Reading Log – Jan-Mar 2022

It hasn’t been a stellar reading quarter, mostly due to health issues (headaches & the depressy-stressy disorder make reading tricky), but I’ve definitely found some new faves. Arkady Martine has written a beautiful Sci-Fi duology (with more books to come?!?! we can only hope) about politics, colonisation, and technology set in space with sapphic heroines. Honestly, it’s like she wrote these books just for me. The first book is called A Memory Called Empire, which is just an excellent & haunting title. And I finally picked up the first book in Seth Dickinson’s SF trilogy, The Traitor Baru Cormorant, and it also is exactly all the things I love in a book. I would die for Baru. The third SF book that blew my mind was Kate Elliot’s Unconquerable Sun, a gender-bent Alexander the Great retelling where his horse Bucephalus is a star ship. Five stars, will read again, cannot wait for the sequel!

I’ve also learned a couple of things about my reading preferences:

  • I hate short chapters with a passion because I read fast, and like to pause at the end of the chapter to really ruminate on the happenings; and if it’s short, I’m stopping way too often.
  • The only Romance sub-genre that I like is, oddly, Contemporary Rom-Com. Historical bores me, Paranormal/Sci-Fi/Fantasy annoys me, Suspense makes me straight up hate the romance aspect, and YA is not adult. Erotic is fine, but I don’t want to seek it out. A Romance novel has to have a Happily-Ever-After or Happily-For-Now ending, and honestly I like real angst & tragedy in my stories way too much. But Rom-Coms… they feel like they’ve earned that ending.
  • I can read 150-200 pages an hour. No wonder I churn through books. And my mother tells me I could read before I was 2 years old, so I’ve been doing it for… a long time.
  • I like owning print books but I prefer reading eBooks, because they’re so much more accessible when I’m ill. Mum gave me a Kindle Paperwhite for my birthday last year, and it is getting A LOT of use!

January

The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley
Pestilence by Laura Thalassa
A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske
Beach Read by Emily Henry
Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade
All the Feels by Olivia Dade
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James
Seven Devils by Laura Lam & Elizabeth May
We hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal
All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody & Christine Lynn Herman
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Crier’s War by Nina Varela
Iron Heart by Nina Varela
A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson
A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

February

A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine
Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik
The Wicked King by Holly Black
The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black
The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson
Orc-Ward Encounters by Sam Hall
House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas
Electric Idol by Katee Robert
The Perks of Loving a Wallflower by Erica Ridley
Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

March

The Last Watch by J.S. Dewes
Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston
A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Bluebird by Ciel Pierlot
The Kindred by Alechia Dow
A Dark and Hollow Star by Ashley Shuttleworth
The Professional by Kresley Cole
The Master by Kresley Cole
The Player by Kresley Cole
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey
Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott
Knot My Type by Evie Mitchell
The Exiled Fleet by J.S. Dewes
Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake
Jade City by Fonda Lee
1979 by Val McDermid
Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames

44 in total.

Reading Log – Oct-Dec 2021

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin
The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid
Healer’s Quest by Jessica Palmer
Silent Partner by Jonathon Kellerman
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo
The Councillor by E.J. Beaton
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik
Purged by Peter Laws
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor
Tales from the Folly by Ben Aaronovitch
House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland
Star Eater by Kerstin Hall
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
Severed by Peter Laws
Unleashed by Peter Laws
Life on the Autism Spectrum by Karen McKibbin
King Arthur by Andrew Lang
The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer

Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Time Bomb by Jonathon Kellerman
Self-Defense by Jonathon Kellerman
Bones by Jonathon Kellerman
Survival of the Fittest by Jonathon Kellerman
Rage by Jonathon Kellerman
Killer by Jonathon Kellerman
Motive by Jonathon Kellerman
Guilt by Jonathon Kellerman
Heartbreak Hotel by Jonathon Kellerman
Night Moves by Jonathon Kellerman
Redemptor by Jordan Ifueko
The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams
The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova
The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett
Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett
Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell
Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan
Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
The Outside by Ada Hoffman
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid

The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
Murder in an English Glade by Jessica Ellicott
Games We Play by Dana Isaly 
Flowers for the Sea by Zin E. Rocklyn 
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
Funny, You Don’t Look Autistic by Michael McCreary
Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers
The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune 
Meet Me Under the Mistletoe ed. by M. Robinson
Before You Knew My Name by Jacqueline Bublitz
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Reading Log – Jul-Sep 2021

A selection of books on two wooden shelves

My genres this quarter were my usual mix of fantasy, sci-fi, and contemporary romance, with the odd crime/thriller thrown in for variety. Here in Auckland, we’ve spent the last two months and change in lockdown, so I’m still preferring escapist fiction over anything too dark & difficult.

20 years after it was published, I finally picked up the 4 books of the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini ($40 for the set in paperback from The Warehouse). The first book, Eragon, was unexpectedly hard-going: small print in a thick paperback combined with a story that was irritatingly derivative and full of flat characters and predictable plot beats. After I finished it, I discovered that the author was a 16 year old boy at the time of writing, which explains why this book felt like pretty average Lord of the Rings fan fiction with dragons. I have yet to start the second book, but apparently it does get better.

Part of the problem is that I’ve been reading so many excellent fantasy books that it’s hard to motivate myself to pick up something mediocre! This quarter, I also identified Dark Academia as a genre that I particularly enjoy, and have finished quite a few of these sorts of novels – and have added many more to by TBR (To Be Read) list.

I’m on GoodReads, where you can see what I am currently reading, what I’ve read, and what I want to read in the future (that ever-growing TBR)! I even occasionally write reviews, but they’re mostly so I can remember my own thoughts about the book.

July

The Forger and the Thief by Kirsten McKenzie
A Vow So Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Talor Jenkins Reid
Old Man’s War by John Scalzi
The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi
The Last Colony by John Scalzi
Hunted by the Sky by Tanaz Bhathena
Gild by Raven Kennedy
Glint by Raven Kennedy
Gleam by Raven Kennedy
Catacombs by Anne McCaffrey & Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
Credence by Penelope Douglas
Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
Corrupt by Penelope Douglas
The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Zoe’s Tale by John Scalzi
Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones
The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones
Witch Week by Diana Wynne Jones
The Magicians of Caprona by Diana Wynne Jones
The Sweetest Oblivion by Danielle Lori
The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen
The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
The Song of Achilles by Madeleine Miller
Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

August

Under the Black Banners by K. Elle Morrison
Auē by Becky Manawatu
Conrad’s Fate by Diana Wynne Jones
House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
Hexwood by Diana Wynne Jones
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron
A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
Tripswitch by Gaelyn Gordon
It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
The High Mountain Court by A.K. Mulford
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce
The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir
Crossfire by Dick Francis
Under Orders by Dick Francis
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Wolf by Mo Hayder
Bowl of Heaven by Gregory Benford & Larry Niven
The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith
These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling

September

The Binding by Bridget Collins
The Mistake by Elle Kennedy
Dark Orbit by Carolyn Ives Gilman
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood
Lord of Eternal Night by Ben Alderson
Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter
Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert
The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert
Scrublands by Chris Hammer
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
The Good Girl by Alice La Roux
Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko
A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee
The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen
Lore by Alexandra Bracken
Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch
Whispers Underground by Ben Aaronovitch
Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch
Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch
The Furthest Station by Ben Aaronovitch
The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch
Lies Sleeping by Ben Aaronovitch
False Value by Ben Aaronovitch
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
Priest by Sierra Simone
Aspergirls by Rudy Simone
The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley
Child of Fear & Fire by G.R. Thomas

101 in total

Reading Log – Apr-Jun 2021

The release of the Shadow & Bone series on Netflix made me re-read Leigh Bardugo’s trilogy, which I originally enjoyed back in 2014. I still like it it. It’s a YA fantasy series, and the protagonist is a bit of a milksop, but I like the magic “small science” & the worldbuilding. Although, Russian speakers are apparently pissing themselves over the magic users being called Grisha – the baby name for Gregory. #gregverse

But more importantly, I finally read Six of Crows & Crooked Kingdom, a duology set in the same world after the events of the trilogy, featuring a gang of dodgy teens out to make their fortunes with a dangerous heist. Lots of betrayal, angst, hilarity, and shenanigans. So good! Can’t believe I didn’t finish it first time I picked up SoC. Now I just need to get the other duology, King of Scars & Rule of Wolves.

Most of my choices this quarter have been fantasy… or romance, interestingly. You see, I joined TikTok & there’s a huge bookish community there, so I’ve had a lot more recommendations to trawl through. It’s very useful for diversifying my “To Be Read” list, and I particularly like that there’s a huge SFF following – I just don’t know many SFF in real life, so it’s awesome to have a safe space to nerd out.

Other notable mentions: The Priory of the Orange Tree, 848 pages of high fantasy featuring sapphic romance and dragons! So good! Sam Shannon is an A+ writer. Also, the Truthwitch series by Susan Dennard is hugely enjoyable. And the new murderbot novella was great fun, if too brief.

And yes, I read Ice Planet Barbarians – well, I listened to the audiobook from the library, actually. Not my fave smut, but entertaining enough.

April

Or What You Will by Jo Walton
Markswoman by Rati Mehrotra
The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. by Neal Stephenson & Nicole Galland
The Grey King by Susan Cooper
Silver on the Tree by Susan Cooper
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown
Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik
Chaos Reigning by Jessie Mihalik
Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
The Sinner’s Club by Kate Pearce
The Soprano Sorceress by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
Hullmetal Girls by Emily Skrutskie
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
The Art of Taking It Easy by Brian King
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
Winter’s Passage by Julie Kagawa
The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa
The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa
Summer’s Crossing by Julie Kagawa
A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
Hooking Up by Helena Hunting
Getting Down by Helena Hunting
Shacking Up by Helena Hunting
Making Up by Helena Hunting
Handle With Care by Helena Hunting
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Aurora Blazing by Jessie Mihalik
The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling
Truthwitch by Susan Dennard
Bridesmaid on a Budget by Sharon Naylor
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

May

The Chain by Adrian McKinty
The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas
Bone Crier’s Dawn by Kathryn Purdie
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith
A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer
Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
Owned by Fate by Tessa Bailey
Five Children and It by E. Nesbit

June

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
See You in September by Charity Norman
The Secrets of Strangers by Charity Norman
The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
The Archive of the Forgotten by A.J. Hackwith 
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
Windwitch by Susan Dennard 
Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard
Circe by Madeleine Miller
Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee
Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
Blood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin
Furyborn by Claire Legrand
Verity by Colleen Hoover
Rush by Maya Banks
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon
Cut Throat by Lyndon Stacey
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune 
Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch
Pegasus in Flight by Anne McCaffrey
Pegasus in Space by Anne McCaffrey
Flames of Chaos by Amelia Hutchins (DNF)

70 in total

Reading Log – Jan-Mar 2021

I finished a few excellent series’ this quarter. Firstly, the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, starting with Cinder, is an engaging Young Adult sci-fi/romance retelling of various fairytales, including Cinderella, Littler Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White. I’m not sure I’ll re-read these, but I did enjoy them and suspect I’d have loved them when I was a teen. Secondly, the Craft Sequence by Max Gladstone, which I read pretty much in publication order, starting with Three Parts Dead. This is an adult fantasy series about religion, necromancy, law and finance. Honestly, that sounds terrible but they are SO GOOD and I’m mad at myself for not reading them earlier.

A bunch of re-reads made it onto my list, including a few children’s classics that I haven’t read since I was a kid. FYI, Peter Pan is a truly bizarre story that no movie has properly captured, and I ain’t mad about it.

Fewer non-fic books on this list because real life is exhausting and I need to escape.

January

The Queen’s Gambit by Jessie Mihalik
The Queen’s Advantage by Jessie Mihalik
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Murder Comes to Call by Jessica Ellicott
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
The Burning God by R.F. Kuang
Renegades by Marissa Meyer
A Priceless Wedding by Sara Cotner
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
A Shiver of Light by Laurell K. Hamilton
Barbary Station by R.E. Stearns
Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone
The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson
If Women Rose Rooted by Sharon Blackie
Two Serpents Rise by Max Gladstone
Last First Snow by Max Gladstone
Four Roads Cross by Max Gladstone
Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook
Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi

February

Deal with the Devil by Kit Rocha
Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar
Full Fathom Five by Max Gladstone
Cress by Melissa Meyer
The Ruin of Angels by Max Gladstone
Winter by Marissa Meyer
A Practical Wedding by Meg Keene
1001 Wedding Ideas by Tricia Spencer
The Queen’s Triumph by Jessie Mihalik
Grimspace by Ann Aguirre
A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow

March

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
Wanderlust by Ann Aguirre
The Third Mrs. Durst by Ann Aguirre
Doubleblind by Ann Aguirre
Killbox by Ann Aguirre
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Aftermath by Ann Aguirre
Endgame by Ann Aguirre
Archenemies by Marissa Meyer
Stars Above by Marissa Meyer
Middlegame by Seanan McGuire
An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson
House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Supernova by Marissa Meyer
Bone Crier’s Moon by Kathryn Purdie

52 in total

Reading Log – Oct-Dec 2020

Somehow, I managed to finish 99 books in this quarter, bringing my total for the year to 268! A few of them were even audiobooks – I had eye surgery on December 14th and couldn’t manage to read, so audiobooks were the next best option. I picked books that I’d already read before, so that it wasn’t a big deal if I zoned out here & there. Even at 1.5 speed, narrators can’t read as fast as my brain does, and it often becomes unintelligible at a greater speed than that. So as you can imagine, I’m not usually an audiobook fan.

As for genres, I still leaned heavily into fiction, particularly escapist sci-fi/fantasy/speculative types. In the Year of COVID, real life holds little appeal. I did squeeze in some thrillers, however, particularly by marathoning some Patricia Cornwell while visiting my mum. I used to love the Scarpetta series… but this re-read did not endear me. I felt very strongly the generational gap between the character of Kay Scarpetta/the writer Patricia Cornwell and myself.

I found a romance writer that I enjoy – Jessie Mihalik. Her books are sci-fi romances, and they felt real & engaging. I also finally purchased four of Ben Aaronovitch’s “Peter Grant” series that begins with Rivers of London, and loved them. I finished the year with a cute cozy murder mystery series by Jessica Ellicott set in an English village in the 1920s & it had a strong Agatha Christie vibe (in a good way). All things considered, I’m pretty happy with my diversity and depth of reading, and have enjoyed getting out of my head (in a legal & safe way!) via escapist fiction.

October

Midnight’s Twins by Holly Race
The Butcher Shop by Jean Devanny
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Serpent Sea by Martha Wells
The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene
The Stars Are Legion by Kameron Hurley
The Siren Depths by Martha Wells
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Edge of Worlds by Martha Wells
Killing Gravity by Corey J. White
The Last Family in England by Matt Haig
Survival Lessons by Alice Hoffman
Honor Lost by Rachel Caine
Network Effect by Martha Wells
The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
A Pale Light in the Black by K. B. Wagers
The 49th Mystic by Ted Dekker
Void Black Shadow by Corey J. White
Static Ruin by Corey J. White
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett
Zodiac by Romina Russell
The Darkest Time of Night by Jeremy Finley
The Freeze-Frame Revolution by Peter Watts
The Flight of the Silvers by Daniel Price
Medusa Uploaded by Emily Devenport
Tracing Your London Ancestors by Jonathan Oates
Middlesex Murders by Linda Stratmann
London: A Travel Guide Through Time by Matthew Green
Compete by Vera Nazarian
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Priestess by Julie Parker
The Dragon Republic by R. F. Kuang
2010 by Arthur C. Clarke
Wandering Star by Romina Russell
Black Moon by Romina Russell
Thirteen Rising by Romina Russell
Letters From Berlin by Tania Blanchard

November

Umbrella Academy Vol. 2 by Gerard Way
Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell
The Body Farm by Patricia Cornwell
From Potter’s Field by Patricia Cornwell
Point of Origin by Patricia Cornwell
Black Notice by Patricia Cornwell
The Scarpetta Factor by Patricia Cornwell
Depraved Heart by Patricia Cornwell
She Has Her Mother’s Laugh by Carl Zimmer
Light is the New Black by Rebecca Campbell
Reverie by Ryan La Sala
The Harbours of the Sun by Martha Wells
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay
The Wandering Fire by Guy Gavriel Kay
The Darkest Road by Guy Gavriel Kay
Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay
The Boundless by Peter Newman
Win by Vera Nazarian
Survive by Vera Nazarian
The Coroner by M. R. Hall
The Tally Stick by Carl Nixon
The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White
The Realms of the Gods by Tamora Pierce
The Celtic Goddess by Trevor Greenfield
A Kiss of Shadows by Laurell K. Hamilton
A Lick of Frost by Laurell K. Hamilton
Seduced by Moonlight by Laurell K. Hamilton
A Stroke of Midnight by Laurell K. Hamilton
Mistral’s Kiss by Laurell K. Hamilton

December

The Shadow Effect by Deepak Chopra
Shakti Rising by Kavitha M. Chinnaiyan
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Dreams Underfoot by Charles de Lint
Under My Hat by Jonathan Strahan
Locke & Key: Small World by Joe Hill
Locke & Key: Heaven & Earth by Joe Hill
Locke & Key: Dog Days by Joe Hill
The Spinoff Book by Toby Manhire
The Hollow Ones by Guillermo Del Toro
Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik
Carry On, Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton
Swallowing Darkness by Laurell K. Hamilton
Chaos Reigning by Jessie Mihalik
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab
Greenwitch by Susan Cooper
Soul Music by Terry Pratchett
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch
Whispers Underground by Ben Aaronovitch
Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch
The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch
A Country House Christmas by Phyllis Elinor Sandeman
Over the Woodward Wall by A. Deborah Baker
Aurora Blazing by Jessie Mihalik
Divine Misdemeanors by Laurell K. Hamilton
Murder in an English Village by Jessica Ellicott
Murder Flies the Coop by Jessica Ellicott
Murder Cuts the Mustard by Jessica Ellicott

99 in total for the quarter; 268 in total for the year!

Reading Log – Jul-Sep 2020

I have a few books to recommend this quarter: Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell, which was recommended to me by my brother & a very enjoyable read; The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold, a thoroughly researched and well written refutation of the idea that all of the Ripper’s victims were prostitutes; Recursion by Blake Crouch, scifi at it’s best; The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, blurring the lines between poetry & prose in an absolutely beautiful, dreamy way; and The Lost Family: How DNA Testing is Upending Who We Are by Libby Copeland for a look at some of the realities of taking a DNA test.

I also finally read something by Piers Anthony – the first Xanth novel. Anthony was a prolific scifi/fantasy writer & often features on recommended lists… but he won’t be appearing on mine. Hard pass! Sexist AF, and super creepy to boot. After finishing the book, I googled him and turns out he has published some truly horrific stuff, basically pedophilia. So, um, yeah. No thanks. And the Xanth novels are supposed to be funny fantasy, but they really aren’t. Give your kids/teens something by Terry Pratchett instead, please.

July

Diggers, Hatters & Whores by Stevan Eldred-Grigg
Saint Odd by Dean Koontz
Dreamhunter by Elizabeth Knox
Dreamquake by Elizabeth Knox
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells
Exit Strategy by Martha Wells
A Madness of Angels by Kate Griffin
The Midnight Mayor by Kate Griffin
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibran X. Kendi
The Fire Starter Sessions by Danielle LaPorte

August

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
Tracing Your Canal Ancestors by Sue Wilkes
Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Joe Dispenza
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Year’s Best Aotearoa New Zealand Science Fiction & Fantasy ed. by Marie Hodgkinson
The Deathless by Peter Newman
The Radleys by Matt Haig
The Five by Hallie Rubenhold
Is 5 by e.e. cummings
Recursion by Blake Crouch
Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater
City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab
The Never Tilting World by Rin Chupeco
La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman
The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron
Before She Ignites by Jodi Meadows
Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi
The Black God’s Drums by P. Djeli Clark
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
Oats in the North, Wheat from the South by Rgula Ysewijn
Qualify by Vera Nazarian
Untamed by Glennon Doyle
Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab
Paging the Dead by Brynn Bonner
Dead in a Flash by Brynn Bonner
Picture Them Dead by Brynn Bonner
Wolf Speaker by Tamora Pierce
As She Ascends by Jodi Meadows
When She Reigns by Jodi Meadows

September

The Ruthless by Peter Newman
All His Pretty Girls by Charly Cox
The Asylum by Nathan Dylan Goodwin
What Lies Beneath by Elspeth Sandys
Three Women by Lisa Taddeo
You Are Destined to Be Together Forever by Dean Koontz
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells
Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman
Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine & Ann Aguirre
Honor Bound by Rachel Caine & Ann Aguirre
The Disasters by M. K. England
A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony
2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
Meet Me in the Future by Kameron Hurley
Sisters of the Vast Black by Lina Rather
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman
Rise Sister Rise by Rebecca Campbell
Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert
Emperor Mage by Tamora Pierce
Umbrella Academy Vol. 1 by Gerard Way
Stop Surviving Start Fighting by Jazz Thornton
The Desire Map by Danielle LaPorte
Who Do You Think You Are? Encyclopedia of Genealogy by Nick Barratt
Getting Started: Who Do You Think You Are by Laura Berry
Creating Sanctuary by Jessi Bloom
Captain Marvel Vol. 1 by Kelly Sue DeConnick
Bitch Planet Vol. 1 by Kelly Sue DeConnick
The Lost Family by Libby Copeland
The Stranger in My Genes by Bill Griffeth
Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots

75 in total.

Reading Log – Apr-Jun 2020

I read a lot of fantasy & horror this quarter, matched only by the amount of non-fic history that I also consumed. After watching Locke & Key on Netflix, I decided to revisit the graphic novels, and enjoyed them even more. With regards to history, I particularly enjoyed England’s Mistress: The Infamous Life of Emma Hamilton by Kate Williams and Bedlam: London’s Hospital for the Mad by Paul Chambers. On a Kiwi note, Madeleine Chapman’s biography Jacinda Ardern was an excellent, balanced read about a very relevant politician right now.

April

Spark Joy by Marie Kondo
England’s Mistress by Kate Williams
Driven: My Story by Hayden Paddon
Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent
Domes of Fire by David Eddings
The Shining Ones by David Eddings
The Hidden City by David Eddings
Regina’s Song by David Eddings
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
The Magician’s Guild by Trudi Canavan
Things Could Be Worse by Lily Brett
The Novice by Trudi Canavan
The High Lord by Trudi Canavan
Young Logan Campbell by R.C.J. Stone
Bedlam by Paul Chambers
Writing Your Family History by Deborah Cass
Locke & Key Vol. 1 by Joe Hill
Five Dark Fates by Kendare Blake
The Lord Bishop’s Clerk by Sarah Hawkswood
One Dark, Two Light by Ruth Mancini
House on Fire by Joseph Finder
Locke & Key Vol. 2 by Joe Hill
Locke & Key Vol. 3 by Joe Hill

May

CBT Made Simple by Nina Josefowitz
CBT Skills Workbook by Barry Gregory
In Therapy by Susie Orbach
What Went Right by Eileen Bailey
Jacinda Ardern by Madeleine Chapman
Locke & Key Vol. 4 by Joe Hill
Locke & Key Vol. 5 by Joe Hill
A Viking in the Family by Keith Gregson
Poldark’s Cornwall by Winston Graham
Tracing Your West Country Ancestors by Kirsty Gray
Inheritance by Dani Shapiro
Dunedin by Christine Johnston
Unfortunate Folk by Barbara Brookes
Behold the Moon by Peter Entwhistle

June

The Archives by V.E. Schwab
The Unbound by V.E. Schwab
Stepping Into Ourselves by Anne Key
Locke & Key Vol. 6 by Joe Hill
Interworld by Neil Gaiman & Michael Reaves
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Mortmain Hall by Martin Edwards
Sinless by Sarah Tarkoff
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
Forever Odd by Dean Koontz
Brother Odd by Dean Koontz
Odd Hours by Dean Koontz
Odd Apocalypse by Dean Koontz
The Silver Dream by Neil Gaiman & Michael Reaves
Eternity’s Wheel by Neil Gaiman & Michael Reaves
Deeply Odd by Dean Koontz
Dream a Little Dream by Kerstin Gier
Wanderers by Chuck Wendig
Dream On by Kerstin Gier
Just Dreaming by Kerstin Gier

57 in total.

Reading Log – Jan-Mar 2020

Lots of my usual genres in the first quarter of the year: history, murder mystery, poetry, sci-fi and fantasy. I highly recommend Ed West’s histories of England as they’re both comprehensive and comprehensible! And I really enjoyed reading R.C.J. Stone’s work, and look forward to finding more.

January

Molly Fyde and the Parsona Rescue by Hugh Howey
Under Glass by Gregory Kan
The Red Mother by Jeremy Haun
Logan Campbell’s Auckland by R.C.J. Stone
Juno of Taris by Fleur Beale
This Paper Boat by Gregory Kan
Solid Air by David Stavanger
Young Knowledge by Michele Leggott
Jacinda Adern by Michelle Duff
One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara
Central Station by Lavie Tidhar
Unholy Land by Lavie Tidhar
The Affair by Lee Child

February

Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake
Genealogy Online by Elizabeth Powell Crowe
Nightwise by R.S. Belcher
The Night Dahlia by R.S. Belcher
The Brotherhood of the Wheel by R.S. Belcher
Tracing Your Kent Ancestors by David Wright
1066 and Before All That by Ed West
1215 and All That by Ed West

March

A Short History of England by Simon Jenkins
Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries 1-3 by Dorothy L. Sayers
The King Arthur Trilogy by Rosemary Sutcliff
Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers
The Best Crime Stories Ever Told ed. by Dorothy L. Sayers
Becoming Queen by Kate Williams
The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield
The Miller’s Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Unravelling Oliver by Liz Nugent
Skin Deep by Liz Nugent
The Detective’s Daughter by Lesley Thomson
Ghost Girl by Lesley Thomson
Little Women & Good Wives by Louisa May Alcott
Tracing Your Pauper Ancestors by Robert Burlison

37 in total.

Reading Log – April-December 2019

This is going to be a huge post as I gave up making monthly updates!

April

Chasing the Dime by Michael Connelly
The Safe Man by Michael Connelly
The Closers by Michael Connelly
Echo Park by Michael Connelly
The Day Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
Small Gods by Terry Pratchett
The Lying Game by Ruth Ware
The Twilight Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
The Last Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
The New Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
The Sixth Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
Witchcraft by Anastasia Greyleaf
The Last Place by Laura Lippman
Whisky From Small Glasses by Denzil Meyrick
The Overlook by Michael Connelly
All of a Winter’s Night by Phil Rickman
Gallowstree Lane by Kate London
Carved in Darkness by Maegan Beaumont
All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater
The Anglo-Saxon Age by John Blair
The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly
Blood Men by Paul Cleave
Thrill Seeker by Kristina Lloyd
Fresh Off the Boat by Eddie Huang
The Case of the Green-Dressed Ghost by Lucy Banks
The Universe Has Your Back by Gabrielle Bernstein
Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly
Dead Simple by Peter James
The Case of the Deadly Doppelganger by Lucy Banks
Death of a Witch by M.C. Beaton
The Black Box by Michael Connelly
Saxons vs. Vikings by Ed West
Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly
Snuff by Terry Pratchett

34 for the month

May

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
Anthem by Neal Stephenson
The Case of the Hidden Daemon by Lucy Banks
The Burning Room by Michael Connelly
Witchery by Juliet Diaz
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
The Bone Doll’s Twin by Lynn Flewelling
Lady of Hay by Barbara Erskine
Shadows by John Saul
The Complete Merrily Watkins Series by Phil Rickman
Liar Liar by James Patterson
Each Man Kills by David Barry
The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke
Not Dead Enough by Peter James
Haunted Nights by Lisa Morton
Property of a Lady by Sarah Rayne
The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb
The Drop by Michael Connelly
Death is Not the Answer by Anjali Chhabria
Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
Fer-de-Lance by Rex Stout
The Shepherd’s Crown by Terry Pratchett
Looking Good Dead by Peter James

23 for the month

June

Daring Greatly by Brene Brown
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
Artifical Condition by Martha Wells
Witchbody by Sabrina Scott
Toil & Trouble by Jessica Spotswood
Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
Wicca and Witchcraft by Denise Zimmerman
Dragon’s Kin by Anne McCaffrey
Things in Jars by Jess Kidd
Enchantments by Mya Spalter
Two Kinds of Truth by Michael Connelly
Switchblade by Michael Connelly
The Crossing by Michael Connelly
Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire
Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire

15 for the month

July

Cleaning the Gold by Karin Slaughter & Lee Child
In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire
All the Names They Used for God by Anjali Sachdeva
Night Film by Marisha Pessl
Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells
Exit Strategy by Martha Wells
Becoming Dangerous by Katie West
Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon
House of Fate by Barbara Ann Wright
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
Under a Dark Sky by Lori Rader-Day
Artemis by Andy Weir

12 for the month

August

The Complete History of New Zealand (in less than two hours) by Peter Jessup
Discover Your Roots by Paul Blake
Building the New World by Erik Olssen
Over the Wide and Trackless Sea by Megan Hutching
My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing
From Alba to Aotearoa by Rebecca Lenihan
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Unofficial Guide to Ancestry.com by Nancy Hendrickson
Rants in the Dark by Emily Writes
Wicca by Arin Murphy-Hiscock
Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors by Ian Maxwell
Tar Baby by Toni Morrison
Middlegame by Seanan McGuire
Breaking the Lore by Andy Redsmith
Know Your Rites by Andy Redsmith
Starlings by Jo Walton
The Merciless by Daniell Vega
The Armored Saint by Myke Cole
Spell on Wheels by Kate Leth
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

20 for the month

September

Give Me Your Hand by Megan Abbott
That Old Black Magic by Cathi Unsworth
Who Do You Think You Are? by Nick Barratt
Monster-Sized Chilling Adventures of Sabrina by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Fiendish by Brenna Yovanoff
For Kicks by Dick Francis
Even Money by Dick Francis
Steel Magic by Andre Norton
The Basis of Everything by Andrew Ramsey
No Idle Rich by Jim McAloon
You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero
The Real Witches of New England by Ellen Evert Hopman
The Secret Country of Yourself by Jenya T. Beachy
Odds Against by Dick Francis
Under the Pendulum Sun by Jeanette Ng
Whip Hand by Dick Francis
Come to Grief by Dick Francis
Dead Heat by Dick Francis
Gamble by Felix Francis
Tracing your Family History on the Internet by Chris Paton
A Burden Shared by Jo Walton
Bloodline by Felix Francis
Settlers by Jock Phillips
Refusal by Felix Francis
Damage by Felix Francis
Front Runner by Felix Francis
Longshot by Dick Francis
How to Organize Family History Paperwork by Denise May Levenick
How to Archive Family Keepsakes by Denise May Levenick
Family history by Simon Fowler
How to Write Your Personal or Family History by Katie Wiebe
Writing Your Family History by Gill Blanchard
Rat Race by Dick Francis
The Edge by Dick Francis
The Danger by Dick Francis
Break In by Dick Francis
Dead Cert by Dick Francis
Flying Finish by Dick Francis
101 Brick Wall Busters ed. by F.T. Magazine
Blood Sport by Dick Francis
Forfeit by Dick Francis
The Sport of Queens by Dick Francis
In the Frame by Dick Francis
Second Wind by Dick Francis
Slay Ride by Dick Francis
Knock Down by Dick Francis
Smokescreen by Dick Francis
Driving Force by Dick Francis
Reflex by Dick Francis
Risk by Dick Francis
Wild Horses by Dick Francis
Proof by Dick Francis
Comeback by Dick Francis
Twice Shy by Dick Francis
Writing a Non-Boring Family History by Hazel Edwards
High Stakes by Dick Francis
Writing Your Family History by Deborah Cass

57 for the month

October

Bonecrack by Dick Francis
Triple Crown by Felix Francis
Decider by Dick Francis
Currents of Change by Darian Smith
To the Hilt by Dick Francis
Shattered by Dick Francis
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
My Family and Other Strangers by Jeremy Hardy
Straight by Dick Francis
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Hot Money by Dick Francis
Nerve by Dick Francis
Bolt by Dick Francis
10-Lb Penalty by Dick Francis
Crossfire by Dick Francis & Felix Francis
Banker by Dick Francis
Trial Run by Dick Francis
Silks by Dick Francis & Felix Francis
Under Orders by Dick Francis
Field of Thirteen by Dick Francis
Finding Family by Richard Hill
No One Noticed the Cat by Anne McCaffrey
Acorna: The Unicorn Girl by Anne McCaffrey
Black Horses for the King by Anne McCaffrey
Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones

25 for the month

November

The Honours by Tim Clare
Waking the Witch by Pam Grossman
Enquiry by Dick Francis
Woman Most Wild by Danielle Dulsky
Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel by A.W. Jantha
Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold
The Horse Goddess by Morgan Llywelyn

7 for the month

December

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
Her Silhouette, Drawn in Water by Vylar Kaftan
London Falling by Paul Cornell
Witches of Lychford by Paul Cornell
The Severed Streets by Paul Cornell
Chalk by Paul Cornell
Who Killed Sherlock Holmes? by Paul Cornell
The Lost Child of Lychford by Paul Cornell
A Long Day in Lychford by Paul Cornell
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
The Secret Life of John William Waterhouse by Nicholas Slack
Christmas Memories by Susan Waggoner
The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper
Blue Moon by Lee Child

14 for the month

313 books in total for 2019