Narilka's 2019 TBR Challenge

I can't believe it's almost 2019. This year's primary list is a random mash of items from Mt. TBR. The secondary list will be all the books I didn't get to from 2018's challenge. This is going to be another great year of reading, I just know it!

11/12

Primary
1. Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay DNF 10/1/19
2. Daughter of the Empire by Feist & Wurtz (The Empire Trilogy 1 of 3) Completed 1/24/19
3. Going Postal by Terry Pratchett (Discworld 33 of 41ish) Completed 3/30/19
4. Circe by Madeline Miller
5. Finding Gobi by Dion Leonard Completed 6/22/19
6. Uprooted by Naomi Novik Completed 11/5/19
7. Never Grow Up by Jackie Chan
8. The Boy on the Bridge by M. R. Carey Completed 10/27/19
9. The Future of the Mind by Michio Kaku
10. The Odyssey by Homer Completed 1/18/19
11. Tamsin by Peter S. Beagle Completed 8/24/19
12. Blood Rites by Jim Butcher (Dresden Files 6 of 15) Completed 4/28/19

Carryover from 2018
1. Red Rising by Pierce Brown (Red Rising 1 of 3)
2. Wool by Hugh Howey (Silo 1 of 3)
3. Foreigner by C. J. Cherryh (Foreigner 1 of 19)
4. Digital Fortress by Dan Brown
5. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
6. Everybody Lies by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz Completed 6/16/19
7. Hunter by Mercedes Lackey (Hunter 1 of 3)
8. The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch (Gentleman Bastards 3 of 7 planned)
9. The Genius of Birds by Jennifer Ackerman Completed 12/20/19
10. A Cat Named Darwin by William Jordan
11. The Gunslinger by Stephen King (The Dark Tower 1 of 8)
12. Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik (Temeraire 2 of 9)

You can NOT go wrong with Guy Gavriel Kay! I'm curious about the Empire Trilogy (did you know Janny Wurtz is on LT; I've seen her around the threads several times). Hearing lots of good stuff about Circe (but read Homer first!), and Uprooted. Is Never Grow Up an autobiography? I read I Am Jackie Chan when it came out, was very interesting.

I'm impressed how many series you're juggling, couldn't do it myself and keep it all straight. Although I'm seeing a lot of first volumes, so is this a test to see which ones you want to pursue? What if ... you like them all???

Yep, Never Grow Up is an autobiography. How was his other book? Did it cover his film career or was it more about his life in China? I think this one talks about his early film career. I'll definitely let you know once I've read it!

I am a series-a-holic :) And I'm actually doing a good job of tracking them now. Here's my 2018 stats:

In progress: 17
Up to date: 9
On Hold: 3
Completed: 14
Abandoned: 3

Most of the first in series listed above are like you described, to see how I'll like them and if I think I'll continue. The Empire Trilogy I own all three books so there's a 99% chance I'll finish it regardless. Discworld is a special case in that I am deliberately spreading them out to make the magic last longer. Since they're all self contained stories, it works out fine. I also do this with UF like Dresden Files - too much mind candy at once is bad ;) The Gentleman Bastards, Discworld, Dresden and Temeraire are included the 17 I have in progress. Up To Date means I've read everything currently published and am waiting for the next book. On Hold means I truly want to finish but I'm mad at something about the series, usually that the writer has plans for more books but hasn't produced anything in a very long time ala George RR Martin. And yes, ASoIaF is in the "on hold" list - I've read 3 and refuse to continue until he finishes the darn series or dies and Brandon Sanderson finishes the series ;) I am trying to formally Abandon more series when I know I'm not likely to continue. I also have an Undecided shelf where I liked the first book but don't feel any strong urge to keep going. In all honesty I should probably abandon them but.... :)

I also do read series straight through. This challenge doesn't get to see that though. You'd have to check out my yearly reading thread in the Green Dragon for that. I review everything I read so if you're curious about something, that's the place to watch.

A fantasy-heavy list, me like!

Tigana is a lovely standalone. I loved Miller's The song of Achilles, so I've been eyeing Circe. The Odyssey is straight up one of my favourite books. Cherryh's Foreigner I liked as well, but I've never read any others in the series. The Bill Bryson book I think deserves the status of a modern classic (despite layman's inaccuracies and several chapters becoming increasingly out-of-date). The Gentlemen Bastards series has been on my radar for a while: maybe 2019 will be the year I cave in and take the plunge.

>3 Narilka:, his other bio wasn't very movie-focussed, it was a lot more to do with his personal life and background. Maybe the one you have is more geared towards stories from the sets?

17 series in progress ..... ! ! ! I'd be reading Game of Thrones and wondering, whatever happened to Gandalf; he was there in the last book, I'd swear, or was that ...?

>4 Petroglyph: Gentlemen Bastards is at 3 books published so unless you don't like starting unfinished series, now is a good time :)

I think I'm going to do like >2 Cecrow: suggests and try to read The Odyssey before Circe. I say try because I've heard such good things about Circe that it's very tempting.

>5 Cecrow: LOL Multiple book series for me is like keeping up with multiple TV shows - it's not too bad if I don't go above 20ish. And if I forget something, a quick google search does the trick!

From my brief flip through Chan's book it looks to be more about his film career. There are a lot of photos of him on various sets.

Can't go wrong with Discworld or Dresden files. :) I love them! I'm finishing up The Dark Tower series this year. I'm loving those. I seem to recall that The Gunslinger was an early book and the remainder of the series later, but it has been a few years since I read The Gunslinger. Great characters in that series, I think.

I agree; you're going to have a great reading year in 2019.

>7 billiejean: Thanks! A question about the Gunslinger. I've read elsewhere that it is tied to some of King's other works that I haven't read. Do you think it's important to pick those up too or should I be OK without them?

There are references to other books by King, but I don't think you need to read them all first. It would be several quite long books. And some of them I read so long ago that I didn't recall the details until they were spelled out in a book of this series. So if it's really important, I do think you will get the info you need. If you go on to read any of those books, you might have a deja vu, but I think that's ok.

Ahh ok. That works then. Sounds like I'm good to go.

Man aside of King I don't know like any of these books, hahaha.

And yeah, I haven't read the series yet (I was saving it till it was finished, and since then I've been saving it because I need to (re)read all of him in chronological order) but, while it's always nice to have read the works preceding any of his, because he very often slips in references, and some have even larger ties, it is never necessary to do so. More of a bonus.

I have The Odyssey in progress on audio book. I am reminded of how important the voice actor is in picking what to listen to. Last year I listened to so many good narrators that I've forgotten what it's like when one isn't working for me. When I can really concentrate I enjoy the story but I'm not enjoying the actor's voice very much and think it may be hurting the experience. We will see if I get used to it as I go.

1. The Odyssey by Homer, Translated by Emily Wilson, Narrated by Claire Danes



I had attempted to read The Odyssey once before and failed miserably. Since then I've learned just how important the translator is when choosing to read ancient classics. I'm happy that I found a different translation to try which made this a much more enjoyable and engaging read. Given that the story comes from a time of oral tradition I decided to try out the audio book, which I think was the right idea but the wrong narrator for me. More on that below.

For anyone who doesn't know, The Odyssey was written by Homer somewhere around 800 BC. The epic poem relates the story of Odysseus and his trials on his return journey home after the Trojan war. For such a simple premise, the scope is vast. It has a little bit of everything (magic, monsters, gods, suitors, shipwrecks, action) and touches on so many themes (violence and the aftermath of war, poverty, wealth, marriage and family, betrayal, yearning for ones home, hospitality) that is is easy to see why this poem is so important and how it has inspired many stories to this day.

One of the best and worst parts about this version was the introduction to the poem. The intro goes into great detail about the controversies about the poem's origins and dives deeply into the poem's many themes. This was great for someone who already knows the story and wants to learn more before getting into Odysseus's tale. For those that don't like spoilers, it's best if you skip the introduction and read/listen to it after you're done with the poem. Fair warning for audio book listeners - the introduction is roughly 3.5 hours long and I was definitely getting impatient to hear the poem long before it was done.

I listened to the audio book narrated by Claire Danes. This has really driven home that I need to listen to a sample of the narrator before choosing my audio books. Claire does an adequate job when reading the descriptive paragraphs but just didn't work for me when it came to dialog. All her characters, male and female, sounded the same and were a bit over done so it was a challenge to keep who was speaking apart. She is going on my avoid list for future audio books.

Rating:

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Edit: Touchstone fixed.

What a great idea to listen to a sample of the narration!

>13 Narilka:
Pity, that. The Odyssey is one of my favourite books; I'm sorry to hear the narrator (and the introduction) marred the experience for you.

I liked the translation and the story over all. I'm going to keep an eye out and see if they do a second audio recording of this version and download it if they do. I saw at least 4 different recordings on Audible though they're all different translations and I was looking for Emily Wilson's in particular.

The Emily Wilson version is the new one that everybody's praising, for modernizing the language a bit. That interested me so I checked it out in the bookstore, but just the opening page told me I'd still have choked on it. I only got through by reading a prose version - all the story, none of the poetry. It's great that you can read/hear and appreciate a poetic version, any version. Hope you paid attention to the Circe parts. :)

There's a podcast I listen to called Overdue where two guys discuss a different book each week. However, they've been doing bonus episodes on the Odyssey where they cover a couple of books from the Odyssey in an episode. They call the special editions Stop! Homer Time. They are using the Emily Wilson translation as well. Their podcasts are more humor based but it's been a great way for me to learn more about the Odyssey. It'll be helpful if/when I get around to actually reading it.

>18 LittleTaiko: That's really cool. Thanks for sharing. I might have to check that out this weekend.

2. Daughter of the Empire by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts



As the only daughter of Lord of the Acoma, Mara was expected to marry and bear children to continue the Acoma line and bring honor to her house. Instead, Mara has chosen a life of chastity and service of Lashmina, the Lady, Goddess of Inner Light. In the temple of Lashima seventeen-year-old Mara is about to take her oaths and join the Order of Lashima. Before the last gongs can sound there is a commotion in the temple as a warrior breaks through with news. Mara's father and brother are dead to treachery of a rival house. Mara must return home and take up her inheritance as Ruling Lady of the Acoma lest her house fall into ruin. Untried and untested Mara now must lead her people in her society's complex game of honor among the great houses if the Acoma are to have a future. Let the Game of the Council begin!

Daughter of the Empire is the first in the Empire Trilogy by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts. Overlapping the timeline of the Riftwar, we get a look into the life and world on the other side of the Rift in the empire of Tsuranuanni. It has been many years since I read the Riftwar quartet so I was a little concerned going in that I would be missing out on something as I don't remember many details at this point. Turns out that this book only has a couple mentions of the war and the context for what you need to know are given in the book. I would say you can probably read these first though I imagine you'll have a deeper experience if you read the series in publishing order and closer together than I did.

The Empire of Tsuranuanni has a lot of Asian influences with touches of Mayan/Incan cultures. The society is based on Great Houses and heavily caste based with a highly complicated and strict system of honor. The people of the world hold their cod of honor so high they will often choose death over dishonor. It also makes navigating society an interesting game, the Game of the Council as it's called, as the slightest change in expression or wording can take people from being the best of friends to the most hated of enemies. While the rules are not well explained I felt like I understood it well enough to follow along with Mara's decision making in her society's context.

The story is told from Mara's point of view. She is the type of heroine I love in fantasy. She meets her challenges head on and proves she's up to the task. Highly intelligent, she constantly proves that people underestimate her abilities at political intrigue. She tackles her problems logically and it's with her rigid political structure in mind that she's able to manipulate events to turn in her favor. She goes on quite a character arc that by the end of the book most of Tusarni society knows that Mara of the Acoma is a force to be reckoned with.

Overall this was an intriguing read. There were some great moments though it is a slow burn in general as the story takes a lot of setup for each situation to come to fruition. It made for some uneven pacing as I blew through some parts and the book was easy to set aside others. There were also a couple other minor annoyances that I won't get into save to note they are there. I enjoyed the book enough I will definitely be continuing on to the second.

Rating:

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If anyone's interested I can post links to my reviews of books 2 and 3 as I read them over the next couple months.

I’d like to try it.

Co-authored books always make me wonder who contributed what.

Sounds like an interesting one.

Feist's Riftwar books have always daunted me: so many, so many subseries. Hard to know where to start.

Wurts I think I may have read as a teenager, but I can't recall any specifics -- lost among the indiscriminate batch reading I committed in my younger years.

>22 Petroglyph:, Daughter of the Empire is where I'll jump in when I get around to it. I haven't heard the first trilogy is absolutely necessary, and the Feist/Wurts combo was apparently some kind of magic, never to be repeated unfortunately.

Yeah, I have no idea other than the world itself (Fiest) who contributed what.

>21 Cecrow: Maybe it will make your challenge soon :)

>22 Petroglyph: Wurts's primary series, The Wars of Light and Shadow, is just as intimidating IMO. It's 10 books and they're all door stoppers. I think I'd like to try it some day but I really have to gear up for something like that.

3. Going Postal by Terry Pratchett



What kind of man would put a known criminal in charge of a major branch of government? Apart from, say, the average voter.

Moist von Lipwig's life of crime has finally caught up with him. With his neck in the noose, Moist watches the hangman pull the lever and wakes up... not dead and offered a job? Lord Vetinari offers Moist the chance at redemption by being named Postmaster and getting the old Postal Service back up and running again. The mail must be delivered.

Going Postal is the 33rd book in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. This is the first book to feature Moist von Lipwig and the fourth in the Industrial Revolution sub-series. It's interesting that for a 33rd book in the series you can almost use it as an entry point without missing out on much more than a couple character cameos.

For a character that should have been despicable, I found Moist to be quite likable and sympathetic. Pratchett does a great job of letting us see that Moist has a underlying decency when dealing with most people at an individual level even though technically he's a con man. Moist also has some of the most wonderful conversations with Vetinari, which highlights just how brilliant a character Vetinari is. I'm glad he's given more page time in this installment. The supporting cast we're introduced to is enjoyable and quirky and human, even the golem Mr. Pump.

As with most Discworld novels my favorite part is how Pratchett deftly works in deeper themes into his books while still keeping them funny. This time he plays with the idea of Hope and its opposite, fear, corporate greed, collecting mania, doing the impossible, pokes fun at professional wrestling in the most highly organized bar brawl ever and more. Pratchett was a genius. His creativity is sorely missed.

Rating:

>25 Narilka: That sounds like great fun! Looks like I have lots to look forward to when I finally make it that far in the series. I've only read the first book so far.

>26 LittleTaiko: Oh my! So many good books ahead of you :)

4. Blood Rites by Jim Butcher



As a favor to his vampire friend Thomas, Harry takes a job to investigate some suspicious murders on an adult film set run by director Arturo Genosa. Two of Arturo's female employees have already died in excessively dramatic manners, so much so that it looks like there might be a curse involved. A highly complicated curse requiring more than one person to pull off. This is one mystery that becomes more twisted, and dangerous, the further Harry digs into it.

Blood Rites is the sixth in Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. This just might be my favorite in the series so far. It his the right combo of mystery, action, humor and bad ass wizardry that reminds me how much I enjoy this series. There are some cheesy cliches mixed in but that's all part of Harry's charm. I love how we're pulled right into the action as Harry is wrapping up another assignment by fleeing for his life from some monkey demons. Needless to say that's definitely just the start of a wild thrill ride.

There are two main plot threads. are woven together much better this time around, which was my main complaint about book 5. Yes, we're still dealing with vampires though it's both the Black and White courts this time. It helps fill in the differences between the three courts nicely.

Finally we get some insight into Harry's past! And a lot more character building for Karrin Murphy. I've been waiting for both of these and found it very satisfying. There are two big revelations that turns Harry's personal life upside down (again) which lead to some emotional moments for our characters. I'm fairly sure it's a great set up for where the series will be heading next. I also have a feeling the addition of Mouse will end up fairly important to Harry's future.

“Thomas, why did you buy large breed puppy chow?”

Rating:

5. Everybody Lies by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz



In Everybody Lies, Seth Stephens-Davidowitz explores the idea behind social desirability bias and how internet searches are helping Big Data paint a clearer picture about society. In short:

Many people under-report embarrassing behaviors and thoughts on surveys. They want to look good, even though most surveys are anonymous.

Stephens-Davidowitz posits that while people may lie to anonymous surveys they tend to type their true feelings and intentions into Google searches. It is this vast sum of new data that will allow researchers to make better predictions and offers brand new tools to allow insight all aspects of human behavior that direct questioning never could. It's a fascinating idea and the book provides plenty of food for thought.

The new age of Big Data is starting to show how wrong many of our assumptions about society are. How Google searches predicted Donald Trump's victory to common body anxieties to why people root for specific sports teams to the value of attending an elite high school to zooming in on health data and how it could change the way we receive care. It's eerie and a bit creepy when you stop and think about what people type into an internet search box, how much of that data is being captured and just what that data is starting to say about society. On the flip side, the author notes that Big Data has many pitfalls and it's a fairly new science that is still in its infancy.

Rating:

>29 Narilka:, I'm not sure it's about looking good to others on anonymous surveys, as much as it is about lying to themselves. Some anonymous survey you playfully decided to complete today is not typically the time for serious introspection. But then, the author would probably say we are still talking about the same thing.

I get surprised now and then when I need to google some crazy, off-the-wall thing and it appears that someone has googled this before me. Some of its other guesses for completing my sentence are real head scratchers. This sounds like a great topic, with some powerful predictive capabilities, although I think you could easily rush to judgement about why people are looking up certain things.

If anyone took a good look at my google browsing it would look strange primarily because I use it when I get stuck on a crossword puzzle clue. Let's just stay that it covers quite a range of topics!

>30 Cecrow: Yeah, sometimes the auto fill on searches is disturbing.

>31 LittleTaiko: I bet that would make for an interesting search history lol Let researchers tackle that!

6. Finding Gobi by Dion Leonard



Finding Gobi is the story about how ultra-marathon runner, Dion Leonard, met a stray dog while competing on a race through China's Gobi Desert. The pup won the hearts of everyone who was part of the race, participants and staff alike. Dion knew he couldn't leave her behind - he somehow had to find a way to take her home with him to Scotland.

This story was so heartwarming. Gobi is an amazing dog. She completed the equivalent of two marathons as she ran to keep up with Dion during the race. She's lucky everyone involved had a kind heart. It's amazing how many people volunteered to help get this little dog to her new home, even when it looked like she might not make it. The story helped restore a little of my faith in humanity.

Rating:

I love heartwarming stories involving dogs! Have you read From Baghdad With Love? That's another one that just warms the soul.

>33 Narilka:, there's a kid's version of this too, I read it off the shelf to my son at the library. And on top of that, I see he did a YA version. Guess he wanted to cover every possible market with this one.

Gobi: A Little Dog with a Big Heart
Finding Gobi: Young Reader's Edition

>34 LittleTaiko: Yes, I read that one a couple years ago. It's also great :)

>35 Cecrow: Oh how interesting. He or his agent anyway. I could see the story appealing to kids. I just noticed my touchstone is broken. Fixing it.

>37 frahealee: Thanks! Hope you continue to enjoy following along.

7. Tamsin by Peter S. Beagle



With Tamsin, Peter S. Beagle tells a tale full of English myths from the perspective of 13-year-old Jenny Gluckstien. Jenny's life is turned upside down when her mother remarries and moves their small family from New York City to a farm in the English countryside. Suddenly finding herself with a new stepdad and two step brothers in a whole new country, Jenny reacts about as poorly as you can imagine, making herself quite a pain for everyone around her. Naturally, the manor and surrounding grounds is haunted by all sorts of creatures, including the ghost of a young girl who has been trapped on the estate since she died roughly 300 years ago. Jenny gradually finds herself pulled into the mystery of surrounding Stourhead Farm and the creatures of the night that live there.

I think this is one of those stories people will either love or hate. I'm firmly in the "loved it" camp. The tale moves at a slow and deliberate pace as we're introduced to Jenny and her life in New York. Jenny is quite the character! I remember what it was like being an teenage girl with plenty of angst and I'm impressed with how well Beagle was able to capture that feeling without making me hate her. Deliberately making yourself difficult as a passive aggressive way to deal with life? Yeah, I remember that to. This story is firmly YA in that regard so if you don't enjoy reading teenage angst, you should probably avoid this book.

The farm is quite haunted. I loved how Beagle pulled out so many local myths to inhabit Stourhead. Even though it was published in 1999, the book reads like "timeless" children's literature. Jenny and the haunts on the farm feel like they could have come out of virtually any time period prior to the internet age.

The story was absolutely delightful. Beagle writes such beautiful and atmospheric prose that I found myself completely whisked away into the night world of Stourhead Farm. I truly enjoyed my time getting to know Jenny, Tamsin, Mister Cat and all the creatures she encounters as Jenny unravels what is keeping Tamsin from moving on. I was sad when the story ended as I really wasn't ready to leave Stourhead.

Rating:

I've only read his Last Unicorn, but I was impressed with that.

The Last Unicorn is one of my favorite books. I reread it every few years and it's still magical. Tamsin has a similar feel if you can get past that it is very YA.

8. Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay



DNF @ 50%

I have been trying to read Tigana for about six months now and am finally throwing in the towel. This book just isn't for me. There's too much telling instead of showing and I find myself wanting to do almost anything else, including housework, rather than read this book. The pacing is very uneven, with the parts I found engaging being too few and too far apart. I also never connected with any of the characters and just don't feel any need to see what happens to them. I will say I found the ideas Kay has around memory very interesting. This is my first attempt at reading any of Kay's work and I'm not quite ready to give up on him yet. I have Lions of Al-Rassan in my TBR to try at some point.

Rating:

>42 Narilka:, aww, that's too bad. It's been a long while since I read it, so maybe I've been praising it too highly. If you discover that Lions doesn't work either, then I would say Kay has nothing to offer you.

>43 Cecrow: I've heard so many good things about Kay that I was sad Tigana didn't work for me. Not giving up yet though! I think I'll put Lions on next years list.

9. The Boy on the Bridge by M. R. Carey



The Boy on the Bridge is the second in the Hungry Plague series by M. R. Carey and serves more as a companion tale to the first book rather than a direct sequel. Set several years prior to Melanie's and Miss Justineau's tale, this is the story of the crew of the Rosalind Franklin and their mission to try to find a cure to the hungry plague. Things don't quite go to planned.

There are many similarities to The Girl with All the Gifts. Cary has a thing for unusual central characters. This time it's a boy named Stephen Greaves, a scientific genius who also happens to be autistic and is constantly underestimated. He has is mentor and protector in one of the scientists on the mission, Dr. Khan. Their relationship strongly reminded me of Melanie and Miss Justineau, though Stephen and Melanie themselves have quite different personalities. There's also the gruff military commander, a handful of doomed soldiers, an unpleasant lead scientist and even a hidden traitor. As if there wasn't enough to worry about with just basic survival! Beyond Stephen and Dr. Khan, I found it hard to like most of the characters, though this wasn't really problematic since I was expecting most everyone to die anyway based on the first book.

Somewhere around the 50% mark I finally found myself drawn into the tension the crew is feeling with their race against time, even knowing that things are unlikely to end well since this is a horror novel. It all culminates in one hell of a thrilling finale that I was only partially expecting. The epilogue even managed to bring a tear to my eye as it ties both books together nicely.

If you enjoyed The Girl With All the Gifts there's a strong chance that you'll enjoy this installment as well. While technically Boy on the Bridge occurs first in the timeline, if you're new to Carey's post-apocalyptic world I would recommend starting with Girl as Boy assumes you have a basic knowledge of the world and would ruin the mystery and discovery that was a huge part of the first book.

Rating:

10. Uprooted by Naomi Novik



Nothing much ever happens in the valley where Agnieszka and her family live. Well, other than living near the malevolent Wood, where travelers are known to disappear and its very presence corrupts anyone or anything unlucky enough to get too close. Only the local wizard known as the Dragon keeps the evil of the Wood at bay. Every 10 years the Dragon takes a young village girl to his tower to serve him. Everyone knows it's Kasia who he will pick. Kasia is beautiful and brave, the perfect choice to serve a wizard. It comes as a complete shock to all when the Dragon chooses plain Agnieszka instead.

Inspired by Polish fables from author Naomi Novik's childhood, Uprooted grabs you and takes you on a journey into the darkness of the Wood. This is definitely more Brothers Grimm than Disney. The Wood is a terrifying place, not for the faint of heart! The world is vivid and Novik's writing is just wonderful.

Agnieska is a typical YA heroine, brave and smart though a bit whiny in the beginning, and I enjoyed joining her on this adventure. I especially loved Agnieska and Kasia's friendship. Female friendships just aren't done enough in fantasy literature and it was wonderful how well developed this one was. It was foundational to the story.

I think the Wood as the antagonist was brilliant. Trying to stay away from spoilers here is hard. Let's just say that the wood's corrupting influence as it's slowly revealed through the story is what made this book hard to put down at times.

Where the story had a huge miss for me was the romance plot. I could definitely have done without it. Thankfully it is not a major plot thread for the book.

Between Uprooted and Spinning Silver I think Naomi Novik has found a talent in writing modern fairy tales. I hope she writes more books like these.

Rating:

I've only read some short fiction by Novik so far, but it impressed me and I've heard lots of good things about Uprooted.

11. The Genius of Birds by Jennifer Ackerman



Basically the author looked up all the studies she could find on bird intelligence and wrote a research paper. It is definitely well researched and decently written, with the final third of the book being all her references and an appendix. While I do enjoy the topic, I was hoping for more original content.

Rating:

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Only one book left to meet my goal. I think I can do this :)

You can do it!!!

Sorry that book number 11 wasn't the best. Hopefully your next one is better.

I'm off work for the rest of the year. I'm pretty confident I can do this :D

I'm in the minority on The Genius of Birds. Most other reviewers seemed to really enjoy it. I think I should have looked up the author better. She's a journalist not a scientist, so I should have expected this from the book instead of what I was hoping for. My own mistake.

I try to take that into account too! If something doesn't impress like I expected, I check what the expectations were founded on. It sometimes raises my rating.

I'm reading Republic of Thieves for book 12. I'm not confident I'll finish tomorrow, though this week for sure. It ended up being a slower read than expected. That said, I think I can make my 2020 list :)