Old Favorites and New Hits: What I Read Over My Vacation

For the first week of September, I took a week off from work. And if you know me, you know the vacation always means one thing: more time to read! Below you’ll find a list of the books I read over vacation, including one that I disliked. I don’t usually post negative reviews here. I don’t have anything against them, I just prefer to talk about the books I enjoy. But, if I want to cover what I read over this vacation, it’s going to have to include a title that just didn’t work for me.

In addition, this post is actually missing a review! That’s because one of the books I read over vacation was Map of Shadows by JF Penn. This book is part of my reading for Self Published Fantasy month, and I have a post about that going up next week. It felt strange to post an almost identical review for the same book two weeks in a row, so I thought I’d just remove it from this one.

Here we go!

Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (Science Fiction/Young Adult)- Tyler Jones is a top student at Aurora Academy. He should have his pick of students to form his first squad, but he misses his chance when he decides to rescue a young woman trapped in cryogenic sleep. Left with the dregs, Tyler must find a way to make his team work while they unravel the mystery of the woman he saved. After all, the knowledge and abilities she carries has the power to change the universe.

Aurora Rising is a fast paced, action packed novel, filled with tons of space opera tropes. Unfortunately, as someone who’s been reading/watching sci-fi for decades now, everything ended up feeling a little too familiar for me. Don’t get me wrong, I normally like seeing a new perspective on classic story lines, but these authors didn’t necessarily add anything new and interesting to the genre that I hadn’t already experiencing watching say Star Trek or Firefly and the corresponding movie Serenity. I also found that I just couldn’t connect with the characters.

Aurora Rising was a reminder that while I still enjoy reading young adult books, they’re not written for me, a woman in her 30s. Given the amount of praise that had been heaped on this book, it’s clear the a teenaged/early 20s reader with less experience with the space opera genre would likely enjoy it more, and find the characters more relatable. But for me, Aurora Rising didn’t work and I won’t be reading the sequel.

What Happens at Con by Cathy Yardley (Romance)– Ani is an over stressed grad student looking to blow off some steam at Erotica City Con, which leads her straight into the bed of a mysterious stranger. Unfortunately, once the masks come off, Ani realizes that this “stranger” is actually the misogynistic Abraham, a local game designer that she can’t stand. But there’s no denying the heat that exists between the two of them. Are Ani and Alabaman meant to be a one night stand. or more?

The hate-to-love romance has certainly been done before, but Yardley handles it really well here. I love the journeys that the two characters go through. Abraham must learn to shed his misogynistic ways (inherited from his father, and nurtured in the military), and Ani needs to learn to out smart and stand up to her jerk off adviser. The chemistry between the two characters is really well done, and the ending feels earned. This may be my favorite book in the Fandom Hearts series yet.

First Test and Page by Tamora Pierce– In the spring, I reread Tamora Pierce’s Immortals Quartet. I ended up enjoying the experience so much that I decided it was time to revisit The Protector of the Small series. I ended up reading the first two books (First Test and Page) and a big chunk of the third (Squire) during vacation.

Ten years after Alanna the Lioness disguised herself as a boy to become a lady knight, girls are now allowed to openly train for their shields. The first person to attempt this is Keladry of Mindelan. The Protector of the Small series is all about her journey from first year page to full grown knight and the physical, emotional and societal challenges she must face as Tortall’s first openly female trainee in centuries.

I’m pretty sure I haven’t read Kel’s story in over a decade, but I was nevertheless impressed at how easy it was to get pulled back into her story, which seems more relevant now than ever. Progress is wonderful, but it’s never without backlash. In the years since Alanna has earned her shield and saved Tortall, conspiracy theories have cropped up to explain how she could possibly accomplished such unfeminine things. And it’s this backlash that really sets Kel’s journey apart from Alanna’s, who never had to deal with outright sexism during her training, as everyone believed her to be a boy. Kel’s discipline, and her ability to do what is right and fair impressed me again and again.

I’m so glad I decided to reread this series, and look forward to finishing it.

And those are the books I read over my vacation.

Nerdy Women and Magic Schools: What I Read Over My Vacation

During the last week in May, I took my first vacation of 2019, and it was a lot of fun. I spent plenty of time visiting family, sleeping in, playing games, and of course, reading. With only three books completed, this is probably my least impressive “What I read Over My Vacation” post so far, but I still ended up with just under a thousand pages read, so I’ll consider that a win regardless.

Without further ado, here are the books I read over my week-long vacation

Game of Hearts by Cathy Yardley (Romance)– Game of Hearts is the third book in the Fandom Hearts series, which is all about nerdy women falling in love. Book one (Level Up) was all about game design, book two (One True Pairing) was about TV, and Game of Hearts brings the focus to cosplay.

Our heroine Kyla, is a talented cosplayer and mechanic who has a habit of letting her loved ones walk all over her. That is, until the day she finally gains the courage to call an old friend, Jericho Salomon, and ask him to help her out with the shop. Once she sees Jericho, she can’t help but feel her old school girl crush returning. And when Jericho sees how much she’s grown, he finds himself struggling to see Kyla as just his best friend’s kid sister anymore.

Game of Hearts is a super fun love story. The two leads have great chemistry with each other, thanks to their existing friendship, and I really enjoyed watching that turn to love. There was a short period where Jericho got a little possessive, which I didn’t like, but that was fortunately resolved quickly. I was quite happy with how this one turned out and enjoyed how Yardley incorporated the cosplay contest and the biker-subplot during the finale.

The Frame Up by Meghan Scott Molin (Mystery)– MG is a female comic book writer/artist struggling to find her way in a male-dominated field. Then local vigilantes bust series of crimes that mimic that of her favorite superhero, The Hooded Falcon. Thanks to her knowledge of the classic comic, MG finds herself pulled into local investigations, spearheaded by handsome Detective Kildaire. Will MG solve the mystery, or when she balk when she realizes that people in her life may be involved?

The Frame Up is an entertaining mystery novel chock full of nerdy references. MG is an appealing, headstrong heroine who doesn’t ask permission before diving right in. At the same time, the romance didn’t always work for me, and there were times when the constant bombardment of pop culture references felt a little over the top, but I was ultimately pleased with this series starter and plan on continuing with book two.

I mean, the main character has a corgi named after Trogdor! Who can say no to that?

Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce (Fantasy/Young Adult)– Tamora Pierce is an author who was a huge deal to me from my teenage years up and through my 20s. I feel like I’ve been waiting for Numair’s backstory (the love interest in the Immortals Quartet) for decades. Tempests and Slaughter takes us back to his school days, and explores the friendship he forges with Prince Orzone. I had a ton of fun diving back into this universe and exploring these old characters and concepts.

Admittedly, it’s not a perfect book. Had I not already had the emotional investment in this world, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much. Tempests and Slaughter lacks the focus found in Pierce’s earlier books, such as the Immortals Quartet, and the plot often felt meandering. Still, the world of Tortall comes off as rich as ever. If you enjoyed her previous works, I would recommend picking this up. If you haven’t read any of Tammy’s books, I would recommend starting out with one of her earlier series.

So, there you have it! What I read over my vacation. Even if I did only read three books, I felt like I was able to experience a nice variety of genres. If you’d like to read posts about the previous books I have read on vacation, then just click here.

Literary Romances and Reaching for the Stars: What I Read When I had the Flu

As someone who has to deal with both migraines and allergies, I’m familiar with feeling under the weather. Fortunately, through trial and error, I mostly have these two issues under control. Beyond that I’m pretty healthy, making me the type of person who always ends up leaving sick days on the table at the end of the work year.

Which is why I was totally caught off guard last month when I got the flu. This left me coughing, sneezing, and kinda feeling like I had been hit by a truck. Seriously, on day two I had to ask my husband to bring me something up to our room because I didn’t trust that I would be able to make it down the stairs, never mind back up them again.

But if there was one thing that kept me going, it was the fact that I was able to catch up on my reading. Here are the books that I managed to get through.

A Perfect Balance by Laura Ambrose (Romance/Contemporary)- I picked up A Perfect Balance on day one of the flu. At the time, I needed something that was entertaining and but also easy to follow/digest, given that I was constantly overwhelmed with boughs of exhaustion that would force me to put the book down.

This made A Perfect Balance, the second novella in Laura Ambrose’s Romancing the Page series, a good match. Much like the first book, A Hidden Hope, A Perfect Balance focuses on a love story between two women who work in the literary community. Emma is an editor who’s not interested in being in a relationship. Instead, she fulfills her needs through a series of hookups with another woman she only knows as “S.” Then “S” begins to work for Emma’s publisher, and Emma finds her carefully constructed work/life balance falling apart.

A Perfect Balance is an incredibly sweet/sexy novella staring two likable leads. I really enjoyed watching them try and fight their own attractions as they planned an ambitious book launch. In A Perfect Balance, we meet the future heroine of the third novella. An Unheard Song, and I am really looking to see how her happily ever after turns out.

One True Pairing by Cathy Yardley (Romance/Contemporary)– I picked up One True Pairing on day two of the flu, which was when I was probably feeling the worst, making another nerdy romance a solid choice. One True Pairing is the second book in the Fandom Hearts series, which focuses on geeks finding true love. The first book, Level Up, was all about game design, but One True Pairing brings the focus to television.

Jake Reese is one of the stars of the television show Mystics, but he may not be for long. Contract negotiations are up, and unless he can raise his Q-score he may find himself unemployed. His current plan? Steam things up with a fake girlfriend during convention season. Enter Hailey Frost. If she plays things up for the press, he’ll help her family’s struggling bookstore. But how “fake” can this relationship be, when the chemistry between them is off the charts?

One True Pairing resonated well with me as a fan of geeky TV shows. I could totally see myself getting into Mystics, which promotes itself as Doctor Who meets Supernatural. And while I also enjoyed the romance between Jake and Hailey (which goes beyond steamy to include some pretty graphic sex) there were certain things about it that stretched credulity for me. For example, just how fast they went from “nice to meet you” to making out. Granted, I do tend to prefer romance with more of a slow burn to begin with.

Also, I wish that the book would have explored why romance between actors and their fans is usually not a good idea. Don’t get me wrong, the book seems aware of why such a pairing can be problematic (they point out multiple times that while Hailey enjoys the show, she’s not a groupie), but I would have liked to see the concept explored in more detail.

While I didn’t enjoy One True Pairing as much as I did Level Up, I was overall happy with it and plan on continuing the series.

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson (Science Fiction/Young Adult)– By the time I picked up Skyward, I was on day three of the flu. I still didn’t feel great, but I was turning the corner.  This meant that I was up for something a little more substantial, so I went for a book that was over 500 pages long.

And I couldn’t be more pleased with the results.

Skyward focuses on Spensa, a teenage girl living on an alien planet, regularly attacked by creatures known as the “Krell.” This violent existence has resulted in humanity becoming highly militant, and Spensa is no exception, with her dreams of becoming a pilot. Unfortunately, Spensa’s father was a notorious coward, and everyone expects that Spensa will be the same. When she comes across an abandoned ship, she sees a chance to grasp the future she’s always wanted, but will she be able to handle the truth she encounters along the way?

Brandon Sanderson is one of my favorite authors, and Skyward perfectly encapsulates what I love so much about his work. The world building, while not as complex as The Stormlight Archive, is incredibly engrossing. The plot is exciting, and filled with the perfect amount of twists and turns. But the best part of this novel is the characters. Spensa is a wonderful protagonists and I really felt for her as she grew over the course of the book. I am so eager to see where things end up with her next  and I know that I will be picking up book two, Starsight, as soon as it’s available.

So that’s it!  Having the flu was no fun at all, but these three books certainly made the five days that I was trapped in bed much more bearable. Let’s just hope I don’t have to repeat the process anytime soon.

(Almost) Everything is Monsters: What I Read Over My Vacation

Thanks to situations largely outside of my control, I just went through a fourteen month stretch without taking a vacation. And let me tell you, even as someone who enjoys her day job THAT WAS NOT EASY. People (myself included) benefit from taking the occasional break. And while holidays help, I do enjoy getting to take more than just a day to myself every now and then. This way, I can indulge in things that I don’t always have time for.

And lately, that’s included reading.

Don’t get me wrong, I still read more than your average gal, but as we move closer and closer to Red and Black‘s publication date, much of my reading time has been taken up with things like contacting reviewers about ARCs. So when I finally took a break last month, I decided that I wanted to dedicate some hours to reading.

Of course, compared to some of the other “what I read over vacation” posts, this one is going to look a little stingy. But given the other things I did this vacation (which included dedicating plenty of time to writing related activities, traveling to a concert, and getting WAY TOO MANY MOONS on Super Mario Odyssey), I’d call this a pretty good list. So let’s get into it.

Poison or Protect by Gail Carriger (Steampunk Romance)– Gail Carriger is best known for her widely popular Parasol Protectorate series, but did you know that a couple years back she went hybrid? Poison and Protect is the first of her self published novellas, which takes place in the same universe as the rest of her writing. Poison and Protect focuses on the character of Presha from the Finishing School seires, but all grown up. And let me tell you, this trained spy has seen some shit. In Poison or Protect, Presha takes on an intelligence job that brings her face to face with Captain Gavin Ruthven, a big Scottish man that she can’t help but be drawn to. Gavin feels the same, but is rightfully cautious, given Presha’s reputations as a murderess.

Poison and Protect has pretty much everything you’d want from a Gail Carriger book such as humor, steampunk, action, and paranormal elements. Only this time the romance has been turned up to eleven. Despite the fact that Presha was not always the most likable character in the Finishing School series, you really end up feeling for her this time around, and Gavin was an appealing love interest. I’m quite happy I checked out this novella, and already have another one by Carriger loaded up on my kindle.

My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris (Mystery/Pulp Horror)– Ten-year-old Karen is an outsider who relates more to the monsters in her favorite stories rather than the kids in her class. Then her upstairs neighbor is murdered and Karen finds herself pulled into the case.

I feel like I’m cheating a little, including My Favorite Things is Monsters on this list as I read the majority of it in the week proceeding my vacation. But I’m glad I ended up taking my time on it, because this graphic novel is quite dense. On top of being a murder mystery/homage to pulp horror, My Favorite Things of Monsters explores the concepts of family, art, disease, sexuality, and the issues related to race and prejudice that occurred in Chicago during the 1960s, as well as in Germany during the holocaust. On a visual level, My Favorite Things is Monsters is quite striking. Told as if it were Karen’s personal journals/sketchbooks, the illustrations are detailed and rich, yet not always conventionally attractive. The graphic novel does venture into some very trigger-y territory (including pedophilia), and is very much only half of a story (volume 2 is coming out soon!), but the results are something special. I read this for a column over at Speculative Chic and I’m very glad that I had that opportunity, as I’m not sure if this would be something I’d pick up on my own.

Bitch Planet, vol 2: President Bitch by Kelley Sue DeConnick. Artwork by Valentine De Landro (Science Fiction). And here’s the second graphic novel I ended up reading for that same Speculative Chic column. Bitch Planet is a really gritty series about a dystopian world where woman who go against the grain are penalized. Some are even forced into a planet sized prison (hence the title, Bitch Planet). President Bitch is the second graphic novel in this series, and I probably should have re-read volume one before diving in as I found that I had forgotten about some key characters in the meantime, which resulted in an uneven reading experience. Still, President Bitch was a fascinating read. It takes time to delve into the history of one of it’s characters before really pushing the story forward (there’s even an exciting prison break/riot sequence). Volume two also has some solid trans representation. I will continue to read this series with volume three.

The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss (Gothic Horror/Mystery)– I first became interested in The Strange Case of the Alchemists’ Daughter after it was positively reviewed over at Speculative Chic. Now that I’ve read it, I can see why it’s received so much praise. The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter tells the story of the daughters of many of the prominent characters from classic gothic horror/Victorian mystery novels. The story begins by focusing on Mary Jekyll (the daughter of the infamous Dr. Jekyll from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde) who, after the death of her mother, find herself destitute. While going through her meager finances, she stumbles upon a terrifying truth. Her father may have had a second life.

The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter is a delightul read that should appeal to fans of classic stories such as like Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, Frankenstein, and more. It was fascinating to see how these different classic tales intersected, and the narrative that was then woven from all of these various threads. I found very easy to care for the cast women and girls that came to populate these pages. regardless of any previous investments I may or may not have had with the books they were based on. The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter is the first book in a series. I will be reading book two.

Level Up by Cahty Yardley (Contemporary Romance)– Tessa Rodriguez is a dedicated coder who has big dreams of becoming a video game engineer. Unfortunately, her introverted nature holds her back from both professional and personal success. When she finds herself on an impossible deadline (design a mobile game in three weeks) she must learn to reach out to others for help. In the process, she might even find love.

Level Up is a super cute geeky romance novella by one of the authors of the Geek Actually serial. In fact, the themes explored here are so similar to Geek Actually (female friendships, the difficulties face by women in nerdy career fields, strong POC representation, geeks falling in love) that I had to wonder if one inspired the other. The romance in Level Up is sweet and steamy (even if the events surrounding their first kiss were a little unbelievable), the pacing is swift, and the characters are all around lovable. Level Up is the first in the Fandom Hearts series, and it looks like multiple characters introduced in this book get their stories told in future installments. I look forward to checking them out.

So that’s what I read over my vacation! Interestingly enough, while I was typing this up, I began to notice a unintentional theme: monsters. We have books about literal monsters/the daughters of monsters (The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter), a character that identifies with monsters (My Favorite Thing is Monsters), a monstrous society (Bitch Planet, vol 2) and a heroine who has committed monstrous deeds (Presha from Poison or Protect).

It’s kind of funny how trends can emerge like that.