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A Curious Beginning

By Deanna Raybourn

Audio

May 2018

Apparently some readers hate this heroine. I adore her. Whip smart, independent, brash, irreverent, and self-motivated. Stoker doesn’t suck either, and it was a well-written mystery story wrapped around those fascinating starting points. I like.

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Brief Cases

By Jim Butcher

Audio

May 2018

Oh, Jim. I love you. Thank you for the Mouse story. Thank you for letting us see more of Molly. Now write more. Faster. Please. PLEEEEEEASE.

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Inspector Hobbes and the Blood

By Wilkie Martin

Audio

May 2018

God, this was weird. Maybe good weird. I’m not sure yet. It’s one of those genreblending books that isn’t super clear what we’re doing here... it’s definitely a crime story, and British, and ok, also supernatural? And humorous? But serious?Regardless, I’m utterly certain this is the least likeable hero I’ve read in a long time, and one of the things I’m curious about is whether Hobbes can make him be more likeable. So I guess I’ll read more?

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Ghost Talkers

By Mary Robinette Kowal

Audio

May 2018

Super sad. But so good! Worth the sad! And utterly clever in its main conceit. Also sad. Also good.

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Medicus

By Ruth Downie

Audio

May 2018

I ran out of listens from my stable of standard authors, so I started exploring. While this book didn’t give me as much authenticity of Ancient Rome as I wanted — this is British mystery at its epitome of British mysteryness, just with legions instead of cops — it was a well written and interesting book. So I’ll read more.

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Head On

By John Scalzi

Audio, read by Amber Benson

May 2018

I chose the Amber Benson audio because I prefer Chris as a female, but I intend to listen to the Wil Wheaton version as well because it’s such a great device and I like the way it makes me think and feel to challenge gender in that way. All that aside, Scalzi delivers on the expected. Much love for this series.

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The Name of the Wind

By Patrick Rothfuss

Audio

May 2018

Spectacular. I laughed and cried and winced and cheered and I really just was that damned good. Wickedly intriguing world building, a complex narrative form that makes for really cool layered character development, and a great tale.

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Dark Queen

By Faith Hunter

Audio

Started and finished May 2018

That’s an awful lot of loose ends tied in bows, y’all... but not the end? I guess? I don’t care. It was deeply satisfying, regardless, and I’m glad that after 12 books the series doesn’t feel dead.

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A Quiet Life in the Country

By T E Kinsey

Kindle

Started April 2018

Finished May 2018

I wanted a cozy mystery, some British manners, and a clever author. I got all of those things, plus some tantalizing hints of backstory in these main characters that make me want to read more to see where they go.

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Oathbringer

By Brandon Sanderson

Audio

Started April 2018

Finished May 2018

Such a slow burn. So much fascinating nothing. And then WHAM you’re in it, again, and it’s all going wrong and it’s totally fucking wonderful. I was very happy that he began to address how damned broken Shallan is, and to get Dalinar’s story.

But, oh, Elokar. *sigh*

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Fangs and Fennel

By Shannon Mayer

Audio

Started April 2018

Abandoned April 2018

Finished April 2018

I started this, got wicked annoyed, and quit. I came back and finished it because I was too tired to listen to Oathbringer (and pay sufficient attention to follow along) and knew this wouldn’t ask much of me. This series is way too blunt instrument for me. Interesting core idea, but not nearly enough nuance to keep me hooked.

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Venom and Vanilla

By Shannon Mayer

Audio

Started April 2018

Finished April 2018

This was fun... again, interesting new world building. A disease that kills everyone, and the only way out is to become supernatural? Okay. I’m in. But the execution was too blunt intstrument. I couldn’t stop thinking about how none of this would be THAT easy. And the Greek gods are real, what about everyone else? I liked it enough to check out the second one, but...

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Magic Slays

By Ilona Andrews

Started: March 2018

Finished: March 208

Satisfyingly creepy Big Bad in this one, and I loved the gathering of powers around the conference table. Made me giggle in that good way. The world is pleasantly large... but I didn’t like how quickly and easily Kate accepted her mother’s people into her world. Felt too simple.

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Wraith

By Helen Harper

Ebook

Started March 2018

Finished April 2018

Decent. Predictable romantic suspense plotting and tropes - including my very least favorite “keeping my identity a secret” - but the world building was unexpected and intriguing. Modern-day city, besieged by goblins, refugees, and magic? Huh. Interesting. A fun read.

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Dead Spots

By Melissa F Olson

Audio

Started: March 2018

Finished: March 2018

Opinion: this was surprisingly good. I don’t set myself high hopes for random urban fantasy that hasn’t been recommended by a friend; there’s too much dreck out there. This was good! It was trite in expectable ways but the characters were entertaining, the worldbuilding was fun, and it did a very good job of being a murder mystery.

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The Invisible Library

By Genevieve Cogman

Audio

Started: March 2018

Finished: March 2018

Opinion: every now and then I try something new. This seemed likely, but also iffy - so many tropes that could be interestingly manipulated and so many ways to fail... so while this wasn’t a home run, it was a solid hit. I had fun with it. I wanted to see where it went. I will read more.

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Burn Bright

By Patricia Briggs

Audio

Started: March2018

Finished: March 2018

Opinion: I think I love this series more than I do the Mercy Thompson universe that spawned it. And that’s saying something. But I particularly love how much this seemingly-romantic-fluff spin-off series has turned into the world-building plot driver of the whole universe.