bluesalamanders's books in 2019

Happy New Year!
Wow, 2019 already. Where did the year go? I've been at my job for a whole year - a year and a couple of months at this point. Because of it, I've inadvertently switched over to mainly reading audiobooks and ebooks, since I can listen to audiobooks while I work and it's just easier to read ebooks on my phone at lunch than carry paper books around my job.

I read mostly fantasy and science fiction. My 2019 goals, which are an average of my goals and results from last year:

Total number of books: 157
New reads: 52
Non-fiction: 2
Pages: 16300
Audiobook time: 35d 4h 5m

As with last year, I expect to exceed most of these, except for non-fiction. I hover around 1-3 non-fiction books per year.

I include content warnings for some books. I don't have a list of all the things that I think should be warned for, it's generally whatever I think of as I'm writing the review, which also means I may forget to warn for some things (sorry, I do the best I can). Warnings include mostly negative things (rape/sexual assault, graphic violence, incest, major character death, animal harm, mind control, various kinds of bigotry/prejudice) and some neutral things (explicit sex, graphic birth scenes) and will always be behind a spoiler cut. If there's something you think should be included, please let me know, and if you're curious about a particular book, feel free to ask (but I may or may not remember if I've only read it once and/or it's been a while).

Previous threads:
50 book challenges: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
75 book challenges: 2011.1, 2011.2, 2012.1, 2012.2, 2013.1, 2013.2, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018

I will try (and probably eventually lose track, but still try) to keep track of books I acquire over the course of the year:

Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho (audiobook)
In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire (audiobook)
That's Not Witchcraft (paper and audiobook)

These are books on my TBR list that I'd like to read this year sometime, especially the ones with asterisks, which are either borrowed or LTER books:

*Her Smoke Rose Up Forever by James Tiptree Jr.
*The Black Wolves of Boston by Wen Spencer
*Jewish Soul Food by Carol Ungar
*Weld Like a Pro: Beginning to Advanced Techniques by Gerald Uttrachi
*Island by Aldous Huxley (audiobook)

*The War of Words by Amy Neftzger
The Resurrectionist by EB Hudspeth
Dreaming Down Under edited by Jack Dann and Janeen Webb
The New Space Opera 2 edited by Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan
Seeing Further by Bill Bryson

Last Night at the circle Cinema by Emily Franklin
Unfuck Your Habitat by Rachel Hoffman
As You Wish by Cary Elwes
The Better Part of Valor by Tanya Huff
Uncle John's Book of the Dumb by John Scalzi

Hard-Hatted Women edited by Molly Martin
Thieftaker by DB Jackson

Welcome back!

Happy 2019
A year full of books
A year full of friends
A year full of all your wishes realised

I look forward to keeping up with you, Blue, this year.

Happy reading in 2019, Blue!

>4 drneutron: Thanks, newt!
>5 PaulCranswick: Happy New Year, Paul!
>6 FAMeulstee: Good reading, FAM!

Happy new year, Blue!

Very belatedly stopping by to say welcome back!

Finished Book 1: Wild magic by Tamora Pierce read by Full cast audio
The Immortals, book 1
Reread, Young adult, Fantasy, Audiobook 7h 54m

I am finding some aspects of this series less and less palatable the older I get. The more times I read how Daine was, what, 13? Maybe 14? and Numaire more than twice that when they met and he became her teacher, the more creeped out I am by their relationship. The age gap is less obvious in the Alanna books because not as much time is spent with George when Alanna is that young, and when they get together, she's old enough that the age gap isn't as big a deal. Daine is just so very young.

Finished Book 2: In an absent dream by Seanan McGuire read by Cynthia Hopkins
Wayward children, book 4
New Read, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook, 4h 57m

This is the third Wayward Children book with a main character that I relate to a lot in one way or another. I adore Nancy, though I would not want to go to her world. I have so kinds of sympathy and empathy and fellow-feelings for Cora. But I think I really get Lundy, or I would have when I was her age. I too often preferred the company of adults or books to other children, and as many children are, I was very fixated on what was fair. The idea of going somewhere where everything is fair, by design, would have been very appealing to me. It is not unappealing to me now, honestly.

Finished book 3: Every heart a doorway by Seanan McGuire read by Cynthia Hopkins
Wayward children, book 1
Reread, young adult, Fantasy, Audiobook, 4h 44m
Owned (audible)

Finished book 4: Passing Strange by Ellen Klages
New Read, Adult, Fantasy, Ebook, 224p
borrowed (library)

Really liked it.

Content warnings: homophobia, racism, misogyny

I have read way more books this year, but I started using a new method to track my reading and while it makes the actual keeping track somewhat easier, it makes transferring the data here a lot clunkier, so...I'm working on it. Sigh.

Finished book 5: A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan read by Kate Reading
Memoires of Lady Trent, book 1
Reread, Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook, 10h17m
owned

Finished book 6: Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan, read by Kate Reading
Memoires of Lady Trent, book 2
Reread, Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook, 10h39m
Owned

Finished book 7: The Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard
New read, adult, science fiction, dead tree, 93p
borrowed (from a friend)

Finished book 8: Voyage of the Basilisk by Marie Brennan read by Kate Reading
Memoirs of Lady Trent, book 3
Reread, adult, fantasy, audiobook, 11h45m
owned

Finished Book 9: In the Labyrinth of Drakes by Marie Brennan, read by Kate Reading
Memoirs of Lady Trent, book 4
Reread, adult, fantasy, audiobook, 10h31m
owned

Finished Book 10: Within the Sanctuary of Wings by Marie Brennan read by Kate Reading
Memoirs of Lady Trent, book 5
Reread, adult, fantasy, audiobook, 10h59m
owned

Finished Book 11: Archivist Wasp by Nicole Kornher-Stace
Archivist Wasp Saga, book 2
Reread, young adult, science fiction, ebook, 256p
borrowed (library/hoopla)

Finished Book 12: So you want to be a wizard by Diane Duane, read by Mark Oshiro
Young Wizards, book 1
Reread, young adult, fantasy, audiobook, 7h27m
listened on youtube

Finished Book 13: Deep wizardry by Diane Duane, read by Mark Oshiro
Young Wizards, book 2
Reread, young adult, fantasy, audiobook, 8h12m
Listened on youtube

Finished Book 14: High wizardry by Diane Duane, read by Mark Oshiro
Young Wizards, book 3
Reread, young adult, fantasy, audiobook, 7h37m
listened on youtube

Finished Book 15: Latchkey by Nicole Kornher-Stace
Archivist Wasp Saga, book 2
New Read, young adult, science fiction, ebook, 336p
owned

Finished Book 16: Zero sum game by SL Huang
Russell's Attic, book 1
New read, adult, science fiction, dead tree, 334p
read at bookstore

Content warnings: action violence, murder, major character death, mind control, discussion of child abuse

Finished Book 17: The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss, read by Kate Reading
The Athena Club, book 1
Reread, adult, fantasy, audiobook, 13h 39m
owned

Finished Book 18: Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson, read by the author
Reread, adult, non-fiction, audiobook, 8h 12m
borrowed (library)

Content warnings: Frank discussion of mental illness, dead animals, jokes about dead animals, blood, some gross stories

Finished Book 19: An absolutely remarkable thing by Hank Green
New read, adult, science fiction, dead tree, 350p
read in the bookstore

content warnings: Biphobia, gore (mostly warned for), major character death, betrayal

I really liked this book a lot. Like, a lot, a lot, way more than I was expecting to. I liked the characters, I liked the setting, I found all the things the characters went through fascinating, I didn't even mind yelling (metaphorically, since I was in a bookstore reading this) at the main character about her terrible choices - possibly because of the way it was written, which I also really liked. Since the main character was looking back on what had happened and was able to say things like "this was a terrible choice" and "you're going to hate me in a couple of pages", it was a lot easier to forgive her for those things that she clearly regretted doing than it would have been if she had talked about doing them and maybe tried to justify it.

Except for the ending, which was kind of a letdown. I'm glad to know there's going to be a sequel (of course there's going to be a sequel) but I prefer books that don't scream "wait for the sequel!" quite so loudly. However, that isn't enough for me to un-recommend this book. I totally recommend this book, it was fantastic.

Finished Book 20: Provenance by Ann Leckie
Imperial Radch
New read, adult, science fiction, dead tree, 439p
Borrowed from a friend

content warnings: arachnids, body horror, murder

I really enjoyed reading another story set in the same universe as the Ancillary books. I don't like Ingray as much as I liked Breq, but she was an entertaining character to read about (especially after she stopped making every possible bad decision and started making a few smart ones).

Finished Book 21: That Ain't Witchcraft by Seanan McGuire
Incryptid, book 8
New read, adult, fantasy, dead tree, 421p
Owned

Wow. When I started the first Antimony book, I was a little skeptical and wary (I should really know better by now), but now I love her and thoroughly enjoy every page. And in That Ain't Witchcraft, everything changes. McGuire isn't one to shy away from dramatically shifting her characters' worldviews when it suits the story, and of course ours as well, and this book is no different. Now we know that the Crossroads didn't used to be a malevolent force and isn't anymore, will Alice finally be able to find Thomas? Will James be able to find Sally? (Will they help each other, when Annie takes her new brother - and her boyfriend - to meet her family?) Will other Crossroads bargains be unraveled and people be able to use them for less painful bargains again? The possibilities this change opens are incredible.

Finished Book 22: Never After by Marie Brennan
New read, adult, fantasy, ebook, 29p
Owned (Early Reviewer)

Short, creepy, and entertaining fairy-tale retellings. I liked some of them, I didn't care for others, but since they are all 500 words or less, it was quick enough to get through them all.

Blue! How did I lose you this year? Never mind, I'm here now and you've been doing some good reading. About That Ain't Witchcraft, one wonders what will happen with Bobby Cross and his bargain now? Fascinating possibilities indeed!

Roni! I know, right? It's really incredible how much of the Incryptid world is tied up with the Crossroads, and how much of that could change now! I can't wait for more Incryptid books to find out what happens.

Finished book 23: Witchmark by C. L. Polk
New read, adult, fantasy, ebook, 263p
Owned (free download)

Content warnings: Possession, murder, slavery, suicide, betrayal

I was skeptical at first, like, ok, sure, another historical fantasy book about a guy with magic, what's the big fuss? But once I got a little into it, I realized how much I enjoyed the characters and their interactions, which made up for the worldbuilding not being particularly unusual and most of the plot twists being extremely obvious.

Finished Book 24: European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman by Theodora Goss read by Kate Reading
The Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club, book 2
Reread, adult, fantasy, audiobook, 24h 27m
Owned (audible)

Content warnings: involuntary medical procedures, minor character death, betrayal, domestic abuse

I like this book, though not as much as the first one.

Finished book 25: Knit One, Girl Two by Shira Glassman
New read, adult, fiction, ebook, 52p
Owned

Content warnings: identity theft, overuse of dialogue tags

This is a quick, cute, fluffy romance. It is so adorable, I kept giggling as I read it. The meet-cute is cute and the main characters are so sweet, yet they seem like real people - I would like to meet them! Can I be friends with Clara and Danielle?? Also, if you're a involved in online fandom, there are some things that you'll probably recognize as funny fandom jokes such as a mention of a movie called My Immortal *snicker* but they're generally subtle enough that they won't get in the way of the story for non-fandom readers.

Thoroughly recommended if you're in the mood for a quick, fun read.

Somehow I missed your thread until now, so very belated happy new year/new thread! I'm glad to see your review of the Hank Green book; I had considered reading it, but hadn't heard a lot about it so far.

Hi, foggi! Happy new year ;)

I was surprised at how much I liked Hank's book. It doesn't surprise me that it hasn't made a big splash, though. The main character is a queer woman of color, which is still not the most popular decision an author can make, and the whole book is heavily influenced by internet culture in ways that I imagine might make it a bit impenetrable to people who aren't particularly active in social media. The main character also has a very particular voice that some people seem not to care for (which, fair enough) but I loved.

Finished Book 26: The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
Lady Astronaut, book 1
New read, adult, science fiction, audiobook 11h 41m
Owned (audible)

Content warnings: Anxiety, panic attacks, sexism, racism, anti-Semitism, ableism, classism, vomiting, apocalyptic event, sexual harassment, riot, discussion of past suicide attempt, betrayal, mild gore

Wow. This is an incredible book. I'm not even sure what else to say about it, except I really hope it wins the Hugo because I like the other nominees that I've read, but The Calculating Stars is in a category by itself.

Finished Book 27: The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal
Lady Astronaut, book 2
New read, adult, science fiction, audiobook, 10h 14m
Owned (audible)

Content warnings: Sexism, racism, ableism, anti-Semitism, gore, major character death, bury your gays, anxiety, panic attacks

I really love these books. I don't think they're going to become frequent rereads like say the October Day books, but they're really very good.

Finished Book 28: On a Red Station, Drifting by Aliette de Bodard, read by Emily Woo Zeller
Universe of Xuya
New read, adult, science fiction, audiobook, 5h 22m
Borrowed (Hoopla)

I did not like the first de Bodard book I tried to read, but this is the second Xuya book I've read and I really enjoy them both. I think if you like the Radch books or the Wayfarers series, you'll probably like these to.

Pearl'd: In the Vanishers' Palace by Aliette de Bodard

Content warnings (for as far as I read, obviously): Slavery/indentured servitude, body horror, torture, capital punishment

Spoiler alert, as with most of my abandoned book reviews.

I really wanted to like this story. It's a sci-fi retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I loved the setting, I really liked how the Beauty character ended up with the Beast - it was so different from any other retelling I've read. It was still to rescue a parent, but none of this "punishment for stealing a rose" silliness. Though the actual reason the Beast required it was kind of annoying ("asking for my help shouldn't be free" is an unpleasant excuse for taking someone away from their home).

But all that was fine. Fine. The reason I gave up on the book was because the Beauty character is taken from her admittedly awful village, thinks the beast character is going to kill her, and she spends what little time she thinks she has left thinking about how attractive the Beast character is. And just. No. Literally you think they're going to kill you! You're not going to sit there thinking about how hot they are and how it turns you on. No!"


Finished book 29: Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire
October Daye, book 1
Reread, adult, fantasy, audiobook, 11h 16m
Owned (audible)

Content warnings: Blood, murder, attempted murder, depression, other stuff I'm not quite sure how to tag for

I really love this series and these characters, and going back and rereading from the beginning is a completely different experience after reading the other nine or whatever books there are so far. Not just because it's always a different experience to reread books, but because things happen in later books that change the meaning of things that happened in earlier books.

Finished Book 30: Redeemer by C.E. Murphy
The Redeemer Wars, book 1
New read, adult, fantasy, ebook, 439p

Content warnings: Sexism, racism, homophobia, ableism, fatphobia, murder, cannibalism, mind control

A friend gave me this and I'm glad she did, it's a fun story.

I haven't hosted a series or an author for a while. I'd like to do so this summer, during a month when the most interested folk have the time to do at least the targeted book, which is only 200 pp. long. I'd like to expose as many people as possible to the works of James H. Schmitz, a science fiction author who wrote from the late '40s through the 1970s. He is best known for The Witches of Karres, but imho has written much better works. Here is my bookshelf.


Many of his works, especially his shorter ones, were very hard to find for quite a while, but in 2000 and 2001, Baen published almost all of his oeuvre in a collection of 6 books, seen to the right of the shelf above. The book I would like to feature is Demon Breed, also found in the Baen collection The Hub: Dangerous Territory. Schmitz is known for his kick-ass female protagonists long before they became the current ubiquitous status quo in his stories about Telzey Amberdon, Trigger Argee, and the hero of Demon Breed, Nile Etland.

See my thread for more info if interested!