It’s the first Thursday of the month. Time to report!
What’s the best book you read in May 2024 and why did you love it?
It doesn’t have to be a newly published book, or even SFF, or even fiction. We just want to share some great reading material.
Feel free to post a full review of the book here, or a link to the review on your blog, or just write a few sentences about why you thought it was awesome.
And don’t forget that we always have plenty more reading recommendations on our 5-Star SFF page.
One commenter with a U.S. mailing address will choose one of these prizes:
- a FanLit T-shirt (we have sizes M, L, XL)
- a book from our stacks.
- a $5 Amazon gift card (this is the only option for non-USA addresses).
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I’m working my way through the works of Terry Pratchett, and have now finished a 6th book, “Wyrd Sisters.” I think he must have been influenced by Mervyn Peake’s “Gormenghast” books (he mentions Gormenghast in his books), and that Pratchett in turn must have influenced Christopher Moore. Probably Christopher Moore will remain my favorite of the three, but I have yet to read any Mervyn Peake books, but I want to and mean to eventually.
Highly recommend bumping the Peake books up your TBR list if possible–they’re truly original and wonderful
This was a good month.
Best book: Max Gladstone’s Wicked Problems with honorable mentions to The Silverblood Promise by James Logan and I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle
Best short novel (I know, I’m cheating): The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark.
Best non-fiction: Silk by Aarathi Prasad, though it had some structural issues
Best poetry collection: Red Suitcase by Naomi Shihab Nye and honorable mention to Some of the Light by Tim Z. Hernandez
I have a tie for best book of May:
Foundation- Isaac Asimov
The Silverblood Promise- James Logan
These books are very different, but I gave them both 3 stars on Goodreads.
glad to see Silverblood Promise is getting some notice–really enjoyed it
Nicola Griffith’s Menewood was the best for May, as expected (I delayed about half a year before reading it so I would have one solid “best of 2024” contender). The story continues from the end of Hild, but now King Edwin’s rule is getting more threatened and Hild rightly foresees that he’ll be overthrown, but she still follows her husband into battle fighting for Edwin, which leads to disaster. A nearly broken Hild and her freed slave woman Gwladus make their way slowly back to their sanctuary at Menewood, where Hild begins plotting her revenge on the Welsh invader Cadwallon. The last quarter of this book, which is all about Hild gathering armies and hunting down Cadwallon’s forces, actually was the least interesting part to me, but the whole story is another excellent, though very long, read. At the end, Hild is still only 20, so there are ten more years to go before she will become abbess of a convent (and finally end up canonized as a Christian saint).
What do you think? One more book or two in the life of Hild?
I’m fewer than 100 pages from the end, and I am captivated.
We had ten years between Hild and Menewood, so I don’t expect we get another book soon. A ton of research has to go into these books, and she has to keep the period true to her understanding of its differences from today. For instance, kings convert to Christianity to gain victories in battle, the afterlife part is just a cherry on top. So the idol of Woden may go back on the altar after a big loss. And several different groups of priests are competing with each other for converts. Also, fidelity in marriage is perhaps more aspirational than followed in practice; sexual orientation is not even a concept; no one has political goals, it’s all survive or be killed, cutting as many deals as you can (marrying off your family members as part of it) along the way. It’s good to see an attempt to make the historical period not be a retelling of scattered big events but with characters who have today’s attitudes and sensibilities, which is what seems to be more common nowadays. This is more like what you got from Mary Renault, Henry Treece, or Naomi Mitchison.
Medusa’s Sisters by Lauren J.A. Bear
Nothing I say about this book will be enough. It is that wonderful. As a lifelong lover of Greek mythology, it was so refreshing to look at the myths from the point of view of the supposed monsters. It is an enthralling story. It will spark outrage, and yet there is also poignancy. Thank you to the author for making me want to dive into mythology again. This one is going on my favorites shelf.
poignant indeed! If you enjoyed this, you might check out Miller’s Circe and/orClaire North’s Penelope trilogy (third book not out yet) if you haven’t already. Lots of retellings out there, and I find they vary in quality, but these are two of the best (Circe in particular)
Thanks for the recommendations. I actually have Circe, but have not read it yet. I’ve heard great things about it.
you’re in for a treat!
The best was Avatar: The Last Airbender “Smoke and Shadow, Part Two”. Children are disappearing in the capital of the Fire Nation, and the reactionary New Ozai Society led by Mai’s father Ukano claims it’s because the spirits disapprove of Zuko’s rule. Of course, as you probably guessed, the real culprit is something else altogether.
Professor Odd #10, “The Thousand Songs”, by Goldeen Ogawa: Professor Odd takes her companions to dinner and a show at a sushi bar in a strange dimension where she has unfinished business with the lead singer onstage. Read and find out.
Having finished Scott Turow’s Kindle County legal thrillers, I turn to a book my wife posted about in 2018, “A Gentleman in Moscow” by Amor Towles. Re-reading it while watching the recent TV adaptation has been an interesting experience, seeing what they keep and what they change. My wife complains about how British everything in the TV Russia seems, down to the artwork. The book is excellent, of course, though I find the ending a bit far-fetched.
I’ve been reading Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeires. It’s just as cozy and fun as the reviews describe and I’m really enjoying it!
Beware of Chicken: A Xianxia Cultivation Novel
Very funny and has some awesome action dispersed through its wholesome slice of life vibes. The author does a great job at making every character have a fun and interesting backstory. I binged both books and am waiting for the next one.
Will, if you live in the USA, you win a Fan Lit T-shirt (please specify 1st and 2nd preferred sizes), a book from our stacks, OR a $5 Amazon gift card. If your address is outside of the USA, you will get a $5 Amazon gift card.
Please contact me (Marion) with your choice and a US address. Happy reading!