January Books: In Which We Return To Regular Reading Reports

New(ish) format:  Title, Author (format - if other than print) - recommendation source - my thoughts

1.  Flash Fire, TJ Klune (audio and print) - book 2! - These books are just plain fun.   Klune really gets teens, and fan culture, and superheros, and found family, and, and, and.  I laughed out loud, I was super engaged.  The audio is totally worth it on these books as the reader is really talented.  I loved that the main character had ADHD - and that the surrounding characters recognized that as being something that's both challenging and a superpower.  And the heart....these books wouldn't work if there wasn't so much heart at the center.  Highly recommend.  

2.  A Thousand Ships, Natalie Haynes (audio and print) - Libby/DBRL mythic retellings suggestion list - The Ilian and the Odyssey as told through the women who are in the background of more traditional retellings.  Bringing them to the forefront has been a trend in recent years, thanks - I think - to Madeline Miller's Circe, and it's a welcome trend.  Haynes does an excellent job of deepening the story, but her writing did not fully emotionally engage me.  (Although, I was super amused by Penelope's progression.)  For sure worth the read, but I'm not in a hurry to explore other books by this author.

3.  Lost in the Moment and Found, Seanan McGuire - ongoing series I'm deeply invested in - This is the first of the Wayward Children books that McGuire has given a trigger warning for - while also providing a 'don't worry' message.  I did love it, and am hoping that Antsy makes an appearance in future books.  The 'real world' dangers were much bigger in this iteration than any found beyond a door, and that was a gut punch...but it also made the final payout all the better.  I found myself wondering what kind of world I would have found as a child had a door come to me, and I found myself wanting to hug my children close.  

4.  Heat Wave, TJ Klune (audio and print) - final book! - A satisfying conclusion to a super fun trilogy, with a delightful flash forward at the end to show where our heroes end up.  All of the comments above apply. 

5.  Shutter, Ramona Emerson (audio) - NPR 2023 best of books - I bought a copy less than 30 minutes into the audio from the library.  Gothic Native American tale....now that's different.  I think it's pretty clear that what I crave in books more than almost anything is a different perspective, and this was a really amazing twist on an old genre.  The amazing thing?  This was a debut novel.  Looking forward to what Emerson does next.  

6.  A Thousand Steps Into Night, Traci Chee (audio) - Libby/DBRL mythic retellings suggestion list - The word that comes to mind is, "Charming."  One of the growing trends in my reading over the last couple of years has been an increase in Asian folklore, and it seems like that's where a lot of the best new fantasy has been happening lately.  This particular book is a pretty straightforward retelling of a fairy tale sort of book, and I felt my reading of it - while enjoyable - stayed at a more surface level.  (Haven't bought a copy to keep, and am not sure I will...which is saying something.)  

7.  The Keeper's Six, Kate Elliott - preorder from loved author - This was a super different kind of book from Elliott, and I'm 100% here for it.  My favorite part?  Our main character was a GRANDMOTHER!!!!!!  How often does that happen?  In general, women past marriageable age aren't main characters, so I was soooo happy to discover just who was in charge.  She was kind of a badass, too.  AND, this was anything but standard fantasy.  Highly recommend.  

8.  Siren Queen, Ngho Vo - all of the best of 2023 lists and favored author - 100% deserving of all of the accolades it is receiving!  Old Hollywood as faery tale...with not the nice kind of faeries.  It was glamorous and glorious and epic, with a heroine who wasn't always likable, but who made you root for her nonetheless.  Vo is an extraordinarily talented writer, and I'm delighted they received the recognition they deserved for this book.  I can't wait to see what they write next!

9.  Bittersweet, Susan Cain (audio and print) - therapist recommendation - 11 years ago, Susan Cain taught the world what it really meant to be an introvert - helping everyone to understand that being an introvert wasn't a character flaw or a moral deficiency. I cannot even begin to tell you what a difference that made to me. For the first time, it felt ok to be me - a mountain of childhood shame for being 'shy' or 'quiet' melted away, and I learned how to take care of my quiet heart. Well, she's done it again. My therapist told me about Cain's new book, Bittersweet, after a conversation where I told her that my tears have always been my superpower and that I walk hand in hand with sadness. I feel so incredibly seen. I've never really thought it was a bad thing to have a bittersweet nature because it means that I have a deep well of compassion and that I really see the beauty around me. Thank you, Susan, for helping the world to see people like me.

10.  The Bird King, G. Willow Wilson - NPR 2019 Book Concierge - (That was a darn good year for books.) - So this has been in my wish list for ages, but it was priced really high.  And then, to my utter delight, iBooks put it on sale for just a few dollars!  Oh.  My.  Goodness.  It's just beautiful.  The central relationship is not romantic but is based on a deep and abiding love.  There is both character development and action, and there is a tenderness I just don't see often in fantasy.  Bonus points for sending me online to do some historical research, including photos of one of the primary locations.  My only complaint is that I wanted more.  I would have loved another few chapters to hear what happens next.