Hard to believe the year is almost over! I could swear it was October just the other day… Anyway, it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, and I thought I’d start with a quick reading round-up. 2018 has been a slow year for me, book-wise. There are SO MANY novels sitting on my bookshelf or in my e-reader waiting for some love, and I’ve barely made a dent in the pile. Hopefully 2019 will find me more inspired!
2018 was the first year I ever kept a book log, which proved to be an interesting experiment, and one I think I’ll continue next year. So, what did I actually read? I finished 35 novels in 2018. They were pretty evenly spread out in terms of age category: 11 were Middle Grade, 11 were YA, and 13 were adult fiction. As for genre, Fantasy (and sub-genres) was the big winner, with 25 titles against 3 science fiction novels, 1 horror tale, and 6 that fell into other categories (thrillers, a mystery, and a contemporary YA). 15 of those books were written by men, and the other 20 by women.
My resolution for 2019? Step up my reading game and catch up on that TBR pile!
Recent Reads: Earth shakers, world breakers.
I followed up my earlier read of Akata Witchwith the sequel, Akata Warrior. I absolutely love Nnedi Okorafor’s vivid worldbuilding and crisp storytelling syle, and the second book definitely lived up to the first. The novel continues Sunny’s saga as she keeps up her training in Leopard Society, takes her magical abilities further, and finds an even bigger battle to fight with her friends.
I recently picked up an ARC for an October release that had been gathering dust on my shelf since spring. Monstrous Devices by Damien Love is a nicely paced middle grade novel with a dark side and a hint of teeth. It has a vaguely clockpunk feel to it, and mixes toy robots, ancient golems, blood magic, and a breathless chase across half of Europe. Good stuff.
Moving away from kid lit, First Interview by CT Grey is what happens when you mix a zombie apocalypse, a vampire warrior, a high-tech portal to a secret off-planet colony, and whispers of a supernatural underworld. To be honest, when I read the blurb, I was skeptical. But Grey pulls it off with style, and this fast-paced genre mash-up was an entertaining read. Book 2 comes out in 2019, so stay tuned for an interview with the author on my blog.
Now Reading: Space capers galore!
I’m in the middle of The Scalpel, by James Worrad, and thoroughly enjoying it. There is plenty of action-packed intrigue to keep things moving, and a great cast of colorful characters.
To Read: The fantastic and the familiar.
I have a copy of Kelly Robson’s Gods, Monsters, and the Lucky Peachon my Kindle just begging for attention. I’ve liked everything I’ve read of Robson’s so far, and this one promises to be just as good.
Juliet E. McKenna is an author I’ve had on my to-read list for a while, and now I have two signed books of hers I got in the last Pixel Project fundraiser: The Green Man’s Heir, and Shadow Histories of the River Kingdom. Looking forward to these!
I haven’t read anything by children’s author Patricia MacLachlan, and I have at least two writer friends who claim she’s been a major influence in their lives. So I was delighted to be given a copy of My Father’s Words during a Holiday Book Swap held by my local SCBWI group. I think this will be one for my Christmas break…
Wishing you all a wonderful book-filled end of year!
Juliana Spink Mills 