H-mb's reading journal 2015

Hello,
I'm Hélène, a guidance counselor in France and this is my second year in Club Read.
Nowadays, most of my reading is SFF, generally in English, interspersed with books on History or Sociology, generally in French.
I can't say I have specific reading goals for 2015, just trying to start on Mount TBR (the sad fact is it rivals Mount Olympus) and read more in Spanish (sure, there's a Spanish geological stratum to be found on Mount O).

I've started 2015 with Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson

This book pushes all the right buttons with me even though my life and family had nothing to compare with hers (fortunately!). But every time she writes about reading or relationships, I'm thinking : "yes", "that's it".
Good way to begin the year!

Why be Happy when you could be normal is a brave autobiography I think. How does one survive living with a psychopath (Mrs Winterson) without it leaving deep scars. Well the answer is you don't and Jeanette Winterson writes very honestly about her experiences.

Looks quite interesting indeed. Looking forwards to discovering your other reads this year!

As a fellow French reader I look forward to following your thread.

Thanks!
>4 lilisin: Looking at your profile I noticed the Japanese authors in your favorites. I really need to take a look at Japanese literature : only four books in my library! Akutagawa, Ishiguro, Tanizaki, Murasaki-Shikibu. That's really poor.

The Storyteller and Other Tales by K.V. Johansen
Short formats don't agree with me but I must concede this is uncommon writing, of the best kind : it feels like old epic poems ; this is time travel in the best manner. Each story evokes a different time : bronze age Middle-East, Arthur's time, the battle of Maldon, etc. : each gives a different flavor, has its own rythm, all of them made me think they could be translated from an old language - which is great praise in my corner!
I'll certainly be looking for other books by this author.

As a wannabe French reader I, too, will be following your thread with interest.

What Angels Fear: A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery by C.S. Harris
The evocation of London and the details about the political and social consequences of the war are fine. Not very original but pleasant: The street urchin - so clever-, the melodrama of the hero's relations with family, ex-lover etc. I do hope to see more of the unflappable Miss Jarvis.

Why Mermaids Sing: A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery by C.S. Harris
Very cliched on the one side and very evocative of the historical ambience. Ambience : I noticed that's what I like most in mystery novels.

Orphan Brigade: The Sim War: Book Two by Henry V. O'Neil

At time, this book made me a bit impatient. The setting is enticing : I like interstellar empires/republics with complicated politics and mysterious threats from beyond. I think the major problem is with the titular hero, Lieutenant Jander Mortas who is... bland. Furthermore, he was the lone survivor of the first adventure and has to start again with a new platoon : again very superficial relationships, again severed, as nearly everybody die in this episode. I fear he'll become infamous and be shunned!
The battles are a baffling mix of contemporary ways to fight with some futuristic elements.
So, this book felt unbalanced and left me partly unsatisfied but I still want to know what's at stakes and who are the players. The characters ring hollow among a potentially very rich set.

I'd never heard of Henry V. O'Neil before.
I noticed that very few people have copies of his books here on LT. I don't know about you but I like it when it happens to me, because I feel like I bring a lot of information to the site. ;) Where did you hear about him?

>11 chlorine: Idon't remember exactly how I found this book. I often note who recommanded me a book but there's nothing for this one. I often read military SF so it might have been listed on Amazon recommandations or else. O'Neil wrote a few mystery books before that but I never read them.

Where Serpents Sleep: A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery by C.S. Harris
Along the same lines as the previous books. I'm happy to say Miss Hero Jarvis is back. What a woman! She does look at herself in the face : so refreshing. It looks like the brooding heroe is on the mend. Again, the London's slums are as vivid as ever and the high society, deadly.

What Remains of Heaven: A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery, Where Shadows Dance: A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery, When Maidens Mourn: A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery, What Darkness Brings: A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery by C.S. Harris

I went on binge-reading past and present mysteries these last weeks.
So, I went down the list of St. Cyr mysteries : London misery, wartime diplomacy and exchanges of whole countries, the unflappable Hero Jarvis, and the game her father and her husband are playing.
And the cavalier poets! I like it when a book makes me discover other books, new authors, new poets here! especially when I'm reading a scorned genre of book. I remember I read Gautier's The romance of the mummy because I chanced upon my aunt's cartoon version when I was fourteen. I'm happily rummaging in Project Gutenberg site.

Murder with Peacocks, Murder with Puffins (Meg Langslow Mysteries), Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos (Meg Langslow Mysteries), Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon, We'll Always Have Parrots, Owls Well that Ends Well by Donna Andrews

Foutraque is the word I'd like to use if my English were good enough. Crazy is a bit trite to describe this family and lets the fun out. Scatty perhaps?
I repeatedly giggled and have learnt not to read these books while eating or drinking - collateral damage. There's a duck with a peacock's egg on a cannon, a moose's attack in barn and other unlikely Situations to handle. And then there's the slightly demented family - large family - : let's say life can't turn boring around those ones.
In Murder with Peacocks, there are three weddings with bridesmaids dressed all alike for the ceremony. Can anyone tell me if this is usual in Virginia? The book was first published in 1999. I think it could have happened in the 50s in France but I can't remember ever seeing it.

Vacant: A Mindspace Investigations Novel by Alex Hughes

Mixed feelings about this one. It was a bit slow to pick its pace and I tired of the frequent reminders of Adam's need for his drug or his anguish over the woman he loves. But on the other hand, I can't say this was wrong. This is a first person narration and the erratic and obsessive thoughts rang true. I was addicted to tobacco and well remember how the need for it or the fear of running out could pervade any situation! The end was much better, more focused on the job to be done.
As usual, Daniel Thomas May's reading is top notch.

Disparaître de soi: Une tentation contemporaine by David Le Breton
This isn't my first book by Le Breton but it was a strange experiment in reading as I find myself using similar vocabulary to describe my own emotions. So I don't imagine I can juge this book with any kind of objectivity.
It isn't the result of one or several sociological surveys, rather thoughts about several social evolutions Le Breton rallies under the same standard of "whiteness": the way a person somehow withdraws from oneself (some kind of mild depression, "Bartleby syndrome", people choosing to "disappear", teens and binge drinking, Alzheimer disease, etc.). He is refering to Alain Ehrenberg's theory on the weariness of the self as the new malaise in our post-modern societies. The reasoning is a bit loose but it makes sense nevertheless.
PS : Le Breton's prose is a much more pleasant read than Ehrenberg's!

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
I could say it's a very typical space opera : "tunnels" in space, spaceships, aliens, interstellar war.
I could also call it a pure character-driven story - with (mostly) likable and interesting characters. The interaction between so many alien species is fun and rings true.
This is Chambers' first novel and I intend to read her next one.

And Only to Deceive (Lady Emily), A Poisoned Season (Lady Emily Ashton), A Poisoned Season by Tasha Alexander
I began this series on an impulse when I read that the heroine agreed to marry just to get rid of her mother and her constant harassment about marriage. It was pleasant enough but I'm not sure I'll read further.

Le storytelling by Nicolas Pélissier & Marc Marti
A collection of essays about "storytelling" (I'm not sure how it's called in English! When French start to use an English word, it generally is the wrong one for English/American...). I was mostly interested in chapters about literature and film but half the book was about its use in politics.

The Penguin Who Knew Too Much (A Meg Langslow Mystery), No Nest for the Wicket (A Meg Langslow Mystery) by Donna Andrews
I prefered the last one : moving into the new house with the aid (?) of a laaaarge family + guest appearances of various zoo animals = silliness ensues. Oh! I forgot the corpse in the basement... That's it.

Why Kings Confess: A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery by C.S. Harris

Scourge of the Betrayer: Bloodsounder's Arc Book One by Jeff Salyards
Chris Chung (Narrator)

>19 h-mb: I confess to having succumbed to the charms of Tasha Alexander— believe it or not! I think I read the first seven books in her Lady Emily Ashton series in quick succession at a time when I was on the reading equivalent of a junk food binge. This was absolutely escapist reading, and I found her style and characterizations to be quite charming. This is not great literature by any means, but it fills its own particular niche.

>24 Poquette: I call it binge reading and, yes, it has its use. And sometimes it opens on a very pleasant scenery* : I just discovered the cavaliers poets through the Sebastian Saint Cyr Mysteries!

* I"m used to comparing books to "we're-not-in-Kansas-anymore" gates or "the road goes on and on... And whither then? I cannot say." That's the beauty of the thing : even binge reading, "junk" reading (which this isn't really) may lead to unsuspected joys.

>25 h-mb: I agree about the pleasant scenery. That was one of the attractions of Tasha Alexander's books. I am not familiar with the Sebastian Saint Cyr Mysteries, so I'll check them out.

I should definitely engage in more — let's call it light reading. My own reading has taken a very serious turn in the last couple of years. Time to lighten up! Unfortunately, I can't take my own advice quite yet. I am doing the Category Challenge this year and so for the first time, my reading is almost entirely planned out. But something to look forward to.

The Iron Ring: Part I of the Saga of the Redeemed by Auston Habershaw
A pleasant read with an interesting philosophical/moral debate : what does it mean to act good when you're coerced to do so?
I'll read the next volume when it is published in June.

The Jester (A Riyria Chronicles Tale) & The Viscount and the Witch: The Riyria Chronicles, Book 1.5 by Michael J. Sullivan, narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds

These two short stories were offered at Audible.com, so no reason to miss them - even though I don't particularly enjoy short stories. I liked Sullivan first trilogy but I must say I don't remember anything specific about it, just the tropes. Well, they were well used then and now.

Rivers of London (Peter Grant, 1) by Ben Aaronovitch

"My name is Peter Grant. Until January I was just another probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service... Then one night, in pursuance of a murder inquiry, I tried to take a witness statement from a man who was dead, but disturbingly voluble, and that brought me to the attention of Chief Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard in England."

Light and funny read but then, what?... Nothing's at stake for the main character, at least, it doesn't feel like he's actually involved or moved by what happens. A pleasant read nevertheless.

London Falling (James Quill, 1) by Paul Cornell

After Rivers of London that I found a bit too frivolous, I decided to try this one which is... a wee bit too hard for me (children boiled alived : it's that kind of hard - Horror isn't a genre I read). But I didn't put the book away. Because it's very well done. Because it is quite interesting to watch and learn about the quatuor of characters who are involved in this horrible story and they are involved.

>19 h-mb: and >24 Poquette: Lady Emily might be just the kind of light reading I need right now. I think I'll give her a try.

>29 h-mb: I think I liked that one a lot more than you did - but then I expected it to be setting the stage for a series so Peter was always going to survive...

>32 AnnieMod: I'm afraid I'm a bit gloomy these days and it might influence my appreciation of the book. Perhaps I'll give the series another try.

Never mind, that might change because today is bliss : I received a somptuous gift :

L'art du Grand Nord by Jean Malaurie & Iznik : La céramique turque et l'art ottoman by Walter B Denny

Finally caught up with your reading, and there's a lot of interesting stuff in here! I'll be sure to come back to your thread if I need inspiration on what to read next. :)

>34 chlorine: You're welcome!

"For the French people on LT : Many SFF ebooks on Amazon.fr this month (La promotion du mois en anglais).

Thanks for the info! :)

A month late in the update... If I remember correctly, laziness is among the deadly sins.

Temps glaciaires by Fred Vargas
This is not one of the best: the plot is a bit farfetched, Adamsberg is more erratic than ever, but I was pleased to meet with the team once again and smile at the absurdities.

The Lost Fleet 3-6, The Lost Stars 1-3, The Lost Fleet: Beyond the frontier 1-.4 by Jack Campbell

I began reading this series in January 2013 and never went past the second volume ; lazyness again : I liked the beginning well enough and had no reason to stop.
Et voilà, I went binge-reading Campbell for a few weeks and I can attest this series is some kind of a miracle : it ages well!
This is military SF with plenty of tropes, OK, but well done. The spatial battles are detailed but never the same (that's how the heroe wins!); thankfully, the Marines and then ground Forces have their part in the last books, so many fights but different kind of fights,new aliens, new main characters (some of them, ex-enemies), new openings on first characters (Geary was a bit of a Gary Stu but he's coming better in the last books) and a thoroughly confused political situation (I won't say a word about the politicians' confusion).
And lo, I'm eagerly waiting for the fourteenth book! Isn't that nice?

I must add that the narrators, Christian Rummel and Marc Vietor, are excellent.

Blood Series 2: Blood Trail by Tanya Huff

I read a review on Black Gate and tried this series again but I'm not really invested in the characters or the situation. It's not bad, just meh.

A Just Determination (JAG in Space, Book 1) by John G. Hemry
Narrated by Nick Sullivan

I never watched the TV series and knew nothing about JAG, be it in space or not. A bit too much of legal proceedings for my taste and the characters are painted in black or white. I don't know if I'll read further.

NB : Jack Campbell and John G. Henry are the same author. Campbell's the winner at this point.

Terms of Enlistment (Frontlines) by Marko Kloos

Not badly written but the main character/narrator is hollow. A camera and recorder would tell the same story: been there, done that. It's frustrating because each scene stands, I could visualize what happened but the characters don't stand. The hero goes from slums to army without a glitch, nothing of his past seems to stick. Why did the author chose a first person narration if we're given nothing but the "here and now"? Maybe Andrew Grayson is a model for zen life and mindfulness! but that doesn't make him interesting or credible.
Not sure I'd had finished it if it hadn't be read by Luke Daniels.

Afterparty by Daryl Gregory
First, I must praise the narrator who did an astounding job at characterization and allowed me to go with the flow. Many people here recommended this book so I decided to try it - but it wasn't exactly my cup of tea : a near future, drug addicts, a chase and whodunnit, etc.
And you know what? I listened and listened and was hooked till the end! Even though the main character could be a bit abrasive and sometimes reminded me of Thomas Covenant, the unbeliever (something I found unbearable at the time ; I like my characters to play the game!). Till the end, Lyda follows a very narrow path between rationality and madness, rationalization and surrender to her goddess. No melodrama here, the characters are true, unbalanced, crazy, faulty, innocent : each one of them goes through all.
Reader and characters, we're all in the same boat - the same ambiguous boat - never knowing if we're going to sink or reach the shore. Gregory structured his book such that the reader can experience some of the "reality" lived by his characters and maintains the incertitude till the end.

JAG in Space 2: Burden of Proof, JAG in Space 3: Rule of Evidence, JAG in Space 4: Against All Enemies by John G. Hemry

Captive Prince: Book 1 & Prince's Gambit (Captive Prince book 2) by C. S. Pacat

In Midnight's Silence: Los Nefilim: Part One by T. Frohock

A Call to Duty (Manticore Ascendant) by David Weber & Timothy Zahn

I was bored two thirds of the book. It seems I can't relate to a "stickler for rules" - don't know what it tells about me...

On the psychological side, I have trouble believing that a teen, yearning for discipline but not subject to it, can become such a stickler. I've never encountered such a one even though I work in education and meet lots of teens looking for rules. So: a dull character that I can't even believe in.
The first half of the book focuses on him and his formative years in the Navy : routine, rules, routine, rules, etc. He never questions anything or is tempted to deviate, not ever. It's not realistic. I had the same trouble with Terms of Enlistment by Marko Kloos (and a complete cardboard character there).

Fortunately for me, the plot expands and the political and tactical situation is more interesting than Travis Long ; plus he's at the bottom of the hierarchy and other characters come forward to play.

Fortunately for me again, this isn't a typical Weber's book. In the last years, I've stopped reading his books because excavating the plot from the technical and preachy clutter is more than I can bear. None of that here. I would like to know more about Manticore's beginnings. I don't know how the two authors work together but I hope Timothy Zahn can keep a hold on Weber's excesses - and make Long a more dynamic character.

Blood & Circuses by Manna Francis

Stark's War 1, Stark's Command, Stark's Crusade by Jack Campbell

Dark Ascension: A Generation V Novel by M.L. Brennan

Penric's Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold

It gave me joy - even though these are not joyful days for me.

Night of Cake and Puppets: A Daughter of Smoke and Bone Novella (Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy) by Laini Taylor

Just One Damned Thing After Another (The Chronicles of St Mary Book 1) by Jodi Taylor

>55 h-mb: Love the title!

> 56 It fits! You would nerver think the life of historians could be so "busy". A good dose of humor too.

Champion of the Rose (Darest Book 1) & Bones of the Fair (Darest Book 2) by Andrea K Höst

The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform… by Hal Elrod

Of course, the night after I read this one my new kitten has been meowing for THREE hours... Needless to say, I was NOT in a good frame of mind to welcome the morning.
Here's the culprit:

Maybe morning transformed you into something less pleasant than your usual self. ;)
Hope your kitten has calmed down since then.

Nice Dragons Finish Last (Heartstrikers Book 1) by Rachel Aaron

This book reminds me of M.L. Brennan 's Generation V series : a reluctant vampire there, a reluctant dragon here. Brennan's world and characters are more detailed, Aaron's ones more light and fun. The upbringing of Fortitude may explain why he's different from his siblings ; at the end of Nice dragon..., we don't know why / how Julius became such a nice dragon. Having said that, I enjoyed reading it but I'm not very concerned about Julius & al.

For the French people here : Claire North's Touch and Polansky's Low Town are sold 0.99€ to day on Amazon :-)