Since I’ve been laying on the couch for most of my day with my ongoing back problems, I have had a lot of time on my hands. I decided to take one of my favorite stories that I’ve written and put it out as an e-book. This story previously appeared in one of the genre magazines in 2021, and now you can read it for free on Kindle Unlimited or for $1.99 otherwise. I didn’t create a print version, but depending on how this goes, I might toss several of my short stories together in a print anthology later.
Renewal is a fantasy story and here’s the blurb:
“Not everyone has a tomorrow. All the world must change. Not every beast will live or thrive. But with every death there follows dawn, a new life, a new way.”
The night of Greatwinter is nearly upon Ladji and her people, challenging their ongoing survival in a harsh world. When Ladji’s mentor suddenly declares that she must face that dark spirit, Ladji must perform the rites of life, death, and renewal before Greatwinter’s night becomes eternal.
I have finished another book in the Outlander series, by Diana Gabaldon. The Fiery Cross is the fifth book in the series (paid links), and you can find my reviews of the earlier books in the series below:
#4 – Drums of Autumn (review here / purchase link here)
I listened to the audiobook edition of this.
Here is the blurb:
The year is 1771. Claire Randall is still an outlander, out of place and out of time. But now she is linked by love to her only anchor: Jamie Fraser. They have crossed oceans and centuries to build a life together in North Carolina. But tensions, both ancient and recent, threaten members of their clan.
Knowing that his wife has the gift of prophecy, James must believe Claire, though he would prefer not to. Claire has shared a dreadful truth: there will, without a doubt, be a war. Her knowledge of the oncoming revolution is a flickering torch that may light his way through perilous years ahead – or ignite a conflagration that will leave their lives in ashes.
This fifth book in the series took me a lot longer to listen to than the previous volumes. I think that my audiobook brain became fatigued and I had to take a break to “read” some other novels before I could finish this one. It’s not that this wasn’t still an enjoyable book. The beginning felt like it was developing a lot of the underlying character relationships and politics for a payoff later in the series.
The American Revolution is still a few years away at the time of this book, and Claire and Jamie have settled in to a more routine life as settlers at Fraser’s Ridge. I felt like the problems that they encountered in this book were not as large as in the earlier books, so the tension was lower overall.
The historical details are still wonderful. I remember in particular how Claire thinks to herself about the maggots that she uses to help treat one of Jamie’s wounds. She has to make sure that these are not the New World screwworm, because this species will eat live tissue as well as dead. This particular insect has been in the news lately because in modern times it has been eliminated from North and Central America, with a few incursions that are closely monitored. It is these small details that creates a realistic vision of the world that these characters inhabit.
I did enjoy getting to see more of the quiet conversations that let some of the less developed character relationships grow. Like in earlier books, the author also tosses in a few short passages where the characters contemplate the nature of time travel and the core question of whether it is possible to change events and impact the future. The reader is left guessing about this question, but I like to see that the characters question this.
I’m going to start book #6, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, soon, although maybe not until July (paid link). I have made it a little further through season 1 of the show, and will be watching more in the upcoming weeks.
What is the longest book series you have read? What keeps you reading and what makes you lose interest? Let me know in the comments.
I did a little better with my reading in May, finishing five books total. Of those books, one was the massive fifth book in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series – The Fiery Cross. I also finished the newest book in the Hunger Games world – Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins. I should have reviews of these up in the next few weeks (paid links).
Two of the books that I read in May were a bit shorter – Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher and All Systems Red (first in The Murderbot Diaries series) by Martha Wells. I had wanted to read these award-winning books for a while, and the start of the TV series on Apple TV got me to finally pick up All Systems Red. The last book I squeezed in for the month was Verdant Divided by Doc Honour, the second book in the Empathic Humanity series (paid links).
A scene from Apple TV’s Murderbot show.
For June so far, I have been listening to The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst as a significantly shorter audiobook than anything in the Outlander series. I should finish that in the next couple of days. I’m reading Inverse by Margot Conor on my Kindle, and I have been resisting the urge to read more books at once (paid links).
Looking ahead for the rest of the month, I have some of the same books that I had posted for reading in May, because I will just never have enough time to read what I want to. First up is The Book That Broke the World by Mark Lawrence. For my next audiobook, I’m going to listen to Expeditionary Force: Columbus Day by Craig Alanson. Of course this is the start of another (18 book) series (which I don’t need to become invested in, but oh well), but it was recommended by my brother. After that, I’m not sure which books I’ll pick up, but you can see some of my options in the graphic below (paid links).
I might need to immediately finish Mark Lawrence’s Library Trilogy with the final volume, The Book That Held her Heart, depending on how the second book ends. Or I could delve back into ACOTAR with the third book, A Court of Wings and Ruin, by Sarah J. Maas. I think that both Quicksilver by Callie Hart and The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E. Pearson are stand-alone novels, which makes a nice one-time commitment. I love reading long series, but well… they’re really long sometimes (paid links).
Depending on how the month goes, I could also plunge into the second book in Ed McDonald’s Redwinter Chronicles, with Traitor of Redwinter. Will I be ready to commit to another Outlander volume? The sixth audiobook, A Breath of Snow and Ashes , is nearly 58 hours long (paid links).
Because I can never have enough books, here are my new acquisitions that I have to squeeze into my reading plans somewhere.
What Fury Brings by Tricia Levenseller was sent to me as an ARC from NetGalley. I’ve enjoyed this author’s other books and this looks to be her first foray into more adult fiction. I received The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig through my Fairy Loot subscription box. I’ve been hearing a lot about this book recently, and this will be a new author for me to read. Lastly, I was feeling sorry for myself with some back problems, so I picked up this special edition of Swordheart by T. Kingfisher to help make myself feel better. It is very pretty, and the green-edged pages are calling to me (paid links).
How do you decide what to read next? How do you resist acquiring more books when you already have too many? Let me know in the comments.
The Teller of Small Fortunes is a stand-alone novel by Julie Leong (paid link). I received this book as part of a book subscription box where I am surprised by a beautiful special edition of a new release every month. You can find out more about Fairy Loot at this link.
I read the Fairy Loot hardcover edition.
Here is the blurb:
Tao is an immigrant fortune teller, traveling between villages with just her trusty mule for company. She only tells “small” fortunes: whether it will hail next week; which boy the barmaid will kiss; when the cow will calve. She knows from bitter experience that big fortunes come with big consequences…
Even if it’s a lonely life, it’s better than the one she left behind. But a small fortune unexpectedly becomes something more when a (semi) reformed thief and an ex-mercenary recruit her into their desperate search for a lost child. Soon, they’re joined by a baker with a knead for adventure, and—of course—a slightly magical cat.
Tao sets down a new path with companions as big-hearted as her fortunes are small. But as she lowers her walls, the shadows of her past are closing in—and she’ll have to decide whether to risk everything to preserve the family she never thought she could have.
I didn’t think that I’d like this book, but it was such a cute story and I loved it! I guess that this novel could be considered part of the newer genre of cozy fantasy, which I honestly thought sounded boring. How can a story be engaging without life-threatening stakes and constant dire risk to the characters? Well, this novel has none of those aspects, but it was a wonderful story.
The characters are the central focus of this book. Tao is the titular fortune teller who has fled her home and fears using her power for anything beyond minor readings. She meets the others mentioned in the blurb and they reluctantly decide to travel together out of convenience, but accidentally become inseparable friends by the end. They each become invested in each others’ small quests, and the biggest threat they face is the magefinder who trails behind Tao, insistent that she must be trained to use her power for the Crown.
Despite the low stakes in this book, the themes that it touches upon are serious ones, including confronting prejudice, following your own dreams and not those put upon you by others, believing in yourself, and finding what makes you happy, even if that isn’t money, power, or material things. I also loved the mule and the cat in this story, but I can’t say more without spoilers.
As stated in my intro, this is a stand-alone novel and was a fairly short read, at 346 pages in this hardcover edition. The cover on the Fairy Loot edition is drastically different from the standard one, and you can see it in the photos I’ve interspersed here. This is such a pretty book that while part of me wants to pass it along to someone else to read, my inner dragon wants me to add it to my book hoard. I tend to keep books if I really liked them or if they are part of an unfinished series where I might re-read them as later volumes are published.
Have you read anything in the cozy fantasy genre? I’m planning to read The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst in the next few weeks (paid link). What other books in this genre would you recommend? Let me know in the comments.
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros is the third book in The Empyrean series (paid links). I had originally thought it was the final book, but it now looks like she is planning for five volumes in this series.
You can find my reviews of the earlier books below:
After nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail knows there’s no more time for lessons. No more time for uncertainty. Because the battle has truly begun, and with enemies closing in from outside their walls and within their ranks, it’s impossible to know who to trust.
Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves—her dragons, her family, her home, and him.
Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything. They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth. But a storm is coming…and not everyone can survive its wrath.
I think it going to be impossible to write this review without some spoilers from the previous two books, so be warned going into this. I will try to avoid spoilers for this book though.
I enjoyed Onyx Storm more than Iron Flame, but not as much as Fourth Wing. I think that was partly because the first book was more focused and everything in Basgiath was new to me as a reader, so the experience of reading the story mirrored that of Violet experiencing the school. Onyx Storm has a massive sprawling plot, with a growing host of characters, more expansive politics, and takes place over an enlarging geographic region. While I often love that kind of thing, it made me feel like I didn’t know which direction things were heading.
Onyx Storm is filled with shocking events. I found myself wondering what else could possibly happen at several points in the book, only to be surprised by another twist a few pages later. For the most part, these surprises worked and didn’t feel forced, although the way the story has developed makes me want to re-read the series before the next book is released so that I’m not missing some of the smaller details.
Violet and Xaden’s relationship is challenged after he turns venin at the end of Iron Flame. He struggles against this destructive power and tries to keep his change secret from everyone but Vi and their dragons. It has to be tough as an author to keep the romance fresh through multiple books. Something has to keep the couple apart, whether it’s a fight, a breakup, political pressure, or becoming a power-sucking red-eyed demon, in order for them to have a reason to make up and keep things hot. I think that the author does a decent job of this through this book, but nothing that is much different than what happens in the first two books.
I pre-ordered this novel and the Deluxe Limited Edition is a gorgeous book. I love the design and the color choices with the black fading into silver. This edition also features sprayed edges with what else – dragons!
Have you read any of the books in The Empyrean series? Which one did you like the best? Let me know in the comments.
I don’t remember how I heard about Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead, but sometimes I branch out from genre fiction to read something more mainstream (paid link). I needed an audiobook to break up the long Outlander series, so I picked this one up from Audible. As a pilot myself, I was attracted to this story about a female aviator, so I imagine the description of the book’s main character is what had initially intrigued me.
I listened to the audiobook edition.
Here is the blurb:
Spanning Prohibition-era Montana, the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, New Zealand, wartime London, and modern-day Los Angeles, Great Circle tells the unforgettable story of a daredevil female aviator determined to chart her own course in life, at any cost.
After being rescued as infants from a sinking ocean liner in 1914, Marian and Jamie Graves are raised by their dissolute uncle in Missoula, Montana. There—after encountering a pair of barnstorming pilots passing through town in beat-up biplanes—Marian commences her lifelong love affair with flight. At fourteen she drops out of school and finds an unexpected and dangerous patron in a wealthy bootlegger who provides a plane and subsidizes her lessons, an arrangement that will haunt her for the rest of her life, even as it allows her to fulfill her destiny: circumnavigating the globe by flying over the North and South Poles.
A century later, Hadley Baxter is cast to play Marian in a film that centers on Marian’s disappearance in Antarctica. Vibrant, canny, disgusted with the claustrophobia of Hollywood, Hadley is eager to redefine herself after a romantic film franchise has imprisoned her in the grip of cult celebrity. Her immersion into the character of Marian unfolds, thrillingly, alongside Marian’s own story, as the two women’s fates—and their hunger for self-determination in vastly different geographies and times—collide. Epic and emotional, meticulously researched and gloriously told, Great Circle is a monumental work of art, and a tremendous leap forward for the prodigiously gifted Maggie Shipstead.
At over 600 pages for the print edition and over 25 hours for the audiobook, this was a substantial book. Fortunately, I enjoyed most of it and never felt like it dragged. The narrative follows two different timelines. The main story is that of Marian Graves, starting at her birth, detailing her obsession with flight, and eventually leading her to attempt to circumnavigate the globe. Interspersed with Marian’s tale is a modern day story about actress Hadley Baxter as she stumbles into playing Marian in a film about her life. Both timelines held my interest and I never felt like I had to “get through” one to get back to the more interesting part of the book.
This book was about the characters and how they changed over time and interacted with each other. Marian’s twin brother and artist, the uncle who raises them, her childhood best friend, her flight instructor, bootleggers, and wartime pilots all touch upon Marian’s life. Yet despite all of these social connections, Marian is most at home in the sky, alone in her airplane where no one can judge her or needs to understand her.
Hadley Baxter was a less important character, but as the novel evolves, her links to Marian also became evident. This book was carefully crafted to link their histories. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but the ending of the book left me guessing just enough as Marian hurtled toward unavoidable tragedy, her destiny already known to history.
The book included several nice touches to Marian’s flight training that were accurate to my own experience in learning to fly. The little details and phrases that came up are still used in flight instruction, and while I’m not qualified to comment on the historic aircraft, nothing stood out as grossly wrong. The author accurately described the problems with weather and disorientation, pushing the boundaries of your aircraft, and how to handle emergencies.
I am glad to have ventured out of my genre reading niche for this one. What other historical fiction should I read? I have a couple on my list: The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon, The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell, and The Alice Network by Kate Quinn (paid links). Let me know your suggestions in the comments.
Lois McMaster Bujold is one of my all-time favorite authors, and despite winning numerous Hugo Awards, numerous Nebula Awards, the Mythopoeic Award, and being named a SFWA Grand Master, her books don’t feel as well-known as I think they should be.
I have read all but one of Bujold’s series, and was happy to see this novella, Knife Children, up for review on NetGalley. This short novel is set in her Sharing Knife world, which is comprised of four main novels: Beguilement (#1), Legacy (#2), Passage (#3), and Horizon (#4) (paid links). I never reviewed any of these books on this blog because they were published before I started writing here, but I did enjoy them, particularly the creative worldbuilding and dangerous magic.
I read the ebook edition.
Here is the blurb:
Lakewalker Barr Foxbrush returns from two years of patrolling the bitter wilds of Luthlia against the enigmatic, destructive entities called malices, only to find that the secret daughter he’d left behind in the hinterland of Oleana has disappeared from her home after a terrible accusation. The search for her will call on more of Barr’s mind and heart than just his mage powers, as he tries to balance his mistakes of the past and his most personal duties to the future.
This short novel is something that would only be of interest to readers who are already familiar with Lois McMaster Bujold’s novels set in the Sharing Knife world. It is a small story about Barr Foxbrush and his daughter’s discovery of her Lakewalker powers (and thereby her parentage). Family is one of the main themes throughout the narrative – both for Barr and his daughter.
I enjoyed the story and thought that it was a nice addition to this world. It doesn’t touch on the greater plot and seems to be set after the main novels, although it has been a long time since I read those books and my memory is a bit fuzzy. I did remember enough about malices, mudmen, and how lakewalkers imbue the bones of their deceased with magic to help them fight these evil powers to let me understand the danger that the characters faced.
The only criticism I have is that this cover was terrible. This made this story feel like an afterthought where no publisher wanted to spend money for a cover artist. Even my friends who self-publish their work have nicer artwork and a more appealing design. That aside, if you have never read anything by Lois McMaster Bujold, she is definitely worth a try. Just start with one of her main series, since this novella isn’t the best introduction. I’d recommend either the Vorkosigan Saga which is space opera or The Curse of Chalion which is the first in a fantasy series, where each book is loosely related and could be read as a stand-alone novel (paid links).
Have you read anything by Lois McMaster Bujold? Which books were your favorite? Let me know in the comments.
Somehow March flew past and I now find myself sitting at the end of April, but with many fewer books read that I would have liked. This is not truly a surprise, as I always start off my year of reading strongly, then falter as other responsibilities turn up. I’m hoping to have cleared out some of those tasks though and perhaps May will be a better month for me in terms of reading and writing.
I did finish three books in March and April. These were Sistersong by Lucy Holland, A Court of Mist and Fury (book #2 in the ACOTAR series) by Sarah J. Maas, and A Crown of Swords (book #7 in The Wheel of Time series) by Robert Jordan (paid links). The one that got me bogged down was A Crown of Swords, coming in at 880 pages, but now I can say that I’m halfway through The Wheel of Time. I never made it past book #8 in the past.
I’m still slowly working my way through the Outlander series with book #5 – The Fiery Cross (paid links). When I last checked, I had about 20 hours of the audiobook left to go. I need to be better about putting this on when I’m doing mindless housework or cooking. When I leave it only for times I am driving, I’m not making much progress.
What else might I read in May? This is my list, in rough order. First up will be Verdant Divided (Empathic Humanity #2) by Doc Honour and Inverse by Margot Conor, both novels written by authors in my critique group. Then I’m excited to turn back to Mark Lawrence’s Library series with #2 – The Book That Broke the World (paid links).
I may need to take a break from Outlander once I finish book #5, and Expeditionary Force: Columbus Day by Craig Alanson is a space opera series that was recommended to me by my brother. I picked this up on audiobook and it certainly looks different than Outlander. If the month is going well, then I might get to the other books on my list: The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E. Pearson, Traitor of Redwinter (The Redwinter Chronicles #2) by Ed McDonald, and A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon (paid links).
Somehow with all of these books that I haven’t read yet, I still picked up some new books in the past few months. My recent acquisitions through the monthly subscription box, Fairy Loot, include Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan, The Scorpion and the Night Blossom by Amelie Wen Zhao, Gifted & Talented by Olivie Blake, and This Monster of Mine by Shalini Abeysekara (paid links).
I read Recursion by Blake Crouch last month for a book club discussion (paid link). I’ve read and enjoyed a couple of the author’s other books in the past and you can see my reviews of those below:
That’s what NYC cop Barry Sutton is learning, as he investigates the devastating phenomenon the media has dubbed False Memory Syndrome—a mysterious affliction that drives its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived.
That’s what neuroscientist Helena Smith believes. It’s why she’s dedicated her life to creating a technology that will let us preserve our most precious memories. If she succeeds, anyone will be able to re-experience a first kiss, the birth of a child, the final moment with a dying parent.
As Barry searches for the truth, he comes face to face with an opponent more terrifying than any disease—a force that attacks not just our minds, but the very fabric of the past. And as its effects begin to unmake the world as we know it, only he and Helena, working together, will stand a chance at defeating it.
But how can they make a stand when reality itself is shifting and crumbling all around them?
At once a relentless pageturner and an intricate science-fiction puzzlebox about time, identity, and memory, Recursion is a thriller as only Blake Crouch could imagine it—and his most ambitious, mind-boggling, irresistible work to date.
This book follows the point-of-view of the two characters in the blurb above and starts off as a linear story. However, it turns into something much more complicated and convoluted as the truth of Helena’s memory-based research and technology becomes more clear.
Without wanting to give too much away, the story features a villain who is a rather over-the-top billionaire, questions about who should be able to make decisions about the use of dangerous technology, and time travel of a sort.
I enjoyed this book and I think of Blake Crouch’s novels and sci-fi thrillers because they draw me in with their quick pacing. The downside of this is that I tend to read them so fast that I don’t see the plot holes that I suspect are there, given the complex nature of the story. While this book brought up intriguing questions about who should use an advanced technology and why, I also read so quickly that I didn’t think these issues through as much as I might have liked. This did give my book club plenty of room for discussion, but part of me still wishes I had read this more slowly.
The characters in this book were well-drawn enough for me, given the fast pace of the story. They all have their own tragic memories and backstory that drive their actions. This book also uses those moments that provoke shared generational trauma, such as the Challenger disaster, together with more personal stories to convey the power of memory.
I did enjoy the ending of the novel, and felt that it drew everything together in a satisfying way. Some of the scenes toward the end become quite graphic and gruesome though, so approach this book carefully if that is something you’d rather not read.
Have you read any books by Blake Crouch? Which was your favorite? I think I still liked Dark Matter the best of those I’ve read. Let’s discuss in the comments!
Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy was one of the books that I purchased in a recent Fairy Loot box (paid link). My copy is one of the prettiest books I’ve received from them so far, with sprayed edges, interior cover art, and a foiled design on the front and back covers. Read on below to see what I thought of the book.
I read the Fairy Loot special hardcover edition.
Here is the blurb:
Leovander Loveage is a master of small magics.
He can summon butterflies with a song, or turn someone’s hair pink by snapping his fingers. Such minor charms don’t earn him much admiration from other sorcerers (or his father), but anything more elaborate always blows up in his face. Which is why Leo vowed years ago to never again write powerful magic.
That is, until a mix-up involving a forbidden spell binds Leo to obey the commands of his longtime nemesis, Sebastian Grimm. Grimm is Leo’s complete opposite—respected, exceptionally talented, and an absolutely insufferable curmudgeon. The only thing they agree on is that getting caught using forbidden magic would mean the end of their careers. They need a counterspell, and fast. But Grimm casts spells, he doesn’t undo them, and Leo doesn’t mess with powerful magic.
Chasing rumors of a powerful sorcerer with a knack for undoing curses, Leo and Grimm enter the Unquiet Wood, a forest infested with murderous monsters and dangerous outlaws alike. To dissolve the curse, they’ll have to uncover the true depths of Leo’s magic, set aside their long-standing rivalry, and—much to their horror—work together.
Even as an odd spark of attraction flares between them.
This was an easy-to-read story that is about two people who find themselves thrown together by an inadvertent curse and then have to find common ground to get themselves out of the situation. In the course of their misadventure, you can quickly tell that this is also a romance (M/M).
I like the way that the magic in this book required both a scriver and a caster in order to perform a spell. That was a unique piece of worldbuilding that added unexpected depth to the plot and the problem-solving required of the characters.
This book was good but also somewhat forgettable. I didn’t realize that it was going to be the first part of a series. I think that it would have worked better as a stand-alone if the author could have moved events along more quickly. However, the story implies that there are greater evils happening in this world that I expect our characters will be drawn into in later books. In the end, I was rather disappointed by the conclusion of this first book, and I don’t know if I’ll pick up the next volume.
One odd thing that I noticed while reading this book is that I have come across a lot of characters named Grimm lately – in this book, Perfectly Wicked by Lindsay Lovise (reviewed here), and Grimm Curiosities by Sharon Lynn Fisher (review coming soon; paid links).
What books have you read lately that have a unique approach to magic? Let me know in the comments.
Salvage – a flash fiction science fiction story with a winter holiday theme