Without a doubt, the book on this list I’m most looking forward to reading is Terry Pratchett’s A Stroke of the Pen. Because more of Sir Terry is always a treat. The supply, as we all know, is terminally limited, so anything that adds even a mote to the canon is to be celebrated. I’m still hanging onto NOT reading the final Discworld book, Raising Steam, because even ten years later I’m just not ready for it to be over.
Other notable titles in this list; Anything with Nothing just edges out The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch because the Bennet Sisters have been play with before – The Other Bennet Sister for example, not to mention Pride and Prejudice and Zombies – while the Valdemar anthologies are always fun and the inside-out snarkasm of “anything with nothing” tickles my funny bone.
And there are two books in this stack that I’ve already finished, Shark Heart and Wild Spaces. I reviewed Shark Heart yesterday, and the Wild Spaces review will be posted on Tuesday. I’m still a bit weirded out that I went from a story about a man who turns into a shark to one about a teenaged boy who turns into a sea monster. I know testosterone is one hell of a drug – but I never thought it was quite that potent!
For Review:
Anything with Nothing (Tales of Valdemar #17) edited by Mercedes Lackey
The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2023 edited by R.F. Kuang and John Joseph Adams
The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Gonzalez James
The Cost of Free Land by Rebecca Claren
Daughter by Claudia Dey
Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson
First Gen by Alejandra Campoverdi
The Girl Prince by Danell Jones
He/She/They by Schuyler Bailar
Heartsong (Green Creek #3) by TJ Klune
Kinning (Everfair #2) by Nisi Shawl
The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub
Shark Heart by Emily Habeck (eARC and audio) (REVIEW!)
A Short Walk Through a Wide World by Douglas Westerbeke
A Stroke of the Pen by Terry Pratchett
Sun House by David James Duncan
Valiant Women by Lena S. Andrews
Wannabe by Aisha Harris
Wild Spaces by S.L. Coney (book and audio)
The Wolfe at the Door by Gene Wolfe
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I definitely need to pick up the Mercedes Lackey anthology when it’s published. I’m also incredibly excited about the final volume of the Founding trilogy being released in December.
I’m looking forward to that third founding book as well. I’ve been waiting for the eARC for ages in hopes of getting to review it for Library Journal, but it’s starting to look like that hope might be in vain. I’m still planning to read it as soon as I get my greedy little hands on it, no matter what.
Marlene Harris recently posted..Stacking the Shelves (561)
You NEEEEED to read Raising Steam! It’s an end, technically, but it’s an end with so many future possibilities. In many ways it’s the HEA for Discworld. I loved it and don’t regret having read it at all.
I know, I KNOW. And I’m sure I won’t regret it when I do read it. But dammit there aren’t going to be anymore and every time I think about that I STILL want to cry.
Marlene Harris recently posted..Stacking the Shelves (561)
Lots of good looking stuff here. I haven’t read Valdemar in ages. And I have never read Pratchett and really need to correct that.
Greg recently posted..Sunday Post #517
If you haven’t been back to Valdemar in a long while – I hadn’t either – try the first book in the Founding Trilogy, Beyond. It’s a prequel trilogy so you don’t have to remember much of anything about the series because as far as the book is concerned it hasn’t happened yet. But it still has the same ethos and story telling of the rest of the series so its a great way to go back! If you haven’t read the Discworld, as strange as this sounds, don’t start with The Color of Magic. Start with Guards, Guards and then go back. The first couple of books in the series Pratchett had no idea he was writing a series and it shows a bit. The early books are worth reading, especially Equal Rites and Mort, but Guards, Guards was the place where things really started coming together.
Marlene Harris recently posted..Stacking the Shelves (561)
You do kind of want to read Mort before too long though. And Equal Rites is the prequel to all the rest of the Witches stories so I’m a big fan of reading that one before getting into that subseries. I actually started with Mort and that sucked me in. I’d say Guards Guards was probably the most fully realized starting point though!
But IMAGINE: getting to read Pratchett for the first time! I wish I could do that again. Might be time for a re-read.
I started in the mid-90s and did start from the beginning with The Color of Magic on unabridged audio. I almost bailed because it didn’t quite get it together in any number of ways and read more as a sendup of the genre than an actual part of the genre. Sendups can be fun that would have been a one-trick pony. But I was desperate for audio so I persevered and thereby hangs a tail. I agree absolutely about both Equal Rites and Mort – especially Mort – but by the point of Guards Guards Discworld had its shit together as much as it ever did.
And the Discworld is definitely one of those series I wish I could read again for the first time. Maybe I’ll get Raising Steam on audio so I can make it last a little bit longer…
Marlene Harris recently posted..Stacking the Shelves (561)
Nice eclectic mix of books. I hope you enjoy them all when you get a chance to read them. Have a great week!
Enjoy your books and have a great week!
Yvonne @ Socrates Book Reviews recently posted..The Weekend Review – August 12th-14th
Looks like a great stack of books.
Mark recently posted..August 13th’s Sunday/Monday Post
Have a good week.
sherry fundin recently posted..Sherry’s Shelves – 8.6 – 8.12.23 #weeklyupdate #sundaymemes
You always have such a wonderful selection of books! Enjoy and have a great week! 🙂
Meezan recently posted..Sunday Post 43