Reading list 2011
January
Horns: Joe Hill
Horror novel about a man who transforms into something demonic after his girlfriend is brutally murdered and he is accused of the crime. It's the sort of book you don't want to put down, but once it's over, you're left rather blank.
★★★☆☆
The Art of Detection: Laurie R. King
Part of the Kate Martinelli series; Detective Martinelli investigates a crime related to one that occurred in a possibly-legitimate Holmes pastiche written sixty years before. I kind of love this series and the main character, so I'm biased, but it's definitely a good read.
★★★★☆
The Sherlockian: Graham Moore
Murder at a Sherlock Holmes convention, one attendee hunts down the murderer with a beautiful journalist, accompanied by snippets into Conan Doyle's life. Kind of boring, but the history was well researched.
★★☆☆☆
Boneshaker: Cherie Priest
Set in a ghost town Seattle during a steampunk version of the Civil War, plus zombies! Kickass main character, believable quest, guns with names like Dr. Minnericht's Doozy Dazer - what wouldn't you like about that?
★★★★☆
Dreadnought: Cherie Priest
Set in the same universe as Boneshaker, but this time focusing on a Confederate nurse trying to make her way to Seattle to see her dying father; she encounters spies, robots, and yes, zombies. I really like the little bits of altered history in this one; we see the changes between worlds a lot more than in Boneshaker.
★★★★☆
The Things They Carried: Tim O'Brien
Stunning. Absolutely stunning. And heartbreaking, and a very true, visceral portrait of the Vietnam War as written by a man who lived through it. Probably in my top ten.
★★★★★
A Renegade History of the United States: Thaddeus Russell
While the facts in this book were interesting, something about the way they were presented rubbed me the wrong way. I think I expected more analysis from a book with that sort of title, when what little analysis there was was shallow and meandering. I suppose it's a good read if you're not interested in the little details, but I am (especially with history I already know so well!), so for me, it wasn't too great. I really did not like the way he sidelined women's contributions throughout the book, either; there was some mention of it in the beginning, then occassional mentions of prostitutes throughout, but that's it.
★☆☆☆☆
Batwoman: Elegy: Greg Rucka (Art by JH Williams and JG Jones)
Damn, this is amazing. The art is superb, and so is the story; I was kind of afraid that the writers would make her to be a female version of Batman, but no; Kate Kane's definitely a character of her own, and the villain, Alice, is equally as intriguing. I do wish we'd seen more of Renee/the Question, but hey, can't please everybody! All in all, really well done.
★★★★☆
The Dervish House: Ian McDonald
First off, this is a phenomenally beautiful book. The writing is lyrical, and the pages of description are a treat to read. The sci-fi worldbuilding's also interesting, and I like the way he incorporates modern-day Turkish culture and Turkish myth into this Istanbul of the future. However, it's also an extremely confusing book; there's six or so independent plots going on, and when read all at once they seem pretty chaotic. They do coalesce, eventually, and the ending is satisfying, but it was hard to keep going while not being sure what was going on throughout most of the book.
★★★☆☆
February
Trash: Dorothy Allison
These stories are gritty, shocking, and depressing, but hell, are they fantastic. Occasionally they get repetitive, since they're all centered around the same theme (growing up a poor, "white trash" lesbian in the American South), but you honestly don't realize that until after you're done with the book, because her writing is so alive.
★★★★☆
The Rihannsu books 1-4: Diane Duane (& Peter Morwood)
I will fangirl these books until the end of time, especially because it's Diane Duane, but you know what? I think these books are good enough to be appreciated by non-Trek fans as well. The worldbuilding is fantastic - she even comes up with a functional language! - and the characters are excellent, strong yet flawed and believable too. I still haven't read the fifth and last book, but I look forward to it if it's as good as these four.
★★★★☆
Sarek: A. C. Crispin
In between this book and the Rihannsu series, I reread all the Trek novels I already owned. Apparently February is nerd month! Honestly, I liked this well enough, but, like a lot of tie-in novels, it feels more like mediocre, TPTB-sanctioned fanfic rather than an interesting, cohesive take on familiar characters. Still, I'm always up for a Vulcan love story, so there you go.
★★★☆☆
A Wizard of Earthsea: Ursula K. Le Guin
This is known far and wide as one of the best high fantasy novels of all time, and it probably does live up to that claim. It's gorgeously written, lyrical, eloquent, and the author is adept at making her characters real without having the reader dwell in their every waking thought; that said, it didn't catch my interest enough to go pick up the other books in the series. Or maybe it's just not for me right now. Either way, it's seriously well written.
★★★☆☆
March
Bonk: Mary Roach
Essentially, a scientific exploration of sex research from the point of view of a witty journalist. I didn't much care for it, to be honest. Maybe this would have been a lot more interesting if I hadn't already encountered a lot of the facts presented here online, but there also seemed to be a lack of sex positivity, sort of like the author found some of these crazy and kinky people just so weird! Then again, I read it in a bad mood and may have been projecting. Regardless, probably two stars, because it was funny in parts.
★★☆☆☆
Cordelia's Honor; Young Miles; Miles, Mystery, and Mayhem: Lois McMasters Bujold
These three books are actually omnibus editions of the first six books of the Vorkosigan Saga, a sci-fi series that actually really lives up to the hype. Her worldbuilding is to die for - the sort of thing where I wonder "how the hell did she come up with that and make it work?" - and the main character, Miles? Okay, he is awesome. Hilarious and clever and sort of a genius Harry Potter minus the Dark Lord, his character alone is enough to make me overlook the slightly skewed gender roles in the book, which may be author bias but may also be the result of narrating the story from the point of view of a straight male character in a patriarchal, military society - I can't tell. Still, these books have me hooked, and not only am I going to keep reading the series, but I'm probably going to add this to my list of top genre fiction.
★★★★☆
April
Kushiel's Legacy: Jacqueline Carey
This is a series of six (really long) books that narrowly rides the line between fantasy and romance novel. At first, it seems completely like a typical romance, albeit a kinky one: the setting is a pseudo-France where their holy words are "Love as thou wilt" and their religion preaches indulgence in pleasures of the flesh, while the main character, Phèdre, is a courtesan-spy touched by a god who experiences pain and pleasure as one. There are sex scenes galore, and in the beginning Phèdre is mostly concerned with getting some and becoming the best courtesan ever. Then, midway through the first book, it goes BAM Politics! Court shenanigans! Murder and mayhem! Politics! Travel to distant lands! Torture! Religious experiences! Even more politics! And continues in that vein for pretty much the entire series. The first three books are about Phèdre, while the second trilogy are about a prince named Imriel, and while I prefer the Phèdre books (I'm biased toward female narrators), Imriel's story is just as engrossing. Oh, and everyone is bisexual! There are gay people in my fantasy! Some of them even survive! No wonder I like these books. They're kind of cheesy and occasionally purple-prosey, but I will definitely re-read them often; I forsee them becoming my comfort books.
★★★★★
May
A Song of Ice and Fire: George R. R. Martin
Having been pushed into the fantasy groove by Kushiel's Legacy and intrigued by the TV series, I decided next to dive into this (incomplete) series, which consists of four books. It could not be more unlike the Kushiel books if it tried - I'm pretty sure every character is incapable of making good decisions, and none of them will have happy endings. And there is a fucking ridiculous amount of characters, too; I can't keep them all straight. And there is a lot of rape. All in all, it seems like something I would hate, but I couldn't put it down until I slammed shut A Feast for Crows and went, "Now I have to wait until July?!" (Which isn't so bad; longtime fans have had to wait six years for the next book to come out! And I thought Rowling teased us.) I don't know why I like these books so much, and I can't really explain it in writing, so I'll just say that I cannot wait until July, and please deity, don't let there be another multi-year wait for the next one.
★★★★★
Naamah's Kiss: Jacqueline Carey
This is the seventh (!) book in the Kushiel's Legacy series. It kind of sucked. But I'm still going to ride out the trilogy because I love the narrator, despite her ~*~EPIC DESTINY~*~ that is the sole thing to move the story and takes away all her character agency. So yeah.
★★☆☆☆
June
Naamah's Curse: Jacqueline Carey
See above, except with slightly better writing because half the book involves Moirin held captive by fundamentalist pseudo-Christians in pseudo-Russia, and involves Stockholm syndrome and Moirin actually doing things to save herself. Why am I reading these? Oh right, because I NEED TO KNOW HOW THEY END. Sigh.
★★☆☆☆
Anno Dracula: Kim Newman
This book is surprisingly awesome. The concept - Vlad Tepes/Dracula marries Queen Victoria, vampires become a part of Victorian-era society, oh and Jack the Ripper is killing vampire prostitutes - seemed like it had a lot of potential but would probably end up awful, as things like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies do. Instead, it was handled really skillfully; the vampires are not romanticized but are as varied in temperament and morals as humans, the adversaries are intimidating, the characters layered, and coolest of all (imo), there are constant tiny references to period literature, the original novel Dracula, and historical events of the time, which are so much fun to spot. In general, recommended, especially for fans of the era.
★★★★☆
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children: Ransom Riggs
This book got rave reviews, and I must say I really enjoy the structure, with all the photographs and letters - it's made even cooler by knowing that all of the photographs are real. I've got to say, though, that it didn't quite live up to its hype. It was intriguing and I read it straight through, but it was also surprisingly predictable and there wasn't nearly as much depth as I thought there would be. Overall, enjoyable, but not a must-read. (Plus points for having a romance in a YA novel that wasn't mind-numbing, though!)
★★★☆☆
I, Lucifer: Glen Duncan
The Devil, as in Lucifer, is given the opportunity for redemption by living one sin-free month as a human. Of course, he decides to take the offer and absolutely wallow in sin, as devils are wont to do, but in the end there's a tweest! I put off reading this for ages because I was sure it would be incredibly predictable, and then when I finally sat down to start it, I couldn't really stop. It's a stream-of-consciousness sort of book, with massive digressions and a lot of jumping around, but despite my general hatred for that style, I loved it. The writing is so sensual; it's really engaging, and even though the narrator is kind of despicable you also end up loving him (and, in the end, pitying him a little). It's seriously good, but probably very hit-or-miss. To give you an idea, the first sentence is: "I, Lucifer, Fallen Angel, Prince of Darkness, Bringer of Light, Lord of Hell, Father of Lies, Old Serpent, Seducer, Accuser, Tormenter, Blasphemer, and without doubt Best Fuck in the Seen and Unseen Universe (ask Eve, that minx have decided - ooh la la! - to tell all." If that interests you, you'll probably love the book; if you hate it, don't even try.
★★★★☆
July
Prehistoric Astronomy of the Southwest: J. McKim Malville and Claudia Putnam
This book is exactly as dry as it sounds. It's also fascinating. Essentially, it posits that the Anasazi were hugely influenced by celestial movements (extrapolated from their architecture and carvings), with the kiva as the cornerstone of the cosmos and of their day-to-day living. This is backed up by Science! It's truly interesting, even if I had to haul out my old astronomy textbook to make sense of the diagrams.
★★★★☆
Daughter of the Blood: Anne Bishop
I was so disappointed by this book, and it truly made me sad because I was hoping for another kink-friendly fantasy series to bring into my life. While the writing was decent, I found the character development to be astoundingly mediocre, and while the general concept of the fantasy universe was interesting, it was poorly done IMO. Actually, it kind of felt like a bunch of fanfic tropes thrown into a blender, but instead of resulting in a delicious smoothie, it came out as tasteless syrup with lumps of interesting magic and occasional innovative ideas. But I did read all of it, so I guess I can't complain too much. Oh, who am I kidding? Of course I can.
★☆☆☆☆
A Dance with Dragons: George R. R. Martin
See here. Never have I felt the need for half-star symbols so much.
★★★☆☆
The Sappho Companion: Margaret Reynolds
Love this. Love this, love this. I hadn't read much Sappho before picking this up, knowing her mainly as "that one lesbian Greek poet", so this was really an educational experience (in a good way!). It starts with analyses of Sappho's poetry, given in the original Greek, then with translations ranging from poets across the centuries (quite literally); it's followed by perceptions of her throughout time, as each generation discovered her and recreated her into something new for their time period. What I found the most interesting was how varied the translations were; some of them forced her verse into the patterns of whatever poetic form was popular at the time; some (most?) erased the bisexual/lesbian/generally queer aspects of her work entirely; some stayed true to the original theme as closely as they could, while taking artistic liberties of their own. It was a fascinating glimpse into Sappho and the psyches of her adherents over time. I kind of loved it.
★★★★★
The Magicians: Lev Grossman
I liked this. I don't have much to say about it, other than that; it was a quick, fun read, a nice take-off on the wizarding school experience that became so popular after Harry Potter exploded (though Diana Wynne Jones did it first!). The setting was great - I especially enjoyed the construction of magic, and how it was much more difficult than "waving a wand around" (very sly, Mr. Grossman) - and the characters were quirky and fun, if a bit awkward teenager-cum-early twenties nihilist. So yeah; pretty fun, I'd recommend it if you were looking for something light to read, but nothing to chew on or really love.
★★★☆☆
August
Johannes Cabal the Necromancer and Johannes Cabal the Detective: Jonathan L. Howard
A brilliant scientist and possible sociopath sells his soul to learn the secrets of necromancy, only to find out that not having a soul is quite inconvenient - his necromancy never quite works right without having one. So he gets himself into another wager with the Devil, this time to collect one hundred souls in exchange for his, using the diabolical means of...a carnival. Johannes is not especially charming, nor is he good at having fun, so he enlists his brother Horst, a vampire, and an army of the dead to help him out. Then, after that book is over, he ends up having to solve a murder on board an aeroship (while on the run from the secret police of a dictatorship), with only one frenemy by his side. So basically: awesome. And I'm going to be really sad if the third book doesn't come out in the US soon.
★★★★☆
The Silent Land: Graham Joyce
So apparently this guy wins a lot of awards. It's not completely surprising, because the book is full of elegant descriptions and beautifully painted scenes. Unfortunately, his characters are uninteresting, and the plot, while excellent at first, actually ends in the "it was all a dream!" territory, which - no. Not my thing. Probably another reason why I didn't care for it was that it was marketed as a thriller, when it's much more a quiet story about two people and their relationship. Like I said, the writing was beautiful and sparse, and I read it for that reason, but in the end, there wasn't enough meat to the story to make it memorable.
★★☆☆☆
Naamah's Blessing: Jacqueline Carey
Finally got around to this one! As the Moirin trilogy goes, this was the best of the three, probably because there was a good supporting cast for Moirin and Bao to bounce off of; they're both interesting characters in their own right, and I've mentioned my love for Moirin before, but their interactions get pretty boring after a while of lots of sex-having. (This also made me realize how completely biased I am toward the Shahrizai, because I spent a lot of my time loving on Moirin and being all "fuck yeah Balthasar!" I'm easy, I guess.) There was also a lot of political scheming - the entire premise was basically "hunt for the lost prince and save the princess!", except with a lot more twistiness - and Carey writes that really well. Also, I am incredibly in love with the Aztec and Inca, so their inclusion made me way more interested than I was in the voyages of the first two books. All in all, a solid three stars because it actually kept me hooked. (And made me write more than a few sentences about it.)
★★★☆☆
The Marketplace: Laura Antoniou
Contrary to its categorization, I didn't find this to be erotica. Sure, there was some parts that were hot, but mostly, it struck me as a look into a world that's a slave/BDSM AU set in real life: the setting is an underground slave market heavily based around D/s dynamics, where the slaves go in willingly. It follows the stories of four slaves, each wildly different, who undergo training to be better than they were before; it's almost more a character-driven story than a sex-driven one. I would probably have read the others in the series if I had been able to find them online, but I didn't like it that much.
★★★☆☆
September
WWW:Wake: Robert J. Sawyer
The premise of this story: a girl undergoes an experimental treatment to give her sight when she's never had it before. It's a successful procedure, for the most part - but in addition to the real world, Caitlin can also see the internet (there are medical explanations for this, I promise). Slowly, due to its uplink with Caitlin's mind, the internet begins to become sentient. What's even cooler: Caitlin purposefully helps it along. This book was incredibly entertaining - I really loved Caitlin's character, and the supporting characters were nicely developed as well - and the philosophical discussions about consciousness and what constitutes life was fresh and interesting. Usually we get androids to help us think about that, but this time it's the entire internet, influencing millions of humans around the world; it's a much bigger scope, and so is a thornier issue to grapple with. The writing was par for the course for a YA novel, a little simplistic, and there were two additional storylines that felt like they were dropped midway through, but I'm intrigued enough to pick up the next book when I find it at my used bookstore.
★★★☆☆
The Game of Kings: Dorothy Dunnett
This book made me feel really stupid. It made me wonder if my voracious appetite for SF/F had dulled my ability to read literary fiction, but no, I'm pretty sure this is just very dense prose. It's the first in the Lymond Chronicles, said to be some of the best historical fiction ever, and I did like it a lot! The titular character is seriously awesome, dangerous, brilliant, and oddly patriotic, and the political plotlines were twisty and interesting. I think the problem is that I know absolutely nothing about Scotland in the 1500s (my reaction around the twentieth page: "Oh, there was a war in Scotland?" Yes, Ariel, my brilliant one, there was.) I got to the end based on the sheer strength of Lymond's character and those around him, but I think I'm going to brush up on my history before I tackle the next in the series.
★★★★☆
The Fall of the Kings: Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherwood
Not to be confused with the Lymond Chronicles, The Fall of the Kings is set in a universe established in Kushner's novel Swordspoint (more on that later), and is about a young man with a streak of madness in him who just might the descendent of royalty, deposed centuries earlier and now anathema to even speak about, and his lover, a historian who might also be a wizard. The romance plot and the magical/political one are interwoven neatly, and frankly, once I started this book I couldn't put it down; the prose was that engaging. Too bad the mood was a little ruined by a totally inconclusive ending. I still loved it, though, well enough to buy the other two novels in the series.
★★★★☆
The Somnambulist: Jonathan Barnes
What is it with men named Jonathan and their quirky, pseudo-historical magical fiction? I'll tell you this: Barnes doesn't do it nearly so well as Howard. I read this book primarily because it was the only one I had available, and I once went hiking in the rain because it bored me so much. There were almost no redeeming characteristics about it; plot, characters, prose, al were uninteresting to me. It's the sort of book that winks at you a lot, taking pride in its own cleverness, except there is none. In short: I did not like this one bit.
★☆☆☆☆
Swordspoint: Ellen Kushner
The prequel to The Fall of the Kings set sixty years earlier, this book follows the adventures of a swordsman-for-hire and his more than slightly mad lover. (Sound vaguely familiar?) The madman is, in fact, the predecessor of the one in FotK, but Kushner never made Theron (from FotK) sound at all like Alec from Swordspoint. This book had a slightly less intriguing plot, probably because there was no magic in this one, but I still was hooked by the story and the characters. Again, the ending was less than satisfactory, but it was also incredibly sweet, so I'll let that one slide.
★★★★☆
October
Chicana Lesbians: the Girls Our Mothers Warned Us About: ed. Carla Trujillo
This is, basically, an anthology of poems, fiction, and essays about - dun dun dun! - being Chicana and a lesbian. It's more than that, though; it's beautiful, and inspiring, and cuts through stereotypical bullshit to the heart of reality. It's truly lovely. And, like usual, I can't think of much else to say about it because I liked it that much. Maybe just read this poem, and you'll understand.
★★★★☆
The Books of Abarat: Abarat; Days of Magic, Nights of War; Absolute Midnight: Clive Barker
I remember reading the first two books in this series back when I was about twelve or thirteen, and loving them. The cliffhanger at the end of Days of Magic killed me, though, and twelve-year-olds aren't very good at waiting around for books to come out. So I didn't reread them until Absolute Midnight was released (seven years later, might I add), but they were every bit as creative and astounding as I had remembered. It's pretty obvious they're YA novels, especially in comparison to Barker's other work, but there is still such creepiness and depth in them that it's easy to forget. Also, the characters are to die for; Candy is expressive and interesting while staying very realistic - she actually acts like a sensible teenager! - and the main villain is both incredibly layered and incredibly terrifying. I actually like him more than Candy, but shh, it's a secret. Midnight had a different feel to it than the first two - sparser, harsher - but it was still a fantastic read.
★★★★☆
Nobody Passes: Rejecting the Rules of Gender and Conformity: ed. Mattilda
It's queer theory month, y'all! This is a collection of essays ranging from the personal to the academic, and as such it's a mixed bag; there were some that I returned to over and over, and others I ended up skimming. In general, an interesting anthology, but not super fantastic.
★★★☆☆
Johannes Cabal: the Fear Institute: Jonathan L. Howard
I caved. I bought this from AbeBooks because there was no established release date for the U.S., and I needed to have it read before Yuletide. This one is an exploration into the Dreamlands, and there is so much Lovecraft here you're practically drowning in eldritch horrors. All the little in-jokes and settings are clear indicators that Howard's a fan writing for the fans, but Cabal's character development and the general dark humor of the series are both excellent, too. A lot of times this character time is played off as omnipotent and impossible to shake, but Cabal has his blind spots and his vulnerable moments and I just really love him, guys, okay.
★★★★☆
November
Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas and Other American Stories: Hunter S. Thompson
Review is forthcoming. Please inhale ether and wait.
I am just going to leave that there because I find it hilarious. This book was actually amazing, but I had seen the movie just a week prior, and since so much of that is word-for-word from the book, it was far less entertaining than it could have been. The short stories were good, though!
★★★☆☆
The Spectre of Promiscuity: Christian Klesse
This, plus about a hundred pages of journal articles, was for a thirty-minute presentation on radical queer activism in the poly community. I won't be rating any of it because, you know, it was all very dense theory and I probably understood half of it, but I had to prove I read more than one book in November.
December
Dragonflight: Anne McCaffery
I tried to read this years ago and couldn't get into it, and so I thought I'd try again because everyone and their mother loves it. I have no idea why. This was probably one of my most disliked books of the year; stilted, boring, and awkward. I mean, I enjoy a lot of things other people would find terrible, so I can't judge, but I have no idea why people love this so much other than "Dragons are cool!" Which isn't a bad reason at all, actually.
★☆☆☆☆
Bossypants: Tina Fey
Tina Fey is basically my mother except famous and Greek instead of not-famous and German, and reading this made me all nostalgic for home and making fun of people with her. (Because it's not like I live twenty minutes away or anything.) Witty and at times surprisingly introspective, and a nice look into the behind-the-scenes life of the comedy circuit. I sound like a review off a book jacket. Nice.
★★★☆☆
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Horns: Joe Hill
Horror novel about a man who transforms into something demonic after his girlfriend is brutally murdered and he is accused of the crime. It's the sort of book you don't want to put down, but once it's over, you're left rather blank.
★★★☆☆
The Art of Detection: Laurie R. King
Part of the Kate Martinelli series; Detective Martinelli investigates a crime related to one that occurred in a possibly-legitimate Holmes pastiche written sixty years before. I kind of love this series and the main character, so I'm biased, but it's definitely a good read.
★★★★☆
The Sherlockian: Graham Moore
Murder at a Sherlock Holmes convention, one attendee hunts down the murderer with a beautiful journalist, accompanied by snippets into Conan Doyle's life. Kind of boring, but the history was well researched.
★★☆☆☆
Boneshaker: Cherie Priest
Set in a ghost town Seattle during a steampunk version of the Civil War, plus zombies! Kickass main character, believable quest, guns with names like Dr. Minnericht's Doozy Dazer - what wouldn't you like about that?
★★★★☆
Dreadnought: Cherie Priest
Set in the same universe as Boneshaker, but this time focusing on a Confederate nurse trying to make her way to Seattle to see her dying father; she encounters spies, robots, and yes, zombies. I really like the little bits of altered history in this one; we see the changes between worlds a lot more than in Boneshaker.
★★★★☆
The Things They Carried: Tim O'Brien
Stunning. Absolutely stunning. And heartbreaking, and a very true, visceral portrait of the Vietnam War as written by a man who lived through it. Probably in my top ten.
★★★★★
A Renegade History of the United States: Thaddeus Russell
While the facts in this book were interesting, something about the way they were presented rubbed me the wrong way. I think I expected more analysis from a book with that sort of title, when what little analysis there was was shallow and meandering. I suppose it's a good read if you're not interested in the little details, but I am (especially with history I already know so well!), so for me, it wasn't too great. I really did not like the way he sidelined women's contributions throughout the book, either; there was some mention of it in the beginning, then occassional mentions of prostitutes throughout, but that's it.
★☆☆☆☆
Batwoman: Elegy: Greg Rucka (Art by JH Williams and JG Jones)
Damn, this is amazing. The art is superb, and so is the story; I was kind of afraid that the writers would make her to be a female version of Batman, but no; Kate Kane's definitely a character of her own, and the villain, Alice, is equally as intriguing. I do wish we'd seen more of Renee/the Question, but hey, can't please everybody! All in all, really well done.
★★★★☆
The Dervish House: Ian McDonald
First off, this is a phenomenally beautiful book. The writing is lyrical, and the pages of description are a treat to read. The sci-fi worldbuilding's also interesting, and I like the way he incorporates modern-day Turkish culture and Turkish myth into this Istanbul of the future. However, it's also an extremely confusing book; there's six or so independent plots going on, and when read all at once they seem pretty chaotic. They do coalesce, eventually, and the ending is satisfying, but it was hard to keep going while not being sure what was going on throughout most of the book.
★★★☆☆
February
Trash: Dorothy Allison
These stories are gritty, shocking, and depressing, but hell, are they fantastic. Occasionally they get repetitive, since they're all centered around the same theme (growing up a poor, "white trash" lesbian in the American South), but you honestly don't realize that until after you're done with the book, because her writing is so alive.
★★★★☆
The Rihannsu books 1-4: Diane Duane (& Peter Morwood)
I will fangirl these books until the end of time, especially because it's Diane Duane, but you know what? I think these books are good enough to be appreciated by non-Trek fans as well. The worldbuilding is fantastic - she even comes up with a functional language! - and the characters are excellent, strong yet flawed and believable too. I still haven't read the fifth and last book, but I look forward to it if it's as good as these four.
★★★★☆
Sarek: A. C. Crispin
In between this book and the Rihannsu series, I reread all the Trek novels I already owned. Apparently February is nerd month! Honestly, I liked this well enough, but, like a lot of tie-in novels, it feels more like mediocre, TPTB-sanctioned fanfic rather than an interesting, cohesive take on familiar characters. Still, I'm always up for a Vulcan love story, so there you go.
★★★☆☆
A Wizard of Earthsea: Ursula K. Le Guin
This is known far and wide as one of the best high fantasy novels of all time, and it probably does live up to that claim. It's gorgeously written, lyrical, eloquent, and the author is adept at making her characters real without having the reader dwell in their every waking thought; that said, it didn't catch my interest enough to go pick up the other books in the series. Or maybe it's just not for me right now. Either way, it's seriously well written.
★★★☆☆
March
Bonk: Mary Roach
Essentially, a scientific exploration of sex research from the point of view of a witty journalist. I didn't much care for it, to be honest. Maybe this would have been a lot more interesting if I hadn't already encountered a lot of the facts presented here online, but there also seemed to be a lack of sex positivity, sort of like the author found some of these crazy and kinky people just so weird! Then again, I read it in a bad mood and may have been projecting. Regardless, probably two stars, because it was funny in parts.
★★☆☆☆
Cordelia's Honor; Young Miles; Miles, Mystery, and Mayhem: Lois McMasters Bujold
These three books are actually omnibus editions of the first six books of the Vorkosigan Saga, a sci-fi series that actually really lives up to the hype. Her worldbuilding is to die for - the sort of thing where I wonder "how the hell did she come up with that and make it work?" - and the main character, Miles? Okay, he is awesome. Hilarious and clever and sort of a genius Harry Potter minus the Dark Lord, his character alone is enough to make me overlook the slightly skewed gender roles in the book, which may be author bias but may also be the result of narrating the story from the point of view of a straight male character in a patriarchal, military society - I can't tell. Still, these books have me hooked, and not only am I going to keep reading the series, but I'm probably going to add this to my list of top genre fiction.
★★★★☆
April
Kushiel's Legacy: Jacqueline Carey
This is a series of six (really long) books that narrowly rides the line between fantasy and romance novel. At first, it seems completely like a typical romance, albeit a kinky one: the setting is a pseudo-France where their holy words are "Love as thou wilt" and their religion preaches indulgence in pleasures of the flesh, while the main character, Phèdre, is a courtesan-spy touched by a god who experiences pain and pleasure as one. There are sex scenes galore, and in the beginning Phèdre is mostly concerned with getting some and becoming the best courtesan ever. Then, midway through the first book, it goes BAM Politics! Court shenanigans! Murder and mayhem! Politics! Travel to distant lands! Torture! Religious experiences! Even more politics! And continues in that vein for pretty much the entire series. The first three books are about Phèdre, while the second trilogy are about a prince named Imriel, and while I prefer the Phèdre books (I'm biased toward female narrators), Imriel's story is just as engrossing. Oh, and everyone is bisexual! There are gay people in my fantasy! Some of them even survive! No wonder I like these books. They're kind of cheesy and occasionally purple-prosey, but I will definitely re-read them often; I forsee them becoming my comfort books.
★★★★★
May
A Song of Ice and Fire: George R. R. Martin
Having been pushed into the fantasy groove by Kushiel's Legacy and intrigued by the TV series, I decided next to dive into this (incomplete) series, which consists of four books. It could not be more unlike the Kushiel books if it tried - I'm pretty sure every character is incapable of making good decisions, and none of them will have happy endings. And there is a fucking ridiculous amount of characters, too; I can't keep them all straight. And there is a lot of rape. All in all, it seems like something I would hate, but I couldn't put it down until I slammed shut A Feast for Crows and went, "Now I have to wait until July?!" (Which isn't so bad; longtime fans have had to wait six years for the next book to come out! And I thought Rowling teased us.) I don't know why I like these books so much, and I can't really explain it in writing, so I'll just say that I cannot wait until July, and please deity, don't let there be another multi-year wait for the next one.
★★★★★
Naamah's Kiss: Jacqueline Carey
This is the seventh (!) book in the Kushiel's Legacy series. It kind of sucked. But I'm still going to ride out the trilogy because I love the narrator, despite her ~*~EPIC DESTINY~*~ that is the sole thing to move the story and takes away all her character agency. So yeah.
★★☆☆☆
June
Naamah's Curse: Jacqueline Carey
See above, except with slightly better writing because half the book involves Moirin held captive by fundamentalist pseudo-Christians in pseudo-Russia, and involves Stockholm syndrome and Moirin actually doing things to save herself. Why am I reading these? Oh right, because I NEED TO KNOW HOW THEY END. Sigh.
★★☆☆☆
Anno Dracula: Kim Newman
This book is surprisingly awesome. The concept - Vlad Tepes/Dracula marries Queen Victoria, vampires become a part of Victorian-era society, oh and Jack the Ripper is killing vampire prostitutes - seemed like it had a lot of potential but would probably end up awful, as things like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies do. Instead, it was handled really skillfully; the vampires are not romanticized but are as varied in temperament and morals as humans, the adversaries are intimidating, the characters layered, and coolest of all (imo), there are constant tiny references to period literature, the original novel Dracula, and historical events of the time, which are so much fun to spot. In general, recommended, especially for fans of the era.
★★★★☆
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children: Ransom Riggs
This book got rave reviews, and I must say I really enjoy the structure, with all the photographs and letters - it's made even cooler by knowing that all of the photographs are real. I've got to say, though, that it didn't quite live up to its hype. It was intriguing and I read it straight through, but it was also surprisingly predictable and there wasn't nearly as much depth as I thought there would be. Overall, enjoyable, but not a must-read. (Plus points for having a romance in a YA novel that wasn't mind-numbing, though!)
★★★☆☆
I, Lucifer: Glen Duncan
The Devil, as in Lucifer, is given the opportunity for redemption by living one sin-free month as a human. Of course, he decides to take the offer and absolutely wallow in sin, as devils are wont to do, but in the end there's a tweest! I put off reading this for ages because I was sure it would be incredibly predictable, and then when I finally sat down to start it, I couldn't really stop. It's a stream-of-consciousness sort of book, with massive digressions and a lot of jumping around, but despite my general hatred for that style, I loved it. The writing is so sensual; it's really engaging, and even though the narrator is kind of despicable you also end up loving him (and, in the end, pitying him a little). It's seriously good, but probably very hit-or-miss. To give you an idea, the first sentence is: "I, Lucifer, Fallen Angel, Prince of Darkness, Bringer of Light, Lord of Hell, Father of Lies, Old Serpent, Seducer, Accuser, Tormenter, Blasphemer, and without doubt Best Fuck in the Seen and Unseen Universe (ask Eve, that minx have decided - ooh la la! - to tell all." If that interests you, you'll probably love the book; if you hate it, don't even try.
★★★★☆
July
Prehistoric Astronomy of the Southwest: J. McKim Malville and Claudia Putnam
This book is exactly as dry as it sounds. It's also fascinating. Essentially, it posits that the Anasazi were hugely influenced by celestial movements (extrapolated from their architecture and carvings), with the kiva as the cornerstone of the cosmos and of their day-to-day living. This is backed up by Science! It's truly interesting, even if I had to haul out my old astronomy textbook to make sense of the diagrams.
★★★★☆
Daughter of the Blood: Anne Bishop
I was so disappointed by this book, and it truly made me sad because I was hoping for another kink-friendly fantasy series to bring into my life. While the writing was decent, I found the character development to be astoundingly mediocre, and while the general concept of the fantasy universe was interesting, it was poorly done IMO. Actually, it kind of felt like a bunch of fanfic tropes thrown into a blender, but instead of resulting in a delicious smoothie, it came out as tasteless syrup with lumps of interesting magic and occasional innovative ideas. But I did read all of it, so I guess I can't complain too much. Oh, who am I kidding? Of course I can.
★☆☆☆☆
A Dance with Dragons: George R. R. Martin
See here. Never have I felt the need for half-star symbols so much.
★★★☆☆
The Sappho Companion: Margaret Reynolds
Love this. Love this, love this. I hadn't read much Sappho before picking this up, knowing her mainly as "that one lesbian Greek poet", so this was really an educational experience (in a good way!). It starts with analyses of Sappho's poetry, given in the original Greek, then with translations ranging from poets across the centuries (quite literally); it's followed by perceptions of her throughout time, as each generation discovered her and recreated her into something new for their time period. What I found the most interesting was how varied the translations were; some of them forced her verse into the patterns of whatever poetic form was popular at the time; some (most?) erased the bisexual/lesbian/generally queer aspects of her work entirely; some stayed true to the original theme as closely as they could, while taking artistic liberties of their own. It was a fascinating glimpse into Sappho and the psyches of her adherents over time. I kind of loved it.
★★★★★
The Magicians: Lev Grossman
I liked this. I don't have much to say about it, other than that; it was a quick, fun read, a nice take-off on the wizarding school experience that became so popular after Harry Potter exploded (though Diana Wynne Jones did it first!). The setting was great - I especially enjoyed the construction of magic, and how it was much more difficult than "waving a wand around" (very sly, Mr. Grossman) - and the characters were quirky and fun, if a bit awkward teenager-cum-early twenties nihilist. So yeah; pretty fun, I'd recommend it if you were looking for something light to read, but nothing to chew on or really love.
★★★☆☆
August
Johannes Cabal the Necromancer and Johannes Cabal the Detective: Jonathan L. Howard
A brilliant scientist and possible sociopath sells his soul to learn the secrets of necromancy, only to find out that not having a soul is quite inconvenient - his necromancy never quite works right without having one. So he gets himself into another wager with the Devil, this time to collect one hundred souls in exchange for his, using the diabolical means of...a carnival. Johannes is not especially charming, nor is he good at having fun, so he enlists his brother Horst, a vampire, and an army of the dead to help him out. Then, after that book is over, he ends up having to solve a murder on board an aeroship (while on the run from the secret police of a dictatorship), with only one frenemy by his side. So basically: awesome. And I'm going to be really sad if the third book doesn't come out in the US soon.
★★★★☆
The Silent Land: Graham Joyce
So apparently this guy wins a lot of awards. It's not completely surprising, because the book is full of elegant descriptions and beautifully painted scenes. Unfortunately, his characters are uninteresting, and the plot, while excellent at first, actually ends in the "it was all a dream!" territory, which - no. Not my thing. Probably another reason why I didn't care for it was that it was marketed as a thriller, when it's much more a quiet story about two people and their relationship. Like I said, the writing was beautiful and sparse, and I read it for that reason, but in the end, there wasn't enough meat to the story to make it memorable.
★★☆☆☆
Naamah's Blessing: Jacqueline Carey
Finally got around to this one! As the Moirin trilogy goes, this was the best of the three, probably because there was a good supporting cast for Moirin and Bao to bounce off of; they're both interesting characters in their own right, and I've mentioned my love for Moirin before, but their interactions get pretty boring after a while of lots of sex-having. (This also made me realize how completely biased I am toward the Shahrizai, because I spent a lot of my time loving on Moirin and being all "fuck yeah Balthasar!" I'm easy, I guess.) There was also a lot of political scheming - the entire premise was basically "hunt for the lost prince and save the princess!", except with a lot more twistiness - and Carey writes that really well. Also, I am incredibly in love with the Aztec and Inca, so their inclusion made me way more interested than I was in the voyages of the first two books. All in all, a solid three stars because it actually kept me hooked. (And made me write more than a few sentences about it.)
★★★☆☆
The Marketplace: Laura Antoniou
Contrary to its categorization, I didn't find this to be erotica. Sure, there was some parts that were hot, but mostly, it struck me as a look into a world that's a slave/BDSM AU set in real life: the setting is an underground slave market heavily based around D/s dynamics, where the slaves go in willingly. It follows the stories of four slaves, each wildly different, who undergo training to be better than they were before; it's almost more a character-driven story than a sex-driven one. I would probably have read the others in the series if I had been able to find them online, but I didn't like it that much.
★★★☆☆
September
WWW:Wake: Robert J. Sawyer
The premise of this story: a girl undergoes an experimental treatment to give her sight when she's never had it before. It's a successful procedure, for the most part - but in addition to the real world, Caitlin can also see the internet (there are medical explanations for this, I promise). Slowly, due to its uplink with Caitlin's mind, the internet begins to become sentient. What's even cooler: Caitlin purposefully helps it along. This book was incredibly entertaining - I really loved Caitlin's character, and the supporting characters were nicely developed as well - and the philosophical discussions about consciousness and what constitutes life was fresh and interesting. Usually we get androids to help us think about that, but this time it's the entire internet, influencing millions of humans around the world; it's a much bigger scope, and so is a thornier issue to grapple with. The writing was par for the course for a YA novel, a little simplistic, and there were two additional storylines that felt like they were dropped midway through, but I'm intrigued enough to pick up the next book when I find it at my used bookstore.
★★★☆☆
The Game of Kings: Dorothy Dunnett
This book made me feel really stupid. It made me wonder if my voracious appetite for SF/F had dulled my ability to read literary fiction, but no, I'm pretty sure this is just very dense prose. It's the first in the Lymond Chronicles, said to be some of the best historical fiction ever, and I did like it a lot! The titular character is seriously awesome, dangerous, brilliant, and oddly patriotic, and the political plotlines were twisty and interesting. I think the problem is that I know absolutely nothing about Scotland in the 1500s (my reaction around the twentieth page: "Oh, there was a war in Scotland?" Yes, Ariel, my brilliant one, there was.) I got to the end based on the sheer strength of Lymond's character and those around him, but I think I'm going to brush up on my history before I tackle the next in the series.
★★★★☆
The Fall of the Kings: Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherwood
Not to be confused with the Lymond Chronicles, The Fall of the Kings is set in a universe established in Kushner's novel Swordspoint (more on that later), and is about a young man with a streak of madness in him who just might the descendent of royalty, deposed centuries earlier and now anathema to even speak about, and his lover, a historian who might also be a wizard. The romance plot and the magical/political one are interwoven neatly, and frankly, once I started this book I couldn't put it down; the prose was that engaging. Too bad the mood was a little ruined by a totally inconclusive ending. I still loved it, though, well enough to buy the other two novels in the series.
★★★★☆
The Somnambulist: Jonathan Barnes
What is it with men named Jonathan and their quirky, pseudo-historical magical fiction? I'll tell you this: Barnes doesn't do it nearly so well as Howard. I read this book primarily because it was the only one I had available, and I once went hiking in the rain because it bored me so much. There were almost no redeeming characteristics about it; plot, characters, prose, al were uninteresting to me. It's the sort of book that winks at you a lot, taking pride in its own cleverness, except there is none. In short: I did not like this one bit.
★☆☆☆☆
Swordspoint: Ellen Kushner
The prequel to The Fall of the Kings set sixty years earlier, this book follows the adventures of a swordsman-for-hire and his more than slightly mad lover. (Sound vaguely familiar?) The madman is, in fact, the predecessor of the one in FotK, but Kushner never made Theron (from FotK) sound at all like Alec from Swordspoint. This book had a slightly less intriguing plot, probably because there was no magic in this one, but I still was hooked by the story and the characters. Again, the ending was less than satisfactory, but it was also incredibly sweet, so I'll let that one slide.
★★★★☆
October
Chicana Lesbians: the Girls Our Mothers Warned Us About: ed. Carla Trujillo
This is, basically, an anthology of poems, fiction, and essays about - dun dun dun! - being Chicana and a lesbian. It's more than that, though; it's beautiful, and inspiring, and cuts through stereotypical bullshit to the heart of reality. It's truly lovely. And, like usual, I can't think of much else to say about it because I liked it that much. Maybe just read this poem, and you'll understand.
★★★★☆
The Books of Abarat: Abarat; Days of Magic, Nights of War; Absolute Midnight: Clive Barker
I remember reading the first two books in this series back when I was about twelve or thirteen, and loving them. The cliffhanger at the end of Days of Magic killed me, though, and twelve-year-olds aren't very good at waiting around for books to come out. So I didn't reread them until Absolute Midnight was released (seven years later, might I add), but they were every bit as creative and astounding as I had remembered. It's pretty obvious they're YA novels, especially in comparison to Barker's other work, but there is still such creepiness and depth in them that it's easy to forget. Also, the characters are to die for; Candy is expressive and interesting while staying very realistic - she actually acts like a sensible teenager! - and the main villain is both incredibly layered and incredibly terrifying. I actually like him more than Candy, but shh, it's a secret. Midnight had a different feel to it than the first two - sparser, harsher - but it was still a fantastic read.
★★★★☆
Nobody Passes: Rejecting the Rules of Gender and Conformity: ed. Mattilda
It's queer theory month, y'all! This is a collection of essays ranging from the personal to the academic, and as such it's a mixed bag; there were some that I returned to over and over, and others I ended up skimming. In general, an interesting anthology, but not super fantastic.
★★★☆☆
Johannes Cabal: the Fear Institute: Jonathan L. Howard
I caved. I bought this from AbeBooks because there was no established release date for the U.S., and I needed to have it read before Yuletide. This one is an exploration into the Dreamlands, and there is so much Lovecraft here you're practically drowning in eldritch horrors. All the little in-jokes and settings are clear indicators that Howard's a fan writing for the fans, but Cabal's character development and the general dark humor of the series are both excellent, too. A lot of times this character time is played off as omnipotent and impossible to shake, but Cabal has his blind spots and his vulnerable moments and I just really love him, guys, okay.
★★★★☆
November
Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas and Other American Stories: Hunter S. Thompson
Review is forthcoming. Please inhale ether and wait.
I am just going to leave that there because I find it hilarious. This book was actually amazing, but I had seen the movie just a week prior, and since so much of that is word-for-word from the book, it was far less entertaining than it could have been. The short stories were good, though!
★★★☆☆
The Spectre of Promiscuity: Christian Klesse
This, plus about a hundred pages of journal articles, was for a thirty-minute presentation on radical queer activism in the poly community. I won't be rating any of it because, you know, it was all very dense theory and I probably understood half of it, but I had to prove I read more than one book in November.
December
Dragonflight: Anne McCaffery
I tried to read this years ago and couldn't get into it, and so I thought I'd try again because everyone and their mother loves it. I have no idea why. This was probably one of my most disliked books of the year; stilted, boring, and awkward. I mean, I enjoy a lot of things other people would find terrible, so I can't judge, but I have no idea why people love this so much other than "Dragons are cool!" Which isn't a bad reason at all, actually.
★☆☆☆☆
Bossypants: Tina Fey
Tina Fey is basically my mother except famous and Greek instead of not-famous and German, and reading this made me all nostalgic for home and making fun of people with her. (Because it's not like I live twenty minutes away or anything.) Witty and at times surprisingly introspective, and a nice look into the behind-the-scenes life of the comedy circuit. I sound like a review off a book jacket. Nice.
★★★☆☆
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