Little late, but then I thought I’d already done this post.

I read a LOT of crap I didn’t much like last month. Mostly a mystery series I kept thinking would get better, but didn’t.

Luckily, I also read some really good books. Like:
The Dark Side of The Road by Simon R. Green (8/10) which is a stand-alone urban fantasy. Montalbano’s First Case and Other Stories by Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli (8/10) is a collection of Montalbano short stories. I re-read two Charles de Lint anthologies, Tapping the Dream Tree (9.5/10) and Muse and Reverie (10/10). And re-reads of Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls by Jane Lindskold (9/10) and Sabriel by Garth Nix (10/10).

If you haven’t read Charles de Lint, he is one of my all-time favorite authors. He writes marvelous short stories that–despite being full of darkness–are uplifting and usually make me feel better about myself and the world. And Jane Lindskold’s urban fantasy is also strange and wonderful.

Urban Fantasy

Tapping the Dream Tree (2002) Charles de Lint (9.5/10)
Muse and Reverie (2009) Charles de Lint (10/10)
Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls (1994) Jane Lindskold (9/10)
The Dark Side of The Road (2015) Simon R. Green (8/10)

Mystery

Montalbano’s First Case and Other Stories (2008 (except where noted) / 2016) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli (8/10)

YA Fantasy

Sabriel (1995) Garth Nix (10/10)

Historical Romance

Your Scandalous Ways (2008) Loretta Chase (7/10)
The Mystery Woman (2013) Amanda Quick (6/10)

Historical Mystery

Lady of the Ashes (2013) Christine Trent (5.5/10)
In Milady’s Chamber (2006) Sheri Cobb South (6/10)
A Dead Bore (2008) Sheri Cobb South (6.5/10)
Family Plot (2014) Sheri Cobb South (6/10)
Dinner Most Deadly (2015) Sheri Cobb South (5/10)

Audio Book

The Grendel Affair, Audible Version (2013/2014) Lisa Shearin, narrated by Johanna Parker (8/10)
Black Arts audible version (2014) Faith Hunter, narrated by Khristine Hvam (8/10)

I read 15 books in June, which is a lot, but I’ve been having major anxiety issues, so lots of escaping.

Nothing but eBooks and audio books this month–in fact, aside from cookbooks (which I really need to review, but haven’t) I haven’t read a single paper book this year.

Genre was a bit more variety than previous months

Fantasy : 7
Mystery : 6
Romance : 2
YA : 1
Anthology : 2

And male authors caught up a tiny bit this month, with 5 male authors and 9 female authors…and that doesn’t add up to 15. So, 5 and 10. Male authors still haven’t caught up much, since I’m at 15% male and 85% female authors.

Between the seemingly never-ending rain, and a bout of anxiety/depression, I read a LOT of books in May. 18 books in fact, my second highest month so far this year.

The best book of the month was Witches of Lychford a novella by Paul Cornell (10/10). Main characters were female, one of the women was elderly, the others were middle aged, and there was great dialogue. I also really enjoyed London Gambit by Tracy Grant (8/10), which is the latest book in the Malcolm & Suzanne Rannoch series.

Here are the books.

Supernatural Fantasy Novella

Witches of Lychford (2015) Paul Cornell (10/10)

Historical Mystery

Malcolm & Suzanne Rannoch
London Gambit (2016) Tracy Grant (8/10)
Lady Darby
A Pressing Engagement (2016) Anna Lee Huber (6/10)
A Talent for Trickery (2015) Alissa Johnson (7/10)

Supernatural Fantasy

Jane Yellowrock
Shadow Rites (2016) Faith Hunter (8/10)
Mercy Thompson
Moon Called (2006) Patricia Briggs (8.5/10)
Blood Bound (2007) Patricia Briggs (8/10)
Iron Kissed (2008) Patricia Briggs (8/10)
Bone Crossed (2009) Patricia Briggs
Silver Borne (2010) Patricia Briggs
River Marked (2011) Patricia Briggs
Frost Burned (2013) Patricia Briggs
Night Broken (2014) Patricia Briggs
Fire Touched (2016) Patricia Briggs
Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson (2014) Patricia Briggs

Alpha & Omega
Hunting Ground (2009) Patricia Briggs
Fair Game (2012) Patricia Briggs
Dead Heat (2015) Patricia Briggs

All of the books I read this book were ebooks.

Because of the bout of anxiety, there were a lot of re-reads this month. 13 re-reads in fact, and about half of those are books I first bought as trade paperbacks and then purchased again as ebooks.

Genre-wise, it was mostly fantasy, since I re-read the entire Mercy Thompson and Alpha & Omega series.

Fantasy : 15
Mystery : 3
Romance : 2

17 of the books were written by female authors, making it 88% female authors this year. (Making this, so far, the opposite of the year I read every single published Spenser mystery when I had the flu.)

It’s been a rainy weekend, so I took a break from organizing and gardening (since it was only sprinkling, it seemed silly not to garden) and decided to write up the books of April.

Unfortunately, Bad Things (too much death this year) have continued to happen, so I’ve been drowning my sorrows in books. Which is definitely healthier than drowning my sorrows in alcohol.

The best books of the month were Half-Resurrection Blues, Audible version by Daniel José Older, read by Daniel José Older (8.5/10) and Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs (8/10). I do enjoy the Mercy Thompson series very much, and since was another good addition to the series. I’d already read Half-Resurrection Blues, but we needed something to listen to while in the car, and we devoured the story in just a few listens. Which is pretty good for us.

I read a couple of new mystery series, once of which is fine, since it’s inexpensive, the other I definitely recommend, because it’s a time period I haven’t much read, and that’s the Susanna Horenbout and John Parker. In retrospect, I should have rated them higher than I did, but I’ll probably re-read them some time in the future, and will amend that then.

I read 15 books this month, which is pretty good considering that we went hiking most weekends.

Supernatural Fantasy

Alpha & Omega
Alpha & Omega (2007) Patricia Briggs (8/10)
Cry Wolf (2008) Patricia Briggs (8/10)

Mercy Thompson
Fire Touched (2016) Patricia Briggs (8/10)

Baba Yaga
Wickedly Ever After (2016) Deborah Blake (7/10)

Jane Yellowrock
Blood in Her Veins (2016) Faith Hunter (8/10)

Jinn and Juice (2014) Nicole Peeler (5/10)

Historical Fantasy

The Far West (2012) Patricia C. Wrede (8.5/10)

Audio Book (Supernatural Fantasy)

Bone Street Rumba
Half-Resurrection Blues, Audible version (2015) Daniel José Older, read by Daniel José Older (8.5/10)

Historical Mystery

Akitada
Three Tales of Love and Murder (2012) I.J. Parker (7/10)

Susanna Horenbout and John Parker
Dangerous Sanctuary (2012) Michelle Diener (7/10)
Keeper of the King’s Secrets (2012) Michelle Diener (7.5/10)

Captain Lacey
A Regimental Murder (2004/2001) Ashley Gardner (7/10)
The Glass House (2004/2011) Ashley Gardner (7/10)
The Sudbury School Murders(2005/2011) Ashley Gardner (7/10)
A Body in Berkeley Square(2005/2011) Ashley Gardner (7/10)

Here’s how the stats came out:

I read 15 ebooks and listened to one audio books–no paper books at all this month.

Genre-wise it broke down into a split between fantasy and mystery. It’s possible I’m shifting out of the historical kick I’ve been on for months.

Fantasy: 8
Mystery: 7
Romance: 1
YA: 1

Gender-wise, I only read one male author, Daniel Jose Older. That’s 86% female authors for the year so far. I’m sure that percentage will eventually drop, but not any time soon if I continue this Patricia Briggs re-reading binge.

And that’s the books of April.

We had a fair amount of yucky weather, and the plant fornication is bothering my sinuses, so I did quite a bit of reading in March.

My favorite book of the month was probably Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older. He’s now on my must-buy list. I also very much liked Banquet of Lies by Michelle Dienr, which caused me to make brioche and apple galette after reading about them being made. And I read When Falcons Fall by C.S. Harris within almost days of it being released, which is usual for her, but in generally I tend to get around to new releases.

So here’s what I read:

Historical Fantasy, YA
Thirteenth Child (2009) Patricia C. Wrede (9/10)
Across the Great Barrier (2011) Patricia C. Wrede (8.5/10)

Urban Fantasy, YA
Shadowshaper (2015) Daniel José Older (9.5/10)

Historical Mystery
When Falcons Fall (2016) C.S. Harris (8.5/10)
The Emperor’s Conspiracy (2012) Michelle Diener (7/10)
Banquet of Lies (2013) Michelle Diener (9/10)
A Dangerous Madness (2014) Michelle Diener (8.5/10)
A Soupçon of Poison (2015) Ashley Gardener (8.5/10)
In a Treacherous Court (2011) Michelle Diener (8/10)
Dark Angel (1994) Tracy Grant (8.5/10)

Historical Romance
Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand (2012) Carla Kelly (7/10)
Unraveled (2011) Courtney Milan (8.5/10)
Unclaimed (2011) Courtney Milan (8/10)
Unlocked (2011) Courtney Milan (unrated)
Unveiled (2011) Courtney Milan (8/10)
Talk Sweetly to Me (2014) Courtney Milan (7/10)
Proof by Seduction (2010) Courtney Milan (unrated)

Audible
Blood Trade Audible version (2013) Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam (8/10)

Mystery
The Waters of Eternal Youth (2016) Donna Leon (7/10)

And here’s how the stats came out:

Out of 19 books, 18 were ebooks and one was an audible book.I have five re-reads (one of which was, of course, the audible book; I have to read a book the first time–the audio version is too slow. But I love listening because it forces me to slow down, and catch things I missed the first time around).

Genre-wise, I read a lot of historical romances, and almost as many historical mysteries.

Fantasy : 4
Mystery : 8
Romance : 11
YA : 3

And gender-wise, I read 18 female authors and one single male author.

Now that the weather has changed? Don’t expect me to read nearly as much.

Between rain and staying home with His Furriness his final weeks, and some much needed down time at the end of the month, I got a lot of reading done this month.

And some of it was even NEW books!

One of my favorite books this month was a re-read. In fact, I specifically picked it up because I knew it would immediately pull me in.

Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan is one of my favorite books, even though it has boinking. The main character in this historical romance is a scientist. I mean, right there, what is not to love? From the same series was also The Suffragette Scandal. Actually, all the books in the series are very good, they just aren’t as perfect as The Countess Conspiracy. Also excellent is The Brimstone Deception by Lisa Shearin, which is another addition to her SPI files. If you’d like a change from heroines with supernatural ass-kicking powers, here is a heroine who is glad to stay out of the way when going into dangerous situations, because she knows others are better able than her to handle things. Mind you, I like heroines who kick butt, but this is a very nice change of pace.

And as a whole, I also recommend Anna Lee Huber’s Lady Darby series. She is the widow of an anatomist, and what her husband forced her to do gave her a unique set of skills she learns to use to help solve murders. I like the historical setting and the main characters, and although there is a romance brewing between the main characters, they have very real issues to work out (as opposed to manufactured issues, like SOME mysteries (ahem)) and those issues do a very good job of reminding us just how different the past was (and how glad I am to live in the future).

Historical Romance

The Brothers Sinister
The Duchess War (2012) Courtney Milan (8.5/10)
A Kiss for Midwinter (2012) Courtney Milan (8.5/10)
The Heiress Effect (2013) Courtney Milan (8.5/10)
The Countess Conspiracy (2013) Courtney Milan (10/10)
The Suffragette Scandal (2014) Courtney Milan (9/10)

The Turner Family
Once Upon a Marquess (2015) Courtney Milan (8/10)

Historical Mystery

Lady Darby
The Anatomist’s Wife (2012) Anna Lee Huber (6.5/10)
Mortal Arts (2013) Anna Lee Huber  (8/10)
A Grave Matter (2014) Anna Lee Huber  (8/10)
A Study in Death (2015) Anna Lee Huber  (8/10)

Lady Emily
And Only to Deceive (2005) Tasha Alexander (7.5/10)
A Poisoned Season (2007) Tasha Alexander (7/10)
A Fatal Waltz (2008) Tasha Alexander (7/10)
Tears of Pearl (2009) Tasha Alexander (6/10)
Dangerous to Know (2010) Tasha Alexander (6/10)

Supernatural Fantasy

The SPI Files
The Brimstone Deception (2016) Lisa Shearin (9/10)

This month I read 16 books, with six of those being re-reads. (Although they were mostly earlier books in a series where I wanted to go back before reading new-to-me books.)

Genre-wise, it was 10 mysteries, 6 romances, and one supernatural fantasy.

Gender-wise, no male authors made an appearance this month, so for the year, it’s 77% female authors. I expect this rate to change, but perhaps not until I finish my Courtney Milan kick.

And now (just a little late) the books of November! (AKA, finishing off the Commissario Brunetti series!)

You can tell the weather has cooled (and has contained a fair amount of rain) as I have read more this month than I had since January: 18 books for the month.

Most of them were re-reads (12) and most of them I had in multiple formats (10) but there were some new reads in there–most of which had actually been published THIS YEAR!

My favorite book in November was Black Widow Volume 1: The Finely Woven Thread. That was marvelous, and I highly recommend it.

Graphic Novel
Black Widow Volume 1: The Finely Woven Thread (2015) Nathan Edmondson and Phil Noto (9/10)
A-Force Presents Vol. 1 (2015) by G. Willow Wilson, Nathan Edmondson, Kelly Sue Deconnick, Jason Aaron, Phil Noto, David Lopez, Adrian Alphona, Russell Dauterman (8.5/10)
Mercy Thompson: Hopcross Jilly (2015) Patricia Briggs and Tom Garcia (7/10)

Fantasy, Supernatural
A Red-Rose Chain (2015) Seanan McGuire (7/10)

Mystery
Commisario Brunetti
Falling in Love (2015) Donna Leon (7.5/10)
By its Cover (2014) Donna Leon (8.5/10)
The Golden Egg (2013) Donna Leon
Beastly Things (2012) Donna Leon (8/10)
Drawing Conclusions (2011) Donna Leon (8/10)
A Question of Belief (2010) Donna Leon (8/10)
About Face (2009) Donna Leon (8/10)
The Girl of His Dreams (2008) Donna Leon (7/10)
Suffer the Little Children (2007) Donna Leon (8/10)
Through a Glass, Darkly (2006) Donna Leon (7.5/10)
Blood from a Stone (2005) Donna Leon (8.5/10)
Doctored Evidence (2004) Donna Leon (7.5/10)
Uniform Justice (2003) Donna Leon (7/10)
Willful Behavior (2002) Donna Leon (8/10)

As for the breakdown…

Paperback: 2
Trade Paperback: 3
eBook: 12
Hardback: 1

Fantasy: 2
Mystery: 14
Comic: 3

And for the gender break-down, 15 female authors and 3 anthologies (comics count as anthologies in my calculations). That makes only 26% of the books I’ve read so far this year written by male authors. Not too bad!

The books of October were almost all re-reads of Donna Leon’s Commissario Brunetti series. I’d fallen behind on reading the series after Grandmom died, so I decided to go back to the start and re-read straight through.

I did have one audio book–Faith Hunters Raven Cursed, from her Jane Yellowrock series, which I am thoroughly enjoying as audio books. I actually have the last Jane book waiting for me–I started it, saw the character that looked to be involved, and decided I wasn’t in the mood for that and put it back down. (I have an embarrassing number of new releases waiting for me.)

I also re-read Patricia Wrede’s A Matter of Magic which is a YA Historical Fantasy that I really enjoyed. That’s probably my big recommendation from this month: if you haven’t read Patricia Wrede, you should change that ASAP. Most of her books are Historical YA fantasy, which means they’re really good fantasy without the boinking. I’ve given her books to some of the larger small people in my life.

Mystery
Commissario Brunetti
Death at La Fenice (1992) Donna Leon (8/10)
Death in a Strange Country (1993) Donna Leon (8/10)
Dressed for Death (1994) Donna Leon (8/10)
Death and Judgment (1995) Donna Leon (8/10)
Acqua Alta (1996) Donna Leon (8/10)
Quietly in Their Sleep (1997) Donna Leon (8/10)
A Noble Radiance (1998) Donna Leon (7/10)
Fatal Remedies (1999) Donna Leon
Friends in High Places (1999) Donna Leon (8/10)
A Sea of Troubles (2001) Donna Leon (8/10)

Fantasy, YA
A Matter of Magic: Mairelon the Magician and The Magician’s Ward (1991/1997) Patricia C. Wrede (8.5/10)

Historical Romance
The Sword Dancer (2013) Jeannie Lin (5/10)

Audio
Raven Cursed Audible version (2012/2012) Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam (8/10)

As far as stats go, I read 13 books, all but two of which were ebooks, only one of which was not a re-read, and 11 of which I own in multiple formats.

I read 11 mysteries, two fantasies, one romance, and one YA.

And every single book I read in October was written by a female.

A little late, but here are the books of August. Some hot weather upped the numbers, bringing me to 12 books for the month.

The best book of the month was a re-read,
The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay. It had been years and years since I read it, but something about the story kept popping into my mind from time to time, so I decided it was long past time for a re-read.

It was just as marvelous as I remembered.

Comics

Fables
Fables Vol. 21: Happily Ever After (2015) Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, and Andrew Pepoy
Fables Vol. 22: Farewell (2015)
Fairest Vol. 5: The Clamour for Glamour (2015)
Ms Marvel
Ms. Marvel Volume 2: Generation Why (2015) G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphona, and Jacob (7/10)Wyatt
Ms. Marvel Vol. 3: Crushed (2015) G. Willow Wilson, Takeshi Miyazawa, Elmo Bondoc (7/10)

Fantasy

The Lions of Al-Rassan (1995) Guy Gavriel Kay (9.5/10)

Audio Book

Bangkok 8 audible version (2003/2011) John Burdett narrated by Paul Boehmer (8.5/10)
Mercy Blade, Audible Version (2011/2011) Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam (8/10)
Moon Called, Audible Version (2006/2009) Patricia Briggs narrated by Lorelei King (7/10)
Kitty Goes to Washington audible version (2006/2009) Carrie Vaughn narrated by Marguerite Gavin

Historical Mystery / Romance

A Dangerous Madness (2014) Michelle Diener (7.5/10)
London Interlude (2015) Tracy Grant (7/10)

And here’s the breakdown.

Lots of graphic novels lead to a higher than normal number of paper books read, and canning lead to a higher than normal number of audio book listened to. (I listen to about an audio book a month if it’s mostly lunch time walks. When I’m canning, audio books distract me from the heat and the sometimes monotonous tasks.)

Trade Paperback : 5
eBook : 3
Audio : 4
Multiple Formats : 5
Re-read : 5

The high number of re-reads and multiple formats were primarily due to audio books.

A bit of variety this month in the genres I read.

Fantasy : 5
Mystery : 4
Romance : 3
YA : 1
Comic : 5

And gender-wise, women remained in the lead:

Male : 2
Female : 7
Anthology : 3

That gives brings the yearly percentages as such:

Male : 34%
Female : 52%

Not a bad month, especially consider that I did manage to get out quite a bit.

Total slacker this month. Eight books. That’s all. I even took books when we took our long weekend at Canaan, but never got around to reading them.

The best books of the month were The Very Best of Charles de Lint by Charles de Lint. I love Charles de Lint, so this shouldn’t be a surprise. This is also an anthology I was reading for several months. Half-Resurrection Blues by Daniel José Older, and Summer Campaign by Carla Kelly. Three very different books from very different genres, but all were very good and all are highly recommended.

Urban Fantasy

The Very Best of Charles de Lint (2010) Charles de Lint (9.5/10)

Supernatural Fantasy

Half-Resurrection Blues (2015) Daniel José Older (8.5/10)
Wickedly Dangerous (2014) Deborah Blake (7.5/10)

Mystery

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2005/2008) Stieg Larsson translated by Reg Keeland

Historical Romance

Summer Campaign (2012) Carla Kelly (8.5/10)

Short Story / Novella

The Girl of Hrusch Avenue (2013) Brian McClellan (7/10)
Spellbinder (2015) C.C. Hunter (6/10)
Unbreakable (2014) C.C. Hunter

All the books I read were eBooks, in fact, I haven’t read a single mass-market paperback this year. One book was a re-read.

Genre-wise, I’ve read mostly fantasy, with a smattering of other genres.

Fantasy: 6
Mystery: 1
Romance: 1
YA: 2
Anthology: 1

Genre-wise, on the face of it I read more male authors, however, it was really evenly split.

Male: 4
Female: 2
Initials: 2

I read more than expected this June, mostly because it wouldn’t stop raining, so very little hiking.

Bah humbug.

I seem to have read a lot of meh books this month, and finished off some anthologies I’d been reading (some for years).

The best book of the month was Salsa Nocturna by Daniel José Older, which is a collection of short stories, set in the same world, and slowly intertwined.

This was a very nice book, and I purchased his Resurrection Blues based upon it. You should really check it out.

Supernatural Fantasy

  Salsa Nocturna (2012) Daniel José Older (8.5/10)
  Pocket Apocalypse (2015) Seanan McGuire (7/10)
  Werewolf Smackdown (2010) Mario Acevedo (4/10)

Fantasy

  Magic Lost, Trouble Found (2007) Lisa Shearin (7/10)

Historical Mystery

  The Mayfair Affair (2015) Tracy Grant (8/10)

Historical Romance

  Miss Grimsley’s Oxford Career (2012) Carla Kelly (8.5/10)
  The Soldier’s Dark Secret (2015) Marguerite Kaye (7.5/10)
  Widow’s Gambit (1998) Tracy Grant (7/10)
  Lucien’s Fall (2011) Barbara Samuel (6/10)

Anthology

  Fiction River: Hex in the City (2013) edited by Kerrie L. Hughes (9/10)
  Vampires: The Recent Undead (2011) edited by Paula Guran (7/10)

So here’s how the stats came out for the month.

I read 11 books, all of which were eBooks.

Genre-wise, mostly split between fantasy and historical romance.

Fantasy: 6
Romance: 5
Anthology: 3
Mystery: 2

Gender-wise, women continued to lead the pack, and the year, with 57% of this year’s books written by women.

Female: 7
Male: 2
Anthology: 2

And that’s the month of June in books.

Someone was a slacker this month. Or, perhaps the opposite is true–I was outside almost every weekend, which left far less time for reading.

That’s not a bad thing.

The best book of the month was a re-read, Child of a Rainless Year by Jane Lindskold. That was closely followed by the audible version of Halfway to the Grave, Audible Version by Jeaniene Frost and narrated by Tavia Gilbert

Supernatural Fantasy
Low Midnight (2014) Carrie Vaughn (6/10)

Urban Fantasy
Child of a Rainless Year (2005) Jane Lindskold (9/10)

Historical Romance
The Black Hawk (2011) Joanna Bourne (7/10)

Mystery
Inspector Montalbano
The Shape of Water (1994/2002) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli (7/10)
The Terra-Cotta Dog (1996/2004) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli (8.5/10)
The Snack Thief (1996/2003) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli (8/10)

Audible
Halfway to the Grave, Audible Version (2007/2010) by Jeaniene Frost narrated by Tavia Gilbert (8.5/10)

And a quick look at the numbers!

I read a total of 7 book, six of which were ebooks, and five of those are books I own in multiple formats. I only read two new books last month, but that’s okay. May is a somewhat difficult month for me, so I’m allowed to wallow in comfort reading.

eBook: 6
Audio: 1
Multiple Formats: 5
Re-read: 5

I’m averaging 10 books a month so far, which is down from last year, but again, it’s not a bad thing, since I’ve been reading less because I’ve been outside doing stuff. (Once the heat kicks in, I’ll probably spend my time hiding at home with the air conditioning.)

Genre-wise, it was a smattering of different things.

Fantasy: 3
Mystery: 4
Romance: 2

As far as author gender goes, the female authors squeaked ahead by one, still holding the lead for the year.

Male: 3
Female: 4

And those are the books of May!

Slow reading month, for the good reason of Being Outside Doing Stuff.

Historical Fiction / Mystery

Lord John Grey
Lord John and the Private Matter (2003) Diana Gabaldon (9/10)
Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade (2007) Diana Gabaldon (8/10)
Lord John and the Hand of Devils (2007) Diana Gabaldon (8.5/10)
The Custom of the Army (2012) Diana Gabaldon (8/10)

Mystery

Inspector Montalbano
Game of Mirrors (2011/2015) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli  (7.5/10)

Supernatural Fantasy

Felix Castor
Dead Men’s Boots (2007) Mike Carey  (8/10)

A Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark (2014) Harry Connolly  (6/10)

Audio

The Rivers of London
Foxglove Summer, Audible Version (2015/2015) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith  (10/10)

So I only read eight books, but that’s okay because I got to spent lots of time outside, hiking.

Book format was heavily ebook, with the only non-ebook being an audio book. (Audio books are going slowly right now, because I have an occasional lunchtime walking partner, which cuts into my audio book time.)

Genre was heavily mystery, with the three fantasy books also being mysteries. The single fiction book is the final Lord John book, which doesn’t have a whole lot of mystery compared to the previous books.

Fantasy: 3
Mystery: 7
Fiction: 1

Gender was evenly split, 4:4 with female authors still slightly ahead for the year (but they don’t look to stay that way, since I’m currently re-reading te Inspector Montalbano).

And it’s time for the books of March! Spent more time (far more time!) out of the house this month, what with not being sick and the weather cooperating.

The best books of the month were the final two books in the Julian Kestrel series, Whom the Gods Love and The Devil in Music. As always, it made me sad to complete the series, knowing that the author’s life ended far too soon. And also Who Buries the Dead, the latest Sebastian St. Cry book.

Historical Romance

These Old Shades (1926) Georgette Heyer

Historical Mystery

Julian Kestrel
Whom the Gods Love (1995) Kate Ross (9/10)
The Devil in Music (1997) Kate Ross (/10)
Sebastian St Cyr
Who Buries the Dead (2015) C.S. Harris (8.5/10)

Mystery

Inspector Montalbano
The Fourth Secret (2002/2014) Andrea Camilleri translated by Gianluca Rizzo and Dominic Siracusa (7/10)

Supernatural Mystery

Felix Castor
The Devil You Know (2008) Mike Carey (8/10)
Vicious Circle (2006) Mike Carey (8/10)
London Falling audible version (2013/2014) by Paul Cornell, narrated by Damian Lynch  (8/10)

Supernatural Fantasy

Alpha & Omega
Dead Heat (2015) Patricia Briggs (7.5/10)

And now, the numbers!

Aside from one audio book (I really liked the audio version of London Falling) everything was an ebook, and I had seven re-reads, and seven books in multiple formats (either ebook and paper or ebook and audio).

The breakdown of genres was mostly mysteries, mysteries of all flavors.

Fantasy: 4
Mystery: 7
Romance: 1

And for author gender this month, an almost even split between male and female authors.

Male: 4
Female: 4
Initials: 1

Almost because the initials are (of course) a female author.

It seems like I just wrote the books of January post… oh wait. I did.

Anyway, here are the books I read in February. Lots of historical romance here, except that they’re really historical mysteries with romance.

The best books last month? There were a lot!

First, Ms. Marvel Volume 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphonsa (10/10) is MARVELOUS. I read some rave reviews and ordered it, but it sat for a few weeks before I got around to reading it. OMG THIS IS SO GOOD!

Next up, Lescaut Quartet by Tracy Grant, Shores of Desire and Shadows of the Heart. These are historical mysteries with romance, but what makes them extra fabulous is that the heroines are all older women, both widows. And in one, the heroine is pregnant at the start of the book. I loved both of these.

ALSO marvelous is the The Spymaster Series by Joanna Bourne, especially My Lord and Spymaster, which has a heroine who is a genius accountant (or rather, “England’s expert on skullduggery in accounting”).

Plus, some supernatural fantasy, including Legion: Skin Deep by Brandon Sanderson (9/10) which is a sequel to Legion, which I also adored. Tales from the Nightside by Simon R. Green (9/10) is a collection of the Nightside short stories, as well as a new novella.

Historical Romance

Lescaut Quartet
Dark Angel (1994) Tracy Grant (7/10)
Shores of Desire (1997) Tracy Grant (9/10)
Shadows of the Heart (1996) Tracy Grant (9/10)
Rightfully His  (1998) Tracy Grant (8/10)

The Spymaster Series
My Lord and Spymaster (2008) Joanna Bourne (9/10)
The Forbidden Rose (2010) Joanna Bourne (8/10)

Graphic Novel

Ms. Marvel Volume 1:  No Normal  (2014) G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphonsa  (10/10)
Girl Genius Volume 12:  Siege of Mechanicsburg  (2013) Phil & Kaja Foglio  (7/10)
Girl Genius Volume 13:  Agatha Heterodyne and the Sleeping City  (2014) Phil & Kaja Foglio  (7/10)

Urban Fantasy

Legion: Skin Deep (2014) Brandon Sanderson  (9/10)
Tales from the Nightside (2015) Simon R. Green  (9/10)

Historical Mystery

Julian Kestrel
Cut to the Quick  (1993) Kate Ross (10/10)
A Broken Vessel  (1994) Kate Ross (10/10)

Supernatural Fantasy

Bound by Flames (2015) Jeaniene Frost (7/10)

Now, for the breakdown!!

For book format, I snuck in some trade paperbacks, because I read comics. Yes, I am completely inconsistent, because I don’t like reading comics as ebooks.

The re-reads (and multiple formats) were the Kate Ross books, which I adore.

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

Genre was predominantly historicals this month, most of which were mysteries in some form.

Fantasy : 5
Mystery : 10
Romance : 7
YA : 3
Comic : 3
Anthology : 1

Because I read a lot of books that were predominantly romances, I read a lot of female authors. But I’d like to point out that the primary author of Ms. Marvel is a woman. So YAY!

Male : 2
Female : 9
Joint : 3