Pick-a-Shelf discussion
Pick-a-Shelf: Monthly
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2019 - 12 - Fantasy - What did you read?
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Mod
★★
I won this book in a giveaway a long time ago (according to GR, I added the book in Feb 2014 so it's so overdue to be read!). Self-pubbed and again, according to GR, only 7 people have read it (including me). There isn't enough stats for 'MPG' to be generated but this book is definitely an historical fantasy -set in a totally different world with somewhat medieval feel though women aren't undermined at all.
Only 2 stars because even if it was an easy read, I feel that there's something missing. I feel that the author is trying to cram a lot of things into this 1 book and characters being killed off possibly because she just can't fit their arcs into the book & therefore, convenient. And that ending, *sighs* I. just. can't.
What I did like is the friendship in this group of characters and of course, the MC, Pika. She's brave but of course, it is all a mask covering her fears.
This was my 3rd last book for MM19
Nominating speculative-fiction
Mod
★★★★
So much fun!! I haven't read an urban fantasy with werewolves for a while so this was a good romp especially when the protag is such a colourful character too. And because I follow the author on insta (& have seen her in person at a number of events), I keep imagining the author in the place of the protag (mostly because of description of hair colour). Will definitely pick up book 2.
This was supposed to be my last MM19 book but because I DNF 1, this became 2nd last :)
Nominating kick-ass-heroines
Mod
★★★★
I loved Tamora Pierce's worlds and I just can't get enough of them. I have to admit being a bit behind with her books and I didn't quite realised that she's still writing until the last few years... I don't know why that is since I'm on GR all the time, I should've been able to keep up with her writing. In any case, her first series Song of the Lioness is an all time fave for me and so far, everything I've read of hers, I've loved. I find that I'm somewhat used to her prose and it feels like a comfort read
My last MM19 book!
Nominating girl-power
Mod
Read Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (Dirk Gently #1) by Douglas Adams
★★★
I tried reading this once before and gave it up as a bad job. I just got so confused (looked so different from the tv series?! and even now that I've read the whole book, I still could not connect them together). I found that I've forgotten most of what I've read previously but maybe it's the right timing because even if I got a little confused to start with (lots of characters & povs and a couple of them were 'unknowns'), I caught on right quick and found that I enjoyed the reading after all. Just a tad disappointed the time travel aspect was not actually a very small part in this book...? Like an extended intro? I'll definitely be looking to pick up the sequel.
My first Bookopoly - Travel Ed
Nominating time-travel
Read The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater★★★
I really liked the heroine, Blue. She's a wonderful character who managed to have personality and interesting thoughts. I also generally enjoyed the other characters and came to care about them during the story. Unfortunately, the magic here was a little to heavy for the book. The sleeping Welsh King/ley line/talking trees just overwhelmed the story for me. I didn't have patience for the way the magic developed, nor was I that taken with the ending. I don't think I'll be continuing with this series for that reason.
Will Patton does a great job with the narration for the audiobook, so this is a good one to pick up in that form.
Nominating Witches
I read The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen★★½
I only heard of Sarah Addison Allen a couple of years ago (via goodreads), she has a lot of enthusiastic fans! I've read a few of her books now and find them all much the same, they are totally fine, easy to read and inoffensive. They don't blow my mind though. Like her other books, this was set in small town north Carolina and focused on a young woman from a wealthy family. There are elements of magical realism but it's mostly about romance and female relationships (mother-daughter and friendship). This book touched on issues like eating disorders and domestic violence but didn't really go into depth. The paranormal aspects I found most interesting were barely elaborated at all.
So I recommend if you want a light easy read.
I'll second the nomination for time travel if I may
Mod
I found this bit of the book a bit mucky too
Read Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary by Brandon Mull★★★★
My kids (ages 10 and 7) continue to be completely engaged with this series and we've moved immediately to Book 5. I enjoyed this installment the most of all, which is saying something because often, as the adult reader, I'm tired of a middle-grade series by book 4.
To be clear, this is a middle grade book. Not a young adult book that's really for adults. Not an adult book that's suitable for kids. The plotlines are straightforward and move ahead chronologically. Things are spelled out to make sure that middle-grade kiddos can figure out what's happening. That's not to say there's not plot twists--this book has a good one. Recommended for fourth to sixth graders who are good readers and to parents willing to read fantasy to younger readers.
Nominating Time travel
Read Assassin's Fate by Robin Hobb★★★
This is the 3rd book in the series. I enjoyed the series. It was fun to see some of the old characters again. It is well written and was hard to put down. There is a lot of action in the book. However, I did not like the ending. Hence the 3 stars. I would give the series 4 stars overall.
I second the nomination of: Time travel
Used for:
- read-a-thon
- Pick-n-mix - Stage 10: Authors
I read The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter.
This was a beautifully-written collection of modern and artistic fairy tale adaptations. Angela Carter can write, that's for sure. My favorites were "The Bloody Chamber" and the "Lady of the House of Love."
4.5 Stars
I nominate short stories.
I read The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell★★★½
I thought it was just the right amount of spooky. A few tingles but not keeping me awake at night! The "companions" were interesting, sort of wooden carvings of people, something I've never heard of before. I liked that the ghost story element was subtle, you never really know for sure if it's real or not. I also liked reading about the two historical periods - the 1860s and the 1640s.
So I liked a lot, why did I only give it 3.5*? I'm not sure actually, I guess I felt the ending was a bit weak and my initial interest waned as the book went on.
I nominate short stories
Mod
I saw the third book at the shops the other day and it made me realised that I've completely missed book 2! I wasn't sure if I was going to continue with this trilogy because book 1 was kinda traumatic. It was one of the goriest books I've ever read - 1 specific horrific incident is stuck in my head and it's sort of the only thing I remember of that book. That means I started reading this book (book 2) without remembering who's who... thankfully, it was quite easy to get into and after 50 pages or so (multiple povs) I became familiar with these characters & this world again.
There is NO mercy to be had though. This book is mostly about the siege of a city and battles are fought continuously throughout the book so again it's a very bloody book. Definitely not for the faint-hearted. I will finish up the trilogy.
Nominating high-fantasy
I read The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman ★★★★It's been a long time since I read the first instalment in this series, The Invisible Library... 2 years, to be exact 😱 So as you might imagine, the story was a bit blurred in my mind - but things came back to me while I was reading.
I love the universe(s) Cogman creates, I love the Library and the vital role it has in this universe. There are several references to books, both real and fictional ones, and in general it cannot be denied that this is a novel for book-lovers.
As in the first book, the protagonists travel across different worlds in alternate realities, all of which are interesting and well constructed. The plot is gripping and you come to love all of the characters. Especially the main ones, of course.
This was just as fun as the first book, and I'm looking forward to reading the other books in the series (hopefully not 2 years from now).
I've also used this book for Bookopoly.
My nominated shelf: Europe
I read Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo and rated it *4 STARS*.I thought this was really good. I took me a minute to get into it. There were a lot of characters to learn and I was listening on audio so I had to get the book to help me a bit with that part. But eventually I got into things and the story was interesting and exciting and suspenseful. When they got to the ice court, I felt like a ball of nerves wondering if they were going to make it.
I will definitely continue with this series and I think I will go back and read the Grishaverse books as well because I think it may have been helpful to be familiar with that world prior to reading this book.
I liked the audio because I liked have the full cast of characters narrating their respective parts.
Keeping in line with the fact I listened to this one, I'll nominate: Audiobook
I read the illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling and gave this 5*s.
I have read this book at least twice but this was the first time I picked up my illustrated copy and the pictures are just amazing. Jim Kay has done an excellent job in capturing the magical heart of this book. I would also highly recommend the Kindle version as parts of the illustrations move!
I will nominate : Poetry
I have read this book at least twice but this was the first time I picked up my illustrated copy and the pictures are just amazing. Jim Kay has done an excellent job in capturing the magical heart of this book. I would also highly recommend the Kindle version as parts of the illustrations move!
I will nominate : Poetry
I read The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern ★★
I love the Night Circus and have been looking forward to Erin Morgenstern's next book. Maybe my expectations where too high? It was very hard for me to get into the book. I never was swept away by the story. Probably because the story is confusing. For a long time I had no idea what was going on, and still don't. This probably is the kind of book you need to read twice to be able to understand it. Which I won't do. There are many short stories in the book, which interrupt the main plot. It annoyed me, since not all stories seems to be relevant for the rest. I kind of liked the ending, but this book left me feeling confused.
Used for bookopoly
I'd like to niminate: Romance
I read The Neverending Story by Michael Ende★★★
I loved the first half of this, but I found that the second half just went around in circles with nothing much happening. Then when I thought about it later, I realised that to be a hero in this book you have to be male. The few female characters (even the empress) are totally passive. So that knocked off a couple of stars. But there are some wonderful ideas in that first half.
I don't want to nominate a shelf. I think the idea of having to nominate a shelf has been putting me off posting in the monthly threads this year... which probably doesn't make any sense, but hey...
Mod
I'm sorry you feel this way, Rosemary... if you don't want to nominate, you don't have to but the option is there should you feel incline to, one day :)
I read Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George★★★
This is a retelling of the twelve dancing princesses. The characters were undevelopped. Yet it was a sweet story which I liked. I don't think I'll continue the series though.
I've used this for bookopoly.
Nominating high-fantasy
Tien wrote: "I'm sorry you feel this way, Rosemary... if you don't want to nominate, you don't have to but the option is there should you feel incline to, one day :) "Thanks Tien! I know it's a bit crazy and it's only me feeling I must do all possible steps to do something "properly"
My challenge for next year will be to let go of this and do most of the shelves without feeling I need to do all or nothing :)
Mod
And also, others have sometimes skip nominating any shelves :)
I haven't been doing the monthly shelves because I've been focusing more on reading through the books I own and most of them don't fit those shelves. But Fantasy and Sci-Fi are my favorite genres, so I had to do at least one for this month.Anyway, I read The Blue Roan Child. ★★★★
This was certainly meant for younger readers (I'd say middle grade), but it was still an interesting story. Syeira is a young orphan who develops a bond with a special horse she calls Arwin. And so they journey across the land on a mission to rescue Arwin's colts from the horse trader who bought them. While I did enjoy the story, I think I would have enjoyed it more as a child because I would have been more able to relate to Syeira, as a young girl who wished to go on adventures with magical horses.
I used this for Bookopoly, Found, and Pick 'N' Mix: Stage 12.
I nominate Time Travel.
I read A Curse Dark as Gold★★★★
I love fairy tale retellings. This book examines the story of Rumpelstiltskin, but gives the unnamed Miller's daughter the lead role (and a name--Charlotte). The book is set in the early part of the Industrial Revolution and tracks the world changing from water wheels to steam power and the way that will change the mill and wool industry. Also at play is the way that the superstitions of the villagers are starting to fall away to scientific inquiry, but still hold a grip. And of course, this being a fairy tale, the superstitions turn out to have the key to defeating the curse from the title.
Often, finding a satisfying ending is the most tricky part of a book, and it's magnified by a fairy tale where the ending has to feel both satisfactorily true to the story and fresh enough to make the retelling worthwhile. This book manages this nicely.
The reader for the audiobook did a great job.
I used this for Bookopoly.
I nominate short stories.
Visions of Sugar Plums by Janet Evanovich3 stars
If you like a a funny, fluffy Christmas mystery sprinkled with magical realism then this may well be for you. Nothing brilliant, but at times laugh out loud funny (so there's that--it is no mean feat to make me laugh in almost every single book I've read by an author, even if some of the jokes have grown stale).
A new character, Diesel, is introduced in this in-between book--I already "met" him when I read a different holiday one, and it's Diesel plus a couple of other characters that bring this magic stuff into the picture. Personally, it was a bit of a stretch for me to see this in the Stephanie Plum books, but then I'm not much on magical realism.
That said, it's a bit silly, I think, but fun if you go for this stuff. Ignore the fantasy shelving--this isn't actual fantasy genre, but I'm using it for that somewhere and more than three score people have shelved it that way (it is technically fantasy, but not what I call fantasy stuff.)
I also nominate Europe https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
Mod
I nominate Time Travel
[Also, Tien, I noticed on the shelf list that "Refugess" is listed, expiring 1/26. I think it must be a typo for "Refugees."]
I read The Bees by Laline Paull★★★★
This is a story about bees. The characters are all bees living in a hive. An interesting and creative premise. The story line wasn't as strong as it could have been, but it was enough to keep me reading.
I'll nominate Environment
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern★★½
There was some beautiful magical imagery in this novel. But there was too much going on and the story just didn't work. It kept moving sideways instead of forward and by the end I just didn't care any more. Plus I found the characters annoying!
Used for Bookopoly
I nominate Japan
I read The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson★★
This is about Fatima (a royal concubine) and Hassan (a cartographer). Hassan has got a special abbility. This book was not at all what I expected. It's more a historical novel than fantasy. The book was long winded and there was very slow.
Used for bookopoly
I'll nominate Time Travel
Mod
It is a story of the pain of loss of family and home and the disrespect of a one's group because of who they are. This book does not have a well tied up ending that is all flowers and rainbows. It ends with a question mark. What happens next? What does this outcome mean for everyone?
It is the story of many people. It is the uncertain future of all of us and our choices. What a wonderful book to end the year on...a real thought-provoker!
I gave it a good solid 4*.
Used for bookopoly.
I'll nominate Paranormal
I read Firedrake (1989) ★★★½ (also useful for Seriously Serial '19).The book has many aspects in common with other fantasy books of the time: The orphan of unknown origin working in a tavern, contacted by black knights and powerful wizards, the damsel in distress that's also a beautiful sorceress, taking a leaf or two from Tolkien... But the result is not a mere combination of tropes: there's an original quality to the whole story, a quirk in some of the events described, that makes you keep reading.
The premise is interesting: Dragon kings walking around looking like human knights, having a secret meeting and scheming; humans wanting to be free; powerful mages (and the Gryphon) choosing sides. But all these elements were hardly explored... The book is short and easy to read, but that was achieved by sacrificing world building and character description, to a point in which action may jump from city, to region and character rather abruptly, forcing the author to offer tidbits at the weirdest moments. Despite all this, I'll definitely read the next book in the series and hope the details mentioned have been fixed. After all, this one appears to have been his second book and Knaak has written over 60 after this one!
Rating: 3.5 stars
Shelf nomination: Nonfiction
As my last book of 2019, I read The Bear and the Nightingale. ★★★★This was very different from most fairytale retellings I have read before. I enjoyed getting a taste of Russian mythology, though I kept trying to determine whether it was supposed to be a retelling of "East of the Sun, West of the Moon." That phrase was mentioned several times, and although this story mentions some elements from it, it seems very different from the one retelling I have read of this story (Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow).
I used this in Bookopoly, Seriously Serial 2019, and Pick 'N' Mix: Stage 3.
I nominate Science Fiction.
Mod
I nominate Time Travel
Pick-a-Shelf
Books mentioned in this topic
Royal Assassin (other topics)The Bear and the Nightingale (other topics)
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow (other topics)
Firedrake (other topics)
Dragones de fuego (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
G. Willow Wilson (other topics)Erin Morgenstern (other topics)
Laline Paull (other topics)
Janet Evanovich (other topics)
Jessica Day George (other topics)
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What fantasy books did you read? How did you like it?
Do you think fantasy is a form of escapism?
And... if you're curious about the image, here's a link to the website but be careful, you may end up with a lot of books on your tbr ;)
B&N article