Books of 2018- Installment #8

36. Envy of Angels by Matt Wallace
My husband and I watched a Korean cooking show called Oh My Ghost. It was quite good, but one thing that jumped out at me was how much everyone said, "Yes, chef." So when I was reading this book and the characters kept saying, "Yes, chef," I had some Korean flashbacks! This is the first one a series of supernatural culinary novellas. It was fast-paced and pretty funny. With that said, the only reason I read it was I got a free copy from Tor.com. Of all the ones I've gotten from Tor.com, this is the first one where I wasn't itching to read the next in the series...

37. I Met a Traveller in an Antique Land by Connie Willis 
Oh, what a luscious ode to books!!! Inhale and exhale books! The love and adventure of books!

38. The Overstory by Richard Powers
A beautiful ode to trees... A tremendous tree tome... a celebration of the splendor of trees... a tantalizing tangle of branches and roots... the beauty and the heartbreak of our arboreal world...

39. One Salt Sea by Seanan McGuire
Sometimes you need someone to stop the bad guys. I need that a lot lately. Enter October Daye...
I keep seeing kindred spirits in my books- people that love trees and don't know why we kill them so thoughtlessly, so eagerly, so blithely...

40. The Swordswoman by Jessica Amanda Salmonson
It's always interesting to read older books, especially ones you might have read when it was new, because there have been so many changes in the way books are written. Lexical and syntactical changes are present but also cultural changes. One of the more subtle ways you see cultural changes in writing is subject matter or the way that a given subject is treated. This story's protagonist may or may not be suffering from some kind of mental illness. (The story opens with her in an asylum.) But she doesn't seem unwell, but she can't remember anything. And they way the author handles this (and other aspects) feels like something from the seventies (the book was published in 1982) in a way that's hard to exactly pinpoint, which is why I ascribe it to a cultural change.

Books of 2018- Installment #7

31. Black Helicopters by Caitlin R. Kiernan
I loved, loved, loved Agents of Dreamland, the first book in this series, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book. I think I understood it less than I did Agents of Dreamland, but she has such a fascinating mind and OMG a million references. I feel like I need to reread both of the books, back to back to possibly understand them!

32. Want by Cindy Pon 
This book is set in a dystopian future in Taiwan. An English language sci-fi book set in Taiwan. I'm in! I was happy visiting Taipei and seeing a possible future set in Taipei. It isn't the happiest future (see descriptor dystopian) so that was less exciting. This is definitely a novel aimed for teenagers.

33. Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
I really found All Systems Red (the first book in the Murderbot Diaries) very compelling and so preordered this book and, like the first book, devoured this one in nothing flat. Martha Wells has truly created a captivating character in this murderbot/SecUnit, but she's also made such a rich and engaging world beyond the central character.

34. The Stolen Bicycle by Ming-yi Wu
I absolutely adored, adored, adored The Man with Compound Eyes. This book, which is a translation, felt written for me. It felt like someone looked into my heart and my head and said, "Teresa needs this book." So when I learned that this amazing author had another book that had been translated (and by the same translator!) I was so excited!!! It's a really good book but heavy! The animal cruelty depicted weighs heavy on my heart.

35. Late Eclipses by Seanan Mcguire
This is the fourth book in the October Daye series and reading it is like slipping into a comfy pair of yoga pants. Such a treat to snuggle up for a good yarn!

Books of 2018- Installment #6

26. Witches of Lychford by Paul Cornell
So I know I sound like a broken record, but really- I got this book for free from Tor.com. After reading the first couple of free books from Tor I was actually really eager to read this one. And it was awesome! I devoured it! I couldn't read it in one sitting because the real world intervened, but that was the only reason I didn't! I can't really say why but it kind of reminded me of Terry Pratchett- but it's not really like a Terry Pratchett book so don't think that it is. Unless being a delight to inhabit is all you need to compare a book to a Discworld book. I'm actually super psyched that this is the first book in a series! I'm eager to read the next one!!!(And I'm sure I'll look back on this year's quote at some future date and know it was during the Trump presidency just by my choices!!)

27. Void Black Shadow by Corey J. White
I really just wanted to get back with Mars and Ocho. And I definitely devoured this book but there were some rough, rough scenes!!

28. The Lost Child of Lychford by Paul Cornell
This trilogy has been super engaging and I think the fact that each installment is so short is a big part of its genius. Both books leave me wanting more!

29. Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente
I was so exciting to read this book. People kept saying it was like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and I know why. I was so excited because I've recently read a couple of short stories by Catherynne M. Valente and looooooooooooooved them. The Future is Blue and Planet Lion!!! OMG!!! Love them!!!!! And there were many things I enjoyed about this book, but I never felt the book. I never got swept up by despite really enjoying some aspects of the book. Dunno... Reading about her love and Douglas Adams and her cat were the most moving parts for me and that was after the book was over.

30. A Long Day in Lychford by Paul Cornell
I will confess that while I am deeply enjoying this series, the reason I seem to be devouring them and not doing my normal thing of spacing them out is because I am spacing them out. It just doesn't look like it because it's taking me sooooooooooo long to read Space Opera, which I find disheartening. I was so excited about that book. But on the plus side, I looooove this series!!!

Books of 2018- Installment #5

21. What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky by Lesley Nneka Arimah 

I learned about this book from LeVar Burton on his podcast, LeVar Burton Reads. He reads a story oh so well, and this story was so compelling, I decided to read the collection. I'm not sure why it took nearly a year for me to get to it, but much as way leads on to way, book leads on to book. At any rate, now that I've read it, I would say the best word to describe it is haunting. There's a lot of trauma in this novel, and it's hard for me to take.

22. Amberlough by Lara Elena Donnelly

I'm not sure how I heard about this book, but the cover is gorgeous! As I read it, I kept thinking of it as ArtDecoPunk. I don't think such a thing exists, but if it did, I think this would be an example of it. It's a fictional land that feels to me like a fictional Europe of the 1930s. There's intrigue and decadence. The cast of characters is pretty male-dominated and that is not what I was hoping for when reading a book by a female author, but there you go. This land is on the cusp of a governmental change that seems fascist, which cuts to the bone for me now. As I watched the country descend into this more fascist regime, I felt it as history, fantasy, and present moment. A bit overwhelming...

23. The Best American Science Fiction Fantasy (2016) edited by John Joseph Adams and Karen Joy Fowler

I knew I wanted to read this book when I first saw it, but alas it takes a long time to get to books sometimes. Which is why I stopped adding books from the library to my TBR because books I own keep getting backburnered for the library books. And this book is no exception. But I love John Joseph Adams anthologies, so here we are!

Some of my favs are (in order of appearance in the anthology):

• Interesting Facts by Adam Johnson (2015) 
• Planet Lion by Catherynne M. Valente (2015)
• By Degrees and Dilatory Time by S. L. Huang (2015) 
• Tea Time by Rachel Swirsky (2015)
• No Placeholder for You My Love by Nick Wolven (2015)
• Ambiguity Machines: An Examination by Vandana Singh (2015)
• The Great Silence by Ted Chiang (2015)

24. Those Who Watch by Robert Silverberg

I saw this at our local comic bookstore and felt compelled to get it. It doesn't take much to make me want to read a book! It is a first contact story written in 1967. There's even intergalactic species sex, which for whatever reason made me think of Star Trek. Maybe the reasons for that aren't so mysterious... Anyway, the back jacket says, "It is also the most unusual love story ever told." So i wasn't alive in 1967 but this isn't a love story in my book.

25. Killing Gravity by Corey J. White
I got this book free from Tor.com ages ago and decided now was the time to check it out. I didn't want to read another male writer, so I almost didn't read this. But I really like All Systems Red and Killing Gravity seemed like it might share a sensibility with ASR. And then I noticed that they were talking about voidwitches in different blurbs about it. That struck me as being like Truthwitch, which I also got from Tor.com. That sold me! And then the story grabbed me with its opening sentence! And it doesn't hurt that there's a cat like creature, named Seven, crawling around inside the space suit of the main character, Mars. Love it!!

Books of 2018- Installment #4

16. An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire
This is the third book in the October Daye series, and while I wasn't going to read it so soon after having read the second one, it came to me via the library hold systems, so here I am. I really enjoyed this book!! I have fallen hard for Toby Daye!!!

17. Windwitch by Susan Dennard
This book just kept me gripped. When I first picked up this book I just wanted to read about Merik, but about 5 minutes into the book that all changed and I wanted to know about everyone! And let me tell you, it did not go anywhere I expected!

18. The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce
My friend said that this book was fantastic! She raved. I put it on hold at the library and waited and waited. When it finally came I eagerly started it. Then I wondered. I wondered why she was so enamored of it. I kept reading it. It was pleasant. Then it turned a corner and then I knew! It's a kind of a quiet book about quiet lives, but it's wonderful!

19. The Fantastic Adventures of Robin Hood edited by Martin H. Greenberg
When I saw this book at the local comic book store, I knew I wanted to read it, but I didn't get it right away. I pondered it. Then when I came back and it was still there, I decided to get it. I wanted to see different takes on Robin Hood. Even so, it took me awhile to get to it. There are some very interesting takes on Robin Hood in the book, so I'm quite like and some that didn't really do it for me. That's okay. I figured that would happen. So far the only editor that I really enjoy is John Joseph Adams.

20. All Systems Red by Martha Wells
I keep getting free books from Tor.com which blows my mind! Anyway, I had heard this books was amazing so I chose to read this one next! I found it super engaging and quite the quick read. I'm looking forward to reading the next one in the series!

Books of 2018- Installment #3

11. Of Books and Bagpipes by Paige Shelton

I saw this at the local bookstore and decided to read it. I had low expectations because it seemed kind of like one of those themed mystery novels, and perhaps it can fit into that category, but it's actually really good! Now this is book two which is not the ideal order to read a series in, but I did it. And now I think I'll go back and read the first one!!!

12. A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire

This is the second book in the October Daye series. I love the concept behind It Occurs to Me that I am America, but I needed something light too. Life is bringing me down- between the horrific alternative universe where Donald Trump is the president that I live in and the shite happening at work, I just needed October Daye!!!

13. It Occurs to Me that I am America edited by Johnathan Santlofer

I don't know how you reacted to the presidential election results of 2016, but I was and am devastated by them. So when I learned about this book, I had to buy it. The proceeds go to the ACLU. Another reason to buy it. I'll admit, when I bought it was a little disappointed that there wasn't any Sherman Alexie in it. I thought for sure if nothing else there should be his poem Hymn in it. Then, you know... all of the sexual misconduct allegations against him came out. I don't know... it's a tough time. How to love those who hurt you? How to love in the face of hate? How to love when you are being knocked down and beat up? How to love when you are feeling destroyed? I don't know. I don't know. I just know that I want to try. So I say to the writers of this book- lift me up! Or bring me down or console me that I am not alone. Help me deal with the trauma.

• Lift me up- “Among other things, democracy is about respect for joy, and books are joy.” - Balancing Acts
• Bring me down- “Directly from the funeral I came home. I sat on my bed and wrapped myself in my blanket and I took these pills, all these pills. But not because I think it was my fault. It’s only, nothing has changed. If we’re silent, if we speak up; if we’re cowardly, if we’re brave; if we’re unwary, if we’re prepared; if we’re harsh, if we’re merciful: the ending is the same.” - If They Come in the Morning
• Console me that I am not alone- “In general, Joelle had been hovering just above despair with the occasional dip into hopelessness. Her mood was not buoyed by the news updates that she ingested regularly on her iPhone, despite her best efforts to limit her intake. Her own life became as uncertain as American democracy.” - Lucky Girl
• Help me deal with the trauma- “What I most want my daughters and grandchildren to understand is that it’s okay to love flawed people with your whole heart and soul because if you don’t, you’ll end up with a low opinion of yourself.” - Top Step

14. Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

So I'm not sure how it happened, but I got this book free from Tor.com. It took me awhile to get into this book for whatever reason... (could be it doesn't match my It Occurs to Me that I am America mood, could be the royalty in the book... As a rule, I really don't like stories with kings and queens) But once submerged in this world, I found it enjoyable and am interested in reading the second book in the series- Windwitch.

15. The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2017 edited by John Joseph Adams and Charles Yu
I listen to a really interesting podcast with John Joseph Adams and when he talked about editing this anthology (Geeks' Guide) with Charles Yu, I was in!! I love the other anthology I read that John Joseph Adams did (Cosmic Powers) and I like Charles Yu (Science Fictional Universe). So you know I went to the local book store and bought myself a copy. It took me a long time to actually read it because I've been crochet in my free time and not reading but that does not mean I did not want to. I wanted to!!! What I didn't realize was how much the intro was going to make me think of It Occurs to Me that I am America, but it did. A lot. I also didn't think Charles was going to say what I've been feeling- that the universe split and I'm in the wrong alternative universe. I want to be in the one with Hillary as the president not (insert favorite Cheetos-themed expletive here).

Short Story Collections/Anthologies

I adore short stories! Adore them! I, of course, love the immersive world of a fabulous novel, but a short story can pack a wallop like nothing else! Sure not all stories are going to grab you, that's true for long or short stories. But when you read that one! Oh! What a thing of beauty! They stay with you in a more complete way, I find, than a novel. And as someone who doesn't reread much, I find a great short story such a pleasure to reread.

One thing, though, is finding those great short stories. That takes a lot more effort. I've read plenty of collections that have not held my interest. Why is that? I cannot say, rather what I can say is what works for me. Generally I would say great collections fall into two categories for me: those by authors that I adore and those curated by an editor I adore. Now, I only recently came to understand the importance of the editor. By far my absolutely favorite curator/editor of short stories is John Joseph Adams. I first "discovered" him via Geek's Guide to the Galaxy (I like David Barr Kirtley, too!), where he impressed me when discussing his anthology Cosmic Powers. He did not disappoint! In the interest of full disclosure, though, I've only read two John Joseph Adams' anthologies thus far, but I will change that in the near future!

So I decided to collect my own compilation of short story anthologies. Enjoy!

1. The 13 Best Horror Stories of All Time edited by Leslie Pockell (1902)
2. The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy 2017 edited by John Joseph Adams and Charles Yu
3. Cat Pictures and Other Stories by Naomi Kritzer (2014)
4. Christmas Stars edited by David G. Hartwell (1964)
5. Cosmic Powers edited by John Joseph Adams (2017)
6. Emerald Circus by Jane Yolen (2017)
7. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury (1945)
8. My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories edited by Stephanie Perkins (2014)
9. Quantum Zoo edited by DJ Gelner and JM Ney-Grimm (2014)
10. Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang (2002)
11. Strange Romance by Scott William Carter (2012)
12. Till Human Voices Wake Us by Annie Bellet (2012)
13. Trigger Warnings by Neil Gaiman (2013)
14. A Wild Swan by Michael Cunningham (2015)