I have been having trouble concentrating enough to sit and read a book, or so it has seemed, anyway. So I have been listening to audiobooks for the most part. I LOVE audiobooks, as it turns out. For me, it is exactly like having my grandfather read stories to us when I was little: He used to do all the voices, and add sound effects and whatnot. Being read to (with voices!) is such a treat for me.
Anyway, I finally started the Dresden Files, by Jim Butcher, a series which was recommended to me eons ago. The narrator is James Marsters, which is a hoot because he played Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer—and Jim Butcher makes many references to BthVS, and I think even made one about Spike once (have to double check). Hilarious, I bet JM loved it!
I made it to book #8 before I realized there were more and more references to things which had happened in the first three books...much of which I had skipped because the writing was so uneven. (By end of book 3 and definitely by book 4, author has gotten his writing act together; this is also when the narrator really gets into reading it in as entertaining a way as possible. It is now one of my fave series.
Sooo, I went back to book #1, Storm Front, and I decided to read the first three again so I could better understand what everyone’s talking about, but in actual book form rather than audiobook. I have both the physical book as well as the kindle edition (I switch back and forth depending on where I am), and I am really enjoying the physical book in my hands. REALLY. 😊
I have some books which are more “serious” in nature on my list, but let’s see how I manage the wizard world first. 🧙🏻♂️
Interesting tidbit in case anyone cares: The cover for each book portrays the Wizard Dresden in various dramatic poses, complete with staff and a great almost-cowboy hat pulled low over his face. Except: There is no hat in any of the books. Dresden uses a staff, yup, but no hat. The hat came from the cover designer, who thought it made Dresden look more moody-cool. The publisher apparently agreed, as did the author. (Tiny useless Factoid for your day.)
I'm glad to know things improve after the first few books! I read the first two a couple of years ago, and I've had the third one on my to-read list but haven't been able to work up enough enthusiasm about the series to read it. I want to like it -- I really like the premise and the main character. Knowing the writing pulls together more later on is making me more interested in keeping on with it.
At least half the books I read are audiobooks. At one point several years ago I realized I was basically not reading fiction at all anymore because it wasn't compatible with having my hands busy making things. I resisted the idea of it for a while -- years ago (so long ago that it was on cassettes :D ) I'd tried listening to an audiobook and kept getting distracted from it. But if I'm actually doing something with my hands at the same time it's a whole different thing and really enjoyable.
Started Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline (a Metis writer), enjoying it so far, when I can find the ability to focus on something for longer than the duration of a tiktok video. *sigh*
Ooh, I'll add this to my list (also Marrow Thieves). For when I, too, have the ability to focus on something longer than a tweet. (Or, in my case yesterday, to plow through a truly disappointing, thoroughly ham-fisted romance novel that I spent the day skimming just so I could see what happened in the end...)
If you haven’t tried Marie Bennett’s books, they are gems. All are historical fiction based on real people. Women who made often uncredited contributions
I'm sorry Mexican Gothic didn't grab you, as it was by far my favorite read last year. I remember taking a long time to come around to Noemi, so I totally understand putting it down because you didn't care about the characters. I understand why people have compared it to Rebecca but its similarities to Rebecca seem to me to be more about them both being gothics than about anything specific about those two books.
I have a TON of books on the go right now, but am most focused on finishing The Historian, which has taken me almost two months to read. It's a multilayered story about scholars investigating whether Dracula is real. I have enjoyed it but it can be dense so I have to put it down sometimes.
I'm planning to continue my dark academia streak next with M. L. Rio's If We Were Villains and Monica Awad's Bunny.
I've also got a couple of romance e-books going from the library - the first Bridgerton book, The Duke and I, even though the show left me feeling kind of icky & frustrated, and the first in Alyssa Cole's Reluctant Royals series, A Princess in Theory. I love that one of Cole's protagonists is a Black woman public health grad student.
I hated Mexican Gothic! Which was disappointing. I wanted to love it. All the people who compare it to my beloved Rebecca are WRONG. I am currently reading The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrow. It's lovely so far. A few days ago I finished a rather obscure book, The House in Norham Gardens by Penelope Lively. It was published in, I think, 1974, and was classified then as children's, but I think I'd call it YA now. If you don't know PL, she is British, and the book is out of print, my library didn't have it and I had to buy a copy from Alibris. Anyway, I HIGHLY recommend it. It's a rather quiet kind of gothic mystery/fantasy. Surprisingly progressive. I am already looking forward to reading it again.
Ok, so I decided yesterday to give up on Mexican Gothic. I spent most of the first few chapters wondering if I had missed some indication of what era the story was set in or if the author just hadn't set it up clearly enough, and then it became explicit and I realized I didn't care one bit about any of the characters. So I put it down. I've utterly surprised myself by getting totally sucked into the introduction of Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey. Apparently what I've been needing a a suuuuper word-nerdy modern translation of Homeric Greek. I did not have that on my BINGO card. I will definitely look into Penelope Lively!
I've been reading Ruth Downie's books, which are mysteries set in Roman-era Britain. I'm a sucker for both mysteries and historical fiction. I'm also dying for Becky Chambers's next book to come out. During the fall I finally got around to reading The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and loved it, then pretty much tore through everything else she's written over a period of a few weeks, then wished I'd made them last longer. (Her new one will be out in April, I think.)
For non-fiction, I'm currently listening to a Great Courses thing on the history of the English language. And waiting for Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age by Annalee Newitz to come out - it looks really good and will be out in a couple of weeks.
I have been having trouble concentrating enough to sit and read a book, or so it has seemed, anyway. So I have been listening to audiobooks for the most part. I LOVE audiobooks, as it turns out. For me, it is exactly like having my grandfather read stories to us when I was little: He used to do all the voices, and add sound effects and whatnot. Being read to (with voices!) is such a treat for me.
Anyway, I finally started the Dresden Files, by Jim Butcher, a series which was recommended to me eons ago. The narrator is James Marsters, which is a hoot because he played Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer—and Jim Butcher makes many references to BthVS, and I think even made one about Spike once (have to double check). Hilarious, I bet JM loved it!
I made it to book #8 before I realized there were more and more references to things which had happened in the first three books...much of which I had skipped because the writing was so uneven. (By end of book 3 and definitely by book 4, author has gotten his writing act together; this is also when the narrator really gets into reading it in as entertaining a way as possible. It is now one of my fave series.
Sooo, I went back to book #1, Storm Front, and I decided to read the first three again so I could better understand what everyone’s talking about, but in actual book form rather than audiobook. I have both the physical book as well as the kindle edition (I switch back and forth depending on where I am), and I am really enjoying the physical book in my hands. REALLY. 😊
I have some books which are more “serious” in nature on my list, but let’s see how I manage the wizard world first. 🧙🏻♂️
Interesting tidbit in case anyone cares: The cover for each book portrays the Wizard Dresden in various dramatic poses, complete with staff and a great almost-cowboy hat pulled low over his face. Except: There is no hat in any of the books. Dresden uses a staff, yup, but no hat. The hat came from the cover designer, who thought it made Dresden look more moody-cool. The publisher apparently agreed, as did the author. (Tiny useless Factoid for your day.)
I'm glad to know things improve after the first few books! I read the first two a couple of years ago, and I've had the third one on my to-read list but haven't been able to work up enough enthusiasm about the series to read it. I want to like it -- I really like the premise and the main character. Knowing the writing pulls together more later on is making me more interested in keeping on with it.
At least half the books I read are audiobooks. At one point several years ago I realized I was basically not reading fiction at all anymore because it wasn't compatible with having my hands busy making things. I resisted the idea of it for a while -- years ago (so long ago that it was on cassettes :D ) I'd tried listening to an audiobook and kept getting distracted from it. But if I'm actually doing something with my hands at the same time it's a whole different thing and really enjoyable.
Started Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline (a Metis writer), enjoying it so far, when I can find the ability to focus on something for longer than the duration of a tiktok video. *sigh*
I read this not long ago! It's a great book. Not long after I picked up another of hers, The Marrow Thieves, which I'd totally recommend as well.
I read Marrow Thieves and that's what prompted me to get this one! Now she needs to write another so I have more to look forward to, lol.
Ooh, I'll add this to my list (also Marrow Thieves). For when I, too, have the ability to focus on something longer than a tweet. (Or, in my case yesterday, to plow through a truly disappointing, thoroughly ham-fisted romance novel that I spent the day skimming just so I could see what happened in the end...)
If you haven’t tried Marie Bennett’s books, they are gems. All are historical fiction based on real people. Women who made often uncredited contributions
I'll look her up!
I'm sorry Mexican Gothic didn't grab you, as it was by far my favorite read last year. I remember taking a long time to come around to Noemi, so I totally understand putting it down because you didn't care about the characters. I understand why people have compared it to Rebecca but its similarities to Rebecca seem to me to be more about them both being gothics than about anything specific about those two books.
I have a TON of books on the go right now, but am most focused on finishing The Historian, which has taken me almost two months to read. It's a multilayered story about scholars investigating whether Dracula is real. I have enjoyed it but it can be dense so I have to put it down sometimes.
I'm planning to continue my dark academia streak next with M. L. Rio's If We Were Villains and Monica Awad's Bunny.
I've also got a couple of romance e-books going from the library - the first Bridgerton book, The Duke and I, even though the show left me feeling kind of icky & frustrated, and the first in Alyssa Cole's Reluctant Royals series, A Princess in Theory. I love that one of Cole's protagonists is a Black woman public health grad student.
I hated Mexican Gothic! Which was disappointing. I wanted to love it. All the people who compare it to my beloved Rebecca are WRONG. I am currently reading The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrow. It's lovely so far. A few days ago I finished a rather obscure book, The House in Norham Gardens by Penelope Lively. It was published in, I think, 1974, and was classified then as children's, but I think I'd call it YA now. If you don't know PL, she is British, and the book is out of print, my library didn't have it and I had to buy a copy from Alibris. Anyway, I HIGHLY recommend it. It's a rather quiet kind of gothic mystery/fantasy. Surprisingly progressive. I am already looking forward to reading it again.
Ok, so I decided yesterday to give up on Mexican Gothic. I spent most of the first few chapters wondering if I had missed some indication of what era the story was set in or if the author just hadn't set it up clearly enough, and then it became explicit and I realized I didn't care one bit about any of the characters. So I put it down. I've utterly surprised myself by getting totally sucked into the introduction of Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey. Apparently what I've been needing a a suuuuper word-nerdy modern translation of Homeric Greek. I did not have that on my BINGO card. I will definitely look into Penelope Lively!
I've been reading Ruth Downie's books, which are mysteries set in Roman-era Britain. I'm a sucker for both mysteries and historical fiction. I'm also dying for Becky Chambers's next book to come out. During the fall I finally got around to reading The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and loved it, then pretty much tore through everything else she's written over a period of a few weeks, then wished I'd made them last longer. (Her new one will be out in April, I think.)
For non-fiction, I'm currently listening to a Great Courses thing on the history of the English language. And waiting for Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age by Annalee Newitz to come out - it looks really good and will be out in a couple of weeks.