-Eva-'s 7 in 2017 - Part 1

Keeping it simple over here. Again. 7 categories with no less than 10 books in each. This is about as inventive as I'm going to get this year (too). Looking forward to getting started!

New Acquisitions 2/8
Mt. TBR 2/8
Orbis Terrarum 2/8
CATs and/or Group Reads 0/8
Non-Fiction 0/8
Vacation/Holiday Reads 0/8
Audio/Ebook 3/8

New Acquisitions

1. Bryant & May: Strange Tide by Christopher Fowler Finished January 31st (LTER)
2. Rather Be the Devil by Ian Rankin Finished February 4th
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Mt. TBR

1. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch Finished January 23rd
2. Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch Finished February 14th
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Orbis Terrarum

1. Italy: The Shape of Water (Italian original: La forma dell'acqua) by Andrea Camilleri Finished January 3rd
2. Portugal: The Tragedy of the Street of Flowers (Portuguese original: A Tragédia da Rua das Flores) by José Maria de Eça de Queiroz Finished March 2nd
3. Kenya: Who Will Catch Us As We Fall by Iman Verjee
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

CATs, BingoDOGs, and/or Group Reads

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Non-Fiction

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Vacation/Holiday Reads

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Audio/Ebook

1. Fated by Benedict Jacka Finished February 2nd ♫
2. How to Ride a Dragon's Storm by Cressida Cowell Finished February 8th ♫
3. Divergent by Veronica Roth Finished February 19th ♫
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5. Fated by Benedict Jacka
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
21.
22. Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch
23.
24. The Tragedy of the Street of Flowers by José Maria de Eça de Queiroz
25. Rather Be the Devil by Ian Rankin (Rebus #21/Fox #6)

Well, that's it for my "exciting" categories that I doubt surprised any of you. Here's to a new year of reading!

Hey, you know what works for you! :) Glad to see you back for another year.

Totally get it. Why mess with what works for you.

Glad to see that someone else does not come up with clever categories. I will also be doing something very simple for my challenge.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it! Have a great reading year!

Looks like you are all set for another great Category Challenge year! Looking forward to following along.

The reading's the thing. Just so that is exciting!

Why mix things up when they work fine? I'm pretty much doing the same and keep my categories, just giving them new names. :) (OK, I'm still new to the challenge and therefore still adusting a little here and there...)

I'm doing the same thing too, I haven't even renamed my categories! (although I've changed the order a bit) I've had my best ever reading year in 2016, so why change a winning formula? Looking forward to following your thread, Eva.

Why change if you know this one works. I'm looking forward to following your reading.

I have to agree with everyone. If it's working, don't change a thing!

Looking forward to following you once again this year. (Let's just hope I can keep up better in 2017!)

Simple is a good plan. Looking forward to following your reading in 2017!

looks a good plan from here!

If it works for you, why not?

Good luck with your reading!

Hi, Eva! I hear you about the more casual set up this year. I think the end of 2016 was so stressful for so many that we wanted to simplify wherever possible! Do the tools for your nonfiction mean DIY books? The vacation books will definitely take you away! I look forward to seeing what discoveries you find to share with us in 2017.

>26 mamzel:
Thanks! No, I was just struggling with finding a good picture to illustrate non-fiction. :)

dropping a star & hello - look forward to seeing what you choose to read next year

Dropping by to say hello. Lots of us taking an easier path this year.

Eva I love your casual set up, why mess with what works?

Hi Eva, looks like a pleasant year of reading ahead for you.

Hi Eva!! This looks great. I'll have to keep this in mind for next year if my plan doesn't go well this year. I look forward to following you this year.

Stopping by to say "hi!" and drop a star. I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, Eva!

Checking in and hanging my star.

I've used mostly the same categories for the past few years, as well. :-) Had to add in a couple of new ones this year, as two of last year's categories were "cancelled" with the dissolution of shelfari (the categories were tied to groups/challenges over there).

Happy new year, Eva!

Happy new year from me too!

Dropping by to drop a star and say hello. Happy New Year.

Happy New Year!

#1



The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri

The first in the series about Sicilian Police Inspector Montalbano, in which a real estate developer and aspiring politician is found dead in his car under what looks like lascivious circumstances, and it is up to Montabano and his team to sort out the (convoluted) truth. This was an experiment by the author to see if he could write a novel straight from the beginning to the end (as his other novels always ended up much differently structured than he had planned) and if it was possible to set a police procedural in Sicily. Well, the experiment was a success; this is a very solid mystery with interesting characters in an unusual locale, but it's not as amazing a novel as its reputation would leave a reader to believe. Montalbano has developed into a very popular character, both in the books and in a TV series, so I am quite certain that later installments are closer to outstanding than this one; I will continue to read the series.

#2



The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

A group of elite con artists, calling themselves The Gentleman Bastards, relieve the wealthy inhabitants of a fantasy city (reminiscent of medieval Venice) of their riches, but get in over their heads when the mysterious Gray King and his magician, The Falconer, involve the group in a plot to overturn the current leadership of the city's underworld. Great world-building and engaging, flawed, and funny characters make for a wonderful reading experience and it didn't take many pages for me to decide that I would read this series to the end no matter what (books 2 and 3 are currently out as well). Granted, the structure with the time shifts is sometimes a little tricky as it takes you out of the storyline and dumps you back in without much warning, but it is a debut novel and I will forgive a lot, especially when the characters are all so interesting and unique. I really liked that Lynch keeps me on my toes when it comes to which characters are allowed to "bite the dust" - it's not that many writers that will sacrifice main characters to make a story all the more poignant and, although I was heart-broken a few times, I have to applaud the courage as it raises the stakes in the story to a level where it is almost impossible to stop reading. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys good characters and a great adventure story.

#3



Bryant & May: Strange Tide by Christopher Fowler

The Peculiar Crimes Unit deals with the body of a woman has been discovered chained to a stone post in the Thames and left to drown, but only her footprints are leading to the site and Bryant and May have to combine historical knowledge with modern police work to figure out the mystery. This is my first acquaintance with The Peculiar Crimes Unit and I am IN LOVE. It has an amazing set of characters, all with their relatable (albeit odd) quirks, an engaging mystery, and a locale that in steeped in history and myth. There are a few things that are a little confusing to me, since I am starting with the thirteenth book in a series, but rest assured I will go back to the very beginning and read every single book that preceded this one. It's quite rare (at least for me) and such a treat to find a book where I actually laugh when I'm reading and I kept going back a few paragraphs throughout the book to read passages out loud to myself, just because they were worded so wonderfully. Someone (I can't remember who, but it was definitely a fellow LT:er) recommended this series to me a while back and I am only sorry I didn't heed their word and devour the books a long time ago, but I shall rectify my error as soon as possible.

January Summary:

Number of books: 3

Category Progress:
New Acquisitions 1/10
Mt. TBR 1/10
Orbis Terrarum 1/10
CATs and/or Group Reads 0/10
Non-Fiction 0/10
Vacation/Holiday Reads 0/10
Audio/Ebook 0/10

I only read good books this month, so with a grain of salt, I'll pick these:
Best read of the month: Bryant & May: Strange Tide because it was my introduction to a series I know I will love. So funny!
Least good read of the month: The Shape of Water because it is the first book in the series and felt a little unsure of itself.

Thank you all for visiting!!

I have been more absent from the group than I want to. One of my team members at work is out on baby-leave, so there's only me and one other person and the workload is sooo heavy that I just don't have time for anything fun, like chatting with you guys. And, then there's the political climate in our nation (yes, I said "our" even if I only have a Green Card) that is breaking my heart every day, but I'm not going to start a discussion here about that.

Otherwise, things are going well. I've booked my annual trip to Sweden and will be going in May as usual and any time I have a trip planned, everything else in life is easier to handle.

I read only a few, but great, books in January and have some great ones lined up, starting with the new Rebus-book, Rather Be the Devil so I'm looking forward to that!

Happy reading everyone and my apologies for not getting around often enough to check in on everyone's thread.

>43 -Eva-: Glad you enjoyed The Lies of Locke Lamora. Definitely one of my favourite fantasy books of recent(ish) years. The 2nd book does leave things on a cliffhanger of an ending though so be warned.

>42 -Eva-: Yeah, the first the Inspector Montalbano series is rather tepid; but it does serve as a solid foundation for the rest of the series in terms of character profiles. Camillieri doesn't do recaps, so it's good to read this first one ;-)

Yay, new Rebus!

Also yay, Bryant and May! I've got to get back to that series. :)

I need to get back to Bryant and May too!. I really enjoyed the first one when I read it. Maybe later this year.

>48 Tanya-dogearedcopy: - I'm planning to start this series next month when I go on vacation. Good to know that it gets better just in case I'm under-whelmed with the first.

>43 -Eva-: - this is also on my radar, somewhere. Someone here on LT mentioned it and I remember I thought the title was interesting (?).

>44 -Eva-: This sounds like a fun series. Is it a British version of The X-Files?

I've been meaning to get round to reading the Bryant & May books for a while - this is yet another prod to do so :-)

A BB for Bryant and May, hadn't come across this series before.

>43 -Eva-: Eva, so glad that you enjoyed your first "Gentlemen Bastards" book. I am a huge fan.

#4



Fated by Benedict Jacka

Alex Verus, a diviner, gets coerced into helping with the opening of an ancient relic, one that contains some seriously strong magic. I am an urban fantasy fan, but, unfortunately, this didn't appeal to me as much as I had hoped. The main character is on the boring side of quiet and, although he repeatedly claims only to be able to see into the future and knows no actual magic, he keeps doing magic throughout the book, which makes me not believe in him. And, he has the same background as Harry Dresden and the same view of the establishment as Harry Dresden, and knows of Harry Dresden, but he has none of the humor of Harry Dresden. I'm assuming Harry is referred to so that the reader will know that the author knows that he has pretty much copied Harry Dresden - that way we can't yell plagiarism. The world building is iffy as well, we go from London (could be any city) to a place where there is a labyrinth full of booby-traps and then get flown out by an air elemental (such a lazy way of a writer to get his character where it needs to be for the plot to work). I've seen that later installments are rated higher than this one, but I am too irritated by the main character to give the series a second chance.

#5



Rather Be the Devil by Ian Rankin

Rebus gets hung up on a cold case that turns out to be related to Fox and Clarke's latest case, and, not surprisingly, to "Big Ger" Cafferty who has his fingers in all the pies and is thinking of making a comeback in a big way. This is another great installment in a great police procedural series with an interesting locale, witty characters, and solid plot-lines. Rebus health condition raises the stakes enormously and the tension between Fox and Clarke - because of Rebus and because of Fox's promotion - adds a lot of pressure to the characters, which isn't nice for them, but adds a lot for the reader. Highly recommend this series - it's one where I will go back and reread passages out loud to myself just because it's written so cleverly and the dialogues are so realistic. Very happy Rankin decided not to stop writing about Rebus and I am thoroughly enjoying how he's incorporated Fox into the Rebus storyline; they balance each other perfectly.

Thank you all for coming by!

>47 AHS-Wolfy:
Great info - thanks!! Will buy #3 when I buy #2.

>48 Tanya-dogearedcopy:
I had heard that this was the case, so even though the book itself was a little tepid, I think I started in the "right" spot.

>49 rabbitprincess:
Great Rebus and great Bryant and May. Only one less than great book for me so far this year... Fingers Xed it stays that way!

>50 dudes22:
Locke Lamora has a lot of great world-building - it's a place you can really delve into. I'll be reading more, for sure!

>51 mamzel:
It is a very fun read! Nothing supernatural, though, as far as I understand. Bryant and the team are odd, for sure, but in a most lovable way. :)

>52 psutto:
Great stuff, judging from this installment at least - I've already picked up a few more.

>53 avatiakh:
I think you will like - great characters!

>54 DeltaQueen50:
Highly enjoyable indeed!

If anyone was wondering, Oliver is doing very well, but has turned out to be a lover of all things wet and muddy... Good thing we're in California - if we were in a rainier place, I'd be running out of doggie shampoo every week!

>55 -Eva-: Shame that one didn't work for you as it's on my own tbr shelves.

>57 -Eva-: Oliver is adorable, even when he's filthy! Look at that face! How can anyone possibly resist?

>58 AHS-Wolfy:
If you can get by the main character's personality, it could be an OK read - he just irritated me so much. Hope it works for you , since it's already in possession. :)

>59 Jackie_K:
Thank you! He is a sweetheart too - loves all beings, human and animal.

Boy, were you busy on everyone's threads!

>61 mamzel:
Haha, I know, right?! I've been feeling so bad about being so behind, I thought I'd have to at least catch everyone's thread so that they pop up on my "Your posts" link. :)

>57 -Eva-: We have a new dog on the street who looks very similar to him. I got to meet him when I took out the trash on my way to find out what has been ailing me and to pick up some things that are easier for me to eat while sick.

I enjoyed the first two Montalbano books in audio before they disappeared from the library's Overdrive offerings. I liked the humor. And I may have to give the Bryant and May series a try.

That Oliver is a handsome dude! Maybe Adrian could have a word with him about the Evils of water. I think California would suit Adrian. He doesn't like to get wet!

I'll add The Lies of Locke Lamora to the list - sounds like fun!

Oliver is one cute dog.

>55 -Eva-: Oh crud. I've had 'Fated' on my eBook TBR for a couple of years now, and was just thinking about cracking it open this month; but if it's a Dresden Files rip-off, no thanks! I love Harry, but I have no patience for derivative drivel :-/

You can add me to Oliver's fan club!

Just dropping by to say hello! I'm so far behind on threads that sometimes I think I'll never catch up.

Oliver is a perfect sweetie!

Hi, Eva. I've been rather absent around here myself. :)

>43 -Eva-:
Great review of The Lies of Locke Lamora. I really need to get around to reading that one.

>57 -Eva-:
Oliver is super adorable.

#6



How to Ride a Dragon's Storm by Cressida Cowell

It's time for the Berk endurance swimming race, but Hiccup and his friends find themselves captured by a ship bound for America and end up rescuing slaves, battling sea monsters, and returning to Berk just in time to save Stoick and Bertha. This is a wonderful children's series and one I enjoy even though I'm slightly above the intended reader age. The characters are quirky and the adventures outlandish and David Tennant is the fantastic narrator that brings it all to life in the audio versions.

#7



Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch

When Constable (and sorcerer apprentice) Peter Grant examines the body of a musician, he hears notes of old jazz, notes that aren't actually being played in the here and now, so Grant knows it's time for him and DCI Nightingale to go on the hunt for a supernatural killer. Aaronovitch has really built a wonderful world, firmly based in real life London, but with the supernatural added in such a way that it all seems possible, even probable; when Grant hijacks an ambulance to save one of the river gods, he gets a run-of-the-mill bollocking from his boss, as if he had broken any regular copper's rule. Also, when the people get hurt in this series, they stay hurt - there are no instant fixes for magical damage, which really adds tons to the story's verisimilitude. It's all very good, but what really brings it home for me are the characters who are just so witty and real that I need to root for them - this is another of the few books (authors, really) where I find myself going back in the text just to read some passages out loud. Very entertaining installment in a series I hope to follow for a very long time.

#8



Divergent by Veronica Roth

At the Choosing Ceremony, Beatrice Prior changes her Faction from Abnegation (selfless) to Dauntless (brave) and has to leave her family behind to tackle a whole new reality, one that will soon bring her back in touch with those she has left behind. The whole thing is entertaining, albeit derivative and somewhat trope-heavy. The characters are what you expect and the world building is good, but the premise beggars belief - it's not really understandable how the division between the five factions was decided or how those particular traits were picked. It is still engaging and the audiobook reader, Emma Galvin, does a great job with the voices. The novels are short and as the trilogy is finished, I'll listen to the other books too.

>72 -Eva-: Nice to see a positive review of this book, as I'd just finished Midnight Riot, the first book in the series. It was a lot of fun!

>74 mathgirl40:
Such a great series - I'd love to just sit down and mow through all of them, but I'm trying to pace myself and save some for a "rainy day." :)

I hardly have time to be on LT, but took the change of a day off to read through some threads - and was hit by a BB for The Lies of Locke Lamora. Seems like we need to be casrefull with all the series book bullets flying around on your thread this year. ;)

>76 Chrischi_HH:
Definitely! I get hit at least once when I go visiting. :)

Swinging by and happy to see that you enjoyed both The Shape of Water and The Lies of Locke Lamora! Sorry to see that work has been busy what with you team member out on mat leave.

>57 -Eva-: - Oliver is super adorable! What a sweet face!

>71 -Eva-: - I need to get back to that series. I read listened to the first two books and then for some reason got distracted by other reading.

>73 -Eva-: I have a copy of that on my kindle app (I don't have a kindle so will have to read it on my laptop), and a small sampler from it on my old Sony ereader. I read the sample and enjoyed it (I am so NOT into YA or dystopian/fantasy type stuff usually!), I need to get to the full thing sometime.

>72 -Eva-: Yaaaay Rivers of London series! Just knowing it exists and that others are enjoying it makes me happy :) Saving the sixth book for a rainy day.

I read the first Rivers of London and enjoyed it, but have never got round to buying any more - not sure why (other shinier books?)

I should probably remedy that...

Glad you enjoyed the Bryant and May. I've found them a little uneven in storyline quality, but always entertaining.

February Summary:

Number of books: 5

Category Progress:
New Acquisitions 2/8
Mt. TBR 2/8
Orbis Terrarum 1/8
CATs and/or Group Reads 0/8
Non-Fiction 0/8
Vacation/Holiday Reads 0/8
Audio/Ebook 3/8

Best read of the month: Moon Over Soho because the characters are so much fun and the storyline unexpected and entertaining.
Least good read of the month: Divergent because it was fun but not very original.

#9



The Tragedy of the Street of Flowers by José Maria De Eça de Queirós

One night at the theater, Vitor da Silva falls head over heels in love with the beautiful Genoveva de Molineux, newly arrived from Paris, a woman with a mysterious history, a less than respectable past, and a secret that will bring both her and Vitor's life into turmoil and, for one of them, a tragic end. This was posthumously published 80 years after the author's death and although it isn't quite as perfectly polished as his other novels, it is still undoubtedly Eça, with beautiful descriptions of 19th century Portugal life with a huge amount of satire and societal critique layered thick on top. Eça's characters are wonderfully passionate, ridiculous, and naive, and their over-the-top proclamations and behaviors are so very entertaining, especially when juxtapositioned against the distinctly Realist style of writing. Eça is a huge favorite of mine and this, somewhat unpolished, work only strengthen my admiration. As Dedalus Books' other Eça-publications, this has been masterfully translated by the brilliant Margaret Jull Costa. NOTE: Read the introduction last, as it gives away part of the plot! (I don't understand why publishers insist on not making introductions such as this afterwords instead.)

Oh, I have a copy of The Tragedy of the Street of Flowers sitting at the top of a book pile, I'm intending to read it sometime this year. I never read the introductions first, ever.

>73 -Eva-: I read the first two of Divergent but really didn't like book #2 so have never felt the need to finish the series.

>72 -Eva-: I'm up to date with the Peter Grant books and have the second GN home from the library.

>85 avatiakh:
Eça de Queirós is always a treat! Never reading the intro first is an excellent rule!!

I'm listening to the audio versions of the Divergent series, so they make my hiking easier, but I really had higher hopes for the series. I kinda already know how it'll end, unfortunately.

I'm trying to pace myself with the Peter Grant books, but I'm really wanting to just mow through them. I got two GNs for Christmas, but I want to read them in the order they come in the series, so they're still sitting there, teasing me. :)

>84 -Eva-: >85 avatiakh: A recent Penguin of mine actually has a spoiler warning at the top of the introduction. Took them long enough to wise up to this.

>87 MissWatson:
That is great! Hope it becomes standard.

>84 -Eva-:
That one's going on my TBR list. But if you had a favorite Eça book to recommend, what would it be?

>72 -Eva-: I'll take a book bullet for the Rivers of London series.

>89 andreablythe:
The Maias, definitely - I think that's the epitome of Eça's writing. If you're only reading one, read that one. (Make sure that you read Eça in Margaret Jull Costa's translation!) ETA: Unless, of course, you can read in Portuguese, then do that! (I am trying my hardest, but Portuguese is a b*tch of a language to learn!)

>90 LisaMorr:
Really hope you like it - it's a new favorite of mine.

>89 andreablythe:
Hah. No, I can read some Spanish (read: very little), but no Portuguese. :)

>84 -Eva-: - Oooohhhh.... that one looks like a great read!