book-ramblings

[book-ramblings]

2023 IN BOOKS - A LONG POST

What I read last year, divided into a few categories. I didn't in the end feel like writing down all 80-ish books, so this is a selection.

1 Poetry - I'm trying to get into poetry, but I'm not a 'natural' poetry reader.

Aftonland - Pär Lagerkvist

Bluets - Maggie Nelson

Sonnets - William Shakespeare

Night Sky with Exit Wounds - Ocean Vuong

If They Come for Us - Fatimah Asghar

Wild Embers - Nikita Gill

The Wild Iris - Louise Glück

Poems - Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Howl and Other Poems - Allen Ginsberg

Sonnets from the Portuguese - Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Blue Horses - Mary Oliver

Love Letters to the World - Meia Geddes

Aún - Pablo Neruda

from Songs of Innocence and Experience - William Blake

Loose Woman - Sandra Cisneros

Bestiary - Donika Kelly

Winter Recipes from the Collective - Louise Glück

Selected Poems - Percy Bysshe Shelley

2 Short Stories and Novellas

Skördad - Anna Jakobsson Lund

The October Country and Other Stories - Ray Bradbury

The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories - Ken Liu

Burning Girls and Other Stories - Veronica Schanoes

Galatea - Madeline Miller

Stories of Your Life and Others - Ted Chiang

3 For Work

Konsten att undervisa - Filippa Mannerheim

Poesi direkt - Daniel Boyacioglu

4 Comics and Graphic Novels

The Complete Maus - Art Spiegelman

Nimona - N D Stevenson

Sandman vol 5 - Neil Gaiman

5 Rereads

The Fellowship of the Ring - J R R Tolkien

The Two Towers - J R R Tolkien

The Return of the King - J R R Tolkien

The Rook - Daniel O'Malley

Stiletto - Daniel O'Malley

Blitz - Daniel O'Malley

Station Eleven - Emily St John Mandel

The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde

Royal Assassin - Robin Hobb

Assassin's Quest - Robin Hobb

How to Marry a Werewolf - Gail Carriger

6 Favourites

Toll the Hounds - Steven Erikson

Augustus - John Williams

Circe - Madeline Miller

This Is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

The Crippled God - Steven Erikson

The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter - Theodora Goss

Infomocracy - Malka Older

Kushiel's Dart - Jacqueline Carey

+ The Paper Menagerie, Stories of Your Life and most rereads...

7 Other Noteworthy Reads

Giovanni's Room - James Baldwin

Falling Free - Lois McMaster Bujold

Shards of Honor - Lois McMaster Bujold

Barrayar - Lois McMaster Bujold

The Warrior's Apprentice - Lois McMaster Bujold

The Vor Game - Lois McMaster Bujold

Dust of Dreams - Steven Erikson

Women Talking - Miriam Toews

Legends and Lattes - Travis Baldree

Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut

An Inheritance of Magic - Benedict Jacka

The Power Naomi Alderman

Ghost Wall - Sarah Moss

Ice - Anna Kavan

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MALAZAN BOOK OF THE FALLEN

A couple of weeks ago I finished The Crippled God, the tenth and final book in the Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson. What a journey that series turned out to be!

I loved it. I’m not the biggest fan of military campaigns, and there is a lot of that in the books, but they were soooo good! I’m now looking forward to moving on with Ian C Esslemont’s Malazan Empire series, and all the other, shorter series in the world.

Instead of following a handful of characters, there are hundreds. Some show up in book after book, some only for a scene. Some of the characters I love are Tattersail, Fiddler, Whiskeyjack, Kalam, Quick Ben, Lostara Yil, the Paran siblings, Mael, Brys and Korlat to mention a few.

The series is often talked about as difficult, I did not find it so. It is very complex, and you probably have to accept the idea you’re not going to get and/or remember everything immediately. Of course, I have studied some literature at university, and have read a lot my whole life from many different genres, including classic books. Maybe that helps.

And there are so many great quotes! I’m giving one example that stuck with me. In the last book two people are talking and the first person asks a question:

“‘Will you all die in the name of love?’ The question seemed torn from something inside him.

‘If die we must, what better reason?’”

I’ve had an extremely stressful time at work, so I’ve not written anything in a long while, but I’m going to try to do better going forwards. Also, is there a way to recover a deleted post, I may have accidentally deleted a post from this blog.

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URBAN FANTASY

I quite like Urban Fantasy, it’s not my favourite genre, but it is one I sometimes get a hankering for and nothing else will do.

Nowadays Urban Fantasy tends to be very private detective focused, which I don’t mind, but I have read some of the older stuff which could be a lot of different things, but in a city. The writer I have read the most by here is Charles de Lint, I’ve read a handful of books and a couple of short story collections by him. The first thing I read by him was The Blue Girl, which I loved. I want to read more early Urban Fantasy, let me know if you have any recommendations.

When it comes to the more detective style Urban Fantasy, I’ll have to start with the Dresden Files, it’s the most famous. I really like it. I know it’s popular to dump on it for being sexist, and if it bothers you, then you shouldn’t read it. Personally, I’ve never felt that a character or series has to be perfectly in line with my opinions and morals - I have a brain, and I don’t mind using it tackling these kinds of stories. I actually love Harry quite a lot, in fiction I tend to be drawn to broken and traumatised men.

I’ll do one more male main character and then get to my favourite women. Alex Verus (first book: Fated, author: Benedict Jacka) is a mage, who lives and runs a magic shop in London. The series is finished, and there are twelve books. All the books have a one word title, somthing like: Taken, Cursed or Hidden, which makes it impossible for me to remember the order of the books :) There are some similarities to Harry Dresden, Alex is also a broken, traumatised man, but his magic is very different to Harry’s, and he needs to be sneakier and use his brain more to survive, because his power is seeing a little bit into the future - and while it is useful in combat it’s not a violent power. I really like these books, I’ve read them all, and I love Alex and his friends.

On to the female main characters. I’ll start with October Daye by Seanan McGuire. There are sixteen books out and two more coming in the autumn of 2023, according to goodreads. I’ve read six of them, all of them by audiobook so I’m not sure how anything is spelled. The first book is Rosemary and Rue. October is half Fae, half human and she has a troubled past, and works for a local Fae Lord, Sylvester Torquil. October, or Toby, is a great character, her friends and enemies are quite interesting and her adventures, as far as I’ve read at least, are a great mix of exciting, creepy, scary and fun to read about. It’s probably about time that I read more, actually. Also, the narrator for the audio books is Mary Robinette Kowal, who is not only a fantastic narrator, but also one of my favourite authors.

Next is Mercy Thompson, written by Patricia Briggs. The first book is Moon Called, there are 13 books out. I’ve read five, and the sixth is my current audiobook. The thing I like best about this series is Mercy herself. She’s a college graduate, majored in history, works as a mechanic and she’s a shape shifter - she can turn into a coyote. Her father, who died in a car accident before she was born, was Native American. Mercy’s really cool, and she’s also a good character. She’s strong, and I don’t primarily mean physically, and she’s affected by the things that happen to her. Early in the series there is a bit of a love triangle with two guys being interested in her, which isn’t my favourite, but it doesn’t go on forever.

The last series I’m going to talk about may be my favourite: Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews. There are ten novels, the first one is called Magic Bites. I have read six of them and currently have number seven out from the library. They all have titles like: Magic Burns, Magic Slays etc, so it’s impossible for me to remember the order of the books. I love Kate, she’s strong (not only physically), she’s tough, determined and really, really cool. I have seen some people call her a Mary Sue, because she’s too good a fighter, but she’s been trained her whole life to fight, because a dangerous and powerful man wants to kill her. And I love a sword fighter. I do not agree that she’s a Mary Sue. There are also some fantastic side characters. And some annoying ones.

I’m not a person who worries much about trigger warnings, I don’t have many triggers, and I don’t mind “dealing with them” through reading, so if this is important for you - find out about them before reading. I also don’t always remember books that well, especially when I only read them for entertainment, which is really how I think about Urban Fantasy. I can tell you that there is sexual assault in Mercy Thompson, though I don’t remember which book. And a giant spider side character in Alex Verus.

What are your favourite Urban fantasy series?

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My favourite books 1972-2022

OK, this list is a bit provisional as I don’t keep very good records of what years the books I read were published. So, this is made with the help of Goodreads Popular books published in-lists. So, I hope those are correct. And, I’ve looked up some trusty favourites. Only one book per year. There will be some books on this list that I don’t LOVE, but that are the ones I like the most out of the books I’ve read those years.

1972 The Farthest Shore by Ursula K Le Guin

1973 Bröderna Lejonhjärta (The Brothers Lionheart) by Astrid Lindgren

1974 At the Mountains of Madness, Omnibus II by H P Lovecraft

1975 The Great Ghost Rescue by Eva Ibbotson

1976 Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy

1977 The Silmarillion by JRR Tolkien

1978 The Illearth War by Stephen Donaldson

1979 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

1980 The Ordinary Princess by MM Kaye

1981 Ronja Rövardotter (Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter) by Astrid Lindgren

1982 The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

1983 The Witches by Ronald Dahl

1984 The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay

1985 The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

1986 Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

1987 Gone to Soldiers by Marge Piercy

1988 La mujer habitada (The Inhabited Woman) by Gioconda Belli

1989 Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood

1990 Temblor by Rosa Montero

1991 Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder

1992 The Crow Road by Iain Banks

1993 The Sandman vol 6, 7 ,8 by Neil Gaiman. The only thing I found that I like. Don’t remember which I preferred.

1994 Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski

1995 The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay

1996 Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

1997 Paradise by Toni Morrison

1998 Stardust by Neil Gaiman

1999 Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson

2000 Deadhouse Gates by Steven Erikson

2001 Memories of Ice by Steven Erikson

2002 Coraline by Neil Gaiman

2003 Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

2004 PopCo by Scarlett Thomas

2005 The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

2006 The Night Watch by Sarah Waters

2007 The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

2008 Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

2009 Soulless by Gail Carriger

2010 Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor

2011 Leviathan Wakes by James SA Corey

2012 The Rook by Daniel O’Malley

2013 Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

2014 Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel

2015 The Fifth Season NK Jemisin

2016 Ghost Talkers by Mary Robinette Kowal

2017 The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

2018 The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

2019 A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay

2020 The Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow

2021 The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

2022 All the Seas of the World Guy Gavriel Kay

There. That’s my list for now.

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Maybe I should give Robin Hobb another chance.

A long, long time ago I read, in quick succession: Assassin’s Apprentice, Royal Assassin, Assassin’s Quest and half of Ship of Magic. This was the first indication that I should probably pace myself and read something in between parts of a series or I risk ‘overdosing’. I did the same thing with Brandon Sanderson a bunch of years later. I really liked them, or I wouldn’t have read so much so fast.

So, here’s how I remember it (this may not be entirely fair, it’s been a long time): in Farseer Fitz is a whiny teenager. So, I was very happy to start the new series, and I loved the living ships! But then, there’s another whiny teenager. So, I decided I needed a break. I just realized a while ago that I took that break before a significant event in my life - which took place in 2004…

Lately I’ve been hearing a lot of praise for the Realm of the Elderlings on BookTube, from people whose opinions often correlate with mine, and I’m kind of curious to give it another go. It worked for Malazan Book of the Fallen, but more on that when I’ve finished the series.

I am considering starting with the Liveship Traders, and seeing how that works for me. I really don’t remember that much of the story in Farseer, but I’m a little worried that starting with the things I’ve already finished will mean that I stop in the same place. And I really loved the ships…

Oh well, I have time to think about it - if I’m doing it I’m not starting this before I’ve finished Malazan Book of the Fallen, and I just finished The Bonehunters. And I’m also super curious about Esslemont’s Malazan books…

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An under hyped series

I watch a lot of ‘BookTube’ - YouTubers who talk about books. A topic that often comes up is ‘under hyped’ books or series, books or series that don’t seem to get the attention they deserve. I don’t necessarily think about books in that way, but I realized today that there is a series I never hear anyone talk about.

Except once. I discovered it because the first book was the book of the week on one of my favourite podcasts, Writing Excuses. The series is The Checquy Files by Daniel O’Malley. The first book is The Rook, the second: Stiletto. The third book, Blitz, is coming out in October, I believe.

“Dear You, the body you are wearing used to be mine”. This is the opening sentence in The Rook. A woman wakes up in the rain. It’s dark outside, she’s in a park in what turns out to be London. Around her are motionless bodies. The letter which she reads to start the story was found in her jacket pocket. She remembers nothing about herself, her life, or even what happened here a moment ago.

Turns out her name is Myfanwy Thomas and she works for a mysterious organisation called the Checquy, the employees of which have strange skills.

I find this absolutely fascinating. I have listened to these two books twice on audiobook, and I’m not the biggest audiobook reader. I thoroughly enjoy following Myfanwy trying to figure out her life and what happened to her and discovering this remarkable, and at times disgusting world. Perhaps you could say that this is a spy/mystery series with a dash of body horror? And a sense of humor.

I tend to like beginnings and I do like The Rook more than Stiletto, but I certainly like Stiletto too. My goodreads-rating for both books is at four stars at the moment, but I’ve been debating raising it to five since I reread them this summer. I just realized when I checked my notes, that I actually read them for the first time last year. I like rereading books, but I usually wait a bit longer.

Oh, there is apparently a TV adaptation of this, but I have not seen it.

I can’t wait for Blitz to come out! It’s my second most anticipated release this year, the first was All the Seas of the World by Guy Gavriel Kay. I read that too this summer and loved it.

[book-ramblings]

Jane Austen ranking (with a few spoilers)

Jane Austen is one of my mother’s favourite authors, as well as one of mine. My story with Jane Austen begins in 1995 when I was 18. I had refused to follow my mum’s recommendation to read Austen for a handful of years. But then the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth happened. I was too impatient to wait six weeks for the ending so somewhere in there I read the book, and then continued watching the show. I followed that up with reading Sense and Sensibility, Emma and Persuasion. A couple of years later I also read Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey.

When I was a bit under the weather a couple of days ago I fell down a YouTube hole where I watched a bunch of people ranking the six finished Jane Austen novels. And that got me thinking about what my ranking would be. This is how I would rank them today, from 6 to 1.

6 Northanger Abbey

Northanger Abbey is the only one of Austen’s novels I’ve only read once. It was a long time ago, so I don’t remember that many details of the book. I know I didn’t hate it or anything, but I’ve never really felt the impulse to pick it up again. Maybe because I find second hand embarrassment quite excruciating, and I think there were a few situations that could cause that.

5 Sense and Sensibility

This was the second novel I read in my teens, I believe and I loved it. And I still do, but I would be more likely to pick up the other four higher on this list if I were to reread an Austen today. I’m the eldest child and I do identify with Elinor when I read it and tend to get a bit impatient with Marianne.

4 Emma

We’re back to second hand embarrassment, I find the scene where Emma is so cruel to Miss Bates very difficult. But there is a lot to love about this novel as well. And a lot of fun. I also think this is the novel that I reread latest, maybe 5 years ago.

3 Mansfield Park

I’m an introvert, and did not grow up in a rich family. So I quite easily identify with Fanny. I like that she keeps to her principles. Also, there is a YouTube modernised vlog-type series called From Mansfield with Love which I really recommend. It’s quite long, but I remember loving it.

2 Pride and Prejudice

The first Austen I read, the first adaptation I watched. I love this! Lizzie and Darcy are great and I love their arc and their romance. The 1995 BBC version is still my favourite adaptation, though I should probably mention The Lizzie Bennet Diaries as well. I have seen every episode in every little spin off, and I’ve seen the 100 episodes in the main show 3 or 4 times.

1 Persuasion

While I wish I could be witty and lively like Lizzie, I can truly identify with Anne (the being shy part, not the awful family part). I love her, and I love how she’s a good person even though her family’s pretty awful. And I love Captain Wentworth, and how they find their way back to each other.

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The Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay. (Spoiler-free)

When I was 13 I found these books in my local library. I had read all the fantasy the kids’ section had to offer, which wasn’t that much. I remember having read Narnia, Prince of the Godborn by Geraldine Harris and the Darkangel Trilogy by Meredith Ann Pierce and maybe Earthsea by Ursula K Leguin, although that may have been later. The photo shows my copies of Fionavar, and as you can see they are decidedly not in mint condition.

Anyway, I fell in love with the books as soon as the characters landed in Paras Derval. I have many friends who also love Kay, but hate Fionavar, but I love them. That said, my love may be so full of nostalgia that I’m not sure I have an answer to the question of whether they are good. This is a weird position to find yourself in.

Anyway what is this? Well, it’s a high fantasy, and a portal fantasy. I usually say that it is Tolkienesque and Arthurian when I try to explain this. Five Canadian university students: Dave, Jennifer, Kevin, Kim and Paul are invited by a mage from Fionavar - the first of the worlds - to visit that world for the 50th anniversary of the rule of the High King. Their lives change forever with the adventures they have there.

Kay’s language is beautiful, the creatures we meet captured my imagination, the lios alfar, urgach, svart alfar, dwarfs… I also love so many of the characters, besides the five students: Loren Silvercloak and Matt Sören who bring them to Fionavar, Diarmuid the younger prince who is heir to the throne after his brother has been banished, Sharra the princess of a neighbouring kingdom, the Dalrei people, Finn and many more.

Thirteen-year-old me was really quite scared of Rakoth Maugrim, Galadan and Avaia among other bad guys.

I have read these books at least 10 times, the first few times in my native Swedish (as far as I remember, and could judge in my teens, the translation was good) and later in English. Rereading these books taught me that, in spite of my early belief, I do not, in fact cry less if I know what’s coming. Instead I start crying 20 pages in advance, anticipating the moment.

[book-ramblings]

Ok, this is an experiment. I’ve never been able to keep up with any kind of journal or blog, but I really want to.

Also, I want to get back into writing about books in a more thoughtful way.

I’ve always loved reading, and the idea is to have a place to write down some thoughts about books, authors and reading.

Some of my posts will no doubt be spoilery, but I’ll put that at the top and in the tags. I’m going to start where so much of my reading life started. In the early 90s, at 13, finding The Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay in my local library. Let’s see where we end up.

A final note. English is not my first language. I’m fairly confident in my ability to write in English, but there may be times I express myself clumsily.