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

[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.