KJ

What books are you looking forward to and why?

So this is coming a little late, because the book I was most looking forward to this year (of the books that I believe will actually appear) is already out and is, in fact, currently sitting on the coffee table in my living room, about three quarters read. But what the heck, I'll do it anyway.

( My list of three )

I think I'm probably forgetting something. There are also books I'm highly anticipating in paperback release (the second Locke Lamora book, the latest Thursday Next...), but that's a whole other question for another day.

My third book for the tl;dr challenge; this theoretically fulfills my obligation, but since I already have at least half a dozen other books from the list in my house, I suspect I will continue to read from it, and I will keep reviewing as I go.

The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, Volume One by Diana Wynne Jones. Contains the books Charmed Life and The Lives of Christopher Chant. Recc'd by rhap_chan, prpl_pen, cumulouscastle, and thisredheadreads.

This volume contains the first two books in the Chrestomanci series, which is set in universe parallel to our own: our world, but with magic. Chrestomanci is one of the world's most powerful magicians, and he enforces the proper use of magic. The first book, Charmed Life, is about young Cat Chant, a boy from a magical family with no magic of his own, who comes to live with Chrestomanci with his powerful and ruthless older sister; The Lives of Christopher Chant is an episode in Chrestomanci's own youth, detailing how he discovered his powers. Cat and Christopher have some similarities in their backstories, so it was interesting to read them back-to-back; at first, I worried that it would be too much like reading the same story twice, but the situations develop differently enough that it turned out not to be a problem.

I have a definite preference for the second book. The first book is enjoyable, the introduction to the world is well done, but Cat is just a little dim for my tastes, and his sister, Gwendolen, is one of the most obnoxious spoiled brats I've ever come across in fiction. I found the young Chrestomanci more engaging and more believable, and the story better written. After Charmed Life, I wasn't certain I was going to continue with the series, but Lives sucked me in and now I'm looking forward to reading more.

I've been meaning to read more Diana Wynne Jones for awhile. Howl's Moving Castle was the first I read, and it didn't do that much for me, but then I picked up The Dark Lord of Derkholm and was thoroughly entranced. So I'm glad I've gotten back to her, and that the experience was so enjoyable.

Here is my list for the Rec List Challenge!

The first part of the challenge was to compile a list of ten books you love. A fairly simple task, except for the part where I have to narrow it down to just ten... and also to find at least a couple of books that I haven't already rec'd to bottle_of_shine thirty thousand times!

1. Tam Lin by Pamela Dean -- A retelling of the ballad, set in a small, liberal arts college. I read this during college and that part of the experience rang so true for me that I'm sure that colors my reading of it. Some day I'll finish and post my annotations.


2. The Lions of al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay -- Adventure/romance/politics in not-quite-Moorish Spain. One of the most affecting books I have ever read.


3. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin -- My favorite mystery story ever.


4. Bellweather by Connie Willis -- Not her best book, maybe even not my favorite of hers, but it made me laugh. A lot.


5. Earth by David Brin -- It's particularly interesting to read this sci-fi book now and see the ways in which he got future developments right, and the ways in which he missed the mark at right angles.


6. After All These Years by Susan Isaacs -- The first book by her I ever read and easily my favorite. Fun, clever, really enjoyable.


7. Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life by Bryan Lee O'Malley -- I snagged this kind of randomly at APE last year and it wound up becoming one of my favorites.


8. The Onion Girl by Charles de Lint -- Unfortunately this book is not the best place to start in the Newford series, but it's one I really love. I think you could read it without having read the others in the series, though; you just wouldn't get as much out of it.


9. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides -- I was not expecting a sweeping epic when I picked this book up, but I was really happy to get the one I got.


10. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett -- Is it wrong that I like this joint effort better than any book written individually by either of them?

Side note: whenever anyone asks me what I read, I always insist that my tastes are fairly eclectic, but well over half these titles fall neatly into "speculative fiction". I suppose I should just admit that the SF/F genre is where my reading heart truly lies.

Anyway. So there you have it, ten books I really love. Even if you aren't doing the challenge, if any of you read these and like them (or even if you don't), I'd love to hear about it!