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What I'm Reading: February 2019

February, while short, gave me time to compile an eclectic list of books finished. Sometimes I get into a particular genre and just want to keep going, other times I opt for a bit of a palate cleanser and change gears.

I also managed to make the list of books to read longer rather than shorter -- I acquired more than I finished. Oops.

Remember, if you've read and enjoyed any of these, drop a note here (so someone else who finds this post also finds that recommendation) and give the author's works a shoutout in whatever spaces you inhabit. They need to keep selling books so they can keep writing so we can keep reading.

The importance of online reviews: I recently read a piece by an author praising the value of one-line reviews on book purchase sites so go drop those too. The numbers matter as much as the content of your review so don't stress out over your writing ability -- just praise what you like about theirs.

A note on local economies and these links: You should shop at a local, independently owned bookstore. Or check these out through your local library -- did you know they can do that with e-books too, if that's how you read? Links on this page are Amazon Affiliate links. I've never made a penny from Amazon but these links give you access to more information and reader reviews. If I ever do make anything I'll donate it to a local nonprofit that helps people who need it most.

Writers on Twitter: I have a Writers list on Twitter. It isn't everyone I read/enjoy but it's a good starting place if you find your tastes and mine overlap. I so appreciate the chances I get to interact with people directly to tell them I enjoy their work, like my brief Twitter exchange with Barry Eisler about finding active transportation infrastructure part of the story and the conversation with Charlie Jane Anders, both shown below.

And now for February's list, with thanks to Zen Cho, Claudie Arseneault, Barry Eisler, Charlie Jane Anders, Connie Willis, and Nicki Pau Preto for their talents--

Sorcerer to the Crown, Zen Cho (@zenaldehyde): Oh so good! Set in an alternate Regency England with magic, a Sorcerer to the Crown who upsets the Establishment because he's African (adopted and raised by the previous Sorcerer to the Crown), and a strong feminist theme.

Spirits Abroad, Zen Cho: Wonderful short story collection. Her treatment of a teenage Malaysian vampire was so good for the angst of first love. I tore through this after finishing Sorcerer to the Crown.

I couldn't wait for the next book in the Sorcerer series so to keep the Cho going I read a short story with a Korean imugi that wants to become a dragon and heartbreaking queer love. Available for free so you can go read it right now: "If at First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again."

City of Strife, Claudie Arseneault (@ClH2OArs): Fantasy with magic and characters of all races (including elves and dark elves), genders, and approaches to love, from asexual to pansexual. I enjoyed the world Arseneault created (which has a bit of the flavor of Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner, which you absolutely should read, along with all the other books by Kushner and the serial with other authors' stories set in that world).

City of Betrayal, Claudie Arseneault: The next novel set in Isandor. City of Strife carried me along through the blizzardy days of early February and I kept going. I read this one during the stretch of eight days I got stuck in Olympia -- went down for some work meetings intending to come home for the weekend before the Washington Bike Summit, couldn't travel thanks to the snow so I stayed straight on through.
The Killer Collective, Barry Eisler (@BarryEisler): I've read and enjoyed his John Rain novels -- who'd have thought an assassin who specializes in making his work look like an accident could be such a sympathetic character? I also appreciate his Livia Lone novels -- she's a Seattle PD detective so I get to enjoy my local geography being part of the story while appreciating her passion for taking down child traffickers and rapists as she works through the aftermath of her own painful history. This book brings together the characters from both series so start with those. Really well-researched books by a former CIA operative who packs in plenty of action.

The City in the Middle of the Night, Charlie Jane Anders (@CharlieJane): Her earlier book All the Birds in the Sky is so, so beautiful I had to order this one the second I saw from her on Twitter that it was out. really good decision, as this book is another fantastic work. Compelling characters who didn't fit neatly into traditional molds struggle against the constraints of a narrow-minded society on a planet locked into an orbit with a hot, bright side and a dark, frigid side. I wanted to reread the book the minute I had finished it.
Doomsday Book, Connie Willis (@CWCrosstalk): What a wonderful book. Willis makes you feel the grinding exhaustion that comes with being the one people rely on when sickness sweeps through, a feeling any caretaker can relate to. In this case, it's a time-traveling historian who ends up in the Black Plague period by mistake. At the same time a modern-day influenza outbreak interferes with efforts to bring her back. Perfect title -- this is not a book to read if you're looking to be cheered up, but it isn't all grim and awful either. The resourceful and irrepressible teen Colin was one of my favorite characters.

Crown of Feathers, Nicki Pau Preto (@NickiPauPreto): No idea how I found this one -- possibly from another author's recommendation, possibly an Amazon suggestion. First in a series and I'll be looking for the rest. Two sisters at odds, Phoenix Riders, animages that can sense and work with animals, the politics of empire, all good stuff. This is technically a YA (young adult) book; I find I read a number of these over the course of the year because this space has more and more writers providing a diverse cast of characters across race, ethnicity, genders, sexual orientation, abilities and more, and they tend to be good stories. If you like this one also read the Ruined series: Ruined, Allied, Avenged, by Amy Tintera (@amytintera).

This month's additions to TBR, with notes on how I found the book if I remember:
For a list of what's already waiting patiently on my Kindle, check out my January reading post.

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