FIRST LINES FRIDAY: Gideon the Ninth, by Tamsyn Muir

- Meg

I’m starting a new feature that will post every Friday, and do feel free to do it along with me! It’s an evolution of First Chapter, First Paragraph that I did for a while, but I wanted to start having set posts on certain days to help with my blogging schedule! First Lines Friday will feature the first few lines of any book that interests me, new or old! This week I’m featuring Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth, a book I’m currently reading and still super excited about. I first heard about it last year when it was announced — “lesbian necromancers in space” — and promptly preordered it. Ever since I got it, I’ve been waiting for the right moment to savor it, and I’ve taken my time with it this month. So far, it’s definitely living up to my expectations. Without any further adieu, here are the first lines from the book!

In the myriadic year of our Lord — the ten thousandth year of the King Undying, the kindly Prince of Death! — Gideon Nav packed her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and she escaped from the House of the Ninth.

She didn’t run. Gideon never ran unless she had to. In the absolute darkness before dawn she brushed her teeth without concern and splashed her face with water, and even went so far as to sweep the dust off the floor of her cell. She shook out her big black church robe and hung it from the hook. Having done this every day for over a decade, she no longer needed light to do it by. This late in the equinox no light would make it here for months, in any case; you could tell the season by how hard the heating vents were creaking. She dressed herself from head to toe in polymer and synthetic weave. She combed her hair. Then Gideon whistled through her teeth as she unlocked her security cuff, and arranged it and its stolen key considerately on her pillow, like a chocolate in a fancy hotel.

Have you read this? Is it on your to-read list?

MONTHLY REWIND: September 2019

- Meg

Hello, friends! I can’t believe it’s October already. September seemed to fly by while also dragging along? I only read five books this month. My average for the month is usually around 9-10 books, so part of me is just like ??? where did the time go? I started working for a temp agency halfway through the month and that’s exactly when my reading tapered off. Everything tapered off – reading, blogging, social media usage. I started reading a lot of things halfway through the month and later, but I never stuck with it long enough to finish. Now I have about eight books that I’m working my way through (physical and digital), and I’m going to use October to finish those off and get some spooky reads in.

In September, I read:

  • Three Flames, by Alan Lightman
  • The Widow of Pale Harbor, by Hester Fox
  • Mysteries of the Middle Ages, by Thomas Cahill
  • Embers of War, by Gareth L. Powell
  • The Silent Companions, by Laura Purcell

I am decently pleased with what I read for the month, and I caught up with everything that I had started in the summer because I was determined at one point to “start fresh” for the season. I enjoyed Embers of War even though I kept misplacing the book, and The Silent Companions is a title from my earlier Top Ten Tuesday list of books I’ve avoided reading (I’m currently reading two more from that list, and this list is serving as my TBR for October!).

I haven’t bought many books due to not having consistent work and needing to save money (and not being at a bookstore once a week for work also helps), but I did get the following with some gift cards as well as a publisher gift:

  • Call Upon the Water, by Stella Tillyard (thank you, Atria!)
  • Gideon the Ninth, by Tamsyn Muir (preordered last year?!)
  • Bringing Down the Duke, by Evie Dunmore
  • Flamecaster, by Cinda Williams Chima
  • Nocturna, by Maya Motayne
  • Roar, by Cora Carmack

What did you read in September? What was your favorite read of the month?

BOOK REVIEW: The Widow of Pale Harbor, by Hester Fox

- Meg

BOOK REVIEW: The Widow of Pale Harbor, by Hester FoxTitle: The Widow of Pale Harbor by Hester Fox
Published by Graydon House
Published: September 17th 2019
Genres: Fiction, Romance
Pages: 352
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Goodreads

Maine, 1846. Gabriel Stone is desperate to escape the ghosts that haunt him in Massachusetts after his wife's death, so he moves to Pale Harbor, Maine, where there is a vacancy for a new minister. Gabriel and his late wife had always dreamed of building their own church, and Pale Harbor is the perfect opportunity.

But not all is as it seems in the sleepy town of Pale Harbor. Strange, unsettling things have been happening, and the townspeople know that only one person can be responsible: Sophronia Carver, a widow who lives with a spinster maid in the decaying Castle Carver on the edge of town. Sophronia is a recluse, rumored to be a witch who killed her husband.

When Gabriel meets her, he knows the charming, beautiful woman cannot be guilty of anything. Together, Gabriel and Sophronia realize that the mysterious events have one thing in common: they all contain an element from the wildly popular stories of Mr. Edgar Allan Poe. And when the events escalate to murder, Gabriel and Sophronia must find the real killer, before it's too late for them both.

 The Widow of Pale Harbor is an atmospheric historical romance with ties to Edgar Allan Poe’s writing that kept me gripped from beginning to end. Sophronia Carver lives in Pale Harbor, Main, and must come to terms with accusations of witchcraft, murder, and unsettling incidents that keep happening to her and to her immediate surroundings. Gabriel Stone arrives to the sleep coastal town to fill the vacant minister’s position, but from what in his past is he running?

As the incidents begin to escalate, Sophronia and Gabriel realize that these incidents are the work of a twisted individual. Once they realize that the incidents are inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe, they must discover who is behind it all or risk being the next victims of a gruesome attack. In the midst of all of this, Sophronia and Gabriel realize that their attraction toward each other is undeniable, but parts of their respective pasts are holding them back. Gabriel accepted the position in Pale Harbor as a testament to his dead wife, even though he has little care for Transcendentalism or preaching in general. Sophronia must reconcile her past, the accusations of murder thrown toward her, and her limited freedoms before opening up her heart to someone else.

I love the Gothic as a genre. It’s claustrophobic, evoking a sense of dread and wonder at the same time, and delightfully creepy. I love the visuals of a woman scorned in some way standing on a moor overlooking her estate in contemplation, and The Widow of Pale Harbor satisfies every one of those want and hopes I had when I learned about Hester Fox’s second novel. This is a worthy sophomore work, and it’s definitely one to check out if you’re interested in Gothic-style fiction, mysteries, and Transcendental America. Fox wove all of this into a compelling and complex narrative with all sorts of delightful and macabre twists, and it’s one of my favorite reads of the year.

Thank you to Graydon House/Harlequin for sending me an advance reader’s copy to include in a promotional book tour! All opinions are my own.

Little List of Reviews #8

- Meg

Welcome to another little list of reviews! I have a little backlog of reviews that I’ve been wanting to post, mostly for me since these are ones that I bought myself (and one free arc from my old job). They’ve been sitting as empty drafts since like… May, maybe, and it’s time to get those written and move on so I can write about other things!

Little List of Reviews #8Title: The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
Series: The Invisible Library #1
Published by Roc
Published: June 14th 2016
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 341
Format: Trade Paper
Source: Purchased
Goodreads

Collecting books can be a dangerous prospect in this fun, time-traveling, fantasy adventure from a spectacular debut author. One thing any Librarian will tell you: the truth is much stranger than fiction...   Irene is a professional spy for the mysterious Library, a shadowy organization that collects important works of fiction from all of the different realities. Most recently, she and her enigmatic assistant Kai have been sent to an alternative London. Their mission: Retrieve a particularly dangerous book. The problem: By the time they arrive, it's already been stolen.   London's underground factions are prepared to fight to the death to find the tome before Irene and Kai do, a problem compounded by the fact that this world is chaos-infested—the laws of nature bent to allow supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic to run rampant. To make matters worse, Kai is hiding something—secrets that could be just as volatile as the chaos-filled world itself.   Now Irene is caught in a puzzling web of deadly danger, conflicting clues, and sinister secret societies. And failure is not an option—because it isn’t just Irene’s reputation at stake, it’s the nature of reality itself...

FEATURING BONUS MATERIAL: including an interview with the author, a legend from the Library, and more!

 Genevieve Cogman’s The Invisible Library is the first in a series of books that involves libraries, special books, and dragon-shifters. I loved the world-building and desperately wanted to become a Librarian while reading it, and this novel serves its purpose as a set-up for everything else because it was a lot more telling and description than it was character-development and depth. That doesn’t deter me from wanting to continue the rest of the series (and I’ve got most of them, as far as I can recall), so I’m looking forward to seeing where the adventure goes next. I’m a little weird about steampunk as a genre because it can get confusing in its setup, depth, and exploration, but I thought Cogman’s delivery and worldbuilding led to in-book plausibility and created a solid foundation.

Little List of Reviews #8Title: Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed
Series: The Crescent Moon Kingdoms #1
Published by DAW
Published: December 31st 2012
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 367
Format: Mass Market
Source: Purchased
Goodreads

From Saladin Ahmed, finalist for the Nebula and Campbell Awards, comes one of the year's most acclaimed debuts: Throne of the Crescent Moon, a fantasy adventure with all the magic of The Arabian Nights. 

The Crescent Moon Kingdoms, home to djenn and ghuls, holy warriors and heretics, are at the boiling point of a power struggle between the iron-fisted Khalif and the mysterious master thief known as the Falcon Prince. In the midst of this brewing rebellion a series of brutal supernatural murders strikes at the heart of the Kingdoms. But these killings are only the earliest signs of a plot for the Throne of the Crescent Moon that threatens to turn the great city of Dhamsawaat, and the world itself, into a blood-soaked ruin.

 Saladin Ahmed’s The Crescent Moon is one of the most engrossing fantasies I’ve read in a long time. The second I picked it up and started reading it, I fell in love with the atmosphere, the language, and the story. It sank deep into my soul, and I’ve not been able to stop thinking about it since I read it. I felt like I was right there in that world, standing just off to the side as everything unfolded. It features a ghul hunter, a magnificent shapeshifter, and a holy warrior dervish, and each of these characters felt so refreshing and real that I forgot sometimes that this was pure fiction and not based off of something that had once happened once upon a time. But perhaps it did… If you’re looking for something incredible and breathtaking, pick this one up. I do hope one day he’ll continue on with the series, but this also functions as a completely perfect standalone.

Little List of Reviews #8Title: Exhalation by Ted Chiang
Published by Alfred A. Knopf
Published: May 7th 2019
Genres: Science Fiction
Pages: 350
Format: ARC
Source: Work
Goodreads

alternate cover for this ISBN can be found here

The universe began as an enormous breath being held.

From the acclaimed author of Stories of Your Life and Others — the basis for the Academy Award-nominated film Arrival — comes a ground-breaking new collection of short fiction: nine stunningly original, provocative, and poignant stories. These are tales that tackle some of humanity's oldest questions along with new quandaries only Ted Chiang could imagine.

In "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate", a portal through time forces a fabric seller in ancient Baghdad to grapple with past mistakes and second chances. In "Exhalation", an alien scientist makes a shocking discovery with ramifications that are literally universal. In "Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom" the ability to glimpse into alternate universes necessitates a radically new examination of the concepts of choice and free will.

Including stories being published for the first time as well as some of his rare and classic uncollected work, Exhalation is Ted Chiang at his best: profound, sympathetic — revelatory.

Contents:- The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate (2007)- Exhalation (2008)- What's Expected of Us (2005)- The Lifecycle of Software Objects (2010)- Dacey's Patent Automatic Nanny (2011)- The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling (2013)- The Great Silence (2015)- Omphalos (2018)- Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom (2018)

 I can’t sing enough praises about Ted Chiang’s writing. He’s one of my all time favorites, and I was so excited to see his newest collection of stories on the arc shelf at my old job. These are mostly reprints, I believe, but each one is fantastic. There are very few writers who can like… make me straight up cry with the magic, scope, and depth of their writing, but this is a collection you’ll not want to miss.

TOP TEN TUESDAY: Books On My TBR That I’m Avoiding Reading and Why

- Meg 2 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly discussion hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl (and formerly hosted by The Broke and the Bookish), and this week’s topic is “Books On My TBR That I’m Avoiding Reading and Why.” I feel like I have so many books on my TBR, physical and digital, that I’m avoiding reading for a myriad of reasons. I’ve picked out ten books from my physical TBR shelves, and they’re below!

  • Witchmark, by C.L. Polk — I really don’t know why I keep putting this off. It’s magical Edwardian England with queer characters, and it’s everything I’m interested in! I think the reason I keep putting it off is the small bookstagram hype that surrounded its original release, and I’m afraid it won’t live up to it. HOWEVER, this is published by tordotcom, and I have never been disappointed with the works they publish.
  • Vengeful, by V.E. Schwab — I’ve put this one off because Vicious is one of my favorite books, it has SO MUCH hype, and I’m terrible at finishing series.
  • The Silent Companions, by Laura Purcell — This is another one that had some bookstagram hype around its initial release. I don’t know why I’ve been putting it off other than that. It looks like everything I’d enjoy (weird ghosty gothic historical fiction), and it’s on the shorter side…
  • The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Writings, by Edgar Allan Poe — I am kind of ashamed to put this on here because I’ve featured it for two years in a row now during the spooky months on my Instagram, and I still haven’t read it. Not even the introduction. Why? Because I’m weird. I don’t know. It’s poetry and short stories, many of which I haven’t read before, and I need to get on it.
  • The Continuous Katherine Mortenhoe, by D.G. Compton — I’m really terrible about reading any of my NYRB Classics even though I keep buying them. This one caught my eye because it was shelved in the science fiction/fantasy section of my old store, and these rarely get shelved in the genre sections. It also has an introduction by Jeff VanderMeer, who is a favorite of mine.
  • Something Strange and Deadly, by Susan Dennard — I love Susan Dennard’s Truthwitch (but another series I started and haven’t finished even though I’ve bought them on release day ever since), but I’m terrible at starting series, even if they’re set close to where I used to live, are historical YA fiction (which seems more rare these days). Working in a bookstore exposed me to a lot of things I might not have noticed otherwise, and I’m glad I noticed this trilogy. Now to read it.
  • Into the Drowning Deep, by Mira Grant — I’m terrified of the depths of the sea, but I love mermaids. I don’t live near big bodies of water right now and I’m not going near big bodies of water any time soon, so I should be safe to read this now, right?
  • Hild, by Nicola Griffith — I started this ages ago and for some reason set it aside. I don’t remember why, because I loved the first fifty or so pages I got through. I also have a terrible habit of picking up books, reading them for a bit, and then forgetting where I leave them or getting distracted by something else. I’ve heard so many good things about this, and now that I feel a little more knowledgeable about English history, I want to tackle this again.
  • Geek Love, by Katherine Dunn — This one falls under the “I bought it because of the general hype and bookstagram hype and now I’m afraid it won’t live up to the weird expectations I now have about its grandeur” umbrella.
  • Deathless, by Catherynne M. Valente — I’ve heard so many people say so many good things about this, and it’s lauded across the board, and I’m worried it’s not going to live up to the hype for me.

Overall, I know there’s a theme here: I get excited and interested in stuff I see on Instagram, go out and buy it, and then hoard it away until I’m forced to reconcile with TBRs, moving, and posts like these. I’m putting these in my book cart so they’re present and in my face, and maybe I’ll get to them by the end of the year… Let’s recap on December 31, shall we?

What’s on your TBR that you’re avoiding reading? Which of these have you read? Which would you recommend over the others?