Books of 2021, September
(Posting this now because there’s no way I’ll finish another book before the day is out.)
Reading slowed down toward the end of the month (managed to land in a bunch of thick reads at once, and none of them audio) and I still didn’t get to many of the books on my TBR. I’m also not counting a reread of The Ballad of the White Horse since it’s all of two hours on audio.
#65 - Mark of the Raven by Morgan L. Busse (original ‘21 TBR) - 5/5 stars
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Finally I found another Christian fantasy novel/series that isn’t heavy-handed about morality or allegory. The writing style was clean, if sometimes repetitive (trust me, after saying it four times in two chapters, I know the guests from that one noble house have blond hair), and there were moments of heavy exposition in the form of dialogue between characters who wouldn’t have needed to share such basic information they all knew; but neither of those complaints greatly detracted from the narrative. It kept a good, steady pace, the stakes were clear, and I cared about the characters. It was very easy to enjoy. And that ending!
Also also! A princess-adjacent character who never complained about dresses, the advantages of her birth, an arranged marriage, or her duties to her family!
I definitely plan to read the sequel.
#66 - Rainbow Valley by L.M. Montgomery - 3/5 stars
I miss Anne. Her children and the Meredith kids are adorable, but I miss Anne.
#67 - Flight of the Raven by Morgan L. Busse - 3/5 stars
MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE. YES.
So much angst. Excellent characters. All the angst. Strangers to friends to lovers. ANGST.
Aaaaand then it went a little weird. Like, awkward Christian romance kind of weird where I misheard a bit of dialogue and ended up in the fetal position, cackling until my stomach hurt, while a friend demanded to know how that got past the editors.
Toward the end I kind of gave up. The author did a certain character dirty and I can’t countenance that. I’m not sure why she chose to make this character a POV when she ended up killing her before her internal conflicts could be realized and addressed. It felt incredibly contrived and forced and did absolutely nothing for the plot or the main character; while keeping said character alive would have added some depth and conflict that could have aided the story.
Right up until like the last quarter of the book I was content with the pacing and the stakes, even if the plot was kind of basic. But with that ending, I’m not sure I want to finish the trilogy because I’ve kind of lost interest.
#68 - Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery - 4/5 stars
This one hurt. Like, I knew what was coming. I accidentally read a “spoiler” and then Lucy alluded to it back in...Anne of Ingleside? So I knew what was coming and it still hurt.
I wasn’t ready for heartache yet here I am. Yes, I cried. Yes, it was probably a bad idea to read this right around 9/11. But it was still good.
As I don’t currently have any interest in The Blythes are Quoted, this closes out my read-through of the Anne of Green Gables series. Overall I loved it. Overall, even in the grief, it was a comfort.
#69 - Bloomability by Sharon Creech - 5/5 stars
Borrowed the audiobook of this middle grade on a whim and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s a favorite book of one of my writing friends, so ended up on my TBR on her recommendation. A quick, fun, cozy sort of read. Weirdly enough it reminded me a bit of The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls; possibly the similarities between that story and Dinnie’s “first life”.
#70 - The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland - 3/5 stars
Read this at the insistence of my Sunday school class. So many kids have told me about this series.
I can definitely see why they enjoy it so much, and it would certainly have been a series I’d have devoured at their age. However, I wouldn’t say it carries over well for older audiences. (Not that this is a bad thing, only the reason I probably won’t read more unless it’s with my nephews in a few years.) And like...it’s so over-the-top? Everywhere you turn there are beheadings and murders and blood and angst. Not really my speed.
#71 - Orphan’s Song by Gillian Bronte Adams - 4/5 stars
I’ve had this book on my radar for a while but hadn’t planned to get to it until next year...but I needed something to listen to and the audiobook was on Hoopla. (Most of my reads this year have been audio...)
Definitely enjoyed this one. The characters were the highlight here; the writing style was easy to fall into but nothing remarkable, and the plot was pretty basic. (Nothing bad with “bad guys trying to take over the world and one girl with unknown power can stop them”, but it’s not complicated.) Excellent pacing, rich dialogue, organic world-building. My one true complaint is that the MC was supposed to be 12 but she acted and spoke more like 15 most of the time. My other, personal-taste complaint, is that the magic system seems a little deus ex machina. While I will definitely recommend this book (especially to my students), I don't think I'll continue the series.
#72 - The Electrical Menagerie by Mollie E. Reeder (original ‘21 TBR) - 5/5 stars
It took a while for the characters to develop. Before that, it was the delightful world that drew me in: the steampunk Wild West, the islands, the tech, the culture. Reeder crafts a delightful story and you can sense her experience and personal interests coming through in the details. The plot was well-paced and engaging, and I loved the dialogue. By the time the characters came into their own I was hooked. Thoroughly enjoyed this little adventure.
Bonus? The fantasy world Christianity was an easy fact of life and not heavy-handed at all.
#73 - The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien (original ‘21 TBR) - 5/5 stars
I’ve long held that the first time I tried to read this book (back in high school??) I never finished it. But I remembered certain events which, it turns out, take place toward the very end of the book, so now I think I did actually finish it that first time and then just...forgot.
Anyway. I had a goal to read this in a month. Given the number of chapters, I had planned to read one a day, and have a few extra days in case things got crazy.
It...didn’t quite work out that way. Thankfully most of the chapters are short but I had a spate of time where I was too busy to read or didn’t have the brainpower for it. When I actually sat down to read a chapter I could get through it relatively quickly, and then in the last few days of September I just crammed. (And shouted at Tarva, the major Tolkien nerd among the friend group, much to her delight.)
This book is heavier than LotR, yes, but there is still that constant thread of hope tracing through it, however dark things may be. And that’s what I love most about Tolkien: that he saw and endured so much darkness, and out of it he painted light.
DNF:
The House of DunRaven by Steven Thomas Lympus (original ‘21 TBR)
The writing style was pretty off-putting and I couldn’t get into the story. (He started it off with a good scene, asked an important question, and then went back to explain stuff. Which works if it had been a chapter of explanation at most. No, I was into Chapter Four and he was still explaining.) Absolutely didn’t care about the characters. Not at all invested.
A Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson
Almost not worth mentioning since I only got one chapter in. What on earth was the author doing giving weirdly detailed descriptions of every single character? (I later discovered this is something like a companion novel to an established series? All the same, clearly not my cup of tea.)
Deerskin by Robin McKinley
I had high hopes for this, but it turns out not even McKinley can redeem this fairy tale. In fact, I think she might have made it worse. There isn't even a donkey that poops gold.
Even if I’d finished it, somehow, I still would have detracted points for the narrator. Her voice was dry and muffled and dull, with almost no inflection even where there should have been something for McKinley’s dry sarcasm.
100% would not recommend this book based on the content. Reviews suggest McKinley handles it all pretty well, but all the same....
