... but here are some of my latest literary loves.
Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti by Genevieve Valentine
I can't stop gushing about this book. It's the most beautifully crafted novel that I have read in recent memory. It reads like a puzzle box, and jumps between past mysteries and present conflict. It's oh so lovely, and sad, and populated by hard people with soft parts. It's a book filled with quiet longing, and death's long shadow. I'd rather not say more. READ IT. Listen to me.
The Dervish House by Ian MacDonald
What I enjoyed best about the book was feeling transported to a near future Turkey. I think MacDonald did a good job of capturing the spirit of the place (the sights, the tastes, the smells) and the culture (the ethnic tensions, the neighborhoods, the preoccupations). It's a complicated story that alternates between 6 protagonists and spans only five days.
Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor
Okorafor subtly weaves together a vision of a post-apocalyptic future Africa. (If you want a brilliant example of world building without info dumps this is the book for you!) I was suckered in by the rich cultural setting, and the fire of the main character Onyesonwu. Captivating world. Full of emotion. Gorgeous prose.
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente
I've just begun reading this book, but I'm already in love. It's whimsical, unpredictable, and reads like poetry. I've always had a soft spot for a fairytale. Valente captures the feel of one, but blends the modern seamlessly with the absurd and the beautiful. I'm sure I'm in for some surprises.
The Inheritance Trilogy by N. K. Jemisin
A fresh spin on epic fantasy. It satisfied a number of my cravings in fantasy fiction: 1. for complex female leads who exhibit different types of strength. 2. for an original world and mythology, rather than another pseudo-medieval society 3. For well thought out romance, where relationships evolve with time. I ate up each of the novels in a single sitting. It's that much fun.
What are some of your favorite recent reads?
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor!!!!
(I think I may have mentioned it once or twice... ;P)
And oh yay, I just got Girl Who Circumnavigated, so I'm looking forward to starting that soon.
Just a few times LOL It's on my Christmas list now!
Ooo, I have a few of those on my wish list! They also sound interesting.
Right now I'm reading Kameron Hurley's Infidel (almost done) and it's brutal, but having read her first novel I was expecting that. Makes me squirm and cringe and sometimes even laugh. Hurley's style isn't something I'd usually go for, but the fact that her world in this story runs off bug-based technology is pretty cool. It's fascinating (and disgusting!) the way she describes it. Makes for interesting worldbuilding.
Bug based technology?? Oh that's making me squirm already, but it sounds like a crazy / fascinating world!
Nothing wrong for waving the flag over books you've been loving. I'd love to be that in love with what I'm reading.
Nothing good lately? I have good runs and bad ones. (I'm not going to mention the stack of books I couldn't finish)
Nothing's set it off like Death of a Salesman since. I'm beboping around books until something keeps fastened.
I don't think I'd heard of any of these but you make them all sound very tempting. Particularly the Mechanique one.
My favourite reads of recent times have been the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik - the Napoleonic wars but with dragons. Told in a very believable, period style but with plenty of swashbuckling.
I've yet to read anything by Novik, but I plan to :)
Inheritance and Fairlyand are both on my to-read list already.
Mechanique is by the same author, I believe, who wrote the short story that my sole publishing credit was paired with. (Yes, I just confirmed it.) It was a good story - but the style/voice was something that would, I think, take getting used to for a novel-length work, with regular use of second-person, switching between present and past tense, lots of "maybe this is what happened". I kind of wish you'd elaborate more on it...
I recently just finished a novel, which I'm going to blog about/review fairly soon, so I'll just talk about it when I finish the post.
This is a far more complete review of Mechanique. I realize the writing style won't be to everyone's tastes though. It didn't feel as choppy as the short story in Fantasy Mag, but then reading online can have a different effect than reading words wrapped on a small page.
:) Will be watching your blog.
I saw that review (I commented on it, in fact), but I'll have to re-read it, I think.
Great list. I am going to check out the Inheritance Trilogy. That sounds like it's right up my alley.
Thanks T!
You're welcome!
Oh yeah! Forgot to say I have read The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, but I was kinda underwhelmed, to be honest. :/ I thought it was pretty original, though I'm not sure I wanna try the rest of the series...