Books, television & film, knitting & crochet, cats, and general geekery :) Ongoing project to read all the books that won the Hugo and Nebula Best Novels since 1977 that were written by women.
2023 Book 35: Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett (f 29/11). Really enjoyed this story of Edwardian-era scholar studying the Fae, and her rival-to-friends colleague Wendell. Reminded me of the Lady Trent books.
Total: 25 books, 7 novellas, 3 graphic novels
2023 Book 33: The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin (f 12/11). Reading the Earthsea books for the first time. Again, so beautifully written, and says so much with relatively plain/ straightforward language.
Total: 23 books, 7 novellas, 3 graphic novels
2023 Book 32: Water Fire Fae by Carrie Vaughn (f 15/10). A great collection of short stories from one of my favourite authors.
Total: 22 books, 7 novellas, 3 graphic novels
2023 Book 31: Coronation Year by Jennifer Robson (f 3/10). A quite gentle mystery set in a hotel in London on the route of the Queen’s Coronation in 1953. I liked the focus on London post-WW2 rather than during the war.
Total: 21 books, 7 novellas, 3 graphic novels
2023 Book 30: Ogres by Adrian Tchaikovsky (novella; f 17/9). A hero’s journey, a tale of oppression and rebellion, and not quite the story I was expecting. It was brilliant. Will be getting my vote for Best Novella at the Hugo Awards 😊
Total: 20 books, 7 novellas, 3 graphic novels
2023 Book 29: A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow (novella; f 15/9). A story about stories and changing fate, which manages to be funny as well. One of the Hugo-nominated novellas.
Total: 20 books, 6 novellas, 3 graphic novels
2023 Book 28: Into the Riverlands by Nghi Vo (novella; f 13/9). Travel, adventure, and stories within stories - I enjoyed it 😊 One of the Hugo-nominated novellas.
Total: 20 books, 5 novellas, 3 graphic novels
2023 Book 27: Even Though I Knew The End by CL Polk (novella; f 11/9). A supernatural murder mystery set in 1940s Chicago, which I really enjoyed 😊 One of the Hugo-nominated novellas.
Total: 20 books, 4 novellas, 3 graphic novels
2023 Book 26: The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi (f 31/8). A fun story about animal conservation, with the animals being kaiju-type monsters who live in a parallel universe. I enjoyed it 😊
Total: 20 books, 3 novellas, 3 graphic novels
2023 Book 25: The Other Passenger by Louise Candlish. I’m not normally fan of thrillers, but I enjoyed this one. Guessed one twist, but I was surprised by the ending, and I liked the riverboats service being used as a setting.
Total: 19 books, 3 novellas, 3 graphic novels
2023 Book 24: The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (f 14/8). Hugo nominated novel; an interesting setting (1870s Mexico); gothic horror feel to it (I was reminded of Jane Eyre at the start); but I didn’t love it.
Total: 18 books, 3 novellas, 3 graphic novels
2023 Book 23: What Abigail Did That Summer by Ben Aaronovitch (novella; f 2/8). Next book in my Rivers of London re-read, and can also count as #HugoAward reading as the books have been nominated for Best Series.
Total: 17 books, 3 novellas, 3 graphic novels
2023 Book 22: Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal (f 23/7). The July book club book, which I enjoyed - a mix of funny moments and more serious issues.
Total: 16 books, 2 novellas, 3 graphic novels
2023 Book 21: Paladin’s Strength by T. Kingfisher (f 2/7). The next book in the Paladin series and just as entertaining as the previous one. Though there are some brutal truths in the comedy, like Pratchett’s writing.
Total: 16 books, 2 novellas, 3 graphic novels
2023 Book 20: The Giver of Stars by JoJo Moyes (f 19/6). I found the history of the packhorse librarians interesting, but couldn’t really connect with the characters. They all felt too modern for a book set in the 1930s, as though they were contemporary characters that were fitted into the 1930s. Plus, I found the transformation of one of the main characters from polite English lady to hard-riding librarian a bit unrealistic.
Total: 15 books, 2 novellas, 3 graphic novels
2023 Book 19: The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. LeGuin (f 31/5). The next book in the Earthsea series. Beautiful writing that I lost myself in.
Total: 14 books, 2 novellas, 3 graphic novels
2023 Book 18: Paladin’s Grace by T Kingfisher (f 24/5). For a book with gruesome murders, political intrigue, and people surviving after their lives have been devastated, this was surprisingly uplifting. I loved it. #Paladin
Total: 13 books, 2 novellas, 3 graphic novels
2023 Book 17: Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (f 1/5). A cosy fantasy about an orc who quits her life of adventuring to open a coffee shop. I enjoyed it, but didn’t love it the way other people have, going by reviews & comments.
Total: 12 books, 2 novellas, 3 graphic novels
2023 Book 16: Rivers of London: Cry Fox by Ben Aaronovitch (graphic novel; f 19/4). The next in the RoL graphic novels, featuring Abigail, Sahra, and Nightingale riding to the rescue 🐎
Total: 11 books, 2 novellas, 3 graphic novels
2023 Book 15: The Vintage Shop of Second Chances by Libby Page (f 18/4). An enjoyable story about a woman opening a vintage shop in her home town, making new connections, and starting her life again. Slightly predictable, but nice. I liked that it included the impact of dementia, but found the way that one characters is written to be potentially ND/ on the spectrum a bit uncomfortable - it’s implied rather than said out loud & felt a bit off.
Total: 11 books, 2 novellas, 2 graphic novels