Sunday Status Update: March 31, 2019

As March draws to a close, we have plenty more books on the docket!

Kat: The worst part of my semester is behind me and now I am making myself get off the computer and relax by 8:00pm every night, so I’m getting more reading done. I’ve joined a jigsaw puzzle swap club, so each night, if there’s nothing else going on, I work on a puzzle and listen to an audiobook. This week I read these books: The Face in the Frost by John Bellairs (an amusing fantasy classic), In the Vanisher’s Palace by Aliette de Bodard (great world, but I wasn’t crazy about the story), Joust and Alta by Mercedes Lackey (these are the first two books of her DRAGON JOUSTERS trilogy and the first book is better than the second), In the Land of Time and Other Fantasy Tales by Lord Dunsany (I loved half of it), and PERfunctory AfFECTION by Kim Harrison (somewhat annoying). All of these have been recently released in audio format. That is a pretty diverse set of books!

Marion: I didn’t read very much this week. I finished a Seanan McGuire novel in the ENCRYPTID series; That Ain’t Witchcraft. This is the third book in Antimony Timpani Price’s story arc – she usually goes by Annie — and features Annie’s handsome furry boyfriend Sam. The crossroads, and the ages-old tradition of crossroads bargains, play a large role in the story, but I still miss the Aeslin mice!

Today I plan to start Enchantress of Numbers, by Jennifer Chiaverini. I found this book on a biography display table at Book Passage in Corte Madera, California, and mistakenly thought it was nonfiction. Readers of historical novels could probably have set me straight immediately because Chiaverini is well-known for her previous novel Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker. Well, now I know and I’m pleased to be dipping into a book about Ada Byron King, Countess of Lovelace.

In not-exactly-reading news I am enjoying Season Four of Syfy’s The Magicians, especially last week’s musical episode, which featured Margo, and had a minor role by a god who could not remember his safe room password.

In other, “not exactly reading” news, I filled out a Cover Design Questionnaire for a novella I have coming out … sometime… from Falstaff Books. I had never seen a cover questionnaire. I was glad to have the input, although it does not equate to control or eve influence, but if I like the cover I will certainly take some credit.

Sandy: Moi? After having read the first four books of E. “Doc” Smith’s famous LENSMAN series, what else could I possibly be reading now but Book 5, Second Stage Lensman? I have been tearing through this wonderful entry in the series and hope to be able to report on it very shortly….

Tadiana: In the last couple of days I read Storm Cursed, the upcoming MERCY THOMPSON book by Patricia Briggs, which I really enjoyed (even though it has some harrowing moments). It made me want to go back and reread the whole series again (how did we first meet Larry the goblin king and Sherwood Post the mysterious werewolf again?). Briggs is still writing excellent urban fantasy with this series and finding ways to keep it fresh. This last week I also read Thornbound by Stephanie Burgis, the new novel in her HARWOOD SPELLBOOK series set in a magical, alt-Regency world, which was short, light and fun, and whipped through P. Djeli Clark’s Nebula-nominated novella The Black God’s Drums.

Terry: This week I read The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss, and will soon be adding my enthusiastic review to those of Jana, Tadiana, Marion and Skye, all of whom persuaded me to read it in the first place. I also read Bloodchild, a book of short stories by Octavia E. Butler; the title story is especially fine. I own only the short version of this book, not the trade edition, and therefore won’t review it, but I am inspired to read more of Butler’s work. I’m now getting back to Sam Sykes‘ Seven Blades in Black, having previously gotten bogged down nearly halfway in; the sameness that caused me to put it down has been fixed, sort of, by the passage of time.