November MBR
Intro
October was a busy month for me, focused on work only; and it was not conducive to reading or blogging. On the positive side, I can only do better than this so I am hoping to impress myself in November 2023!
October I spent most of my time reading male authors in fantasy. So I decided that November will be mostly dedicated to women in fantasy!
November TBR and MBR
There are so many good options in the field I chose for this month. So many women have been and are writing fantasy so there is abundance. In fairness, I struggle with too many choices. So I need to make my reading hobby easier: I compiled a list of interesting books; despite all my best efforts, this list remains relatively long already.
The extensive list contains historical fiction stories and fantasy stories, some recent and some more dated. So let’s use these parameters as guidance.
Historical fiction
There are more than a few main books in this category. With that said, here are the few that I would like to select from:
Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel. This might be the most interesting story in this list for me. It is a mythological retelling and a different heritage for me. It is a story of independence of women and it is a debut story!
The Children of Gods and Fighting Men by Shauna Lawless. This is another debut story focusing on Ireland at the end of the first millennia. Women are also protagonists in this story. This is also the start of a series called Gael Song.
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton. This story has been on my TBR for a long time. The main feature is that it takes place in New Zealand in the second half of the 1800.
Dreaming the Eagle by Manda Scott. This is the retelling of an historical figure, one of the few people who was able to resist the Roman Empire’s expansion, specifically in the British island. This also starts a four-part series called Boudica, the name of the warrior who protects the Celtic culture from the Roman Empire.
The starless sea by Erin Morgenstern. What I know is that I loved The Night Circus (and I am not a romance reader). So this story feels like a great autumn fit!
Fantasy
For fantasy, my options are plenty and I will probably keep all these choices available. On the more recent side, I have:
Vicious by V.E. Schwab. This is an urban fantasy focusing on two characters, friends and then foes. It is a short story with great setting and idea!
The Stone Knife by Anna Stephens. I have been complaining that fantasy did not use much inspiration from the Meso-American culture. This is a book that covers this craving. And it kicks off The Songs of the Drowned series and I cannot wait to dive into this world.
Blue Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse, starting the completed trilogy of Between Earth and Sky. This is another great choice for Meso-American culture exploration; on top of that, written by a Native American!
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik, starting The Scholomance trilogy. I really enjoy Naomi Novik and her stories (some more, some less) and I want to read this latest trilogy!
The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison. This story is set in the same world of The Goblin Emperor (one of my favorite portrayals of leadership in fantasy). We follow Thara Celehar, a fascinating character and I cannot wait to see what Katherine Addison is able to do in this world!
The Final Strife by Saara el-Arifi, starting The Ending Fire trilogy. This is a story set in the mythology of Africa and Arabia (another fairly underrated mythology in fantasy); it seems to be a story of rebellion, a favorite trope of mine!
There are also a few older stories in fantasy on my radar for November:
Magic’s Pawn by Mercedes Lackey, starting a seers in the Valdemar world, specifically The Last Herald-Mage. The reason I did not immediately dive into this is that this might not be the perfect place to start for the Valdemar series. With that said, I should read, sooner rather than later, books by Mercedes Lackey!
Shapechangers by Jennifer Roberson, starting the series called Chronicles of Cheysuli. I love Jennifer Roberson’s Tiger and Del series; not only the world building is quite interesting; she also introduced one of my favorite couples in fantasy (and, again, I am not a romance reader). I want to see if I can fall in love with her story telling in a different world!
Penric’s Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold, starting the Penric and Desdemona series. Now, she is a great author in fantasy. I need to spend more time in her worlds!
Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling starts the Nightrunner series. This would be a re-read for me, a story of thieves and secrets. It would be good to start (and finish) the series!
I also have one main project that requires me reading a few books by Adrian Tchaikovsky: we are finally in the last stretch, with the Air War, War Master’s Gate and Seal of the Worm. I just cannot wait to see how this plot and story ends.
So it is a month without much direction; better said, my main direction will be to read the series that I actually start before a long period of time. Ideally I can push myself in the same month of November.
Audiobooks
I don’t always make space for the audiobooks that I experience. I tend to list mostly the books that I read. With that said, I spent a few months in urban fantasy stories. I feel that I took as much as I could here; so I will switch things around. I am looking forward to Reacher’s season two, so we will dive into Reacher’s books by Lee Child! I am currently reading Die Trying (book two) and I will continue with the series as long as I can get.
Final thoughts
I have been allowing myself quite a lot of space to deal with work. The one that pays the bills at the end of the day. With that said, I love reading, I love spending time in fictional worlds and I will push myself in this area. This is the time for me to make myself accountable. I gave myself space, now it’s time to hold myself accountable!
What are your plans for November? Do you plan to have a theme?
