I decided to play the Ripped Bodice’s Summer BINGO.

Here’s my card as of today:

And here’s the list of books:
The Color of You, CS Poe
Daring and the Duke, Sarah MacLean
It Takes Two to Tumble, Cat Sebastian
The House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune
Behind These Doors, Jude Lucens
A Seditious Affair, KJ Charles
Kneading You, C.S. Poe
Destined to Last, Alissa Johnson
An Unnatural Vice, KJ Charles
Knit Tight, Annabeth Albert
McAlistair’s Fortune, Alissa Johnson
The Color of You, C.S. Poe
Blank Spaces, Cass Lenox
Joy, C.S. Poe
Upside Down, N.R. Walker
The Ruin of a Rake, Cat Sebastian
Death in D Minor / The Color of You, Alexia Gordon / C.S Poe
As Luck Would Have It, Alissa Johnson

This year is insane. But you already knew that.

I read some good books this month–even a newish release!–but I re-read a lot, so only a few new reads I want to mention.

Oddly enough, it was all fantasy that floated to the top this month.

NPCs by Drew Hayes is the first book in his Spells, Swords, & Stealth series, and it is (unsurprisingly) wonderful. It’s sword and sorcery, except that the actions of D&D gamers are able to affect the people who live in this world. Like everything Drew Hayes, it’s a delight.

Turning Darkness Into Light by Marie Brennan is a sequel of sorts to her Lady Trent series, where we follow Lady Trent’s granddaughter, as she and a friend attempt to translate some ancient tablets that were discovered.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune is a fantasy that seems like it wants to be YA (since many of the characters are teenagers) but with all the bureaucracy, really isn’t quite one. It is, however, fun and well-worth reading.

Fantasy

NPCs (2014) Drew Hayes (Spells, Swords, & Stealth) 8/10
Turning Darkness Into Light (2019) Marie Brennan 9/10

Fantasy, Supernatural

The Grimrose Path (2010) Rob Thurman (Trickster) 9/10
The House in the Cerulean Sea (2020) TJ Klune 8/10

Mystery

Death in D Minor (2017) Alexia Gordon (Gethsemane Brown Mysteries) 7.5/10

Mystery, Historical

Miss Marple
4.50 from Paddington (1957) Agatha Christie 9.5/10
A Caribbean Mystery (1964) Agatha Christie 9/10
The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side (1962) Agatha Christie 8.5/10,

Romance, Historical

As Luck Would Have It (2016) Alissa Johnson (Providence) 8.5/10

Romance, LGBT

Upside Down (2019) N.R. Walker 8.5/10
Blank Spaces (2016) Cass Lennox (Toronto Connections) 8.5/10
Sins of the Cities
An Unseen Attraction (2017) 8/10
An Unnatural Vice (2017) K.J. Charles 8/10
An Unsuitable Heir (2017) K.J. Charles 7.5/10
Society of Gentlemen
A Fashionable Indulgence  (2015) K.J. Charles 8/10
A Seditious Affair (2015) K.J. Charles 8/10
Seducing the Sedgwicks
It Takes Two to Tumble (2017) Cat Sebastian 8/10
A Gentleman Never Keeps Score (2018) Cat Sebastian 8/10
The Turner Series
The Lawrence Browne Affair (2017) Cat Sebastian 8/10
The Ruin of a Rake (2017) Cat Sebastian 7.5/10
Behind These Doors (2018) Jude Lucens (Radical Proposals) 7/10
The Boy in the Red Dress (2020) Kristin Lambert 6.5/10

Audio Book

The Night Watch, Audiobook (1998/2006/2010) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield, narrated by Paul Michael (Night Watch) 9.5/10

Non-Fiction

The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History (2004/2009/2018) John M. Barry  7/10

And now, the stats!

eBook: 23
Audio: 1
Multiple Formats: 6
Re-read: 17

Lots and lots of re-reading this month. In fact, 37% of the books I’ve read this year are re-reads.

Fantasy: 6
Mystery: 8
Romance: 14
Boinking: 11
Historical: 15
YA: 3

The majority of what I read was historical in some form, mostly romance, but a lot of mystery as well.

Male: 3
Female: 14
Initials: 5
Male Pseudonym: 1

Male authors are unlike to catch up with female authors this year, since only 11% of the books I’ve read this year have been by male authors.

Male: 14
Female: 7
Ensemble: 2
White: 13
Minority: 5
Minority 2ndary: 5
Straight: 8
LGBTQ: 14
LGBTQ 2ndary: 1

As far as characters go, guys are edging out gals. Mostly because I’ve been reading a lot of MlM romance.

And that’s June.

What have you read recently that was particularly enjoyable?

It’s June. And I’m once again recovering from a broken appendage, unable to hike or do any of the fun things one wants to do in the spring.

In short: I read a lot again.

Mysteries have always been comfort reads for me, and Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple series is the coziest most comforting read there is.

Andrea Camilleri died last year, so his Inspector Montalbano series is quickly drawing to a close. Although some of the most recent stories have been on the weaker side, I very much enjoyed The Safety Net the most recent English publication.

Slippery Creatures is a new series by K.J. Charles and I very much liked it. The Will Darling Adventures are set just after The Great War, which is a time period I really like reading about, since it balances between modern and what we traditionally think of as “historical”.

Of course this crappy time needs romance. I very much recommend Throwing Hearts by N.R. Walker, Love in 24 Frames by C.S. Poe, and the He’s Come Undone: A Romance Anthology by Emma Barry, Olivia Dade, Adriana Herrera, Ruby Lang, and Cat Sebastian. Especially Throwing Hearts because NR Walker writes the sweetest romances, with almost no angst at all AND this one had an sweet secondary romance.

I finally read a bunch of the new supernatural fantasy releases that came out in the past several months. There was a backlog because I kept putting off reading the most recent Jane Yellowrock because I knew it was going to be dark and a hard read, which meant I then put off the others. But I finally got through them and of the lot The Immortal Conquistador by Carrie Vaughn was fantastic. It’s the backstory of Rick the Vampire, and has one of my favorite short stories embedded in it. Smoke Bitten by Patricia Briggs is the latest Mercy Thompson book, and was also good and enjoyable.

I read Joanna Chambers Capital Wolves Duet with Gentleman Wolf and Master Wolf and really liked them. There have been a lot of shifter and werewolf books in the past decade or so and fated-mates is a trope I really dislike. This book does werewolves AND mates extremely well. And the last historical was Allie Therin’s Magic in Manhattan Spellbound and Starcrossed which was also set after The Great War and was an historical urban fantasy with a m/m romance where the boinking was fade-to-black.

Anyone got any amazing recommendations for me to escape the awfulness of the world right now?

Mystery, Police

The Safety Net (2017/2020) Andrea Camilleri (Inspector Montalbano) 8/10

Mystery, Cozy

Miss Marple
The Murder at the Vicarage (1930) Agatha Christie 7.5/10
The Body in the Library (1942) Agatha Christie 8/10
Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories (1985) Agatha Christie 9/10
The Moving Finger (1943) Agatha Christie 7.5/10
A Murder Is Announced (1950) Agatha Christie 8/10
They Do It With Mirrors (1952) Agatha Christie 7.5/10
A Pocket Full of Rye (1953) Agatha Christie Rating: 8/10
Apple Cider Slaying (2019) Julie Anne Lindsey (A Cider Shop Mystery) 7.5/10
Murder in G Major (2016) Alexia Gordon (Gethsemane Brown Mysteries) 7/10
Too Big to Miss (2006) Sue Ann Jaffarian (An Odelia Grey Mystery) 7/10
The Secret, Book, & Scone Society (2017) Ellery Adams (Secret, Book, & Scone Society) 6/10

Graphic Novel

Heathen: Volume 2 (2019) Natasha Alterici, Rachel Deering 7.5/10

Mystery, LGBT

Slippery Creatures (2020) K.J. Charles (The Will Darling Adventures) 8/10
Principles of Spookology (2020) S.E. Harmon (The Spectral Files) 7.5/10

Romance, LGBT

Throwing Hearts (2020) N.R. Walker 8.5/10
Love in 24 Frames (2019) C.S. Poe 8/10
His Grandfather’s Watch (2015) N.R. Walker 7.5/10
Five Dates (2015) Amy Jo Cousins 7/10

Meet Cute Club (2020) Jack Harbon (Sweet Rose) 6.5/10

Romance

He’s Come Undone: A Romance Anthology (2020) Emma Barry, Olivia Dade, Adriana Herrera, Ruby Lang, and Cat Sebastian 8/10

Fantasy, Supernatural

The Immortal Conquistador (2020) Carrie Vaughn (Kitty Norville) 9/10
Smoke Bitten (2020) Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson) 8.5/10
Shattered Bonds (2019) Faith Hunter (Jane Yellowrock) 7.5/10
Capital Wolves Duet
Gentleman Wolf (2019) Joanna Chambers 8/10
Master Wolf (2020) Joanna Chambers 8.5/10
Magic in Manhattan
Spellbound (2019) Allie Therin 8/10
Starcrossed (2020) Allie Therin 8/10

And the stats!

Trade Paperback: 1
eBook: 26
Multiple Formats: 7
Re-read: 7

One comic this month, and all the re-reads I own in multiple formats.

Fantasy: 9
Mystery: 13
Romance: 11
Boinking: 8
Historical: 11
Comic: 1

Lots of mysteries. Lots of historicals. Lots of romance. Lots of fantasy. Lots of everything, really.

Male: 2
Female: 21
Initials: 4

Another bad year for male authors it looks like.

Male: 13
Female: 11
Ensemble: 3
White: 13
Minority: 7
Minority 2ndary: 7
Straight: 15
LGBTQ: 11
LGBTQ 2ndary: 1

I’m still reading a fair amount of M/M romance, so lots of male characters. Still lots of white characters, but a some minority representation here, and not too shabby as far as non-straight representation.

And that was May.

I have read Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple books more times than I can count, yet I feel like I discover something every re-read.

Because there is something timeless about the stories, I tend to forget they are, in fact, set in a specific place and time. In this case, 1930, between the two world wars.

‘Is he really ill?’ ‘There’s nothing radically wrong with him. You know, of course, that he’s had Encephalitis Lethargica, sleepy sickness, as it’s commonly called?’

Christie, Agatha. Miss Marple Bundle: The Murder at the Vicarage, The Body in the Library, and The Moving Finger (eBook Bundle) (Kindle Locations 1593-1594). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

This popped out at my because (for obvious reasons) I’ve been reading about the 1918 flu, and came across encephalitis lethargica as part of that story.

a new brain disease that appeared in Europe and North America between 1916 and 1926. The disease, a kind of sleeping sickness known as encephalitis lethargica, killed an estimated five million people before it abruptly disappeared.

other medical scientists in years since have argued that the sleeping sickness was a peculiar result of the 1918 flu. In 1982, R. T. Ravenholt and William H. Foege, two scientists at the Centers for Disease Control, made this case based on epidemiological data from Seattle, Washington, and the Samoa Islands.

Kolata, Gina. Flu (p. 292). Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Kindle Edition.

Now, there is no definitive evidence for this, but as I said, it jumped out at me, and reminded me that those book was written little more than a decade after The Great War, and World War II was still on the horizon.

Last night during my bedtime reading about the flu epidemic of 1918, I came across a mention of cholera, which jolted loose in my brain The Velveteen Rabbit. And then I remembered The Secret Garden, which opens with the little girl’s family all dying of cholera. (The Velveteen Rabbit is scarlet fever). Which immediately brought to mind a scene from the Little House books, where they all suffer from some terrible illness on more than one occasion. (I was remembering a scene where everyone is sick and Laura (while dreadfully ill) has to go to the well to fetch everyone water.)

What struck me is that when I was reading these books, all of this seemed completely normal–people got sick and died. I mean, how many kids’ books centered around plucky orphans of unknown providence?

In retrospect, it seems weird to me, these deaths that all but casually happened in the background, but then it seemed normal. After all, my grandmother talked about family members who died as kids.

I’m sure there are other such books I read as a kid, but these came immediately to mind. I have memories of reading about a polio epidemic, and tuberculosis (consumption) but I can’t remember any specific books off the top of my head.

Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams- scarlet fever
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett – cholera
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder – scarlet fever, malaria (Was the malaria in By The Banks of Plum Creek?)
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott – scarlet fever

Of course, I feel like I jumped immediately from kids books to Sherlock Holmes and Miss Marple, so I guess all my childhood reading was full of death.

Epidemics in Children’s Literature

Coming as a completely surprise to almost no women, an analysis of almost 200 bestselling fiction books by SuperSummary found that best-sellers were overwhelmingly written by men, and about men, and that those male authored, male-centric books frequently don’t past the Bechdel test.

As I said, this shouldn’t be a shock to any reader who has been paying attention.

But where the research got interesting was in the analysis of the language used to describe characters.

Female characters were most often described with words like beautiful and pretty and married, while men were most often described with words like big and great and rich.

Although they did a lot of research, the graphs are clear and concise, and it’s not a long read, so I highly recommend you browse the article.

And then consider the characteristics of the books you’ve been reading.

Strong Man; Beautiful Woman: Exploring Gender Differences in Literature

Yup. Read a lot of books in April.

Here are some of the best.

First up is a comfort listen, Small Vices, Audio Edition by Robert B. Parker narrated by Burt Reynolds. This was my first Spenser book and remains my favorite. Parker hit every note perfectly on this story, and Burt Reynolds managed to perfectly voice Hawk and Spenser for me.

I read quite a few comics last month. Best was finishing Check, Please! Book 2: Sticks & Scones by Ngozi Ukazu Y’ALL. This is SO ADORABLY CINNAMON BUN GOOD. At the other end of the spectrum is Heathen Volume 1 by Natasha Alterici, which is a young woman’s coming of age adventure.

Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the Search for the Virus That Caused It by Gina Kolata. I’ve now started John Barry’s Influenza book.

I started re-reading Courtney Milan‘s Brothers Sinister so I could re-read The Countess Conspiracy and A Kiss for Midwinter.

Several new mysteries from series I’ve been reading came out last month, and shock of all shocks, I read them immediately. A Stroke of Malice by Anna Lee Huber (A Lady Darby Mystery) and Secret at Skull House by Josh Lanyon (Secrets and Scrabble)–there was also a CS Harris new release, which was good, but nowhere near as good as the earlier Sebastian books.

Supernatural Fantasy, LGBT

Brandywine Investigations
Open for Business (2016) Angel Martinez 8/10
Family Matters (Brandywine Investigations (2018) Angel Martinez 8.5/10
Gumption & Gumshoes (2013) Alex Kidwell 7/10

Mystery

Naked Once More (1989) Elizabeth Peters (Jacqueline Kirby Mysteries) 8/10

Mystery, Historical

A Stroke of Malice (2020) Anna Lee Huber (A Lady Darby Mystery) 8.5/10
The Guilt of Innocents (2006) Candace Robb (Owen Archer) 8/10
Who Speaks for the Damned (2020) C.S. Harris (Sebastian St. Cyr) 7.5/10

Mystery, LGBT

Secret at Skull House (2020) Josh Lanyon (Secrets and Scrabble) 8/10
P.S. I Spook You (2019) S.E. Harmon (The Spectral Files) 7/10
Grasmere Cottage Mystery
Dead in the Garden (2018) Dahlia Donovan 7/10
Dead in the Pond (2018) Dahlia Donovan 7/10
Dead in the Shop (2018) Dahlia Donovan 7/10

Romance, Historical

Brothers Sinister
The Duchess War (2012) Courtney Milan 8/10
A Kiss for Midwinter (2012) Courtney Milan 8.5/10
The Heiress Effect (2013) Courtney Milan 8/10
The Countess Conspiracy (2013) Courtney Milan 9/10

Romance, LGBT

Connection Error (2016) Annabeth Albert (#gaymers) 8/10
Goalie Interference (2019) Avon Gale & Piper Vaughn (Hat Trick) 5.5/10
Bookmarked (2015) Piper Vaughn (Heartsville) 5.5/10

Non-Fiction

Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the Search for the Virus That Caused It (1999) Gina Kolata 8.5/10

Comics

Check, Please! Book 2: Sticks & Scones (2020) Ngozi Ukazu 9.5/10
Lady Mechanika Vol 3: The Lost Boys of West Abbey (2017) Marcia Chen, Joe Benitez, Peter Steigerwald, Marcia Chen 7.5/10
Lady Mechanika Vol 4: Clockwork Assassin (2018) Joe Benitez, Peter Steigerwald, Mike Garcia 8/10
Lady Mechanika, Vol. 5: La Belle Dame Sans Merci (2019) Joe Benitez, M. M. Chen, Martin Montiel 7/10
Heathen Volume 1 (2017) Natasha Alterici 8/10
Jessica Jones Vol. 1: Uncaged! (2017) Brian Michael Bendis, David W. Mack, Michael Gaydos 6.5/10
Rivers of London: The Fey and the Furious (2020) Ben Aaronovitch, Andrew Cartmel, Lee Sullivan 6/10

Audio Books

Small Vices, Audio Edition (1997) Robert B. Parker narrated by Burt Reynolds (Spenser) 10/10

There are some good books there, if you’re looking for something to read.

Now, the stats!

Format had actual paper books this month! (Because I generally dislike reading comics digitally.)

Trade Paperback: 6
eBook: 21
Audio: 1
Multiple Formats: 3
Re-read: 10

Genres were pretty evenly split.
Fantasy: 11
Mystery: 13
Romance: 15
Boinking: 11
Historical: 8
YA: 1
Comic: 7
Non-Fiction: 1

Authors have women leading the pack. As usual.
Male: 6
Female: 19
Initials: 2
Male Pseudonym: 1

Characters are male heavy, cuz I’ve been reading lots of M/M mysteries and fantasy.
Male: 15
Female: 8
Ensemble: 4
White: 15
Minority: 6
Minority 2ndary: 6
Straight: 13
LGBTQ: 13
LGBTQ 2ndary: 1

That’s it. The books of April. What have y’all been reading? ANy good escape recommendations?

More parallels in recent books.

This time it’s just how hard the British empire was trying to steal tea plants so they could grow tea in India, which they controlled.

I knew about the opium trade, but it was never clear in history lessons that the British empire was flooding China with opium in an attempt to control the country (and thus make money)

Who Speaks for the Damned (2020) C.S. Harris set in England in 1818.

Here we have mention of just how hard the East India company was trying to steal the plants and processes from the Chinese–and the start of the use of opium to try and drug the Chinese into submission.

One of these days the company is going to get its hands on the secret process the Chinese use to make the stuff, along with some seedlings of their precious Camellia sinensis, and then we’ll be able to grow and produce tea ourselves in India.

They’re impossible people to deal with, you know— the Chinese, I mean. They insist we pay for their silks, porcelains, and tea with silver because they have no interest in anything Europe produces. And the one thing we could use to trade with them, opium, they refuse to allow into the country.”

Death in Kew Gardens (Kat Holloway Mysteries, #3) by Jennifer Ashley set in England in 1881

I borrowed this book, so I can’t grab any quotes, but the mystery centers on tea plants. The British empire is growing tea in India, but the finest, most expensive teas, are still controlled by the Chinese.

If an Englishman in China commits a blatant crime—whether against another Englishman or a Chinese—he is tried by a British court, not a Chinese one. If found guilty, he is sent home, out of our reach.”

In both quotes, you can see the blatant racism, and the disdain for the Chinese, and how the British government was overtly trying to subvert the Chinese government.

At any one time I am reading multiple books. It often fascinates me when I come across random parallels while reading two different (and unrelated books).

I’ve been re-reading Candace Robb’s Owen Archer serires for months now. I’ve read it several times, so it’s perfect bedtime reading: it’s interesting, but not fast-paced to keep me awake.

What else I am reading is entirely dependent upon my mood. With the world the way it is, I’ve been doing a lot of re-reading for comfort. After reading Jennifer Ashley’s Kat Holloway series, starting with Death Below Stairs, I wanted to re-read a favorite, Michelle Diener’s Banquet of Lies, which is also partially set in an historical British kitchen and features a lot of cooking.

Which meant that in one week I ended up reading two references to Thomas Becket.

“Who will rid me of this troublesome priest?” Bartlett spoke from the window, his words jumbled and slurred, almost unintelligible.

“Get out, Bartlett, you’re drunk.” The Prince Regent heaved his bulky frame to his feet.

Diener, Michelle. A Dangerous Madness (Regency London Series Book 3) (p. 140).

If Wykeham’s fears proved justified, that Lancaster saw him as a Becket— a too-powerful prince of the Church who stood in his way…

Robb, Candace. The Cross-Legged Knight: The Owen Archer Series – Book Eight (p. 329). Diversion Books.

It’s fun to track coincidences.

If you’re looking for something to read (which I always am) you might check out some online comics.

Check Please is a comic about hockey and pie.

It’s utterly adorable, although there is a lot of language, so I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for kids. (One of the characters is called “Shitty”.) There are also two volumes available for purchase (I bought volume on and then found the online comic.

It’s ongoing and I am VERY EAGERLY awaiting the next update.

Fangs is about a romance between a vampire and a werewolf.

Hover Girls about two young women who have somehow gotten magical powers trying to save the world.

And as a bonus: Free (and Legal) Science Fiction/Fantasy Reading

Wow. That was a month, wasn’t it?

In what is a surprise to probably no one, I read a LOT this month. Reading is my escape. What else can I say?

What did y’all read this month and what do you recommend to others trying to deal with being cooped up?

So did I read some good stuff this month? YES! Since there was a LOT of comfort reading, I’m only going to talk about the new-to-me books I read and loved. Which is still a lot of books.

For the first time in months I read some comics.

Lady Mechanika Volume 2: Tablet of Destinies by Joe Benitez, Marcia Chen, Martin Montiel is steampunk about a woman who remembers nothing of her life before her limbs were made biomechanical. She wears a few ridiculous outfits, but not all the time. And it’s a fun story. I have volume two waiting for me. Trickster: Native American Tales by edited by Matt Dembicki

takes 21 stories told by Native Americans and pairs them with 21 different artists. Each tale is unique, except that one of the main characters is a trickster.

Because I need the HEAs, I have been reading a LOT of romance.

Rend by Roan Parrish is the second book in the Riven series, and made me cry. This M/M romance has a married couple who had a whirlwind romance, but now one husband is on tour, the other is attempting to deal with his past–now he can no longer hide from himself. Did I mention all the crying? The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang was particularly interesting because the hero is Asian and the heroine is on the autism spectrum.

And Everything Nice by Ada Maria Soto is a novella that I absolutely adored. This M/M romance has no boinking, and kept making me laugh.

Hey! I read some new fantasy releases!

Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing by Charlie Adhara is the 4th book in the series and I am really enjoying this series. It’s got M/M boinking, but the world building is very good. And after a long wait, I finally got False Value by Ben Aaronovitch the latest Rivers of London book.

Murder at Pirate’s Cove by Josh Lanyon

is the first in her new cozy mystery series. A widower sheriff and a guy who inherited a book store. What’s not to love?

Supernatural Fantasy

Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing (2010) Charlie Adhara (Big Bad Wolf) Rating: 8/10
False Value (2020) Ben Aaronovitch (Rivers of London) Rating: 8/10
Mating the Huntress (2018) Talia Hibbert Rating: 7/10

Mystery

Murder at Pirate’s Cove (2020) Josh Lanyon (Secrets and Scrabble) Rating: 8/10

Mystery, Police

Trace Elements (2020) Donna Leon (Commissario Guido Brunetti) Rating: 7.5/10

Mystery, Historical

Regency London
The Emperor’s Conspiracy (2012) Michelle Diener Rating: 8.5/10
Banquet of Lies (2013) Michelle Diener Rating: 9/10
A Dangerous Madness (2014) Michelle Diener Rating: 8/10
Owen Archer
A Spy for the Redeemer (2002) Candace Robb Rating: 7.5/10
The Cross-Legged Knight (2003) Candace Robb Rating: 7.5/10
Kat Holloway Mysteries
Death Below Stairs (2018) Jennifer Ashley Rating: 7.5/10
Scandal Above Stairs (2018) Jennifer Ashley Rating: 7.5/10
Death in Kew Gardens (2019) Jennifer Ashley Rating: 7.5/10

Romance

The Kiss Quotient (2018) Helen Hoang Rating: 8.5/10

Romance, Historical

The Lost Letter (2017) Mimi Matthews

Romance, LGBT

The Agency
His Quiet Agent (2017) Ada Maria Soto Rating: 9/10
Merlin in the Library (2018) Ada Maria Soto Rating: 8/10
Play It Again (2019) Aidan Wayne Rating: 9/10
Rend (2018) Roan Parrish (Riven) Rating: 9/10
Band Sinister (2018) KJ Charles Rating: 9/10
Work for It (2019) Talia Hibbert (Just for Him) Rating: 8.5/10
And Everything Nice (2016) Ada Maria Soto Rating: 8/10
Finders Keepers (2018) N.R. Walker Rating: 7.5/10
Small Change (2017) Roan Parrish (Small Change) Rating: 7.5/10
Hottie Scotty and Mr. Porter (2016) R. Cooper Rating: 7.5/10
For Better or Worse (2017) R. Cooper Rating: 7/10
Color of You (2017) C.S. PoeRating: 7/10
Checking Out Love (2015) R. Cooper Rating: 7/10
Dads with Benefits (2019) Jason Collins (Fairview Single Dads) Rating: 5/10

Graphic Novel

Lady Mechanika Volume 2: Tablet of Destinies (2016) Joe Benitez, Marcia Chen, Martin Montiel Rating: 8/10
Trickster: Native American Tales (2010) edited by Matt Dembicki Rating: 8.5/10

And now the stats:

TWO paper books! Two! (and eleven re-reads)

Trade Paperback: 2
eBook: 29
Re-read: 11

As I mentioned, lots and LOTS of romance. Anything remotely resembling a cliff-hanger is RIGHT OUT.

Fantasy: 4
Mystery: 12
Romance: 21
Boinking: 13
Historical: 12
Anthology: 1
Comic: 2

Lots of books by female authors.

Male: 3
Female: 19
Initials: 6
Anthology: 1
Joint: 1

And the breakdown of characters. Still a predominance of white characters, but that’s hard to avoid in historical romances, when I personally can’t read stories set in the Americas (Because slavery. IN general it exists and deeply upsets me, or it DOESN’T exist and I get mad the author is hiding it. Hey. I never claimed to be rational in what I like.)

Male: 17
Female: 7
Ensemble: 7
White: 20
Minority: 9
Minority 2ndary: 2
Straight: 11
LGBTQ: 16
LGBTQ 2ndary: 3

And those are the books of March.

I had a lovely virtual happy hour with friends, and someone mentioned we needed to note all the books mentioned. Here’s what I have, minus the SF and history books, which I don’t remember.

American Gods (2001) Neil Gaiman
Anansi Boys (2005) Neil Gaiman
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman –Urban Fantasy

The Wolf at the Door (2018) Charlie Adhara (Big Bad Wolf) — Supernatural fantasy w M/M romance

Lime Gelatin and Other Monsters (2016) Angel Martinez (Offbeat Crimes) — Supernatural fantasy w/ M/M romance

Open for Business (2016) Angel Martinez (Brandywine Investigations)
Family Matters (2018) Angel Martinez (Brandywine Investigations) — Supernatural fantasy w/ M/M romance

Band Sinister (2018) K.J. Charles (Historical M/M Romance) (Georgette Heyer’s Venetia)

Thirteenth Child (2009) Patricia C. Wrede (Frontier Magic) (sub for Alvin Maker series) (Historical fantasy)

The Illiad by Homer

Isaac Asimov, William Gibson (?), Ray Bradbury

Histories of Nixon and some other Republicans.

N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy – The Fifth Season, The Obelisk Gate, and The Stone Sky (Vince)

Claire North’s “The End of the Day” (David)

Darynda Jones’ Charlie Davidson series

I’m not naming the authors we used to love until we discovered they were horrible people.

I’ll list more as people remind me!

Even having an extra day, February flew by. Very little hiking this month because it WON’T STOP RAINING, so once more an absurd amount of reading.

So what was good last month? A lot!

The Trouble Brewing series by Layla Reyne was almost as good as her Irish & Whiskey series. Imperial Stout, Craft Brew, and  Noble Hops were all fun and thrilling, although lots of boinking.

I finally broke down and purchased Rob Thurman’s Trickster series as ebooks, and   Trick of the Light was just as good as I remembered. 

Because I was talking about it with Michael (and because there was a new book coming out) I re-read Charlie Adhara’s Big Bad Wolf, which I enjoyed just as much the second time around.

I’ve found a lot of Ace romances, and most of them were very good. I definitely recommend Upside Down by N.R. Walker, Three Stupid Weddings by Ann Gallagher,  Blank Spaces by Cass Lennox, Uncommonly Tidy Poltergeists by Angel Martinez , and  All the Wrong Places by Ann Gallagher

I even read some comics last month. All were new-to-me series, and I do want to read more of Lady Mechanicka

Here’s what I read by category. The Ace romances may or may not have boinking, so check the tags / categories if you want to be sure.

Mystery, Historical

Owen Archer
The Riddle of St. Leonard’s (1997) Candace Robb Rating: 8/10
A Gift of Sanctuary (1998) Candace Robb Rating: 7.5/10

Mystery, LGBT

The Art of Murder
The Monet Murders (2017) Josh Lanyon Rating: 8/10
The Magician Murders (2019) Josh Lanyon Rating: 8/10
The Monuments Men Murders (2019) Josh Lanyon Rating: 6/10
Trouble Brewing
Imperial Stout (2018) Layla Reyne Rating: 8/10
Craft Brew (2018) Layla Reyne Rating: 8.5/10
Noble Hops (2019) Layla Reyne Rating: 8.5/10

Fantasy, Supernatural

Trick of the Light (2009) Rob Thurman (Trickster) Rating: 9.5
Big Bad Wolf
The Wolf at the Door (2018) Charlie Adhara Rating: 8.5/10
The Wolf at Bay (2018) Charlie Adhara Rating: 9.5/10
Thrown to the Wolves (2019) Charlie Adhara Rating: 9/10
Uncommonly Tidy Poltergeists (2017) Angel Martinez Rating: 8.5/10
Known Devil (2014) Justin Gustainis (Occult Crimes Unit Investigation) Rating: 8.5/10
The Alpha and His Ace (2015) Ana J. Phoenix Rating: 5/10

Romance, LGBT

Upside Down (2019) N.R. Walker Rating: 9/10
Three Stupid Weddings (2018) Ann Gallagher Rating: 8.5/10
Blank Spaces (2016) Cass Lennox (Toronto Connections) Rating: 8.5/10
Dine with Me (2019) Layla Reyne Rating: 8.5/10
Arctic Heat (2019) Annabeth Albert (Frozen Hearts) Rating: 8/10
All the Wrong Places (2016) Ann Gallagher (Bluewater Bay) Rating: 8/10
Candy Hearts (2020) Erin McLellan (So Over the Holidays) Rating: 7/10
Save the Date (2017) Annabeth Albert & Wendy Qualls

Romance, Historial

The Winter Companion (2020) Mimi Matthews (Parish Orphans of Devon) Rating: 8/10

Comics

Lady Mechanika Volume 1: Mystery of the Mechanical Corpse (2015) Joe Benitez, Peter Steigerwald Rating: 7.5
Check, Please!: # Hockey (2018) Ngozi Ukazu Rating: 7/10
Mooncakes (2019) Suzanne Walker, Wendy Xu Rating: 7/10

So what good did you read last month? Or did you have decent weather and were able to leave your house?

I read an article that voiced something I’ve seen in so very many sub-cultures: the hatred of things once they become popular because popular can’t possibly be good.

I think music might give the best example, just because I can so clearly hear the things people said about so very many bands.

1. Oh, I love (obscure band). You haven’t heard of them?
2. I saw (now up and coming band) back when they first started.
3. Ugh. (Now popular band) totally sold out. I hate all their new stuff.

Yes, sometimes good bands put out lousy follow-up albums. Some artists change things up and so every album is different which means what you loved about one album may not be in a later album (See: Prince). But usually it was the same music and only popularity tainted it and made it unpalatable.

The same thing happens with books of course (hence the original article catching my attention).

The fantasy books (and mysteries) I love are typically looked down upon because they aren’t “serious literature”. I never believed that about fantasy, though I did look down upon romance novels for decades. However, that was due to my introduction to the genre, which was full of rape, and the fact that I just don’t care for boinking in books, and the romances I came across were full of it. (“UGH. They’re kissing again. Can we get back to the sword-fighting and cat burglary?”)

I eventually got over that, because there were so very many really good stories I was missing out on solely because they were kissing books, although I still skim the boinking bits to get back to the crime solving or whatever.

And of course the same happens with movies. If it’s popular we have to look down upon it for it cannot be “good”.

Whatever. Give me my explosions and car chases and you can watch whatever “artistic” stuff you want. And don’t even get me started about the bullshit that happens at cons with “fake gamers” and “you’re not a real fan if you don’t know every bit of minutia” crap that is almost always directed at females.

The fact is, hating things solely because they are popular doesn’t make you cooler or show better taste. It just means you’re an asshole.

There are plenty of books I’ve hated, and some genres of music I absolutely cannot stand. But the fact that I dislike something does not make it inherently bad, it just means I prefer other stuff. Sure I’ll still complain about how much I dislike opera and I flat out won’t read dystopias because they make me feel terrible. But if you like opera or dystopias: good for you!

If someone has found something that makes them happy, that is AWESOME! We need more happy in the world.

I like what I like. If you don’t agree with me, I’m delighted to discuss why “I hate all those high notes that sound like screeching”. Just don’t try to tell me something sucks solely because it’s popular. Because that’s elitist bullshit and I’m completely uninterested.

Hating Popular Books Does Not Make You Superior: A Lesson Learned