LL's Reading in 2024

Hello! Thought I’d join the fun and try dipping my toe in the reading sea this year. My reading has really slowed down due to a variety reasons, but I usually read a little every day. I read from a variety of genres – SF, Fantasy, and Historicals being some of my favorites -- but am not what I’d call a trendy reader. Normally, I don’t feel compelled to comment on every book or analyze them very closely, but I do like keeping a running list, so here goes:

January

1. Island of Ghosts by Gillian Bradshaw. Historical Fiction about Sarmatians in 2nd century Roman Britain. I picked this up when I discovered that some of her older books are now available in ebook format. Yay!

2. Alphabet of Thorn by Patricia McKillip. Fantasy, written in McKillip’s usual lyrical and dreamy style with interesting themes, but everything works by authorial fiat as often is the case in fairy tale-esque worlds.

3. Njal’s Saga. Multigenerational Icelandic saga spanning 960 – 1020. This is a re-read, this time via audiobook. Audio is narrated by Gunnar Cauthery, who I think uses Icelandic pronunciations for many of the names. Cauthery is a good narrator, but I’m used to different pronunciations for some of these names, which made it harder for me to follow. I will likely never remember how to pronounce some of these names and continue to bungle them!

4. Saga of the Volsungs: With the Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok translated by Jackson Crawford. What I know of both of these stories comes more from historical retellings and pop culture, so it was interesting to finally read both of these in their entirety.

DNF:
Warcross by Marie Lu. YA-Dystopia-Virtual Reality/Gaming. Read 18 chapters (around half the book) and decided I wasn’t in the right mood for it.

Overall: it was a pretty slow month and full of interruptions from family. Also took some vacation time where I didn't read AT ALL.

Hello, >1 ludmillalotaria:! I am so happy that you decided to start a thread. I have had my eye on Alphabet of Thorn, but there are a few of McKillip's ahead of it on my mental TBR list. How are those Icelandic Sagas? I am fascinated by the idea of them, but I do not know if my brain can handle the names. (I have a hard enough time with regular fictional names.)

>1 ludmillalotaria: Welcome to the group! I hope you keep posting.

Like >2 clamairy:, I have Alphabet of Thorn on my list to read this year, since I just finished The Tower at Stony Wood, it will likely be a month or two before I get to it.

>1 ludmillalotaria: Welcome! Alphabet of Thorn was my first McKillip and it remains my favorite. I have only read two others so far, (The Book of Atrix Wolfe and Ombria in Shadow. Both were also good but there was something about the imaginative world-building and magic system of that first experience that has stuck with me.

Character/Place names can make or break a book for me. For instance, I had a tough time with The Goblin Emperor because I found the names to be verbal stumbling blocks peppered throughout the narrative.

Historical fiction... Have you read Hild?

>4 ScoLgo: I was going to mention The Goblin Emperor as well. Those names were rough. The sequels are only easier because the main character stays in one place and doesn't interact with quite so many people. (But even some of those people have names/titles that are disturbingly similar.)

>1 ludmillalotaria: Welcome!

Last summer, I've read my first Patricia McKillip books: The Riddle-Master of Hed and the rest of the trilogy. I really enjoyed the dream-like writing. I had some issues with the third book, but I'd like to read more by her in any case.

Which ones are your favourite historical fiction books?

Welcome! It's great to have you here!
Alphabet of Thorn is one of my favourite McKillip books. And I have a translation of some of the Icelandic sagas on my shelf, waiting for me to pick it up.

Thanks for the welcome, all.

>2 clamairy: I'm not sure why I'm so fascinated by the Icelandic sagas, but I love them (haven't read all of them by any means, but have enjoyed the ones I read over a decade ago). I read an historical late last year that covered some of the 12thC events in the Orkneyinga saga (which I haven't read), but it inspired me to re-read some of these sagas and track down others that I haven't read. The book was Ring Breaker by Jean Gill.

Re comments on Patricia McKillip: I've read the Riddle-Master trilogy and The Forgotten Beasts of Eld (long time ago) and have always intended to read more. I also picked up The Book of Atrix Wolfe and hope to get to that later this year. I think I've got a few more on my wish list.

>4 ScoLgo: I have not read Hild but it has been on my radar since it came out. Definitely interested in reading it someday.

>6 Alexandra_book_life: I enjoy a wide variety of periods in historical fiction, but one of my favorites that has stood the test of time, and just happens to dovetail with the period I've been reading about recently, is Jane Smiley's The Greenlanders.

>1 ludmillalotaria:
Welcome aboard. I look forward to following your reading through 2024. The Icelandic sagas sound interesting.

>8 ludmillalotaria: Both the Riddle-Master series and The Book of Atrix Wolfe are two of my favorites by McKillip. I'm trying to catch up on some of her novels I haven't read, I have one more on hand to read and a few on the list I don't have available yet.

Recent reads:

Mother of Kings by Poul Anderson — fictional biography of Gunnhild, wife of Eric Bloodaxe. The author sticks pretty close to the sagas, historical records, and more realistic legends about Gunnhild and 10th century events, including her famous dislike of Egil Skallagrimsson. The writing has some archaic words and sentence constructions, but it fits the flavor of the sagas. I didn’t think the author overdid it. At times it could be dry and did bog down in the middle of the story. I liked that Gunnhild is depicted as a woman of her time who may commit evil acts but isn’t depicted as someone evil. She’s ambitious for her family and sons, but also could be pragmatic. This straddles the line between historical and historical fantasy, but I’m inclined to think of it as more historical. The fantastical elements (e.g., Gunnhild as a witch who can go into a trance and travel as a sparrow to view events from afar) can be explained by ingestion of herbs and mushrooms and shamanistic rituals. I would give one content warning: in the first part of the story, there is a scene that describes the killing of a pet and assault on two women by outlaws that is unnecessarily over-the-top with the graphic detail. The rest of the violence is similar to battles and blood feuds described in the sagas.

Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho — Fantasy set in an alternate version of Regency England with magic and faerie. Listened to the audio read by Jenny Sterlin. I enjoyed it well enough, but also thought it was fairly predictable and derivative and some aspects could have been fleshed out more.

The Sea Road by Margaret Elphinstone —Historical fiction inspired by the Vinland sagas from the POV of Gudrid, one of the few women who was on the expedition headed by her 2nd husband Thorfinn Karlsefni (some sources have her married 3 times, but in this version she was married first to Thorstein, son of Eirik the Red, and then to Karlsefni). It begins with Gudrid as an old woman who is on pilgrimage in Rome telling her story to a monk who transcribes her tale at the behest of Cardinal Hildebrand. I didn’t really care for the literary writing style, which is more of a monologue with tangents and occasionally switches from chatty 1st person to pan out to an omniscient POV to describe a scene or important moment. Though I could appreciate what the author did with the story of her life, I did not like the tone or the literary writing style, so this was mostly a dud for me. I do wonder if the writing style is typical for Elphinstone. That would make a difference in whether I’d be willing to try something else by the author.

Among the Sea Wolves by Jean Gill. Historical fiction inspired by 12th century events described in the Orkneyinga, with some fantastical elements, such as second sight and dream walking. However, I’m comfortable classifying it as historical as the fantastical elements don’t override what is realistic. This is the 2nd, but not final installment, of the adventures of a skaldic warrior Skarfr and his love interest Hlif as they journey with Rognvald Kali Kollson (later known as Saint Rognvald) to Jerusalem. Other main characters include Skarfr’s two thralls who were left in charge of his estate and provide a view to the politics brewing in Orkney while Jarl Rognvald is away.

>11 ludmillalotaria: Oooh That Midwinter Dragon series looks promising! I might have taken a bullet.

>11 ludmillalotaria: The historical fiction/historical fantasy books sound interesting! I've read Sorcerer to the Crown and had fun with it. I enjoyed Zen Cho's short stories a lot more, though.

This weekend I finished The Invasion of Europe by the Barbarians by J.B. Bury. I think I bought the paperback over 20 years ago and pulled it off the shelf to finally read.

The author was a classical scholar and Medieval Roman historian who died in 1927. This book is based on lectures he gave at Cambridge, covering roughly the two centuries of transition from Roman to Medieval Europe, 375-575 AD, but with some background before those dates. Because these are lectures, there is no overarching narrative drive, and the material jumps from being very in depth to glossing over some events and background figures (assuming you may already know or it is not important to the point he is making in a particular lecture). In fact, I think the author's position on history is that it is a branch of science, not literature, and should be presented as it actually happened. Each chapter could be expanded upon for another book. The book itself is fairly short with 15 chapters (each chapter is a lecture dedicated to a particular subject and period) and comes in just under 300 pages. I don't know how much of its scholarship has stood the test of time, and debates about certain events and figures go back and forth even to this day. I think it's a good book for referring back to and filling in knowledge gaps about this period and certain pivotal figures and events. I also realize I still have knowledge gaps. It's a challenge keeping various tribes and historical figures straight. Unfortunately, my memory is a cluttered mess these days. I forget far more than I ever remember, so occasional refreshers are needed. This book falls in the 'read when I want a knowledge refresher' category.

Since my last post I've completed:

Drums Along the Mohawk by Walter D. Edmonds -- Historical fiction set during the American Revolution about settlers living in the frontier/Mohawk Valley spanning 1776 - 1784. Listened to audiobook read by Mark Bramhall. This is an older book written in the 1930s.

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Nova Bailey -- Saw this on LT's list of NF Animal Books and decided to try on audio, which was read by Renee Raudman. This is short -- a good gentle read or for a change of pace.

The Warm Hand of Ghosts by Katherine Arden -- Historical fiction with a supernatural twist set during WWI. I really enjoyed the author's Winternight Trilogy, but had mixed feelings about this book. The author said she struggled with this book, and I think it showed.

The Man Who Spoke Snakish by Andrus Kivirahk -- An allegorical fantasy set in the forest and villages of Estonia. This is an odd book. Blurber Jurgen Rooste described it this way:

"Somewhere near the realms of fantasy and science fiction there exists a much more thrilling and allegorical form of writing, bending the rules of the genre to suit itself: Atwood's admonitory novels, Vonnegut's attempts to reach outside the bounds of reality and time, Bradbury's philosophical allegory encased within a science fiction story, and so on. The Man Who Spoke Snakish is an allegory about fading eras and vanishing worlds, and laced with a good dose of black humor to boot."

I think the case could be made that this is also in the tradition of such fabulist tales as Calvino's The Aquatic Uncle. The more innocent times and sillier episodes reminded me of a Walter Moers Zamonia novel, but the irreverent, dark humor, violence and absurdities that ramp up in the second half reminded me of a Monty Python sketch or Mel Brooks parody of history. There are also some thought-provoking, poignant moments that brought to mind Time Bandits. Somewhere in there the author manages to address the meaning of life and ebb and flow of cultures destined to have their day and then erode into a mythical, soon to be forgotten past.

>15 ludmillalotaria: How well has Drums Along the Mohawk aged? It's been on my virtual TBR stack for decades. I had not heard about that Katherine Arden book before. I also loved her trilogy, and the ratings for this one are very high. Can you give a wee bit more detail about what bothered you?

>15 ludmillalotaria: I enjoyed The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating. Your description is good. It left me wanting to set up a snail habitat in my terrarium, but I don't need another pet. I have my 3 cats, a bunch of plants, a husband, and Bob, my sourdough starter. That's enough commitments.

>15 ludmillalotaria: I'm curious about Drums Along the Mohawk also, I've driven through that area about 300 times and used to have some property in the area.

>16 clamairy: and >18 Karlstar: I think Drums Along the Mohawk holds up fairly well. The prose is very readable and written in a clear and natural style with the exception of some dialogue here and there that hasn't aged all that well but was typical for its time. The author stated that he was interested in portraying ordinary people as they were rather than larger-than-life movers and shakers on the historical stage. The historical detail is very good. Some characters are more nuanced than others, but none of them are idealized, and most are just trying to survive. I read some reviews that indicated the book is more nuanced than the movie which starred a very young Hank Fonda and which I've never seen (might have to look for it). I would warn readers that there are some racial slurs in the book. For example, some of the characters casually call the black slaves the "n" word, which would probably get edited out if reissued today. For what it is worth, my preference for historical fiction that is meant to be an authentic (or as far as we can ever get) representation of its time should show warts and all, which I think Edmonds did. Some of the events depicted in the book include the Battle of Oriskany and the Cherry Valley Massacre.

>16 clamairy: regarding Arden's book, I felt it had interesting themes, and Arden is a very accomplished writer so the writing itself was fine. However, I was a little dissatisfied with where she took certain characters, how the plot resolved, and had a hard time overlooking a gaping plot hole at the end. I can see why so many reviewers really like it, though, so it's probably a YMMV kind of book.

>17 MrsLee: LOL on the commitments. Last year my youngest daughter took our 11-year old cat to her college apartment. I was looking forward to being cat free. I could travel without worrying about who is going to take care of an animal if I'm gone a week or more. However, at the end of May we found a stray kitten wandering around our property. My older daughter who would be starting grad school in the fall was hoping to make it a companion for her cat (which was only a kitten at that time, too, and around the same age). However, her roommate had a cat and didn't think bringing 2 cats would be a good idea. We kept the stray kitten and now he is a very spoiled, big boy and hard to imagine our household without him.

>19 ludmillalotaria: Cats know a good thing when they see it, even when they are kittens. :)

>19 ludmillalotaria: Thanks for the info. I might give Drums Along the Mohawk a go. My husband was from Schenectady, and I'm sure the book was mentioned by his mother at some point. If I ever saw the movie version I have no memory of it. And I will probably wait on the Arden book for a bit.

Recent reads:

Echo of the Blue Mountain by JF Lee, 4th book in an indie Wuxia/Martial Arts fantasy series. I enjoy the characters and the world the author has developed in this series. There are still more books in the series to come.

Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs. Debut fantasy in a contemporary setting featuring magical libraries and family secrets. Decent, but I thought it had pacing issues with a lot of set up during the first half of the novel and didn't really get going until the 2nd half. This was an audiobook that I borrowed from the library. Audio was narrated by Saskia Maarleveld.

Lydia Bailey by Kenneth Roberts. An older historical first published in the 1940s. The story takes place in early 1800s at the end of John Adam's presidency, beginning of Thomas Jefferson's. It's divided into three main acts: New England, with a plot centered on legal proceedings pertaining to the Alien and Sedition Act and Spoliation Claims; then to Haiti where the main character is looking for the titular Lydia Bailey amidst the Haitian Revolution around the time that French troops arrive; and lastly, a trip to France before getting captured by Barbary pirates and taken to Tripoli. I was of a divided mind about the book. The characterization was frustrating and at times problematic, but the history very interesting and detail quite good despite some frustrating exposition and dialogue. Despite issues, Roberts is quite good at painting a picture with his descriptions of the landscape (his descriptions of some of the people, though, will be problematic and wouldn't pass a sensitivity reader test). Finally, the book is quite bitter in its overriding theme portraying the ignominious and perfidious actions of politicians and governments.

The Walking Drum by Louis L'Amour. The paperback has been on my TBR shelf for years, but I opted to listen to it on audio available via Audible and narrated by John Curless. I haven't read much by L'Amour and imagine the setting (Middle Ages, 12th Century, beginning in 1176) makes this a bit different than most of his oeuvre. Travels take the main character on many adventures from his home in Brittany to Cadiz, Cordova, a caravan of traders traveling across Europe and into Kiev, then to Constantinople, Tabriz and finally to the fortress of Alamut (in Iran) where the the hero hopes to rescue his enslaved father. Some readers felt it was too much of a history lesson, but I enjoyed the wealth of detail in the story as the main character describes the history, customs and much more on each stop in his journey. L'Amour intended to write more adventures about this character, but died before he could write more books. My paperback has a map and an author's note at the end. L'Amour explains his intention: "Unhappily, history as presented in our schools virtually ignores two-thirds of the world, confining itself to limited areas around the Mediterranean, to Western Europe and North America. Of China, India, and the Moslem world almost nothing is said, yet their contribution to our civilization was enormous, and they are now powers with which we must deal both today and tomorrow, and which it would be well to understand." There's also an index providing background on some of the places and historical figures. At any rate, though it may be written to a formulaic beat and the main character is a bit of a Gary Stu (proto-Renaissance man in learning quickly and being good and knowledgeable about so many things), I found it enjoyable as an adventure story, and the real star of the story is the history.

>22 ludmillalotaria: I have Ink blood sister scribe on my TBR pile (the virtual one, as it's on kindle). I will bear in mind your comment about the pacing issues.

>22 ludmillalotaria: I will be on the lookout for The Walking Drum! I didn't realize (or maybe remember) that L'Amour had written a book about that part of the world. Having read his autobiography Education of a Wandering Man, I know that he loved history, and his research before writing was intense. He talked a little about his personal library and I would have loved to wander in it.

>22 ludmillalotaria: >24 MrsLee: Good reads, I think you've sold me on Drums Along the Mohawk and The Walking Drum.

>24 MrsLee: L’Amour’s autobiography sounds interesting! Might have to look for it at some point.

Recent Reads:

The Red Crest series by Fred Yu, currently 1 prequel short story that establishes the backstory for 3 POV characters and 2 books: The Orchid Farmer's Sacrifice and The Commoner's Destiny. I assume this will be a trilogy and a 3rd book will be forthcoming, but haven't found any updates at the author's website. This is a wuxia/historical fantasy/martial arts series. I'm interested in finding more wuxia authors available in English and ebook format that are in the tradition of authors like Jin Yong, but what I more commonly find are progression/cultivation fantasies with Asian influences. I've read what I can find available in English by Jin Yong (really enjoyed his Legend of the Condor Heroes, which started my interest in exploring more in this genre).

The Golden Slave by Poul Anderson. Picked this up because I found it at Project Gutenberg and was interested in an early work by the author and the historical background, in particular, which is set around 100 BC when the Cimbrians are defeated by the Romans at the Battle of Vercellae. The story follows the adventures of an escaped Cimbrian slave. I guess you could say this is in the tradition of those pulpy sword and sandal books, but the big idea behind it is that the author reimagines the god Odin as based on a deified hero from the past in the form of his Cimbrian main character. Not among the author's best but interesting to me nevertheless. I imagine only fans of the author who want to explore his backlist would be interested in this one.

The Pirate Coast: Thomas Jefferson, The First Marines, and the Secret Mission of 1805 by Richard Zacks. This is non-fiction about the First Barbary War and the life of William Eaton. This was an audiobook.

Marag by Rachel Neumeier. This is a prequel set in the author's Tuyo world and about the parents of one of the main characters from this series. I love the world and many of the characters this author has created and gobble the books up as soon as they are released.

Burning Roses by SL Huang. I was looking for something short to listen to and found this novella on audio at Scribd (now Everand). This is a fairy tale mash-up of Red Riding Hood and the Chinese tale of the archer Hou Yi, with some other recognizable figures from European fairy tales thrown in. The main characters are middle-aged women who kill monsters. I thought it was alright for what it is, but I also didn't think it stood out from the crowd of books like this. The author's recent release of the retelling of the Chinese classic Water Margin has been on my radar, but I decided from this that I'm not interested in pursuing that at this time.

>27 ludmillalotaria: Books by Rachel Neumeier are on my to read list :)

>27 ludmillalotaria: I really enjoyed The Pirate Coast, I thought it was well done.

Recent Reads:

The Eleventh Son by Gu Long, a rather picaresque wuxia/martial arts adventure novel first published in Chinese in 1973. This is the only traditionally published English translation of his work, so I was really surprised to find it at OpenLibrary.

The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan, first book of a planned trilogy. It is described as a Spanish Inquisition-era fantasy inspired by Jewish folklore. I really liked this. Thought it was very original, and it felt different than the usual sorts of fantasies that are popular right now. The worldbuilding is incredibly well done IMO. Some readers found it a little slow, but I found it to be very immersive and enjoyed the characters, several of whom are more than they are aware of or at first seem. There was so much going on in the plot that by the end I felt I really needed to go back and re-read it, but I think that will have to wait until the 2nd book comes out later this year. I'm really looking forward to the next installment.

The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel: Genius, Power and Deception on the Eve of World War I by Douglas Brunt. This is a non-fiction, audiobook about the life of Rudolf Diesel, the development of diesel engine technology, and the unsolved mystery surrounding his death and theories about what happened to him. I knew nothing about Diesel going into this, so it was all very interesting.

I'm reading Sherwood Smith's Phoenix Feather series. This is a 4-book Asian/martial arts adventure inspired series. I finished the first book Fledglings this weekend and swiftly moved on to the next, Redbark. I'm thoroughly enjoying this series and since I have all four books I'll probably be lost in this world for a while (books 2 - 4 are longer than the first).

I stupidly just realized this week that as of Jan 1st, my state began imposing a sales tax on digital products such as kindles and audiobooks. I wondered why my gift card balance was less than I thought it should be! Now I know.

Recent reads:
I finished Sherwood Smith’s Phoenix Feather quartet. The books in the series are: Fledglings, Redbark, Firebolt, and Dragon and Phoenix. I thoroughly enjoyed this series and promptly picked up the two recent releases in the follow-on series, Sagacious, and finished the first book Tribute and have just started the second book Sage Empress I. The Phoenix Feather series is one continuous arc. Tribute takes place several generations earlier and appears to be a self-contained story. The conclusion was very satisfying! Books 2 and 3 in Sagacious are about the first empress of the empire, which is set in a different period than the other books. I recommend these as very immersive books if you enjoy Asian-flavored fantasy worlds, wuxia or historical adventure, and music (as is the case with Tribute).

Other recent reads include:
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir — was looking for a fun audio to read that would hold up to distractions and it fit that need perfectly. The narrator Ray Porter is very good. However, I do think the author has so far shown himself to be a one-trick pony writing the same kind of book with the same kind of main character and escalating life and death challenges solved through science, etc. It’s obviously a formula that works for him!

Ali and Nino: A Love Story by Kurban Said. Personally, I think calling it a love story is a distraction from what it really is (or what I found to be the more interesting aspect of the novel), which is the story of the east meets west cultural mix that existed in Baku, Azerbaijan in the years between 1914 and 1920.

Currently listening to:
The Orientalist: Solving the Mystery of a Strange and Dangerous Life by Tom Reiss. Non-fiction, equal parts biography, history, adventure story, and mystery about the life and times of Lev Nussimbaum who is generally now accepted to have been the author of Ali and Nino. I’ve listened to approximately a third of it and find the history fascinating.

>32 ludmillalotaria: Yes, Andy Weir does one thing: there is a geek, alone, in space, who is solving all the problems the plot comes up with. He also does it quite well, so it works for me. We'll se how long it lasts ;)

>32 ludmillalotaria: >33 Alexandra_book_life: I discovered a while ago that this general idea is called "competence porn".

>34 haydninvienna: Ha ha, I like this expression!

>35 Alexandra_book_life: I discovered the term on Tor.com: see here. A google search gives lots of hits, on all the usual suspects (such as Reddit, Ars Technica and Lifehacker). But see MrsLee's interesting response here.

>36 haydninvienna: Loved your discussion! I think it made my day :))))))

>32 ludmillalotaria: >33 Alexandra_book_life: I do believe Weir's other novel, Artemis, is nothing like the other two, except being set on a body in space. He's definitely not alone in Project Hail Mary, though I'll agree the main characters are very similar.

Since my last post:

Finished Sage Empress I by Sherwood Smith ... still really enjoying books set in this Asian inspired fantasy world. Looking forward to the next installment which I think concludes this particular arc, which should be released tomorrow.

Finished audiobook, The Orientalist: Solving the Mystery of a Strange and Dangerous Life by Tom Reiss, which is about the life of writer Lev Nussimbaum (1905 - 1942) and covers his time growing up in Baku during the oil boom of the early 20th century, having to flee the Bolsheviks in 1920, and then his adult years working as an author in Nazi Germany before fleeing to Italy. Reiss does a great job of contextualizing his unusual and turbulent life.

Finished Jamila by Chingiz Aitmatov, a shortish story set in rural Kyrgyzstan during WWII about a teenage boy who witnesses his SIL fall in love with an invalided soldier. Characters are somewhat flat but the natural and poetically descriptive writing that paints a picture of what life was like make up for that.

Finished Lark Rise to Candleford by Flora Thompson, a semi-autobiographical novel about a girl growing up in a small English hamlet in the 1880s. Really brings the social aspect of that time alive and is engaging despite not really having a plot. More a story of community and growing up during that time.

Currently listening to: Creation by Gore Vidal, historical set in 5th Century BC and read by Malcolm Hillgartner.

My reading has been disrupted a few times this past month by bouts of vertigo. When that happens I'm not functional for trying to read much of anything for several days. This happens to me 2 or 3x a year. To have it happen twice within a few weeks is particularly concerning, but I've found most doctors are worthless in trying to find anything to help me with it. :-(

>39 ludmillalotaria: I am sorry to hear about your vertigo! I hope you will find a doctor who can help you...

Your book list is really nice! I have read a few books by Aitmatov, but not this particular story.

Summer reads so far:

Books I've enjoyed --
Winter Lost by Patricia Briggs via audiobook narrated by Lorelai King. By this point, I'm invested in the world and characters. Enjoy some books more than others, but am never let down by the series. This fits my definition of popcorn reading.
Rihasi by Rachel Neumeier, latest in the author's Tuyo series. I'm not objective, because I love the series. This was another solid entry.
Lord Valentine's Castle by Robert Silverberg via audio narrated by Stefan Rudnicki. I've read short stories by the author but had never picked up his novels before. This is long, but immersive, so it didn't feel that long. May try more books in the Majipoor universe.
Saga: A Novel of Medieval Iceland by Jeff Janoda. Very good historical set in the 10th century and inspired by events in the Eyrbyggja Saga.
The Fair Folk by Su Bristow, coming-of-age fantasy that begins in 1959 rural England, and as the main character grows up takes us to her college days at Cambridge where a bargain and gift affect her life. Among other things, Bristow writes beautifully and poignantly about reality vs the magic of childhood, the reasons why one would want to escape to fairyland, and the choices we make.

Book I had a mixed reaction to, but would try something else by the author:
The Councillor by EJ Beaton via audio read by Moira Quirk. This is political fantasy that among other things examines power dynamics.
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow, a portal fantasy.
Century Rain by Alastair Reynolds, science fiction

Meh... not my cup of tea or maybe wrong book at wrong time to appreciate:
The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera, fantasy that explores Sri Lankan politics and social and religious history about (not sure if this would be considered a spoiler) the son of Buddha. The glacial pacing killed it for me, but I can see why others who have more knowledge about Buddhism and Sri Lanka would get more out of it than I did.
Nothing but the Rain by Naomi Salman, dystopian novella with horror elements that I just didn't like for reasons that I've already forgotten (ironic, or maybe not, given that the rain in this novel erases your memories).
Storytellers by Bjorn Larssen, mystery set in early 1900s Iceland. Didn’t care for author’s brand of humor in this particular effort.

Disliked, won't continue with series:
The Silverblood Promise by James Logan a debut fantasy, first book in a series. I'm an outlier. A lot of people seem to like it.

Currently, I'm listening to Bernard Cornwell's Warlord Chronicles narrated by Jonathan Keeble. I have all three audios for the trilogy and will probably spend the month listening to these.

>41 ludmillalotaria: Lord Valentine's Castle is an old favourite of mine, but weirdly I've not read any of the other Majipoor books, I just reread that one!

>41 ludmillalotaria: How's the Bernard Cornwall series? I have something of his on my Kindle, but it's the first of several so I keep passing it by.

>43 clamairy: I like it so far, but not as much as the author’s Saxon Tales, of which I’m a big fan. I’m only half way through the first book, though, so probably premature to judge at this point. Jonathan Keeble is a good narrator, but sometimes his way of handling voices for certain characters is a little jarring, such as the sniveling, nasally voice he uses for Lancelot who is a rapist and jerk in this and the women often sound strident.

>41 ludmillalotaria: I love the Majipoor novels, though the first two are the best.

I finished listening to Bernard Cornwell's The Warlord Chronicles (Arthurian fiction). I got the audiobooks from my library thinking it was the same narrator and publisher for each book, but it was not. Books 2 and 3 are abridged books that are around 6 hrs each (vs around a full 18 hrs for each one). I enjoyed listening to them, but I can't help but wonder what was left out.

Also recently finished 2 books in Emily H. Wilson's Sumerian trilogy: Inanna and Gilgamesh and enjoyed them quite a bit. This is mythic fantasy inspired by tales of the Anunnaki gods. I'm very interested in where the author is going with it, and definitely want to read the third book when it comes out. It inspired me to dig out my audiobook of Gilgamesh narrated by George Guidall (which I own) and relisten to the epic all over again and read up a bit about some of the other Sumerian and Mesopotamian myths.

Since my last post, I’ve read:

eBooks

The Black Crescent by Jane Johnson — Historical fiction set in mid-20thC Morocco.

Song of the Six Realms by Judy I. Lin — Fantasy inspired by C-dramas and Xianxia novels with characters from the mortal, celestial and demon realms.

The Merman’s Children by Poul Anderson — A fantasy inspired by the Danish tale, ‘Agnete and the Merman’ that takes place in the early 1300s and spans Denmark, Dalmatia, and Greenland.

Giving Birth to Thunder, Sleeping with His Daughter: Coyote Builds North America by Barry H. Lopez — This is a story collection of Native American coyote myths from different tribes compiled by the author. I’ve always been fascinated by Coyote as a mythic figure in America, and I was looking for something I could easily dip in and out of while on vacation.

Japanese Ghost Stories by Lafcadio Hearn — Tales of the supernatural and Japanese folkore collected and retold by the author. Tales range from unsettling fairy tale to outright horror. Another seasonal read, and also picked up because I wanted to try something by this author.

The Beast and the Silent Blue: A Novel of Prehistory and the Hunting of the Last Mammoth by David O’Connor — The subtitle pretty much says it all. Takes place in North-Central Florida in the area of Paynes Prairie State Park and the Alucha sink (near Gainesville).

Audios
Daughters of Copper Woman by Anne Cameron — A retelling of tribal creation myths and stories collected from a tribe on Vancouver Island and told from a feminist POV from a non-Native American. Personally, I found the early creation myths more engaging than the later stories that segue into a critique of colonialism and social issues.

Stringers by Chris Panatier — Humorous SF, alien abduction story with some deeper philosophical moments.

Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury — A lovely reflection on childhood growing up in Illinois during the summer of 1928. Tales range from nostalgic to a little bit spooky. I could relate, as I grew up in Mid-Americana and this would be around the time my grandparents were having their children. Plus, Bradbury always leaves me feeling in awe of his storytelling craft. His writing feels natural, not forced, and so very evocative.

2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke — I think I’ve tried watching the film at least 5 or 6 times, but never quite made it to the end. I know the book is different than the film in some respects, especially toward the end, but I wanted to at least make it to the end by reading (or in this case listening) to it this time. I enjoyed it, but don’t think I’m interested in the sequels.

A Night in Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny — Fun and charming fantasy told from the POV of a dog, inspired, of course, by the season!

I have Daughters of Copper Woman in print, I must find my copy.

A night in the lonesome October is the perfect seasonal read!

>47 ludmillalotaria: >48 Sakerfalcon: is right about A Night in Lonesome October being the perfect choice. I thought about revisiting it myself, but I think I will wait until next year.

>48 Sakerfalcon: >49 clamairy: Agreed on ANitLO. I can see this being a perennial re-read. The audio was free for Amazon Prime members for a limited time, which is why I chose audio, but I also bought the kindle for re-reading.

December is a very busy month, so from here on out my reading time will be limited. This may be my last post catching me up for the year.

Since last post, I’ve read:

Song of the Beast by Carol Berg (touchstone for title won't come up). This was a re-read via audiobook. I’ve been wanting to go back and re-read several of her books/series and started with this standalone, early fantasy (with dragons) by her. This may turn out to be a goal in 2025. I’d like to re-read at least one or more of her series. I may start with the Rai-Kirah trilogy first.

The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl, Non-fiction / nature memoir. Author reflects about life and backyard wildlife and plants in her Tennessee neighborhood throughout all four seasons of 2022.

Five Decembers by James Kestrel. Part noirish crime thriller, part WWII story set in Hawaii with journeys to Hong Kong and Japan.

Ghost 19 by Simone St. James. Ghost story novella set in New York. I’ve read several books by this author. She is good with creating a creepy atmosphere, but her books (esp her characters) are usually hit or miss with me. This was more miss than hit (I found the heroine pretty intolerable), but I’ll continue to try her books.

The Book of Atrix Wolfe by Patricia McKillip. Standard McKillip fantasy — lyrical and enjoyable, but this particular story is a little like wandering around lost in the forest as the fog rolls in.

Children of the Dawnland (part one and two) by husband-wife team W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O’Neal Gear. Historical fantasy about a native tribe living in the Great Lakes region of North America during the Younger Dryas. Picked this up because I’ve been wanting to try this author duo. This, I think, was originally published as one book, but got reissued as two books. It’s written very simply, and seems to me best suited for a young audience, ages 8 - 12 (despite some violence and harsh realities of that time), so a little too oversimplified for my tastes. I’ll try one of their adult books someday to compare to books they’ve written for younger readers.

The Flanders Panel by Arturo Perez-Reverte. Mystery /thriller involving the game of chess and an art mystery set in Spain in the late 1980s (first published in 1990, so assume it is set a year or two before that). The beginning was promising, but started to fall apart in the latter half, and I personally found the ending rather cringey. One reviewer pointed out that the characters seemed more like ideas than fully formed people. That’s how I felt about them, too.

The Republic of Salt (Mirror Realm #2) by Ariel Kaplan. 2nd book in an Alternate History / Fantasy series inspired by Jewish folklore. I think this is one of the more original and promising new series I’ve picked up this year. I’m definitely looking forward to more.

Finally, I’m finishing up my year with Angela Boord’s Eterean Empire epic fantasy series.
I’ve read:

—Dragonmeat, a re-read of a short story set in the Eterean world set several centuries before the first book in the series. This works as a standalone, but I’m not sure it makes the best introduction to this world.
—Smuggler’s Fortune, a novella set several months before the present day thread of the first book in the series. I really love how this novella fleshed out some secondary characters from the first book and hope they show up for more adventures in forthcoming books. I think this also works as an introduction to the world at large, as it doesn’t spoil anything that you don’t learn early on in the first book.
— Fortune’s Fool (book #1) (wrong touchstone comes up, not sure how to fix it when other authors have same or similar title) — I'm currently re-reading this so I can refresh my memory in preparation for reading book 2, which recently came out. This is set in a Renaissance-inspired world with complex and obscure politics and competing interests between feuding houses. There is subtle magic at play as well as enigmatic gods that may be manipulating some of the characters. It’s very much a slow-burn with lots of twists and turns that will leave you scratching your head but wanting more. The author weaves the story between the present day and the past, which gets kind of confusing and maybe doesn’t always make sense until you get to the end. I’m not quite sure that the author pulls it off in way that DOES make sense, but the characters and story are so compelling I am totally immersed and think the slow reveals add to the complex characterization and worldbuilding (kind of like Dorothy Dunnett does in her historicals where she makes some of those reveals hard-earned and strings you along not ready to reveal all the secrets).
—Fool’s Promise (book 2). I’ll start this after I’m finished with my re-read of book #1. It’s long, so I doubt I’m going to fit in much else before yearend.