Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Books of 2017- Installment #21

101. The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu by Joshua Hammer
I was so excited to read this book. I really wanted to hear all about these books. And those sections paid off! Incredible descriptions of these amazing manuscripts, of how they were protected from multiple invasions over centuries, of the breadth of books. But, while I understand why, the bulk of the book is about terrorism and that was tough and rightfully so.

102. After On by Rob Reid
OMG! I started this book on the day it was released- August 1, 2017. I only just finished it. I loved Year One and was so excited to read another novel by Rob Reid. Funny science fiction is such a rare treat. I did not find that to be this novel. Now don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it and am glad I finished it. I would say about a quarter of the way through the book I started to get into it, but I was constantly getting library books and so back-burned this book- again and again and again. So other than long and hard to finish, what is After On? It's a kind of terrifying glimpse into Silicon Valley and social media. It's also about the singularity.

103. Ryan Higa's How to Write Good by Ryan Higa
This is a book my husband picked up and suggested I read. It's a nice mix of text and comic, of story and writing advice, of dark and light.

104. Blood Red Kiss by Gena Showalter, Kresley Cole, and Larissa Ione
This book is a collection of three supernatural romances. They are all good, though I had some issues with the relationship in the first novella. I really liked the second one- Forsaken by the Night- the most. The main character was an indigenous vampire-skinwalker outcast who develops a relationship with a wolf. I quite liked the shifts in perspectives.

105. Bonfire by Krysten Ritter
I heard about this book on NPR. They were interviewing Krysten Ritter, and while I knew I liked her acting, I didn't know if I would like her voice as a writer. The interview intrigued me and so here I am, writing about her book. This was a great mystery. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time, and it felt so very relevant.


Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Short Stories

I read a lot of short stories this year, and I decided to compile a list of awesome ones here!!!!

In alphabetical order.... 

  1. An Account of the Sky Whales by Que A and translated by Andy Dudak (2017) Science Fiction
  2. All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury (1954) Science Fiction
  3. Annie’s Day by Andy Weir (2011) Fiction 
  4. April in Paris by Ursula K. Le Guin in The Wind’s Twelve Quarters (1962) Science Fiction (Time Travel)
  5. Artifice by Naomi Kritzer in Cat Pictures and Other Stories (2014) Science Fiction
  6. Atonement by Michael Cunningham (2018) in It Occurs to Me that I am America: New Stories and Art Fiction
  7. August 2002, Night Meeting by Ray Bradbury in the Martian Chronicles (1945) Science Fiction
  8. Balancing Acts by Louise Erdrich (2018) in It Occurs to Me that I am America: New Stories and Art Fiction
  9. The Ballad of Marisol Brook by Sarah Grey (2013)
  10. Beholder by Sarah Grey (2013)
  11. Bigger than Death by by Nancy Etchemendy & illustrated by Lance Paladino (1997) in Cricket Magazine October 2014 Volume 42, number 2 (1997) Supernatural
  12. The Bird by Jane Yolen in Emerald Circus (2017) Horror
  13. Bits by Naomi Kritzer in Cat Pictures and Other Stories (2013) Science Fiction
  14. Black, Their Regalia by Darcie Little Badger (2016) Fiction
  15. Brass Canaries by Gwendolyn Clare (2009) Fiction
  16. Bring Your Own Spoon by Saad Z. Hossain in The Djinn Falls in Love and Other Stories (2017) Supernatural
  17. By Degrees and Dilatory Time by S. L. Huang (2015) in The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy 2016
  18. Cat Pictures Please by Naomi Kritzer in Cat Pictures and Other Stories (2015) Science Fiction
  19. A Ceremony of Discontent by Eleanor Arnason in Catalysts, Explorers & Secret Keepers: Women of Science Fiction (2018) Science Fiction
  20. A Christmas Haunting by Craig Dominey (2009) Supernatural
  21. The Christmas Show by Pat Cadigan (2013) Supernatural
  22. The City Born Great by N. K. Jemisin (2016) in The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy 2017
  23. Click-Clack the Rattlebag by Neil Gaiman in Trigger Warnings (2013) Supernatural
  24. The Congregation by Kamila Shamsie in The Djinn Falls in Love and Other Stories (2017) Supernatural
  25. Continuity of Parks by Julio Cortázar (1964) Fiction
  26. Dark Conception by Joe L. Hensley & Alexei Panshin under the pseudonym Louis J. A. Adams in Christmas Stars (1964) Fantasy
  27. A Debt Repaid by Marina J. Lostetter (2014) Fiction
  28. December 2001, Green Morning by Ray Bradbury in The Martian Chronicles (1950) Science Fiction
  29. The Deckhand, The Nova Blade, And The Thrice-Sung Texts by Becky Chambers in Cosmic Powers (2017) Science Fiction
  30. Delilah by Annie Bellet in Till Human Voices Wake Us (2012) Fiction
  31. Direction of the Road by Ursula K. Le Guin in The Wind’s Twelve Quarters (1974) Science Fiction
  32. The Egg by Andy Weir (2009) Science Fiction 
  33. Evian Still by Jane Yolen in Emerald Circus (1985) Fantasy
  34. Evil Robot Monkey by Mary Robinette Kowal (2008) Science Fiction
  35. Fable by Charles Yu (2016) Fiction
  36. Falls the Shadow on Broken Stone by Annie Bellet in Forgotten Tigers and Other Stories (2014) Fantasy
  37. The Fermi Paradox Is Our Business Model by Charlie Jane Anders (2010) Science Fiction
  38. A Fist of Permutations in Lightning and Wildflowers by Alyssa Wong (2016) Science Fiction
  39. Fix-It Shop by Pat Murphy in Catalysts, Explorers & Secret Keepers: Women of Science Fiction (2018) Science Fiction
  40. The Flames of Sligachan by Amy Brannigan and Caroline Brannigan (2010) Supernatural
  41. The Fly by Katherine Mansfield (1922) Fiction
  42. The Fog Horn by Ray Bradbury (1951) Supernatural
  43. For Fear of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn in Catalysts, Explorers & Secret Keepers: Women of Science Fiction (2018) Fantasy
  44. Friends by Richard Crompton (2010) Supernatural
  45. The Future is Blue by Catherynne M. Valente (2016) in The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy 2017
  46. The Future Looks Good by Lesley Nneka Arimah in What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky: Stories (2017)
  47. Getting Somewhere by Susan Isaacs (2018) in It Occurs to Me that I am America: New Stories and Art Fiction
  48. gezhizhwazh by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson (2013) Fiction
  49. The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer by Laini Taylor in My True Love Gave to Me (2014) Fantasy
  50. The Great Silence by Ted Chiang (2015) Science Fiction
  51. The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren Stern in Christmas Stars (1943) Fantasy
  52. Greetings, Humanity! Welcome to Your Choice Of Species! by Adam-Troy Castro (2018) Science Fiction
  53. The Griffon’s Green Door by Jess E. Owen & illustrated by Tiffany England in Cricket Magazine July/August 2015 volume 42, number 9 (2015) Fantasy
  54. The Gift of the Magicians, with Apologies to You Know Who by Jane Yolen in Emerald Circus (1992) Fantasy
  55. Harvey’s Dream by Stephen King (2003) Fiction
  56. Hate for Sale by Neil Gaiman (2018) in It Occurs to Me that I am America: New Stories and Art Poem
  57. A Haunted House by Virginia Woolf (1943) Supernatural
  58. Have You Heard the One About Anamaria Marquez? by Isabel Yap (2014) Supernatural
  59. Hello, Hello by Seanan McGuire in Future Visions (2015) Science Fiction
  60. Honest Man by Naomi Kritzer in Cat Pictures and Other Stories (2007) Supernatural
  61. Hunter’s Moon by Patricia A. McKillip in Wonders of the Invisible World (2002) Fantasy
  62. I Stand Here Ironing by Tillie Olsen (1961) Fiction
  63. I Was a Teenage Werewolf by Dale Bailey (2016) in The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy 2017
  64. If They Come in the Morning by S. J. Rozen (2018) in It Occurs to Me that I am America: New Stories and Art
  65. In the Trees by Alice Hoffman (2018) in It Occurs to Me that I am America: New Stories and Art Fiction
  66. In the Witch’s Garden by Naomi Kritzer in Cat Pictures and Other Stories (2002) Fantasy
  67. Innocence, Rearranged by Annie Bellet in Forgotten Tigers and Other Stories (2014) Fantasy
  68. Interesting Facts by Adam Johnson (2015) in The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy 2016
  69. Isabella’s Garden by Naomi Kritzer in Cat Pictures and Other Stories (2011) Fantasy
  70. An Insistence of Vision by David Brin in An Insistence of Vision (2013) Science Fiction
  71. The Jinn Hunter’s Apprentice by in The Djinn Falls in Love and Other Stories (2017) Supernatural
  72. July Tale by Neil Gaiman in Trigger Warnings (2013) Fiction
  73. Juno in July by Jane Yolen in Catalysts, Explorers & Secret Keepers: Women of Science Fiction (2018) Science Fiction
  74. A Jury of her Peers by Susan Glaspell (1917) Fiction
  75. The Landlady by Roald Dahl (1959) Fiction
  76. The Last Night of the World by Ray Bradbury (1951) Science Fiction
  77. The Last Question by Isaac Asimov (1956) Science Fiction
  78. Like Daughter by Tananarive Due (2014) Science Fiction
  79. Liking What You See by Ted Chiang in Stories of Your Life and Others (2002) Science Fiction
  80. The Long Night by Steve Vance & illustrated by Peter Wartman in Cricket Magazine October 2015 Volume 43, number 2 (2015) Science Fiction
  81. Lost Girls by Jane Yolen in Emerald Circus (1997) Fantasy
  82. The Lottery by Shirley Jackson (1948) Fiction
  83. The Lovers by Eleanor Arnason (1994) Science Fiction
  84. Lucky Girl by Heidi Pitlor (2018) in It Occurs to Me that I am America: New Stories and Art Fiction
  85. Lullaby for a Lost World by Aliette de Bodard (2016) Science Fiction
  86. Lunar Labyrinth by Neil Gaiman in Trigger Warnings (2013) Fiction
  87. Madeleine by Amal El-Mohtar (2015) Science Fiction
  88. Miracle by Connie Willis in Christmas Stars (1991) Fantasy
  89. Miss Carstairs and the Merman by Delia Sherman (1989) Science Fiction
  90. The Mistletoe Bride by Jeanette Winterson in Christmas Days: 12 Stories and 12 Feasts for 12 Days (2016) Fantasy
  91. The Monkey’s Paw by W. W. Jacobs in The 13 Best Horror Stories of All Time (1902) Supernatural
  92. Mrs. Hood Unloads by Mike Resnick (1991) in The Fantastic Adventures of Robin Hood Fantasy
  93. The Murderer by Ray Bradbury (1953) Fiction
  94. My Last Landlady by Neil Gaiman in Trigger Warnings (2013) Fiction
  95. My Mother, Dancing by Nancy Kress in Catalysts, Explorers & Secret Keepers: Women of Science Fiction (2018) Science Fiction
  96. Nevermore by Sue Larkins Weems in Shelf Life (2016) Fiction
  97. No Spaceships Go by Annie Bellet in Till Human Voices Wake Us (2010) Science Fiction
  98. Of Ash and Old Dreams by Sarah Grey (2013)
  99. Not by Wardrobe, Tornado, or Looking Glass by Jeremiah Tolbert (2016) in The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy 2017
  100. The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. LeGuin (1973) Science Fiction
  101. Openness by Alexander Weinstein (2016) in The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy 2017  
  102. Our Faces, Radiant Sisters, Our Faces Full of Light! by Kameron Hurley (2017) Fantasy
  103. The Pale Man by Julius Long (1934) Fiction
  104. Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu in Paper Menagerie (2011) Fiction
  105. Paper Pills by Sherwood Anderson in Winesburg, Ohio (1919) Fiction
  106. The Phantom Coach by Amelia B. Edwards (1864) Supernatural
  107. Planet Lion by Catherynne M. Valente (2015) in The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy 2016
  108. Promises to Keep by Jack McDevitt in Christmas Stars (1984) Fantasy
  109. Remember This For Me by Sarah Pinsker in Catalysts, Explorers & Secret Keepers: Women of Science Fiction (2018) Science Fiction
  110. Robin Hood and the Witch Who Misspelled Sherwood Forest by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough (1991) in The Fantastic Adventures of Robin Hood Fantasy
  111. Robin’s Witch by Nancy Holder (1991) in The Fantastic Adventures of Robin Hood Fantasy
  112. Rule of Rock by Benjamin Jacobson & illustrated by Kelly Leigh Miller Cricket Magazine January 2015 volume 42, number 4 (2015) Science Fiction
  113. Scrap Dragon by Naomi Kritzer in Cat Pictures and Other Stories (2012) Science Fiction
  114. Seven Wonders of a Once & Future World by Caroline M. Yoachim in Cosmic Powers  (2015) Science Fiction
  115. Smear by Brian Evenson (2016) in The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy 2017
  116. So Much Cooking by Naomi Kritzer in Cat Pictures and Other Stories (2015) Science Fiction
  117. Social Phobic’s Guide to Interior Design, The by Sarah Grey (2013)
  118. A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury (1952) Science Fiction
  119. Space-Time for Springers by in Cat’s in Space (1958) Science Fiction
  120. The Star by Arthur C. Clarke (1954) Science Fiction
  121. Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang in Stories of Your Life and Others (2002) Science Fiction
  122. Successor, Usurper, Replacement by Alice Sola Kim (2016) in The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy 2017
  123. The Tail by M.J. Engh in Cat’s in Space (1988) Fiction
  124. Tamitha and the Troll-Witch by Elizabeth C. Desimone & illustrated by Barbara Bakos Cricket Magazine October 2015 Volume 43, number 2 (2015) Adventure
  125. Tea Time by Rachel Swirsky (2015) in The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy 2016
  126. Team Effort by Ed Groman (1991) in The Fantastic Adventures of Robin Hood Fantasy
  127. Teenagers from Outer Space by Dale Bailey (2016) Science Fiction
  128. These Constellations Will Be Yours by Elaine Cuyegkeng (2017) Science Fiction
  129. They’re Made Out of Meat by Terry Bison (1990) Science Fiction
  130. The Things by Peter Watts (2010) Science Fiction
  131. Time Enough at Last by Lynn Venable (1953) Fiction
  132. To Serve Man by Damon Knight (1950) Science Fiction
  133. The Trout Fisherman by Joyce Maynard (2018) in It Occurs to Me that I am America: New Stories and Art Fiction
  134. Vaster than Empires and More Slow by Ursula K. Le Guin in The Wind’s Twelve Quarters (1971) Science Fiction (Trees)
  135. The Veldt by Ray Bradbury (1950) Science Fiction
  136. The Venus Effect by Joseph Allen Hill (2016) in The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy 2017
  137. Waiting for a White Knight by Teresa Bateman & Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman in Cricket Magazine May/June 2008 Volume 35, number 9 (2008) Fantasy
  138. The Wall by Naomi Kritzer in Cat Pictures and Other Stories (2013) Science Fiction
  139. Welcome to the Medical Clinic at the Interplanetary Relay Station| Hours Since the Last Patient Death: 0 by Caroline M. Yoachim (2016) in The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy 2017
  140. What Happened at Blessing Creek by Naomi Kritzer in Cat Pictures and Other Stories (2011) Fantasy
  141. What Kelp Remembers by Eric Schwitzgebel (2014) Science Fiction
  142. When Jesus Comes Down the Chimney by Ian Watson in Christmas Stars (1986) Science Fiction
  143. The Wife’s Story by Ursula K. Le Guin in (1982) Supernatural
  144. A Willingness to Act by Paul Miller & illustrated by Ricardo Bessa in Cricket Magazine March  2015 volume 42, number 6 (2015) Adventure
  145. Winter Solstice, Camelot Station by John M. Ford in Christmas Stars (1986) Poem
  146. The Witch of Orion Waste and the Boy Knight by E. Lily Yu (2016) in The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy 2017  
  147. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in The 13 Best Horror Stories of All Time (1892) Fiction






Friday, December 8, 2017

2017 Finalists for the Trixie and the Moai Book Award

Last year I decided that I was going to give 5 awards to the books I'd read that year that seem the most amazing. Books that I can't let go of or rather books that can't let me go...

It's totally arbitrary and nothing comes with the award but a little "sticker" I made to go on them. But I still want to recognize the amazing books I read this year.

So without further ado these are the finalists for the second annual Trixie and the Moai Book Award!

Once again there's a lot of stiff competition!!!








































Thursday, November 30, 2017

Books of 2017- Installment #20

96. The Bride and the Beast by Teresa Medeiros
I had set out a reading challenge for myself this year to read a book by someone with my name. Turns out that's kind of hard. The T(h)eresas I found typically write romance, so romance it is. My friend had told me that Teresa Medeiros was a good writer. And she is... but in the swirl of sexual harassment/sexual assault/sexual misconduct that is prominent in so many conversations I found the depiction of sexual attraction in this novel problematic at best. It also made me unable to "rewrite" the parts of Joplin's Ghost that I disliked un-ignorable. Reading books by women with such romanticized notions of sexual contact without consent disturbs me and reinforces the notion the we are products of our environments and that we have work hard to not be blind to the damage it does and to not perpetuate it. Challenging times...

97. The Dorenstein Icon by Janet Louise Roberts
I saw this book in Palm Springs and had to get it for my friend. Then my husband had the crazy idea I should read it out loud for her. Well, I tried, I really did... The best laid plans of mice and men... So... this is a crazy book. The woman is abducted by a man, falls in love with said man who drugs her and marries her while drugged. He then "consummates" their marriage while she is drugged. She vacillates between loving him and fearing him. He constantly tosses out gems like, "You belong to me." She also can't decide if she loves him or if he's hypnotized her into thinking she loves him. And yet... and yet... though no time passes between her being drugged and terrorized and questioning her sanity, she decides it's a wonderful marriage despite having been kept a prisoner, drugged, forced into marriage and loses her virginity under the influence. Such a treat! A great primer on how not to get consent!

98. Murder on a Midsummer Night by Kerry Greenwood
This is book 17 of the Phryne Fisher murder mysteries. After all the strange romances I've read recently and Thanksgiving madness I just went through, I felt a need for some of Phryne's cool. Turns out it was a perfect antidote but she was oddly out of sorts for great swaths of the book as well. Amazing how her mood matched mine...

99. Agents of Dreamland by Caitlin R. Kiernan 
This is an amazing short book. It's clearly inspired by HP Lovecraft. but for me it was a great X-Files-esque book. It also reminded me of the podcast Steal the Stars.

100. Martians, Go Home by Fredric Brown
I found this book for a buck in town at a record store (yeah, a record store). It was supposed to be hilarious and I could use a good laugh. It was an interesting read. Not my fav and didn't make me laugh. But what would aliens be like? Could we understand them even if there wasn't a language barrier? These are questions asked by this book.




Monday, November 20, 2017

Books of 2017- Installment #19

91. The Trouble with the Twelfth Grave by Darynda Jones
Oh, how I love Charley!!! I love her like I love Harry! I love her so much that I put the book I was reading (Joplin's Ghost) down to read this one!! This book could conceivably complete my Halloween reading as it came out on Halloween... But since I leap-frogged over Joplin's Ghost, that one will probably complete my Halloween reading... or not! AT any rate, Charley makes me laugh when so few other things do. So thank you, Charley! Thank you, Darynda!

92. Joplin's Ghost by Tananarive Due
Okay so Halloween was still around the corner when I decided I had to read this book! It's a ghost story by an author I first encountered in an amazing short story (that was also in Dark Matter). I really couldn't wait to read this!! So not only is it a super engaging story, but it also is a ghost story about a historical figure and therefore super informative. I really loved the bulk of the story. The writing is wonderful. The characters are super engaging. I just had a problem with the ending. Actually it's a rather significant problem, but I've basically rewritten that part in my mind (sorry, Tananarive Due!) because I love the rest of the book so much!!

93. Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew Sullivan
This book is a loving look at some rather traumatized people and how they come together and impact each other. Their secrets unfold in a slow dance, with much tenderness. I adore this story. I really couldn't tear myself away from it!

94. Death of an Avid Reader by Frances Brody
I was standing across from the register at my local bookstore- Avid Reader- and felt that was a rather ominous title but in a titillating way! I joke with the cashiers about it. Then about a week later I decided I really wanted to read it! Based solely on the juxtaposition of the title and the bookstore. Then I learned that there was apparently a haunting at the library! Sign me up! It does not matter to me that this is box 6 in the Kate Shackleton series!

95. Jade Dragon Mountain by Elsa Hart
This was a really engaging mystery novel set in China in the 1700s. The story unfolds with a sweet gentleness. Elsa Hart manages to tell an interesting mystery with full characters all while painting a vivid picture of China. She clearly loves China and that translated into a beautiful novel.