Gotta say I'm really excited about this week's topic. Why? Because a fortnight ago, I didn't really have a Spring TBR list. And then I decided that I would start reading/ reviewing/ blogging more, and spent the week discovering awesome new sites full of awesome new (and old!) books that somehow I had never heard of, and now my bulging TBR list is making my wife talk about hiding our credit card. Muhahahah.
ANYWAYS. Here's a list of books I intend to read in the next month or so.
A Stranger in Olondria by Sofia Samatar
I first picked up this book when I was on holiday in New Zealand and killing time in a bookstore. A few chapters in, I was entranced by the rich prose and the promise of misadventures in an decadent city across the sea. It's been nominated for a Nebula too... I can't wait to read the entire thing.
Lord of Emperors by Guy Gavriel Kay
I am a raging fangirl when it comes to Guy Gavriel Kay. His work is just that magnificent. This is the second book in his Sarantine Mosaic duology; one I would have read months ago, were I not trying to pace myself on his backlist.
Who fears death by Nnedi Okorafor
I came across a review of this book last week and was surprised it slipped under my radar. Post-apocalyptic fantasy set in Africa, good enough to have won the World Fantasy Award in 2011 – I’m looking forward to it.
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
I suspect this is on a lot of people’s to read lists! I love most of Sanderson's work (I always want to translate his magic systems into RPGs) and thought The Way of Kings was great. I'm sure this one will be too.
Pathlight: New Chinese Writing (Spring 2013)
Pathlight is a quarterly magazine featuring Chinese stories & poetry. The Spring 2013 edition focused on "The Future" aka Chinese sci-fi. I've been meaning to pick up a copy for ages. Listening to Ling Chen talk at the BLF Global Science Fiction panel only cemented this urge, as apparently this is the only place where her work has been translated in English.
Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch
I’ve been following this series for a while. I first started reading them because of the British covers (which are awesome. Come on. Look at those maps.) but I’ve continued with them because they’re a lot of fun. It’s police bureaucracy meets magic, set in a London that actually feels diverse.
The Silvered by Tanya Huff
Tanya Huff is a pretty prolific novelist, although I don't recall reading any of her other books. This one looks interesting though: high fantasy with werewolves and a magic school drop-out.
Somewhere In France: A Novel of the Great War by Jennifer Robson
This book has been getting lots of good reviews, and I've been aiming to read more straight historical fiction. Hopefully this one will live up to the hype.
Hild by Nicola Griffith
Another historical novel I can't wait to get my hands on. Mostly because I've seen a lot of comments on the quality & thoughtfulness of the writing, but also because it's been nominated for a Nebula and the cover is pretty.
China's Urban Billion: The Story Behind the Biggest Migration in Human History by Tom Miller.Yes, there is non-fiction on this list. Is that cheating? (Guess I'm a cheat.) This book is here because I went to a fascinating talk on urban China at the Beijing Literary Festival last week: a 90 minute discussion on city verses population growth, hukou reform, eco-design, water & air pollution, and how China's changing government structures have impacted all of the above. Tom Miller was one of the speakers. I'm sure it'll be interesting to a geo-nerd like myself.
Have you read any books on this list? What are you most looking forward to?
Never heard of Stranger in Olondria. Looks like something I need to look up and find more about. Kinda mad at myself for passing on Hild a few months back, guess I will have to snag a copy later. And that Huff book shows up again and again, reminding me that I want to read it.
ReplyDeleteWell if you get around to them before me, I'll definitely be curious to know what you make of them.
DeleteWe have similar reading tastes! I LOVE all of Guy Gavriel Kay and the Sarantine Mosaic duology is one of my favorites. I had Words of Radiance on my list as well
ReplyDeleteBoth Hild and A Stranger in Olondria sound really good!! I had Hild on my radar, but then promptly forgot until now. The problems with having a huge TBR. ;)
Ah yes. There are definitely worse problems :D
DeleteI really, really want Hild to live up to all the hype it's getting. I think A Stranger in Olondria easily will though. Those first chapters were really smoothly told.
I read Hild last month. It was one of those all-consuming books, where you cannot read something else at the same time. I really liked it, but it was work to get through. I felt fully immersed though, it felt very realistic.
ReplyDeleteWho Fears Death sounds really awesome, BTW. So thanks for that. :)
I've seen the Brandon Sanderson book on several lists, it's very popular! And I can't wait to read Hild as well. I've heard really good things about it. Thanks so much for visiting my Top Ten!
ReplyDeleteOOoh I see a bunch of books that are on my TBR pile that didn't make it on my list. Hild looks fantastic.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my TTT post.
-Kimberly @ Turning the Pages