark for me at this point. Maybe later!

I think London Falling sounds good! I'll add it to the list.

London Falling has been coming up as an Amazon rec for me for ages - I think I'm finally going to give in and acquire it now (having just acquired Ancillary Justice) - it's been a good week for book bullets :)

London Falling keeps coming up for me as well. May just have to give in.

Do anyone know if there's a difference between the UK and US edition? I can only get the US one and I know sometimes the difference is significant...

#115 @Busifer, I just asked Paul your question and he said the only difference is that the US edition has a longer glossary.

Oh, great, then - I'll probably need that :)
Thanks!

I hope all of you who do decide to pick up London falling enjoy it as much as I did!

I've just finished reading Lost Lake, the latest novel by Sarah Addison Allen. It contains the same ingredients as her previous books - characters with painful backstories, an attractive Southern setting, a dose of magic and lots of tasty food - and casts the same delightful spell. Kate, a young widow and her 8 year old daughter (a great character) impulsively visit the fading resort of Lost Lake which is owned by Kate's great aunt Eby. There they meet a cast of eccentric characters and become involved in the future of the resort. I love the way Allen weaves together her characters and their stories together into a satisfying whole, showing how dependent everyone is on each other and how people can contribute in unexpected ways. Allen's books are magical realism with the emphasis on magical, and cynics would probably throw them across the room in disgust. But (to paraphrase a review on here), if you want a book that is sweet but not saccharine and light but not fluffy then give her a try.

I also read The wild girl, another one of my recent library finds. Forsyth's novel is about Dortchen Wild, the girl-next-door who told Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm many of the tales in their collection, including several of the best-known ones. It's a satisfying historical novel which artfully weaves fairy tale themes (many of the darkest ones) into the lives of the characters. My main complaint would be that because of the need to stick to the timeline of her characters lives the novel is not always logically paced and Forsyth has to spread the story out over a few years when it might have been better resolved sooner. Dortchen is a strong woman, but her strength is of the quietly enduring kind rather than taking action and fighting back. At times I wanted to shout at her to use the knife she'd tucked away under her pillow, but I had to admit that this wouldn't really have fit with the character as Forsyth drew her (and also would only have led to more problems for her in the long term. But it would have given me satisfaction!) I have a few other criticisms of the novel, but overall I found it gripping reading and ultimately satisfying. I will just say that, as with Bitter greens, the pretty UK cover makes this book look more magical and YA than it is - in fact, it is extremely harrowing at times and the only magic is that within the fairy tales.

I'm now reading One of ours by Willa Cather for the Virago group's WWI read. So far we are still in Nebraska, but the characters can see the storm clouds gathering in Europe and a sense of foreboding is looming. Unfortunately it's not enough to stop Claude, our protagonist, from plunging headlong into marriage with a totally unsuitable girl ...

I'm also reading The cloud roads for @sandstone78's group read. It's excellent so far, but then I'd expect nothing less based on my previous experiences with Martha Wells' writing.

>116 pgmcc:: That's good to know. I think some of my US friends would enjoy the book.

I liked Lost Lake, too. I preferred a couple of her other books, but it was still very good. It is a very warm and comforting book.

115 (@busifer): Do anyone know if there's a difference between the UK and US edition? I can only get the US one and I know sometimes the difference is significant...
You mean beyond the cover? The actual contents? Really?

118 (@Sakerfalcon): The cloud roads is nice, isn't it? Hmm, maybe I should re-read for the discussion...

#121 - Yes, I think sometimes word choice and spelling is actually changed for the US audience. Think Harry Potter - Philosopher's Stone vs. Sorcerer's Stone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter_and_the_Philosopher%27s_Stone#U.S._publication_and_reception).

122: Wow, I didn't realize this.

I finished The cloud roads this weekend, and loved it. The characters, worldbuilding and story are all equally strong, and the book is well-written too. It follows Moon, a shapechanger who has always thought himself the only one of his kind and tried with little success to live among more human types (though I wouldn't say any of the peoples in this book are quite human). He learns his true nature when discovered by a fellow Raksura, and begins the struggle to be accepted as one of them, while finding that he has a role to play in preserving the community's existence. Wells avoids falling into the trap of making her protagonist a super-special Gary Stu type; Moon struggles to develop and use his gifts, and isn't sure whether he even wants to stay with the Raksura in the long term. I really like the society of the Raksura, in which males and females both fill the roles of teachers, healers, warriors, hunters, etc and are equally respected and valued in whatever they do. It is complex but Wells doesn't info-dump; rather she reveals her world through the story. There are so many great characters that we meet and about whom I want to know more - Jade, Stone, Chime, Root, Flower, Delin, Niran and more. I highly recommend this book, and am looking forward to the sequels.

124: I've read the first two of Wells' Books of the Raksura, and loved both. One of the biggest reasons I enjoyed it was the very thing that puts some readers off: ALL the characters were Other. Wells creates a completely alien world, a world without humans, and makes it a world we can understand and relate to, without sacrificing any of its alien-ness.

I caved and added London Falling to my wishlist. I'll probably wait until Amazon drops the price on the Kindle book.

>125 kceccato: I agree; we can all relate to Moon's attempts to find acceptance, and his internal struggle over whether to follow the path that others wish him to take, even though we are not winged shapeshifters. (And something else I loved - that winged form is not a lovely, ethereal angelic one, but rather more lizardlike with scales, frills and a tail - truly alien.)

>126 clamairy: I missed the amazon UK deal on London falling (still kicking myself for dithering over it for too long!) but was lucky enough to find a paper copy at the library. I hope you enjoy the book when you get it.

Last night I finished One of ours, this month's WWI read in the Virago group. It is definitely a book of two halves, but I think it worked well. In the first part we see Claude reaching manhood in his small Nebraska town, drifting through a couple of years of college then into farming and marriage. In the background are reports from the war in Europe, but its most tangible effect on Claude and his neighbours at this point is in higher wheat prices. Claude has always felt out of place in his world and it is only when he enlists that he believes he has found his true purpose in life. He turns out to be a good officer, mindful of his men and respectful towards the civilians he encounters once in France. I was rather dubious while reading this part of the book, as both Claude and the author seem to have an idealised view of the war as something that allowed a certain kind of man to find fulfilment and reach his destiny, without bearing in mind the devastation it wreaked. But ending of the book did show the price that was paid by many, and the final pages were very moving. I'm glad to have read this lesser-known novel by Cather and would recommend it.

I finished reading A free man of color for the GD group read and find myself echoing the thoughts of some others. It was a very good book, well plotted and with vivid characters who felt convincing in their attitudes and motivations. But it is difficult to read about the injustice and wilful ignorance that characterised society at the time, and especially depressing to see that things had become less, rather than more, enlightened during the years January was in Paris. It was not a good time or place to be either a person of colour or female. I agree with MrsLee that Hambly needed to convey a huge amount of information to set the scene and show the intricacies of the society with its strange (to me) hierarchies and rules, but for the most part she did it gracefully without resorting to outright info dumping. I didn't figure out whodunit or why; I thought it might have been Peralta pere, angry that Angelique was demanding so much from a contract with his son
I liked Ben and his sisters and friends, and will probably read on in the series if I can find the next couple of volumes. But I will read something upbeat before then!

On my kindle I read a slight fantasy novel, Luthiel's song. It is very Tolkienesque in having mystical elves, wise sorcerers, magical objects and a Quest. The major difference is that the protagonist is female, and her motivation for questing is to save her sister's life. But while this is cool, I was disappointed that NONE of the people/creatures she meets along the way are female. That said, there are also no alpha male love interests, and Luthiel has to make her own decisions in the end. While the magical world was nice, and the story started out well, eventually I lost interest and shan't look for the sequel. At least it was only 77p!

Now I'm reading The killing moon, which is a library book, and Two for the lions, one of Lindsay Davis' Roman mysteries starring Falco the disreputable informer.

Oooh I've had my eye on The Killing Moon for a while! I look forward to your verdict :)

>118 Sakerfalcon: I'm in the middle of Lost Lake, and liking it very much. Kate's little girl is a hoot. I like your description of Sarah Addison Allen's books and agree with it. Garden Spells remains my favorite, but I've enjoyed all of them.

I got Lost Lake as an ER book for February, but it hasn't shown up yet. Looking forward to it. Happy to see Sarah Addison Allen's books remain as enjoyable as ever (though Garden Spells is also my favourite).

>126 clamairy: My son is LOVING London Falling-- one of his birthday books this week.

#132 by @Marissa_Doyle> Yay!

I'm interested in hearing what you think of The Killing Moon. While I enjoy her writing, I much preferred The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and The Broken Kingdoms. Have you read those?

>129 imyril:, >134 Morphidae:: I finished The killing moon and enjoyed it, for the most part. It took me a while to get into it, and I found that my interest waned at times, but overall it was a very good book. I didn't really like The hundred thousand kingdoms, finding the narrative style annoying and disliking all the characters apart from Sieh. The strength of The killing moon was its worldbuilding, which was vivid and unusual, well thought out, and always shown to us, never told in info dumps which is a rare feat in fantasy writing. I liked the characters much better than those of THTK although they felt a bit like stock types at first - impetuous young apprentice, noble but troubled mentor, ambassador with a covert mission. But I grew to care about them, and was relieved that we didn't have to suffer any angsty romance along the way. I've moved straight onto the second book as I took it out of the library at the same time, but I really appreciate that you could stop at the end of book 1 and be perfectly satisfied with its resolution. The shadowed sun has sucked me right in from the start, with more female viewpoint characters and a wider view of the world and its peoples.

>130 jnwelch:: I agree, Devin was probably my favourite character in the book. @sandragon, I hope your copy shows up soon!

So along with The shadowed sun I'm reading the Korval's game omnibus to try and get to the point where I can pick up Theo's story again in Saltation. The novels in this omnibus fill in back story and get us to the point where Fledgling ended.

I'm also reading a high fantasy novel, Lord of snow and shadows, set in a world rather like C18th Russia with political and magical intrigue. Also, owls :-)

135> heh, I've had both TKM and THTK on the list - I'll definitely start with Moon based on your comments !

>136 imyril: Well, I am in a minority for not having liked THTK; others think highly of it!

Finished The shadowed sun, which was awesome. Unlike TKM it grabbed me from the first chapter and didn't let go; the viewpoint characters were so much more interesting to me. TSS explores the implications and consequences of the world/society which were described in the first book, questioning institutions and practices through internal and external turmoil. Hanani, the female lead, I loved from the start and it was a joy to watch her grow in confidence and make her own path as the book progressed. Wanahomen, her male counterpart, was kind of a dick at first but he too learned and grew until he was truly ready to take on his role in the world. One of my favourite things in the book was the development of a strong friendship between Hanani and another woman who could so easily have chosen to see her as a rival. I was perhaps a little disappointed with the ending; while I appreciated that Hanani made her own choice and set her own rules, I wished that she had gone back to the Hetawa and reinvented the role of Sharer on her own terms, encouraging and teaching other girls to join by showing them that they needn't supress their femininity and attempt to be the same as the men in order to serve. The ending as it is written isn't bad, and Hanani certainly retains her agency, but it isn't quite what I wanted. Still, I highly recommend the book and its prequel.

Because I finished this while I still had a train journey to make, I read the novella The alchemist by Paulo Bacigalupi on my kindle. This is a fantasy set in a world where using magic causes poisonous impenetrable thorns to grow, destroying farmland and cities. The alchemist of the title manages to invent a device which could help humanity in its battle against the bramble, but quickly learns that not everyone is as altruistic as he. A very quick but thoughtful read, and I'm looking forward to its companion, The executioness.

Now I'm reading Shirely Jackson's first novel, The road through the wall.

I really enjoyed The road through the wall; it is not as memorable as her later work but her shrewd observations of the darker side of human nature are already strong in this portrait of a seemingly respectable, "nice" California street. She portrays adult hypocrisies and childish cruelty with a dispassionate and merciless eye, building up through subtle signs to the tragedy that is the climax of the book. An excellent read.

I also finished Lord of snow and shadows which was vivid and entertaining but let down by a plot that hinges too often on characters' mistakes and naivety. Elysia in particular seemed totally unable to read people and far too ready to take them at face value with no suspicion of treachery. Yet supposedly she has lived at court in her past. In another instance, a wanted criminal suspect is able to escape because her captors - all experienced long-serving warriors - get distracted at the crucial moment. But the C19th Russian-style backdrop is nice, and I really like Kiukiu and her bond with the owls, even if she did manage to learn magic rather quickly. It is a very interesting and usual form of magic though which gave the book extra points.

I've also read both books in the Korval's game omnibus, which tells of the continuing adventures of our friends in the Liaden universe. I found Plan B to be a bit of a slog, probably because I don't like Military SF and there were rather too many battles in this book, both in space and on the ground. It also seemed to be getting characters in place for the next book. But I enjoyed Nelirikk and his recruitment to the Korval forces. I dare however was extremely compelling, with several fast-moving storylines as all the pieces from the previous books came together. I enjoyed Pat Rin's adventures, and the Clutch turtles (I'd read a whole book about them!), and the contributions of two excellent felines. The Ren Zel/Anthora thing came out of nowhere which was a bit confusing, but I did appreciate finally seeing an outsider male brought into the Korval clan. One could complain that the characters are all a bit too perfect - good at everything they try, quick to outwit their enemies - but for me it is a pleasure to watch really competent, smart people work together and succeed. Now I'm going to continue with Theo's story by rereading Fledgling and continue on from there.

On the train this weekend I read The school for good and evil, which I have conflicting feelings for. The author is clearly trying to question and deconstruct fairytale tropes and conventions, but he still equates good with beauty and evil with ugliness to a disturbing degree. Also the book is too long and the early parts are repetitive. Some of it was fun, but I don't think I'll be looking for the sequel.

Now I've started to read The rook which I found at the library and about which I've heard excellent things. The first couple of chapters are certainly pulling me in.

And at home I've started Fool's war, another space opera.

Oh, The Rook is just wonderful--I hope you enjoy it!!

I truly enjoyed Fool's War and feel, on the whole, that Sarah Zettel's SF is far far too under appreciated.

>139 Sakerfalcon: Hmm, I've been considering Lord of Snow and Shadows for a little while- my local library has the trilogy and the duology set (later? possibly contemporaneous with the Artamon trilogy?) in that universe, Tracing the Shadow and Flight into Darkness... An interesting magic system (and a female character female character with magic) just might be enough to tip me over the edge to read them.

Regarding Ren Zel and Anthora... SPOILER I was bothered by the seeming massive lack of consent there- Okay, you accidentally wandered into my dreams somehow using wizardly powers you didn't know you had, and we had really good sex- you're now married to me for the rest of my life, and a member of my clan, which I've just announced to my clan and the whole of society through a public ad in the Gazette, even though you didn't think it was real. I'm not going to ask you first or anything, or discuss it with you, because we're obviously destined lifemates, and who needs consent when you have destiny? Ech. The way the other characters play it off as "Oh, that's just Anthora, she's like that, congratulations and welcome to the family!" on top of it all, and Lina and Shan had a good idea that it might be Anthora when Ren Zel came to Lina for help and they chose not to tell him because things should take their natural course- that's not okay to me either. Destiny is not a substitute for consent!

Also, yes, finally an outsider man with a Korval woman... and their story is a sub-subplot rather than a book in its own right. I couldn't help but be disappointed about that. :/ I've not gotten to the Theo books yet, but with Theo we seem to have an outsider woman who comes into Korval by birth rather than marriage- I suppose that's at least mixing it up a little...?

I find the Liaden books overall compulsively readable, and very enjoyable, but there are certain tropes around gender and romance that show up over and over again that I find very frustrating.

>141 JannyWurts: Seconded, Fool's War blew me away. I have the rest of Zettel's SF backlist waiting in the TBR, perhaps I should bump it up a bit...

139, 140> Agreed. The Rook was wonderful!

I don't know if another point of view is welcome, but I thought The Rook was only semi-wonderful.

>140 Marissa_Doyle:, >143 pwaites:, >144 Meredy: I'm about 150 pages in and loving The rook so far. I'm ignoring how easily Myfanwy is able to bluff her way through her job with no-one seemingly suspicious of her ignorance. I like the humour and am intrigued by the whole set-up.

>141 JannyWurts: Fool's war is very good so far as well. I'm not that I personally would find a clown helpful in lowering stress levels as I find that sort of thing irritating rather than funny, but it is a very interesting and unusual concept and I look forward to seeing where Zettel goes with it.

>142 sandstone78: I agree, the lifebond thing is used to handwave away a lot that would normally be considered problematic, and it is disturbing when you think it through. I gather there is a short story about Ren Zel that may fill out some backstory to make this less abrupt than it appears, but in I dare we certainly aren't given the impression that there was any prior contact at all between them. Anthora's public announcement of the bond grated on me too; it reminded me of the scene in Deborah Harkness's novel A discovery of witches where the "hero" announces to the heroine that they are now married because he kissed her in front of his mother ... But I tend to expect that from urban fantasy (and try to avoid it), not in my space opera.

>142 sandstone78: I'd certainly check the Sarah Ash books out from the library, but am not sure they're keepers. I look forward to your thoughts if you do pick them up.

I forgot to mention that I was reading the next book in the Falco series of mysteries, One virgin too many. I really enjoyed this one, in which Falco and Helena are back in Rome and having to delve into the mysteries of Rome's various cults and priesthoods.

145: Count me among the fans of The Rook. Myfanwy, Ingrid, Shantay... love them all. Daniel O'Malley wins major points with me, not only for creating a believably badass heroine, but also for making friendships between women important in his story.

I loved Fool's War. I'm with you on the irritation, but Dobbs is not just any clown. And as I recall, the devout Muslim woman who owned the ship was well done.

>146 kceccato: And it passes the Bechdel test!

>145 Sakerfalcon: Liaden SPOILERS There are tons of unfortunate implications in the lifemate bond. The most disappointing for me was the revelation in Crystal Soldier- spoiler, but I'll try to isolate it from the plot consequences for that pair of books- that the bond is an artifact of scientific/magical engineering for male/female pairs of wizards. The male one is stronger, of course, but the female wizard has the ability to regulate the male wizard's power or some nonsense like that, and he will die almost immediately if she is killed.

The reification of these tired gender stereotypes in the metaphysics of the world- and holding them up as the bestest type of relationship one can have, the one all of the important lead characters get- and the seeming implication that lifemate bonds only occur between one man and one woman was a huge disappointment for me. I had always read the lifemate bond as carefully non-gender-specific, one of the few I've ever come across that was not "to produce the best babies, because the magic knows!", and with the Liaden universe portrayed as relatively welcoming of same-sex relationships (eg Lina and Priscilla in Conflict of Honors- though obviously this is at odds with the Everyone Must Produce A Child thing in Local Custom seems at odds with this reading of the setting, traditional Liaden rules never come off so well in the story) I had held out a tiny hope that maybe someday we would actually get to see a same-sex lifemate bond couple on screen, even in a minor role, or different relationship dynamics in a lifemate couple...

Alas, it seems not to be- what seemed genuinely inclusive and welcoming seems to have been so by accident instead, and the representation before just feels like tokenism to me now that types of relationships beyond one man/one woman are actually, metaphysically second-class in the setting. It is something that it was human (sort-of?) engineering that did it, rather than a natural or divine law, though, and I have some hope that maybe there is more explication of the nature of the bond in Crystal Dragon or a little more ambiguity to things, as the relevant characters and situation only show up in about the last ten pages of Crystal Soldier (set to become one of my favorite books until this revelation), but I had to take a break from the series after this, and I've still not been able to go back to it.

I have Thoughts about default-bi/pansexual settings and who they're written by and for that I'm trying to get together to write up in my thread, in the light of this and some other recent reads, fiction, non-fiction, and essay, but I've had a serious dearth of enthusiasm and brainpower lately. Hopefully soon I'll be able to pull it together!

I'll keep the Ash books in mind the next time I am reaching for an impulse read- I'll be curious to hear your thoughts if you continue with the series too!

>149 sandstone78: If I remember correctly, Mercedes Lackey has lifebonds between same-sex pairs. Vanyel, I believe? Plus, I'm pretty sure she has some of her characters explain that lifebonds are not ideal. And there is one instance of a lifebond between a human and non-human (Lavan).

>150 zjakkelien: She does! I have only read an odd handful here and there over the years (Arrows of the Queen, Brightly Burning, The Black Gryphon and The White Gryphon) over the years, and will probably eventually get around to reading further...

SPOILERS I have heard that in the Vanyel trilogy, Vanyel and not one but two of his lovers- or possibly the same one twice reincarnated or something convoluted- end up (tragically, possibly) dead rather than living a happy married life like her heterosexual couples do though? And one of the lesbians in the couple in Arrows of the Queen died as well, I think, though the survivor gets... a replacement lifebond mate or something? and of course Brightly Burning ends with the violent death of both Lavan and his Companion... That's really not such a great track record.

>151 sandstone78: That's more because she almost aways writes about Heralds and Heralds tend to have short lifespans anyway. Part of the job... There are long-term non-heterosexual pairings that are not life-bonds in Lackey books. In the Storms and Owls books, Firesong and Silverfox are a couple, for instance and have been for decades.

>151 sandstone78: Yes, what Morphidae says. Plus, Vanyel and his lifebond may be dead, but they hang around for quite some time, protecting Valdemar. I believe they are given their choice of afterlife, because the powers that be approve of them. I'm not sure if the lesbians you mention had a lifebond or not, by the way, do you?

And in general, if there are plenty of homosexual characters in books, then some of them are bound to die at some point. Especially if they are heralds...

>149 sandstone78: & following : I hadn't been planning to read Crystal soldier or the other books in that omnibus, and I don't think that decision is going to change any time soon, based on your comments. I'm not usually very keen on the "lifebond" trope generally, enjoying the Liaden books, Lackey's Herald series and Shinn's Samaria books despite, rather than because of, it. As someone who never wanted children when I was married, and suffered huge pressure from my (ex-)husband and in-laws on that subject, I loathe Everyone Must Produce Children scenarios, especially in far-future settings where things should have progressed (it's fair enough in historical novels that are trying to portray the mores and customs of the period). I too was disappointed that the same-sex acceptance shown in Conflict of honors seems to have been a one-off thing and not a regular part of the universe. But I think that Lee and Miller are basically writing Regency romances in space and don't really have the intention of exploring non-traditional relationships, despite the huge cast of characters providing plenty of opportunities for them to do so if they wished. They're not alone; mainstream SF and Fantasy have long been reluctant to imagine alternatives to "one man-one woman" despite extraordinary creativity in terms of fantastic technology or amazing magic. That's why I value forums like this where we can share recommendations of authors who get it right (or who are at least attempting to).

Lackey is one of the better authors for including same-sex characters in her work, although I personally find Vanyel far too angsty for me to be able to reread his story often. Although I don't like the use of the lifebond, at least in her books it doesn't exist for the purpose of creating genetically perfect offspring.

>154 Sakerfalcon: And interestingly enough, in Lackey's Storm trilogy, Firesong's search for a lifebonded partner causes some real emotional and ethical issues.

Claire, I have just found your thread. I'm not a Green Dragon member and read very little SF/Fantasy but I know we have other tastes in common. I have the Kate Forsyth books on myTBR pile, and Mr Penumbra too. And I found The Goldfinch compelling and wanted to stop Theo making some of his mistakes.

>155 Morphidae: I haven't read the Storm trilogy in years but I do remember being unable to put it down at the time. I must try and find it again, as I don't remember that Firesong storyline and now I'm intrigued.

>156 CDVicarage: Welcome Kerry! Thank you for commenting. I have been reading an unusual amount of F & SF recently but I do have several Girlsown books on the Tbr stack, as well as so many Viragos that I've collected over the years, so I will add comments when I get to them. I have to tackle Aleta Day this month for the WWI group read but I'm not looking forward to it enormously given people's responses to it so far. At least it's short ...

>145 Sakerfalcon: - definetly worth pushing through the 'irritation' at the beginning though, there's a major curveball in plot coming up. I greatly enjoyed it and would love to read more of her SF. hard to find though. I think I only discovered her through a recommendation from Janny!

>157 Sakerfalcon: It's not a huge part of the story, but there are a few chapters in book 2, Storm Rising, devoted to the issue.

Well, add me to the crowd who loved The rook. Sure, I had to not think too hard about how easily Myfanwy bluffed her way through her job despite her memories being a blank; surely these high-level agents should have noticed her fudging and handwaving? But these were among the funniest scenes in the novel, so I just sat back and enjoyed them, as I did the whole book. Myfanwy past and present was an interesting character; I liked how her loss of memory allowed her to reach her full potential without her inhibitions to hold her back. And Ingrid, Alrich, Shantay and Gubbins, among others, were a great supporting cast. Even people like Val, who we saw less of, were interesting in their own right. The Grafters were a little Vandermeer-esque in their grotesqueness (as indeed were some of the people on the good side - some truly weird "gifts" in this book!) which some might see as over the top, but I didn't mind. I'm looking forward to seeing where O'Malley takes this series in future.

I'm about halfway through Fool's war and enjoying it, although I prefer the scenes from the pov of Al Shei to those with Dobbs hooked into the system trying to hunt down the AI. She is a good character though and the future as imagined by Zettel is an intriguing one. I have Kingdom of cages on Mount Tbr about which I have also heard good things. @reading_fox : several of her SF novels are available for kindle now, although they are not especially cheap.

I've also managed to read Aleta Dey for the Virago WWI group read. This is a Canadian novel about a girl who grows up in a repressive household but finds her calling in life as a campaigner for women's rights, pacifism and a more egalitarian society. However, she is conflicted because she has fallen in love with a Tory who holds opposing views to hers on every subject. I was glad to see that Aleta sticks to her opinions and continues to do what she feels is right, and that McNair respects her for this even though he doesn't respect the views she holds. But this isn't a great book; the part dealing with her childhood feels rather distant and unemotional, then we jump forward to see her as an adult without being shown how she came to hold her strong opinions. And the shock at the end is of a cheapness that I'd expect from a Jodi Picoult novel (sorry to anyone who enjoys her work), dragging the book into Victorian melodrama. However, I did find some of the opinions in the novel interesting, particularly those expressed by Aleta in conversation with a Socialist friend where she says that were a society to be founded and run on those principles she would expect that in 50 years it would be as corrupt and unequal as any other - something that we have indeed seen to be true in the case of Communist Russia. (This book was published in 1919.) Not an essential read, in fact rather a disappointment.

Something I enjoyed far more was The first fifth form, a classic girls' school story by Evelyn Smith. It follows the first year at a newly-founded school where study and sport are taken more seriously than social niceties and etiquette (something that at the time was not always the case). We spend most time with the girls of the titular fifth form, but there are engaging younger characters who have important parts to play. The school is a day school, rather than the more usual boarding kind, so we have some scenes of family life too. An excellent example of this genre that I recommend to those who like this sort of book.

On my commute I've started reading Burial rites, a historical novel about the last person to be hanged in Iceland and the crime she committed, which was recommended to me by a colleague.

I'm also reading The serpent sea, continuing the adventures of Moon and the Raksura from The cloud roads.

And at home, when not engrossed in Fool's war I'm reading another school story, The new school at Scawdale by Angela Brazil.

It's funny, but what several people have been bothered by in The Rook--that more of the characters didn't catch on about Myfanwy--didn't bother me at all. Most people are so wrapped up in themselves that they don't spend much time thinking about others' behavior...and the person who spent the most time with Myfanwy, Ingrid, knew almost immediately. What will be interesting is to see how he handles the next story, as (one presumes) Myfanwy won't have the notes from her former self to consult...which will change the rhythm of the storytelling.

>161 Marissa_Doyle: Good point - they were a rather self-absorbed lot!

>161 Marissa_Doyle: Ingrid knew all along because she was aware that the original Myfanwy lost her memory. Myfanwy told her about the prophecies and Ingrid helped her escape down the tunnel when she lost her memory.

Yes, I know. I was trying not to be spoiler-y.

>163 Morphidae: Oh, sorry. The way it was worded made me think differently - "knew almost immediately."

And I went back and put the spoiler tag on mine.

>160 Sakerfalcon: Is The first fifth form similar to the Mallory towers books by Enid Blyton, Sakerfalcon?

>166 zjakkelien:: Yes, in that both books are about life at old-fashioned girls' schools, but TFFF has less of the jokes and naughtiness of Blyton's books, and the characters are better developed. It's more subtle and feels more realistic. The author was herself a teacher so the staff are more sympathetic too, and the book is generally better written.

>167 Sakerfalcon: Interesting. Every so often I read the Mallory towers books, mostly when I feel tired, stressed or nostalgic. I might give The first fifth form a try!

What age group would be in a Fifth Form? I've never really understood the correlation between Forms (in Anglo environments) and Grades (in US environments). I looked at the cover art and the girls were portrayed as being perhaps in their mid-teens. Is that accurate?

>169 jillmwo: I've always thought that first form must be a bit like the Dutch first class (age ~12), meaning the fifth form would be around 16? But I'm not sure, and I've been confused by the addition of 'lower' or 'upper' to the form (like Upper fourth at Malory Towers. I'm still not clear about what that means...

>169 jillmwo: When I was at school (not in UK, but at a school with almost exclusively English staff), Form 1 was what we now call Grade 8 (same in USA, I think), and Form V was Grade 12, aka matric, here, and usually the final year of school. Though some upper-crust schools have a "post-matric" year corresponding to UK Sixth Form and sometimes even offering UK A-levels. Ages are about 13 for form 1 to 17 for Form V and 18 for post-matric.

I have to admit that the form system in some of the older school stories confuses me at times. Fifth form is usually for pupils of 15-16 years old, but I don't think the system was always as rigid as when I was at school and as it is now. I've read stories where girls were promoted part-way through the school year, changing forms in the winter or spring terms, which I don't think would ever happen now. And in the book I'm reading now, The new school at Scawdale, the 15 y-o heroine is put in the same class as her 13 y-o sister after taking an entrance examination to test her academic knowledge. We are told that the sister is the youngest in the form but was placed there because she is exceptionally bright. Nowadays I think children are usually kept with their age group even if they are a bit brighter or slower than their peers.

I went to school with English Benedictines, in Washington, DC. Forms one through six were US grades seven through 12. But I don't have any idea whether that correspondence is widely used.

This is what I found online:

• Secondary Education
  
  • Middle School, High School or Secondary School
    
    • Year 7, old First Form, age 11 to 12
      
    • Year 8, old Second Form, age 12 to 13
      
    • Year 9, old Third Form, age 13 to 14 (Key Stage 3 National Curriculum Tests, known as SATs (Standard Assessment Tests))
  • Upper School or Secondary School
    
    • Year 10, old Fourth Form, age 14 to 15
      
    • Year 11, old Fifth Form, age 15 to 16 (old O Level examinations, modern GCSE examinations)
      
  • Upper School, Secondary School, or Sixth Form College
    
    • Year 12 or Lower Sixth, age 16 to 17 (AS-level examinations)
      
    • Year 13 or Upper Sixth, age 17 to 18 (A2-level examinations. Both AS-levels and A2-levels count towards A-levels .)
      

Doesn't explain an upper fourth... When you google that, you get a lot of Malory Towers links!

In the simple days when I went to school the standard was as follows:

At age four one started in Primary One and stayed in primary school until completing Primary Seven. The state exam for streaming people at secondary level was call the Eleven-Plus as people were expected to be at least 11 when they were leaving primary school.

The secondary cycle was also seven years long so people leaving secondary school would normally be 18 years of age or more and, if they wished to and achieved the academic achievements required, would be entering university at 18 for what was generally a three or four year undergraduate course.

In some secondary schools, including my own, the Sixth year was called Lower Sixth and the Seventh year was Upper Sixth.

In relation to things such as the upper forth, I would suspect that was streaming within the fourth year based on academic achievement. We had several classes in every year. The classes were streamed from A to F based on the capabilities of the pupils assigned to the class. Upper Fourth could be a reference to the more academic class Fourth Year class.

In those days schools were not upset about telling one group of pupils that their performance was better than that of another group.

I was never sure if the Upper/Lower distinction was based on the pupils' age or ability ... it's hard to tell even after (or perhaps because of) years of reading school stories! And then you have The feud in the Fifth Remove ...

Well, that Fifth Remove strikes me as a bit of a curve-ball, Sakerfalcon! (Really not fair! I'm a bear of very little brain...)

And as for the rest of you, thank you for trying to help me out on understanding!

In the US, it's a bit different.

You start with kindergarten (5 to 6 years old.) Elementary school starts the following year and usually runs 1st through 5th grade. Middle school usually runs 6th though 8th grade. Then high school usually runs 9th through 12 grade.

The grades between elementary and middle then middle and high school can differ depending on region. For instance, in some areas, middle school can be 6th through 9th and high school 10th through 12th. But in general, you have kindergarten then 1st through 12th for everyone unless you are promoted a grade.

Being promoted a grade is on a voluntary basis, your parents can say no. As mine did when they wanted to move me from 1st to 3rd. Intellectually I was ready but I was SO not ready socially.

>178 Morphidae: Glad to hear your parents were able to make that distinction, Morphidae. There is more to a child's development than just the intellectual one...

>179 zjakkelien: What was nice is once we moved to Florida, I was in a Gifted program from then on (3rd through 12th.) Depending on the school that could mean anything from more advanced school work (I would get to work "ahead" of other students), advanced classes (such as Pre-Calculus) or in high school, a specific Gifted class.

>180 Morphidae: That sounds good! In the Netherlands, the school system has different levels from about age 12, depending on your abilities. Before that it's all together, and as far as I know, there wasn't any system to let one child do more work (although I seem to remember that I did get a bit more difficult stuff on occasion).

180, 181> I go to a high school that's all Gifted program. At or school, it means higher requirements and all advanced and honors classes. Starting freshman year (9th grade, 14-15 years old), everyone takes at least one Advanced Placement course (AP). In May, we take a standardized test on that subject and get a score from 1 to 5, with 3 to 5 being passing. Many colleges give credit for these courses based on how well you do on the AP exam.

Theoretically, someone can gain enough credits to skip an entire year of college. In reality, that many AP classes at once would be a pretty big burden and most people chose to take four years anyway. Or, the college will simply require you to take a more advanced level of the subject.

Yes, I ended up skipping a year of college and then flunked out. High school was so easy for me, including the advanced classes, that I never learned to study. I would read the chapter then ace the test. This does NOT work in college.

>183 Morphidae: That is common in English schools: bright students coast through school up to GCSE level (exams for 16-year olds) and then can't cope with A-levels when they have to take more reponsibility for organising their own study. It happened to me! and I see it at the school I work in now.

I've really enjoyed reading about everyone's experiences with different school systems! >177 jillmwo: I am about to start reading Feud in the Fifth Remove, so I shall enlighten you (and myself) when I find out what it is!

In the meantime, I've finished a few other books.

The new school at Scawdale was a fun read, about a girl who comes to England aged 15 having always lived in Australia with her grandparents. Now she will meet her parents and siblings for the first time, and settle into life as a proper English schoolgirl. Halfway through the book WWII breaks out, which allows the plot to take a different path as the children are evacuated to the country. A very enjoyable book, with less exaggerated characters than in some of the author's more famous works.

I can highly recommend Burial rites, which is now on the shortlist for the Orange Prize. It is beautifully written and powerfully evokes the hardship of scratching a living in the harsh environment of north-west Iceland in the 1820s. Agnes is condemned to death for her part in the brutal murder of two men, and is sent to live with a family for the months leading up to her execution. Both Agnes and the family change and learn from each other as they live and work side by side, and as the story of Agnes' life is revealed. It is of course not a very cheerful book, but very moving.

I also finished and enjoyed The serpent sea, the second of Martha Wells' Raksura series. This is more of a straightforward quest story than the first, dealing with the race to find the seed which will give life to their community. The issues of identity and belonging were largely left unexplored in this book, but I hope Wells will return to them in the next volume. It is still an excellent and unusual fantasy with fabulous settings and engaging characters.

Finally, I finished Fool's war which was also a very good read. I love that Zettel created a future where people other than WASP men live and work in space - how fascinating to see a Muslim woman leading the crew of a spaceship. I wasn't gripped by the many sequences in which characters virtually chase each other through the networks, and some of the technology felt rather clunky, but the overall plot with its twists and turns was intriguing. I cared deeply about the characters, especially Al Shei and Evelyn as they end up in a totally new situation at the end of the book. Very unusual SF and definitely worth reading.

Now I'm reading A local habitation, the second October Daye novel, and City of Devi, a novel set in Bombay as the city prepares itself for a nuclear blast from Pakistan.

185> Fool's War has now jumped into my TBR pile.

Sarah Zettel is decidedly underrated - her SF is truly excellent - did you read The Quiet Invasion and Playing God? and her fantasy - the Isavalta series - has very strong female characters, and some unusual aspects to the settings. I've loved her work for a long time.

>187 JannyWurts: I haven't read those two yet but will be looking out for them. I read the first Isavalta book and liked the Russian inspired setting and the characters, but I found the plot quite predictable. It was well written though, which made up for a lot.

I finished A local habitation having found it almost impossible to put the book down. This was in spite of some major plot holes and Toby's scattershot approach to investigating the murders. But I really like the characters, especially Tybalt, Quentin and Toby herself. I really don't know why Toby thinks Tybalt hates her - it was clear from their very first reported encounter in Rosemary and rue that she is misreading his feelings in that regard! Still, it makes their scenes together fun to read. I'm looking forward to continuing this series in future.

I'm about 2/3 through City of Devi which is a very interesting "alternate present" narrative set in Mumbai at a time when the world, and especially India, is being torn apart by terrorist attacks. Relligious strife is at a peak between Muslims and Hindus, with Sikhs and Christians caught in the middle. Against the background of a ruined, thinly-populated Mumbai, the main characters Sarita and Jaz are searching for her husband and his lover respectively. We see the history of their relationships, and the growing national and international tension, though a series of flashbacks - and we realise that it is no accident that these two have ended up searching together. The narrative switches between Sarita and Jaz - she is the more sympathetic character but Jaz is more entertaining, and I am keen to see how their quests resolve and whether the nuclear bomb threatened by Pakistan will in fact take place.

I've just started reading Casket of souls, the 6th Nightrunner book by Lynn Flewelling. I know, I'm a book behind, but I am not looking forward to running out of stories about Alex and Seregil!

I finished City of Devi yesterday and enjoyed it a lot. It gave an interesting look at the many tensions in Indian society, between different religions, sexes and sexual orientations. Jaz, Sarita and Karun's story is resolved with sadness but also hope for the future and I was sorry to leave them when the book ended, frustrating though they could sometimes be.

Casket of souls was a quick read for me as once I picked it up I found it hard to put down! Seregil, Alec, Beka, Thero and Klia are all in fine form and we see the resolution of some long-running storylines in this book. This is one of those books where the reader knows who the villain is, what he is up to and why before the heroes do, but in this case it doesn't make them seem stupid; rather you wonder how they are ever going to fit the pieces together because the crime really is a hard one to figure out. All in all it made for a great read.

I've also read The state of the art, a collection of short stories and a novella by Iain M. Banks. I am a big fan of his Culture series, and have also enjoyed some of his literary fiction. These stories were a disappointment though, being very flat, preachy and telling rather than showing. They read like snippets cut from a larger work, one written by someone inferior to Banks at that. If this was the first book of Banks' that I'd read, I'd have been reluctant to continue with his work. Fortunately the rest of the Culture series is superb, and this collection can easily be skipped as it contributes nothing worthwhile to the universe.

For a complete change of pace I read The feud in the fifth remove, a relatively short school story by Elinor Brent-Dyer. It is a stand-alone novel, set at a day school for girls. The main theme in the book is the importance of not judging others by their social class but instead by their integrity and conduct. I liked the characters, who were neither too good nor too bad to be realistic, and the teachers, who knew when to intervene and when to leave the girls to sort things out on their own. For those who were wondering about the form system, this school is described as "large" with several hundred girls, and is divided into Upper, Middle, Lower and Remove for each of years 1-5. The main characters start the book having been promoted from Middle Fourth to Fifth Remove, thus skipping Upper Fourth (this is called "attaining a double remove"). I did ask my mum about the system at the school she attended, which was also a girls day school, in the 1950s. She said that in their case the Remove was a form for girls who didn't quite do well enough to get into the year above - so if you were Upper Fourth but did poorly in your exams you might be placed in the Fifth Remove instead of the Lower Fifth. So in my mum's school there was a bit of a stigma attached to being in a Remove form, but in EBD's creation, it was just another stage in one's school career with no negative connotations.

Now I'm reading my first book by Octavia Butler (long overdue), Dawn, which is very very good so far (I'm about half-way through it). Lilith's reactions to her situation seem a realistic mix of fear, rebellion, rationalisation and making-the-best-of-it and I'm looking forward to seeing where she ends up.

I've also started Written in red, an urban fantasy that was recommended to me by Morphy upthread a bit. I started it last night and had to force myself to stop reading and go to sleep - it gripped me right from the first page. Meg is an interesting heroine who clearly has quite a backstory, and I look forward to seeing how she gets along in the dangerous world of the Others. I love the worldbuilding and can't wait to get home and read more!

And I got Longbourn from the library, which I am looking forward to starting soon. If you haven't heard of it yet, it is a novel set concurrently with the events of Pride and prejudice but telling the stories of the servants in the Bennett household.

>189 Sakerfalcon: In Autumn Term the twins are put in Third Remove and that's definitely seen as being for the 'dimwits' at Kingscote.

>190 CDVicarage: I have Autumn Term, but couldn't get into it. I don't think the Marlows and Kingscote are comfort reads. The characterizations are quite good, so I'll try to pick it up when I am not looking for a pure comfort read.

>191 MDGentleReader: I love the whole series but I agree with you that they are not comfort reads: I find them quite harrowing sometimes.

>192 CDVicarage: Let's face it - being twelve is the pits.

>189 Sakerfalcon: I agree with your comments on The State of the Art. I find all his other Science Fiction, i.e. Culture and non-Culture, to be very good. Some are not as excellent as others but I would not regard any of them to be poor. I am biased, of course, in that the early Culture novels hooked me on IMB and I grew to love the Culture environment so much that even mundane stories, like the Hydrogen Sonata, were enjoyable to me simply due to the feel of the universe.

>189 Sakerfalcon: City of Devi is high up my TBR list already, but your comments are making it that much more enticing.

#188 Sakerfalcon - if you continue with the Isavalta series, she skips back a generation and shows the conflict's origin from the OTHER side - that's where it starts to get a bit more intriguing.

>191 MDGentleReader:, >192 CDVicarage: I agree that the Kingscote books are not comfort reads, but I think they are some of the best school stories ever written in the way they convey the uncertainty of being a teen. I do find End of term incredibly beautiful though, and The cricket term certainly has some high-inducing moments. Reading the in-between books (Falconer's lure, etc) helps add background to the "Term" stories and adds even more depth to the characters and their relationships. They are not easy to find though.

>194 pgmcc: The hydrogen sonata was a DNF for me when I tried it last year, but on the strength of the rest of the series I still bought a copy when it came out in paperback. I will be trying it again when the group read comes around later this year.

>195 sangreal: I hope you enjoy it! I read far too little non-Western literature but the apocalyptic premise drew me to this one and I'm very glad I read it.

>196 JannyWurts: I will have to add that to my wish list ... sigh ...

I finished Written in red and cannot thank @Morphidae enough for recommending it to me. It will definitely make it onto my best of the year list. I could hardly put the book down because I was drawn so deeply into its world and cared so much about the characters. Our heroine, Meg, is not your typical kick-ass UF protagonist - in fact, she is more akin to the simple girl in a fairy tale. But she is no pushover or fool despite her innocence - Meg has a strong sense of what she believes is right and will stand up for it even if that means facing down a fearsome potential predator. She is consciencious and mindful of others which wins her friends and protectors in the unlikeliest places. The Others among whom she seeks refuge are not quite your usual werewolves, vampires etc. In Bishop's world, these powerful beings rule over humans and are far more than shapeshifters. They seem more animal than human and are dangerous, despite their cautious outreach to humans. There are plenty of female Others in the mix (although the only female wolf is deceased; no others are mentioned) and Meg makes lots of good women friends - no jealousy, rivalry or competing for male attention. Now I am trying to resist the temptation to go out and buy the sequel in hardcover - must wait for paperback!

Dawn was a good read with an intriguing take on aliens and their intent for humanity. I enjoyed the first half of the book more than the end, finding Lilith's reactions to the aliens and their culture more compelling that the power struggles between the awakened humans. But I will be looking for the other parts of this trilogy as I am keen to see where Butler goes from here.

Longbourn is enjoyable, though not quite as good as I'd hoped. The servants are all good and interesting characters, and it is fun to catch glimpses of the events of P&P from their point of view, but overall I think the book is a bit long. There is rather too much time spent on internal musings that slows down the pace without really adding anything. I appreciate that the author has not tried to imitate Austen in either style or content; we are among lower classes and the language used reflects that, as do the mentions of what is in the chamber pots, and the nasty things that men do when soldiering. I am very near the end and wondering how she is going to wrap things up.

I've also started reading Pushing ice, one of Alastair Reynolds' stand-alone SF novels. I love his Revelation Space series but this is not connected to that in any way. This story is about the crew of an ice-mining ship who find themselves in pursuit of a strange alien artefact formerly thought to be a moon. We have both wide-screen space action and internal politicking among the characters, both of which are well done.

And comments from imyril and jannywurts have led me to dig out my copy of The ships of Merior and jump back into The wars of light and shadow. Even though it is about 18 months since I finished Curse of the mistwraith I had no problem remembering the events of that book and catching up with the characters. I've found myself immersed more quickly into the story than with the first book, eager to see where fate leads.

>197 Sakerfalcon: I've not read any Alastair Reynolds, but I love the sound of Pushing Ice - onto the wishlist, I think!

Enjoy Athera :)

I can't tell you how thrilled I am that you enjoyed Written in Red. Can you get Murder of Crows from the library?

I looked over the 400-some books we share and I don't think you'd like her other books based on your library. They are very dark. But if you want to chance them while you wait for Murder of Crows, check out the reviews and summaries of Daughter of the Blood FIRST. You need to be warned about what to expect.

I adore them - I love the humor, the dark sensuality, the deadly yet protective heroes, the broken child heroine who becomes... well, if you read it, you'll see. Yes, there's child abuse, torture, rape, violence, and gore. Yet, there is hope, love, friendship, family, and humor as well. Oh dear, I think I've just talked myself in to my fifth reading...

>198 imyril:: I would recommend starting with Revelation space or Chasm city. There is a lot of good stuff in Pushing ice but one thing really really irked me and is spoiling the book as a whole for me.

>199 Morphidae: I have seen reviews, positive and negative, for Daughter of the blood and it is probably not for me. Though in the unlikely event of Mount Tbr ever getting down to a manageable size I may give them a try based on your positive comments! I did enjoy the first Kushiel trilogy, so the dark sexual themes are not an automatic deal-breaker for me.

>200 Sakerfalcon: Aha - okay, I'll look them up :)

If you liked the Kushiel trilogy, including the brutal third book, you probably won't have a problem with the Black Jewel books when/if you get to them. Even I found one section in the third book very difficult to read. You know which one I mean. Brutal. At least the worst stuff with Bishop lasts just a short time and you get humor in the rest of the book. Not a lot of humor in the Carey books.

Wow, I am still TRYING to push into the early chapters of the Black Jewel books - been on my set aside shelf with a marker in it for a very very long time, now. I found the very imagery of what she has started with cringe worthy....eventually I will get back to it. Probably. I have not managed to suck it up to give Carey a try - but then, chalk it up to being thin-skinned. It also took me three tries to get past the opening chapters of the Coldfire trilogy. That sat for years, waiting, as well.

>203 JannyWurts: If it's that hard for you, don't do it. Put them aside forever. I know the type of books you like from what you post, and these are not it! Carey and Bishop can be brutal and if you are thin-skinned, their books will hurt and make you sick. When it comes to reading, I am VERY thick-skinned*. I can read just about anything. And even they can make me cringe at times. Although I'm not daring to read Chuck Palahniuk. I'm pretty sure he'd cross even my line!

*Except for emotions - I cry at the drop of a hat. And with movies, I can't handle the visuals. There is no way I'm going to see Twelve Years a Slave.

I like both Kushiel and the Black Jewel trilogy, but I think the latter are more flawed. No matter how you feel about the bedroom arts in the Kushiel books, women are treated with respect and are seen as competent and confident. In the Black Jewel books, women are powerful on the surface, but dig a little deeper and they are not as powerful as men or do not want to be powerful.

I've been so busy at work this week that I've had hardly any time for LT! I have been reading though so here's an update.

My thoughts upon finishing Longbourn remained pretty much as they were when I last reported on it. A good read but it didn't quite meet the high hopes I had for the book, for the reasons mentioned above. I did like the last chapter where we saw glimpses of the Bennets and other characters in their future lives, and overall it was interesting to see Austen's characters through the eyes of their servants.

Pushing ice was an entertaining read but definitely not as good as the Revelation space books, IMO. The pacing was uneven and the thing that irked me continued to do so until it was finally resolved near the end. The long running feud between Bella and Svetlana drove me crazy. I understand that Bella started it by making a bad decision that put Svetlana in the wrong, but she was under pressure from above and could only judge from the evidence available. That Svetlana acted so petty and irrational towards Bella when the power shifted, to the point of keeping her in solitary exile for 13 years at a time when all hands were needed to work together for survival made me want to shake her. And when Bella regained command she behaved only slightly better towards Svetlana. For me, this infuriating clash of personalities overshadowed the main plot and lessened my enjoyment of the book. In Reynolds' favour though, he never even comes close to suggesting that they act so ridiculously because they are women. Both are shown to be competent and inspiring in all other respects, worthy of their positions of power.

I'm really enjoying Ships of Merior. I'm at the half-way point and totally hooked now. Even though there are some things that niggle at me, as imyril mentioned in her comments on Curse of the Mistwraith, they are not getting in the way of my enjoyment of the book. Arithon seems less angsty, perhaps because, at the start of the book at least, he is happy with the life he leads. Dakar is infuriating, but it is pretty funny when his plots against Arithon rebound against himself. I cannot feel any sympathy for Lysaer; it feels as though the narrative has set him up to be the antagonist while Arithon is the hero. I'm curious as to whether this will shift in future installments.

On my kindle I read the short story collection Glitter & mayhem, Despite never having taken part in roller derby or been part of the disco scene I loved most of the stories. Most people will probably pick up the collection for Seanan McGuire's contribution, which ties into her Incryptid world, and it certainly was a fun read. But I also loved Apex Jump, about an intergalactic roller derby league, Blood and sequins, about a couple of cosplaying cops, and Subterraneans, which I found highly disturbing but in a good way. The collection as a whole was extremely diverse in terms of representation, with characters of all genders, sexualities, races and classes. I can't remember now where I saw the mention that led me to pick this up, but I'm really glad I did.

For fun I've started Vanished, the next in Kat Richardson's Greywalker series of urban fantasies. And also this month I will be reading Testament of youth and rereading Inversions, both group reads.

Vanished was another enjoyable installment in the Greywalker series, and sees Harper off to London on business for Edward, head of Seattle's vampire community. Unlike many American writers, Richardson gets the UK specific details right, and the British characters' dialogue sounds authentic. We (and Harper) learn more about her family background in this book, as well as encountering some rather nasty creatures along the way.

I've also read the novel Penelope by Rebecca Harrington, which is about a socially awkward girl's first year at Harvard. I love this sort of novel, but the main character in this one was just too awkward to be believable; she was more of a caricature. But though she seemed to exist in a permanent state of confusion she did seem to be happy most of the time, so the book was refreshingly non-angsty (unlike Prep which I hated for that reason). The dialogue in this novel was incredibly stilted, with characters rarely using contractions when speaking. I know people sometimes do that to add emphasis to a point, but it didn't read like that in most cases. Still, despite all these flaws I did basically enjoy the book, even if it wasn't hilarious as the blurb promised.

I forgot to mention that I read Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer a couple of weeks ago and thought it was excellent. It's only a short book but not a quick read; you find yourself paying attention to every little detail, aware that all is probably not as it seems. It is suspensful and fascinating and I can hardly wait to get my hands on the next volume.

Still reading Ships of Merior and loving it but tiredness has made this a slow (for me) read because I've been reading other things if I feel like I can't properly concentrate on it. I've got about 1/4 left, then will probably carry straight on to Warhost of Vastmark.

I'm rereading Inversions on my way to work, although I realised that I'm actually a month early for the group read! Never mind, it's just as good as I remember and now I know more about the Culture I can see little hints of things beneath the surface that I missed on first reading.

I just bought The time traveller's almanac for kindle in this month's sale, which is an enormous collection of time travel stories, so I am dipping into that in spare moments too.

>207 Sakerfalcon: Authority (can't get the touchstone to work), the follow-up to Annihilation is out! It's in my to-be-read-next queue.

>208 Marissa_Doyle:: I am hoping to pick up Authority very soon - maybe even this afternoon ...

I finished Ships of Merior a couple of evenings ago, and will be carrying on to the next installment very soon. Events of the book have left the characters in some very interesting places and I look forward to seeing where they will go from here. Even though I often want to physically shake some of them (Lysaer, Talith, I'm thinking of you ...) they are all fascinating individuals with real strengths and weaknesses. I also love the worldbuilding, with little details like bird and plant names dropped in here and there to add colour (but not slowing down the story with too much detail).

Also finished Inversions, some of which I remembered while other twists were surprises that I had forgotten. It was definitely interesting to read this now I am more familiar with the Culture and can pick out the clues as to a character's real nature and what their larger role might be. This is one of my favourite books in the series.

I'm now reading Testament of youth for the Virago group WWI read. I've never actually read this memoir of a sheltered middle-class girl who struggles to be allowed to go to University and then leaves in order to volunteer as a nurse after the war starts. There is perhaps a bit too much irrelevant detail in places but overall it is a fascinating and moving read, one which shows how personal world-changing events could be.

I'm also reading The siren depths, to complete the Raksura trilogy that several of us are enjoying at the moment. This installment continues to explore the themes raised in the first book of identity and belonging, and also takes us to other courts which may not be as welcoming as Indigo Court. This is a very unusual fantasy series in that none of the characters are human, yet almost all of them are easy to identify with. I'm having a hard time putting this volume down in order to sleep in the evenings!

I would like to read Testament of Youth sometime. I have Letters From a Lost Generation : First World War letters of Vera Brittain and four friends, but I haven't read it yet. I'm fascinated by how life changed so abruptly for young women who had led such sheltered lives until the war began. Agatha Christie writes about it in her autobiography, too.

Wow. I could never manage to have that many books on the go at once. Enjoy the rest of Wars of Light and Shadow! You've the luxury of many excellent book in front of you.

I didn't think Pushing Ice or his other standalones quite as enthralling as the massive reach that it is Revelation Space. Maybe I should re-read some of them it's been a while.

I might try Written in Red when I get back to buying books, it sounds far better than many of the UF that I enjoy.

I believe it was Morphidae who recommended Written in red in this thread. Thank you! I finished it yesterday (and stayed up way too late to do so), and loved it. I totally agree with everything that's been said before. Meg is not a strong person in the beginning, but she is no push-over either. Any bullying is done terra indigene to humans, not male to female. I find that despite the emotional trauma that Meg sustained in the past, there is a refreshing lack of drama. She is quite resilient. She may get upset when Simon yells at her, but she picks up and moves on, mostly fussless. And in the end, if she wants something she does it, without thinking about her own well-being. I love her, I love the world, and I totally love Tess and the girl Elementals. I like that they are the scariest terra indigene, the wolf posturing not withstanding. I also like that the terra indigene are not poor misunderstood cannot-help-it kind of monsters, they are who they are, human-eating predators without apology. If they want to kill all the humans, they will, and tough luck for all the 'monkeys'.

I couldn't withstand the still expensive ebook of Murder of crows. Liking it so far!

209: I read Testament of Youth some years ago, after I had seen the miniseries starring Cheryl Campbell and Peter Woodward. I was only fourteen, so it falls under the heading of "books I probably wouldn't have read if I hadn't seen the movie/miniseries/TV show first." Yet I remember it as a tremendously moving book, and Vera Brittain as a remarkable woman. I should revisit the book sometime soon, as I know I would get more out of it now, as a (somewhat) mature adult.

>212 zjakkelien: Wow, I recommended a book that tough-sell zjakkelien loved! I'm impressed. :D

>214 Morphidae: Haha, me too! I didn't realize I was that difficult to convince!

>215 zjakkelien: Not difficult to convince but rather to find something you "love." Or maybe I'm thinking of someone else?

It does happen. LOL.

Hi Claire, don't know if you're still looking for urban fantasy book recommendations but I was quite surprised not to see Ben Aaronovitch get a mention for his Rivers of London series. Especially considering the setting and your location. In tone, I'd say it fits somewhere between Jim Butcher's Dresden Files and Mike Carey's Felix Castor books. Not quite as dark and sombre as the latter but not so action-oriented as the former.

I loved Testament of Youth, but oh, so sad.

>212 zjakkelien:, >214 Morphidae: So glad you enjoyed Written in red, @zjakkelien. Your comments picked up on the many things I too loved about the book. I have managed to resist acquiring the sequel and am going to do my best to wait for the paperback to be released.

>211 reading_fox: I have some of Reynolds' other stand-alones to read, but will try to lower my expectations a bit. I would have enjoyed Pushing ice a lot more if it weren't for the irritating character interactions.

>210 SylviaC:, >213 kceccato:, >218 Marissa_Doyle: Testament of youth was an excellent and very moving read. Brittain is a very interesting woman, not always likeable but honest about her flaws. Her determination throughout the book is admirable and was very unusual in a woman of her class and upbringing at that time. One of the most difficult sections for me was her return to university after the war when she realises that the experiences and sacrifices she and her fellow survivors made are seen as embarrassing and are dismissed by those who didn't see the war at first hand. Obviously the most compelling sections of the book are those chronicling her nursing career, but the preceding and following sections provide valuable context and make for a fuller picture, even if they are sometimes a little over-long. This memoir deserves its reputation as one of the most important views of WWI.

>217 AHS-Wolfy: Thanks for the suggestion! I did read Rivers of London and enjoyed it, although not quite as much as the Felix Castor or Alex Verus books. I've just found out that someone I work with is a friend of Aaronovitch's so I'm sure I will be reading the sequels!

I've been on holiday in Berlin for a week, which has caused something of a hiatus in my reading! I took with me A model childhood by Christa Wolf, Mrs Frisby and the rats of NIHM for the Green Dragon monthly read and Authority by Jeff Vandermeer - a strange selection, but I wanted to be prepared for whatever reading mood struck me! I managed to finish Mrs Frisby, which was adorable yet realistic about the perils which wild animals face. I liked that the animals weren't too anthropomorphised; the rats' sophistication was plausible given the experiments, and the other creatures felt like animals rather than humans in fur. The ending surprised me not just that there are deaths, but that we don't find out whether it was in fact Justin who died.

I'm about halfway through Authority and although it is not as immediately eerie as Annihilation it is just as intriguing. The shift between the end of the first book and the second is jarring but the new viewpoint soon takes hold and the tension mounts. I can't wait to see where Vandermeer is taking us!

I didn't get very far into the Christa Wolf book, which is a novel of a childhood in East Germany but seen in glimpses as the narrator returns to where she grew up as an adult. It is quite fragmented but interesting; I was just a bit too tired after long days of sightseeing to concentrate on it!

Now that I'm home I'm trying to finish The siren depths, which is dealing with many of the issues raised in the first book that relate to the Fell and their relationship to the Raksura. It also raises questions as to where Moon really belongs, and how hard he is prepared to fight for his place in the Indigo Cloud colony.

>212 zjakkelien: Aaaaand I take another bullet from you, zjakkelien! ;)

>220 Marissa_Doyle: You're welcome, Marissa! ;)

I'm (figuratively) shoving The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion into everyone's hands. Have you read it?

>222 Morphidae: I haven't yet, but I can see that I will have to request it from the library!

I've finished Authority and am now eagerly awaiting the third book in the trilogy. Jeff Vandermeer really knows how to subtly build tension and to keep the reader in a state of uncertainty as to what is real and who can be trusted. Our protagonist is the new Director of the Southern Reach, the bureaucracy in charge of "managing" Area X. He finds himself working with colleagues who are at best misleading and at worst actively hostile, unsure who or what to believe. Although I missed the exploration of Area X itself, this was a very good follow-on and I'm looking forward to whatever comes next.

I also finished The siren depths, which was superb. It brings together a lot of the themes and issues from the first book and resolves them very satisfyingly. We get to explore a very different court, learn more about the Fell and the crossbreeds and see Moon find his place for good. My only complaint is that things seemed to wrap up very quickly at the end; it seemed a but rushed. The Three Worlds are an intriguing setting, and I love that none of the characters in it are human - yet all are highly relatable in their hopes and fears. I'm very glad that sandstone78's group read made me get these books off the shelf - they are excellent and unusual and I highly recommend them.

I borrowed On such a full sea from the library. I would describe it as a literary dystopian novel, which imagines that America was mostly deserted after an unexplained cataclysm, and partially resettled by the Chinese who were fleeing their own polluted land. Our characters are from B-Mor, a sheltered community whose inhabitants live and work raising fish and vegetables for the Charters, who are the privileged in society and live in their own secluded villages. Outside these areas are the Counties, where life is lawless and it is a case of survival of the fittest. The novel follows a girl who leaves the safety of B-Mor in search of her lover, tracing her journey through the different layers of society and encounters with a variety of people. It is a picaresque novel, so when Fan leaves one set of characters behind, we don't find out what happens to them. Interestingly the novel seems to be narrated by the community of B-Mor, in first person plural, which works surprisingly well, although I did wonder how they found out about Fan's adventures after she left the town. Not a bad read, but not as good as Margaret Atwood's dystopian novels.

I've just started reading We that were young, a novel about young women during WWI. I believe it is based on the experiences of the author and her friends. The first chapter was good; I didn't want to stop reading to get off the train, so that is a good start!

I'm also reading American elsewhere, a fantasy/SF/horror novel set in an idyllic small town in New Mexico which has some very strange secrets. Mona inherits a house there and decides to leave her unsatisfactory life in Texas and start again. She soon discovers that all is not what it seems in this place, and that her seemingly meek, ineffectual mother may have been someone else entirely ... Despite being written in present tense, I am really enjoying the book so far.

I really enjoyed Authority too - as a fixer with empathy problems (although not part of a secretive agency ;), I related to some of the issues Control raised up front, then had to giggle at how little of his past was relevant to his problems at Southern Reach. I'm glad to say I've never had to deal with someone like Grace! I was very intrigued by the biologist - I'm really curious to see where her story goes.

>223 Sakerfalcon: I'm glad you enjoyed the group read! I'm happy we did these as a group read too- otherwise I think I would have let The Serpent Sea and especially The Siren Depths languish in my TBR for far too long, when the latter ended up being my favorite of the series. I agree a little about the ending feeling rushed, I think- I was expecting possibly something more from the cause of all the troubles, but this felt a little like a random monster of the week, especially after the leviathan last time.

I keep getting tempted by the VanderMeer, though it isn't my typical thing at all- in fact, neither the "New Weird" movement, nor horror, nor dystopias are my thing, and Annihilation seems fairly strongly tagged in all of those areas. But I keep picking them up and looking at them when I go to the library... The same with Written in Red, though I completely bounced off Bishop's The Pillars of the World and everything I've ever read about her Black Jewels trilogy indicates that me and her work would not get along. Possibly I will give in one of these trips... it is always good to read outside one's comfort zone now and again.

>223 Sakerfalcon: I read American Elsewhere last(?) summer--I didn't care for the present tense narration either, but thought it was pretty good entertainment. The Lovecraftian overtones were fun.

And Authority is up after I finish the Raj Quartet. Strange juxtaposition... :)

>226 Marissa_Doyle: that is a strange juxtaposition indeed! Enjoy :)

>225 sandstone78: I am a huge Anne Bishop fan. I wasn't that impressed with The Pillars of the World trilogy so wouldn't recommend it. The Black Jewels is certainly for a specialized audience and I give plenty of thought about who I recommend it to and give warning about it being very dark and erotic. However, I have been recommending Written in Red to anyone who likes contemporary fantasy without hesitation. While it has a dark edge, there are little if any hints of sex, and it gives a great idea of her wonderful story-telling and characterizations.

>224 imyril: Yes, the biologist is my favourite character and I can't wait to see more of her.

>225 sandstone78: I need to leave my comments on the discussion thread for The siren depths. I think I liked the first book more than you, but I agree that this was easily the most satisfying of the trilogy. I'm looking forward to exploring the Three Worlds some more when the novellas are released. I am enjoying the Vandermeer books, but I do like the New Weird writing that I've read so am perhaps more disposed to like them than you. But I would recommend trying the first one as your library has it - it is an intriguing and suspenseful read that isn't graphic and not exactly dystopian either. Annihilation could almost stand alone, so if you don't like it at least you aren't left on an egregious cliffhanger. Lots of things are left as mysteries, but somehow I doubt we will know the exact answers to things even at the end of the trilogy, and I think I'd actually be disappointed if it was all tied up in a neat little bow. Re: Anne Bishop - I had always felt the same way about her work as you, sure that she was an author I'd never want to try. But I adored Written in red and can't thank Morphy enough for the recommendation! That said, I read a review on fantasyliterature.com (with whose reviewers I usually agree) that had a completely different opinion, disliking many of the things I'd liked, and (IMO) misinterpreting other aspects of the world and characters. So YMMV.

>226 Marissa_Doyle: I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed American elsewhere! I'd seen good reviews for it (which were what brought the book to my attention in the first place) but hadn't seen that anyone I knew had read it. We often seem to have similar taste in books, so I take your words as a good sign!

Fantasyliterature.com is a wonderful site - but they have a list of reviewers. Helps to find the ones that share the same taste - this is one of the few blogs that works that way, and as a result, I too find it very reliable. They list their information with far more than the usual accuracy, and also, have THOUSANDS of authors.

I did not know about Written in Red and thanks for another book bullet.....

>230 JannyWurts: The reviewer in this case was one whose tastes I often share, so it was a surprise that she disliked the book so strongly. But I find that such disagreements often make for the best conversations in real life!

Just plain never know - what will be a trigger for one reader/not another - it's as much about the baggage brought TO a book as the book's content itself. In watching the Raksura discussions ongoing, it's amazing what differences in focus emerge. I enjoyed all three books - the first and third were outstanding - I didn't consider them in a serious light, but as shiningly imaginative entertainment. The characters were ALL so endearing, it was quite the fresh breeze in a sea of apocalyptic/grimdark/crapsack titles that loudly speak to the cynic. It was splendid to read about characters who actually cared about each other, for a change, in a world that had a richly LIVING ecology.

Regarding Written in Red, I think a lot of it depends on how the reader reacts to Meg. I found her sweetness refreshing and saw it as the reason that the other characters liked her.

>232 JannyWurts: It was splendid to read about characters who actually cared about each other, for a change, in a world that had a richly LIVING ecology.

Yes, I loved those things about the book too, yet appreciate that the book managed not to fall into the sickly sweet trap where no-one dies or is ever even in real danger and there is no tension in relationships. She managed a good balance of potentially-dark with light. And yes, the ecology! The world felt real.

>233 pwaites: I too loved Meg but the very few negative reviews I've seen have found her "boring", "passive" (really?!) and "too saccharine". So I think you are right that she is the key to enjoying the book.

I found the third book in a YA paranormal series that I've been passively following (ie. not seeking out the books but reading them if I see them in the library), Charmfall by Chloe Neill. It contains many of the stock ingredients of these books - boarding school setting, "ordinary" female lead with a quirky bff, mean girls, hot guys, supernatural creatures and magical powers. However, the female lead develops her own power in the first book and it is pretty cool, the best friend is a real, rounded character not just a foil to make Our Heroine look good, their friendship is the major relationship in the novels, even after love interests arrive, the romance never dominates the plot, and the main Mean Girl looks to be breaking away from the mould due to an interesting twist in her story arc. Story-wise there isn't much new here, and the male characters are a bit flat, but I keep picking up the books because I like Lily and Scout so much. This was a quick read and an enjoyable piece of fluff.

I'm half-way through We that were young and enjoying it very much. This novel of women's war work in WWI deserves to be better known. It follows a group of young women through the war years and after as they take on a variety of roles in YMCA canteens, hospitals and munitions factories (I haven't got to the last yet). So far it is not too tragic, but I'm up to the part where a couple of the girls have fallen in love and am preparing myself for the worst ...

234> I read through Charmfall and it's sequels when I was home with a cold. They're the perfect books for that - fluffy, with not too much thought involved, but not so terrible that I'll put them down.

I'm interested in American elsewhere, so please say more about it when you've finished it!

>235 pwaites: I agree. I think the strong friendship between Scout and Lily is the strength of the series, and what sets it apart from similar books.

>236 zjakkelien: It's a big book and I still have a way to go yet, but I promise to report when I'm done!

I finished We that were young and thought it was an excellent read. It is semi-autobiographical, a novel based upon the lives of the author and her friends. So some of the events near the end which felt "too bad to be true" actually happened to the author. I found all the women whose lives we follow to be sympathetic and realistic in their hopes and attitudes. The nursing scenes are particularly vivid and not recommended for reading with food! My main complaint is that the prose becomes very purple in the romantic scenes, which are very sentimental, but it is a small fault. It's a pity this book seems difficult to find because it is very worth reading, showing some different facets of women's lives during WWI.

I've moved onto another Virago novel now, Good daughters by Mary Hocking. This is about a family with three daughters who live in London in the 1930s. We mainly see events through the eyes of Alice, the middle daughter, who is 12 when the book opens. Political events in the UK and Europe gradually begin to force themselves into her consciousness, although her main concern is with growing up and leaving girlhood behind. In many ways this feels like a Noel Streatfeild novel, only aimed at adults and without less of the theatrical background (there is a little bit as the older sister wants to be an actress, but her preacher father is opposed). I know Streatfeild did write family stories for adults - Saplings and The Whicharts - which I own but haven't read. I'll certainly be doing so soon though so I can compare them to Good daughters.

I'm also reading Discount Armageddon, the first of Seanan McGuire's Cryptid books. This is a fun read and Verity is mostly likeable and easy to relate too. I love the variety of Others in the book, especially the Aeslin mice, althought the main characters are definitely the humans. Not a fan of the love interest or the romance generally - you could see it coming a mile off and it is a bit cliched, but not enough to put me off the book.

And, as I said above, I'm continuing to read American elsewhere, which is very good -a compelling mix of contemporary fantasy, SF, horror and thriller.

The romance in Discount Armageddon is a Romeo/Juliet thing for sure. But luckily the romance is not the focus of the book.

The Aeslin mice are one of my favorite parts of the Cryptid books.

I ordered a used copy of We That Were Young and am looking forward to reading it.

>238 Morphidae: I finished Discount Armageddon last night and will definitely be moving onto the sequels soon! I especially enjoyed seeing all the female characters working together at the end - Verity, Candy, Istas and Sarah.

>239 Marissa_Doyle: Glad you managed to find a copy and I hope you enjoy it!

I've started reading Little brother for the GD group read and am finding it compelling if flawed. I wish I could say that the book is over-the-top, but sadly I don't think Doctorow is exaggerating much. It is a bit info-dumpy in places and at times the narrative voice sounds more like Doctorow than Marcus, but it is an exciting read so far.

Finished Little brother which was a good read despite the faults I mentioned above. Marcus verges on being a Gary-Stu, just a bit too competent at everything to be true, but his emotional vulnerability makes him a more well-rounded character. Ange, his love interest, reminded me a bit of the one in Mr Penumbra, cute, talented and quirky, but I'd rather have that than a vapid piece of arm candy. Doctorow's description of the horrors and injustice of the DHS succeeded in making me angry, and it was satisfying to see Marcus and his friends outwit them, but having demonstrated that their tactics are useless for stopping terrorism the book offers no better ideas to tackle the problem. Maybe the sequels do that. I can see why teens would enjoy this novel, encouraging as it is of teenage rebellion against their corrupt elders and society.

I also finished Good daughters which was excellent. I really liked the characters and the portrait of life in 1930s London. Claire, Alice and Louise each have their own dramas and crises to deal with, but ultimately these are shown to be small when events from the Continent touch their lives. The sisters are different but each sympathetic in her way, and their many friends and acquaintances are all well-rounded characters. I'm now looking forward to finding the next two volumes of the trilogy.

And this morning I finished American Elsewhere, a long but very good book. For some reason I am always attracted to books set in small towns with secrets to hide, and the secrets in this one are very strange indeed. There are some criminals who are up to no good, but it soon becomes clear that there is more behind their acts than was immediately apparent, and even the men themselves don't realise just what they are dealing with. Mona, the protagonist, moves to the seemlingly perfect town on Wink when she inherits a house there and starts seeing that there is more to the town than meets the eye. We also see events through the eyes of some of the townsfolk and some creatures from other dimensions. The book could probably have been a bit shorter, but I didn't mind; I enjoyed the slow building plot as things get more and more mysterious. There is quite a lot of violence in the book but it never felt gratuitous. I found the ending very satisfactory. This is definitely a book that I'll need to reread in order to try and spot the various clues that I missed along the way this time around.

Now I'm reading Burning Bright with @sandstone78 and others in the group; I haven't got very far with it yet but I'm finding the world and its politics intriguing.

241: Is the heroine of Little Brother a character with some brains and some agency? I'm still looking for geeky heroines, even if they are leads-but-not-protagonists...

>242 kceccato: I wouldn't call her a heroine; she doesn't get that much screen time and only appears in the second half of the book. But she does have brains and she is the one who makes all the moves relationship-wise. Of the other significant female characters, one is his old friend Vanessa who opts for caution rather than helping Marcus in his fight, although she comes through when it matters, one is an older woman journalist who's not afraid to challenge the government line in her reporting, another is a sort of double agent, and there is also a class teacher who encourages the kids to debate issues of freedom and safety. Marcus's mother also appears. So actually, having listed them, there are a fair number of female characters even though it felt like more of a "guy" book to me because of a male first-person narrative voice.

>243 Sakerfalcon: Don't forget the main baddy is a female.

243: Thanks!

244: That wouldn't score points with me. That would be more likely to point me away from the book than point me toward it. Still, post 243 makes me consider maybe sorta kinda adding this to my TBR.

>244 Morphidae: Doh! How could I have missed her out?! I guess I was thinking of potential heroines.
That does remind me that one of the things I found weak in the book was that the baddies were flat, cartoonish villians without nuances to make them seem more realistic. The DHS goons were sadistic thugs, Charles was an obnoxious little beast spouting his FoxNews soundbites and most of the teachers were as bad as Charles. No shades of grey at all.

>228 Morphidae: and >229 Sakerfalcon: I forgot to come back and mention in this thread- I did put Written in Red on hold at the library! There are still several people ahead of me now, though, so it might be a while. I might give Annihilation a try too, but at the moment my reading requirements are "not too dark and not too dense," which I suspect is not a match.

>232 JannyWurts: In the non-grimdark area, have you read The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison/Sarah Monette? I've heard a lot of good things about it, and read that the author was specifically looking to write something not grimdark, where "compassion is a strength instead of a weakness." I keep almost going for it, but the ebook price is high enough to ward off impulse buying.

>245 kceccato: That's why I brought it up. In case it was a recommendation killer. Sort of a forewarning. As Claire said in #246, the baddies are ALL bad. No redeeming characteristics.

I did like the book though.

>247 sandstone78: I really want to read The goblin emperor, both because of the great reviews it's had and because the author is Sarah Monette, whose Melusine series is one of my favourites. I'm trying to resist until I can get the paperback though.

I finished Burning bright yesterday; I had been keeping it as my book to read on the train and in my lunchbreak, but I reached the point where I couldn't put it down and so spent the evening reading to the end. As you may infer from this, I really enjoyed it. The slow build up could be frustrating to some as it takes a while for the plot and what is stake to become clear. But the worldbuilding was superb and the characters all well-rounded individuals with believable motives. I liked the way the Game was used in the plot, and enjoyed the glimpses of the art and culture of Burning Bright. I especially liked the idea of the Carnival that coincides with the violent storm season, when the city basically shuts down to party. As others have remarked, I do wish that Scott would return to this world. Until then, however, I have Trouble and her friends and Shadow man on the tbr pile.

I'm now reading another SF book, one I found at the library, called Terra by Mitch Benn. It's quite delightful, the story of a human girl found by an alien who rescues her from a car crash on Earth and takes her to his home planet to raise her. The aliens are rather sweet, charming creations, with a mix of the strange and the familiar in their personalities. Terra seems remarkably well-adjusted for growing up as a unique oddity in the alien society, with plenty of friends and a kind guardian. One quirk of the book which might be annoying to some is that the alien language has no vowels, so you have characters called Lbbp and Vstj, and sentences such as "She would convert Fthfth's zmms into zdds, smashing frkts and forcing yk yks..." (This is describing a game Terra plays at school, and basically all sports commentary sounds like this to me anyway!) I'm not sure where the plot is going yet; so far we've followed Terra in her first days at the alien equivalent of High School, but I'm very much looking forward to exploring more of this world.

And my next non-genre read will be Saplings, one of Noel Streatfeild's novels for adults. Like her children's books it centres around a family but I believe the plot is considerably darker, not surprisingly. It starts on a beach holiday in England in the 1930s with a scene that manages to show the personalities and family dynamics without just telling us what everyone thinks and feels.

139 Sakerfalcon, darn, you have got Burning Bright on my radar. Resisting book bullet. I've got a bit of a stack to read....really REALLY want another!

247 - Sandstone78, Goblin Emperor is certainly on my radar, I will chase it down eventually, though, I do get leery when there is so much hype. As folks who know my stuff may guess, I am a huge fan of compassion and integrity; though I do prefer to have it grow or arise in a story organically, and not get pounded as a selling point (any more than the 'grimdark' or the 'epic!' label - this title has my attention, it's the promotion that I've found off-putting.

>249 Sakerfalcon: I started Terra a little while ago, but didn't finish it. I found the names annoying, but it also seemed a little too young for my taste...

>250 JannyWurts: If you do give in and succumb to the lure of Burning bright there is a (spoiler-full) discussion thread about the book where we'd love to see your thoughts and comments.

>251 zjakkelien: I can see why you thought it seemed young; I thought the storytelling style was rather like that of a fable, where the narrator is consciously aware of, if not directly addressing, their audience which is a style we do seem to find more in children's books these days.

I finished Terra and really enjoyed it. The aliens are rather charming, rather naive, well-meaning and a bit insecure with a good mix of traits we as humans can empathise with and more alien characteristics. Their society is idealised and obssessed with science and sport; imaginative works, like stories and plays, are unknown to them. Terra has to adjust to starting at the equivalent of high school but then her peaceful life is disrupted by the invasion of a neighbouring, hostile species. As @zjakkelien noted, the style makes the book read more like a children's book but it's marketed to adults and actually I think one could read it at any age, child or adult. There will be a sequel which I am looking forward to.

Saplings is an excellent read; I'm about 3/4 of the way through it. It focuses on one genteel family as they live through WWII, and looks especially at the emotional impact that all the upheavals have on the children as they grow up. Unusually it also considers a woman's need for sex, in the character of Lena, and while other characters judge her for her seeming selfishness, I get the impression that Streatfeild herself was not unsympathetic.

My current F/SF read is Treason's shore, the last book in Sherwood Smith's Inda quartet. Smith has created a world that is rich with detail and a large cast of characters through whom we can explore all its nuances. Although the protagonist is male there are loads of important women in the series who fill a variety of roles in society - no-one seems restricted to being a wife and mother unless they choose it. While initially this might seem to be your usual faux-Mediaeval world, the treatment of women and relationships is extremely progressive for fantasy, with open sexual relationships being the norm for many and characters choosing to have lovers of either sex, none of this being condemned. I've seen several negative reviews from people who are unhappy at this lack of judgement for "promiscuity". The plot and politics in the books are complicated, perhaps a bit too much so at times, but I've been finding it all very absorbing. In this last book we spend a lot of time seeing how the world and society is changing in response to events from earlier installments, and how the younger generation have seen the faults in their world and are trying to make changes for the future. They are also having to try and deal once and for all with their enemy, the Venn - but we are given viewpoints into Venn society and can see that it is far from a monolith of evil. This series is a fine one in so many ways, but I think the density of the prose, the complicated naming/title conventions and the numerous viewpoints from characters both major and minor have put a lot of readers off, which is a pity.

>252 Sakerfalcon: I've seen several negative reviews from people who are unhappy at this lack of judgement for "promiscuity".

Really?!? I wonder if those same people are unhappy about all the fantasy books where women are relegated to traditional roles, and get raped if they dare to step out of it. Fantasy can adopt all the worst things of our past, but an imaginary society that leaves people free is unthinkable?

>253 zjakkelien: but an imaginary society that leaves people free is unthinkable?
Apparently so, because, ya know, if people want to sleep around and are cool with same-sex relationships they don't deserve to be free. *sigh*

I finished Treason's shore and while I still have a high opinion of the series, I was a bit disappointed with the second half of the book. The pacing slowed a lot and much of the build-up to the battle, and the treatment of the dilemma Inda finds himself in afterwards, felt padded. I also wished that, after seeing much of the action from Brun's point of view, we could have returned to her near the end; I'd like to have seen Durasnir's homecoming and learned her thoughts on the aftermath. In fact it felt as though we had fewer female viewpoints by the end of the book, and what we did see of Tdor and Hadand focused more on their roles as wife and mother than on their other duties of defence, teaching and study. But it was good to see how the world changed as a result of the events in this series, and to see characters having to let go of some cherished but now meaningless traditions and let society evolve into the future - something not all fantasy sagas consider. Overall I'm very glad to have read this series, if only for the reason that it shows that one can shake up traditional gender roles and tropes and still retain the themes and plots of traditional fantasy (this should be a no-brainer, but there are many people out there who think it's not possible). The cast of characters include many who I shall not forget, and I'm looking forward to exploring this world some more at a different point in its history.

I also finished Saplings which I thought was excellent. It anticipates many developments in C20th psychology in its treatment of the effect of war and upheaval on children's mental health. (The afterword goes into the specifics of these.) I do agree with the afterword writer who says that it would be a better book if Streatfeild had been able to take the issues she raises further instead of opting for easy resolutions, but this would have been unusually daring at the time she was writing. Even as it is it is a very good read, and I recommend it not only to those who've enjoyed Streatfeild's books for children but to those who enjoy reading about children.

On my kindle I started reading That book your mad ancestor wrote which is a collection of short stories by K. J. Bishop. I love her disturbing, decadent novel The etched city, which is an excellent example of the New Weird subgenre, and have been looking for more of her work for years. The stories I've read so far are also typical, set in opulent yet decaying cities with characters searching through shifting realities amid a strange mix of ancient and modern technology. So far I've enjoyed 4 stories and thought one was dreadful. As long as the good continues to outweigh the bad, I'll be happy!

I've made a start on reading some of the books by Freda Warrington that I've acquired over the years by picking up A taste of blood wine. It's a historical novel with vampires set in England in the 1920s and so far is melodramatic but fun.

I will start something more literary soon but I have to decide what!

I liked A Taste of Blood Wine and started the sequel but got distracted...should probably go back and finish it.

#252 by @Sakerfalcon> I've wanted to read Inda for a long time.

>252 Sakerfalcon: The Inda quartet sounds interesting. I have the Crown Duel duology to finish first though, that's been in my TBR pile since forever and I really need to get around to it- I understand that's in the same universe as Inda, and so is Banner of the Damned, which I think has an asexual protagonist.

If I may ask for an Inda spoiler, though, a problem I often have with "everybody is bisexual" settings is that the main cast usually ends up paired off in male-female couples at the end, with maybe one token couple comprised of two men. Is that the case with Inda?

>250 JannyWurts: I would love to hear your thoughts on Burning Bright too! I can fully understand your hype aversion with The Goblin Emperor, though.

>257 sandstone78: Yes and no. Firstly, this isn't really an "everyone is bisexual" world, more that it is not uncommon for people to be, and there is no stigma attached to it, or to homo or heterosexuality, or to not liking sex much at all. The requirement of the nobility to intermarry and produce heirs still exists in the world, but it is possible via the "Birth Spell" to create a child without sex taking place. So yes, characters are in male-female relationships but in some cases these may be less important than the bonds with their lovers. Inda and his fiance are and always have been straight though, even though some of the other major characters are not. Also, one problem I had with the book is that it has such a large cast that some of the more interesting characters just fall away and we never do see exactly how they end up. I would say that while Smith has gone a long way with her worldbuilding she's not quite reached the ideal standard - but she seems to be heading in the right direction.

#257 - I may not make Burning Bright...due to a review that said it meandered and was inconclusive at the ending (?)...hope I am remembering right. I count endings very strongly. If a book starts strong but fails at the finish, it's a hair pull moment for me. I'd rather a story start without an obvious trope and surprise me as it pulls together, or twists.

Goblin Emporor is on my radar to try, I just have about six titles in line to read first (try not to stack the TBR in e format too high, as they are too easily lost in the welter).

INDA - is excellent. I highly recommend it, and its sequel The Fox. I did complete the series, and also read Banner of the Damned, which moves at a much more measured pace, and yes, the heroine protag is asexual. It picks up a major thread that was sort of dangled in the series proper, but does not take place in the same time period.

>258 Sakerfalcon: Thanks!

I actually don't mind that there are characters who are completely straight, "everybody is bisexual" universes that assume everyone is equally attracted to men and women and there are no people who are exclusively gay or straight just don't match up with my personal experience. Are any of the major character same-sex relationships between two women?

I had read about the birth spell on Smith's website before, now that you mention it. It seems strange from an in-universe perspective that marriage is still exclusively male-female couples if there is no requirement that a child can only be produced by such a union, though... Smith seems to be doing enough interesting things with her world building that I definitely need to check it out though.

Does Crown Duel have the same permissive social attitude about relationships? Everything I've seen about that one- or rather not seen, I do go looking through negative reviews of books I'm interested in trying to find people complaining about non-straight characters, it's sadly one of the most reliable ways of finding them- indicates it's just a normal straight romance in a normal straight-default setting...

>259 JannyWurts: Hmm, to me overall Burning Bright has a very definite ending, which clearly shows the outcome for the main characters, the politics on the planet Burning Bright, and the larger two-empire society that remains in the background throughout the story. The only thing I would consider potentially unresolved is one ambiguous scene near the ending- there's an interlude from the virtual reality Game that's a component of the story which resolves some of the themes of the story, but at the chronological point at which the interlude occurs, one of the story-real-world characters listed as a player wouldn't have been there to play the Game.

This scene has been a point of discussion over in the group read thread- it could be read as an unresolved plot hole like I suspect the reviewer you mention saw it, but also as somebody else playing the Game with that character's username, a Game session occurring out of chronological sequence with the parts of the story around it, or just a character working out background material to use in a Game scenario as if that character had played as described in the interlude we see, which the scenario writer mentions considering right before the interlude takes place.

I think the meandering is more subjective, though- I could see how someone would feel that the setting detail Scott shows us distracts from The Action, but I find it a strength that we see the scenery and culture of the planet Burning Bright. The story takes place across a fairly short time scale, but the narrative gives the characters room to eat, go to work or pass their leisure time, travel between place to place, talk and get to know each other, and sleep where more direct and action-focused stories may elide those details. Because I had bought in and was curious about the way of life on Burning Bright, I didn't feel these things dragged, but if you're less interested or the story doesn't catch you, you may feel that it does.

I'll go ahead and read the Inda books before Banner when I get that far then, thanks for the chronology note.

>259 JannyWurts: I personally didn't find Burning Bright meandering. It's true that the story is told from 4 or 5 viewpoints but these all stay focused on the main story and the little details that describe the world never get in the way - there are no info dumps or points where the story grinds to a halt in order to insert some descriptions. I also thought the ending was pretty conclusive, but Sandstone's comment discusses that better than I can. I thought imyril's comparison with Polar City blues was a good one and someone who enjoys one will probably also like the other. That said, I know how it is when your Tbr pile resembles a mountain and you really, really don't need it to grow any higher!

>260 sandstone78: There some important characters who are lesbian, but not any of the major ones. I should say that throughout the series the most important relationships are often between friends and comrades and these bonds can be more important to people than romantic/sexual relationships, hence the latter may not always be given more than a passing mention for any but the main and secondary characters.

The birth spell is interesting; it's not until the 4th book that we see it in action, and the child that results from it is said to have physical characteristics of the father and mother, but it's never stated that it will only work for parents of different genders. I'd like to have seen it used by a same-sex couple (it's possible that such a situation was mentioned in passing but if so I'm afraid it has slipped from my memory. There is so much detail in the books that it's easy to miss things, but I think I'd have remembered that.)
Hmm, having thought about it I wonder if the need for couples to be male-female, at least among the nobility, is because of the different roles played by the ruling couple - the men ride out to war while the women are responsible for defending on home ground (both roles shown to be of equal, vital importance with the women's role never seen as easier or lesser). At the end of the series Marlovan society is starting to change as a result of the events in the books so perhaps the need to maintain these roles, and the relationships that support them, will die away.

Crown duel doesn't stray from the norm in terms of relationships, as far as I can remember. At most it would have been a passing mention and I don't recall any. Supposedly it is set in the same world as Inda but at a different time (not sure if it is earlier or later) but I've never taken a close look at how Smith's books are connected; I really should. Crown duel is a sweet, fun read, but very clearly YA and conventional whereas Inda, despite the young age of the characters, is definitely not.

I should just add that my current reading has been hijacked by the copy of city of dragons that I found at the library. It's still kind of a soap opera but totally addictive and I always love a visit to the Rain Wilds and surrounding areas.

I haven't recognized any of the books or authors you've mentioned lately. But I have recently added The Goblin Emperor to Mount TBR.

City of dragons was a fun read, and I managed to get Blood of dragons from the library as well so I finished that this week too. On the whole, while this series is certainly gripping, it isn't as good as Hobb's other work. There is a bit too much relationship drama for my taste; the villains are very one-note, blacker than black with no redeeming traits; there are many characters and some of these drop out of the book for a couple of hundred pages so that when they reappear you have forgotten who they are and why they were important. This last problem was especially true of the dragons and their keepers; the first 2 books spent a lot of time with all of them, but the last two volumes only focused on 5 or 6 them, and I could have used a list of which dragon was linked to each keeper as a reminder. Also, one of the major storylines in the last book just appeared out of nowhere, with no build-up whatsoever which was a bit odd and made the book seem poorly planned. That said, there was a lot to like about the books - seeing the dragons and keepers grow into their full potential; the story of Selden and the Chalcedean duchess; the city of Kelsingra itself, which is a place I'd love to explore. There are lots of strong, interesting women and several gay male (but not female) characters, so it is more representative in those areas than many fantasy novels. A good read, and certainly less depressing than the Assassin books, although without their depth.

I'd put aside A taste of blood wine to read the Hobb but have now resumed and, after enduring a slow, angsty middle section, am very much enjoying the book. Warrington's vampires are alluring but very dangerous - definitely no "vegetarians" here! - and have something of the decadence and existential pain of Anne Rice's creations - but fortunately Warrington avoids Rice's purple prose style. Charlotte may be rather too akin to a Bella Swan for some, but at least the author has given her a personality and characteristics outside of her love for Karl, and her loyalty to her family and friend remains strong. I could happily have seen much of the middle part of the book cut, as there were too many repeated conversations along the lines of "I love you, but we must part" "But I can't bear to live without you!" - I got the idea the first time! However, this section ends with a real shock, and the third and final part of the book is as good and gripping as the first. It has to be said, however, that the book is pure melodrama, almost as much of a soap opera as the Hobb. It's a fun read though, and the period setting is nicely drawn.

While I was away this weekend, I read the 5th book in Kat Richardson's Greywalker series, Labyrinth. Like previous volumes I enjoyed the characters and the mythology that Richardson has created, and the Seattle setting is always a pleasure to read about. I did feel that the book was a bit over-complicated and confusing at times, but its strengths outweighed the weaknesses. I love Harper's relationship with Quinton, which is refreshingly healthy and supportive, and the animal characters always add a touch of levity in what is often a very dark world. I'm looking forward to continuing the series.

In SF, I've started reading China Mountain Zhang which is based in a future where China is the dominant economic and political force, and the USA has been subject to a socialist revolution. It's more a series of linked short stories than a traditinally structured novel, but it works and I'm really enjoying the read. McHugh seems to have a gift for writing about extreme, uncomfortable environments - the ice-cold world of Mission child, the undersea dome of Half the day is night and here, a research station north of the Arctic Circle. I think she deserves a wider readership.

I have many more books lined up to read in the next couple of weeks, including The lost traveller by Antonia White (a Virago book), The girl with all the gifts, which has shot to the top of Mount Tbr because of all its good reviews, and Warhost of Vastmark, the 3rd of Janny Wurts' Wars of light and shadow series. If only I had more time to read and less at work!

>264 Sakerfalcon: Maureen F. McHugh - onto my reading list she goes... all of those books sound fascinating.

>265 imyril: I believe her collection of short stories, Mothers and other monsters, can be read for free via the Small Beer Press website. One of them is the basis for Mission child and another for her novel Nekropolis which I have yet to read.

I forgot to add that I've also been dipping into Aimee Bender's short story collection The color master and am very impressed with it. The stories often have a surreal or fantastic element but this feels fully integrated and necessary, not just shoehorned in to be clever. The title story is my favourite so far. This is so much more to my taste than Karen Russell's stories, which I tried and failed to like earlier this year.

I spent this weekend devouring The girl with all the gifts, which shot to the top of my Must Read pile on the basis of all the great feedback it has received. It was an action-filled read, yet thought provoking too, raising issues of ethics and the nature of humanity. The blurb for the book is vague as to the nature of the threat in this post-apocalyptic Britain, and while it soon becomes clear I'd rather not spoil it for anyone who wants to read the book doesn't yet know. I will say that I think it contains many of the tropes common to its subgenre, but the relationship at the heart of the story, between Melanie and her favourite teacher, sets it apart from other similar-sounding books. I thought Melanie was a very successful child protagonist, never seeming too saccharine or simple, whose journey from innocence to knowledge is extremely moving to follow. With the exception of Miss Justineau, the other characters are perhaps a bit more clichéd - the tough experienced soldier, the young green soldier and the obsessed researcher, but Carey has managed to give them some depth, and rotating narrative perspective shows us the thoughts behind their actions. Miss Justineau, seen through Melanie's eyes, is the perfect caring role-model, but to herself and others she is often conflicted and has to figure out the right thing to do. I did spot one continuity error that momentarily threw me out of the story - I'm sure an editor should have spotted it - and the group seemed to make unrealistically fast progress on their journey, given the distance covered and the obstacles in their path. It is also quite gory in places, and something horrible happens to a cat. But overall this book managed to justify the hype, reminding me favourably of Parasite and The passage with a touch of Jeff Vandermeer. One last thing - the book is written in the present tense, which most of you will have learned is something I dislike, but for this book I have to concede that it was an appropriate choice.

I also finished the stories in The color master, and will be looking for more of Bender's short stories. Her characters are not too quirky to feel like real people, and the magical realism never felt like a gimmick or so random that I couldn't believe in it. I especially loved the title story, which is about the seamstresses who made the dresses in Donkeyskin. As with any collection, a couple of the stories were not to my taste, but none of them left me feeling stupid, or seemed to end without resolution, both things that annoy me.

I'm a chapter in to Warhost of Vastmark, and am looking forward to seeing where events take Arithon in this instalment.

And I'm enjoying The lost traveller, the second of Antonia White's novels about a young woman coming of age in early C20th England, whose father converted to Catholicism and brought his wife and daughter with him.

>268 Sakerfalcon: I'm glad you enjoyed The Girl With All the Gifts as much as I did. Can you put the continuity error in a spoiler tag and post it? I'm curious, as I clearly missed it!

>269 sangreal: Sure! In the scene where they are in the village and Cauldwell disturbs the woman with the pram, causing the hungries to chase them, Melanie would have had her hands cuffed behind her back, as she always did when they were on the road. Yet when she defends Parks from the horde, she is described with "her skinny arms flailing" (I haven't got the book here to check, but there might have been a comparison to windmills). And then once they are in the big house, it mentions her cuffed hands again. I couldn't find any mentions of the cuffs having been removed or replaced, and it's pretty hard to flail one's arms when they are behind one's back.
So nothing major, but it did make me go "hmmm"!

On my lunch break today I finished The lost traveller, which I found a very absorbing and moving read. Clara's relationship with her parents is a difficult one for all three characters and it was fascinating to watch the shifts as events revealed new facets of their personalities. That said, the climactic incident of the book is rather melodramatic and some heavy foreshadowing made it feel fated in an almost Hardyesque way. It felt a bit out of place in this otherwise subtle book. But I'm looking forward to reading the next two volumes of the quartet and following Clara's journey to womanhood further.

>270 Sakerfalcon: Yep, I went back and found it! Really did miss it the first time.

Hmm, it's been a while since I updated ...

China Mountain Zhang was very good, an SF novel set in a plausible future where China is the dominant power, with various facets of society seen through the eyes of the title character and others who eventually cross his path. Recommended.

I'm enjoying Warhost of Vastmark even though some of the characters (Lysaer and Dakar especially) irritate me immensely. But the worldbuilding is first rate and Arithon and many of the more minor characters are compelling and sympathetic. Vignettes such as the scene at the hostel of Ath are superbly told, leaving strong emotional impression despite their brevity. I still wish for some more prominent female characters but the book's strength far outweighs this weakness.

On my kindle I read Cobweb bride after seeing it highly praised by @kceccato and others recently. I enjoyed it a lot; its premise is that of Terry Pratchett's Reaper man - what happens when there is no death? - but this is a very different treatment. There are lots of interesting female characters, many of whom are friends or who work together and help each other, and, unlike in a lot of fantasy, we see all levels of society - royalty, aristocracy, bougeouisie, traders and peasants - making the world feel fully fleshed-out. It's free for kindle on amazon uk, probably as a hook to get you to pay for the sequels, something I shall be doing shortly.

On my way to work I'm now reading the daunting Pilgrimage by Dorothy Richardson, a set of 13 short novels that are some of the earliest examples of the use of stream-of-consciousness. It is surprisingly readable, although the level of detail and the equal weight given to both trivial and climactic event will not be to everyone's taste. It would also be easy to say that "nothing happens" in the sense of a linear plot; reading this is really experiencing Miriam's day-to-day life through her thoughts and feelings. This is one of my books for All Virago-All August, but I'm getting a head start on it as I expected it to be a slow read (which it isn't, in fact).

I'm also reading Anarchy, the sequel to Advent which I enjoyed last year. It picks up where the previous book ended, only the scene has shifted to a remote settlement in British Columbia where the events in Cornwall seem very far away. The new character, Goose, is a female cop in her first major posting and I really liked her spikiness and her refusal to be put in the role of comforter just because she is a woman. The next two sections of the book take us back to England to characters from the first book, but unfortunately I'd got so immersed in the new setting that the change of scene was a bit of a disappointment. However, the story is still gripping and I'm really enjoying it.

My next kindle read will be Three parts dead, about which people have been raving recently, so I'm looking forward to that.

I was about to add China Mountain Zhang to Mount TBR but then I read that there are several stories left unresolved. I really don't like that type of thing. What are your thoughts?

>273 Morphidae: Hmm, things don't get tidied up neatly but you can infer where things will head in the future in most cases. It is more like a series of linked short stories than a novel, showing scenes from people's lives. It is like when you encounter people during various stages of your life (school, college, first job) then move on and you stop hearing about what they are doing, but you could guess what path they will take in life.

>274 Sakerfalcon: Well, that's okay. Book bullet added!

I really, really enjoyed both Advent and Anarchy, and can't wait for the last book to come out.

I finished Anarchy and am now looking forward to the last part of the trilogy, whenever it appears. Although the first part of the book was the most interesting to me, I still enjoyed catching up with the other characters later in the story. I wasn't very happy with Marina's story arc, although I suppose it was inevitable, but I did appreciate how Treadwell managed to change my feelings towards Izzy, from dislike and a bit of contempt to respect for her strength. Goose and Jonas were by far my favourite characters in the book, though it doesn't look like we'll see them again in future, if I understood that last scene correctly While not as good as books by Alan Garner or Susan Cooper, this series is a worthy successor in the tradition of British folklore-inspired fantasy.

I also finished Pilgrimage 1 having enjoyed a fascinating and immersive read. One quickly gets into Miriam's head and starts to see the world through her eyes which, while sometimes confusing, is usually interesting. I was expecting the book to be rather a slog, as a friend described it as "completely impenetrable", but was pleasantly surprised to find this was not the case. It is filled with tiny everyday details which some may consider trivia, but for me this just gave a clearer picture of the place and time. I could picture the rooms of the various schools, the streets of North London (a far more alien place to Miriam than Germany!) and the green commons around the country house. Reading this seems to me to be as close as one can come to actually living as a woman in the late C19th/early C20th century.

Also this week I've read Midnight blue-light special, the second book about Verity Price and the cryptids of New York city. I liked the first book, but had a few reservations; this one blew those away completely. The stakes are higher here and Verity, her family, and her Cryptid friends, acquaintances and co-workers must all team together to fight. I love that women have real friendships and work together in these books, that friendship and family come before romance for Verity, and that the cryptids are not your usual vampires and werewolves but far, far more interesting creatures. The Aeslin mice are back in all their adorable glory; Istas still gleefully contemplates carnage while hemming her parasol with lace; and Sarah comes to the fore as an awesome character in her own right. I have the third book on Mount Tbr which I am looking forward to, even though the story moves to follow Verity's brother - I just hope there are still Aeslin mice around ...

Still reading Three parts dead and very much liking both the world and the characters.

I'm also reading Midnight crossroad which I got from the library. I haven't read any of Charlaine Harris's other work, but I love books about small towns with strange secrets so this looked to be right up my alley. I'm halfway through and it is not disappointing me. Interesting characters who are not too quirky to be believable, a mystery, and some humour - always a good mix.

I'm off on holiday for a few days, leaving tomorrow, and will be taking Collapse with me, as I believe that is the GD group read book for August, and will also bring along my kindle.

>277 Sakerfalcon: hurray for holidays! Where are you off to?

Romania - some friends and I are renting a self-catering cottage in the Carpathians. I am not planning to bring any vampire novels to read ...

I'm watching a book bullet approach with Midnight Bluelight Special written on it...

280> Same here.

>279 Sakerfalcon: that sounds awesome. I look forward to the trip report!

>277 Sakerfalcon: Discount Armageddon has a Romeo/Juliet family feud thing that annoyed me a bit, so like you I preferred Midnight Blue-Light Special. Half-Off Ragnarok feels more intimate with fewer characters. And, yes, it has the mice! Yay!

I've read all of Charlaine Harris' books and thought that Midnight Crossroad was a solid entry for her new series.

>280 Marissa_Doyle: >281 pwaites: Just be sure to read Discount Armageddon first. Don't be put off by our complaints, it's still a really good book.

Yep--just downloaded and will read it first before moving on to Midnight Blue-Light Special. Thanks!

>284 Marissa_Doyle: Enjoy! You are in for a fun time!

>283 Morphidae: Thanks for letting me know about the mice!

I don't do urban fantasy, dammit, but I'm curious about the mice! *wishlisted*

All the love for the InCryptid books just makes me so happy. I am ridiculously fond of them.

Well, I have been back from Romania for a few days and am finally getting caught up here on LT. I didn't read much while I was away, but did get a good way into Collapse which is proving to be an interesting and thought-provoking read. It is also making me want to travel to such places as Easter Island, Yucatan and Greenland.

Before I left I finished Midnight crossroad and really enjoyed it. I love books set in small American towns and this was a good one, with interesting but not too quirky characters, a mystery to be solved and secrets to be revealed. I will be looking forward to the next book in the series.

I also finished Three parts dead which was excellent. I loved the unusual setting and the role that legal contracts play in religion. Tara, Ms Abernathy and Cat were interesting female protagonists and Abelard was rather endearing, as were the gargoyles. I appreciate the total lack of romance, and the fact that the story wraps up in one book. I know that other books in the world follow new characters and plots and I'm eager to get hold of them.

I'm supposed to be reading one of the Virago books that I put aside for All August-All Virago, but somehow I've been sidetracked and am reading Summer people by Marge Piercy. It centres around Dinah, Willie and Susan who have been a menage a trois for over 10 years, living in a small community on Cape Cod. But this summer tensions in the relationship come to a head, fuelled by interferance from the summer visitors with whom Susan is obsessed. It's a bit soap-opera-y but the characters are interesting and compelling - I keep wanting to read "just one more chapter". Dinah is a composer and Piercy writes extremely well about music.

I'm also reading We are all completely beside ourselves which I picked up cheap on kindle. Unfortunately the twist was spoiled for me, but it is still very good.

I'm glad you liked Midnight Crossroad. It was one of those you go, "Aaaah, good book" when done. Not FABULOUS, just a solid, good read.

Romania, awesome! I bet it was beautiful!

I read all the Sookie Stackhouse books, so I'm going to check out Midnight Crossroad. :)

>289 Morphidae:, >290 catzteach: I can see that Midnight will be a place to return to when I need a comfort read. Which is a bit odd because there is some dark stuff in the book, but the core set of characters were such a pleasure to be with, and the town felt like a special place that would look out for its own. It felt a bit like Cainsville in Kelley Armstrong's Omens which is another great setting.

>290 catzteach: Romania was indeed beautiful. We were staying in the mountains far from development and noise so it was the perfect break. We visited a volcanic lake and a nature reserve on a peat bog, climbed a mountain from our front door and climbed up the side of a waterfall in a narrow gorge. I will post some photos when I get myself organised.

Since I last posted I've finished a few books and started a couple more. Summer people was enjoyable and wrapped up well, if a bit predictably. I never could sympathise with Susan who was self-centred and let herself be deluded, rejecting people who cared for her when they tried to tell her the truth. Willie I found rather weak - content and happy when things were going well but unable to deal with a crisis head-on when necessary. Dinah was great, prickly and probably not an easy person to be with at times, but loyal, good hearted and strong. It was good to end the book with everyone having been shaken up and resettled with new bonds formed and new paths to travel.

We are all completely beside ourselves was a good read but I think it could have been better. I'm not quite sure what was wrong with it for me; perhaps it's that the different elements of the book felt rather disjointed. Unlike some readers, I liked Rosemary, the narrator and protagonist, who we first see as a college student then as a child, as she looks back on her life. The issues raised in the novel were not new to me, as in my teens I was passionate about animal welfare and horrified by the ordeals suffered by test subjects in research labs. The book did bring back those emotions, as I think it intended to, but but overall I think the amount of time spent on Rosemary and Harlow's misadventures in college lessened the impact of the weightier themes of the novel. It was a quick and very readable book though, and not a waste of time.

So far I've only managed to read one book for this year's All Virago-All August challenge. I chose The beauties and furies by Christina Stead, which follows Elvira as she leaves her dull husband to join her student lover Oliver in 1930s Paris. The book portrays the slightly seedy side of Paris life very vividly, with its cafes, hotels, markets and streets populated by artists, students, journalists, prostitutes and others, all talking of politics, economics and social theories. Unfortunately, these people's conversations are not as interesting as they'd like to think, so parts of the book were a slog. Also, Elvira is not an admirable character; she is quite weak-willed and indecisive and spends a long time dithering over the options in her life while knowing that she is hurting people. She deserved to have the men whom she keeps dangling go off and leave her! This is a book which will linger in my mind for its atmosphere and setting rather than for the characters and plot.

I also read a YA book on kindle, We were liars, which has had a fair amount of hype. It is basically a pretty book about pretty people, with a strong dose of King Lear and a tragic mystery. I liked the island setting and (mostly) the prose, which managed to be creative without too many gimmicks. I do hate though when a narrator says something like "Then he pulled out a handgun and shot me in the chest" and describes the pain and her heart falling to the ground, before you realise that no-one has literally shot her; she just feels as though it has happened. Fortunately this sort of thing only occurs a couple of times, otherwise I'd have put the book down. Anyway, the book succeeds in raising issues of privilege, race, class and family although I felt the ending then undermined them by not having the protagonist called to account for her actions. It was a very quick read and made a good break from the above book and from Collapse.

After a disappointing, indulgently overlong section on Norse Greenland, Collapse has picked up again and is now looking at modern societies. I've just read about Rwanda and am now on a comparison of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

I've started reading my next Virago, The dud avocado, which is also set in Paris and follows the adventures of Sally Jay Gorse, a young American abroad in the 1950s. She's determined to live life to its fullest while she can and have lots of fun along the way, which is so far very entertaining to the reader as well as the characters.

And I'm reading The bird's nest by Shirley Jackson, because apparently I don't have enough books on the go already!

I checked out Midnight and am thinking I might take it on vacation with me.

You must tell us how the views of Paris compare between The Dud Avocado and The Beauties and Furies. Are they set in roughly the same period? Do they reference the same places and sights? I think that would be an interesting aspect to hear about (speaking from an utterly selfish perspective).

>292 catzteach: I hope you enjoy both your vacation and the book!

>293 jillmwo: I finished The dud avocado and you are right that comparing the two views of Paris is an interesting assignment. Beauties is set in the '30s and Avocado in the '50s, but people's day-to-day lives are very similar - hanging out in cafes, talking, drinking and staying up far too late. The characters in Beauties talk of weightier things such as politics and social movements, with suggestions of the crisis ahead, while those in Avocado are more concerned with gossip, art, theatre and more gossip. The moods of the two books are very different, with Avocado being a light, frothy romp that sparkles with humour, while Beauties is more sombre, its characters more self-absorbed. Sally Jay, the narrator of Avocado, is often compared to Holly Golightly, but I'd say there is just a touch of Lorelei Lee there too. Both books are set around the streets, cafes and hotels rather than the big sights, but create a sense of place that is unmistakably Parisian.

Just one more chapter to go and I will have finished Collapse. It's very good but could make its points more effectively if it were 100 or so pages shorter. I'm glad to be reading it though.

I finished The bird's nest which was just as compelling and disturbing as Shirley Jackson's other work. It is concerned with multiple personality disorder, but written before psychologists had really identified and studied it, I believe. I'm so glad that Penguin have republished all of Jackson's novels as they really are very good and well worth reading.

When I found myself in the bookshop on Sunday I somehow managed to leave with a copy of Fool's assassin, the new Robin Hobb Farseer book. I started reading it on the train home, and spent all of a very rainy Monday at home finishing it. It had all the elements that make me love Hobb's work - the fluid prose, detailed worldbuilding, well-rounded characters and a rich, slow build-up to the climax. Unfortunately it also has many of the things that people dislike about the series - Fitz is older but no wiser and still keeps secrets "for your own good" when he really shouldn't, he still makes terrible decisions and lacks the ability to prioritise thus starting chains of events that lead to disaster. We also have a couple of new characters who I wanted to shake until they hurt! (Fortunately there are several good new characters too.) About halfway through this volume, another narrator is introduced, someone who promises to grow into a fascinating character, and (hopefully) one who will manage not to make Fitz's mistakes. I should give warning that the book ends on a cliffhanger, with the last sentence being Fitz saying "Thus began the darkest period of my life", so if you found the earlier books too depressing you might want to stay away from this trilogy!

In addition to Collapse, I'm still reading Warhost of Vastmark, and on my kindle I'm reading The thinking woman's guide to magic, which Marissa recommended and I'm very much enjoying.

I'm long overdue for a check-in here, but have had a very busy couple of weeks at work which have seriously cut into my internet time. I've managed to polish off a few more books though.

I finished Collapse and find that my thoughts on it agree almost exactly with @imyril's. The book's message is undeniably an important one, and I appreciated that Diamond emphasizes the complexity of the issues and that no one single factor is to blame when societal collapse occurs. But in the end the book was just too long and repetitive. While the 5 historical case studies were each individually interesting, taken all together they were a bit much and not distinct enough from one another. And devoting 3 chapters to Greenland just seemed self-indulgent on the part of the author, and unnecessary to the book - and I say that as someone who is fascinated by Greenland and hopes to visit it one day. However, the modern-day case studies were fascinating, if disturbing, perhaps because they were easier to relate to than things that happened centuries in the past. I hope that he is right in his cautious optimism regarding the future of the planet, but the points he makes about human nature and our tendency as a species to focus on short-term gain over long-term good lead me to feel gloomy.

I also finished Warhost of Vastmark, in which Janny managed the impossible - to totally change my opinion of two characters who I had previously loathed and couldn't have imagined rooting for. The ending was also extremely satisfying, as FINALLY one of Lysaer's allies sees that he is basically a monomaniac who will continue to throw lives heedlessly away in his curse-driven pursuit of Arithon, and withdraws his family's support. Why more of his allies don't see this I have to attribute to the curse, because otherwise I can't see why they would continue to give him their loyalty. So another absorbing installment in the tale, and now I am looking forward to Fugitive prince.

Still reading Thinking woman's guide to magic which is a lot of fun. This is a classic portal fantasy where a woman from our world is drawn into a parallel universe with magic, good and bad. It's also essentially a domestic fantasy as Nora spends much of her time settling into a household and beginning to learn what her place might be in this world. Some might find it too slow-moving and Nora too passive, but I think her caution and patience reflects her age - 29, so older than a typical fantasy heroine - and also the wariness learned from her initial bad experiences with magic.

I'm also reading A model childhood by Christa Wolf which is a novel that "explores the experience of Nazism as it was lived by ordinary people in an ordinary town". It is narrated by "you", a writer in the 1970s who is on a trip to visit the towns where she grew up, with her brother and daughter. The narrative frequently switches to the third person, as it tells of the childhood of Nelly, who must be "you" as a child. "You" question and comment upon Nelly's experiences, trying to come to terms with what she lived through, almost obliviously at times. It is an interesting, complex and quite difficult read, though it has the power to absorb often enough to make it a good read. I think I will pass it on to my sister after I finish as she is studying German and is interested in the culture and history of the country.

My bedtime book is Look to windward, one of the the few remaining SF novels by Iain M. Banks that I haven't read before. It's very good so far, with interesting non-human, non-Culture protagonists.

I think that's everything!

I'm glad you're still enjoying The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic. It's flawed, but I loved it anyway and am looking forward to the sequel (whenever it comes out).

>295 Sakerfalcon: >296 Marissa_Doyle: *spins wildly clutching an arm* book bullet! :)

...and I'm relieved to find I wasn't being unduly grouchy about Collapse ;)

I keep meaning to pick up Inversions, purely because I'm looking forward to Look to Windward so much. I've only read it once, but remember it being great. Sadly, I appear not to have such fond memories of Inversions, which I just don't remember at all so it keeps slipping down the Reading List in favour of all the exciting books I'm considering...

>297 imyril: Player of Games was my favourite Iain M. Banks novel until I read Look to Windward. I am not saying Look to Windward passed out Player of Games but it did share first place with it...and still does.

My memories of reading Inversions and Excession were muddled. I could never remember which of them was about the big black ball in space (I wonder if Excession was in anyway influential in the making of Fifth Element) and I remembered one of them did not strike me as brilliant. Having recently reread Excession I now know Inversions must be the one I did not think brilliant. (I did think it good, but not brilliant.) I will have to wait for a reread to form a more lasting impression.

My overriding feelings of Iain's SF novels is that they never dropped below a "good" level and some of them are great. I enjoyed reading them all. Perhaps The Hydrogen Sonata benefitted from my propensity to love Iain's books as I enjoyed wallowing in the environment and did not get too upset if the story was not particularly brilliant.

Bottom line, I too am looking forward to rereading Look to Windward.

@Sakerfalcon , in a weekend thread you mentioned The Girl With All the Gifts. I am currently reading and enjoying it. I have read 130 pages and the camp has been overrun. I must admit it took me a while to realise it is basically a zombie story, not something I would normally be attracted to. The relationships have been well developed and my inference so far is that the real story is about internal personal struggles. .

>296 Marissa_Doyle:, >297 imyril: I finished Thinking woman's guide and really enjoyed the read. There are perhaps too many themes referred to in it and not enough action, but I really liked the slow discovery of the world's customs, history and secrets. I think the big difference between this and most other portal fantasies is that Nora hasn't been brought through to fulfill a destiny and save the other world; rather she ends up stuck there by accident and must find a role for herself, even if it is a very humble one at first. Aruendiel is an interesting character too, a twist on the "ancient but youthful-seeming" romantic lead. He is hundreds of years old but his magic use keeps him looking young (well, middle-aged). When he is cut off from magic, however, he ages rapidly and becomes decrepit, frail and close to death. He has also not been a lily-white model of virtue in those centuries of earlier life, and is certainly not always easy to like in the present either, meaning that in this book at least Nora's feelings for him are very conflicted and she is inclined to attribute the attraction she feels towards him to her several months of involuntary celibacy! There are some good secondary characters too, including an interesting female sorcerer and the alluring but dangerous folk of the Faetoren.

I also finished Look to windward and enjoyed it very much. I really enjoyed Ziller and Kabe as characters, although I found I frequently forgot that they weren't human until Banks threw in a reference to their anatomy - none of the non-humans in the book seemed to have a particularly alien mindset. The revelation of the plot, both to us and to Quilan, was very well paced, and I enjoyed the denouement and final revelations. Unfortunately there are no real female characters in this one, but the rest of the book is strong enough that I'll let him off this one time. I always like the travelogue parts of Banks' SF and this book has some great ones, the Orbital itself being a particularly fascinating place geographically.

>297 imyril:, >298 pgmcc: I really like Inversions; it was the first Culture book I read so I didn't actually realise what was going on beneath the surface! Having reread it recently I really enjoyed finding all the Easter Eggs that reveal that this is more than just your usual fantasy read. The Doctor is one of my favourite of Banks' characters, and the two contrasting societies and plots were both equally intriguing to me.

Now I'm reading The prestige for Morphy's magical September group read. I'm not really into stage magic or illusion but I still expect this to be a good read, based on the other books by Priest that I've read.

And at home I'm reading Doris Egan's Ivory trilogy. I'd read the first book before but loved it just as much on this reread, and am just starting the second installment. Graduate student Theodora finds herself stranded and broke on the planet of Ivory, which is unique in that magic is real there and exists alongside the science and technology of the rest of the galaxy. How she falls in with the Cormallan family and their politics and stratagems and subsequently finds herself trying to avoid arrest and murder attempts makes for an exciting and frequently amusing read.

I'm also reading Night film, a literary thriller and mystery about a weird cult movie director whose daughter has been found dead - an apparent suicide - and the journalist who hopes to restore his reputation by uncovering the truth behind her death and her father's secrets.

Ooh, took a bullet on Ivory. Off to find them...

I'm glad you enjoyed Thinking Woman's Guide--I also loved the world-building, especially the thought she put into the construction of language and the magic system (and that an English grad student used math to rescue Aruendiel from the tower!

Bullet went right through Marissa and then hit me...

>300 Sakerfalcon: I really liked The Gate of Ivory! Theodora is one of the characters who always comes to mind when people talk about "strong female characters," for the way she handled things when Ran was really out of it and they had no money- that takes a lot of strength.

What did you think of the handling of Ran's brother? I've been wanting to read this one again, but I'm afraid that he ended up a rather stereotypical angry disabled guy who hates people who aren't disabled from the bit of the resolution I remember, who ended up basically getting himself killed by Ran, thus solving the problem of actually dealing with any of the issues of unfairness he brought up, and I think it would annoy me.

>303 sandstone78: Given his backstory, I think Eln would have been bitter anyway, given that he was disinherited at birth on the strength of a card-reading that said he would bring trouble to the family - the disease didn't strike him until he was 10. So if I look at it that way I can see him as angry because of that rather than his disability. And really, it was perhaps a self-fulfilling prophecy, as if he hadn't been disinherited he wouldn't have had a reason to cause the trouble; it was quite clear that his disability wouldn't have stopped him from being an efficient head of the family, given the chance. Still, I agree that it would have been nice to have had some discussion of the issue rather than writing him out so quickly at the end.

>301 Marissa_Doyle:, >302 zjakkelien: Hope you enjoy them when you track them down! Theodora is a great heroine!

And now I think it's time for a new thread for the last part of the year, as this one has grown to monstrous proportions!