Books I Read and Enjoyed in 2014.
To start the new year off, I decided to take a leaf out of meredith_shayne's book, and do a post of books I really loved that I read in 2014. Now, not all of these books were published in 2014, but they're books that I read during the year and stayed with me. They're books that I've gushed about at length to anyone who'll listen to me rave about them. They're also not all romance, because I don't read just romance--I read a lot of different genres and authors and styles. There's a link at the bottom of each of my gushings to the book, so you can go check them out.
Also, this is for books that are published, not counting one's that I've beta'd. Just thought I'd add that. (Because the two I'm thinking of are out in 2015!)
In no particular order:
The Archer's Heart - Astrid Amara.
I borrowed this from my local library, after reserving everything they had that was gay romance. It's a long book, but let me tell you, I didn't notice. I was too busy tearing through it as if my eyes would fall out if I didn't keep reading, and I had to know what would happen next. Astrid Amara tells a wonderful story and I found all the characters very believable and three dimensional. As this is a retelling of the Mahabharata, and I'm not too familiar with that (only on the most basic level), I found it a really interesting book as well as engrossing, engaging, and other words that start with 'E.' If you like mythology, fantasy and a cracking good read, try this book, you won't regret it.
Get it here.
Tangle - Anthology; Blind Eye Press Books.
Oh. My. God. The second book I got from the library in my reservation frenzy was this anthology. This book, I can't even. This is amazing. So amazing, that before I'd finished reading the library copy, I found a paperback copy to buy to own, and then bought another paperback for meredith_shayne for Christmas! I also talk about this book a LOT. I enjoyed every single story, the variety and range of tales was terrific. But the final story, Feral Machines by Ginn Hale... this story packed such a punch. It stayed with me for months. It was a perfect little nugget of science fiction m/m romance, with so much atmosphere and emotion. The whole collection is great, you won't be disappointed.
Get it here.
Code Name Verity - Elizabeth Wein.
This is an unusual book in that it's told from the point of view of an unreliable narrator--or is she?--and that narrator is a female pilot from Britain in World War Two. This book broke my heart, I have to say, in that I bawled like a baby in the last several chapters, but I couldn't put it down. It's a stunning read, a tale that isn't a war story alone, but a story of true love between two women who share a passion for flying and deep friendship for each other. Having said that, this is not a F/F romance novel--the love is real and it's made very clear that it's mutual, but this isn't romance. It's war, there's loyalty, devotion, love, sorrow, and the book is just... well, it's incredibly good and I highly recommend it.
Get it here.
Wild - Cheryl Strayed.
Believe me, I'm very surprised I enjoyed this as much as I did. I wasn't sure I was going to, and I borrowed it from my trusty library because a lot of it is set in Oregon and I really loved Oregon. There's one scene in the book that made me furious and brought me to tears, and I did, for a minute, think about not finishing the book because of that scene, but in the end, I did, and I'm glad. It's a good, solid story of coming to terms with grief, and how the grieving process is different for everyone, how we deal with our pain, sorrow and loneliness in life is various ways. The descriptions of the Pacific Crest Trail are amazing and I could actually picture it in my mind's eye.
Get it here.
New Watch - Sergei Lukyaneko.
I love this series--the Night Watch series. Lukyaneko was born in Uzbekistan and now lives in Russia and the series is about the Night Watch who are the "good" guys and watch over the Day Watch, who are the "bad" guys and watch over the Night Watch. The series first came to my attention with the release of the movie, Night Watch, and I loved that and it's sequel, Day Watch, so much, that not only did I buy the books, but the dvds too--three copies of each, in fact, because the Russian, Australian and US versions are all different. Then I bought the rest of the series of books and devoured them. I like Lukyaneko's version of vampires and his magical universe, the melding of the "real" world with this magical one, and the ending of book four was quite satisfying. So I wasn't too certain that a new book, the fifth book--this book--would be a good read. I am relieved and thrilled that it is, that it's true to the whole series and that Lukyaneko hasn't lost his humour or wit or his ability to craft a complex, interesting story, with engaging and fascinating characters. Plus, his little digs at international politics are great. It takes a while for Lukyaneko's books to be available, because of the translation from Russian to English, but this one, like the four before it, is worth the wait.
Get it here.
The Silkworm - Robert Galbraith (J. K. Rowling).
I wasn't sure whether to pick this one or its predecessor, The Cuckoo's Calling, as I enjoyed both of them. I decided on this one in the end, because the two main characters, Cormoran Strike and his assistant, Robin, are much more fleshed out in this one, and I find their dynamic to be a very enjoyable read. They're not romantically involved, Cormoran is a private detective and Robin was first his temp and is now his assistant. The murder scene itself was very gruesome, and the unravelling of the case was done really well, the build up of tension was steady and consistent. Rowling certainly writes a damn fine mystery and if you can tolerate a really gross scene involving the body of the victim, then this is a cracking good read.
Get it here.
Here's to more great reads in 2015!
Also, this is for books that are published, not counting one's that I've beta'd. Just thought I'd add that. (Because the two I'm thinking of are out in 2015!)
In no particular order:
The Archer's Heart - Astrid Amara.
I borrowed this from my local library, after reserving everything they had that was gay romance. It's a long book, but let me tell you, I didn't notice. I was too busy tearing through it as if my eyes would fall out if I didn't keep reading, and I had to know what would happen next. Astrid Amara tells a wonderful story and I found all the characters very believable and three dimensional. As this is a retelling of the Mahabharata, and I'm not too familiar with that (only on the most basic level), I found it a really interesting book as well as engrossing, engaging, and other words that start with 'E.' If you like mythology, fantasy and a cracking good read, try this book, you won't regret it.
Get it here.
Tangle - Anthology; Blind Eye Press Books.
Oh. My. God. The second book I got from the library in my reservation frenzy was this anthology. This book, I can't even. This is amazing. So amazing, that before I'd finished reading the library copy, I found a paperback copy to buy to own, and then bought another paperback for meredith_shayne for Christmas! I also talk about this book a LOT. I enjoyed every single story, the variety and range of tales was terrific. But the final story, Feral Machines by Ginn Hale... this story packed such a punch. It stayed with me for months. It was a perfect little nugget of science fiction m/m romance, with so much atmosphere and emotion. The whole collection is great, you won't be disappointed.
Get it here.
Code Name Verity - Elizabeth Wein.
This is an unusual book in that it's told from the point of view of an unreliable narrator--or is she?--and that narrator is a female pilot from Britain in World War Two. This book broke my heart, I have to say, in that I bawled like a baby in the last several chapters, but I couldn't put it down. It's a stunning read, a tale that isn't a war story alone, but a story of true love between two women who share a passion for flying and deep friendship for each other. Having said that, this is not a F/F romance novel--the love is real and it's made very clear that it's mutual, but this isn't romance. It's war, there's loyalty, devotion, love, sorrow, and the book is just... well, it's incredibly good and I highly recommend it.
Get it here.
Wild - Cheryl Strayed.
Believe me, I'm very surprised I enjoyed this as much as I did. I wasn't sure I was going to, and I borrowed it from my trusty library because a lot of it is set in Oregon and I really loved Oregon. There's one scene in the book that made me furious and brought me to tears, and I did, for a minute, think about not finishing the book because of that scene, but in the end, I did, and I'm glad. It's a good, solid story of coming to terms with grief, and how the grieving process is different for everyone, how we deal with our pain, sorrow and loneliness in life is various ways. The descriptions of the Pacific Crest Trail are amazing and I could actually picture it in my mind's eye.
Get it here.
New Watch - Sergei Lukyaneko.
I love this series--the Night Watch series. Lukyaneko was born in Uzbekistan and now lives in Russia and the series is about the Night Watch who are the "good" guys and watch over the Day Watch, who are the "bad" guys and watch over the Night Watch. The series first came to my attention with the release of the movie, Night Watch, and I loved that and it's sequel, Day Watch, so much, that not only did I buy the books, but the dvds too--three copies of each, in fact, because the Russian, Australian and US versions are all different. Then I bought the rest of the series of books and devoured them. I like Lukyaneko's version of vampires and his magical universe, the melding of the "real" world with this magical one, and the ending of book four was quite satisfying. So I wasn't too certain that a new book, the fifth book--this book--would be a good read. I am relieved and thrilled that it is, that it's true to the whole series and that Lukyaneko hasn't lost his humour or wit or his ability to craft a complex, interesting story, with engaging and fascinating characters. Plus, his little digs at international politics are great. It takes a while for Lukyaneko's books to be available, because of the translation from Russian to English, but this one, like the four before it, is worth the wait.
Get it here.
The Silkworm - Robert Galbraith (J. K. Rowling).
I wasn't sure whether to pick this one or its predecessor, The Cuckoo's Calling, as I enjoyed both of them. I decided on this one in the end, because the two main characters, Cormoran Strike and his assistant, Robin, are much more fleshed out in this one, and I find their dynamic to be a very enjoyable read. They're not romantically involved, Cormoran is a private detective and Robin was first his temp and is now his assistant. The murder scene itself was very gruesome, and the unravelling of the case was done really well, the build up of tension was steady and consistent. Rowling certainly writes a damn fine mystery and if you can tolerate a really gross scene involving the body of the victim, then this is a cracking good read.
Get it here.
Here's to more great reads in 2015!