2021's Big Reading Plans

I started this year's reading by finishing The Pickwick Papers as my book for Monika's Chunkster Readathon. It felt so satisfying to be immersed in a sizeable book (719 pages) for almost a week that it has led to my choosing mostly bigger books since. I listened to A Promised Land, the first Barack Obama memoir which is 768 pages and about 30 hours of audiobook. (It was fantastic and I can definitely recommend listening to him reading it.) I got through 300 of the 800 pages of Death and Mr. Pickwick before I decided I just wasn't enjoying it enough to continue. And I'm now reading Lost Acre, the third book in Andrew Caldecott's Rotherweird trilogy, which is 473 pages long. This doesn't mean that I won't be reading many shorter books this year, just that I am going to deliberately start choosing some of the longer reads from my shelves and giving myself permission to spend a week on a book sometimes. This probably means more Dickens, Murakami, and maybe, finally, Trollope! I did read one novella that I had from the library (Flyaway by Kathleen Jennings) and I found myself wishing it had been longer and more fleshed out. I'm sure that all of this has something to do with regaining my concentration, my thought cycles, and my sanity.

What types of books are you reading in 2021?

A Not-So-Quick 2020 Summary

This has been the most exhausting year and I am so very glad it is finally over. I haven't entirely quit blogging (mostly because that also takes a certain amount of effort) so I suppose I have to record my reading stats for 2020. A look at the basics:

Books read: 124

Number of those that were audiobooks: 29

Rereads: 25

Non-fiction reads: 11

Books in translation: 8

My "best" of the year are a bit different than usual because I was choosing mostly reads that were either comforting or distracting or "easy". My once-varied library list ended the year looking quite stern and scholarly as I selectively plucked out the light and genre reads and left the heavier non-fiction and literature titles alone. My home TBR was whittled down to a few classics and some titles that have been sitting there for years and probably should just be weeded. A quick count says I read:

Mystery: 30

Sci-fi: 16

Fantasy: 39

That means 68.5 percent of my reading was genre this year which seems rather high compared to my normal numbers though I'm far too lazy to actually count past years' numbers. Still, they were the perfect choices for this year of stress and uncertainty and I really liked almost everything I read. Here are the highlights:

In non-fiction, I can highly recommend From Holmes to Sherlock by Mattias Boström to any Sherlock fans. I learned a lot of cool pieces of trivia and was surprised to find that I had read/watched most of the post-ACD Sherlock content that was mentioned. One day I'll admit that I'm a Sherlockian. Also, Nature Obscura by Kelly Brenner inspired the best thing to happen to me this year -- my hummingbird feeder! I now have a daily visitor (a male Anna's) who is just getting used to me and sometimes lets me stand on the other side of the window watching him eat and fight. Though Kelly's observations are all about Seattle animals and locations, her love of exploring urban wildlife habitats is infectious and will definitely get you out into your yard or local park. (Plus, tardigrades are literally everywhere.) Finally Sigh, Gone by Phuc Tran was super fascinating. Again, it was probably more interesting to me since the author and I are the same age but a good immigrant story is always worthwhile. Honorable mention goes to How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi for being an essential read to change one's basic thought processes around race and racism. I think about it constantly.

My favorite rereads? The Starless Sea and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde, all four of the Murderbot novellas by Martha Wells, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, and all of Kate Milford's Bluecrowne/Greenglass books. Honorable mention goes to a couple of the gothic novels I revisited: Jane Eyre and Rebecca. All of these books will always be on my home library shelves.

Finally, new-to-me books that I loved (in the order read because I don't have the energy to rank them):

Truckers, Diggers, and Wings by Terry Pratchett were written for a younger audience but were such great escapes, made more exciting by the great escapes of the wee little characters.

The Philosopher's War by Tom Miller was an exciting sequel, quite different from the original but brilliantly detailed about nursing and war and the magic system of the world. I wish this series had more fans.

The Vanishing Stair and The Hand on the Wall were books two and three in a murdery boarding school trilogy by Maureen Johnson and I absolutely loved them.

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami was just like his other books, so removed from any reality that I know that they always provide near-perfect entertainment. There were certainly some weird parts, as there always are, but I appreciate that they never seem gimmicky.

Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty was apparently "fantastic" in my spreadsheet but I don't remember very much about it except for blood smears. That happens with me and audiobooks so I'll be sure to get a paper copy to reread later.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune wins the award for book that made my heart the happiest this year. It was just a lovely tale of love and found family and I adored it for it's simplicity and honesty. I gave a copy to my sister for Christmas and she better love it or else.

Even though I mentioned the other books in the series in my rereads list, I'm going to call out The Thief Knot by Kate Milford because my spreadsheet note on it is the absolute truth - she has written the fictional world I would most like to live in. As I've said before about her books, they are marketed as middle grade but are really complex and interesting enough for all ages.

The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne by Elsa Hart is a new period mystery series with two smart young women as the protagonists and I look forward to reading about more of their adventures.

One that I didn't expect to like as much as I did was A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians by H.G. Parry. I got it from the library and looked at the summary and thought "why did I possibly think this would be interesting? It's just real history with magic stuck in." It turns out that real history with magic stuck in is AWESOME.

Over the Woodward Wall by A. Deborah Baker (Seanan McGuire) was made of everything I love. I need a copy on my shelves but am waiting and hoping that I'll be able to get a signed copy sometime next year since she's a local author.

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix made me really annoyed that I've put off reading Garth Nix until now. I loved this one with its weaving of myths and magic and London (but sadly not much actual bookselling).

And A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik makes it onto the list simply because the negativity of the narrator was such a perfect fit to this year and my mood. She was angry and cynical and moody and I absolutely felt like I had found a friend (except she didn't want friends). It was also a humorous take on magical boarding schools that was fresh and fun.

Finally, honorable mention goes to all of the American Mystery Classics that I read this year (put out by Penzler Press). They weren't all perfect but the editor chose such a wide variety of authors and types of stories that I never knew what I was going to get and had fun with all of them! Rocket to the Morgue and A Puzzle for Fools were especially good.

So, I guess that's a wrap on this crap year. At least the books were good!

In the comments, recommend one book that you loved this year.

#RIPXV Will Save the World

What is this beautiful book stack for? Readers Imbibing Peril, of course! It is the 15th year of this wonderful, seasonal reading challenge, started many full moons ago by Carl and continued by Andi and Heather for the past few years. It is my absolute favorite thing and, to be honest, a good portion of the books I read year-round could fit into this challenge. But, in September and October, I read exclusively Perilous books and I've never regretted it. There is so much variety in what you can count, from a classic ghost story to a tea-sipping matronly detective tale to some full-blown horror and mayhem.

As we all have for many things during the past six months, our friends have opted for a simplified version of the challenge this year. There are no sign-ups and no levels. Just read one or more books during these months and post on Instagram or Twitter (if you have them) or your blog, if that's still going. It's all questionable these days, right?

So, we'll start with my new books. I have a full shelf of about 25 books that I will consider picking up this fall but I decided, since I have some other stacks, to pick a smaller group that are my "top-shelf, must reads". I will be writing about Mexican Gothic as part of Witch Week (Oct/Nov). The gothic tales pair with that (and I read some gothic classics during the summer too). Plain Bad Heroines is a new release, coming out in October, that I'm looking forward to. And, as for the American Mystery Classics, I have fun with almost every one and, in fact, started Murder by an Aristocrat last night and it grabbed my attention immediately.

Then I have some library holds that will be (hopefully) coming in over the next two months. These two novellas, Silver in the Wood and The Haunting of Tram Car 015, came in first and I think Finna is in transit. I'm also hoping for The Eighth Detective, A Declaration on the Rights of Magicians, Flyaway, The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne, and The Relentless Moon. These are all new releases so we'll see if the library manages to receive their ordered copies in a timely manner! If not, I'm sure I can handle reading them in the winter.

And then, this year, I really wanted to pull some old RIP favorites off of my shelves to enjoy their familiarity and the guaranteed quality. Picking a Carlos Ruiz Zafón almost broke my heart but his YA horror novels are so fantastic and he and I discussed once that I always turn to at least one of his books in the fall for their atmosphere. The others are all going to be fantastic as well! I don't think I could even pick one that I'm looking forward to the most.

Finally, with last Saturday being Independent Bookstore Day, I couldn't resist a few purchases to support my indie favorites. And yes, the books I chose all happen to be possible RIP reads. I grabbed two more American Mystery Classics (The Red Right Hand and Rocket to the Morgue), the latest Charles Lenox mystery, Titus Groan, and a British Library Crime Classic, Castle Skull.

So, 26 books, plus 19+ on my TBR and many others that I could choose to reread. I think I'm set!

What will you be reading perilously this autumn?

Blogiversary and Random Bits

I started this blog twelve years ago in July 2008. The world was different, the community was different, the books I was reading at the time were different. These days I read far fewer picture books, far more genre books. I allowed diversity to seep into my reading organically by following from one book/author I enjoyed to another similar/tangential one. I read more memoirs, mainly by funny people. I don't make enough time for reading other blogs, mostly because I am barreling through my owned books and the library's audiobooks in an attempt to escape to anywhere else. (I know some people are having trouble reading right now but I just finished my 72nd book of the year yesterday. That's ridiculous.) And, just writing this post, I can tell that I'm missing blogging. I no longer worry about visitor counts or giveaways or review copies but I do worry that some of you might miss out on a fabulous book because I didn't share it.

Anyway, here are a few random bookish things of recent note:

My heart broke last month with the news of Carlos Ruiz Zafón's passing. I went back through this blog and counted 45(!) posts that were reviews, giveaways, or mentions of his books. I have all of his books that were translated into English in hardcover and I revisit them regularly. I'm starting to feel the need to renew and improve my Spanish reading skills so as to eventually read his books in their original form.

There is a Fire and Hemlock discussion at the end of this month (27 July, 8pm EDT), hosted online by the Brooklyn Public Library. Follow the link to register. I think it will be a fun little Zoom gathering, especially if a couple of us DWJ fans from around the world join in!

Monika has compiled a Goodreads list of "not-cis authors". They have 206 books on this list so far!

And here's a free short story from Sarah Pinsker, one of my favorite current authors. She actually wrote a post-pandemic tale, A Song for a New Day, that came out last year and recently won the Nebula Award for Best New Novel. I told her that she might be a witch and she didn't disagree.

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So, I do feel kind of happy writing right now and I am certainly reading enough to give me content so maybe I'll be back soon? I was going to wait until after the November election to decide whether to come back or not but I feel like this might be the moment when I need to reach out, to start rebuilding what I once loved. If you are still around and reading this, please leave a comment below!

Closing out 2019

Well, hello there! I don't know if I'm coming back or not yet but I feel really antsy about not having a wrap-up post for 2019 because, even if I'm not blogging, I'm definitely reading. Here are some of the stats:

Books read: 139 

This was helped by audiobooks and novellas and the fact that I needed A LOT of escapist time due to things both personal and worldwide. Many of my books were genre -- mystery, fantasy, and, this year, a lot more science fiction. I've gone to space more times than I ever expected to!

Rereads: 21

This was mostly due to MarchMagics/DWJ March but I also had a couple of Jasper Fforde, William Ritter, Erin Morgenstern, Philip Pullman, Mary Shelley, and Neil Gaiman rereads throughout the year.

Library books: 60

I made really good use of my library this year. I do wish they had a few more audiobook choices but they are a great way to try books I'm not sure I want to buy. I even gave a couple of romances a whirl this year! I didn't really like any of them though. Hmm.

Books in translation: 3

This is the stat that I'm most disappointed with. I usually do much better but I only managed one German, one French, and one Japanese story this year.

Non-fiction: 19

I made up for that bad translation number though with an amazing non-fiction year! I even have two more in progress on my nightstand. The best ones of the year were Becoming by Michelle Obama, Sea People by Christina Thompson, Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly, Coal Black Mornings by Brett Anderson, So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo, and The Lady from the Black Lagoon by Mallory O'Meara. I think the key for me is definitely variety!

New-to-me authors: 59 (+ some in collections)

My favorite new-to-me authors this year? Seanan McGuire, Sarah Pinsker, and Becky Chambers. I ended up reading five books by McGuire!

I even made a Top 10 of the year list:

Bluecrowne by Kate Milford
Forest of Memory by Mary Robinette Kowal (novella)
Sooner or Later Everything Falls into the Sea by Sarah Pinsker (short stories)
Six Months, Three Days, Five Others by Charlie Jane Anders (short stories)
Crosstalk by Connie Willis
Middlegame by Seanan McGuire
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers (novella)
How Long 'Til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin (short stories)
Rotherweird by Andrew Caldecott

And a runners-up list:

Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield
The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders
The Rook by Daniel O'Malley
The True Queen by Zen Cho
Witchmark by C.L. Polk
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
Recursion by Blake Crouch
The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal
Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw
Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia

And an honorable mention:

Wanderers by Chuck Wendig ... for being the book to traumatize me the the most! I am terrified that any single thing that happened in that book could really be in America's future.

My goal for the first couple of months of this year is to read almost exclusively from my shelves (after two audiobooks that I have checked out -- The Starless Sea and Bring Down the Hawk). These beauties I got for Christmas will help keep me busy!

And finally, I have to decide what to do with the blog. At the least, I think it is time to rebrand it. When I started writing here, I was reading with my little guy, featuring picture books and chapter books along with my own reads. But Z and I haven't read together in years and so the "we" is now just "me". I also have a goal of less screen time this year so I'm not sure how blogging would fit in with that. I have started using Litsy again (kristenm) but I'm not sure if that will stick. I tend to forget it after a couple of posts and I just don't feel like it's a replacement for blogging. And finally, there's MarchMagics/DWJMarch, which I don't want to let go but also am not sure I have the time/energy to run.

So there it is -- where 2019 went and where 2020 is headed. Happy New Year, friends! I wish you each happiness and many unexpectedly good story adventures.

Reappearing for #RIPXIV

I was about to say "I can't believe it has been five months since I last posted" but I can totally believe it. I'm starting to feel like this particular blog has run its course after 11 years, that it needs to either change format into something more fun for me or close for good. I spent the summer posting all of my summer reads on Instagram and that was okay for a while but I even got bored there and let the final couple of weeks drop. The state of the world, extended family issues, mid-life crisis ... it has all come together to form the perfect storm of me not knowing what I want, feeling paralyzed by uncertainty, and choosing to do nothing for a bit and waiting to see what is ahead.

BUT! It is almost September and that's R(eaders) I(mbibing) P(eril) time and I have to at least share my bookshelf here, right?! If anything is going to bring me back to blogging, it's the RIP challenge, now in its 14th year.

This challenge is, of course, a simple one where you can read anywhere from 1-100 books or short stories (or watch movies) that fall into the "perilous" category, be they mysteries, horrors, creepies, or atmospherics.

This is what my shelf looks like at the moment, packed solid and full of what I think I will be in the mood to read. I, naturally, have other books below that can move up if the mood strikes. Here are a couple of close-ups.

I'm really looking forward to The Inheritor's Powder (non-fic about arsenic!), the final Jackaby novel (after a reread of book three), Jo Walton's Small Change trilogy (I need to hate on some Nazis right about now), and Hollow Kingdom (crows and Seattle).

These are mostly mysteries and I have plenty more where they came from (the stack on the floor next to the bookshelf). I'm really looking forward to Stiletto, the second book in The Rook series. I tried about ten minutes of the tv show but it pissed me off so badly with the changes in character and tone and even purpose that I swore it off forever. The Daphne du Maurier shorts are going to be fun too!

I have audiobooks on hold at the library that are unexpectedly spread perfectly over the next two or so months -- The Ocean at the End of the Lane (~3 weeks), The Graveyard Book (~4 weeks), The Sentence is Death (~5 weeks), Coraline (~7 weeks), The Night Circus (~8 weeks), and Wanderers (~9 weeks). Obviously the Gaimans and the Circus are rereads, there for comfort and sheer happiness. And my library hold list has some peril on it too ... like The Darwin Affair, Sword and Pen (the new Great Library book!), and maybe Recursion (I'm #117 on the hold list).

I'll definitely be posting on Instagram/Twitter and we'll see if the season and books I love inspires me to resurrect the blog as well.

What will you be reading this season?

Farewell, #MarchMagics / #DWJMarch 2019

It is sadly time to wrap up this month of celebrating two of the best genre writers ever to have lived. I want to thank all of you who participated and shared the Diana Wynne Jones and Terry Pratchett love, of which there is still an overwhelming amount. Thank you especially to Stephanie, Virginia, and Deborah for your Instagram posts! And also thank you to Chris, Jean, and Kim for your thoughtful blog posts!

As for me, I finished the ten books I set out to read. I absolutely loved revisiting all five Tiffany Aching books. I read the first two and listened to the remaining three, usually binge listening over the course of a day. I sorely wish that we had been able to have one more book with Tiffany as an adult, perhaps at the time that she discovered the witch that she would pass on the leadership mantle to.

I also revisited five Diana Wynne Jones books, including two of my absolute favorites -- Dark Lord of Derkholm and Year of the Griffin. I love the richness of the worlds, the non-stop activity, and, yes, the griffins. I am not so sure though about children with wings so I am glad we didn't have to see them very often. ::wink::

Well, it is now Z's spring break week and we have no plans. So I am going to settle in with some good books and hopefully spend a little time in the sun as well. This coming Saturday is Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon so if you haven't signed up yet and want to participate, head over to their site. I'll be posting during the event on Twitter and Instagram. And on Sunday, Z and I are going to see Howl's Moving Castle in the theater for, I think, our second time together. Maybe this time after we see it, I'll be able to convince him to try the book!

Once again, thank you to everyone who participated in March Magics / DWJ March - even those who did it quietly. It means the world to me that you come back year after year.

With friends,
K

#MarchMagics / #DWJMarch is Here!

Today is the day! It's time to start celebrating the lives of two of the best fantasy/sci-fi authors ever -- Diana Wynne Jones and Terry Pratchett. It's time to get our revenge on the cruel month that took them from us and use it as a time to escape into the beautiful, funny, and unique worlds they both created.

A reminder: if you want to participate in either of the group reads, here are the dates we plan to finish up reading each book and chat about them:

The Wee Free Men - Saturday, 9 March

Howl's Moving Castle - Saturday, 23 March

These are the books I've chosen for the month. I'll admit that I cheated a bit and started listening to House of Many Ways yesterday. Here's a great Publisher's Weekly interview with DWJ about that book from 2008. I've also got the audiobook of Enchanted Glass and am on the waiting list for a couple of the Pratchett audiobooks. That way, I can easily get through these ten books this month. And if I have more time? Well, I always have more books!

Which books are you planning on reading this month? Share in the comments or on social media, remembering to use the #MarchMagics or #DWJMarch hashtags so that we can find the posts!

Off to High Norland,

K

What I've Been Reading

I haven't written an actual book post in a while so I thought I would do a quick catch-up before March Magics starts tomorrow! Here are some of my January and February highlights:

Becoming by Michelle Obama: I listened to this in audiobook because I wanted to hear her own narration and it was such a great choice. I loved that the book focused on more than just her husband and his political job. This was really about her personally and it was enlightening and inspiring.

Murder by the Book by Claire Harman: If you want a nice brief non-fiction set in Victorian London, with a gruesome murder, an appearance or two by Charles Dickens, and a discussion of the trashy "popular" literature of the time, grab this one! I really liked it and it made me want to reread Oliver Twist (though it wasn't the book that possibly inspired a murder).

Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal: This has been on my reading list for years but somehow I never really knew what it was about. (It's got magic in a real world setting. My favorite!) If I had, I would have read it AGES ago and would have excitedly anticipated each new release in the series. At least I now have four more books to read as slowly or quickly as I want! I also listened to this one and the author herself read it (she's also a voice actor among other things) and it was so wonderful because they were HER characters and you could hear the voices that she had probably created for them as she wrote.

Home Sweet Homicide by Craig Rice: Of the four American Mystery Classics I've read so far (six were released last year and six more will be out in a couple of weeks), this was my favorite. It's got the cheekiest set of kids who decide to solve a mystery and give the credit to their single mom in order to get her publicity since she's a mystery author. It was ridiculously unbelievable as a story but the fun overrode all of that.

Bluecrowne by Kate Milford: I keep telling you all to read Kate Milford's books because they are the BEST and, well, if you haven't yet, I don't know what else I can do. So, I'll just tell you once again that these are all-ages books masquerading as middle grade. They are intense and so incredibly well-crafted and you can read them in any order because they all skip around but link together. This is the latest one and she already has a new one coming out in November, I think, and I cannot get enough. Everyone should be reading her books!

The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders: This book was a crazy ride through an unrecognizable world. I kept being totally shocked by the things that happened but nothing ever felt out of place. Strangely, my favorite thing was the use of words whose meanings had changed after hundreds of years. Something would be mentioned like "lemonade" and then the person would be served a glass of green liquid with weeds in it that tasted slightly sour. I thought about language for days after finishing this book! I didn't think about tidally-locked planets because those are apparently horrifying and I am glad I will never have to migrate to one.

Honorable mentions should go to Quiet Girl in a Noisy World by Debbie Tung (a collection of comics/panels that felt oh so real to this introvert), The Ravenmaster: My Life With the Ravens at the Tower of London by Christopher Skaife (a very personal and fascinating memoir), Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield (a dark and beautiful story that has restored her to my "must buy" list), The Apparitionists by Peter Manseau (a super fascinating history if you are into spiritualism, photography, or the history of technology), Forest of Memory by Mary Robinette Kowal (a crazy good novella), and The Binding by Bridget Collins (a great setup with a slightly predictable plot that still caused all the feels).

I still have more to share with you but need to write some actual posts so those will pop up though the month of March between the ones about my favorite DWJ and Pratchett books!

Reading and reading and reading,
K

#MarchMagics / #DWJMarch Readalongs

Thank you all for voting on the Pratchett Read-Along book for next month! Sixty percent of you chose The Wee Free Men so that will be our group read. And I've decided to do that one first so that the rest of the month remains open for those of us that want to keep reading through the Tiffany Aching series.

The schedule for the Read-Alongs:

Sat, March 9 - Discussion for Terry Pratchett's The Wee Free Men
Sat, March 23 - Discussion for Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle

I'll have a post up on each day but also feel free to write your own blog posts and/or share the book on other social media. I'll probably also have something up on Instagram and Twitter each day.

And, speaking of Howl, did you know that this year is the 15th anniversary of the Hayao Miyazaki movie version?! It will be the first film shown for this year's Studio Ghibli Fest at the beginning of April, if you're interested in seeing it in a theater (and are in the U.S. or Canada).

Are you going to join these group reads? Will it be your first time for either book or are they already favorites?

Making the cheese,

K

Announcing #DWJMarch / #MarchMagics 2019!

Gather around, friends. It is finally time to talk about our plans for this year's celebration of the lives and stories of two of our favorite genre authors, Diana Wynne Jones and Terry Pratchett. In three short weeks, we will get to immerse ourselves in some of the best worlds ever created, feast our minds on some of the best words ever written. So, our theme for this year?

Riches Well-Told!

What does that mean in terms of books? It means we get to read our favorites this year! I want everyone to pick up the books from these authors that never get old, the ones that we've read dozens of times already but plan to read at least a dozen more times.

my DWJ and Pratchett shelf (except for the books that don't fit)

As I look at my shelves, I think about how I could easily spend more time with Derk and the griffins, Tiffany Aching, Chrestomanci, and Death. I want to visit Granny Weatherwax's cottage and take a ride in Wizard Howl's castle.

Speaking of ... with all of the talk of the new Folio Society edition, of Howl's Moving Castle, I've decided that this beloved tale will be our DWJ read-along this year. But I would like some help choosing the Pratchett book. So if you can just answer this one question ...

Thanks, everyone! Once I get some answers, I'll set dates for the two read-alongs. Remember when you are posting about this event on social media to use one or the other of the hashtags so that I can find and amplify your posts.

Please leave a comment and let me know if you plan on participating this year!

With joy and love,

K

So Long, 2018

I was reminded today that this blog still exists so I thought I should swing by to let you all know that I am okay (nothing happened ... just a trip to California, a couple of colds, and some malaise) and that I am mentally making my way back here. I also couldn't miss the opportunity to write up an end of the year summary, especially as I noticed last night that I had finished my *120th* book of the year! Whoa! So, no, it is not my reading that has fallen to the wayside, just my blogging.

In 2018 I ...

• Read/listened to just over 40,000 pages in 120 books
• Found time for 20 rereads
• Enjoyed 11 non-fiction books
• Journeyed through 7 books in translation (French, Japanese, Spanish x4, German)
• Listened to 18 audiobooks

My favorite books of the year (in no particular order)

• The four books of Martha Wells' Murderbot series - All Systems Red, Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, and Exit Strategy
• The Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (and fabulous rereads of the previous three books in the series)
• The Broken Lands and The Kairos Mechanism by Kate Milford
• Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
• The Philosopher's Flight by Tom Miller
• Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente
• The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss
• The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. by Neal Stephenson & Nicole Galland
• March, Books 1-3 by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell
• Early Riser by Jasper Fforde (not out yet in the U.S.!)
• Dark Tales by Shirley Jackson
• The Wicked Cometh by Laura Carlin (again, not out in the U.S.)
• Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch (yes! I finally started this series!!)
• The Book of Dust, Book One: The Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman
• All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders

I don't know if I'm going to do catch-up posts for any of the books I read over the past two months or if I'll just give myself permission to start with a clean slate. It will probably be the latter. No need to start the new year with a stack of stress!

These are the books I got for Christmas this year and, as you can imagine, some of my most anticipated reads of the new year! I might even reread Persuasion since I have this lovely new edition to replace my old Signet Classics paperback. I'll be starting the year with Kage Baker in print (The Machine's Child) and Michelle Obama (Becoming) on audio. My goals for 2019? I'm not going to make any. I am just going to work through as much of my home TBR (161 books) and my library list (58 books) as I can, choosing whatever I want to along the way and sprinkling in some rereads. I will still host DWJMarch/MarchMagics this spring but will probably have a rather generic topic. As for blogging, I may switch to a more journal-like format for a while, until this malaise and general inability to get my thoughts to coalesce passes. If I stay out of the habit of writing for much longer, this blog is toast!

Anyway, I hope that all of you had a satisfactory reading year and that you have great books to look forward to in 2019! Tell me something you are looking forward to in the comments (if they work for you. I know there are some issues and I can't figure out what is wrong.)

With confetti,

K

#RIPXIII Update 3

I have a HUGE stack of RIP books here to mention to you before the end of the month and the perilous reading season. Grab a cup of tea or cocoa because I'm going to need your attention for a while!

I really wish I had the energy to write a full post about The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin because this was an amazing book. First, it's told in a completely unique way. One point of view is told through images, mental pictures sent from the titular elfin character back to his government. The other point of view is told in words, by a goblin archivist named Werfel, who is hosting Brangwain on his historic state visit after years of animosity. The difference between the two accounts is noticeable and is affected by each character's background and the history they were taught. It's an amazing exposure for middle grade students to the concept of "history being written by the victors". But it's also a darkly funny and infinitely perilous story about how to mend relationships that need not remain fractured. This is such an incredibly timely book and I hope it finds its way into lots of elementary and middle school libraries.

And yay! I finally started Ben Aaronovitch's Peter Grant series with Rivers of London. It was strange to read a modern story because I don't do that very often but once I got used to that, I had a lot of fun with this world and Grant himself. I really do love "magic in the real world" stories! I'll definitely be continuing on with the series and already have the second book from the UK. (They are in trade paperbacks there and only mass market here, which I don't like to read because you have to bend them more.)

I did second reads as listens for The Prisoner of Heaven and The Angel's Game. Rereading this series before diving into Carlos Ruiz Zafón's final book in the group was an inspired idea. Seeing all of the small details fit together and the picture of mid-century Barcelona grow has been a joy. I also liked reading these two in the opposite order from which they were published. I understand why they came out in the order they did originally, with an unreliable narration followed by a more factual account, but I also liked reading them the other way, with a sad history being brushed over by a more palatable, if not-so-accurate account.

Wylding Hall by Elizabeth Hand was a quick trip into a creepy manor house with a British folk band who are recounting the experience years later. I liked the interview format but also felt that it was a little impersonal at times. Still, for a quick little book, it packed a punch and was a perfect RIP tale.

Then, the reason for the season, Hocus Pocus & the All-New Sequel! Written by A.W. Jantha, the first two hundred pages are a faithful retelling of the movie with a couple of minor changes to reflect more modern sensibilities about what are acceptable ways to talk to girls/women. I really liked that update. And then the second three hundred pages is a story about Max and Allison's daughter, Poppy -- her friendships, love life, and accidental summoning of the Sanderson sisters, among other witches. It was a good, solid teenage witch story with some good reveals (lesbians, good witches, the return of Binx) but I didn't fall entirely in love with it. I am also not the target audience so I'm sure that other readers will form a much greater attachment to the tale.

Now I'm caught up to Readathon time, when I got through a bunch of quick little books. The first was Mary Stewart's The Little Broomstick, published in 1971 but experiencing a new life after being made into the film Mary and the Witch's Flower by Studio Ponoc, an animation studio formed by former Studio Ghibli staff members. I love that film and this book is just as good! I'm glad I picked it up.

Next was the second Murderbot novella, Artificial Condition by Martha Wells. I didn't think the story could improve on what happened in the first volume but this absolutely did. I even got teary at a line near the end about hugs. I have the third and fourth (and final) books on my library hold list but I'm going to be buying myself copies of this set at some point. The writing is amazing, the ideas are fresh, and the bite-sized portions are perfect.

I was a bit late to the Kate Milford party so I missed out on some of her earlier Kickstarter projects, like this novella -- The Kairos Mechanism, which happens soon after the events of The Boneshaker and reunites us with Natalie Minks in the odd town of Arcane. Luckily, Milford found a few extra copies around and put them up for sale on her website. (There are three copies left for $55 each, signed by the author and the papercut artist, and including a papercut "pin" in each one.) The depth of her stories always staggers me and this one was no different. I adore the worlds she has created!

My last full Readathon read was this awesome Manga Classics version of The Stories of Edgar Allan Poe. As most of you know, Poe is one of my things and the five stories covered here are done justice with this format. The illustrations and text formatting on The Raven are stellar and I even enjoyed rereading The Masque of the Red Death, which is not one of my favorite Poe stories. This would be a great place for someone to start who is new to Poe.

While I was getting through many of these books, I was listening to David Wong's (actually Jason Pargin's) John Dies at the End, which is a weird title because John dies way before that. But this was a LONG and increasingly crazy horror/humor/sci-fi tale that, for all of its crass jokes, was smart and fun and I really loved listening to it. I'm not sure if I'll go on with the series but I'll definitely watch the movie version sometime soon.

(Almost done!) Next I dove into the first of six books I bought in Penzler Press' new American Mystery Classics series, The So Blue Marble by Dorothy B. Hughes. (The second set of six will be out in the spring of 2019.) This was SUCH a good story! It was dark and frightening and surprisingly violent for a mystery from 1940. I liked the New York setting and will definitely be searching out more of Hughes' books now, especially the three that became films.

And finally, I need to mention my relisten of Sarah Waters' The Little Stranger. That is such an incredible book! If you haven't gotten to it for the first time yet, you really should. It's the most subtle of ghost stories. The true horror, as we can attest to, usually lies is the real world.

I'm finishing out the month by going slowly (as much as I can when I'm so excited about it!) through The Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. I'm about 200 pages through the 800 page tome and it is amazing. And remember, he has written these books so that you can read them in any order. This one might be a bit intimidating to pick up first because of its size but the story moves along well and is already ridiculously intense.

Well, this is the end of my RIP reading season, friends. Twenty-five books finished, many new favorites found. I got to read the new Jasper Fforde before it comes out in the US and am buried in the latest Carlos Ruiz Zafón -- two of my all-time favorite authors. I got to meet Murderbot! I traveled through time and space and braved murderers, ghosts, monsters, and more. What fun!

Tell me ... did you have a favorite RIP read this year? Also, if you are in the US, have you voted or are you planning to?

Escaping the peril unscathed,
K

#RIPXIII Update 2

Life is busy and stressful and crazy but I've managed to read 13 books already this Readers Imbibing Peril season! It's been the best escape, especially since I've had at least one physical and one audiobook going at a time so I get these stories piped into my brain no matter where I am. Here are a few brief mentions of what I've gotten through recently.

I forget where I saw The Wicked Cometh by Laura Carlin mentioned but I quickly decided that it was totally the type of book I was in the mood for. Of course, it is only out in the UK. So ... I placed an order from Foyles, got my book, and dove into a heart-wrenching, neo-Victorian sensational tale. It's reminiscent of stories by Sarah Waters and Michael Cox. My only complaint was that there was one supernatural moment that didn't need to be in the story. Otherwise, it was a dark, tense, and well-executed visit to Victorian London.

I know where I heard about Martha Wells' first Murderbot novella, All Systems Red -- EVERYWHERE. And, yes, everyone was right. This was good. I sped through it and look forward to grabbing the remaining three parts of the story. (The fourth just came out or is coming out soon.)

Another book that I thought would be right up my alley was The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton. This is an extremely unique mystery that takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride of violence and betrayal and surprise. I started wavering on whether I was enjoying it or not and then it came together in a way that was incredibly satisfying. I definitely want to read this one again one day now that I know how everything turns out.

My most bittersweet listen was The Empty Grave, the fifth and final Lockwood and Co. book. The sad thing is that I didn't realize it was the last in the series until about the 80 percent mark. When things started going a certain way, I headed over to Google only to figure out that I was almost done with some of the best fun I have had in a while! I know this is a middle grade series but it's honestly strong enough to be an all-ages series. If you like ghost hunting and friendships and found families, give this series a try.

I also listened to Jackaby to start my series reread and to lead up to finally reading the last book. It was so good. I love that series so much. I don't want it to be over.

So what am I reading now? I just started Rivers of London, first in the Peter Grant series about a police detective who can see the supernatural side of London. And I've started listening to The Prisoner of Heaven, another reread -- and the audiobook is stellar.

Guess what's happening soon?! It's Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon! Sign-ups are live so head over and get your name on the list.

I hope everyone is finding the right books/friends/whatever you need right now to escape all of the madness in the world. Books are honestly saving my sanity. I love you, books!!

Jumping back in,
K

#RIPXIII Update

I feel really bad because I haven't been updating you on my RIP reads but every time I get out my computer to blog, I just can't find the will to write. So, instead, I'm going to share a few photos of my reading that I've taken over the past couple of weeks. I'm on my sixth RIP read right now and it has been a mostly amazing season so far!

This lovely quote was from The Incredible Crime by Lois Austen-Leigh. Now, you would think that this was a line that then demanded that the woman show everyone how awesome she actually was but no, this book went on to make the woman less independent. The "incredible" crime ended up being kind of lame, and the clues laid for the mystery were all misleading but not in a good, smart way, just in a badly-written kind of way. Super annoying from Jane Austen's great grand-niece or whatever.

Then I read Jasper Fforde's latest, Early Riser, which is now one of my favorite books of the year. More on it later, I promise. But if you love him, you will likely love this. If you haven't gotten on with his style of writing before ... well, this is definitely more of the same.

I needed something amazing to follow Fforde so I grabbed one of the new books I ordered this year, Dark Tales, a collection of Shirley Jackson's short stories. I liked almost all of the stories and really loved about of third of them. Reading one after the other did start revealing her formulas a bit though so I think next time I read her stories I will spread them out a bit more. These I read all in one day!

I also just finished listening to the fourth Lockwood and Co. book, The Creeping Shadow (Jonathan Stroud). I like this series more with each book because the story gets darker and more convoluted. I've already got a hold in on book five and I hope it comes through before the end of the RIP season.

And finally, I'm reading The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón for the third time. It's just as amazing as the other times I read it. I love CRZ's writing and Lucia Graves' translation skills are A+. I'm looking forward to the second half of the story!

This week I'll pick up All Systems Red from the library and start the audiobook of Jackaby for a reread. Those should both be fun!

I am absolutely loving my perilous, escapist reading right now but I'm guessing my blogging mojo will be missing in action until after the election in November. You can expect more of these quick updates from me until then.

How is your RIP reading going?

Back to Barcelona,

K