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What I’m Reading Now

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I’ve taken this month off of blogging to relax in my reading. I’ve spent a lot of time laying on my couch, zoning out and listening to old audiobook favorites. In fact, I’ve been doing a lot of re-reading in general, in audio and in print. While organizing my bookshelves at my new home, I couldn’t help but page through some of the books that now sit on what I call my “books that changed my life” shelf. (Every time I pass by a copy of The Book Thief, whether my own or at a bookstore, I have to pick it up and read the last few pages.)

Now that my house is in order (more or less) and things seem to have settled down a bit more in my personal life, though, I’m really excited to dive back into new stuff, especially children’s and YA. I’m especially excited because I’m transitioning into a new job within my organization, one that is allowing me to return to youth materials collection management. So my post for today is a nice, healthy mix of the old and the new.

For starters, I’ve been working my way through the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters. I first read a few of these as a teenager, then made a concerted effort to listen to them all on audio while I was in library school in 2009. I decided to re-listen to them all again after being reminded how great Barbara Rosenblat is, and the decision has been a good one. I’m currently on book number 8, The Hippopotamus Pool, and the entire series has been great fun. It’s been so good to reconnect with characters I have such fond memories of from both my childhood and my early adulthood. I love looking forward to a character being introduced or a particular event happening, and I love knowing that everything will work itself out happily – mostly – in the end (though it may take a few books to get there, and some endings are more bitter than sweet). Each time I re-read these books, I pick up more on Amelia’s character (she’s actually not a great sleuth, nor is her husband, and she’s quite a bit snobbier than I initially realized, though I still love her). Re-reading favorites is a great pleasure.

I’m pretty picky about the middle grade books I read, but Louis Sachar’s books are usually a good bet (Holes remains one of the best books for children I’ve ever read). He’s also local, which makes me more inclined to to read his stuff. Inevitably, anything Sachar publishes will be compared to Holes, which is probably unfair. In reading his latest, Fuzzy Mud, which will hit shelves in August, I tried to also evaluate it independently. The book is recognizably Sachar – a bit wry, a bit dark, with a plot that seems kind of goofy but is also quite serious. Sachar’s kid characters are brave and scared at the same time, and he never writes down to his readers. The plotting doesn’t match the mastery of Holes and the humor isn’t as overt as the Wayside School books, but it’s quite a good story regardless, with a few uniquely creative touches that I really appreciated. I’ll review this one more in-depth closer to its publication date.

I don’t remember where I got the recommendation for Jude Deveraux’s A Knight in Shining Armor (possibly a list of must-read canonical romance novels somewhere). I don’t know that I’ve ever read any Deveraux before, and this one had a few strikes against it already: it was written in the 80s (I have an unreasonable prejudice for any media created in that decade), it doesn’t have a typical happily ever after, the audiobook is narrated by a man (so awkward during certain scenes), and the heroine’s name is Dougless. Thankfully, this last strike has an explanation within the novel, though it takes a while to get to it. Overall, I’m enjoying it. It’s a little campy, but in a fun way. Once I got past the setup describing how awful Dougless’ situation was with her terrible boyfriend (a bit too pathetic and something I probably would have skimmed in a print book) and the literal knight in shining armor showed up from the 17th century, things got a lot more interesting. Right now, Dougless and her knight are stumbling around in the 1980s as he tries to convince her he actually has traveled from the past. Later, I know they’ll travel back to the 17th century, and that should be extra fun. It feels kind of like Outlander lite – there’s a hunky man from the past, but a lot less violence and mortal peril.

What I’m Reading Now

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Strange Skies by Kristi Helvig
Helvig’s first book, Burn Out, was super fun despite its glaring plot hole. Strange Skies opens with Tora coming to in a hospital run by the Consulate, a shady organization that controls Caelia, the new planet humans have relocated to since the old one is now uninhabitable (what with the sun going red giant and all). Right off the bat, we learn secrets about Tora’s companions from the first book. I love a book chock full of shocking secrets. This is a fast-paced ride just like Burn Out was, and that’s just what I’m looking for right now. This is such a fun SF read and I’m so glad that it’s being published despite Egmont USA’s demise.

Rivals in the City by Y. S. Lee
This is the final installment in Lee’s truly excellent series of Victorian-era YA mysteries featuring private detective Mary Quinn. I love this series for so many reasons, not the least of which is the way it handles Mary’s Chinese ancestry. This last volume speaks to my heart in a really strong way since it involves Mary struggling with what it means to get married to someone in a fundamentally patriarchal society. Mary’s engaged to someone she loves, but they both know that getting married would remove a lot of Mary’s hard-won independence. Each book is also a terrifically good mystery, and this one brings back an old foe for some shenanigans. It feels like a final book in a series, and I expect a satisfying ending.

Deceptive by Emily Lloyd-Jones
I really loved Illusive, the first book in Lloyd-Jones’ series about a group of teens with superpowers who carry out heists. It checked so many of my boxes: teens sticking it to The Man, magic, stealing from bad guys, double-crosses, a little espionage, a shady government organization. The sequel promises more of the same, but with a bit more sleuthing thrown in as the characters investigate a series of disappearances. I wish there were more books like these (that mixed mystery/heist elements with SFF elements) when I was a teen because I would have devoured them all.

What I’m Reading Now

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The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King
One of the singular pleasures of having a book-lover as a significant other is the fact that often, he will want to read to you. Our reading tastes don’t overlap a whole lot, but this book seems to merge them pretty well. It’s Stephen King (my boyfriend’s favorite author) writing what appears to be a fairly traditional high fantasy story (my favorite thing). Every time I read something by King, I’m struck immediately by his talent with words. The man can write. And when he’s not writing horror with a few hundred more pages than necessary, I can get behind his books quite well. He wrote this one in the 80s (that original cover is delightfully retro-80s-fantasy) and I’ve often heard it called an adult book with crossover YA appeal. I’m not very far into it yet, but I am enjoying it.

The other three books I’m currently working on are all part of what I’m calling “The Great Sequel Read of 2015.”

Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers
This one came out just past the Cybils deadline, which means I put it off in favor of eligible Cybils books. And then I got into a romance kick and my eyes felt tired all the time and all I wanted to do was sit with my eyes closed and let someone else narrate a story for me (I’ve read more audiobooks this year than print books). But I am working my way through this one, and it is good. It features Annith, who fears she is being groomed to be the new seeress and thus will never get a chance to go on missions like her sisters. She decides she will not let that stand. I appreciate this book so far for showing us a new depth to Annith, which was missing a bit from the previous two books. LaFevers immediately brings the reader into her head and lets us see just how much is simmering below the surface.

The Winner’s Crime by Marie Rutkoski
This book is killing my heart and I’m barely 50 pages in. I don’t feel like I can say anything more right now.

The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson
See above.

What I’m Reading Now

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Trial By Fire by Josephine Angelini
Alternate worlds, matriarchal societies, and fantasy mixed with science fiction: this book seems like it was written just for me. This first installment in Angelini’s new series is set in Salem, Massachusetts – both the Salem of our own world and the Salem of an alternate world governed by powerful female witches. The Lily Proctor of our world has always been plagued by terrible, life-threatening allergies, but no doctor has been able to determine their source. When she’s transported to a parallel world, she meets her alternate, Lillian, and learns that her “allergies” are actually symptoms of her great magical power that has been left untapped. What makes the two Lillians’ interactions especially interesting is that the Lillian of this other Salem is actually a villain – but this information is not overt or obvious at first. What is clear is that Lily/Lillian are actually quite similar to each other, not just in looks but in personality as well, effectively blurring the lines between good and bad, heroine and villain. I’m enjoying learning about the magic system in the book, which is unique and involves a pseudo-scientific explanation for its origin and use.

Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis
Every time Nolan closes his eyes – even when he simply blinks – he sees through the eyes of a girl from another world – a world with magic – named Amara. This concept seems so fresh, and Duyvis really explores it in depth, going into detail about how much trouble this causes for Nolan. He can’t effectively sleep, ever, and sometimes he’s so caught up by what he sees in each blink that he loses track of what’s going on in his own world, where his body is. This debut from Duyvis features queer characters, disabled characters, and characters of color.

The Eye of Minds by James Dashner
I’m reading this one on audio. It started out engaging enough, with a big action scene set in the virtual reality that dominates most of the characters’ lives. Since then, though, I’ve found that the story drags and it’s not holding my attention. I fear this may become another DNF for me, just as Dashner’s first series, Maze Runner, was. (I’ve read that there’s a plot twist near the end which is why I’m still persevering, but we’ll see how long that lasts.) It’s not the fault of narrator Erik Davies, who speaks clearly and gives his character the appropriate emotion. I think the fault lies in Dashner’s writing, which is apparently not to my taste.

What I’m Reading Now

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Fairest: Volume 2 by Lauren Beukes and Volume 3 by Sean E. Williams
These
spinoffs of the popular Fables comics are very hit and miss with me.
Volume 2 is about Rapunzel and is pretty solid. It features Rapunzel
traveling to Japan in search of her lost baby twins, whom she had been told
died at birth. Rapunzel believes otherwise. We get some interesting
background on Rapunzel’s past in the Japanese version of Fabletown, and
the story is certainly different from anything I’ve read before. I can’t
say I loved it, but it was fun.

Volume 3 introduces a
new female character, Nalayani, and is set on the Indian subcontinent.
The Fairest stories are ostensibly about the women from the Fables
universe, but this story, disappointingly, truly belongs to Prince Charming, who has come
back to life and assumed the role of Maharajah. While Charming became
somewhat interesting as a character before he died in Fables, he’s
literally the worst in this volume. This Goodreads review
pretty much sums up my feelings about this installment. It seems like
the writers were trying to show how Charming changes thanks to his love
for Nalayani, but to me, it just seems like he’s gotten pushier and more
misogynistic, undoing his growth from the previous arc. Not a stellar
addition (but beautiful, as always).

Rat Queens: Volume 1 by Kurtis J. Wiebe and Roc Upchurch
This
graphic novel for adults is a stunner. It features a group of female
mercenaries (one of them a dwarf) with varying backgrounds, body types,
skin colors, and personalities who are sent on a quest in order to avoid
going to jail for wreaking havoc on the town they live in. It’s fun,
funny, raunchy, and smart. The best comics are able to create
interesting characters and relationships in a small amount of space, and
that’s precisely what Rat Queens does. Highly recommended, particularly for comics readers who are searching for those elusive books where women are treated as people (or, you know, dwarves).
 

The Tyrant’s Daughter by J. C. Carleson
I’m listening to this one on audio and really enjoying it so far. Fifteen year old Laila has just moved to a suburb of Washington, D. C. with her mother and little brother after her father, the king/dictator of a fictional middle eastern country, was killed in a coup. So far, the book has focused on Laila’s experiences as an immigrant and the beginnings of her realization that her father, whom she regarded as a great ruler, was regarded as a tyrant by the rest of the world – or at least by her new friends in the United States. The book’s synopsis promises a bit of international intrigue later on, which I’m looking forward to. Narrator Meera Simhan voices Laila with a light accent that lends authenticity to the story.

Illusive by Emily Lloyd-Jones
This YA debut is about a group of teens with special powers who run heists. The protagonist has the ability to change her appearance, hence the title, a clever mashup of illusion and elusive. This book is so perfect for me, it’s like the author took a trip through my brain, collecting bits and pieces of the things I like and putting them all in a book. It’s an incredibly fun read. I want more heist novels for teens!