84
Followers
106
Following
Saturdays in Books
Reviews of speculative fiction, YA, middle grade, and graphic novels, along with stray thoughts, links, and pictures.
Currently reading
The SFWA European Hall of Fame: Sixteen Contemporary Masterpieces of Science Fiction from the Continent
The 2015 TBR Pile
The last few years, I've put together a book list in a semi-private G+ post. Until last year, I even did a good job of actually reading everything on it. (Ah, 2014, year of not reading anything I thought I would. Or anything much at all.)
This year, I thought I'd expand the list into a blog post with some notes about each title, including which will be e-books. I hear all the cool kids are doing it.
Karen Memory - Elizabeth Bear. Steampunk meets old west with an interesting sounding narrator.
The Many Faces of Josephine Baker - Peggy Caravantes. This MG book about Josephine Baker looks like a fun biography and is aimed at my niece's age group.
Storm in a Teacup - Emmie Mears (e-book). Based on the description, this would be a "maybe," but I read her Masked Songbird book and loved it to pieces. Plus Nashville, TN sounds like a fun UF setting. Mears is smart and subtle with character and not at all shy of violence and gore.
The Sweetest Heist in History - Octavia Spencer. A second Ninja Detective book? Hot. I loved the first one so of course I am picking this up right away. For my niece. Well, okay, maybe also for me.
The Mechanical - Ian Tregillis (e-book). Clockpunk alt-history expanding a universe introduced in a short story I loved. It's unlikely I'll like this as much as his last novel because, seriously, that's one of my all time favorite books. I might be a little excited about this one.
Persona - Genevieve Valentine. An author who's longer fiction I keep meaning to try. SF thriller has been kind of hit and miss for me as a genre, but this one sounds fantastic.
May releases:
This year, I thought I'd expand the list into a blog post with some notes about each title, including which will be e-books. I hear all the cool kids are doing it.
February releases:
Karen Memory - Elizabeth Bear. Steampunk meets old west with an interesting sounding narrator. The Many Faces of Josephine Baker - Peggy Caravantes. This MG book about Josephine Baker looks like a fun biography and is aimed at my niece's age group. Storm in a Teacup - Emmie Mears (e-book). Based on the description, this would be a "maybe," but I read her Masked Songbird book and loved it to pieces. Plus Nashville, TN sounds like a fun UF setting. Mears is smart and subtle with character and not at all shy of violence and gore. March releases:
The Sweetest Heist in History - Octavia Spencer. A second Ninja Detective book? Hot. I loved the first one so of course I am picking this up right away. For my niece. Well, okay, maybe also for me. The Mechanical - Ian Tregillis (e-book). Clockpunk alt-history expanding a universe introduced in a short story I loved. It's unlikely I'll like this as much as his last novel because, seriously, that's one of my all time favorite books. I might be a little excited about this one. Persona - Genevieve Valentine. An author who's longer fiction I keep meaning to try. SF thriller has been kind of hit and miss for me as a genre, but this one sounds fantastic.
The Wrath and the Dawn - Renee Ahdieh. A reimagining of A Thousand and One Nights as a YA romance. I don't even know what that means. I want to know what that means.
The Book of Phoenix - Nnedi Okorafor. Prequel to the excellent Who Fears Death. Gorgeous cover. This is one of two books Okorafor has coming out this year. I'm getting both.June releases:
Nemesis Games - James Corey. I've been a fan of this series for quite some time. These are also almost the only fiction my spouse reads. He'll get the e-book, but I'm still getting the physical ones with the gorgeous, gorgeous covers.July releases:
Lagoon - Nnedi Okorafor. I heard her read the first chapter at Worldcon in 2012, and it was indescribable. I expect this will be one of the stranger reads of the year for me.August releases:
Mechanica - Betsy Cornwell (ebook). Synopsis sounds a lot like a book I passed on a couple years back, but somehow this one sounds more appealing. Edge of Dawn - Melinda M. Snodgrass (e-book). Book three in this UF with a male lead where the supernatural elements are modern religion. The science vs. belief stuff is heavy handed in this series. The character interactions are frequently a special kind of corny full of meaningful looks. I find it quite appealing, and just a heck of a lot of fun both in spite and because of those things.
Kitty Saves the World - Carrie Vaughn (e-book). The final installment of a UF series I've loved for more than 10 installments. September releases:
A Pocket Full of Murder - R.J. Anderson. Another MG title. To quote the gr description, "A Veronica Mars-type girl joins forces with a mystery-loving street boy to solve a murder in a 1930s-style city driven by spell power."
The House of Shattered Wings - Aliette de Bodard. UF set in Paris. I've read a lot (but not all) of her short fiction and looking forward to this quite a bit. Chapelwood - Cherie Priest (undecided format). Sequel to Maplecroft, a novel where Lizzie Borden fights Cthulhu with an axe. This time, Lizzie is in Birmingham, Alabama. I have the first in paperback, but I'm betting I'll want to read this in bed, which makes e-book easier. Fortunately, I have some time to decide to cancel the ebook and go for paper if I need to.October releases:
Empire Ascendant - Kameron Hurley. Second book in an epic fantasy trilogy. I don't often find epic fantasy satisfying, but the first book pushed so many of the right buttons for me. Those buttons are D, E, I, R, and W.Ancillary Mercy - Ann Leckie. Final book in a trilogy that started with win-all-the-awards Ancillary Justice. I'm reading the second book right now. It came out during the dark two months of 2014 where I didn't finish a single book, and kept slipping from the top of my pile - I'm loving it so far.
This is by no means is that a complete list of titles I'm interested in. Just what I have preorderd so far. The next Owl book, the next White Trash Zombie book, I am Princess X, Mars Evacuees, and countless others will probably find their way into my library. And there are still a dozen books from last year I haven't read yet. I do so enjoy having problems like this.
Anything else I should add?
8
5
