What are you reading in Q1 of 2024?

[Kathi, There’s no such thing as too many books!]

Let us know what you’re reading/listening to during this first quarter of 2024 (January, February, March). All genres welcome here!

[Christina]

I've bee devouring the Blood and Ash Series by Jennifer Armentrout. I'm already on book 3. They're much better than I thought they would be. Mostly fun, but well thought-out. I originally put off reading these thinking they were YA, which I typically get annoyed with, but they aren't. As long as I can contine to get these from the library, im sure I'll have the series done soon.

[Michelle]

I'm in the middle of a re-read of Marko Kloos' military scifi Frontlines series because I was in the mood. I'm a little more than halfway through #6, Points of Impact.

The other day I finished Sharpe's Command, #23 in Bernard Cornwell's historical fiction Sharpe series, and it was highly enjoyable. When I received the eARC from NetGalley, I was a middle-aged granny fangirling all over the place!! That series is in my top five favorites.

[Kathi, There’s no such thing as too many books!]

First half of January:
Mystic Warrior by Tracy Hickman and Laura Hickman was better than I expected, 7.5/10. This first book of The Bronze Canticles introduces us to the three linked worlds of the faeries (and other magical creatures), the goblins (and many mechanical objects and creatures), and humans (and dragons). The main characters in each world are struggling to find safety, truth, and a better understanding of the magic they discover. Because they don’t fully understand how the magic works and its consequences, neither does the reader, which was frustrating. Themes of love, loyalty, ambition, and power run through the narrative.

Cardington Crescent by Anne Perry, 8/10. Two seemingly unrelated murders and a cast of suspects with secrets galore, amidst a vivid backdrop of Victorian London. Thomas and Charlotte Pitt eventually figure it out, even as the case strikes chillingly close to them.

A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle, 7/10. While I loved the aspect of the ancient Welsh/American Indian connection echoing through the centuries, the story itself was a little hard to follow because of the jumps through time and the similar names being used for characters in all those various episodes. There are far more fantasy elements than one might expect in a book generally classified as science fiction.

Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler, 10/10. Never a dull moment in this book! The author does an amazing job of making this world real (of course, it is absolutely terrifying how close to reality some of it is!) and creating complex, believable characters. Unlike the first book in this duology (Parable of the Sower), this book is written from 3 very different perspectives—Lauren Olamina, her half-brother Marc, and her daughter Larkin/Asha. Each POV carries its own truths, its own burdens and betrayals, its own hopes and dreams.The story is heartbreaking, frightening, inspiring, brutal, hopeful. The poetry of Earthseed: The Books of the Living is simple and profound and those verses will stay with me. This book, written in 1998, hits awfully close to home in 2024. Here are 2 quotes that stopped me cold: From one of Presidential candidate Andrew Steele Jarrett’s campaign speeches, ”Help us to make America great again.” And from the interview with the author that was included in the book, ”Sometimes the only thing more dangerous than frightened, confused, desperate people looking for solutions is frightened, confused, desperate people finding and settling for truly bad solutions.” Jarrett’s administration as President was a nightmare for the country.

In audiobooks, I finished the short story Out of the Mirror, Darkness by Garth Nix (5/10) and have moved on to Undercover by Tamsyn Muir. These are part of an Amazon Originals collection called Into Shadow.

[Ben]

I am reading Deadhouse Gates by Steven Erikson and The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson. I’m nearly finished with DG and really enjoying it, especially the final part. FE is solid enough. Very easy to read but reading it side by side with DG some of the cliches in the plot and characters are a bit more obvious. Not a bad book at all just very different to DG and hard not to compare the two.

[Amelie]

I've read The Book of the Ancestor trilogy by Mark Lawrence and absolutely loved it. Definitely want to read more of his books.

Also hoping to continue the Throne of Glass series, I think book 5 would be next for me but lost a bit of momentum.

Blood Song by Anthony Ryan is also on my list for March as it has been recommended by my husband.

[Kathi, There’s no such thing as too many books!]

Amelie wrote: "I've read The Book of the Ancestor trilogy by Mark Lawrence and absolutely loved it. Definitely want to read more of his books. "

Our group read this trilogy last year. Feel free to read our discussion & add your comments. Here’s a link to the folder.
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...

[Kathi, There’s no such thing as too many books!]

Here’s what I’ve read since mid-January:

Short fiction (audiobooks):
The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E. Harrow, 8/10
The Garden by Tomi Adeyemi, 2/10
Persephone by Lev Grossman, 7.5/10
The Candles Are Burning by Veronica G. Henry, 5.25/10
What the Dead Know by Nghi Vo, 6/10
Falling Bodies by Rebecca Roanhorse, 8.5/10

Novels:
The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi, 10/10
To the Sky Kingdom by Tang Qi Gong Zi, 4/10
Mystic Quest by Tracy Hickman and Laura Hickman, 6.75/10
Many Waters by Madeleine L'Engle, 5/10
All the Seas of the World by Guy Gavriel Kay, 10/10
The Last Emperox by John Scalzi, 7.5/10
Silence in Hanover Close by Anne Perry, 7.5/10
Bethlehem Road by Anne Perry, 7/10
Highgate Rise by Anne Perry, 7/10
Where the Desert Meets the Sea by Werner Sonne, 9.5/10
Belgrave Square by Anne Perry, 8/10
Night Angels by Weina Dai Randel, 7.75/10

I have been traveling for 4 weeks, so I took paperbacks that I could leave behind in airports or hotels, and also read ebooks in my iPad. Now that I’m back home, I can get back to more SF & Fantasy books.

[Kathi, There’s no such thing as too many books!]

I finished up a few more books before the end of this month:
Mystic Empire by Tracy Hickman & Laura Hickman, 6/10
An Acceptable Time by Madeleine L'Engle, 6.5/10
Pride of Kings by Judith Tarr, 10/10
Farriers' Lane by Anne Perry, 9/10

Short fiction on audio:
Just Out of Jupiter's Reach by Nnedi Okorafor, 8/10
Void by Veronica Roth, 8.5/10
In Bloom by Paul Tremblay, 5.75/10