Sunday Status Update: September 30, 2018

Another week, more reading!

Jana: This week I made good progress with Julie Kagawa‘s upcoming Shadow of the Fox, which begins a new YA fantasy series (trilogy?) heavily influenced by Japanese feudal-era culture and mythology. It’s scratching my shoujo manga itch in a serious way, and I’m really enjoying it. I also read Waubgeshig Rice’s upcoming post-apocalyptic novel Moon of the Crusted Snow, which blends First Nations storytelling and history in a way that I don’t see nearly often enough. Reviews coming soon. On deck: Joseph Fink‘s Alice Isn’t Dead, a novelization/adaptation of the popular podcast of the same name, and Bernard Cornwell‘s War of the Wolf, the eleventh entry in his SAXON STORIES series.

Kat: Since you heard from me last, I’ve read these books: The Gates of Eden by Brian Stableford, A Nameless Witch by A. Lee Martinez, Slan and Slan Hunter by A.E. van Vogt and Kevin J. Anderson, Necroscope II: Vamphyri! and Necroscope III: The Source by Brian Lumley, Summers at Castle Auburn by Sharon Shinn, Good Guys by Steven Brust, and Fear by Bob Woodward.

Kelly: Welp, I’m back in school. This is mostly a good thing! I’m learning a ton of interesting stuff. The bad news is that it’s keeping me too busy to read much for fun. I’m trying to read Madeline Miller‘s Circe, and loving it, but I keep having to put it down and read things for class. I did have the chance recently to reread Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson–I got approval to write a paper about it, and I’m psyched. I’ve said this before, but I’m yet again surprised by how ahead of its time this book was. It’s 20 years old, and there’s maybe one scene that would probably be written differently today. It still feels fresh, and the issues it raises are still current. I also recently reread Kingdoms of Elfin by Sylvia Townsend Warner. These odd, beautifully written stories are perfect fall reading. Look for my review this coming week.

Marion: I’m finishing up a “caper” book (not speculative) by David Corbett, called The Long-Lost Love Letters of Doc Holliday. It’s implausible but fun, and the language of the titular letters is beautiful. Doc is irascible. Before anyone asks, the letters are fictional.

I also read a fantasy by an Italian writer, Francesco Dimitri, called The Book of Hidden Things. I appreciated the book without necessarily enjoying the story, and I’m going to have to think some more about that before I write a review.

Sandy: Moi? Well, every year, at the beginning of Shocktober, I find that my tastes start to veer away from the fields of sci-fi and fantasy and more into the arena of horror. And so, this year, to start the Shocktober season, I am reading a book that I have long wanted to lay my hands on, Evangeline Walton’s 1945 classic Witch House. I eagerly look forward to getting into this one and reporting back to you shortly…