melita's booklog - mostly

So I did read Storm of Locusts by Rebecca Roanhorse first. It took a bit because I wasn't sure if I was up to the high level of violence. When I started, I fell right in. Maggie gets called in to help investigate a cult leader, 'White Locust." That goes bad...of course, and she ends up mentor to a girl who clan powers (speed, tracking). There's a kidnapping as well. The setting is still great. We get to see a bit of what it looks like outside the wall / off the rez--it's not good. Where's the next book??

Diane Duane has released the second novella in the Tale of the Five, The Landlady, during her run-up to finishing/releasing The Door into Starlight. This one focuses on Segnbora and her new duties as head of her family. Meanwhile there's several kids and at least two locations for the large, polyamorous household. 

I then read another novella (I think) by Lindsey Davis called Vesuvius by Night. I'm actually sorry that I read this. I didn't feel it was up to her usual standard, and, as you might imagine, it's not a happy ending. The main character is related to Falco.

A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner was next. In this book, Sophos, the heir to Sounis, is kidnapped during a civil war. He has to decide whether to stay where he ends up, somewhat happy, or try to take the kingdom from the rebels.

Sharon Lee and Steve Miller put out a second novella/novelette, "Shout of Honor". It's a side story with characters whose story they thought could be told in the novels, but there just wasn't quite room. It involves an Xtrang ambassador and a mercenary captain. Quite good!

I'm currently reading Thick as Thieves.

I knew it had been a long time since I posted, but really! The move to dreamwidth derailed me, and I never seem to have the energy to put together even my lackadaisical post on what I've been reading.

I'm not going to bother to really write up stuff now, but just list what I can remember. If anyone wants more information (hollow laughter), feel free to comment and I'll try to remember what I thought of the book. Without further ado, and in roughly latest to oldest order. Peters is interwoven, Wells has been read and read in this time frame...

Martha Wells, Murderbot: All Systems Red, Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol (ARC)
Martha Wells, Raksura books (Stories of the Raksura volumes 1 and 2, The Cloud Roads, The Serpent Sea, and The Siren Depths, The Edge of Worlds, The Harbors of the Sun, and Fall of Ile Rien (The Wizard Hunters, Ships of Air, Gate of Gods) novels
(of the less than novel length, I adore "The Tale of Indigo and Cloud")
Lois McMaster Bujold, "Penric's Fox", "Mira's Last Dance", "The Prisoner of Limnos", "The Flowers of Vashnoi"
Elizabeth Peters (reread): Crocodile on the Sandbank, The Ape Who Guards the Balance, Children of the Storm, The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog, The Hippopotamus Pool, Lord of the Silent, He Shall Thunder in the Sky, The Falcon at the Portal, Lion in the Valley, The Mummy Case, Curse of the Pharaohs
(Now reading The Ape Who and finally hit the scene where the romance became public--so wonderful! I have a soft spot for Ramses)
Elizabeth Peters and Joan Hess, The Painted Queen (posthumously finished, meh)
Cecelia Grant, "A Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong" (fine, but not enough to make me read her other books)
Melissa Scott, Point of Sighs, Fairs Point
Jessica Day George, The Rose Legacy
Underwater Ballroom Society anthology
Daniel Keys Moran, "Sideways", "Platformer", "Play Date", The Long Run, Emerald Eyes, The A.I. War (part 1), The Last Dancer, "Leftbehind", "Old Man"
C.S. Pacat, "Pet", The Captive Prince, Kings Rising, "The Summer Palace", Prince's Gambit (still not sure why I found these so compelling--two princes of neighboring kingdoms are fighting for their crowns. One ends up the slave of the other, many shenanigans and it turns out to be a love story in a roughly greek vs persian world)
Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, "Degrees of Separation", Local Custom, Mouse and Dragon, "Heirs to Trouble", Neogenesis, "Cultivar", Scouts Progress, "Due Diligence"
C.J. Cherryh, Emergence, Convergence
Diane Duane, "Lior and the Sea"
Faye Kellerman, Bone Box - I really liked the first few books in the this series. Main characters have since relocated from southern California to upstate NY. Practically anyone who was of note in the series showed up in this book--how conveeenient. I'm not going to try to catch up but will likely reread the early ones at some point)
D.M. Quincy, Murder in Mayfair: An Atlas Catesby Mystery. Eh.
Helen S. Wright, A Matter of Oaths (originally published in 1990, finally released on ebook)
Melissa McShane, Pretender to the Crown, Guardian of the Crown, Abounding Might, Wondering Sight
David Pagel, The Forever Girl - love story of a G.I. who falls in love with a Japanese woman (post WWII)
Charles De Lint, The Wind in His Heart
Ann Leckie, Provenance
F.M. Busby, Renalle Kerguelen (story of Rissa's clone daughter, compelling because I like this series, but ultimately eh, only for completists)
Stephanie Burgis, Snowspelled, "Shadow Duet", "Forbidden Magic", "Flying Magic", "House of Secrets", The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart
P.C. Hodgell, The Gates of Tagmeth
SJ Rozan, "Prosperity Restaurant", "Heartbreak", "Body English" (short stories in the Lydia Chin/Bill Smith series)
Nevil Shute, The Far Country (problematic handling of natives, but I found the love story very compelling and the information that various countries took in refugees from WWII very interesting and surprising)
Megan Whalen Turner, Thick as Thieves (Pretty sure I reread the rest of the series during this period--probably at least twice)
Jo Graham, The Marshal's Lover
Jo Graham and Melissa Scott, Lost Things, Steel Blues, Silver Bullet, Wind Raker, Oath Bound

I may be mislabeled some novellas as novels and vice versa. List also omits a bunch of stuff started but not finished.

Whew, I just could not seem to get my act together and post.

I re-read some more Laurie R. King: The Beekeeper's Apprentice and A Monstrous Regiment of Women. I dearly love me some Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes and am very much looking forward to The Murder of Mary Russell, due out next spring.

I then scarfed down Ann Leckie's Ancillary Mercy. It's a quieter novel, in some ways, very domestic but with an interesting twist at the end that I didn't anticipate. I'm sorry that currently there are no plans for more Breq although Leckie does plan more stories in the Radchaai universe.

Stephanie Burgis has a short story (novelette?) out, "Undead Philosophy 101" which was entertaining (but not Kat, darn it!).

I then started, but didn't finish Zen Cho's Sorceror to the Crown. I liked it fine, but never really felt a burning desire to find what's going to happen to the characters, so it got dropped for another book. I'll try to finish it at some point.

Also started (and closer to completion at 78%), was Diane Duane's Life Boats, a novel in her Young Wizards series. Nita and Kit (and Dairine, Tom, Carl, and many other wizards from previous books) are sent to a planet who's binary companion/moon is about to blow up, annihilating anyone left on the planet. An effort has already begun to "terraform" other worlds for the natives and transport them, but a significant number are refusing to go. Nita and Kit are tasked with helping maintain the world gates that are shuttling people to the new worlds.

It was dropped (I will finish it next, likely) to read the eARC (electronic advanced reader copy, like a beta version) of Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold. I characterized this to someone who just whipped through the Miles books in the last year, as "the story of two people who were devastated by Aral's death and are now, 3 years later, ready to move on and see where life will take them." It's set on Sergyar and focuses on Cordelia and Jole. Jole was aide to Aral, then became Admiral of the Sergyar system several years prior. Miles, and family, does make a brief appearance.

Next up: Jeweled Fire by Sharon Shinn and Black Wolves by Kate Elliott.