Eddis, Attolia, Sounis

YES, Murderbot! Some of my favorites from this past year.

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eachase.livejournal.com

Here are some of the ones I enjoyed most of read this year:

NF/Bio
Making Time: Lillian Moller Gilbreth: a life beyond Cheaper by the Dozen by Jane Lancaster
The Library Book by Susan Orlean
Being Mortal: medicine and what matters in the end by Atul Gawande

Sfi/Fan
Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White
*Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians series by Brandon Sanderson
Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith

Mys/Susp
*Mordecai Tremaine series by Francis Duncan
*Inspector Armand Gamache series by Louise Penny
*Lady Sherlock series by Sherry Thomas
*Agnes Luthi mysteries by Tracee de Hahn
*Clue Mystery series by Diana Peterfreund

Adventure
The Magnolia Sword: a ballad of Mulan by Sherry Thomas
Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim

Fiction
The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale
*Jeeves and the... by Ben Schott
Moss Farm, or the mysterious missives of the Moosepath League by Van Reid
The Shepherd, the Angel, and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog by Dave Barry

*various unspecified titles from this series, because I'm lazy

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Being Mortal had a huge impact on me. I read it because of my elderly parents but was glad I read it for myself.

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eachase.livejournal.com

I understand. I almost think it needs to be required reading.

This is probably more than anyone wants to know, but I literally finished reading Being Mortal as we kept vigil at my Mom's deathbed this year. For a number of reasons, the lessons it offers were things we already knew and were prepared for. After a long, terrible illness, Mom had a "good" death -- at home, surrounded by family, without pain.

About 6 weeks later my husband's father died of Covid. Without a doubt he received excellent care in the hospital, but he died while sedated on a ventilator after 3 weeks of no family being allowed to visit.

I felt like I was living out a compare-and-contrast scenario on a medical school ethics exam. We don't always have a choice about how our lives end, but it is something everyone could benefit from thinking about.

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I'm so very sorry about your mother and father-in-law. <3

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Required reading, yes! Much of the book surprised me--the parts about what people WANT for the end of life versus what the medical system provides: hospital stays, invasive medical procedures that won't much good, endless tests and treatments. The people interviewed in the book overwhelmingly said they wanted home, family, and friends as opposed to a few more weeks or months of life.

After reading that, I began reading books about how to stay healthy as you age; Lifespan by Sinclair, Eat to Beat Disease by Li, and How Not to Die by Greger. Lots of advice about staying healthy as you age, to avoid years of poor health and a long decline to death. It makes so much sense. Obviously, we can't entirely avoid disease but lifestyle changes can make a huge difference.

Also, hospice workers are angels.

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I really liked The Sorcery of Thorns!

Crown Duel was a weird DNF for me this year. I've read it before, and own it, so I know that I HAD liked it....but for some reason I could not get through it this year.

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ldyknight.livejournal.com

My reading took a big hit--for the first time ever I didn't hit my goodreads goal, which I deliberately set as something I should be able to blow past in late November. I just couldn't focus on anything more demanding than twitter for a lot of the year.

THAT BEING SAID! I loved Mary Robinette Kowal's The Relentless Moon--every Lady Astronaut book so far has been a total win. A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne Brown was a total delight. Mira Grant's Into the Drowning Deep was the mermaid horror I didn't know I wanted.

Maureen Johnson's Truly Devious series, which I reread before the last one came out last spring and continue to love.

I read a lot of romance--a lot of Alyssa Cole--Reluctant Royals is my favorite contemporary series from the last few years, and Alisha Rai. Reread some Courtney Milan. I liked the new Jasmine Guillory.

PLUS there was new Allie Brosch and NK Jemison, so those were obvious high points!

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Here are some of mine.

Loves:
The Murderbot series. I bought copies of the books, which I hardly ever do.
How the Light Gets In and The Long Way Home by Louise Penny--I like the Armand Gamache series a lot and felt these books had added depth.
How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse by K. Easton. So much fun!
One By One by Ruth Ware. A great thriller.
And, of course, Return of the Thief.

Disappointments:
This Is How You Lose the Time War--it just wasn't my thing.
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Harrow. I can't remember why I didn't like it, it left so little impression on me.
SkyHunter by Marie Lu--see below
There Will Come a Darkness and As the Shadow Rises, both by Pool. Far too long and wordy, unlikable characters, same thing happening over and over. The books included some exciting scenes of racing through temples full of booby traps and such, but although it's been compared to Six of Crows I felt it very much lacking.

I've become very aggravated by YA books that feature lots of killings by the young heroine. All the deaths in the books are just thrown in there with no regrets, no repercussions, no emotions over their actions. It makes me really value how Megan writes about death in her books. Each killing, even those in war, are a cause of pain and emotion by the one who's had to do the killing. Every death has an impact on the person involved and there is grief because of the death. It reminds me of the Vorkosigan books, where Miles tells someone that every person he's killed is looking over his shoulder, all the time. He feels each death deeply, even if he thinks he's done what's necessary.

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I loved Rory Thorne! But the sequel was so disappointing!

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Oh, it makes me sad to hear that! I haven't read it yet.

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ldyknight.livejournal.com

I really struggled with Ten Thousand Doors--on paper it was exactly the kind of thing I like to read, but I just couldn't get into it. I finally fought my way through a 2x speed audiobook just because I kept thinking I should like it more.

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Like many others I see here, I struggled on and off with reading this year, and found myself oscillating between old, comforting favorites in the midst of uncertain days, and a hankering for something new and adventurous to make up for the year's other deficiencies. I did manage to meet my goal of 36 books, but that hardly feels like an accomplishment when it was a low bar for me to begin with. But, as I'm finding it harder to discover books that I really love, I'm growing more content with savoring the ones I have!

I'll summarize with my best reads of 2020:

- Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley
I checked this one out from the library right before lockdown (no doubt Jane herself would see the irony in that) and found it full of humor and compassion (and at times, a refreshing willingness to admit that we don't know everything). Her relationship with her sister was especially touching, which led me to share the book with my own sister, and we both had a good cry about it afterwards. A really lovely biography that deepened my appreciation for her novels.

- The Martian by Andy Weir
I've been curious about, but also intimidated by this one for a while, and there were certainly moments where I felt like I was wading through an ocean of science like my life depended on it, but what an adventure! Not to mention further confirmation that potatoes are a superior foodstuff. ;)

- On Reading Well by Karen Swallow Prior
Basically an entire English course condensed into one thought-provoking and easily read volume. I wasn't in complete agreement with some of the author's opinions, but being a literature nerd, I really enjoyed what felt like a deep-dive conversation and celebration of reading with another thoughtful bookworm.

- Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
I see I'm not the only one who recently discovered this series. I knew almost nothing about it when I began, and the cover and title of All Systems Red did not shout FUN at me, so I was in no way prepared for what Murderbot had in store. And I was delighted. One of my goals in 2020 was to read more sci-fi, but I'd almost forgotten that sci-fi could be fun. (Suffice to say I never got around to finishing Dune the last time I tried. Maybe this year?)

- A Pocket Full of Murder and A Little Taste of Poison by R. J. Anderson
Escapades! Masquerades! Murder! I'll never be too old for a good middle grade mystery series. (Yes, I'm hoping she'll write more.) I only wish my younger self could have discovered these books, but my current self still enjoyed them - especially with all the little nods to Dorothy Sayers!

- Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
Even I'm surprised that this was the only Austen novel I hadn't yet read. (I suppose there was some part of me that wanted there to always be another one.) It wasn't my favorite of her books, but Fanny Price is a MOOD. I loved her like I love Jane Eyre, and only find their stories wanting in that they deserved better in the end, imo.

- Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
Because of course! To be honest with you, I'm still ruminating on this one, and it may be some time before all of my thoughts are clear and my feelings settled. But that's been true of all QT books, so I'm enjoying the slow pondering of its many facets. Truly the conclusion to one of the greatest reading adventures of my life, and I was so, so grateful for it (and all of you) in 2020. Also... HENRY V. WITH ELEPHANTS. AHhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

(Continued below)

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Best re-reads of 2020:

- The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien
It had been about a decade since I re-read the entire trilogy, when I set about doing so about a year and half ago. It ended up being an emotional revisiting, as parts of 2020 felt like an arduous plod through hostile territory towards an uncertain end, with friends distant and hopeful stars obscured by noxious clouds... Yes, I wax poetic. But it also helped me keep things in perspective, and Faramir's words meant more to me than ever: "I do not know what is happening. The reason of my waking mind tells me that great evil has befallen and we stand at the end of days. But my heart says nay; and all my limbs are light, and a hope and joy are come to me that no reason can deny. In this hour I do not believe that any darkness will endure."

- The Sherwood Ring by Elizabeth Marie Pope
A childhood favorite that's held up well over many years and re-readings. I just read it for a bit of a fun.

- Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers
I always seem to be re-reading one of her books, but this one hasn't gotten as much love from me as the others, so it was good to come back to it after several years and appreciate it anew. Can I just say, I think I'd like to be one of Lord Peter's sleuthing secretary accomplices? 0:)

- The King's Shadow by Elizabeth Alder
Another one from my childhood that I decided to revisit. Alder's prose doesn't have quite the luster of Rosemary Sutcliff, but I can see it contributing to my love for her novels later, as it's finely written historical fiction, and it captured my imagination vividly as a kid. I wanted to read about Shadow again after meeting Pheris in RotT. And I had the good fun of realizing it takes place in Wales, and sharing it with an_english_girl, who could tell me more about the real landscapes it describes - all of which were just magical fairy tale places in my young imagination! :D

I could make another post about the books I'm looking forward to reading this year, but I'll save that for another WSK!

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I adore "The Martian"! I've read it three times now, including twice on audio because the narrator is so fun.

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This year was a little slower than some years past, though I still read 157 books. It was, however, the year with my highest Goodreads average ever, at 3.9. I attribute this to a LOT of rereading old 5-star favorites, as well as being very heavy-handed with the DNFs. Quitting more books early on rather than forcing myself through them meant that I had very few low-starred books. (Literally had ZERO one-star reviews, and only 5 two-star reviews, compared to 25 five-star books, and 85 four-star reviews)

Re-reading old favorites:
The Queen's Thief series, OF COURSE.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy (haven't read this or watched the movies in years, but it was JUST what I needed mid shutdown)
Winter of Blood, by Sherryl Jorden
The White Mountains (and sequels) by John Christopher
Calico Captive, by Elizabeth George Speare
Mr. Was, by Pete Hautman
Jacob Have I loved by Katherine Patterson
Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli
The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak
Bloody Jack, by LA Meyer (on audio)

Also re-read "How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse" by K. Eason, in preparation for reading the newly published sequel (which was SO disappointing!)

I did have a few new-to-me 5 star reviews as well: The Starless Sea, by Erin Morgenstern. Solutions and Other Problems, by Allie Brosh. Bryony and Roses, by T. Kingfisher. Nothing to See Here, by Kevin Wilson.

This was also a generous year for 4-star reviews as well, which to me means "Pretty good!" There were a lot in this range, but some standouts were Scorpio Races (first book by this author that I actually liked), Cuckoo Song, by Frances Hardinge (swiftly becoming a new favorite author), and The Girls at the Kingfisher Club (faith in retold fairy tales renewed!).

Aside from the Rory Thorne sequel, probably my biggest disappointment was The House in the Cerulean Sea, which was SO hyped up. It was a DNF for me.

Edited Date: 1/3/21 11:47 pm (UTC)

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I'm glad The Scorpio Races was a Pretty Good for you. :) It was my first Stiefvater book and I loved it. Definitely in its own category. I've read some of her others but none of them have stuck with me like that one.

And yes... LOTR was a great lockdown companion.

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The other books of hers that I've read have either been low (Shiver) or a DNF (The Raven Boys).

But I heard great things about Scorpio Races, so I decided to give her one last try, and I'm glad I did because it was surprisingly good.

However, this gave me a false sense of hope for Holly Black, whose books are often a similar kind of contemporary fae story with gorgeous boyz and much teen romance. The books of hers that I've read have also either been low-rated or DNFs. Something about Black's YA books irks me so much, but I keep trying because of the Maggie Stiefvater fluke...and because she's so highly praised by her own MWT.

Edited Date: 1/4/21 12:16 am (UTC)

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I have always loved the White Mountains books by John Christopher and tried so hard to get the kids at my middle school library to read them. I think they were a little too complex for the lower readers or the language too stilted for them or something; it's been awhile since I read them.

Oh, I liked The House in the Cerulean Sea! It took me awhile to decide if I really liked it or not. Such a strange book. Written like a fairy tale for kids but not a fairy tale for kids. In the end, the beautiful descriptions and dear, dear child characters won me over. I just felt really good after reading it, even with its preachyness (prejudice is bad! inclusiveness is good! stated dozens of different ways. Seriously, have a little faith in your readers.).

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I think I could tell the preachiness was imminent, and that probably turned me off. I also struggled to like the kids...they were a little too cutesy and precious? They unfortunately didn't feel like real children too me. I also couldn't tell what age they were supposed to be. I kept imagining Lucifer like Stewie from Family Guy because I imagined this small child spouting grown-up language.......Whatever it was, it didn't click with me. Books for adults that feature children are a hard sell for me. I think I thought this was a book for middle readers, which I like, but then it turned out to be for adults. Meh. However, I could tell that it was the kind of fun, technicolor, feel-good book that a lot of people needed this year.

Edited Date: 1/4/21 11:59 pm (UTC)

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ccwtaylor.livejournal.com

already mentioned by others--Murderbot and Penric.

Did anyone else read A Memory Called Empire, by Arkady Martine? It took me a bit to be certain that I wanted to keep reading it, because it was complicated as heck, but I think it would appeal to many of you all.

And a fun ya--Catfishing on Catnet, by Naomi Kritzer

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lila ann (from livejournal.com)

I've read lighthearted romance novels almost exclusively outside of MWT and a few others. Honestly, they've been mediocre but predictable. That's all i wanted this year.

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