Reading 9/18
What are you currently reading?
*stares at pile*
As usual, I appear to be in the middle of three books.
One is Sarah Cauldwell's "Shortest Way to Hades", the second book in her delightfully British Hilary Tamar mystery series. This series is notable for the main character's gender never being stated. Always referring to the character as Professor Tamar or Hilary feels a little like a gimmick at times, but I love the collection of characters at 62 New Square, including my Taxes Act obsessed namesake, too much to care. I'm a little sad that these books are going so fast; Sarah Cauldwell died in 2000, so once the fourth is done, there is no more. If you like British lawyers mysteries, you might like this series. The first book was very epistolary in nature.
In my romance binge, I'm reading Amanda Quick's "Crystal Gardens", the first of her Ladies of Lantern Street series. It's very similar in style and tone to the Arcane Society books, but apparently no relation. I'm actually relieved, because I was tiring of keeping track of which books belonged to which series/pseudonyms/etc. I felt like a newbie comic reader that discovered what crossovers and events were.
On the YA side, Melissa De La Cruz and her husband Mike Johnston's "Frozen: Heart of Dread" just came out on Tuesday so I started it over lunch. It has very *odd* worldbuilding in the world is covered by ice and for some reason that prompted magic to develop? (And could publishers/authors/whoever make the title vs series title clearer on covers? This isn't the first time that has happened. The other one was Heather Brewer's "Soulbond", which apparently isn't getting a followup.)
What did you finish reading?
I finished Anka Mulstein's "Elizabeth I and Mary Stuart: On the Perils of Marriage" last week. I'm a little burned out on that period of history for awhile, so I may switch gears. I found it the most interesting in the earlier chapters; I'm more familiar with how things play out after Mary is taken prisoner. Watching Elizabeth outlive both her friends and enemies is both inspiring and heartbreaking, as she loses all the familiar faces of her generation, all the glittering lights that made her era so impressive. What was frustrating was reading the epilogue about their respective legacies and how they were portrayed. The two other queens with similar long reigns, Victoria and Elizabeth II, both distanced themselves from Elizabeth I at different times. They were wives and mothers, whereas Elizabeth never knew that joy.
Two other things I finished: I read Archaia's reimagining of the Cyborg 009 manga waiting the train after Baltimore Comic Con. Dear heavens that is a beautiful book with a clear plastic dustcover and layers of vellum that lines up for a beautiful cover. I loved the art and colors. I wish I enjoyed the actual story more. I don't know whether they were hampered by the original in some way, especially on how few female characters were included.
Tonight I tracked down the Home Improvement: Undead Edition anthology at my local library to read Seanan McGuire's entry, part of her October Daye books. The story "Through This House" fits in between books 4 and 5, but pretty solidly spoils the first three books. This is what happens when Toby visits Goldengreen and being Toby things aren't all what they seem. It did make me take a different look at one character from an early book in a not-so-friendly light, which with faerie isn't all that surprising really.
What do you think you'll read next?
*looks back up at currently reading*
I did luck out when I went for the "Home Improvement" anthology to find Robert Galbraith's "Cuckoo's Calling", so I may give that a second try in print. Listening to the BookRiot podcast, I was intrigued by a book they talked about called "Provenance: How a Con Man and Forger Rewrote Art History" by Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo.
*stares at pile*
As usual, I appear to be in the middle of three books.
One is Sarah Cauldwell's "Shortest Way to Hades", the second book in her delightfully British Hilary Tamar mystery series. This series is notable for the main character's gender never being stated. Always referring to the character as Professor Tamar or Hilary feels a little like a gimmick at times, but I love the collection of characters at 62 New Square, including my Taxes Act obsessed namesake, too much to care. I'm a little sad that these books are going so fast; Sarah Cauldwell died in 2000, so once the fourth is done, there is no more. If you like British lawyers mysteries, you might like this series. The first book was very epistolary in nature.
In my romance binge, I'm reading Amanda Quick's "Crystal Gardens", the first of her Ladies of Lantern Street series. It's very similar in style and tone to the Arcane Society books, but apparently no relation. I'm actually relieved, because I was tiring of keeping track of which books belonged to which series/pseudonyms/etc. I felt like a newbie comic reader that discovered what crossovers and events were.
On the YA side, Melissa De La Cruz and her husband Mike Johnston's "Frozen: Heart of Dread" just came out on Tuesday so I started it over lunch. It has very *odd* worldbuilding in the world is covered by ice and for some reason that prompted magic to develop? (And could publishers/authors/whoever make the title vs series title clearer on covers? This isn't the first time that has happened. The other one was Heather Brewer's "Soulbond", which apparently isn't getting a followup.)
What did you finish reading?
I finished Anka Mulstein's "Elizabeth I and Mary Stuart: On the Perils of Marriage" last week. I'm a little burned out on that period of history for awhile, so I may switch gears. I found it the most interesting in the earlier chapters; I'm more familiar with how things play out after Mary is taken prisoner. Watching Elizabeth outlive both her friends and enemies is both inspiring and heartbreaking, as she loses all the familiar faces of her generation, all the glittering lights that made her era so impressive. What was frustrating was reading the epilogue about their respective legacies and how they were portrayed. The two other queens with similar long reigns, Victoria and Elizabeth II, both distanced themselves from Elizabeth I at different times. They were wives and mothers, whereas Elizabeth never knew that joy.
Two other things I finished: I read Archaia's reimagining of the Cyborg 009 manga waiting the train after Baltimore Comic Con. Dear heavens that is a beautiful book with a clear plastic dustcover and layers of vellum that lines up for a beautiful cover. I loved the art and colors. I wish I enjoyed the actual story more. I don't know whether they were hampered by the original in some way, especially on how few female characters were included.
Tonight I tracked down the Home Improvement: Undead Edition anthology at my local library to read Seanan McGuire's entry, part of her October Daye books. The story "Through This House" fits in between books 4 and 5, but pretty solidly spoils the first three books. This is what happens when Toby visits Goldengreen and being Toby things aren't all what they seem. It did make me take a different look at one character from an early book in a not-so-friendly light, which with faerie isn't all that surprising really.
What do you think you'll read next?
*looks back up at currently reading*
I did luck out when I went for the "Home Improvement" anthology to find Robert Galbraith's "Cuckoo's Calling", so I may give that a second try in print. Listening to the BookRiot podcast, I was intrigued by a book they talked about called "Provenance: How a Con Man and Forger Rewrote Art History" by Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo.