Top 5 Tuesday

I’m trying to get back into blogging on a more consistent basis, and one of the ways I want to do that is through participating in bookish memes when I like the topics! I was especially taken by this month’s Top 5 Tuesday tags because as much as I enjoy some fictional romance (I’m playing Juliet this weekend in Project Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet after all!), Valentine’s Day can be a weird time of year when you’re aro-ace. I really appreciate that Top 5 Tuesday has shied away from the usual Valentine’s topics with its choices.

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Meeghan Reads! It was originally created by the wonderful Bionic Book Worm. This week’s topic:

FEBRUARY 9TH – Top 5 series I want to start

The Sevenwaters Trilogy by Juliet Marillier

Synopsis: Based loosely on “The Six Swans” fairy tale, the first book in the series, Daughter of the Forest, is about 13-year-old Sorcha, who embarks on a quest to return her brothers to their true form after a witch’s curse transforms them into swans. Using only her hands, she must sew six shirts from a painful nettle plant and remain mute the entire time. But terrible events hinder her progress and eventually take her further and further away from her home. The series is set in 9th century Ireland and covers four generations in the family of Sevenwaters.

Why I want to read it: This series was highly recommended to me by my friend and former co-worker Ivana, who has similar taste in books. I purchased copies of the first three books from a used bookstore and in 2017 named Daughter of the Forest one of my 5-star predictions. Well, it’s 2021 and I still haven’t read it but fate, or rather Rick and his BookTubeSpin#1 stepped in and proclaimed that I would read this before March 31st!

The Plantagenet series / The Angevin Novels by Sharon Kay Penman

Synopsis: The series begins with the sinking of the White Ship in 1120, a disaster which drowned William Adelin, the only legitimate son and heir of King Henry I of England and kicked off a succession crisis and a period of civil war in England known as The Anarchy. Focusing initially on the first Plantagenet king, Henry II, his equally famous queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, the 5 book series moves on to cover their notorious offspring, often called the Devil’s Brood.

Why I want to read it: I’ve only read one Sharon Kay Penman book (Here Be Dragons) but I really enjoyed it and she’s an acknowledged master of the historical fiction genre. Maybe it’s going through all of Shakespeare’s history plays recently and becoming more familiar with the Plantagenets that has sparked this renewed interest in reading historical fiction. I used to read a lot more historical fiction than I do these days though and I often really enjoyed it so I’m deliberately planning to read more from the genre this year. Especially since my favourite book series of all time, while owing a lot to and inspiring many fantasy authors, are yes, you guessed it, historical fiction. Also, Eleanor of Aquitaine is the coolest.

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Synopsis: In the aftermath of a war between gods and men, a hero, a librarian, and a girl must battle the fantastical elements of a mysterious city stripped of its name.

Why I want to read it: Honestly, I’ve read the goodreads synopsis and I still have no idea what this duology is about but it’s one of my mom’s favourites (we don’t always agree but we often do and swap SFF back and forth) and I know other friends absolutely adored it as well so I’m looking forward to this!

Kristin Lavransdatter series by Sigrid Undset
(translated from the Norwegian by Tiina Nunnally)

Synopsis: Set in fourteenth-century Norway, the first book in this trilogy chronicles the courtship of a headstrong and passionate young woman and a dangerously charming and impetuous man. Defying her parents and stubbornly pursuing her own happiness, Kristin emerges as a woman who not only loves with power and passion but intrepidly confronts her sexuality. Her prose combines the sounds and style of Nordic ballads, European courtly poetry, and religious literature.

Why I want to read it: I’m not actually sure how I learned about this series, but probably it was through a list of historical fiction recs, but it’s looked both interesting and intimidating ever since. I’m tending more towards classics this year though and this series, published in 1920, is looking very appealing right about now! Undset was awarded the Nobel prize for literature for her depictions of Northern life in medieval times through these novels. I’ve read very little Nordic fiction so I’m very intrigued!

The Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer

Synopsis: Eleven secret government expeditions and few have returned unscathed. Area X has been cut off from the rest of the world for decades. Nature has reclaimed the last vestiges of human civilization. The first expedition returned with reports of a pristine, Edenic landscape; the second expedition ended in mass suicide, the third in a hail of gunfire as its members turned on one another. Annihilation opens with the twelfth expedition.

Why I want to read it: VanderMeer’s Borne is one of my all-time favourite books but despite my best intentions I’ve never read any of his other works! I think this critically acclaimed book is probably the logical place to start.

Have you read any of these? What did you think? Are there any series you’ve been meaning to read? Comment and let me know!

Top Ten Tuesday: Series I’ve Been Meaning to Start

As every reader knows, there are far too many books to read in this lifetime and the tbr list is always growing. How appropriate then that this week’s topic is the Top Ten Series I’ve Been Meaning to Start but Haven’t. Some of the series that made my list have been on it for years, while others are more recent additions. Whether new or old, these are all books that I hope to get to soon and that I look forward to reading…one day!

Want to join in the fun? Head on over to Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and Bookish.

1. The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb
A good friend, who previously recommended a series that is now one of my all-time favourites, gave me her copies of The Farseer Trilogy before she moved to New Zealand, so I have no excuse for not starting this one! The books follow the life of Fitz, the bastard son of the noble Prince Chivalry, who becomes a trained assassin and may be the key to the survival of the kingdom. I’ve only heard good things about this series, particularly from some of the other lovely book bloggers I follow, who have started reading Hobb’s books and loved them. The Farseer Trilogy is definitely near the top of my tbr list!

2. The Gentlemen’s Bastards series by Scott Lynch
I’m cheating a tiny bit here because I actually picked up The Lies of Locke Lamora several years ago, read not even fifty pages, and put it back down. I can’t remember why it didn’t grab me at the time, although I vaguely remember the prose putting me off a little, but I suspect it was more a case of coming across the right book at the wrong time. These days I’m more willing to give a book a chance and to persevere when it doesn’t grab me immediately, and I know this is a series that several people I respect have enjoyed, so I’m looking forward to starting it again. From the description it seems to involve heisting, and a band of confidence men, so what’s not to like?!

3. The Sevenwaters series by Juliet Marillier
A historical fantasy loosely based on the legend of the Children of Lir and “The Six Swans”, this series wasn’t even on my radar until earlier this year when a friend with similar taste gave the first book a rave review on goodreads. When I looked it up, it turned out several friends had also given the series five star ratings! I tend to enjoy books that feature mythology and/or folklore, and I’ve heard the first book in the series mentioned as a good choice for fans of Katherine Arden’s The Bear and the Nightingale, one of my favourite reads so far this year, so I’m definitely looking forward to trying out this series!

4. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
I’m a long-time fantasy fan who devoured George R.R. Martin’s ASoIaF series (to date) along with Patrick Rothfuss’ The Kingkiller Chronicles among other doorstopper epic fantasy novels, so I feel a little like an English major who hasn’t read the great classics when I say that I’ve never read anything by Brandon Sanderson. I keep meaning to but, quite frankly, the size of his books and his back catalogue are a little intimidating. I’m not even sure if Mistborn is the ideal place to start, but at some point I would really like to read his work. I’d definitely appreciate suggestions about where to start with Sanderson though!

5. The Malazan Book of the Fallen series by Steven Erikson
Going hand-in-hand with Brandon Sanderson is another epic fantasy great, Steven Erikson. I’ve owned a copy of the first book in the series, Gardens of the Moon, for at least a few years now, but it’s still sitting unread on my shelf. Once again I have heard such positive things about this series from friends and it’s definitely a series I want to tackle, but a case where the size of the book has been intimidating.

6. The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Before I started this blog I hadn’t even heard of the Illuminae Files, but the positive reviews from book blogs I follow and from friends on goodreads have pushed this one well up the tbr list. I’ve been reading a lot of science-fiction, both adult and YA, this year but these books definitely look interesting!

7. The Dandelion Dynasty by Ken Liu
I have to admit that the reviews I’ve heard of this series are mixed and that the main issue readers seem to have is the lack of female characters, so I’m a little on the fence about starting it, but I love the fact that it’s an Asian-influenced historical high fantasy story and I’m certainly interested enough to give it a try. I gather Liu’s short stories have been more universally acclaimed, so I may start with a collection of those before tackling a full-size novel.

8. Fables by Bill Willingham
At least when it comes to comic books I can pinpoint exactly why I haven’t gotten to a certain series. The main factor is reading time. I tend to read on my commute, but depending on how busy work is I may also read on my lunch hour, or even after work in a park. With a comic book I’d worry about running out of material. Also, comics tend to be expensive to buy and few grab me enough that I would want to re-read them, so I often borrow them from the library and sometimes libraries don’t have all volumes of a book. All of this is a tangential way of saying that Fables is one of those comic books/graphic novels, like Saga or Sandman, that I’ve heard a lot about and have never quite gotten to. Luckily a laid-back friend (I say laid-back because she has been REALLY cool about it taking months for me to get through the issues of Saga I borrowed from her) has agreed to lend them to me whenever I’m ready, so I’ll try to get through this series soon.

9. The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
The Queen of the Tearling is another series that makes it onto my list, but that I have some trepidation about reading. Most of my goodreads friends have given it four or five stars, but one friend who I often share opinions with said that she hated it so much she couldn’t even be bothered wasting her words on an eloquent review explaining why it was terrible. Yikes. Still, the synopsis, about an untested young princess who must claim her throne, learn to become a queen, and combat a malevolent sorceress in an epic battle between light and darkness, sounds interesting.

10. Jackaby by William Ritter
I have to admit that this is a rare case (for me) of judging a book by its cover…and liking what I saw! I don’t know much about this Victorian England-set novel about a detective of the paranormal, but it sounds interesting enough to give a try and again, how gorgeous are those covers?!

Have you read any of the series I’m on the fence about starting? What did you think, worth my time or should I pass? Any series I should move to the very top of my tbr? Please let me know in the comments!

T5W: SFF Books on my TBR

Top Five Wednesday is currently hosted by Sam from Thoughts on Tomes. Want to join in the fun? Check out the goodreads group!

A large part of my ever-growing TBR is science-fiction and fantasy books. I could probably put together a top 10, a top 25, possibly even a top 50 list of sci-fi & fantasy titles I want to read one day! For the purposes of this list I’ve focused on the 5 SFF books I’m hoping to read within the next six months.

1. Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier
This book, a historical fantasy loosely based on the legend of the Children of Lir and “The Six Swans”, wasn’t even on my radar until a few weeks ago when a friend with similar tastes in books gave it five stars. Curious, I looked it up on goodreads and found that a few other friends had also given it five stars! I put a lot of weight in personal recommendations from people who know my reading tastes, and this friend is one of those people. Recently she’s also read and loved A Darker Shade of Magic and the Six of Crows series. When I commented on how much I was enjoying a book she had just finished, The Bear and the Nightingale, she replied, “You will looooove Daughter of the Forest, then!” I definitely enjoy books that feature mythology or folklore and this seems to fit the bill, so it’s been moved up the tbr!

2. Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb
This book about a royal bastard who begins training as an assassin has been on my tbr list for a few years now and I’m determined that this will be the year when I finally get to it! Assassin’s Apprentice has been highly recommended by some friends on goodreads who have similar tastes, and recently I’ve read a few positive reviews of Robin Hobb titles by book bloggers that I follow. I even own a copy already thanks to a friend who moved to New Zealand and left me a bag of her favourite books, so I have absolutely no excuse for not getting to it!

 

3. City of Miracles by Robert Jackson Bennett
The first two books in Robert Jackson Bennett’s Divine Cities trilogy, City of Stairs and City of Blades, are among my favourite books of all time, so I’ve been looking forward to this third volume, which will be published in May, for ages! Each book has had a different protagonist, and this time it’s Sigrud je Harkvaldsson, the 6-and-a-half foot former bodyguard of spy Shara Komayd. I loved Sigrud in the first two novels of the series and am looking forward to getting his perspective in City of Miracles! If you’re interested in reading this series at all (and you should be) don’t read the goodreads summary for City of Miracles though, because it has some pretty heavy spoilers for the first two books.

4. Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie
This series is centered around Breq, a lone soldier on a distant planet who was once the Justice of Toren – a huge starship with an artificial intelligence linking thousands of soldiers in the service of the Radch, the empire that conquered the galaxy. I finally got to Ancillary Justice, the first book in Ann Leckie’s science-fiction trilogy, in January, and I was really impressed by how refreshingly unique it was, how intelligent, and how well written. Since then, my current reads have been pretty solidly booked, but I can’t wait to pick up Ancillary Sword and continue this fabulous series!

5. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Never Let Me Go is one of my wonderful friend Rachel’s all-time favourite books, which is honestly enough of a recommendation on it’s own, that’s how important her opinions on books are to me, but I’ve also seen it rated highly by other bookish friends. I remember the release of the movie, but never actually got around to watching it so I can even read the novel relatively spoiler-free! I’ve been trying to  avoid reading too much about the book, so about all I know is that it’s a dystopia that involves cloning and organ donation in some way. I’m looking forward to giving it a try!

What science-fiction & fantasy books are at the top of your TBR?