Winter Reading Challenge: Book recommendations game

[Lynne]

Ellie wrote: "Lynne wrote: "Ellie,

Wow you have read a lot of good books! I had fun going through your shelves. Here are two of my favorites and two recent reads that I enjoyed, all science fiction..."

Thank y..."

Just looked into Dan Simmons and you’re right - he’s awful! I’m surprised I hadn’t ever seen anything about it. I also didn’t know he had written so many other books. I’ve only read the two Hyperions. Anyway, he’s dead to me now!
Happy holidays and happy reading :)

[Karissa]

Emily wrote: "Karissa,

I love magical realism (and also fantasy *lite*) so I have a few recommendations for.

I see that you already read The Astonishing Color of After, which I loved.

So my r..."

Thanks Emily! The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender sounds right up my alley! I've also added The Sugar Queen to my TBR as it looks like my library has it available as an audiobook.

So, funny that you would recommend The Night Circus to me as I just last week deleted it off my TBR... I tried reading The Starless Sea this month and gave up on it at the 50% mark. Do you think I should give The Night Circus a chance if I didn't connect with The Starless Sea?

[Lieke]

Janell,

I went through your books on GR and came up with a few recommendations:
- La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman, I saw you read the original trilogy. I did too and also enjoyed the first two books in the new trilogy.
- Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton, also the start of a trilogy but this one is a finished series. It is a fun series set in a dessert area.
- Vicious by V.E. Schwab, hard to say something about this book without saying too much. But I enjoyed it very much.
- and I end my recommendations with a stand-alone Stardust by Neil Gaiman. About a star, love and there are pirates and witches do I need to say more ;)

Happy holidays! :)

[Lieke]

Cali wrote: "Hi Lieke!

This is my first time recommending a book to someone so hopefully I compared our read and to be read shelves accurately and you haven't already finished these....

Book #1: [book:Scythe|..."

Thanks Cali I have had the second one in my hands a few times and also have seen the other two, I guess I should just read all of them :)

[Simone]

Karissa, I didn't enjoy Night Circus as much as I wanted. She has a beautiful way of describing scenery and all, but I just couldn't connect with the MCs. I liked the other characters much better. I will give Starless Sea a try, but I'm not going in with the expectation that I will like it more than Night Circus.

[Janell]

Hi Cali,

So sorry I didn't get this done sooner! My recommendations would be ...
#1: Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor - based on mythology from tribes in Nigeria, an American-born Nigerian girl discovers that the mythology is real.
#2: Airborn by Kenneth Oppel - takes place in kind of a steampunk world, and leans to action/adventure on a zeppelin.
#3: A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan - borderline YA, but my absolute favorite so I have to include it. Memoirs of a woman looking back on her youth in a fantasy version of basically Victorian England with dragons. She wants to be a dragon naturalist, but nice young ladies didn't do that sort of thing.
Hard to limit the list to just three! I hope you get the chance to enjoy at least one of them.

[Janell]

Lieke wrote: "Janell,

I went through your books on GR and came up with a few recommendations:
- La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman, I saw you read the original trilogy. I did too and also enjoye..."

Thanks Lieke! I'll try the first two at least, although I think it will be January before I dig down in my to-read pile enough to fit them in.

[Bunny]

Hi Milena, Thanks. I've requested them all from the libraray.

[Milena]

Bunny wrote: "Hi Milena, Thanks. I've requested them all from the libraray."

Awesome, let me know what you think.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Karissa, I've been terrible about checking this thread, so I'm just seeing your question.

I found The Starless Sea to be much more... unwieldy... than The Night Circus. The Night Circus has a plot that is MUCH easier to follow and characters that are more well-rounded... plus I liked the world better. The Starless Sea was beautiful in its writing but definitely hard to follow. If you got through 50% of Starless Sea before quitting it, you'll probably like The Night Circus lol.

[Ellie]

Emily wrote: "If you got through 50% of Starless Sea before quitting it, you'll probably like The Night Circus lol...."

I am so contrary! I liked The Starless Sea so much better, it was nearly a five star for me and I thought it had a plot I could follow...though tbh I have completely forgotten The Night Circus apart from the fact I struggled to get into it much.

[Janell]

Lieke wrote: "Janell,

I went through your books on GR and came up with a few recommendations:
- La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman, I saw you read the original trilogy. I did too and also enjoye..."

Thanks for the Rebel of the Sands recommendation! I finished it a few days ago and enjoyed it enough that I've already recommended it to a friend. It's one that I'm not sure I would have found without your recommendation, and I'm looking forward to the other books in the series (as well as your other recommendations).

[Lieke]

That’s great to hear Janell! 😄