reading update 10/31/2022
Oct. 31st, 2022 08:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
penwallaLots of reviews, but first, some lists!
Library Books:
Currently Reading:
So far it's incredible, but it's also a dense and complicated book that invokes a lot of strong feelings about the evils of colonialism. Like everything else by Kuang I've read, this is a book you nibble, not devour. If I finish it this year I'll be satisfied.
To Read:
There are a LOT of Nov. 1 releases, so I feel comfortable at this point making a list of books I think I'll get through before the year is out.
Okay! Reviews!
April Lady by Georgette Heyer
5/5. This is a reread and an old favorite. One of my favorite romances, with the caveat that Heyer will casually include anti-semitism. It's not as egregious as The Grand Sophy, but like...that's not saying much. You can see the direct influence this has had on my writing really clearly.
A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland
5/5. This was shockingly good. One of the most thoughtful, nuanced takes on power differentials in romance that I've ever seen. Worldbuilding is stellar, the romance is a delicious slow burn, and it definitely made me slightly insane, in a good way. Highly recommend. Rowland understands that in a fantasy romance the purpose of the plot is to create situations that forward the romance and she does this masterfully.
Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
5/5. I mean...I knew it would destroy me emotionally, because that's just what these books do. But fuck. Muir does not hold anything back. This is the first book where I think we've actually gotten concrete answers about important shit, and it's also a very necessary look at the actual effect of the Nine Houses and their evil empire. Imo one of Muir's tricks is that every subsequent book zooms out a little more, and NtN provides a welcome counterbalance to the last two book's fixation on necromancy and the mechanism of empire.
Death's Bloom by Lily Mayne
4/5. I'm giving this 4 stars because there's nothing actually wrong with it, but I found it very forgettable. It's in that weird grey zone for me where it's weird but not weird enough? If you want a mindless sexy Bluebeard, this is for you, but personally I felt it was underdeveloped...and it annoys me when so-called dark romances don't lean into it hard enough.
The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan
4/5. I wish this was a whole novel, because it feels like it happens so fast, and I've read the synopses of the actual books in the series and none of them look this interesting.
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
3/5. Eh...it's fine, I guess. Nothing special. And not great about women or minorities.
How To Bang A Billionaire by Alexis Hall
4/5. Very mixed feelings about this one, as a certified 50sog scholar. I am fundamentally incapable of really rooting for asshole billionaire protagonists at this point, unless the plot is about them dismantling the systems of exploitation that made them billionaires. But I think Hall does a masterful job of responding to 50sog here.
You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey by Lacey Lamar and Amber Ruffin
5/5. I've been back into nonfiction lately and I thought this was an important look at a problem it's easy to miss if you aren't black and haven't spent time training yourself to see microaggressions. Very funny, but also sobering.
From Hollywood With Love: The Rise and Fall (and Rise Again) of the Romantic Comedy by Scoot Meslow
5/5. I picked this up on a whim at the library and really enjoyed it, despite being quite unfamiliar with most of the movies! It's obviously written with love for the genre, and does a great job of breaking down the history and the future of romcoms in a witty and accessible way.
Sticks and Stones by Catherine Fletcher
4/5. A short story, paranormal mlm romance, just in time for Halloween. I am biased as the author and I are friendly. But I thought it was sweet and spooky and full of lush description.
Library Books:
- The Trouble With White Women: A Counterhistory of Feminism by Kyla Schuller
- Time Is a Mother by Ocean Vuong
- Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun
Currently Reading:
- Babel by R. F. Kuang
So far it's incredible, but it's also a dense and complicated book that invokes a lot of strong feelings about the evils of colonialism. Like everything else by Kuang I've read, this is a book you nibble, not devour. If I finish it this year I'll be satisfied.
To Read:
There are a LOT of Nov. 1 releases, so I feel comfortable at this point making a list of books I think I'll get through before the year is out.
- SVSSS Vol. 4
- Into The Riverlands by Nghi Vo
- Ocean's Echo by Everina Maxwell
- A Restless Truth by Freya Marske
- Paris Daillencourt Is Going to Crumble by Alexis Hall
Okay! Reviews!
April Lady by Georgette Heyer
5/5. This is a reread and an old favorite. One of my favorite romances, with the caveat that Heyer will casually include anti-semitism. It's not as egregious as The Grand Sophy, but like...that's not saying much. You can see the direct influence this has had on my writing really clearly.
A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland
5/5. This was shockingly good. One of the most thoughtful, nuanced takes on power differentials in romance that I've ever seen. Worldbuilding is stellar, the romance is a delicious slow burn, and it definitely made me slightly insane, in a good way. Highly recommend. Rowland understands that in a fantasy romance the purpose of the plot is to create situations that forward the romance and she does this masterfully.
Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
5/5. I mean...I knew it would destroy me emotionally, because that's just what these books do. But fuck. Muir does not hold anything back. This is the first book where I think we've actually gotten concrete answers about important shit, and it's also a very necessary look at the actual effect of the Nine Houses and their evil empire. Imo one of Muir's tricks is that every subsequent book zooms out a little more, and NtN provides a welcome counterbalance to the last two book's fixation on necromancy and the mechanism of empire.
Death's Bloom by Lily Mayne
4/5. I'm giving this 4 stars because there's nothing actually wrong with it, but I found it very forgettable. It's in that weird grey zone for me where it's weird but not weird enough? If you want a mindless sexy Bluebeard, this is for you, but personally I felt it was underdeveloped...and it annoys me when so-called dark romances don't lean into it hard enough.
The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan
4/5. I wish this was a whole novel, because it feels like it happens so fast, and I've read the synopses of the actual books in the series and none of them look this interesting.
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
3/5. Eh...it's fine, I guess. Nothing special. And not great about women or minorities.
How To Bang A Billionaire by Alexis Hall
4/5. Very mixed feelings about this one, as a certified 50sog scholar. I am fundamentally incapable of really rooting for asshole billionaire protagonists at this point, unless the plot is about them dismantling the systems of exploitation that made them billionaires. But I think Hall does a masterful job of responding to 50sog here.
You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey by Lacey Lamar and Amber Ruffin
5/5. I've been back into nonfiction lately and I thought this was an important look at a problem it's easy to miss if you aren't black and haven't spent time training yourself to see microaggressions. Very funny, but also sobering.
From Hollywood With Love: The Rise and Fall (and Rise Again) of the Romantic Comedy by Scoot Meslow
5/5. I picked this up on a whim at the library and really enjoyed it, despite being quite unfamiliar with most of the movies! It's obviously written with love for the genre, and does a great job of breaking down the history and the future of romcoms in a witty and accessible way.
Sticks and Stones by Catherine Fletcher
4/5. A short story, paranormal mlm romance, just in time for Halloween. I am biased as the author and I are friendly. But I thought it was sweet and spooky and full of lush description.
