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The Mad Reviewer’s 2013 Holiday Book Buying Guide (Part Two)
(For part one, please see here.)
In part one of my annual book buying guide I covered fantasy, speculative fiction and science fiction books. But I left quite a few genres out, so I’m covering as many as I can here in part two. After all, not everyone likes the first three genres.
HISTORICAL FICTION
1. Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray
I was initially a little skeptical of yet another Cleopatra Selene book, but this one definitely surpassed my expectations. With some elements of fantasy mixed in with well-researched historical fact, you can’t go wrong with Lily of the Nile. It also helps that Stephanie Dray has a captivating writing style. Because of that, you really do feel like you’re right there along with the characters, both in Egypt in the beginning and Rome for the rest of the novel.
2. Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
Grave Mercy is technically alternate history because it takes place in an alternative version of the Middle Ages. It has an awesome heroine who falls in love at a natural pace and one of the most endearing, realistic relationships out there. This is YA at its best, believe me. And this is coming from someone who’s growing weary of old YA tropes. You also can’t go wrong with an assassin story combined with some pretty intense palace intrigue.
3. The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. by Sandra Gulland
I never really thought about Josephine Bonaparte until I read Sandra Gulland’s amazing Josephine B. trilogy. She really did have an incredible life and was a fascinating woman of the time. If you’re into new takes on history, I can’t recommend the trilogy enough. Even if you just read the first book, I can almost guarantee you’ll be sucked in by Sandra Gulland’s spell. Her writing really does make you feel like you’re alongside Josephine, thus making her more sympathetic than history books portray her as.
4. The First Man in Rome by Colleen McCullough
If you’re like me and like really, really long books with amazing characters and new takes on history you won’t regret investing your time in this book. Colleen McCullough is an amazing writer and she brings to life towering historical figures like Julius Caesar, Gaius Marius and Cornelius Sulla. Even if you don’t like Roman history in general, you can’t go wrong with her award-winning series. Like I said, this book is really long but it’s more than worth it. The characters are just amazing and McCullough has certainly done her research here.
A new take on Arthurian legends that blends history and magic. What more can I say but buy this right now? You’ll fall in love with Publius Varrus just like I did and then you’ll never want the series to end. He’s not really a character that I expected to like in the beginning but Jack Whyte makes him so compelling that you can’t help but love him. He grows so much over the course of this novel and I really did appreciate all the effort that was put into creating an accurate post-Roman Britain on Jack Whyte’s part. It makes the whole Arthurian legend come vividly to life. Continue reading
Poll: What would you like me to change about my blog in 2014?
Look What Just Arrived! (#13)
Yes, it’s that time again: book buying time. I’m not even going to try to justify my addiction at this point. Basically I have lots of reading to get done over the holidays and I can’t wait!
Here are my new books:
- The Stone of Light: Nefer the Silent by Christian Jacq
- The Stone of Light: The Wise Woman by Christian Jacq
- The Stone of Light: The Place of Truth by Christian Jacq
- Accursed Women by Luciana Cavallaro
- A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin
- The Sorcerer: The Fort at River’s Bend by Jack Whyte
- Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser
The reason why I have so many books this time around is that the owners of the local bookstore I frequent sometimes set books aside for me. When I saw they had set aside 3/5 books of The Stone of Light series (gently used) I couldn’t help but buy them. They look like excellent novels and I’ve actually heard of Christian Jacq before, so for $4 each I figured why not give them a try?
Accursed Women is a collection of 5 short stories by Luciana Cavallaro. She sent it to me partly so I could review her latest short story about Medusa, but also as a way of saying thank you for your reviews. (After all, I did review 4 ebook copies of her first four short stories.) I really appreciate when authors do that so I was quite happy to receive this book in the mail.
As you guys know I’m a fan of Game of Thrones, both the books and the television show. Yet I was too cheap to buy A Dance with Dragons when it was still in hardcover, so on the day the paperback edition was released I bought myself one. Yes, I know I’m a horrible cheapskate. The same goes for when I was browsing the used section of the bookstore and saw one of the books in Jack Whyte’s amazing A Dream of Eagles series. Who could resist?
Marie Antoinette: The Journey was meant as a gift for someone until I realized that it was nonfiction. From the blurb it had sounded like fiction, but that just goes to show that one should always read carefully when they’re unsure of a book’s genre. So I decided to read the book myself and so far, so good. Antonia Fraser has a decent writing style for a nonfiction writer.
These are what I’m reading/will be reading soon. What are you reading now? See anything you like here?
Discussion: Are You an Introvert?
Most of the people reading my blog are pretty well-read, be it fiction or nonfiction. What I’ve noticed over the years is that most people who are big readers are introverts. This could be for a number of reasons I don’t feel qualified to talk about, so I’m going to talk about my own introvert experiences.
I’m not the necessarily shy and socially awkward type of introvert that movies and television seem to portray. I’ve learned to fake it because it’s not possible to behave like an introvert in my line of work. I do enjoy the occasional night out, but stuff like that exhausts me. Four or five hours out is pretty much my limit and that’s on a good day. On an average day I can’t tolerate much more than two hours. (This is on top of a full day’s work, mind you.)
So most Friday nights you’ll find me sitting at home watching TV or reading. It’s not because I don’t have friends/a social life but rather because for the most part I prefer my own company. Social stuff drains me and frankly I find most people to be boring and/or annoying. (This is likely the side effect of living in a tiny community where I’ve known everywhere for my whole life. Outside of my own community I do love talking to people and hearing their stories.)
Because I don’t really like to go out, I read a lot. At the same time, I make time for reading because I really do enjoy it. Is there a correlation between being bookish and introverted? My anecdata says yes, but I’d like an admittedly slightly biased survey here on my blog.
What I want to know is this: Are you an introvert? Can you describe your experience(s) as an introvert for any readers here who are extroverts? If you are an introvert, do you find that you read more than your extroverted friends/colleagues/family?
The Mad Reviewer’s 2013 Holiday Book Buying Guide (Part One)
Last year I did a teen book buying guide, but I figure it’s about time to recommend a little something for everyone. So if you’re struggling to find a book for a friend or relative of yours, look no further! My suggestions aren’t perfect, of course, but I certainly hope they’re a good start for that bookish person in your life. (All links go to my reviews, where you can find links for Amazon and Barnes & Noble.)
FANTASY FICTION
1. The Devil’s Concubine by Jill Braden
If you’re into non-traditional fantasy (especially when it’s set in an island culture) with strong female characters you can’t go wrong with The Devil’s Concubine. It’s well-written and fast-paced to boot! This is the first book in The Devil of Ponong series and trust me when I say that once you finish this one you’ll clamour for the rest of the series. I was so anxious to dive back into QuiTai’s world once I finished this book that I immediately just started reading it again. It’s that good and it’s well worth your money.
2. Prophecy of the Most Beautiful by Diantha Jones
Yes, Diantha Jones is a self-published author but you won’t catch any editing mistakes in her books. She writes fantasy based on Greek myths with a dash of romance and a whole lot of action. Prophecy of the Most Beautiful is the first of five books in the Oracle of Delphi series and each book is an improvement on the last, which is really saying something considering how good this first book is! At first it seems like pretty typical YA but Chloe really shows herself to be an unique main character.
Like fairies? Not the beautiful, loving fairies of your typical YA story. I mean the vicious, malicious fairies of old that think of humans as playthings. Then you’ll love this amazing story of sisterly love set in a terrifying fantasy world within the real world. Believe me when I say this is definitely not your typical teenage love story. It’s pretty dark so I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone but if you’re looking for a grittier take on fairies just like the fairies of old, this is definitely the book to go with.
4. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
If you’re someone who’s sick of traditional high fantasy, you need to check out A Game of Thrones. Yes, the series is over-hyped because of the TV show, but judge the books on their merit and you’ll love the series. George R. R. Martin demolishes all of the high fantasy tropes while creating a story with amazing characters and subtle politics. And the amazing thing is that he creates such a diverse cast of characters, particularly women. There are so many strong women in his books that everyone will find someone to root for.
5. Sins of the Angels by Linda Poitevin
This is one of the latest books I’ve read and it’s fantastic. Linda Poitevin created such a vivid, believable world where angels and humans collide in unexpected ways. The main characters are awesome and the new take on Lucifer’s fall is so unique (and blasphemous to some). Alexandra is an unique character and she really carries the story even though Aramael is also a pretty good character. Together they both make the book simply amazing and when their mutual disgust with one another turns into something more you’ll be cheering for them to overcome the odds. Continue reading