As I was late in posting most of the individual reviews, it seems about right I’m late in posting the monthly wrap-up. Winter is a lovely time for reading. And even more reading is done when the weather is too crappy to go hiking.

I stumbled across a new series that I thoroughly enjoyed this month: Fred, the Vampire Accountant by Drew Hayes. The books are as silly as you’d expect from the title, but they’re also charming and sweet and quite a bit of fun. If you like supernatural fantasy, I highly recommend checking this out.

I also got the follow-up to The Gentleman’s Guide…The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy, and it was FANTASTIC. It’s not romance (even though the first book was an LGBT romance), and unlike the first book, there are fantastic elements. It’s a story of friendship and being who you are. It’s marvelous.

I also enjoyed KJ Charles’ Band Sinister, which is an historical LGBT romance, and is a bit like Georgette Heyer’s Venetia, but also very much not.

Fantasy, Supernatural

Fred the Vampire Accountant
The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant (2014) Drew Hayes (8/10)
Undeath & Taxes (2015) Drew Hayes (8/10)
Bloody Acquisitions (2016) Drew Hayes (8/10)
The Fangs of Freelance (2017) Drew Hayes
Deadly Assessments (2018) Drew Hayes (8/10)
Very Important Corpses (2017) Simon R. Green (Ishmael Jones)
Diamond Fire (2018) Ilona Andrews (Hidden Legacy)

Fantasy, YA

The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (2018) Mackenzi Lee (9/10)
Midnight Hour (2016) C. C. Hunter (Shadow Falls)

Mystery, Historical

Treacherous Is the Night (2018) Anna Lee Huber (8/10) (Verity Kent)
Inspector Hannasyde
Death in the Stocks (1935) Georgette Heyer
Behold, Here’s Poison (1936) Georgette Heyer
They Found Him Dead (1937) Georgette Heyer
The Raven in the Foregate (1986) Ellis Peters (Brother Cadfael)
The Duke’s Gambit (2018) Tracy Grant (Melanie & Charles Rannoch)

Romance, Historical

Not Quite a Husband (2009) Sherry Thomas

Romance, LGBT

Band Sinister (2018) K.J. Charles (8/10)
Wanted, a Gentleman (2018) K.J. Charles
A Gentleman Never Keeps Score (2018) Cat Sebastian

Audio Books

Rivers of London
Midnight Riot, Audio Edition (2011/2012) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (10/10)
Moon Over Soho, Audio Edition (2011/2012) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (9/10)
Sharper Than A Serpent’s Tooth, Audio Edition (2006/2008) Simon R. Green narrated by Marc Vietor (9/10) (Nightside)
Dead Men’s Boots, Audio Edition (2007/2009) Mike Carey narrated by Michael Kramer (8/10) (Felix Castor)

As usual, eBooks lead the day, but I finished four audio books.

eBook: 19
Audio: 4
Multiple Formats: 4
Re-read: 6

Pretty evenly split this month.

Fantasy: 12
Mystery: 10
Romance: 11
YA: 2

Women are still ahead as far as author gender. Including pseudonyms, I’ve read about 70% female authors this year. Not my highest percentage ever, but definitely up there.

Male: 10
Female: 10
Initials: 1
Male Pseudonym: 1
Joint: 1

And those are the books of November.

How is it November already?

I read some good books, and I also–for me–read a number of really awful books, including one DNF (did not finish). But let’s talk about the good ones!

Pyromantic by Lish McBride is a book I’d been holding off reading, because I tend to love her books, and so was saving it for unknown reasons. It’s a good book, and a good series, and now I want to go back and read the Necromancer series.

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee surprised me. I initially had a very difficult time starting it, because the main character was kind of an annoying git. But then you discover more about him, and learn why he drinks so much, and suddenly I was halfway through the story and completely pulled in.

I’m also quite enjoying listening to Simon Green’s Nightside series. Marc Vietor is not an amazing narrator, but he’s solid and he does a good job with it. Plus, I’d forgotten how much I love this series.

So here’s what I read. You can see there were several books I REALLY did NOT like.

Mystery, Historical

An Excellent Mystery (1985) Ellis Peters (Rating: 7.5/10) (Brother Cadfael)
Malcolm and Melanie Rannoch
Mission for a Queen (2016) Tracy Grant (Rating: 7.5/10)
Gilded Deceit (2017) Tracy Grant (Rating: 8/10)
Midwinter Intrigue (2017) Tracy Grant (Rating: 6/10)

Romance, Historical

His at Night (2010) Sherry Thomas (Rating: 7/10)
The Luckiest Lady in London (2013) Sherry Thomas (Rating: 7.5/10)
Lord of Scoundrels (1994) Loretta Chase (Rating: 8/10)
Captives of the Night (1994) Loretta Chase (Rating: 7.5/10)
Let Me Be The One (2002,2015) Jo Goodman (Rating: 7.5/10)
A Dangerous Liaison with Detective Lewis (2012) Jillian Stone (Rating: 4/10)
A Code of Love  (2014) Jacki Delecki (Rating: 1.25/10)
DNF: An Indecent Invitation by Laura Trentham

Romance, LGBT
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue (2017) Mackenzi Lee (Rating: 8/10)
Unmasked by the Marquess (2018) Cat Sebastian (Rating: 5.5/10)

Fantasy, Supernatural

Pyromantic (2017) Lish McBride (Rating: 9/10) (Firebug)
Clean (2012) Alex Hughes (Rating: 5.5/10)

Audio Books
Nightside
Nightingale’s Lament, Audio Edition (2004/2008) Simon R Green narrated by Marc Vietor (Rating: 8/10)
Hex and the City, Audio Edition (2005/2008) Simon R Green narrated by Marc Vietor (Rating: 8/10)
Paths Not Taken, Audio Edition (2005/2008) Simon R Green narrated by Marc Vietor (Rating: 7/10)
Vicious Circle, Audio Edition (2006/2008) Mike Carey narrated by Michael Kramer (Rating: 8/10) (Felix Castor)

And the stats!

eBook: 15
Audio: 4
Multiple Formats: 4
Re-read: 6

Lots of ebooks, fewer audio books, mostly because of the stupid rain.

Fantasy: 6
Mystery: 13
Romance: 9

Majority mystery this month, but quite a few romances in there (that category had the books I REALLY disliked).

Male: 5
Female: 12
Male Pseudonym: 2

Males continue to fall behind in my reading material, and sadly, the romance that I finshed off by hate-reading, was written by a guy. The romance was terrible, but the mystery was ALSO terrible, so theoretically it doesn’t mean that guys can’t write romance. But it really was awful.

And those were the books of October!

Here we are! The books of September!

Most of the best books I read this month were LGBT historical Romances (with boinking), so take that into consideration.
Non-boinking-wise, I’m still re-reading the Brother Cadfael series, which I truly love and highly recommend, and I finally finished listening to the Raven Boys series, which I also love and highly recommend.

Audio Books

Agents Of Light And Darkness, Audio Edition (2003/2008) Simon R. Green narrated by Marc Vietor  : 8/10 (Nightside)
The Raven King, Audio Edition (2016) Maggie Stiefvater narrated by Will Thomas  : 10/10 (Raven Boys)

Romance, Historical

Cotillion (1953) Georgette Heyer  : 8.5/10
Venetia (1958) Georgette Heyer   : 8/10
The Reluctant Widow (1946) Georgette Heyer  : 8/10
A Week to Be Wicked (2012) Tessa Dare  : 7.5/10
Wicked Intentions (2010) Elizabeth Hoyt  : 7/10
The Richmond Thief (2017) Lisa Boero   : 6/10

Romance, LGBT

Spectred Isle (2017) K. J. Charles  : 8/10 (Green Men)
Unfit to Print (2018) K. J. Charles  : 8/10
Society of Gentleman
The Ruin of Gabriel Ashleigh (2015) K. J. Charles
A Fashionable Indulgence (2016) K. J. Charles  : 8/10
A Seditious Affair (2016) K. J. Charles  : 8.5/10
A Gentleman’s Position (2016) K. J. Charles  : 7/10

Mystery, Historical

A Treacherous Curse (2018) Deanna Raybourn   : 7.5/10 (Veronica Speedwell)
Brother Cadfael
Dead Man’s Ransom (1984) Ellis Peters  : 8/10
The Pilgrim of Hate (1984) Ellis Peters  : 8.5/10

No paper this month, and fewer audio books, as I spent far less time in the kitchen.

eBook: 15
Audio: 2
Multiple Formats: 5
Re-read: 6

Genere-wise, not much fantasy this month, and heavy on the romance, mostly because I can’t stomach anything depressing or too dark right now. With romance, at least I know I’ll get a HEA.

Fantasy: 3
Mystery: 5
Romance: 12
YA: 1

Simon R. Green was the only male author I read this month, but I read as many books where the author was hiding behind a male pseudonym or initials as I did by authors with straight-up female names. Take that as you will.

Male: 1
Female: 8
Initials: 6
Male Pseudonym: 2

And that’s the month of September in books!

It’s too hot to get excited, even though I do have some excellent books here. And some not so excellent books, as I had one DNF and two books I disliked.

I’m slowly re-reading Brother Cadfael, which is an historical mystery series set in the England – Wales border in the 1130s. I love these stories.

I finished Marie Brennan‘s Lady Trent series, which was utterly marvelous. You really need to check out these books–and give them to a fantasy-loving young person in your life.

Historical Fantasy

Within the Sanctuary of Wings (2017) Marie Brennan (9.5/10) (The Memoirs of Lady Trent)

I’m listening to the Raven Boys series, which I adore and which breaks my heart. I love this series, and Will Paton does a marvelous job with the narration. This is a YA series, but everyone should read it. Really.

I read one very good historical romance series, the Haverston Family series by Alissa Johnson. These are boinking books, but I do love her storytelling.

Historical Mystery

Brother Cadfael
Monk’s Hood (1980) Ellis Peters
Saint Peter’s Fair (1981) Ellis Peters (8/10)
The Leper of Saint Giles (1981) Ellis Peters (8/10)
The Virgin in the Ice (1982) Ellis Peters (8/10)
The Sanctuary Sparrow (1983) Ellis Peters (8.5/10)
The Devil’s Novice (1983) Ellis Peters (8.5/10)

Historical Romance

Haverston Family
Nearly a Lady (2011) Alissa Johnson (8.5/10)
An Unexpected Gentleman (2011) Alissa Johnson (8/10)
Practically Wicked (2016) Alissa Johnson (8.5/10)
The Duchess Deal: Girl Meets Duke (2017) Tessa Dare (7/10)
Widdershins (2012) Jordan L. Hawk (7/10)
Lord of Secrets (2013) Alyssa Everett (6.5/10)
The Viscount and the Vicar’s Daughter (2018) Mimi Matthews (6.5/10)
Dreaming of You (1994) Lisa Kleypas (5.5/10)
Silent Revenge (2012) Laura Landon (4/10)
Six Impossible Things: DNF (2017) Elizabeth Boyle

Audio Books

Raven Boys
The Raven Boys, Audio Edition (2012) Maggie Stiefvater narrated by Will Patton (9.5/10)
The Dream Thieves, Audio Edition (2013) Maggie Stiefvater narrated by Will Patton (10/10)
Blue Lily, Lily Blue, Audio Version (2014) Maggie Stiefvater narrated by Will Patton (10/10)
The Devil You Know, Audio Edition (2006/2007) Mike Carey narrated by Michael Kramer (8/10) (Felix Castor)
Something from the Nightside, Audio Book (2003/2008) Simon R. Green narrated by Marc Vietor (7.5/10) (Nightside)
A Deeper Sleep, Audio Version (2007) Dana Stabenow narrated by Bernadette Dunne (8.5/10) (Kate Shugak)
Silence Fallen, Audio Edition (2017) Patricia Briggs narrated by Lorelei King and George Newbern (7/10) (Mercy Thompson)

And now: the stats!

More reading time than expected, because it was hot, and because Michael’s work was crazy busy, so we didn’t get much hiking in this month.

Lots of ebooks this week, five of which I also own as e-books and/or paper books. And a lot of re-reads, partially due to the audio books, and partially because I needed something I knew I’d like to wind down at the end of the day.

eBook : 16
Audio : 7
Multiple Formats : 5
Re-read : 14

Genre-wise, this is an odd and oddly even split.

Fantasy : 8
Mystery : 8
Romance : 8
YA : 4

Sorry guys, women are still leading the pack of authors I’m in the mood to read.

Male : 2
Female : 14
Male Pseudonym : 6

And those are the books of August!

It’s that time! Although I got birthday books, I also have been listening to a lot of audio, so not as many new reads as I’d expect.

Some of my favorite books of the month were the next two entries in Marie Brennan’s Memoirs of Lady Trent series: Voyage of the Basilisk (Rating: 8.5/10) and In the Labyrinth of Drakes (Rating: 8.5/10). This series is fantastic. You really should check it out, and then give it to any aspiring natural historians or research scientists in your life.

Fantasy, Supernatural

Mercy Thompson
Night Broken (2014) Patricia Briggs
Fire Touched (2016) Patricia Briggs (Rating: 8/10)

Mystery, Historical

The Alienist (1994) Caleb Carr (Rating: 8.5/10)
Brother Cadfael
One Corpse Too Many (1979) Ellis Peters (Rating: 8.5/10)
A Morbid Taste for Bones (1977) Ellis Peters (Rating: 8/10)

Fantasy, Historical

Memoirs of Lady Trent
Voyage of the Basilisk (2015) Marie Brennan (Rating: 8.5/10)
In the Labyrinth of Drakes (2016) Marie Brennan (Rating: 8.5/10)

Audio Books

Mercy Thompson
Silver Borne, Audio Edition (2010) Patricia Briggs narrated by Lorelei King
River Marked, Audio Edition (2011) Patricia Briggs narrated by Lorelei King
Frost Burned, Audio Edition (2013) Patricia Briggs narrated by Lorelei King
Alpha & Omega
Dead Heat, Audio Version (2015) Patricia Briggs narrated by Holter Graham
Fair Game, Audio Edition (2012) Patricia Briggs narrated by Holter Graham (Rating: 8/10)
Burn Bright, Audio Version (2018) Patricia Briggs narrated by Holter Graham (Rating: 7.5/10)

The Stats! The Stats!

eBook: 7
Audio: 6
Multiple Formats: 2
Re-read: 11

As I said, a lot of audio books this month, all of which were re-reads. And for bedtime reading I started re-reading the Brother Cadfael series. It’s good and I can read it at any time, but it shouldn’t keep me awake reading when I need to sleep. And note about the multiple formats–those are books I own in multiple formats. I borrowed most of the audio books from the library, because I don’t like the narration enough to own them.

Fantasy: 10
Mystery: 3
Romance: 3
YA: 2

Mostly fantasy this month.

Male: 1
Female: 10
Male Pseudonym: 2

And male authors were all but missing this month. More than twice the number of female authors as male so far this year.

And those are the books of July!

It’s time for the books of June! We started repainting the (inside of the) house, so that ate up a fair amount of time. And then the month ended with hanging out with small people, so less reading than previous months (but still not shabby).

Some of the better books I read were Dreams Underfoot by Charles de Lint, which is the first Newford anthology. And I particularly liked The Ruin of a Rake by Cat Sebastian which is the sequel to The Lawrence Browne Affair and one of the heroes was a rather unlikable prig when he made his appearance in that book, so it gets kudos for changing my mind about him. (Cat Sebastian writes M/M historicals, so they’re NOT for everyone, but I quite like the twist that gives to the relationship, in that the men have to trust each other to some degree, and a long term relationship is never expected, since the relationship was illegal.)

Fantasy, Urban

Dreams Underfoot (1993) Charles de Lint Rating: 8.5/10

Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery

By the Sword (1991) Mercedes Lackey  Rating: 8/10

Historical Mystery

Lady Helena Investigates (2018) Jane Steen  Rating: 8/10
The Service of the Dead (2016) Candace Robb Rating: 7/10
DNF: A Lady in the Smoke (2016) Karen Odden DNF

Historical Romance

The Lawrence Browne Affair (2017) Cat Sebastian Rating: 8/10
The Ruin of a Rake (2017) Cat Sebastian Rating: 8.5/10

Audio Books

Mercy Thompson
Blood Bound, Audio Edition (2007/2009) Patricia Briggs narrated by Lorelei King Rating: 7/10
Iron Kissed, Audio Version (2008) Patricia Briggs
Bone Crossed, Audible Edition (2009) Patricia Briggs narrated by Lorelei King Rating: 8/10
Alpha & Omega
Cry Wolf, Audible Edition (2008) Patricia Briggs narrated by Holter Graham  Rating: 8/10
Hunting Ground, Audible Edition (2009) Patricia Briggs narrated by Holter Graham Rating: 8/10

And now: THE STATS!!!!!

Of the 11 books I finished (no matter what percent I complete, a DNF doesn’t count) it was split pretty evenly between e books and audio books. Lots of listening while painting the house. And lots of re-reads (unsurprising with 5 audio books).

eBook: 6
Audio: 5
Multiple Formats: 2
Re-read: 7

Split mostly between fantasy and romance this month (remember, books can fall into multiple categories, so there were romances with fantasy elements)

Fantasy: 7
Mystery: 2
Romance: 6

Male authors fell way behind in June, dropping them to 31% for the year.

Male: 1
Female: 10

I read several new and new-to-me books this month–all the historical romances and supernatural fantasies were new-to-me and I even read the Jane Yellowrock new release almost immediately! Lots of hiking on the weekends, and being outside in the evenings, which cuts back on the reading, but I shan’t complain at all.

All of the historical romances had M/M elements, and all were boinking, but most of them were very good. I’d especially recommend the trio Hamilton’s Battalion which has three separate romances: a woman pretending to be a man to fight in the continental army, a M/M romance between an English Lord who deserted the British Army and an ex-slave fighting for the freedom of his brother-in-law, and a maid who works for Mrs Hamilton and the granddaughter of a revolutionary soldier.

If you’ve been reading the Jane Yellowrock books, you don’t need me to tell you to read the newest, but if you haven’t, this is a series that has managed to be very good over the course of a dozen books, and I could be content if the series ended here (it won’t). And the short story pair by Lish McBride made me want to re-read Hold Me Closer Necromancer, which is a YA I very much enjoyed at the time.

Historical Romance

Hamilton’s Battalion: A Trio of Romances (2017) Rose Lerner, Courtney Milan, Alyssa Cole (8/10)
Flight of Magpies (2014) K.J. Charles (8/10) (A Charm of Magpies)
Rag and Bone (2016) K.J. Charles (8/10)
It Takes Two to Tumble (2017) Cat Sebastian (7/10)

Fantasy, Supernatural

Dark Queen (2018) Faith Hunter (Jane Yellowrock)
Freaks & Other Family (2016) Lish McBride (8/10) (Necromancer)

Fantasy

Discworld
Mort (1987) Terry Pratchett (8/10)
Guards! Guards! (1989) Terry Pratchett (9.5/10)

Mystery

The Beat Goes On: The Complete Rebus Stories (2015) Ian Rankin (8.5/10) (Rebus)

Audio Books

Mercy Thompson
Moon Called, Audible Version (2006) Patricia Briggs narrated by Lorelei King (7.5/10)
Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson, Audio Version (2014) Patricia Briggs narrated by Alexander Cendese and Lorelei King (9/10)
Stiletto, Audible Edition (2016) Daniel O’Malley narrated by Moira Quirk (9/10) (The Rook)
Voice of the Violin, Audible Version (1997/2003/2008) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli narrated by Grover Gardner (8/10) (Inspector Montalbano)

Now: The stats!

Thirteen books this one and a DNF. The DNF was one I quit with prejudice–it wasn’t even good enough to hate read, I had so many issues with it.

All my reading was ebooks, and I also managed four audio books this month (one was the travel book I listened to with Michael). Five of the books I own in multiple formats (ie paper and eBook or eBook and audio book) and seven were re-reads (I can only listen to audio books I’ve read before, so all audio books are re-reads.)

eBook : 9
Audio : 4
Multiple Formats : 5
Re-read : 7

Primarily fantasy and historical romance this month, with overlap between the two.

Fantasy : 9
Mystery : 2
Romance : 5
YA : 1

And male authors are falling behind this month, despite the effort of Terry Pratchett. I actually started a 3rd Terry Pratchett, but I might go onto the next, because the witches aren’t my favorite story arc.

Male : 5
Female : 8

And that’s the past month in books!

Here we are! The books of April!

One of my favorite books last month was actually a new release! Why Kill the Innocent by C.S. Harris is the latest entry in the Sebastian St. Cyr series, and like the last several books, it’s dark in places. But it’s also good–and the darkness is very much a part of that time.  There were two audible books I really enjoyed, the first was The Rook, Audible Version by Daniel O’Malley which is just as good as an audible book as it was to read, and Cat o’ Nine Tales, Audible Version by Faith Hunter and narrated by Khristine Hvam. I really love her narration of Faith Hunter’s books, and since I’d finished listening all the Jane Yellowrock books, all I had left were this short-story collection.

I also very much enjoyed the K.J. Charles books I read, although they are definitely not for everyone.

Fantasy, Historical

Swordspoint (1987) Ellen Kushner (10/10)

Fantasy, Romantic

Dirk & Steele
Tiger Eye (2005) Marjorie Liu (6/10)
Shadow Touch (2006) Marjorie Liu (7/10)
The Red Heart of Jade (2006) Marjorie Liu (6/10)

Mystery, Historical

Why Kill the Innocent (2018) C.S. Harris (8.5/10) (Sebastian St Cyr)

Mystery

Death of a Hollow Man (1989) Caroline Graham (7/10) (Inspector Barnaby)

Romance, Historical

After the Wedding (2018) Courtney Milan (7/10) (Worth Saga)
Sins of the City
An Unnatural Vice (2017) K.J. Charles (8/10)
An Unsuitable Heir (2017) K.J. Charles (8/10)
Magpie Lord
The Magpie Lord (2013) K.J. Charles (8/10)
A Case of Possession (2014) K.J. Charles (7.5/10)
A Queer Trade (2015) K.J. Charles (7/10) (Rag & Bone)

Comics

Rivers of London: Cry Fox (2017-2018) Ben Aaronovitch, Andrew Cartmel, Lee Sullivan, Luis Guerrero, Steve White (5/10)

Audio

The Rook, Audible Version (2012) Daniel O’Malley narrated by Susan Duerden (9/10)
Cat o’ Nine Tales, Audible Version (2013) Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam (9/10)
The Snack Thief, Audible Version (1996/2003/2007) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli narrated by Grover Gardner (8.5/10)

Now, the stats!

Trade Paperback : 1
eBook : 12
Audio : 3

EBooks and audiobooks this month, with a single paperbook (the comic). Seven re-reads, which is also seven books I have in multiple formats (either paper and ebook or ebook and audio).

Fantasy : 10
Mystery : 8
Romance : 10
Comic : 1

Genre-wise, there was lots of overlap of genres, but still mostly fantasy and mystery, which are my primary favorite genres.

Male : 3
Female : 8
Initials : 5

And author-wise three male authors, and thirteen female authors, five books of which were written by women published under initials instead of a female name.

And those are the books of April! Yay reading!

I read (and listened to) a number of great books this month–and even a bunch of new releases!

I listened (again) to Sergei Lukyanenko‘s Night Watch series so I could read the final book in that series, Sixth Watch. I really love that series and highly recommend it. On our drives were listening to Andrea Camilleri‘s Inspector Montalbano series (I’d been trying to get Michael to read it for years) and although Michael gets thrown by all the names (it’s easier for me to read because of that) it is a fun series. Although the earliest books are the best, I never regret reading even an average Andrea Camilleri mystery.

I read two good historical romances, which were extremely different from each other. KJ Charles’ series is MM and full of boinking, but the main character in An Unseen Attraction made the whole book. He’s half Indian, is neurodivergent, and both of those things made the story excellent, allowing for atypical issues between the heroes, and the historical setting adds an extra layer to the whole thing, since homosexuality was a crime. C.E. Murphy‘s Bewitching Benedict is almost a polar opposite, with no boinking and barely any kissing, but like An Unseen Attraction, the characters made the book, and I look forward to more books about the other characters in the story.

Fantasy, Urban

Sixth Watch (2015/2016) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield 8/10 (Night Watch)

Fantasy, Supernatural

Burn Bright (2018) Patricia Briggs (Alpha & Omega)

Mystery, Police

The Temptation of Forgiveness (2018) Donna Leon 7/10 (Commissario Guido Brunetti)
The Killings at Badger’s Drift (1987) Caroline Graham 7.5/10 (Chief Inspector Barnaby)

Mystery, Historical

A Brush with Shadows (2018) Anna Lee Huber 7.5/10
A Conspiracy in Belgravia (2017) Sherry Thomas 7/10 (Lady Sherlock)
Bess Crawford
A Bitter Truth (2011) Charles Todd 7/10
An Unmarked Grave (2012) Charles Todd 7.5/10
A Question of Honor (2013) Charles Todd 5/10
An Unwilling Accomplice (2014) Charles Todd 5/10
A Pattern of Lies (2015) Charles Todd 5/10

Romance, Historical

An Unseen Attraction (2017) KJ Charles 8/10 (Sins of the City)
Bewitching Benedict (2017) C.E. Murphy 8/10 (Lovelorn Lads)

Audio Book

The Terra Cotta Dog, Audio Edition (1996/2002/2007) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartaelli narrated by Grover Gardner 8/10 (Inspector Montalbano)
Night Watch
Day Watch, Audio Edition (1999/2006/2010) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield and narrated by Paul Michael 9/10
Twilight Watch, Audible Version (2006/2007/2010) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield narrated by Paul Michael 10/10
Last Watch, Audible Edition (2009/2010) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield narrated by Paul Michael 9/10
New Watch, Audible Version (2012/2014) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield narrated by Paul Michael 8/10

Short Story

Opal (2018) Maggie Stiefvater 7/10

And now: The stats!

eBook : 14
Audio : 5
Multiple Formats : 5
Re-read : 8

Not as many re-reads this month–and more than half of those were audio books (I can’t listen to fiction unless I’ve already read the book. No patience. But I love audio books when I’m walking on we’re on long car rides.) No paper books this month.

Fantasy : 7
Mystery : 10
Romance : 2
YA : 1

I’ve been in a mood for mysteries. I mean, I frequently am, but right now a good mystery (or even a story arc that’s a good mystery) will draw me in more than anything else.

Male : 6
Female : 8
Joint : 6

Female authors pull slightly ahead this month, but not that far ahead for the year.

And that’s the past month in books!

Yay reading!

Here are some of my favorite books from last month:

This Side of Murder by Anna Lee Huber is a mystery set post WWI. There aren’t a lot of mysteries set in this time period, which is too bad, because it’s really the start of the modern era. The author also writes the Lady Darby (Anatomist’s Wife) series.  The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater is the conclusion to the Raven Boys series. I put this off for a very long time, because I was terrified it wouldn’t end well. How foolish of me. You really do need to read this series. The Myth Manifestation by Lisa Shearin may be the last SPI Files book, as it was self-published, but it was very well done, and I’ll keep hoping for another book. And I finished my re-read of Rising Stars with Visitations by J. Michael Straczynski. That really is a phenomenal series.

Mystery, Historical

This Side of Murder (2017) Anna Lee Huber 8/10 (Verity Kent)
Bess Crawford
A Duty to the Dead (2009) Charles Todd 7.5/10
An Impartial Witness (2010) Charles Todd 7.5/10

Romance, Historical

The Lescaut Quartet
Dark Angel (1994) Tracy Grant 8/10
Shores of Desire (1997) Tracy Grant 8.5/10
A Scot in the Dark (2016) Sarah MacLean 6/10
Dukes Prefer Blondes (2016) Loretta Chase 6/10
Forever Your Earl (2015) Eva Leigh 5/10

Fantasy, YA

The Raven King (2016) Maggie Stiefvater 9/10 (Raven Boys)

Fantasy, Supernatural

The Myth Manifestation (2018) Lisa Shearin 8.5/10 (SPI Files)

Fantasy, Historical

Bridge of Birds: A Novel of an Ancient China That Never Was (1984) Barry Hughart 8.5/10

Comics

Rising Stars, Vol. 3: Fire And Ash (2005) J. Michael Straczynski, Keu Cha, Ken Lashley, Christian Zanier, Jason Gorder, John Livesay, Edwin Rosell, David Wohl, Dennis Heisler, Dreamer Design, Robin Spehar, Liquid!, Matt Nelson, John Starr, Tyson Wengler 9/10
Rising Stars: Visitations (2002) J. Michael Straczynski 8.5/10
Rising Stars: Voices of the Dead / Bright (2006) by Fiona Avery, Dan Jurgens, Staz Johnson, Al Rio 4/10

Audio

Night Watch, Audio Version (1998/2006/2010) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield and narrated by Paul Michael 9/10
Cold Reign, Audio Edition (2017) Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam 8/10 (Jane Yellowrock)
The Brimstone Deception, Audio Version (2016) Lisa Shearin narrated by Johanna Parker 7.5/10 (SPI Files)
Hugger Mugger (2000) Robert B Parker narrated by Joe Mantegna 7/10 (Spenser)

Short Story

From the Editorial Page of the Falchester Weekly Review (2016) Marie Brennan 7.5/10 (A Natural History of Dragons)

And now, the stats!

Trade Paperback: 3
eBook: 12
Audio: 4

I read comics this month, hence the three trade paperbacks. And four seems to be new normal for audio books.

Fantasy: 10
Mystery: 6
Romance: 5
YA: 1
Comic: 3
Multiple Formats: 4
Re-read: 12

Genre-wise I had a fair amount of variety last month, but I mostly had re-reads. This seems to be an era of needing comfort reading.

Male: 6
Female: 11
Joint: 2

And female authors take a strong lead in February, possibly because I stalled on the Spenser series, not caring to listen to the narrator for the rest of the series.

And that’s what I read last month. Lots of great books out there, so there has to be something for you!

TA DA!

1) How is the first month of 2018 over already?!
2) We had several beautiful weekends and so managed to get out and hike. Huzzah!

The best books of the month were pretty much old favorites. I’ve been re-reading Rising Stars, which is one of my favorite comics. There are mature themes, so older teens only. But aside from kids, I wish everyone would read this series. Something happens, and a small group of kids end up with amazing, never-before-seen powers, and this story is of both those individuals and how society reacts to them. It’s amazing and heart-breaking and wonderful.

And if you haven’t come across them, I do recommend Anna Lee Huber‘s Lady Darby series. They are historical mysteries, featuring an artist who learned about the human body when her previous husband forced her to illustrate his anatomy books by drawing his dissections.

The others were two Robert B. Parker books, narrated by Burt Reynolds. (Beware: after being converted to digital, the production is awful) Small Vices is one of my all-time favorite books. Although the mystery is good, the story itself, as a whole, is what I love, especially the months that Spenser spends in California. This isn’t an action-packed book (although there is action), it’s a story about friendship and recover and (most of all) hard work. When I’ve struggled, this is the book I’ve turned to remind myself that hard work can bring you out the other side. You’ll be different, but you can make it out the other side.

Supernatural Fantasy

Dead Man Walking: A country house murder mystery with a supernatural twist (2016) Simon R Green (7.5/10)
Silence Fallen (2017) Patricia Briggs (7.5/10)

Mystery

The Pyramid of Mud (2014/2018) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli (7/10)

Historical Mystery

Lady Darby
A Study in Death (2015) Anna Lee Huber (9/10)
As Death Draws Near (2016) Anna Lee Huber (8/10)
A Pressing Engagement (2016) Anna Lee Huber
Miss Marple
At Bertram’s Hotel (1966) Agatha Christie (7/10)
Barker & Llewellyn
The Black Hand (2008) Will Thomas (7/10)

Romantic Mystery

Devil May Care (1977) Elizabeth Peters (7/10)
Die for Love (1984) Elizabeth Peters (6.5/10)
Into the Darkness (1990) Barbara Michaels (6.5/10)

Graphic Novel

Rising Stars, Vol. 2: Power  (2002) by J. Michael Straczynski, Ken Lashley, Christian Zanier, Stuart Immonen, Brent Anderson, John Livesay, Brett Evans, Dan Kemp (9/10)

Rising Stars, Vol. 1: Born In Fire  (2001) J. Michael Straczynski, Jason Gorder, Keu Cha, Christian Zanier (9/10)

Audible Books

Spenser
Small Vices, Audible Version (1997) Robert B. Parker narrated by Burt Reynolds (9/10)
Hush Money, Audio Version (1999/2000) Robert B. Parker narrated by Burt Reynolds (8.5/10)
Sudden Mischief (1998) Robert B. Parker narration mangled by William Windom

OK! The stats! (HUZZAH!)

Trade Paperback: 2
eBook: 11
Audio: 3
Multiple Formats: 2
Re-read: 8

Half re-reads this month, mostly because of the posts I wrote up about books I love, I then remembered that I really needed to re-read a bunch of books.

Two trade paperbacks this month, because as much as I love ebooks, I prefer comics on paper. Probably because my screens are too small to see a whole page and read the text, which is a much better way for me to read comics.

Fantasy: 4
Mystery: 13
Romance: 3
Comic: 2

Mostly mysteries this month. Who knows why my brain wants what it wants. Not me. (The three romances were also mysteries.)

Male: 8
Female: 8

And we start the year with an even split between male and female authors.

And those are the books of January!

Here are the books of December!

Some of my favorite books of December were Flame in the Dark by Faith Hunter, the Jacqueline Kirby series by Elizabeth Peters, and The Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan.

Also: the complete 2017 round-up!

Fantasy

The Tropic of Serpents (2014) Marie Brennan (8/10)

Mystery, Historical

Lady Darby
The Anatomist’s Wife (2012) Anna Lee Huber (7/10)
Mortal Arts (2013) Anna Lee Huber (8/10)
A Grave Matter (2016) Anna Lee Huber (8/10)
Lord John
The Custom of the Army (2010) Diana Gabaldon (8.5/10)
Barker & Llewellyn
The Hellfire Conspiracy (2007) Will Thomas

Fantasy, Supernatural

Soulwood
Flame in the Dark (2017) Faith Hunter  (8.5/10)

Mystery

Jacqueline Kirby
The Seventh Sinner (1972) Elizabeth Peters (8/10)
The Murders of Richard III (1974) Elizabeth Peters (8.5/10)
Spenser
Thin Air (1995) Robert B. Parker (8.5/10)

Audio

Chance, Audio Version (1996/1997) Robert B. Parker narrated by Burt Reynolds (8.5/10)
Jar City, Audio Version (2000/2004/2011) Arnaldur Indridason translated by Bernard Scudder narrated by George Guidall
Bangkok Tattoo, Audio Version (2005) John Burdett narrated by Paul Boehmer

And now the stats!

Lots of re-reads last month (although there were three audio books, which are always a re-read for me).

eBook: 10
Audio: 3
Multiple Formats: 3
Re-read: 8

Genre-wise it was mostly mystery, with a little bit of fantasy thrown in.

Fantasy: 3
Mystery: 10

As for the authors, mostly women this month!

Male: 3
Female: 10

Holy Cats! How is it December already? We did a fair amount of hiking in November, since the leaves were at least two weeks late changing color across the state.

Mostly re-reads this month. But that means most of what I read was stuff I loved, so that’s a good thing, right?

Some particular favorites are: Patricia C. Wrede‘s Thirteenth Child and the rest of that series. It’s an alternate history of the frontier US, only there is magic. It’s YA and it is NOT cowboys (the magic kept North America from ever being settled by humans).

Diana Gabaldon‘s Lord John series. Although characters from Outlander appear here, there is NO time travel. At their core, these books are historical mysteries set in the 1700s. The main character is both a military man, and gay at a time when that was a hanging crime.

I’m also reaching some of my favorite books in Robert B. Parker’s Spenser series. This month it was Walking Shadow. However, I had to switch to reading because the narrator after Michael Prichard is just plain awful.

Fantasy, Historical

Thirteenth Child (2009) Patricia C. Wrede (9/10)
Across the Great Barrier (2011) Patricia C. Wrede (8.5/10)
The Far West (2012) Patricia C. Wrede (9/10)

Fantasy, Supernatural

Once Burned (2012) Jeaniene Frost (8/10)
Twice Tempted (2013) Jeaniene Frost (8/10)
Bound by Flames (2015) Jeaniene Frost
Into the Fire (2017) Jeaniene Frost (7.5/10)

Mystery

Spenser
Double Deuce (1992) Robert B Parker (8.5/10)
Paper Doll (1993) Robert B Parker
Walking Shadow (1994) Robert B. Parker (9/10)

Mystery, Historical
Barker & Llewelyn
The Limehouse Text (2006) Will Thomas (7.5/10)
Lord John
Lord John and the Private Matter (2003) Diana Gabaldon (8.5/10)
Lord John and the Hand of Devils (2007) Diana Gabaldon (9/10)
Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade (2007) Diana Gabaldon (8/10)

Graphic Novel

Rivers of London: Detective Stories Vol. 4 (2017) Ben Aaronovitch, Andrew Cartmel, Luis Guerrero, Lee Sullivan (8/10)

Audio Book

Spenser
Stardust, Audio Version (1990/1991) Robert B Parker narrated by Michael Prichard (8.5/10)
Pastime, Audio Version (1991/1992) Robert B. Parker narrated by David Dukes
Sonchai Jitpleecheep
Bangkok 8, Audio Version (2003) John Burdett narrated by Paul Boehmer (8.5/10)

So here’s how things turned out this month.

Mostly ebooks this month, almost all re-reads:

Trade Paperback: 1
eBook: 14
Audio: 3
Re-Read: 16

More than one genre this month, though I think half those were historical of some sort

Fantasy: 8
Mystery: 10
Romance: 4
YA: 3
Comic: 1

Gender-wise, pretty evenly split between male and female authors, with women holding a slight lead over men for the year 41% : 44%. Mostly because I’m re-reading the Spenser series, and those are quick reads (it’ll go slower once I can get back to listening).

Male: 8
Female: 10

And those are the books of November.

Here we are! The BOOKS of OCTOBER! (How it is already November I truly don’t know.) I read a lot of books this month, what with all the rain. I have now read more books so far this year, than I did in any year previous. And the year isn’t done yet. (I’m averaging 20 books a month, which is a lot of reading, even for me.)

I read some very good books, but also some bad books, including one that was so terribly edited I ended up disliking it even though the story was decent.

But let’s talk about the good!

Skipping the re-reads, I very much liked A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent by Marie Brennan. It’s actually a YA, and I think if I’d known that I would have not put off reading it for so long. Shadowhouse Fall by Daniel José Older came out this year, and although I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as the first, it is still good and highly recommended. Romance-wise, there were two books I particularly liked: Nearly a Lady by Alissa Johnson and Delicious by Sherry Thomas. Those were both fun historicals. And you should check out The Apple Lover’s Cookbook by Amy Traverso, since it is the time of year for apples. It’s part cookbook, part reference, part history of apple orchards and breeding.

Fantasy

River of Stars (2013) Guy Gavriel Kay (9/10)
A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent (2013) Marie Brennan (8.5/10)

Urban Fantasy

Child of a Rainless Year (2005) Jane Lindskold (9/10)
Shadowhouse Fall (2017) Daniel José Older  (8/10)
A Long Day in Lychford (2017) Paul Cornell (7.5/10)
Volatile Bonds (2017) Jaye Wells (5/10)

Historical Mystery

To Kingdom Come (2005) Will Thomas (7.5/10)
Shinju (1984) Laura Joh Rowland (5/10)

Historical Romance

Nearly a Lady (2011) Alissa Johnson (9/10)
Delicious (2008) Sherry Thomas (8.5/10)
You’re the Earl That I Want (2015) Kelly Bowen (7.5/10)
The Admiral’s Penniless Bride (2011) Carla Kelly (6/10)
The Cryptographer (2015) Alice Wallis-Eton (4.5/10)

 Cookbooks

The Apple Lover’s Cookbook (2011) Amy Traverso (9/10)

Audio Books

Spenser
A Catskill Eagle (1985/1986) Robert B Parker narrated by Michael Prichard
Taming a Sea-Horse, Audio Edition (986/1987) Robert B Parker narrated by Michael Prichard
Pale Kings and Princes, Audio Version (1987/1988) Robert B Parker narrated by Michael Prichard
Crimson Joy, Audio Version (1988/1999) Robert B Parker narrated by Michael Prichard
Playmates, Audio Version (1989/1990) Robert B Parker narrated by Michael Prichard

So here is the breakdown.

Genre-wise I read a pretty wide variety this month.

Fantasy: 7
Mystery: 8
Romance: 4
YA: 1
Non-Fiction: 1
Cookbook: 1

Technically, no paper books, although I did break down and buy a hardback copy of The Apple Lover’s Cookbook, because like comics, I prefer paper for reading/using cookbooks. Five audio books (I’m not counting listening to the Shadow Police series in the car with Michael, because I just finished listening to those on my own. But I was tired of trying to get Michael to read them.) There were a lot of re-reads, because after a really good book, sometimes I like to fall back on an old favorite when I don’t know what else to read. Also, creating those best of/favorites lists made me want to go back and read a LOT of books.

eBook: 14
Audio: 5

Multiple Formats: 4
Re-read: 9

Gender breakdown was pretty even, 9 male authors and 10 female authors, so things are still running pretty evenly for the year.

And that’s what I read in October!