What are you reading in Q2 of 2024?

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

Let’s hear what you’ve been reading this quarter (April, May, & June) in 2024. All genres welcome here! What did you like? Dislike? Tell us all about it!

[Casey Friedmann]

He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan was the first I read starting in April. It's the second in a duology, starting with She Who Became the Sun. They're amazing, read them.

Next came The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. This one comes from my "friends" category, because a good friend of mine once talked about how much she adored this book. It's okay, I guess, but feels really preachy.

Our read for the month, A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab came next.

Followed by Lord of the Flies by William Golding. I have a category called "obligation" that are basically books everyone and their brother has read and get referenced all the time, but I've never read before and probably should have if I'm really gonna go forward with this getting-my-doctorate-in-English thing. The book was... a lot. I think I'm still digesting it. It made me supremely uncomfortable the whole time, but I suppose that was the point.

Lastly, I just finished Wild Is the Witch by Rachel Griffin. It was a wonderful book. Not life changing, but I definitely liked a bit of the world-building and the limitations there were on magic, making it more of a force of nature than something going against nature.

Next few books coming up are:
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (obligation)
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

[Christina]

I just finished Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. This book was very strange and I felt the author left a lot of unanswered questions.

I started reading The Book That Wouldn’t Burn. I'm only about 10% of the way through the book, but so far I like it.

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

I had a busy April so far…

I read:
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab, 9/10. My comments are in our discussion folder for this series.
Burr by Gore Vidal, 8.25/10. Certainly a different view of the early history of the US than the one I learned years ago in school. Lengthy, detailed, readable, entertaining, disturbing, and, in some ways, a little too close to current political reality.
The Hyde Park Headsman by Anne Perry, 9/10. A thoroughly satisfying mystery in her Charlotte & Thomas Pitt series.
Queen City Jazz by Kathleen Ann Goonan, 7.5/10, book 1 in the Nanotech Quartet. I feel like this is a book that couldn’t quite decide what kind of story it wanted to tell—a young girl’s coming of age, or a quest to save a city, or a treatise on the nature of consciousness, or a story of conflicting world visions, or a dystopian tale of nanotech run amok, or a love story—and just what is love, or perhaps a perspective on our attitudes toward death… You get the idea—the plot was just being pulled in too many directions, as if the author had all these fantastic ideas and rather than pare them down to a manageable few, she tried to weave them all into a rather unwieldy story that suffered from uneven pacing and tone. Yet the characters were interesting, even as they sometimes metamorphosed into other characters, and the world-building was well done. The reader was fully immersed in Shaker Hill, Dayton, the voyage to Cincinnati, and the Queen City itself, in all its weirdness. Along the way, I learned a lot about bees and, while not a jazz aficionado, I could appreciate the importance of music and dance as a means of emotional expression and communication with others. I plan to continue the series.
Empire in Black and Gold by Adrian Tchaikovsky, 9.25/10. As the first book in a long series (10 books), one expects a lot of world-building, introduction of characters, and stage-setting, but there is plenty of action as well. This is Tchaikovsky’s first published book but, to me, doesn’t read too much like a first novel. I was fascinated by the various kinden and their traits, both physical and psychological. It makes it possible for the author to include some commentary on different forms of racism without taking the reader out of the story. I am curious about how the various kinden developed, and how some of the kinden became Apt but apparently didn’t lose their Art. Obviously, I’m in for a long ride, but this first installment was excellent. As for individual characters, I was most drawn to Stenwold, Che, and Thalric.

I also listened to:
The Bookstore Sisters by Alice Hoffman, 7/10. A bit predictable, but still, a good story. A few plot holes bothered me.
The Prince and the Troll by Rainbow Rowell, 8/10. Short but bittersweet. I would have loved more backstory, but then, that’s almost always true with short stories.
The Princess Game by Soman Chainani, 4.25/10. This is exactly what I dislike about short stories—it’s like reading/listening to one chapter of a book without getting the whole story. Not enough time to distinguish one character from another and make them seem real, to delve into the dynamics at play, or really, bring the story to a satisfying conclusion.
Hazel and Gray by Nic Stone, 6.5/10. I found it hard to connect with the characters (Hazel was far too compliant, which she herself admitted repeatedly; she was lucky that Gray was creative and bold in his thinking), but I will say this was an unusual twist on the Hansel & Gretel fairy tale of my childhood. Definitely not a children’s tale.
The Cleaners by Ken Liu, 8/10. For a short story, this managed to feel fairly complete. Yes, it’s just an episode in the lives of the 3 main characters, but we learn a lot about each of them as they learn about themselves.

[Stephanie]

I'm trying to get through . The City of Dusk by Tara Sim was a slow build and I hung in there but I'm finally invested in the story.

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

May reads so far:
Traitors Gate (9/10) and Pentecost Alley (7.5/10), both by Anne Perry, part of her Charlotte & Thomas Pitt mystery series.
Daughter Of Silence by Morris L. West, 6/10. While the legal case and its psychiatric aspects were complex, and the historical background of the case was interesting, the characters were not very likable. They definitely were not only flawed, but pretty wretched humans, with the possible exception of Professor Galuzzi, Ninette Lachaise, and Fra Bonifacio. Like the main character, Peter Landon, I found myself becoming impatient and struggling to care. Still, the book was well-written, with evocative descriptions and sound research unpinning the legal and psychiatric discussions and strategies.
Mississippi Blues by Kathleen Ann Goonan, 7.5/10. A somewhat more coherent, focused story than the first book in the Nanotech Quartet, but there still are a lot of tangents. The author doesn’t mind leaving a number of things without explanations; I realize there are 2 more books in the series, but there is more “glossing over” than I like. Still, the characters are fascinating, as is the assortment of scientific, technological, and medical developments that permeate this future earth. It ended on a more positive, hopeful note than I’d expected. I learned a lot about the blues and their roots.
A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab, 9/10. My comments are in our discussion folder for this series (Shades of Magic).
Currently reading Dragonfly Falling by Adrian Tchaikovsky for a series discussion in another Goodreads group.

Audio:
The Wickeds by Gayle Forman, 8/10. I thought this was a very enjoyable short story. We see the fairy tale wicked stepmothers (and their daughters and the fairy godmother) in a different light, which is, of course, the whole point. The author manages to tell a story with emotional depth, even in this format, and also pulls off a satisfying ending.
Currently listening to Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune. This will likely take me awhile since I only listen while I walk at the Wellness Center a few times a week.

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

Finished Dragonfly Falling by Adrian Tchaikovsky 9.5/10. A lot happens in this second book of the Shadows of the Apt series: the author sheds more insight into the strengths and failings of the various kinden, includes plenty of intrigue and action, and introduces challenges that are both personal to individual characters and broader to groups of allies and even cities. I think however, there are layers to several kinden that have yet to be peeled away and revealed. (view spoiler)[Several characters end up sorely tested and grievously wounded, yet none have died. While I don’t like to see characters killed off needlessly, neither do I think they should survive when they realistically shouldn’t. (hide spoiler)] Several of the main characters appear to be outliers of their kinden, loners, outsiders, even outcasts. I find that commonality intriguing, but I hope the author doesn’t overuse it. Being a visual person, I would love more maps—a detailed map of Collegium, for example. And drawings of some of the “automotives” and flying machines.

Also finished The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom, 8/10. This is a book that easily could be cloyingly sweet, unbearably trite, or overwhelmingly pretentious. Thanks to the author’s clear vision and honest voice, it’s not.

I’m about half finished with Crescent City Rhapsody by Kathleen Ann Goonan, book 3 in her Nanotech series. I likely won’t finish it before the end of this month.

[Michelle]

I'm knee-deep into Song of the Mysteries. My gosh I'm enjoying the heck out of it!

[Michelle]

Kathi wrote: "Also finished The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom, 8/10. This is a book that easily could be cloyingly sweet, unbearably trite, or overwhelmingly pretentious. Thanks to the author’s clear vision and honest voice, it’s not."

I really liked Tuesdays with Morrie. I've been meaning to read his other works.

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

Michelle wrote: "I'm knee-deep into Song of the Mysteries. My gosh I'm enjoying the heck out of it!"

I am going to reread the books in this series that I’ve previously read (1-8) and then read the final 3. But not for a while…too many other things on the TBR list.

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

Michelle wrote: "I really liked Tuesdays with Morrie. I've been meaning to read his other works."

I likes Tuesdays with Morrie better—as a memoir, a commentary on friendship and dying, it just was so powerful. The Five People You Meet in Heaven was good, but not as powerfully moving.

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

In June I read:
Crescent City Rhapsody and Light Music by Kathleen Ann Goonan, books 3 & 4 in her Nanotech Cycle, 8.5 & 7 respectively on a 10 point scale. The events in Book 3 take place before books 1 & 2, which was a surprise to me. This filled in a lot of holes & laid a good foundation for the events of the first 2 books. Although there was a large cast of characters & settings all over the world, it was, in many ways, a more focused story, more tightly plotted, more maturely written. The events in the final book in the Nanotech series take place after the previous three in time. I loved parts of this book, but it just didn’t come together into a coherent story for me. I give the author credit for writing a unique book (and series), with a number of creative & original ideas. I loved the interplay between music (especially improvisation), light, & mathematics. She was willing to speculate in a number of different directions—nanotech, obviously, but also genetic engineering, medicine, communication, & sociology. The author explored was it means to be alive, to be human, to be family, to be sentient. My main quibble is that the author (& thus, the reader) invests a lot of time & effort into characters & relationships only to let them kind of fall by the wayside. So, great ideas, some very interesting characters, but the pieces just don’t seem to quite fit together, the tapestry isn't woven tightly enough, & so this reader was left a bit dissatisfied.

A Conjuring of Light by Victoria Schwab, 10/10, comments in our group discussion of this series.

Ashworth Hall and Brunswick Gardens by Anne Perry, books 17 & 18 in her Charlotte & Thomas Pitt Victorian mystery series, 7.5 & 9 respectively on a 10 point scale. As always, well-researched, well-written.

Quentins by Maeve Binchy, 9/10. Maeve Binchy is a marvelous storyteller, & this book is just that, a marvelous collection of interlocking stories with a wide cast of characters who have faults & virtues, dreams & schemes.

Blood of the Mantis by Adrian Tchaikovsky, 8/10, book 3 in his Shadows of the Apt series. This installment is less about battles & more about spy missions, although there are still skirmishes of all kinds. It introduces new characters, kinden (the human-insect races that populate this world), & cities, making an already sprawling saga even wider & more complex. Overall, it is also a darker story than the first 2 books. There is a long way to go, however, & many more layers to peel off, before the tale is completely told.

Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune, 10/10. The author explores life, & life choices, through the lens of death, an interesting concept to me, & presents an interesting version of the “afterlife”. The author creates beautiful, multi-dimensional characters & gives the reader reasons to care about each. I liked the way the characters’ sexuality was just matter-of-fact, whether hetero-, homo-, or bisexual. Same with race.