Um. So I might have got a bit carried away with Mt TBR this month (or is it that Mt TBR carried me away this month…?). I think the only thing that saved me was the Bout of Books reading challenge.
Mt TBR status
Mt TBR @ 1 January 2015: 202
Mt TBR @ 31 July 2015: 214
Mt TBR @ 31 August 2015: 218
Books read
40. The Rebel Returns by Becca Lusher. Reviewed here.
41. Night Witches by Jason Morningstar. An RPG about the 588th Night Bomber Regiment, an all-female regiment in the Soviet army in WW2. By day, players struggle to keep their planes maintained while fending off the rampant sexism of the rest of their army and the watchful gaze of Internal Affairs. By night, they fly bombing missions over German targets in flimsy planes twenty years out of date and without parachutes. Players complete missions at six duty stations, reflecting the course of the war. Character turnover in this game is high, reflecting the high casualty rate this regiment faced. A clever and enjoyable RPG.
42. The Foretelling of Georgie Spider by Ambelin Kwaymullina. Reviewed here.
43. Risk by Fleur Ferris. A contemporary YA about a young girl who goes missing after meeting her online date in person. Not my usual sort of thing but I thought I’d give it a try for the Aussie Bloggers Book Club. It packed quite an emotional punch
44. A Case of Spirits by KJ Charles. Not quite as engaging as the last few, but still a lot of fun.
45. Getting Wilde by Jenn Stark. Review forthcoming.
46. Uprooted by Naomi Novik. Review forthcoming
47. The Shab-al-Hiri Roach by Jason Morningstar. Another RPG. Set in 1919, an Elder God in the shape of a cockroach escapes onto a university campus. The aim of the game is to be the academic with the highest reputation who has escaped the mind-controlling influence of the cockroach. I haven’t played this one yet, but I can’t wait.
48. Facing the Mirror by Jaye McKenna. An undercover cop has to decide whether to blow his cover in order to save a sexual slave. The m/m erotica definitely plays second fiddle to strong sci-fi elements. A prequel to McKenna’s Guardians of the Pattern series, it did a reasonable job of standing on its own but still had a little work to do. Nevertheless, an excellent intro to the series.
49. Liesmith by Alis Franklin. A young IT geek has to come to terms with the fact his first boyfriend also happens to be a Norse God. Urban fantasy with plenty of horror elements, an Australian setting and a strong narrative voice. Highly recommended.
Books acquired
Night Witches by Jason Morningstar
Equilibrium C.S. Sealey
The Foretelling of Georgie Spider by Ambelin Kwaymullina
Facing the Mirror by Jaye McKenna
Ten Simple Tips for Surviving the Apocalypse by Cari Z
Checkers’ Abyss by Jarrod Elvin
Risk by Fleur Ferris
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
A Talent for Trickery Alissa Johnson
Getting Wilde by Jenn StarkA Crucible of Souls by Mitchell Hogan
The Shab-al-Hiri Roach by Jason MorningstarAurora: Eden by Amanda Bridgeman
Online reading
The Court of Five Thrones Ch 54- 55 by Pia Foxhall. I got rather teary through these chapters. There were some beautiful conversations and some difficult material was handled deftly. I’ve been waiting for the last chapter to go up (which should happen today!) to binge on the last four chapters.
What have you read this month?
So many books! Good work. 😀
Thanks! Most of the ones I read were pretty short. Still hoping to hit 80 books for the year, but I’ll be pushing it.