Reading Wednesday that is not really Wednesday where I am

[st_aurafina]

Oh hey, I can do the actual reading post instead of (as well as??) playing catch-up this time...

Just finished A Darker Shade of Magic by V E Schwab, narrated by Steven Crossley
- what a great world/set of worlds
- what a great collection of characters
- what a terrible choice of narration for Lila
- Stephan Crossley does a lot of classical lit, a lot of... ship lit, I guess? Naval adventures?
- he did not do Lila proud
- she can sound scruffy without sounding like... like a comedic cockney urchin

- Anyone else get a 'cesty vibe from Kell and his brother?
- The Dane twins were definitely fucking
- The worlds were delightfully different and similar
- it was very pleasing to me as a comic book and fic reader, used to AUs
- V E Schwab really put in the legwork to build those worlds
- Audible reviews say that the narration for this series gets worse??
- Oh, well. This was good enough for me to actually pick up a paper book for the sequel


Also just finished (because ADHD)
Tea and Murder: Stories of the Xuya Universe by Aliette de Bodard, voiced by Stefan Rudnicki and Kate Orsini
- oh!
- this is a beautiful universe
- narration is fantastic, voice are lovely, very suited to the world
- the author describes it as ...a timeline where Asia became dominant, and where the space age has Confucian galactic empires of Vietnamese and Chinese inspiration: scholars administrate planets, and sentient spaceships are part of familial lineages.
- I do love me a sentient ship

- the ships are literally part of the family
- somehow a human is involved in the carrying of a baby ship??
- a birth is described as smelling of blood and engine oil
- I was never sure whether this meant BSG style human at the core of the ship
- or something Borgier???
- you never find out, to my relief but also my chagrin because how does it worrrrkkkk???

- first up is The Citadel of Weeping Pearls
- it's a mystery, with a tiny baby sentient ship (so good! I love the ships!)
- and the Imperial family having regular family issues while a war looms
- It was a good solid story to introduce me to the world
- leaving me free to fully appreciate story #2, The Tea Master and the Detective
- A GENDERFLIPPED HOLMES AU where Watson is a traumatised sentient warship
- Her name is The Shadow's Child and now she makes bespoke tea blends
- IT IS ALL FUCKING MAGNIFICENT
- where are my 5 seasons and a movie


Catching Up on Past Reads
An Unkindness of Ghost by Rivers Solomon, narrated by Cherise Boothe
- Look, this is an amazing book
- I can't overstate how wonderful and creative and amazing
- but it's a generation ship set up like an antebellum plantation society
- the main character is Aster, she's intersex, neurodivergent and brilliant
- I love her

- she weaponises her neurodivergence as much as she can
- and I love that about her
- the generation ship is wonderful and terrible
- there are so many cultures formed by living in cramped surrounds and rigid social structures
- the science fiction of it is classical and clever, and I loved it
- the writing is beautiful, visual, framed often by Aster's point of view
- it's incredibly familiar to me
- honestly, this should be a classic
- Narration is top notch
- Cherise Booth needs 5 seasons and a movie of something because she seems wonderful
- just read with care
- it's worth it, if you're able



The Last True Poets of the Sea by Julia Drake, narrated by Tavia Gilbert
- got this for free, and downloaded it
- even though it pitches young for YA, the main character has led a wild life
- with lots of sex, drugs and musical theatre
- the language and vibe of the story still felt very adolescent
- but I've watched a whole season of Sex Education
- So I'm getting used to the idea that some teenagers have incredibly wild sex lives

- totally bluffed me out as a traditional het romance story for the first few chapters
- some content warnings for suicide attempts (by a sibling)
- also teenagers dealing with the death of a friend
- her brother is neurodivergent
- I liked how they dealt with this?
- Reviews on Goodreads are less positive about it though, so your mileage may vary
- bi representation, though! Plus a lot of casual queer rep amongst the townspeople.



Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko, narrated by Weruche Opia
- oh, wow. This was a wild ride!
- a west African inspired fantasy world
- lots of different nations and cultures
- wonderful narration
- I'm always on board when the reader sings the songs of the story
- magic and spirits and fairies and demons and genies and pretty much everything?
- a fantastic, tropey rulership system
- just a really solid fantasy story
- I will be rolling on to the sequel very soon


Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold, narrated by Grover Gardner
- finally getting to this
- it's been there on my TBR for literally a decade???
- I think I was hesitant because really smart people love these books
- behold my imposter syndrome
- I really liked it?
- I see those Trek bones
- I have a plan c/o branwyn for reading order
- next is Barrayar, then I'm skipping to Brothers in Arms
- this may be controversial to purists, idk


Catching Teller Crow by Ambelin Kwaymullina and Ezekiel Kwaymullina, narrated by Miranda Tapsell
- retitled in the US as "The Things She's Seen"
- I don't know why, and it doesn't work as well
- so if you buy it in the US, please think of it as "Catching Teller Crow"
- maybe change it with marker

- Beth Teller was killed in a car accident, but she's sticking with her dad to help him keep it together
- and by the by, help him work his first case since her death
- beautiful, lyrical writing
- emotive, symbolic, but still accessible, if you know what I mean
- amazing narration by Miranda Tapsell
- she can switch from child voice to adult easily and convincingly
- this has content warnings, for child death, for grieving, for colonial atrocities, for sexual assault, for mistreatment and murder of indigenous people
- that's a lot
- is it weird to say this is a really hopeful story?
- give me all the powerful teenage girls who can change the world
- your heart will break but in a good way


Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge, narrated by Lesley Sharp
- I didn't want to like this
- I didn't like the voice Lesley Sharp chose for Mosca
- I didn't like Eponymous Clent, he seemed creepy and predatory
- Damn it! She won me over. Or wore me down, which is a better fit for both Mosca and Clent
- In the end, I wouldn't have chosen a different voice for either of them

- there's a Discworld-esque feel to this
- That feeling of bedlam and movement in a busy, busy world
- with a good pinch of absurdity that works really well
- would make a great gift for your 12-15 year old reader of fantasy
- So many heroes in this
- and the goose was the greatest of all



Wylding Hall by Elizabeth Hand, acted by a bunch of people
- if you read this one, do it in paper, don't audiobook it
- they tried to make it into an audio drama
- but one voice would have been better
- so it didn't break that dreamy, creepy feeling, like Picnic at Hanging Rock
- it's a good and spooky story
- about a folk band
- a perfect afternoon in the seventies
- and why you shouldn't step in fairy rings

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki, narrated by Cindy Kay
- LISTEN UP
- THIS IS THE BEST THING I'VE READ ALL YEAR
- I'M CALLING IT AS MY FAVE FOR 2021
- trans protagonist
- queer characters every-fucking-where
- aliens run the donut store
- there's a Faustian bargain
- there's music theory and instrument making
- there's universal philosophy
- the professional reviews say "Pratchett!!!" and "Becky Chambers!!"
- but they don't need to
- this book is its own wonderful brand of amazing
- give it to everyone

Currently Reading
The Animals at Lockwood Manor by Jane Healey, narrated by Sarah Lambie
- set immediately pre-WWII
- Hetty is overseeing the evacuation of the mammalian collection from the Natural History Museum
- The daughter of the grand house is very mysterious and beguiling
- not sure if this is sapphic or just fraught
- there are lots of gentle touches and smelling of the other woman's skin, you know?
- very gothic
- has big Rebecca vibes so far


Phew. Made it! All caught up! CAN YOU BELIEVE???

Happy thanksgiving, my USian friends. Travel safe, be safe.

Comments

[sholio]

I love Fly By Night. I think I love it best of all because - as you noted - the protagonists are actually really unlikeable, especially at first, and they don't really improve in particular, or learn to be better people; wearing you down is more accurate than falling in love with them, but I really loved them by the end. I also loved the sequel.

BTW, there's a really excellent and LONG Yuletide fic from a few years ago that captures the feeling of canon wonderfully - Children and Fools. No spoilers for the sequel that I can recall.

I also support skipping straight from Barrayar to Brothers in Arms, because that set of books (Brothers in Arms and the ones that come immediately after it) is my favorite section of the series. The intermediate books between Barrayar and Brothers in Arms are fairly slow-paced, and I've never read them more than once.

[st_aurafina]

Thank you for the rec, I have it open now.

because that set of books (Brothers in Arms and the ones that come immediately after it) is my favorite section of the series.
That's what branwyn said, or at least, she said "Get to these books so I can talk about them with you" which amounts to the same thing, I think.

[likeadeuce]

I also just finished 'unkindness of ghosts'and agree with all you say! It's so good!

My Vorkosigan opinions are unpopular i guess but i really strongly don't advise skipping 'Warrior's Apprentice'. I think it's such an important baseline for who Miles is and how he fits in to that world that you're missing a lot of context for him going forward. (Also I just love it madly for all that parts of it are maybe silly or clumsy -- I also have to confess i haven't read 'Brothers' or 'Mirror Dance,' I went straight from TWA + Mountains of Mourning to Memory and I keep rereading TWA instead of filling in the gaps. But I truly think the three act structure is great and truly memorable and what LMB says about it in her forward to the collected edition really stuck with me

[alessandriana]

Strongly concur with not skipping Warrior's Apprentice. Or Cetaganda. It's not a purist thing, it's just that they provide necessary context for Brothers in Arms, without which I don't think it'll be as impactful.

[frith_in_thorns]

I agree with the above, I'm honestly really struggling to see the logic of skipping over so many books like this. Not because I'm a "purist", just... I genuinely think it would be massively confusing and you'd be missing SO much context for literally every part of the plot. (I agree that it's where the best books start, but... no, I'm still confused by the rationale of it.)

[likeadeuce]

I'm not a completist but Warrior's Apprentice in particular feels pretty critical (and I'd argue at least read Mountains of Mourning and the Borders of Infinity shorts)

[realpestilence]

Yes.

[firecat]

I loved An Unkindness of Ghosts too.

And there are absolutely 'cesty vibes between Kell and his brother.

There's a general problem with excessive comedic Cockney urchin in audio narration.

[st_aurafina]

There's a general problem with excessive comedic Cockney urchin in audio narration

There absolutely is! It's really hard to do well.

[grav_ity]

I BOUGHT REDEMPTOR IMMEDIATELY

[st_aurafina]

I can see why!

[muccamukk]

Let me know if Lockwood Manor turns out to be sapphic rather than fraught. I've got it tentatively on my to read list pending the answer.

I respect the hell out of Rivers Solomon, and have noped out of Unkindness at the 50% mark. I TRIED!

I really loved Ambelin Kwaymullina's tribe series, but her stuff is super hard to get here.

FLY BY NIGHT! I'm so completely charmed by both of those books. I feel like early 18th-century England is a vastly underutilised era for fantasy settings. Frenetic is the right word. So much going on! So much of it was very silly!

[st_aurafina]

Yes, definitely actually sapphic! Not just sniffing the other woman's hair.

It was good? But very tense.

I really loved Ambelin Kwaymullina's tribe series, but her stuff is super hard to get here

It's usually the other way around for me, gosh. This one's on US Audible, at least?

I feel like early 18th-century England is a vastly underutilised era for fantasy settings.
Oh, yeah, so much! It was a weird and busy time, we need more of it.

[dolorosa_12]

- IT IS ALL FUCKING MAGNIFICENT
- where are my 5 seasons and a movie

This is basically my reaction to the Xuya stories as well! The good news is that there are so many of them, although quite a few are short stories in random anthologies.

An Unkindness of Ghosts is exactly as good as you say. Such a heavy book, and such a staggering achievement for a first novel.

[st_aurafina]

The good news is that there are so many of them, although quite a few are short stories in random anthologies.

Yes!! Thank goodness for authors' websites where these things can be rounded up for my convenience. I am still longing for a visual representation though - it would a gorgeous TV series.

[oracne]

I am interested to hear how your Bujold reading goes! When I started reading her, Brothers in Arms wasn't out yet; I read in publication order, for the most part, but did not find Shards of Honor until later...it was before Barrayar came out, though, so at least I got those in continuity order.

I feel there are pluses and minuses to all reading orders, but can only speak to my own experience.

An Unkindness of Ghosts was A Lot and it was definitely worth it.

I need to catch up on Schwab and de Bodard. And looking forward to reading the Aoki.

[st_aurafina]

I will keep you updated on the reading - I think that having someone who wants to talk about the books with me will be good motivation.

An Unkindness of Ghosts was A Lot and it was definitely worth it.
Wasn't it just?

[oracne]

Definitely. I think I was expecting straightforward Generation Ship sf, and was all, "but! but!" until I started reading it as the allegory that I think was definitely intended. I am not always the most perspicacious reader, but I did catch on! And then I was like, wow. This is great. And harrowing.

[meteordust]

I'm interested to hear how your Bujold reading goes too! My reading order was basically "whatever I can get my hands on", so my intro to the Vorkosigan Saga was The Vor Game and Borders of Infinity. Most of them can work pretty well standalone.

[st_aurafina]

I'm interested too - I knew that people were passionate about the books! I'll see how it all goes.

[motorharp]

I LOVE the Shades of Magic series. I LOVE KELL'S COAT SO MUCH. There needs to be more sartorial magic in literature.

I read the books, and liked them so much I thought I'd listen to them, as well. Wow, the narrator did not get the inflections and emphasis that were happening in my head as I was reading, and yeah, Lila is much... just, more in the books, without that accent.

If you do read a paper copy, I would recommend waiting a little while so you forget what the audiobook sounded like.

[st_aurafina]

Sartorial magic is such an amazing concept! And I really loved the complexity of the world(s) and the magic, I'm eager enough for more that I'll try a paper book.

[dirty_diana]

I am fascinated by this review of the Shades of Magic audiobooks! Poor Lila. I've stopped reading paper books since I read it and probably would never have kept going if I'd been subjected to that.

[st_aurafina]

Yeah, I didn't even know Lila well and I was mad, because I could see the shape of her character and she did not want that voice at all. If anything could make me go back to paper books, it's to read Lila and hear her own voice in my head.

[china_shop]

I just finished listening to Uncommon Stars, and it was AMAZING I LOVED IT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR RECCING IT!!!

[st_aurafina]

Omg, yay! I am glad you liked it too - wasn't it a wild ride?

[china_shop]

So wild! So good! :D :D :D