Books 2016 (Sept-Dec) + 2016 reading round-up
Another year, another failed attempt to keep up with my reading posts. *sigh*
Reflex - Dick Francis
Knock Down - Dick Francis
Full Exposure - Amy Jo Cousins
Him - Sarina Bowen, Elle Kennedy
Us - Sarina Bowen, Elle Kennedy
The Gentleman and the Rogue - Bonnie Dee, Summer Devon
Three Truths and a Lie - Brent Hartinger
Untamed - Anna Cowan
Pole Star - Josephine Myles
Reflex - Dick Francis
Photography nerd Philip & jockey (but of course!) juggles family drama looking into the mystery of a possible half-sister as revealed by his rich, estranged grandmother on her deathbed; the threat of hurt and even death as he gets to the bottom of a secret blackmailing plot after the seemingly accidental death of a unpopular race photographer; and major upheavals in his life as he meets first a new friend, then his future wife, through the aforementioned events. I really enjoyed this, and of course, would be happy to see this end up solved by threesome, lol.
Knock Down - Dick Francis
A latter one where the wounds inflicted on our woobie, stoic lead (surprise!) are more emotional and professional that physical for a change. But they still hit hard. The relationship with the lead female is interesting - she's the unemotional one who doesn't want and won't accept attachment (though annoyingly Francis has an intro that basically states she's an awesome female character BUT SHE'S NOT A FEMINIST because those are annoying, grrr).
Full Exposure - Amy Jo Cousins
Totally contrived way to put two people together, but in a fun way. A reclusive rock star spontaneously decides to pose sexily with another man for his photoshoot for his next album as his coming out so they draft in the photographer's brother/free labour, who just happens to be gay. Romance blooms, of course, and it doesn't fun smoothly. Short but easy read.
free on Amazon
Him - Sarina Bowen, Elle Kennedy
Us - Sarina Brown, Elle Kennedy
Hockey bro m/m romance. The first book (Him) was quite enjoyable - two best friends from hockey camp have a falling out at the end of their teens when they fool around - but are reunited on the eve of their entrance into the NHL and have to reconcile with their history and what they feel about each other. Because it's not big leagues it feels likely and both men are characterised well. The women, however...hm. But it was good to have bi-visibility - Jamie clearly comes to realise he's bisexual, not gay, and it's clearly articulated.
Which made the second book all the more disappointing when they're outed, and his bisexuality becomes invisible. Also, the second book is much more of a fantasy - first out gay player in NHL IN HIS ROOKIE YEAR and his team/franchise are totally cool with it? And other teams are generally not too bad about it?? And the public are also generally okay with it apart from some aberrations??? While that's not in an of itself a problem the writing just doesn't sell me on the greenwood fantasy enough for me to suspend disbelief.
The Gentleman and the Rogue - Bonnie Dee, Summer Devon
A depressed young lord has one night with a street kid and then hires him as his valet with benefits, but when one of them is put in danger they discover they mean a lot more to each other than master and servant. Right up my alley m/m regency with plenty of fun power dynamics and a suspenseful if somewhat OTT mystery arc.
Three Truths and a Lie - Brent Hartinger
Awful, just terrible. It reminded me of my own cringeworthy unfinished drawer murder mystery novel from when I was 14 which was a shameless rip off of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. Just go read that instead.
Untamed - Anna Cowan
In order to protect her married sister from possible ruin in her affair with a well-known cad of a duke, Kit acquiesces to a crazy plan where the Duke cross-dresses as Rose and then somehow charms her whole family and their neighbours in the country. And in the process Kit and the duke fall in love, even though everything's now very very complicated. I found this intense but really enjoyable, and stayed up all night to finish it. However reviews online suggest it's a highly polarising read and you'll either love it or hate it.
Pole Star - Josephine Myles
Sweet and silly. A pole dancer gets injured while in costume as a fireman, and then he's not sure how to come clean to the cute radiographer who takes his x-rays.
free at Smashwords
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - J. K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, John Tiffany
Act Like It - Lucy Parker
Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
The Desire for Dearborne - V.B. Kildaire
Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda - Becky Albertalli
Only Enchanting - Mary Balogh
Only a Promise - Mary Balogh
Only a Kiss - Mary Balogh
Slightly Dangerous - Mary Balogh
Slightly Wicked - Mary Balogh
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - J. K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, John Tiffany
I had many conflicting feelings, mostly between the poles of 'WTF???' and 'dammit, feels'. It's got so many fannish elements and tropes - some good, some terrible - and it makes NO SENSE as a play script, but I did like that the relationships post epilogue are fleshed out and made a little more understandable and human.
Act Like It - Lucy Parker
Fake relationships that turn into real ones! West End theatre! Basically someone putting all their Much Ado About Nothing and P&P tropes into a modern day romance with a nod to celebrity culture! What's not to love? :)
Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
I can see why geeky guys with a 80s nostalgia fetish like this. And for an avid puzzlehunter, I could see the appeal in the premise. Buuuuuut...this is SUCH a middle-age nerdboy fantasy from start to finish - complete with a stalkerish relationship that ends in tru wuv with a 'Rubenesque' & kickass geek girl, and not one but TWO POC minority sidekicks - set in a post-apocalyptic society that relies heavily on tech-know-how to really survive, and an ending (spoiler!) where a white teen geek ends up with squillions and in charge of the world. So.
Also, the writing is so pedestrian and very exposition-y at times - it reminded me a lot of The Martian, except that had the upside of Mark being a long-winded geek about things that would ensure his survival and also FOR SCIENCE! Whereas this felt a lot like Wade's main drive was to get the money, get the girl, and get out of his depressing existence - saving the world from the EEEEEEEVIL IOI just seemed like a handy byproduct.
Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda - Becky Albertalli
Sweet. Reminded me of Boy Likes Boy and Will Grayson, Will Grayson (ie if you like David Levitan you'll likely feel warmly towards thi). I found some things just too over the top - which probably means they're based on reality (eg what Martin does, and how he outs Simon). The romance is very cute, but it does bother me a bit that when we find out who Blue is, our understanding of him is all through his emails - and he and Simon have barely interacted offline, so we don't know him as well as we do the other kids we're introduced to. And I think there were just too many characters with subplots off the page so when we find out about Leah, about Nora, there's just not as much impact as the book wants there to be.
Only Enchanting - Mary Balogh
Only a Promise - Mary Balogh
Only a Kiss - Mary Balogh
Law of diminishing returns, sigh. Though The Survivor's Club remains one of my favourite Balogh series overall. I only have the last one to go...might make it one of my first books of the year. :)
Slightly Dangerous - Mary Balogh
Slightly Wicked - Mary Balogh
I really thought I'd finished all the Bedwyn books, but it turns out I had two left so I polished them off. My other favourite Balogh series.
Dark Lover - J.R. Ward
Trailer Trash - Marie Sexton
Closing the Loop - Jane Davitt
Waiting for the Flood - Alexis Hall
Pansies - Alexis Hall
Dark Lover - J.R. Ward
Ro really likes these and I finally gave the first in the series a try. I don't think they're for me but I can see the appeal if you like supernatural romance.
Closing the Loop - Jane Davitt
Waiting for the Flood - Alexis Hall
Pansies - Alexis Hall
Trailer Trash - Marie Sexton
Riptide had a good Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale going on so I bought all the above, from m/m romance writers I generally enjoy.
I bought the Spires collection from Alexis Hall (it's a good deal) and read the last two stories to complete the set. I liked Waiting for the Flood more, it's gentle and sweet and gave me the warm fuzzies.
The Jane Davitt was a bit of a miss for me, mostly because it's too short to let the two strands of the plot (a typical rom-com one, and a much more serious family drama one) really knit together properly and satisfactorily.
The Marie Sexton one reminded me SO MUCH of Eyewitness (the USA tv show) in feel and theme, though with a little bit of role reversal. Set in the 80s in a small, dead-end town in the midwest, two high school boys - the rich new kid, and the local trailer outcast - meet as kindred spirits and battle to finish high school, deal with family drama, and find a way to be together. Good solid read, if a little bit of a downer.
Lord of White Hell (books 1 & 2) - Ginn Hale
Anyone But You - Jennifer Crusie
Welcome to My World - Johnny Weir
Lord of White Hell (books 1 & 2) - Ginn Hale
Enjoyable m/m romance as a boarding school / fantasy mash-up, which are things I really like, so it worked for me while reading, though I struggled to remember it well after finishing.
Anyone But You - Jennifer Crusie
I found a trove of Crusie books that I thought I'd read, but none of the summaries sound familiar. So just working my way through these. Anyone But You features an older woman who's left a loveless marriage and moves in above a hot, younger doctor trying to make his own way against the wishes of his strong-willed family. They bond over her escape artist of a dog, late-night hot drinks, and a love of b-movies. Sweet and a very easy read as Crusies tend to be!
Welcome to My World - Johnny Weir
I've owned this for a while but finally got around to reading it after finishing Yuri! on Ice. Makes a good companion to Be Good Johnny Weir as well. At times a little cringey but also quite compelling given that he's very honest about his shortcomings as a skater and competitor, and very self aware discussing the persona and image he carries, whether of his own making or not.
How many books read in 2016?
74 - up again from last year! I think I was aiming for 75 so close enough...
Fiction/Non-Fiction ratio?
68 F : 6 NF
Male/Female authors?
14 M : 40 F
Most books by a single author?
8 from Mary Balogh
5 from Dick Francis
...no surprises there!
Favourite book(s) read?
The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University by Kevin Roose
Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie (the whole Imperial Radch series as a whole also)
Honourable mentions
The Dreyfus Affair by Peter Lefcourt
The Edge by Dick Francis
The Arrangement by Mary Balogh
Without You, There is No Us by Suki Kim
The Naming of Beasts by Mike Carey
Reflex by Dick Francis
Untamed by Anna Cowan
Least favourite?
Maestra by L.S. Hilton
Believing the Lie by Elizabeth George
Bound to be a Groom by Megan Mulry
Three Truths and a Lie by Brent Hartinger
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Oldest book read?
Dead Cert by Dick Francis (1962)
Newest?
I think it might be Three Truths and a Lie by Brent Hartinger (2 August 2016), beating Cursed Child by 3 days.
Longest book title?
It's either The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University by Kevin Roose; if you don't count the subtitle, then it's The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley by Shaun David Hutchison or Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
Shortest title?
Us by Sarina Bowen, Elle Kennedy
How many re-reads?
A couple - I don't keep count.
Any in translation?
None, though This is Paris by Miroslav Sasek was in Chinese.
How many of this year's books were from the library?
45 - eBooks, downloaded
7 - eBooks, purchased
7 - physical book, secondhand, purchased
7 - borrowed, from library
3 - ebook, free
3 - gifts or other free
1 - borrowed, from others
Reflex - Dick Francis
Knock Down - Dick Francis
Full Exposure - Amy Jo Cousins
Him - Sarina Bowen, Elle Kennedy
Us - Sarina Bowen, Elle Kennedy
The Gentleman and the Rogue - Bonnie Dee, Summer Devon
Three Truths and a Lie - Brent Hartinger
Untamed - Anna Cowan
Pole Star - Josephine Myles
Reflex - Dick Francis
Photography nerd Philip & jockey (but of course!) juggles family drama looking into the mystery of a possible half-sister as revealed by his rich, estranged grandmother on her deathbed; the threat of hurt and even death as he gets to the bottom of a secret blackmailing plot after the seemingly accidental death of a unpopular race photographer; and major upheavals in his life as he meets first a new friend, then his future wife, through the aforementioned events. I really enjoyed this, and of course, would be happy to see this end up solved by threesome, lol.
Knock Down - Dick Francis
A latter one where the wounds inflicted on our woobie, stoic lead (surprise!) are more emotional and professional that physical for a change. But they still hit hard. The relationship with the lead female is interesting - she's the unemotional one who doesn't want and won't accept attachment (though annoyingly Francis has an intro that basically states she's an awesome female character BUT SHE'S NOT A FEMINIST because those are annoying, grrr).
Full Exposure - Amy Jo Cousins
Totally contrived way to put two people together, but in a fun way. A reclusive rock star spontaneously decides to pose sexily with another man for his photoshoot for his next album as his coming out so they draft in the photographer's brother/free labour, who just happens to be gay. Romance blooms, of course, and it doesn't fun smoothly. Short but easy read.
free on Amazon
Him - Sarina Bowen, Elle Kennedy
Us - Sarina Brown, Elle Kennedy
Hockey bro m/m romance. The first book (Him) was quite enjoyable - two best friends from hockey camp have a falling out at the end of their teens when they fool around - but are reunited on the eve of their entrance into the NHL and have to reconcile with their history and what they feel about each other. Because it's not big leagues it feels likely and both men are characterised well. The women, however...hm. But it was good to have bi-visibility - Jamie clearly comes to realise he's bisexual, not gay, and it's clearly articulated.
Which made the second book all the more disappointing when they're outed, and his bisexuality becomes invisible. Also, the second book is much more of a fantasy - first out gay player in NHL IN HIS ROOKIE YEAR and his team/franchise are totally cool with it? And other teams are generally not too bad about it?? And the public are also generally okay with it apart from some aberrations??? While that's not in an of itself a problem the writing just doesn't sell me on the greenwood fantasy enough for me to suspend disbelief.
The Gentleman and the Rogue - Bonnie Dee, Summer Devon
A depressed young lord has one night with a street kid and then hires him as his valet with benefits, but when one of them is put in danger they discover they mean a lot more to each other than master and servant. Right up my alley m/m regency with plenty of fun power dynamics and a suspenseful if somewhat OTT mystery arc.
Three Truths and a Lie - Brent Hartinger
Awful, just terrible. It reminded me of my own cringeworthy unfinished drawer murder mystery novel from when I was 14 which was a shameless rip off of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. Just go read that instead.
Untamed - Anna Cowan
In order to protect her married sister from possible ruin in her affair with a well-known cad of a duke, Kit acquiesces to a crazy plan where the Duke cross-dresses as Rose and then somehow charms her whole family and their neighbours in the country. And in the process Kit and the duke fall in love, even though everything's now very very complicated. I found this intense but really enjoyable, and stayed up all night to finish it. However reviews online suggest it's a highly polarising read and you'll either love it or hate it.
Pole Star - Josephine Myles
Sweet and silly. A pole dancer gets injured while in costume as a fireman, and then he's not sure how to come clean to the cute radiographer who takes his x-rays.
free at Smashwords
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - J. K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, John Tiffany
Act Like It - Lucy Parker
Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
The Desire for Dearborne - V.B. Kildaire
Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda - Becky Albertalli
Only Enchanting - Mary Balogh
Only a Promise - Mary Balogh
Only a Kiss - Mary Balogh
Slightly Dangerous - Mary Balogh
Slightly Wicked - Mary Balogh
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - J. K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, John Tiffany
I had many conflicting feelings, mostly between the poles of 'WTF???' and 'dammit, feels'. It's got so many fannish elements and tropes - some good, some terrible - and it makes NO SENSE as a play script, but I did like that the relationships post epilogue are fleshed out and made a little more understandable and human.
Act Like It - Lucy Parker
Fake relationships that turn into real ones! West End theatre! Basically someone putting all their Much Ado About Nothing and P&P tropes into a modern day romance with a nod to celebrity culture! What's not to love? :)
Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
I can see why geeky guys with a 80s nostalgia fetish like this. And for an avid puzzlehunter, I could see the appeal in the premise. Buuuuuut...this is SUCH a middle-age nerdboy fantasy from start to finish - complete with a stalkerish relationship that ends in tru wuv with a 'Rubenesque' & kickass geek girl, and not one but TWO POC minority sidekicks - set in a post-apocalyptic society that relies heavily on tech-know-how to really survive, and an ending (spoiler!) where a white teen geek ends up with squillions and in charge of the world. So.
Also, the writing is so pedestrian and very exposition-y at times - it reminded me a lot of The Martian, except that had the upside of Mark being a long-winded geek about things that would ensure his survival and also FOR SCIENCE! Whereas this felt a lot like Wade's main drive was to get the money, get the girl, and get out of his depressing existence - saving the world from the EEEEEEEVIL IOI just seemed like a handy byproduct.
Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda - Becky Albertalli
Sweet. Reminded me of Boy Likes Boy and Will Grayson, Will Grayson (ie if you like David Levitan you'll likely feel warmly towards thi). I found some things just too over the top - which probably means they're based on reality (eg what Martin does, and how he outs Simon). The romance is very cute, but it does bother me a bit that when we find out who Blue is, our understanding of him is all through his emails - and he and Simon have barely interacted offline, so we don't know him as well as we do the other kids we're introduced to. And I think there were just too many characters with subplots off the page so when we find out about Leah, about Nora, there's just not as much impact as the book wants there to be.
Only Enchanting - Mary Balogh
Only a Promise - Mary Balogh
Only a Kiss - Mary Balogh
Law of diminishing returns, sigh. Though The Survivor's Club remains one of my favourite Balogh series overall. I only have the last one to go...might make it one of my first books of the year. :)
Slightly Dangerous - Mary Balogh
Slightly Wicked - Mary Balogh
I really thought I'd finished all the Bedwyn books, but it turns out I had two left so I polished them off. My other favourite Balogh series.
Dark Lover - J.R. Ward
Trailer Trash - Marie Sexton
Closing the Loop - Jane Davitt
Waiting for the Flood - Alexis Hall
Pansies - Alexis Hall
Dark Lover - J.R. Ward
Ro really likes these and I finally gave the first in the series a try. I don't think they're for me but I can see the appeal if you like supernatural romance.
Closing the Loop - Jane Davitt
Waiting for the Flood - Alexis Hall
Pansies - Alexis Hall
Trailer Trash - Marie Sexton
Riptide had a good Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale going on so I bought all the above, from m/m romance writers I generally enjoy.
I bought the Spires collection from Alexis Hall (it's a good deal) and read the last two stories to complete the set. I liked Waiting for the Flood more, it's gentle and sweet and gave me the warm fuzzies.
The Jane Davitt was a bit of a miss for me, mostly because it's too short to let the two strands of the plot (a typical rom-com one, and a much more serious family drama one) really knit together properly and satisfactorily.
The Marie Sexton one reminded me SO MUCH of Eyewitness (the USA tv show) in feel and theme, though with a little bit of role reversal. Set in the 80s in a small, dead-end town in the midwest, two high school boys - the rich new kid, and the local trailer outcast - meet as kindred spirits and battle to finish high school, deal with family drama, and find a way to be together. Good solid read, if a little bit of a downer.
Lord of White Hell (books 1 & 2) - Ginn Hale
Anyone But You - Jennifer Crusie
Welcome to My World - Johnny Weir
Lord of White Hell (books 1 & 2) - Ginn Hale
Enjoyable m/m romance as a boarding school / fantasy mash-up, which are things I really like, so it worked for me while reading, though I struggled to remember it well after finishing.
Anyone But You - Jennifer Crusie
I found a trove of Crusie books that I thought I'd read, but none of the summaries sound familiar. So just working my way through these. Anyone But You features an older woman who's left a loveless marriage and moves in above a hot, younger doctor trying to make his own way against the wishes of his strong-willed family. They bond over her escape artist of a dog, late-night hot drinks, and a love of b-movies. Sweet and a very easy read as Crusies tend to be!
Welcome to My World - Johnny Weir
I've owned this for a while but finally got around to reading it after finishing Yuri! on Ice. Makes a good companion to Be Good Johnny Weir as well. At times a little cringey but also quite compelling given that he's very honest about his shortcomings as a skater and competitor, and very self aware discussing the persona and image he carries, whether of his own making or not.
How many books read in 2016?
74 - up again from last year! I think I was aiming for 75 so close enough...
Fiction/Non-Fiction ratio?
68 F : 6 NF
Male/Female authors?
14 M : 40 F
Most books by a single author?
8 from Mary Balogh
5 from Dick Francis
...no surprises there!
Favourite book(s) read?
The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University by Kevin Roose
Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie (the whole Imperial Radch series as a whole also)
Honourable mentions
The Dreyfus Affair by Peter Lefcourt
The Edge by Dick Francis
The Arrangement by Mary Balogh
Without You, There is No Us by Suki Kim
The Naming of Beasts by Mike Carey
Reflex by Dick Francis
Untamed by Anna Cowan
Least favourite?
Maestra by L.S. Hilton
Believing the Lie by Elizabeth George
Bound to be a Groom by Megan Mulry
Three Truths and a Lie by Brent Hartinger
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Oldest book read?
Dead Cert by Dick Francis (1962)
Newest?
I think it might be Three Truths and a Lie by Brent Hartinger (2 August 2016), beating Cursed Child by 3 days.
Longest book title?
It's either The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University by Kevin Roose; if you don't count the subtitle, then it's The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley by Shaun David Hutchison or Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
Shortest title?
Us by Sarina Bowen, Elle Kennedy
How many re-reads?
A couple - I don't keep count.
Any in translation?
None, though This is Paris by Miroslav Sasek was in Chinese.
How many of this year's books were from the library?
45 - eBooks, downloaded
7 - eBooks, purchased
7 - physical book, secondhand, purchased
7 - borrowed, from library
3 - ebook, free
3 - gifts or other free
1 - borrowed, from others