Books read, 2017

[peppermintesse]

Books, 2017

Two posts in one night!

January (3)

Lady Claire is All That by Maya Rodale: The latest in the Cavendish sibling book series. This is all about the "smart sister," and I was as pleased at this one as the rest of them. Silly fluffy brain candy. I like the interaction with real-life genius Babbage.

The Power of Peppermint by L. D. Blakeley: Short gay romance novel, between an older photographer and a younger hairdresser around Christmastime. Since it was so short everything seemed to happen so fast, but I thought it was a lovely little brain fluff read.

Twice in a Lifetime by Rebecca Flanders: Don't laugh, but one of my fave reads as a teenager. It holds up pretty well, to be honest. The only thing that really stands out to me reading it now is the Jennifer/Jason naming pair. Yes, THAT dates the book to the '80s, all right.

February (2)

A Murder in Time by Julie McElwain: Oh, such potential. Such a terrible ending. After a mission goes horribly wrong, forensic profiler and investigator Kendra is swept back to Regency by mysterious means (How? Never mind! *waves hands*) to… solve a serial murder with all of her fancypants modern techniques. And she does. So by the end, you think, "Ah, she'll go back to her time and the timeline will be reset, all of the people who died will not have died…"

Nope. Not what happens. What actually happens is ridiculous beyond description.

Edit: I see through the Goodreads page that this is the first one in a series. I still think the ending is ridiculous.

Degree of Resistance (Pacifica Rising Book 1) by Nicola M. Cameron: The first in a new series, and this one is fantastic right from the start. It's not-too-distant future dystopian-ish US, with a splash of science fiction and a dash of Westworld. In this one, the protagonist, Evie, has a mission to accomplish, but it's just an introduction to a wider world for Evie. I'm very much looking forward to the next book.

March (0)

:(

April (1)

Sockpuppet by Matthew Blakstad: Debut novel by a Twitter acquaintance, it delves into online identity, how much to share is too much, and when does the digital become real? Really liked it, and looking forward to his next book, Lucky Ghost.

May (1)

Mycroft Holmes by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anna Waterhouse (audiobook): Yes, that Mycroft Holmes. And yes, that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. A pleasurable tale of Mycroft's early life; he's a young man of 23 and just starting in the civil service. He's young, fit, engaged to be married… and embroiled in a mystery that takes him to the Caribbean. While not fully answering how he becomes the man we meet in Sherlock's stories, it does provide a little insight. I sense there may be more tales to come.

June (1)

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (audiobook): After a strong start, the story becomes a victim of its own cleverness. I don't want to spoil it, but I feel the complications introduced at a certain point bog the story down unnecessarily. I didn't dislike it, but I just felt unsatisfied at the ending.

July (1)

Shifter Woods: Howl by Nicola M Cameron: A fun, sexy little romp between wolf shapeshifters.

August (3)

The Secret History of Twin Peaks by Mark Frost: Read this in prep for the new season of Twin Peaks. Interesting and fascinating mixture of fiction and fact. Notable for discrepancies with the canon of the show, which left the fans wondering why that was.

The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer by Jennifer Lynch (audiobook): I got this book when it was new and hadn't read it since then; this time it was the audiobook performed by Sheryl Lee. I had forgotten how dark it really was. I'm not sure I had any major revelations with regards to the new season of the show.

"Diane…": The Twin Peaks Tapes of Agent Cooper by Mark Frost and David Lynch (audiobook): Performed by Kyle McLachlan, part sound clips from the show, part new recordings to fill in the back story. It's not very long, and it only goes through season one of Twin Peaks, but it was amusing.

September (2)

Six Four by Hideo Yokoyama: Interesting almost-police procedural, based in Japan. (Translated from Japanese, so there are some awkward language issues occasionally.) There's a large cast of characters with similar names, and it takes a little time to wrap your head around the relationship between the police and the press via the Media Relations office. This centers around the upcoming end of the statute of limitations for a kidnapping and murder (another thing to wrap your head around: murder having a statute of limitations). This book could have done without long stretches of the fight with the press to keep anonymity for victims and perpetrators, though in retrospect I suppose it did help to lay the groundwork for understanding what happens afterwards. I didn't find the ending entirely satisfactory; then again, knowing it's not Western, I had the expectation that it might not all wrap up with a bow.

The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty (audiobook): An interesting, convoluted, complicated story of Ellen (the titular hypnotherapist), Patrick, and Saskia. I don't mean "complicated" as an insult either. It's a good, compelling story with complex, sympathetic characters. I've grown to really like this author, and the Australian settings are nice for a change. I like pulling up a map to see where things are.

October (3)

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty (audiobook): 39-year-old Alice takes a fall in spin class one day and when she comes around, she's lost ten years of memories. It's an interesting look at the small and subtle ways we change over the years, and how we might think of our future selves if we could glimpse that future.

Ready Player One by Ernest Kline (audiobook read by Wil Wheaton): Set some point in the future when a legendary game developer dies and leaves his fortune to the person who can find his final Easter egg. Lots of '80s references. I know this book gets a lot of shit, never mind the upcoming movie, but I really enjoyed it. It was basically a video game quest in book form, made all the more amusing by the fact that it was narrated by Wil Wheaton, nerd king.

The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin: The final book in the Broken Sky trilogy, in which we see mother and daughter come together, we learn more about the stone eaters. A vivid conclusion to the saga.

November (5)

Twin Peaks: The Final Dossier by Mark Frost: This book delivered resolution where Twin Peaks: The Return was less clear. I particularly liked the resolution to Annie's story. Not a happy ending, but a satisfying one.

Lady of Thorns (Two Thrones Book 3) by Nicola M. Cameron: I'm always a sucker for the improbable yet perfect pairing of couples, and this one fits the bill. Amelie's story adds another layer of depth to an already well-developed world of fantasy and magic. The sex scenes are super hot, too--what more could you ask for?

River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey: Predicated by the premise that the proposal to populate the Mississippi with hippos for meat had been passed (a real thing I had never heard of!), this story tells the tale of a rough-and-tumble bunch of "hoppers" who have been hired to get feral hippos out of an area known as the Harriet. The characters are rich and diverse (Latina, black, a gender binary character) and the writing is super snappy.

Taste of Marrow by Sarah Gailey: Follow-up to River of Teeth. A "Kindle Single" (i.e., very short) that is satisfying in some ways but not in others. I hope there's more to this saga soon!

The Fisher of Bones by Sarah Gailey: Standalone that left me very confused at first, as I thought it was a continuation of the hippo-ranching alternate history. It tells the story of a young woman who is ordained the spiritual leader of her people, leading them towards their promised land, and it was very interesting, strange, spooky. I am still not sure what happened at the end. I may have to reread to get a better idea of what it was.

You can also read it online at Fireside Fiction (totally legally).

December (2)

Valence (Confluence Book 4) by Jennifer Foehner Wells: After a rebranding of sorts—the book formerly known as The Druid Gene is now Inheritance (Confluence Book 3)—the tale picks up again with the crew of the Speroancora… interwoven with the tale of a young girl on earth who makes good use of the information sent back by Jane Holloway.  All I have to say is that there had better be more! If this ending is THE ending… there are so many loose ends left undone!

Red Robin and the Huntsman: A Two Thrones Novella by Nicola M. Cameron: This holiday-themed romance finds an Army captain, Duncan, coming face to face with his former fiancée, Roberta, and with feelings that he had long buried. Add to that a little intrigue having to do with the theft of tax revenue and proving it therein…. It's a fun, sexy romp to warm a cold winter night.

Total number: 24

Comments

[trexphile]

I reread Ready Player One a couple weeks ago so that it would be fresh when I see the film. I haven't heard the stuff being said about the book and film, and I'm pretty sure it's probably something I either won't agree with or will find to be blown out of proportion. I really like the book, so I'll see the movie regardless of any bad press it's getting. :)

Seth has always loved and played videogames, so I sent him a copy of the book. He's not really a reader -- the only books he ever read for pleasure were two zombie books -- so he may never read it. This mama hopes he'll at least try, though!