FanLit readers, we just discovered that our email notifications for posts and giveaways haven’t been working for at least a couple of months because Google’s Feedburner finally quit sending them, as it’s been warning us for years that it would. We’re working on a fix for this. In the sidebar there’s a place to sign up for email notifications which you can filter for certain tags (such as “Giveaway”) if you like. For now, we’re trying it out to see how we like it. If we don’t like it, we’ll try something different.
It’s the first Thursday of the month. Time to report!
What’s the best book you read in October 2022 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 Fanlit Faves page and 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).
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North.
The Crystal Cave (Arthurian Saga, #1) by Mary Stewart.
I apologize for piggyback on this comment, but I wanted to let the mods know that I wrote and submitted my answer, and I received a confirmation email, but I can’t see it here.
Lois, I see a post from you below. It’s about “One Dark Window”, which sounds awesome.
Hi Lois, I posted at about 7pm last night (Thursday, Nov 3) and I was very surprised that mine was the first one for Thoughtful Thursday. There are usually 5-10 posts by that time.
Hi Kevin, that’s because our notifications haven’t been going out and, since we’ve reduced the number of giveaways, readers didn’t know about this post. After I sent out the email last night, people started commenting.
We have a new email notification system (see sidebar) that we’re trying out. Not sure if this is the one we’ll stick with, but I like it because it’s free. The emailed newsletters have ads at the bottom, which I don’t like, but that’s what makes it free.
I can see everyone’s posts, and mine, now. That was weird.
“Machines Like Me” by Ian McEwan, about an alternate 1980s London where people have begun to buy synthetic humans which prove to be all too flawed.
“One Dark Window” by Rachel Gillig.
This is a debut novel that is a blend of dark fantasy and gothic fiction. And, it’s a very clever and a very fast paced read. It’s the first book in a duology and the cliffhanger at the end of this book leaves you craving the story’s conclusion. I hope we don’t have to wait too long to get it.
I am re-reading the wheel of time series by Robert Jordan. The world building is impressive, and that’s just a part of why this series is amazing. Character development, the magic system, the scope of the saga, its all there. In October I started with the wheel of time, continued with the great hunt, and then read the dragon reborn. I can’t wait to read the rest of the books.
Best book for October was definitely “The Ten Thousand Doors of January” by Alix E Harrow. “It is at the moments when the doors open, when things flow between the worlds, that stories happen.” A great story that held together much better than other recent ones I’ve read where characters inhabit different worlds. Well thought out and exciting.
My best book was probably City of Dragons by Robin Hobb. She’s a writer that I read for her ability to pull me into the world, the story, and the characters (rather than for the premise or themes, etc.), and this book was no exception. When I started the series, I wasn’t sure I would like it, but now I’m thoroughly absorbed. One more to go!
I also enjoyed This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee, which is the author’s debut novel and thus not as good as subsequent works, but still an engaging and well-told reimagining of Frankenstein.
Tim Winton‘s Breath.
I absolutely loved it. I think the emotional impact is going to stay with me for a long while.
my best genre read, totally unexpected given my response to the first two books in this trilogy, was Stephen R. Donaldson’s The Killing God while my favorite non-genre works were Flight, by Lynn Steger Strong; and The Carrying, by Ada Limón.
Babylon 5’s Legions of Fire trilogy telling the story of the Drakh occupation of Centauri Prime continues with the second book “Armies of Light and Dark” by Keith David.
Last month, I was surprised to find that Isaac Asimov’s “Forward the Foundation”, while advertised as the last Foundation book, actually fits between “Prelude to Foundation” and “Foundation”. Both it and “Prelude to Foundation” were prequels, but for some reason the sequence I ordered put “Prelude to Foundation” in internal chronological order while leaving “Forward the Foundation” at the end.
As I’m still studying reference material for my novel, I read “Russian Course: A Complete Course for Beginners” by Nicholas J. Brown. Say what you want about the country, it’s a fascinating language.
I read Salem’s Lot by Stephen King and it was incredible!
Jillian, it was the first book of his I read and it genuinely scared me. Like, couldn’t turn off the light and go to sleep because the vampires might get me.
None of Your Business,if you live in the USA, you win a book of your choice from our stacks. 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!