Books read in August 2018

[nou]

As per last month, by default I’m just stating whether I’d recommend the book (yes/maybe/no), whether I decided not to finish it (DNF), whether it’s a re-read, and whether I can remember there being any content that needs to be warned for (cw). I’m happy to expand on the reasons for my opinions if anyone is interested though — just comment and ask.

Recommend: Nothing for a “definitely recommend” this month!

Maybe recommend:

• The Armor Of Light, Melissa Scott and Lisa A Barnett (possession, discussion of paedophilia)
• Eat Up, Ruby Tandoh
• All Systems Red, Martha Wells
• So You Want To Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo (DNF)
• Semiosis, Sue Burke (cw: violence, murder, rape)
• Senlin Ascends, Josiah Bancroft (cw: murder, violence, slavery)
• Nineteen Eighty Four, George Orwell (re-read) (cw: classism, racism, torture, slavery)
• A Burglar's Guide to the City, Geoff Manaugh
• Daggerspell, Katharine Kerr (cw: child abuse, violence, incest, slavery, possession, whorephobia, possibly femmephobia)

Wouldn’t recommend:

• Free Food For Millionaires, Min Jin Lee (cw: dieting, domestic abuse including violence, sexual coercion, ablist slurs) (DNF)
• Resistance, BR Sanders (DNF)
• Unidentified Funny Objects 2, edited by Alex Shvartsman
• The Boy Who Loved Too Much, Jennifer Latson (cw: ablism, own-voice-erasure, fatphobia, Simon Baron-Cohen)
• New York 2140, Kim Stanley Robinson (DNF)

What have you recently read and enjoyed? (Feel free to point towards posts on your own journal.) Do you have any opinions (good or bad) on the books above?

Comments

[nou]

I saw you mention that in your journal and was intrigued, but the internet tells me it’s Young Adult and I don’t usually get on with those. I’ll grab a sample anyway and see how it goes. Did it turn out to be part of a series or not?

[fred_mouse]

I think the internet is kind of wrong? I did find it in the YA section, but I'm not sure why it is getting that rating. The characters are adult, it is a heavy political conspiracy theory fantasy. Which I probably would have read as a young adult, but I would not distinguish it as aimed at a younger audience than, say, Feist's early works (I haven't read anything past the late 80s). I guess it depends on what aspect of YA you bounce off. I tend to bounce off the probably realistic but I don't want to deal with it romance aspects, and while this one does have a romantic b-plot, it is really quite adult (in terms of the ideas and the relationship that is offered; I think the closest to a sex scene is a kiss?)

There is no evidence of it being a series. The book comes to a satisfying conclusion, but there are still several major threads left to unravel, and it would not surprise me if related works come out later. If not, if it can get a good following, I imagine it would be a great world in which to set fic, because there is so much richness.

I'm rating it at 5, because while I kinda wish everything had wrapped up, I completely respect the way that the story doesn't tell us everything, and the finish was strong.

[nou]

Thank you! Definitely sounds like I might enjoy it.

[fred_mouse]

:)