This week I read Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski, hoping the nonfiction would be a good change of pace. I finished it, so I might look up some more nonfiction over the next little while.

I also read Alchemy and a Cup of Tea by Rebecca Thorne, since my hold came in at the library. I thought it was just fine as a way to end the series, and I don’t wish I had the time back. A very fast/easy read.

I’m stalled in the middle of like 6 different books and I’m not feeling any of them at the moment.

I just DNFed Assassin of Reality as the second in the Vita Nostra series (I really liked the first book, but…), so I ended up rereading The Scholomance series by Naomi Novik instead.

I started the Four Quarters series by Tanya Huff last night, and I just aggressively don’t care about any of the characters. I don’t know what I’m looking for in books right now, and I’m getting a little cranky about it.

THANK you. I was looking at the left picture going, “Is it me or does he look weirdly like Scott Bakula…man, it’s not me, right?”

Hm, interesting. I wasn’t sure I’d like it at first, but I jammed through Vita Nostra, and didn’t realize there were already published sequels until a few days ago, when I immediately moved them to the top of my TBR pile. I’ll try to lower my expectations to be more in line with reality–thanks for the heads-up!

Made it to the 4th book of the Temeraire series before needing a break (the 3rd book felt a little slow/less engaging than the first 2, and it probably isn’t, I just need to read something else for a bit), and my new library holds arrived, so I read Murder at Haven’s Rock by Kelley Armstrong last night. It’s a spin-off or sequel series to Rockton, and revisiting the characters was a treat.

I started reading some fantasy by T. Kingfisher (both books of The Clocktaur War and a standalone or two), and I enjoyed the duology enough to request some of her other fantasy books from the library, so I’ll read some more of them next week. I’d only read some of her horror novels previously. (The afterword on Bryony and Roses made me want to reread the two Beauty and the Beast adaptations by Robin McKinley, so I’m briefly detouring there.)

I read through first book and supplement novella of the Captive’s War series by James S. A. Corey, because while I didn’t love every bit of the Expanse novels and short stories, I really enjoyed the series as a whole, and definitely didn’t regret sticking with it. I’d read the next book–I’m intrigued and want to know what happens next!

I also read the first two books in the Mirror Visitor quartet by Christelle Dabos. Apparently they were written in French and translated by Hildegarde Serle, if any fantasy fans are still looking for hard mode for bingo square 1B, give the first book a chance and see if it sparks your interest. It’s called A Winter’s Promise, and it’s listed as both young adult and romance as well, but I wouldn’t have said the first book was either of those (just not what I expect from either of those categories).

Finished 1066 and All That (library books get priority in case someone else is waiting), started Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand but wandered off when the story switched to the 2nd main character being introduced about 75 pages in (but I’m gonna come back to it, I just made base camp), and I picked up As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes with Joe Layden from the library today.

…Hard for me to answer that, as I’m still wrapping my head around it, but I’m going to say yes, as while I haven’t seen the adaptation, you almost certainly get a lot more of the main character’s thoughts and point-of-view, as well as more worldbuilding. The way the city (and the city) work is clearly integral to the plot, but I didn’t feel cheated by it, in any case.

Tearing up the ‘D’ column of my bingo card–I finished The City & the City by China Miéville, Mad Hatters and March Hares ed. by Ellen Datlow, and Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne.

I really liked The City & the City, but it took a good long while before I felt like I was getting a handle on how the society worked, and I’m still not convinced I fully grasped it properly by the end. But it was twisty and turny and enjoyable to read. Also, the first (maybe only) book I’ve read this year that required the Merriam-Webster website on my phone nearby (I learned “encomia”, “rood”, and “machicolation”. Also “grosstopically”, but that was just made up for the book, apparently.)

Mad Hatters and March Hares was easier for me when I read a few stories and then switched to longer works in between to break it up. Some of the stories were pretty creepy, but I enjoyed the theme of the anthology.

Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea would work for either the Cozy Read square or the LGBTQIA+ square, and was very light and quick for me to get through. I had fun with the characters, and would read more by this author as a palate cleanser.

I’ll be starting Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand this evening, and I picked up 1066 and All That from the library on a recommendation from the bingo recs page, just because it sounded neat, so that should be coming up this week.

Exactly as you say! It’s a relief to know I’m not the only one who feels this way.

That’s a great suggestion–I’ll have to try it.

I loved this series! I tried to convince my friend to read it, but the length makes it a hard sell. Good luck!

Glad to hear the recommendation for The City & the City, I can’t wait to read it!

I’m taking a break from reading Mad Hatters and March Hares to read Persuasion, since I just watched the movie 2 days ago.

I really like the idea of short stories, and loved reading them as a kid–but as an adult I struggle with them. Getting into a new story before I’m invested in the characters is the slowest/most effortful part of reading for me, so anthologies feel like continually trying to restart a car when the engine keeps turning off. And when the stories are good, I’m usually annoyed that there isn’t more about those characters or in that world (but standalone novels don’t normally evoke that response and I don’t know why).

I’m considering picking another book for my “Judge a book by its cover” square, since The Tangled Lands is also an anthology.

Suggestion: Margaret Owen - Little Thieves

My card (I struggled to find something for this square that wasn’t romance, then gave up. I plan to try a couple of books, then the other recommendation here if I make it to this square and don’t have any luck…): Marina Dyachenko, Sergey Dyachenko - Vita Nostra; Grace Draven - Entreat Me

Suggestions: Becky Chambers (I think all of her books qualify) - Monk & Robot; Diana Wynne Jones - Howl’s Moving Castle

My card: Heather Fawcett - Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries

My card: Robert Jordan - The Eye of the World

Suggestion: Jacqueline Carey - Kushiel’s Dart; John Brunner - The Squares of the City

My card: Cassandra Rose Clarke - Our Lady of the Ice

Suggestion: Christopher Paolini - Eragon

My card: Alexandra Bracken - Brightly Woven

Suggestion: Suzanne Collins - The Hunger Games; Clive Barker - The Damnation Game

My card: Agatha Christie - The Sittaford Mystery