Tag: 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

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

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

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