ŷ������

It's March, and time to let us know what you’re reading this month. Tell us about your reads - all genres welcome here!

Last Light: How Six Great Artists Made Old Age a Time of Triumph. I don't really know that much about art, so am glad that the author writes so clearly about not only the artists, but their works in the context of the times, and general history, too.

Guardians of the Twilight Lands: The Sixth Book of Unexpected Enlightenment by L. Jagi Lamplighter

Witch Hat Atelier Kitchen 2 by Hiromi Satō

While I was traveling I finished 2 more books by Anne Perry, Highgate Rise, 8.25/10, and Belgrave Square, 8/10. Both are Charlotte & Thomas Pitt mysteries.

I also read Where the Desert Meets the Sea by Werner Sonne, 9.5/10.

Last night I finished Night Angels by Weina Dai Randel, 7.75/10. This is a heart-breaking story of Vienna in the years just prior to WWII as the Nazis gained power & began to implement their policies of harassment, brutalization, and ultimately, extermination of the Jews. While Grace is the main character (fictional), her husband Dr. Ho Fengshan is the somewhat unlikely hero (real historical figure). The book tries to balance the account of his courageous efforts to save thousands of Jews by issuing visas for them to emigrate with a more personal story of Grace and her efforts to be a diplomat’s wife, attentive stepmother, and friend to a Viennese Jewish woman and her family. The result is a somewhat uneven book, told from the perspectives of Fengshan, Grace, and Grace’s friend Lola.

Now that I’m back home, I plan to get back to reading more SF & Fantasy.

I recently finished Mystic Empire by Tracy Hickman and Laura Hickman, the conclusion of the Bronze Canticles trilogy, 6/10. I wanted to like this but overall it was disappointing. While the major storylines are mostly resolved, some relatively important threads are left dangling. (view spoiler)[The premise of the trilogy is that the three versions of the world somehow merge or combine, but they actually don’t. The goblin world and the faery world still exist and are still populated, although some faeries now reside in the human world and, possibly, so do some goblins. (hide spoiler)] Still, the individual stories of several main characters conclude with some sense of redemption, fulfillment, and hope. However, I didn’t feel very connected to the characters other than Theona.

I also listened to Just Out of Jupiter's Reach by Nnedi Okorafor, 8/10. An excellent story! But this is a perfect example of why I don’t particularly like novellas or short stories—I grew to care about these characters and wanted to know what happened after the events of this story!

It's been an extremely busy March and I haven't really checked in here! This month I've read The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport (brief comments on the discussion thread), and two mysteries that are VERY different from one another: Miss Moriarty, I Presume? by Sherry Thomas (book 6 of the delightful Lady Sherlock series), and The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton which blew my mind in the very best way. I don't want to say any more because I think it's best enjoyed if you go into it not knowing anything, but I highly recommend it!

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida is next.

I’m currently reading ‘Anvil of Stars�� by Greg Bear. I recently finished ‘Random Sh*t Flying Through The Air��, the fourth book on the ‘Frost Files�� series by Jackson Ford. Next up will be ‘The Blighted Stars�� by Megan O’Keefe.

Just finished The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard and started These Burning Stars by Bethany Jacobs. Afterward, I plan to read Victory City by Salman Rushdie. Then, Generation Ship by Michael Mammay.

If the Villainess and Villain Met and Fell in Love (Manga), Vol. 1 by Harunadon

I got about 45 pages into The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida and it wasn't grabbing me, so I set it aside for now. I am bear of very little brain at the moment so I decided it was time for another Fionavar Tapestry comfort re-read. I'm on The Summer Tree right now (one of the few books I just mentioned on the QOTW thread that I own in multiple editions because I read the first one until it literally fell apart).

I finished reading Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold. This is a Miles Vorkosigan story, and it is a game changer. One of the best so far. I’m reading the Vorkosigan Saga for the first time. I am reading The Talisman (The Talisman #1) by Stephen King and Peter Straub. It’s a fantasy with an alternate dimension Earth called the Territories that can be entered under certain circumstances. I plan to read Half the World (Shattered Seas #2) by Joe Abercrombie next. This novel is set in the same world as the first book but features a totally different cast of characters.

Memory is one of my favorites of the Vorkisigan books!

I finished my Fionavar reread, and I’m now back to the Lady Sherlock series with book 7, A Tempest at Sea.

Memory was the first Vorkosigan book I ever read and my favorite of the series.

Finally finished The Hidden Girl and Other Stories
There were some really enjoyable stories in there.

I listened to:
In Bloom by Paul Tremblay, 5.75, a pretty good story with an extremely abrupt ending, which is exactly why I dislike short stories/novellas
Void by Veronica Roth, 8.5/10, a rarity in short stories—this felt complete. A good mystery set on an interstellar ship.

I read:
An Acceptable Time by Madeleine L'Engle, 6.5/10. While this book is little heavy-handed in its message, the characters are engaging and the descriptive details make the settings come alive. I have read the other 4 books in the The Time Quintet but not the other 3 “Murry-O’Keefe�� books. Maybe they would have helped act as a bridge between the time period of Many Waters and this book.
Pride of Kings by Judith Tarr, 10/10. The author weaves a tale familiar and yet not—Richard the Lionheart, his brother Prince John, their mother Queen Eleanor, King Philip of France, Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI of Germany are the historical figures playing out historical events, but surrounding them is a cast of Turks, French, and English men and women (and more) who are sorcerers, spirits, and magical creatures in a parallel but profoundly impactful set of events. The two worlds are woven seamlessly and skillfully into an engrossing saga. The main plot line has all the political intrigue and treachery the reader could want, but there is plenty of romance, humor, and magic to round out the story. The author’s prose is a delight to read—descriptive but never overly detailed, with action and insight well balanced throughout.

Discord's Apple is fun for grown-up fans of Percy Jackson. And for other folks, like me. I find myself liking quite a bit of Carrie Vaughn's work, even though it's not really my thing.

General update for March.

Speed-read the mindbending Banzeiro òkòtó: Uma viagem à Amazônia Centro do Mundo and interviewed the Italian translators. I'm still trying to write a coherent review.

A couple of excellent graphic novels set in the forests: The Forest and Through the Woods. Currently finishing the mindbending (literally, as in psychedelic) and hilarious Tu sueño imperios han sido.

Up next are Piranesi, a Le Guin marathon, then a couple of Delany, but it'll be June by then.