It’s the first Thursday of the month. You know what that means, ’cause we do this on the first Thursday of every month! Time to report!
What is the best book you read in December 2015 and why did you love it? It doesn’t have to be a newly published book, or even SFF. 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 Fanlit Faves page and our 5-Star SFF page. And we’ve also got a constantly updating list of new and forthcoming releases.)
As always, one commenter will choose a book from our stacks.
We’ve got a couple of giveaways still current. Find those here!
The best book I read was The Aeronaut’s Windlass (The Cinder Spires #1) by Jim Butcher. Great book. My first Jim Butcher book. Great star to a promising new series!
My review is here: https://mightythorjrs.wordpress.com/2015/12/11/book-review-the-aeronauts-windlass-the-cinder-spires-1-by-jim-butcher/
Thanks!
Tea With Black Dragon by R.A. McAvoy.
Simply a wonderful little book. It had special resonance with me because I remember the computers of the era, from when my dad brought one home, to the classes to the non-fiction I read about them and computer crime.
Mayland Long is in a special class by himself and also delightful.
I’ve read Tea w/ The Black Dragon several times over the years. Wonderful characters and a great story. Now I’m going to have to read it again… :)
Best book I read last month was Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (see review on my Overdue Book Review page (https://sites.google.com/site/keithwwillisauthorsite/overdue-book-review). Amazing, twisty, high-intensity YA fantasy that forced me into reading Bardugo’s Grisha series (currently in #1 Shadow & Bone).
I read Sean Golden’s Warlock. A great series, so far. Warlock explored the magic system in the world. The books so far have been fun. The action has been balanced with the main character’s issues with being the hero. Well written. Cannot wait until the next book, Warlord comes out.
I read Leviathan Wakes by James SA Corey in December 2015 because the Syfy channel’s production of The Expanse was about to air. I also discovered T Frohock’s Los Nefilim novellas,In Midnight’s Silence, and Without Light or Guide in December 2015. I really enjoyed them, and eagerly await the third one. Best? Hard to choose. Best character is Diago in Los Nefilim for sure. That will have to do.
The why of it is that I was able to empathise with some one who isn’t like me. And that the reimagining of angels and demons and nefilim was so original and refreshing.
I liked Updraft, by Fran Wilde, the best.
Runners up include Dark Orbit, by Carolyn Ives Gilman, Sorcerer to the Crown, by Zen Cho, The Curse of Jacob Tracy, by Holly Messinger, and The Hanged Man, by P. N. Elrod.
Magician’s Gambit (The Belgariad #3) by David Eddings. Excellent fantasy.
Coyote Waits by Tony Hillerman. Book 10 in a great mystery series about Navajo Tribal Policemen solving murders in the beautiful desert southwest.
Although I loved Oath Bound by Melissa Scott and Jo Graham, I think it was edged out by The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers.
The Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks. A fantastic follow-up to what is becoming one of my favorite series. Can’t wait to start on the next one!
The best book I read last month was Luna: New Moon by Ian McDonald. Here’s my Goodreads review:
I loved this book. With so many different characters and so much going on I thought I might find it difficult to digest it all, but instead I found it stimulating and downright fun. The moon is a harsh and unforgiving environment and it’s made even more dangerous given that the politics of corporate business are what dictate life more than anything else. Ian McDonald’s imaginings of habitats, machinery, and the history of moon conquest are wonderful.
That’s easy for me this month, The Whitefire Crossing by Courtney Schaefer. This one just fired on all cylinders for me.
Keith Willis, if you live in the USA, you win a book of your choice from our stacks.
Please contact me (Marion) with your choice and a US address. Happy reading!