Book Recs, Part 3
May. 23rd, 2015 04:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
impishtubistBecause I really am still alive out there, despite how quiet this journal has been.
Book Recs, part 1
Book Recs, part 2
I mentioned the Timothy Wilde books in my first book recs post, and the third book just recently came out. A perfect end to the trilogy, captivating and exciting and all that jazz. As ever, I care more for one of the minor characters than I do for the main one, and the nice thing about this series is that he gets just as much screen time. So, that's always a nice change.
The Front Runner was a hard one for me to digest, I have to admit. I didn't really know how to feel about it at first, despite the fact that I couldn't put it down. The story revolves around a college track coach falling for one of his track stars (and vice versa) as they prepare said track star to compete in the '76 Olympics. Don't get me wrong, it's a fascinating story, and the romance is heart-rending and not at all fluffy. But the main character sails right past being an asshole and is just generally an unpleasant person - sexist, racist, even slightly homophobic. Even though the story is gripping, by the end, I still hadn't warmed up to him. But there are two sequels (Harlan's Race and Billy's Boy), and after reading those, I like his character slightly better. He certainly grows up a lot.
I'm late to the party when it comes to The Martian, so you've probably already heard all the praise for it. Hard sci-fi at its best, it tells the story of a scientist stranded on Mars and how he manages to survive while Earth tries to figure out how to get him back home. And there's absolutely no romance, which I always appreciate, because it happens so rarely in books.
Oh, goodness. Here is the series that stole my life for a good solid month. The Steel Remains is the first book in the A Land Fit for Heroes trilogy, and it's definitely one of those books that I finished and went, "How am I supposed to continue on with my life now??" (This is made all the more painful by the fact that the AO3 page only has 6 fics for this series). It's fantasy, which I don't really like to begin with, but boy did it win me over fast. Ringil Eskiath is a war hero, a mercenary, a talented swordsman, openly homosexual in a world that forbids it, and sent on a quest by his estranged family that quickly gets him entangled with sorcery and prophecy and awakening demons. He's a tortured soul who breaks my heart over and over again, which I just love, and his journey is so painful. Angst levels are off the charts with this one.
I also don't really like coming-of-age stories, so this book gets a special shout-out because I read the whole thing in a day. Takes place in Minneapolis in the late '70s, with the MC learning to come to terms with his sexuality as a whole host of family secrets are dredged up.
For as much as I say I don't like fantasy, I read more of it than I realize. Havemercy was an excellent read. I mean, there are dragons in it. Mechanical dragons that are powered by magic. Also, tons of UST. How can you go wrong with that? There are three other books in this series, but they all seem to focus on other characters, from what I can gather. I already fell in love with this cast and want to read more about them, but alas. Still, this works as a stand-alone story.
On the m/m mystery front, I've gone through the Doug Orlando mysteries and the Dan Sharp mysteries and the Detective Lane mysteries. I'm sad that the author of the Doug Orlando books stopped writing them, because they were super enjoyable. Dan Sharp pisses me off as a character but he's also a single dad and you know my love of kid!fic, so. Detective Lane is my favorite of the three, and I eagerly am awaiting more books.
Okay, I think I'll stop there. This isn't even close to everything I've read since last time, but it's a start. I can be found here on Goodreads in case anyone is ever interested in what else I've read.
Book Recs, part 1
Book Recs, part 2
I mentioned the Timothy Wilde books in my first book recs post, and the third book just recently came out. A perfect end to the trilogy, captivating and exciting and all that jazz. As ever, I care more for one of the minor characters than I do for the main one, and the nice thing about this series is that he gets just as much screen time. So, that's always a nice change. The Front Runner was a hard one for me to digest, I have to admit. I didn't really know how to feel about it at first, despite the fact that I couldn't put it down. The story revolves around a college track coach falling for one of his track stars (and vice versa) as they prepare said track star to compete in the '76 Olympics. Don't get me wrong, it's a fascinating story, and the romance is heart-rending and not at all fluffy. But the main character sails right past being an asshole and is just generally an unpleasant person - sexist, racist, even slightly homophobic. Even though the story is gripping, by the end, I still hadn't warmed up to him. But there are two sequels (Harlan's Race and Billy's Boy), and after reading those, I like his character slightly better. He certainly grows up a lot. I'm late to the party when it comes to The Martian, so you've probably already heard all the praise for it. Hard sci-fi at its best, it tells the story of a scientist stranded on Mars and how he manages to survive while Earth tries to figure out how to get him back home. And there's absolutely no romance, which I always appreciate, because it happens so rarely in books. Oh, goodness. Here is the series that stole my life for a good solid month. The Steel Remains is the first book in the A Land Fit for Heroes trilogy, and it's definitely one of those books that I finished and went, "How am I supposed to continue on with my life now??" (This is made all the more painful by the fact that the AO3 page only has 6 fics for this series). It's fantasy, which I don't really like to begin with, but boy did it win me over fast. Ringil Eskiath is a war hero, a mercenary, a talented swordsman, openly homosexual in a world that forbids it, and sent on a quest by his estranged family that quickly gets him entangled with sorcery and prophecy and awakening demons. He's a tortured soul who breaks my heart over and over again, which I just love, and his journey is so painful. Angst levels are off the charts with this one. I also don't really like coming-of-age stories, so this book gets a special shout-out because I read the whole thing in a day. Takes place in Minneapolis in the late '70s, with the MC learning to come to terms with his sexuality as a whole host of family secrets are dredged up. For as much as I say I don't like fantasy, I read more of it than I realize. Havemercy was an excellent read. I mean, there are dragons in it. Mechanical dragons that are powered by magic. Also, tons of UST. How can you go wrong with that? There are three other books in this series, but they all seem to focus on other characters, from what I can gather. I already fell in love with this cast and want to read more about them, but alas. Still, this works as a stand-alone story. On the m/m mystery front, I've gone through the Doug Orlando mysteries and the Dan Sharp mysteries and the Detective Lane mysteries. I'm sad that the author of the Doug Orlando books stopped writing them, because they were super enjoyable. Dan Sharp pisses me off as a character but he's also a single dad and you know my love of kid!fic, so. Detective Lane is my favorite of the three, and I eagerly am awaiting more books.
Okay, I think I'll stop there. This isn't even close to everything I've read since last time, but it's a start. I can be found here on Goodreads in case anyone is ever interested in what else I've read.
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no subject
Date: 2015-06-01 05:59 am (UTC)I have this weird relationship with fantasy where I almost never finish reading a fantasy book I pick up, but I love listening to fantasy audiobooks. I don't even know.
no subject
Date: 2015-06-01 06:01 am (UTC)Speaking of dragons, have you read Naomi Novik? I have no idea if you like historical fiction, but it's literally the Napoleonic War with dragons, and it's fucking awesome. If you like that kind of thing :D
no subject
Date: 2015-06-01 11:48 am (UTC)I haven't read Naomi Novik, but I should add her to my list!