There were some very good and some very terrible covers this year.

First, The Bad

I’ve already ranted about how much I hated the cover for Burn for Me:

It’s awful. And there was an alternate that was gorgeous, which is just adding insult to injury.

For the other book, I hate to do this, because it’s not a horrible cover, but she’s had such gorgeous covers in the past, I found the cover of Why Kings Confess to be terribly disappointing.

It doesn’t look at all like Sebastian, and there is nothing in the cover that draws me in. But the fact that previous covers were so gorgeous, I have a much higher bar for this series than I do for many others.

Now, The Good

Luckily, there were far more covers I really liked this year.

I really loved the cover of Jaye Wells Dirty Magic:

ML Brennan’s Generation V series also has good covers:

But as the main character is male, that’s not particularly unusual. But they do a good job getting Fort right.

Faith Hunter, as usual, gets fabulous covers for her Jane Yellowrock books.

I adore how powerful Jane is.

As always, kudos to the latest Cal Leandros book

That all the covers do such an excellent job of portraying the essence of Cal (and Niko when he makes an appearance) continues to astound me. Every cover in the series is immediately recognizable as a Cal & Niko book, and Cal looks exactly how he is written: like an obnoxious asshole with an obsession with guns.

And I want to draw special attention to Fairest Vol. 3: The Return of the Maharaja

The book had FANTASTIC art.

With caveats, Patricia Briggs also gets good covers.

For some reason they always have Mercy showing more skin than seems at all realistic for her character. But she is shown as strong and acting (as opposed to being acted upon) so I’ll take what I can get.

And it’s the end of December, so time for the books I read this past month!

Best books of the month were Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings, which is an old favorite I have read many, many times. Fate’s Edge by Ilona Andrews was another re-read of a book I loved.

And here’s what I read:

Epic Fantasy

The Belgariad
Pawn of Prophecy (1982) David Eddings (10/10)
Queen of Sorcery (1982) David Eddings (8/10)
Magician’s Gambit (1983) David Eddings (9/10)

Supernatural Fantasy

Generation V
Tainted Blood (2014) M.L. Brennan (7.5/10)

Supernatural Romance

Burn for Me (2014) Ilona Andrews (7/10)

The Edge
On the Edge (2009) Ilona Andrews (8/10)
Bayou Moon (2010) Ilona Andrews (7.5/10)
Fate’s Edge (2011) Ilona Andrews (9/10)

Historical Romance

Rules of Scoundrels
A Rogue by Any Other Name (2012) Sarah MacLean (7/10)
One Good Earl Deserves a Lover (2013) Sarah MacLean (8/10)
No Good Duke Goes Unpunished (2013) Sarah MacLean (6/10)
Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover (2014) Sarah MacLean (7/10)

Format-wise, I once again bought books I already owned in paperback, so I could re-read them.

Paperback – 3
eBook – 9
Multiple Formats – 3
Re-read – 6

Very little variety in genre this month.

Fantasy – 8
Romance – 8

And male authors made a slight comeback this month, but not enough to pull out of their slump.

Male – 3
Female – 3
Initials – 1
Joint – 4

I read the new Ilona Andrews book (first in a new series) Burn for Me.

I had a couple problems with the story, but overall, I found it quite enjoyable.

What I did not enjoy was the cover.

Here is the cover of the book.

I don’t like it. I just don’t. The female character is weak, and looks needy and defenseless, and I JUST CAN’T EVEN with men wearing their shirts like that.

But, you know, bad book covers happen to good people.

Then I discovered they had another cover, that was rejected.

THIS cover:

I. LOVE. THAT. COVER.

It is AWESOME. She is powerful and taking action. In fact, he’s the one standing there clutching her hand and looking handsome while she is taking action.

THAT IS AWESOME.

But instead, someone decided they had to go with the bare chested man, with the woman all but swooning in the man’s arms cover.

WHAT THE HELL?

And even though the female character didn’t actually hold balled lightening when fighting, she was smart and able to care for herself and others. She had no need to clutch needily at a man. A man who doesn’t even know how to wear a shirt for gods’ sake.

The woman on the cover that went to print is NOT the woman I read about in the book.

WHY did they need to show her as weak? WHY?!

Let me be clear: Avon? You SUCK at covers.

ADDENDUM the First:
Another salient point. I purchased the book solely because it was written by Ilona Andrews. If I was browsing, I would have immediately skipped right over that as a book of no interest to me. And in fact Despite the fact I had pre-ordered the book, I put off reading it because I found the cover so unappealing, I presumed it wasn’t the kind of book I typically enjoy.

But I did get around to reading it, because I love Ilona Andrews and the books they write. But if I was a reading, looking for a new author? No way in hell would I have picked that up.

And now…. the books of November!

Again, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith’s reading of Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series was again spot-on perfect, with Whispers Under Ground. I adore listening to this series so very much.

Also very good was Henning Mankell’s The Troubled Man, the 10th Kurt Wallander book. Be aware this is as much about Kurt Wallander as it is a mystery, but those parts are what were so very good.

I also really like Tracy Grant’s Charles & Melanie Frasier series, which is also the Malcom & Suzanne Rannoch series (I believe it had to do with publishers), and the books are not written/published in chronological order. But they are chock full of intrigue.

Mystery

The Troubled Man (2009/2011) Henning Mankell translated by Laurie Thompson (9/10)

Outrage (2008/2011) Arnaldur Indridason translated by Anna Yates (8.5/10)

Mystery, Historical

Beneath a Silent Moon (2003) Tracy Grant (8.5/10)

The Mask of Night (2011) Tracy Grant (8.5/10)

Fantasy, Supernatural

Fair Game (2012) Patricia Briggs (9/10)

Eternal: Shadow Falls: After Dark (2014) C.C. Hunter (8.5/10)

Night Shift (2014) Nalini Singh; Ilona Andrews; Lisa Shearin; Milla Vane (8/10)

Broken Soul (2014) Faith Hunter (7/10)

Graphic Novels

Fables Vol. 20: Camelot (2014) Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Russ Braun, Barry Kitson (8/10)

Fairest Vol. 4: Cinderella:  Of Men and Mice (2014) Mark Andreyko, Shawn McManus (7/10)

Romance, Historical

A Study in Seduction (2012) Nina Rowan (7/10)

Audio Books

Whispers Under Ground, Audible Version (2012/2012) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (10/10)

Blood Cross, Audible Version (2010/2010) Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam (8.5/10)

I read 13 books this year, so that’s 155 so far for the year. Probably break last year’s total, but that is still quite a number of books.

Paperback 1
Trade Paperback 2
eBook 8
Audio 2
Multiple Formats 2
Re-read 3

As always, ebooks are far and away beating paper books.

Fantasy and mystery were pretty evenly split this month, but I did get in two comics.

Fantasy 6
Mystery 5
Romance 3
Comic 2

And female authors are continuing to lead male authors. Hooray!

Male 3
Female 7
Anthology 3

This would have been a slow reading month, except that we went on vacation, and the train ride (which was lovely) provided lots of relaxing reading time. So I ended up reading quite a bit, including several new releases I’d been saving up for such an occasion. But I also was re-reading some Patricia Briggs, who I always like. (I just realized I forgot to review the latest volume of Fables. That’ll have to go onto next month.)

The best books of the month were Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater and Downfall by Rob Thurman, both of which were new releases. (I’m not counting the Miss Marple collection, because I am always going to love Miss Marple.) If you haven’t picked up Maggie Stiefvater’s Raven Boys, you really need to rectify that right now.

Fantasy, YA

Blue Lily, Lily Blue (2014) Maggie Stiefvater (8.5/10)

Fantasy, Supernatural
Cal & Niko
Downfall  (2014) Rob Thurman  (8.5/10)
Toby Daye
The Winter Long  (2014) Seanan McGuire  (7/10)
Jane Yellorock
Black Water  (2014) Faith Hunter  (7/10)
Mercy Thompson
Frost Burned (2013) Patricia Briggs  (8/10)
River Marked (2011) Patricia Briggs
Silver Borne (2010) Patricia Briggs
Alpha & Omega
Hunting Ground  (2009) Patricia Briggs

Mystery
Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories  (2013) Agatha Christie  (10/10)
Hypothermia  (2007/2009) Arnaldur Indridson translated by Victoria Cribb  (7/10)

Mystery, Historical
The Paris Plot  (2014) Teresa Grant (7/10)

Now for the numbers!

I read eleven books this month, bringing my total for the year to 142, slightly down from this point last year, but still, quite a few books.

Because I was doing a lot of re-reading, and haven’t yet found all my favorite books on sale as ebook, I actually read 3 paperbacks.
Paperback 3
eBook 8
Multiple Formats 1
Re-read 5

I read mostly supernatural fantasy this month, but I did read two straight up mysteries.
Fantasy 8
Mystery 2
Romance 2
YA 1
I never seem to rate any of Arnaldur Indridson’s Inspector Erlendur books much higher than a seven, yet I keep coming back to the series, wanting to learn more about Erlendur. So even though I haven’t raved about that series, you might want to look into it, because it really is fascinating. (Just keep in mind that it is often hard to like Erlendur.)

For this month’s gender break-down, female authors are continuing to trounce male authors, with Arnaldur Indridson the only male author I read in October.
Male 1
Female 9
Male Pseudonym 1
Right now female authors have a strong lead, 49%:32%. But if add in female authors writing under initials or male pseudonyms, it’s 58%:32%.

So that’s October in books. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got the latest Faith Hunter I really need to finish…

September was a slow reading month. Temperatures finally cooled enough that I wanted to go hiking again, and the insanity of football games was more than enough incentive to push us out of town. Plus, I decided to take up canning this fall (if I get my act together, I’ll write about that sometime) so my free time has been limited.

In addition to less reading time than normal, we were busy enough (in a good way) that I was wanting to relax with favorite characters and books I knew I’d enjoy.

The best books of the month included two audio books. Kobna Holdbrook-Smith narrates Ben Aaronovitch’s Peter Grant series, and he completely blew me away. I liked the book, but the narration was pretty much perfect. I can’t recommend these highly enough.
I also read Patricia Briggs’ anthology set in Mercy Thompson’s world. Very few of these stories are about Mercy, but that doesn’t bother me at all. I love well-written short stories, and these are all very good.

Fantasy, Supernatural

Alpha & Omega
Cry Wolf  (2008) Patricia Briggs
Mercy Thompson
Moon Called (2006) Patricia Briggs (8.5/10)
Blood Bound  (2007) Patricia Briggs (8/10)
Iron Kissed (2008) Patricia Briggs
Bone Crossed  (2009) Patricia Briggs
Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson (2014) Patricia Briggs (9/10)

Mystery, Historical

Flavia de Luce
The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches (2014) Alan Bradley (Not Rated)
Speaking from Among the Bones  (2013) Alan Bradley (7/10)

Audio Books

Moon Called: Audible Version (2006/2009) Patricia Briggs and read by Lorelei King (DNF)
Peter Grant
Midnight Riot: Audio Version  (2011/2012) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (10/10)
Moon Over Soho: Audible Version  (2011/2012) Ben Aaronovitch and narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (10/10)

So, in a slow reading month I read eleven books, which I know is more than most people read, but still relatively low for me. (I read nine books in May, for many of the same reasons I read so little in September.) This also brings my total for the year to 131, which was more than I read some years when I was in grad school. So I’m on track to read more books this year than I have in any other year.

I read mostly eBooks again, but there were three audio books in there, and one lonely paperback. Of course nine of the books I read were re-reads, and eight of those I have in multiple formats. (Of course, this counts the Mercy Thompson Moon Called audio book that I didn’t finish.)

Mostly supernatural fantasy this month, with those books having a strong mystery element, and two straight-up mysteries.

I read four male authors and seven female authors, which brings me to 59 writing-as-female authors for the year and 43 male authors. With the nine books written under initials and two written under a male pseudonym, that gives me approximately 55% female authors to 34% male authors. (I’ve read a lot of anthologies this year.)

So not much new this month, but I really do recommend that you seek out the audio version of the Peter Grant books.

From SF Signal: A 15 Question Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Book Meme – SF/F/H Reading/Buying Habits

What was the last sf/f/h book you finished reading?
Midnight Riot (audio version) by Ben Aaronovitch

What was the last sf/f/h book you did not finish reading and why?
This is harder, as I read multiple books at once, and frequently start books that I never get back to, simply because there are too many other books to read one that doesn’t hold my interest.

What was the last sf/f/h book you read that you liked but most people didn’t?
I honestly I have no idea. I frequently re-read David Eddings Belgariad, but I don’t think that’s what the question is asking.

What was the last sf/f/h book you read that you disliked but most people did?
I abandoned the Sookie Stackouse series. I loved the initial books, but HATED it when it turned into a giant “everyone loves Sookie” fest. Bletch.

How long do your 1-sitting reading sessions usually last?
As long as I have time. I can spend an entire day reading–if I have an entire day.

What are you currently reading?
The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley
Bonk by Mary Roach
Downfall by Rob Thurman
Thieves’ Quarry by DB Jackson

Do you like it so far?
Of course.
I’m having a hard time getting into this one.
OMG yes.
I’ve put this down several times, because I fear it is going to be the last Cal book.
Wasn’t what I was in the mood for when I picked it up, but keep coming back to it.

How long ago did you buy the book you are currently reading (or the last book you read)?
Some of them in the past two weeks, some of them… months ago? I own the Sherlock Holmes in HB, so I re-bought the eBook.

What was the last physical sf/f/h book you bought?
Fables: Camelot by Bill Willingham et al (that one is ALSO waiting for me to pick it up)

What is the sf/f/h sub-genre you like the most and why?
I’m a huge fan of urban fantasy–like Charles de Lint–and supernatural mysteries–like Simon R Green. I love mysteries, and I adore mysteries with supernatural or fantastic elements. I also like them because they tend to be single books that I can read in a gulp, but am not left with a damned cliff-hanger.

What is the sf/f/h sub-genre you dislike the most and why?
I don’t read SF, because I just plain don’t enjoy it. I dislike dystopias for a similar reason–they make me feel miserable. I’ll feel terrible for hours after finishing a dystopia. Since my brain can do that all on its own, I avoid things that make me feel bad. I also don’t read horror because I don’t like to be scared. (Fantasy with elements of horror is generally find, as long as it’s not scary.)

What is your favorite electronic reading device?
I love my kindle paperwhite so very very very very much. It has a purple cover, and feels so much like reading a book, only it doesn’t hurt my hands to hold.

What was the last sf/f/h eBook you bought?
Three pre-orders arrived at the same time:
Seanan McGuire – Winterlong
Patricia Briggs – Shifting Shadows
Fables: Camelot by Bill Willinghame et al

Do you read books exclusively in 1 format (physical/electronic)?
No. But I am partial to fiction in eBook format, and to comics/graphic novels in Trade Paperback format.

Do you read eBooks exclusively on a single device (eBook reader/ smartphone / tablet)?
Nope. I read on whatever is at hand. If I have a few minutes to wait, I read on my phone. If it’s a cookbook, I read it on the Fire. My bedtime reading is often on my Kindle keyboard (it contains mostly non-fiction, which I prefer to read before bed). Most everything else I read on the paper white.

How about you?

Lots of historicals this month, both romances (!) and mysteries. Just in the mood for something different I suppose.

Fifteen books in August, bringing me to a total of 120 for the year so far.

The best books of the month:
The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan was FABULOUS. Seriously, I can’t say enough good things about this story. You should go read it now.
Kitty’s Greatest Hits by Carrie Vaughn I always seem to forget how good Carrie Vaughn is with short stories, until I read one, and then I want to read more.

Fantasy, Supernatural

Kitty’s Greatest Hits (2011) Carrie Vaughn (9/10)
Jane Yellowrock
Cat Tales: Four Stories from the World of Jane Yellowrock (2011) Faith Hunter (7/10)
Have Stakes Will Travel: Stories From the World of Jane Yellowrock (2012) Faith Hunter (8.5/10)
Jane Yellowrock World Companion (2013) Faith Hunter (7/10)
Black Arts (2014) Faith Hunter (8.5/10)

Mystery, Historical

Flavia deLuce
I Am Half-Sick of Shadows (2011) Alan Bradley (7/10)
Lady Emily
A Poisoned Season (2007) Tasha Alexander (7/10)
A Fatal Waltz (2008) Tasha Alexander (7/10)
Lady Julia Grey
Silent on the Moor (2009) Deanna Raybourn (6.5/10)
Malcom & Suzanne Rannoch
The Paris Affair (2013) Teresa Grant (7/10)

Romance, Historical

Lord and Lady Spy (2011) Shana Galen (3/10)
The Brothers Sinister
The Duchess War (2012) Courtney Milan (7/10)
The Heiress Effect (2013) Courtney Milan (8/10)
The Countess Conspiracy (2013) Courtney Milan (9/10)

Audio Books

Skinwalker (Audio Version) (2009/2010) Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam (8/10)

So, now my favorite part! The stats!

8 re-reads this month, three of which I have in multiple formats. So the publishing industry isn’t losing much, even though I try to pay no more than $3 for a book I already own in paper.

Paperback: 1
Trade Paperback: 1
eBook: 13
Audio: 1

Lots of romance this month, and lots of mysteries. Almost all of which were historicals. Sometimes, you just need to put your mind in a different time period.

Fantasy: 6
Mystery: 9
Romance: 8
Anthology: 1

And all those romance novels mean that I read a LOT of female authors this month.

Male: 1
Female: 14

For the year, the percentage of mail authors I’ve read is down to 35%. Of course, the first two books of September were both by male authors, so I’m still getting some variety in my diet.

But really, I can’t recommend The Countess Conspiracy enough. It’s all geeky and marvelous.

I didn’t read much towards the start of the month, but towards the end of the month I had a case of the blues, and then I got sick, so I suddenly read a lot.

Which was perfectly fine with me.

I read some really good books, and I read absolutely one abysmal book. We’re talking a book that had me ranting for days after I finished it.

The best books of the month were re-reads: A Fistful Of Sky by Nina Kiriki Hoffman,  Rising Stars by J. Michael Straczynski, and the Jane Yellowrock series, by Faith Hunter . Plus one new read, the anthology Magic City: Recent Spells edited by Paula Guran which was very good.

Fantasy: Supernatural

A Fistful Of Sky (2002) Nina Kiriki Hoffman  (10/10)
Dirty Magic (2014) Jaye Wells (7/10)
Urban Shaman (2005) C.E. Murphy  (6.5/10)
Jane Yellowrock:
Skinwalker  (2009) Faith Hunter  (8/10)
Blood Cross  (2010) Faith Hunter  (8/10)
Mercy Blade  (2011) Faith Hunter  (7/10)
Raven Cursed  (2012) Faith Hunter (8/10)
Death’s Rival  (2012) Faith Hunter  (8/10)
Blood Trade  (2013) Faith Hunter  (8/10)

Fantasy: Anthology

Magic City: Recent Spells (2014) Paula Guran  (8.5/10)
Strange Brew  (2009) edited by P.N. Elrod (7/10)

Fantasy: Historical / Steampunk

Farthing  (2006) Jo Walton  (7/10)
Hounds of Autumn  (2013) Heather Blackwood  (2/10)

Comic / Graphic Novel

Rising Stars: Born in Fire, Power, Fire and Ash  (2001-2005) J. Michael Straczynski, Keu Cha, Ken Lashley et al  (10/10)
Hellboy:
Hellboy: The Midnight Circus  (2013) Mike Mignola, Duncan Fegredo, Dave Stewart (7/10)
Hellboy in Hell Volume 1: The Descent  (2014) Mike Mignola, Dave Stewart (7/10)
Local  (2008) Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly  (NR)

And now for my favorite part: THE NUMBERS!

I read 17 books this month, bringing the total so far this year to 105 books. I’m averaging 15 books a month, which is my highest average yet. But I’m sure that’ll drop down when cooler weather hits and I get outside more.

Because I had so many re-reads (8), I actually read more paper books than ebooks. The trade paperbacks were all comics, and I fully admit that I really prefer reading comics on paper. (The things that are supposed to increase your ereading pleasure with comics actually take me out of the story. But I’ll keep trying.)

Paperback: 6
Trade Paperback: 3
eBook: 8

I read mostly fantasy this month (with even the comics mostly in the fantasy genre).

Fantasy: 15
Mystery: 7
Romance: 2
YA: 1
Comic: 4
Anthology: 2

And I read very heavily of female authors this month.

Male: 2
Female: 11
Anthology: 4

Which brings the straight-up male:female ratio 1:1.

Male: 38%
Female: 38%
Joint + Anthology: 14%
Initials: 9%
Male Pseudonym: 2%

However, when you consider that the overwhelming majority of authors I read who are writing under initials are women, and a number of women writing under male pseudonyms, almost half the books I’ve read this year were written by women. Not too bad.

I read a surprising number of books in June. Possible because I rained and rained and rained and rained. Again.

At this halfway point in the year, I’ve read 88 books, so I shouldn’t have any problems reaching my goal of 124 books. Can I beat last year’s count of 174? I dunno, but it’ll be fun to try.

The best books of the month were:

Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach (10/10)
Fairest Vol. 3: The Return of the Maharaja (9/10)
Legion by Brandon Sanderson (8.5/10)

If you’re looking for something to read, I highly recommend any of the above books.

Fantasy: Anthology / Novella / Short Story

Dangerous Women (2013) edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois (5.5/10)
Legion (2012) Brandon Sanderson (8.5/10)

Fantasy: Steampunk

Disenchanted & Co., Part 1: Her Ladyship’s Curse (2013) Lynn Viehl (4/10)
Disenchanted & Co., Part 2: His Lordship Possessed (2013) Lynn Viehl (2/10)

Mystery

Angelica’s Smile (2010/2014) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli (5/10)
The Draining Lake (2004/2007) Arnaldur Indridason translated by Bernard Scudder (8.5/10)
Arctic Chill (2005/2009) Arnaldur Indriðason and translated by Bernard Scudder and Victoria Cribb (8.5/10)

The Archangel Project (2008) C.S. Graham (8/10)

Mystery: Historical

Silent in the Grave (2007) Deanna Raybourn (7.5/10)
Silent in the Sanctuary (2009) Deanna Raybourn (7/10)

Non-Fiction

Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal (2013) Mary Roach (10/10)

Comic / Graphic Novel

Fairest Vol. 3: The Return of the Maharaja (2014) Sean E. Williams, Stephen Sadowski, Phil Jimenez (9/10)

Audio Book

Something from the Nightside (Audio Version) (2003/2008) Simon R. Green narrated by Marc Vietor (8/10)

The format I read most continues to be eBooks, with about 3/4 of the books I’ve read this year being in electronic format.

Trade Paperback: 1
eBook: 11
Audio: 1

Multiple Formats: 1
Re-read: 3

As for genres read, mystery lead the pack this year, and is running neck-and-neck this year with fantasy.

Fantasy: 6
Mystery: 8
Romance: 2
Comic: 1
Anthology: 1
Non-Fiction: 1

And the gender count this month has men slightly ahead in the count for the month, but women are still slightly ahead for the year, 45%:43% so that’s not too bad.

Male: 5
Female: 2
Initials: 1
Joint + Anthology: 2

OK, I love books too much not to do a summer reading program/contest again this year.
 
 
 

2014 Summer Reading Program

 
 
 
This program will run from 21 June 2014 (the first day of summer / Summer Solstice) to September 2 2014 (Day after Labor Day).

I’ll have a random prize for the winner at the end of the program. Could be anything, really.

Want to talk about the books you’ve read? Please comment HERE, on this post (the one you’re reading RIGHT NOW!!)

You can check the side bar over there to the right for new comments. –>

Over there is also where you can see the last few books I read and reviewed. –>

I did a quick test of the database I used last year, and everything seems to be working. If something is busted, please comment here and I’ll fix it as soon as I can.

Other Summer Reading Programs:
Fourth Annual Maureen “AJ” Ramey Memorial Summer Reading Program

Is anyone interesting in me having a summer reading contest?

It won’t be much this year, since I’m still adjusting to our new finances, but… fun?

The weather finally turned nice, so I’ve been spending much more time outside, than I have lying on the sofa reading, so only nine books this month.

And I’m okay with that.

YA Fantasy

One re-read here, as a reminder of the world of The Talent Chronicles. All of these books are excellent, and I highly recommend them.

Impulse Control (2011) Susan Bischoff (9/10) The Talent Chronicles
Heroes ‘Til Curfew (2011) Susan Bischoff (9.5/10) The Talent Chronicles
Reborn (2014) CC Hunter (8/10) Shadow Falls: After Dark

Supernatural Fantasy

Ups and downs here–some really good stuff and some stuff I didn’t much like. I have got to read more Kelly Armstrong. And ML Brennan has been quite good.

Iron Night (2014) M.L. Brennan (8.5/10) Generation V
Tales of the Otherworld (2010) Kelley Armstrong (8/10) Otherworld Anthology
Gooseberry Bluff Community College of Magic: The Thirteenth Rib (2013) David J. Schwartz (7/10)
Dead Spots (2012) Melissa F. Olson (7/10)
Trail of Dead (2013) Melissa F. Olson (4/10)

Mystery

Only one mystery, and this in a series that I either love the story or can hardly finish the story. This was a love.

The Indian Bride (2001/2005) Karin Fossum translated by Charlotte Barslund (8/10) Inspector Sejer

Everything I read was an eBook. Which I no longer find surprising, although I still have a few paper books on pre-order (primarily comics/graphic novels which I don’t like reading on an eReader).

Mostly fantasy (specifically supernatural fantasy), but some stories dabbled in multiple genres.

Fantasy: 8
Mystery: 2
Romance: 2
YA: 3
Anthology: 1

I read primarily female authors this month, including on female writing under initials.

Male: 1
Female: 7
Initials: 1

Here’s where I am for the year:
Male: 42%
Female: 34%
Joint + Anthology: 11%
Initials: 11%
Male Pseudonym: 3%

That comes out to 47% female authors and 42% male authors, which is more in line with how I usually read–a relatively close split weighted just a bit towards female authors.

Again, if you’re looking for something new to read, I highly recommend YA. And you can always go over to my book blog and browse the categories for 8, 9, & 10 rated books, to see what I really loved.

As projected, we had a lot of cold weather and rain in April, so I ended up reading a lot. Which is perfectly fine with me, though I would have enjoyed more hikes.

Science

The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2012 (2012) Edited by Dan Ariely and Tim Folger (9/10)

Mystery

Miss Buncle’s Book (1936) D. E. Stevenson (8.5/10)
A Red Herring Without Mustard (2011) Alan Bradley (7/10)
The Golden Egg (2013) Donna Leon (6/10)
The Lighthearted Quest (1956) Ann Bridge (5/10)

Fantasy / YA

The Raven Boys (2012) Maggie Stiefvater
The Dream Thieves (2013) Maggie Stiefvater (9/10)
The Dark Heroine: Dinner with a Vampire (2012) Abigail Gibbs (7/10)
Girl of Nightmares (2012) Kendare Blake (5/10)

Audio

The Raven Boys: Audible Version (2012) written by Maggie Stiefvater and narrated by Will Patton (7/10)
Last Watch (/2010) by Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield and narrated by Paul Michael (7/10)

Fantasy

London Falling (2013) Paul Cornell (9/10)
The InCryptid Short Stories: Jonathan Healy and Frances Brown (2013/2014) Seanan McGuire (8/10)
The Shambling Guide to New York City (2013) Mur Lafferty (7.5/10)
Black Magic Woman (2008) Justin Gustainis (7/10)
Half-Off Ragnarok (2014) Seanan McGuire (6/10)

The books I especially enjoyed this month were:
The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2012 (2012) Edited by Dan Ariely and Tim Folger
London Falling (2013) Paul Cornell
The Dream Thieves (2013) Maggie Stiefvater

Apparently, I held no paper books in the entire month of April–everything was audio or eBook. Which is fine, but feels rather odd in retrospect.

Both the audio books were of books I’d read previously (which is my preference, as strange as that may seem). But otherwise I managed to cut back on my re-reads. Not that there’s anything wrong with re-reading a book. I just have so many other books I haven’t read, I start to feel bad for the ignored books.

Lots of fantasy this month, though several of the fantasies were also mysteries. And I finally finished the non-fiction book I’d been reading for months. It was fabulous–far and away the best book I read all month. If you at all like science writing, I highly recommend The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2012–I actually, I’ve enjoyed all the ones I’ve read in this lineup.

I’ve swung back to reading more female authors, which has dropped the percent of mail authors down below 50% for the year.

Now that it’s May, theoretically I’ll read fewer books and spend more time outside.

We’ll see.