January 2019 Book Roundup
Feb. 1st, 2019 09:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rhysianaApparently this is the year I start tracking my reading again! I used to do it regularly, but then I fell down the hole of reading predominantly fic and it didn't seem like the readers of my real-life non-fandom blog would appreciate fic recs properly, so it all just fell by the wayside. But! I've actually been reading other things again so far this year!
Miles to Go and Staying Dead by Laura Anne Gilman. I'm a sucker for a private eye urban fantasy story, and I'd had Miles to Go on my Kindle for a while, which I finally got around to reading. It was good, and there are three more stories in that small series, but they're part of a larger established world, so I picked up Staying Dead to get a better idea of what was going on with the worldbuilding and various characters that showed up in the background of the first story. It was solid mid-2000s urban fantasy, a little slower than MtG because it's actually doing all the worldbuilding explanation the other story assumes readers already have, but good. It didn't make me feel like I needed to run right out and consume all the rest of the world's content immediately, but I'll keep them in mind.
The Werewolf's Nymph Neighbor and The Werewolf's Dragon Defender by Riley Rivers. Light, cute, gay, suburban paranormal romance. These are fun, fluffy reads that manage to feel like fic without leaving any of the worldbuilding undone. Both end up dealing with the idea of soulmates/mate bonds for supernaturals, if that is (or is not) your thing.
Fortune Favors the Wicked by Theresa Romain. A nice historical romance with nary a duke in sight, for once! Male lead is a blind (due to fever) member of the Royal Navy; female lead is a former (very recently former) and fairly well-known courtesan. Both hear about the reward being offered by the Royal Mint to whoever can track down a bunch of stolen newly minted coins that hadn't yet been put into distribution, and the trail leads them to the courtesan's hometown, where they decide that, as much as they each individually need the money to pursue their own desired futures, it'd be best to team up to solve the mystery. Enjoyable! And the couple/plotline for the second book in the series is very clearly telegraphed, so I do intend to read that one as well.
Witchmark by C.L. Polk. One of the books I got for Christmas! Extremely satisfying alt-world fantasy, set in a time like our British post-WWI era but not exactly, so it's familiar enough to be easily imagined, but not so much that the reader is looking for historical inaccuracy because it's clearly not actually our world. For some, the worldbuilding might seem light, because details only unfold as they come up for the protagonist, but I personally appreciate that way of doing things, so I enjoyed the ride. The painfully shy veterans' hospital doctor has much more to him than initially meets the eye, and uncovering it all was a treat. I also thought the way the world deals with gay relationships was interesting, since they're not exactly taboo, but also not approved of after "a certain age," at least not for people of the protag's class. Fortunately the protag and his utterly delightful (eventual) boyfriend are prepared to tell convention to stuff it. It looks like there's going to be more in this series, and I'm looking forward to it.
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley. Another one I'd had on my Kindle for a while and finally got around to. It seemed fitting as a follow-up to Witchmark. Similar historical feel (set a bit earlier in the 1880s, but still), but this time in our actual world. An interesting blend of personal and political intrigue that all tangles together for three very distinct characters, and the way it all resolves isn't entirely expected. Up my particular alley because the titular watchmaker is Japanese and I love seeing well done historical fiction uses* of those interesting periods of cultural mixing between Japan and Europe. Also manages to be both queer and magical in a rather understated way.
A Study in Honor by Claire O'Dell. Intersectionality Holmes! A near-future reimagining of Holmes and Watson as queer, Black, American women. Watson is also disabled due to the ongoing civil war, struggling with not being able to be a surgeon anymore due to the poorly fitted mechanical prosthetic arm she was given at the front and now wants replaced. Holmes has cybernetic implants to tap into the data stream and is a spy for an as-yet-unidentified agency, presumably governmental, although her family is also suspiciously well-connected. While this book does tell a full story, it's clearly leading into something bigger, so doesn't feel finished at the end, just FYI if you're looking for a one-shot.
Brute Force and The Russians Came Knocking by KB Spangler. Both books from her cyborgs 'verse, the first one is Rachel Peng 4, because I realized I never actually read it over the summer when I binged the first three, and the other is the first Joshsmut novella. I enjoyed getting to see more of Hope in Brute Force (and she makes the title so apropos), and the Joshsmuts are clearly all going to be hilarious (though they probably won't make a lot of sense without familiarity with the world.)
Any Old Diamond by KJ Charles. I'd been looking forward to this, and it did not disappoint! So heisty, so gay, with such lovely historical details and so. much. pining. Plus Susan Lazarus, adopted sort-of daughter of Justin Lazarus from her previous series, shows up to be badass and save the day. (While reading the previous trilogy does give a bit of depth to her background and makes you go "ah!" about a few of the incidental characters, it's not necessary, and all relevant info is covered in brief again, in case that was of question/concern.) Honestly, it was rather like a historical Leverage episode. All the bad rich people get what's coming to them in the end, and the revenge for the clients is very satisfying.
*Other good Japanese/European historical fiction: The Teahouse Fire by Ellis Avery (f/f, no less!), Daughter of the Sword by Steve Bein (urban fantasy w/historical fantasy flashbacks--I confess I didn't finish the entire series, but the first book was definitely enjoyable), Dreaming Spies by Laurie R. King (the Mary Russell book where we finally get the story of what happened in Japan!). Extremely bad example of Japanese/European historical fiction: The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet (seriously, do not read; the Dutch parts are so meticulously researched and then the Japanese parts are so horrifyingly bad.)
Miles to Go and Staying Dead by Laura Anne Gilman. I'm a sucker for a private eye urban fantasy story, and I'd had Miles to Go on my Kindle for a while, which I finally got around to reading. It was good, and there are three more stories in that small series, but they're part of a larger established world, so I picked up Staying Dead to get a better idea of what was going on with the worldbuilding and various characters that showed up in the background of the first story. It was solid mid-2000s urban fantasy, a little slower than MtG because it's actually doing all the worldbuilding explanation the other story assumes readers already have, but good. It didn't make me feel like I needed to run right out and consume all the rest of the world's content immediately, but I'll keep them in mind.
The Werewolf's Nymph Neighbor and The Werewolf's Dragon Defender by Riley Rivers. Light, cute, gay, suburban paranormal romance. These are fun, fluffy reads that manage to feel like fic without leaving any of the worldbuilding undone. Both end up dealing with the idea of soulmates/mate bonds for supernaturals, if that is (or is not) your thing.
Fortune Favors the Wicked by Theresa Romain. A nice historical romance with nary a duke in sight, for once! Male lead is a blind (due to fever) member of the Royal Navy; female lead is a former (very recently former) and fairly well-known courtesan. Both hear about the reward being offered by the Royal Mint to whoever can track down a bunch of stolen newly minted coins that hadn't yet been put into distribution, and the trail leads them to the courtesan's hometown, where they decide that, as much as they each individually need the money to pursue their own desired futures, it'd be best to team up to solve the mystery. Enjoyable! And the couple/plotline for the second book in the series is very clearly telegraphed, so I do intend to read that one as well.
Witchmark by C.L. Polk. One of the books I got for Christmas! Extremely satisfying alt-world fantasy, set in a time like our British post-WWI era but not exactly, so it's familiar enough to be easily imagined, but not so much that the reader is looking for historical inaccuracy because it's clearly not actually our world. For some, the worldbuilding might seem light, because details only unfold as they come up for the protagonist, but I personally appreciate that way of doing things, so I enjoyed the ride. The painfully shy veterans' hospital doctor has much more to him than initially meets the eye, and uncovering it all was a treat. I also thought the way the world deals with gay relationships was interesting, since they're not exactly taboo, but also not approved of after "a certain age," at least not for people of the protag's class. Fortunately the protag and his utterly delightful (eventual) boyfriend are prepared to tell convention to stuff it. It looks like there's going to be more in this series, and I'm looking forward to it.
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley. Another one I'd had on my Kindle for a while and finally got around to. It seemed fitting as a follow-up to Witchmark. Similar historical feel (set a bit earlier in the 1880s, but still), but this time in our actual world. An interesting blend of personal and political intrigue that all tangles together for three very distinct characters, and the way it all resolves isn't entirely expected. Up my particular alley because the titular watchmaker is Japanese and I love seeing well done historical fiction uses* of those interesting periods of cultural mixing between Japan and Europe. Also manages to be both queer and magical in a rather understated way.
A Study in Honor by Claire O'Dell. Intersectionality Holmes! A near-future reimagining of Holmes and Watson as queer, Black, American women. Watson is also disabled due to the ongoing civil war, struggling with not being able to be a surgeon anymore due to the poorly fitted mechanical prosthetic arm she was given at the front and now wants replaced. Holmes has cybernetic implants to tap into the data stream and is a spy for an as-yet-unidentified agency, presumably governmental, although her family is also suspiciously well-connected. While this book does tell a full story, it's clearly leading into something bigger, so doesn't feel finished at the end, just FYI if you're looking for a one-shot.
Brute Force and The Russians Came Knocking by KB Spangler. Both books from her cyborgs 'verse, the first one is Rachel Peng 4, because I realized I never actually read it over the summer when I binged the first three, and the other is the first Joshsmut novella. I enjoyed getting to see more of Hope in Brute Force (and she makes the title so apropos), and the Joshsmuts are clearly all going to be hilarious (though they probably won't make a lot of sense without familiarity with the world.)
Any Old Diamond by KJ Charles. I'd been looking forward to this, and it did not disappoint! So heisty, so gay, with such lovely historical details and so. much. pining. Plus Susan Lazarus, adopted sort-of daughter of Justin Lazarus from her previous series, shows up to be badass and save the day. (While reading the previous trilogy does give a bit of depth to her background and makes you go "ah!" about a few of the incidental characters, it's not necessary, and all relevant info is covered in brief again, in case that was of question/concern.) Honestly, it was rather like a historical Leverage episode. All the bad rich people get what's coming to them in the end, and the revenge for the clients is very satisfying.
*Other good Japanese/European historical fiction: The Teahouse Fire by Ellis Avery (f/f, no less!), Daughter of the Sword by Steve Bein (urban fantasy w/historical fantasy flashbacks--I confess I didn't finish the entire series, but the first book was definitely enjoyable), Dreaming Spies by Laurie R. King (the Mary Russell book where we finally get the story of what happened in Japan!). Extremely bad example of Japanese/European historical fiction: The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet (seriously, do not read; the Dutch parts are so meticulously researched and then the Japanese parts are so horrifyingly bad.)
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