7. The Sharing Knife

by Lois Bujold McMaster (298 pp ebook)

I've been trying to cram in a bunch of reading before I start another writing project. I had a paperback on the bus and decided to bail on it and this is the first book that came up on my eReader. I love this author. She has a ton of books I haven't read and it's hard to resist the urge to plow through every single one. This is a fantasy with magical objects and strange creatures that's really a romance and I had a some quibbles but mostly I loved it.

6. Blindsight

By Peter Watts (384 pp)

Look at this, 6 pitiful books for 2017 but at least I read this in one week. This book is spectacular and dense and not something I could read while in the middle of a writing project. I don't think I can adequately explain in a sentence because if I say: a space crew goes to investigate a comet and ends up in contact with aliens, it sounds like a familiar story. It's way more complex than that and deals with consciousness and biology and a lot more. Very highly recommend.

5. Three Dark Crowns

By Kendare Blake (407 pp ebook)

A couple of years ago I read Anna Dressed in Blood and Girl of Nightmares by this author so when this book showed up in my Bookbub (super addictive way to buy ebooks, join at your own risk) I had to grab it. It's dark and the whole time I read it, I couldn't guess where it was going. Also, it's a cliffhanger and book 2 comes out in September! I recommend.

4. X (Kinsey Millhone #24)

By Sue Grafton (404 pp ebook)

This is another book that turned up on sale in my BookBub and I had to buy. There was a period of time when I never missed these books but around N or O I lost interest. Since this was a couple of bucks I grabbed it and it was a fun easy read on an afternoon where I was feeling under the weather. I like the characters and the way Kinsey always misbehaves. But I'm terrible at figuring out mysteries and I had figured out what was up on a couple of things long before Kinsey. I guess I saw the prologue so maybe I'm being too hard on her. If you like Kinsey or procedurey mysteries. Recommend.

3. The Sparrow

By Mary Doria Russell (441 pp ebook)

This book came out in 1996 and I read it somewhere around that time. It's about a Jesuit mission to another planet that goes very wrong. You learn that in the first few pages so it's not a spoiler. There was a notice it was on sale in my BookBub (my nemesis, but I will never give it up) so I bought it. When I read it the first time, I remember it being very page turn-y. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I shared it with my family and enjoyed talking about it. It was very interesting to read it again after hanging out around spec fiction writers for the last decade. I still enjoyed it but I had issues - partly with the world building and also with the way almost every major story event happened off screen and someone told us about it later. Still recommend.

2. Paladin Of Souls

By Lois McMaster Bujold (442 pp ebook)

I was reluctant but I started reading books on my phone and that has upped my reading a little bit. This is a sort-of sequel to Curse of Chalion Book #14 from 2016. The events of this book come after that book but the stories are self-contained. I loved them both. The world-building is complex, there's a lot going on and there is a romantic element which always makes me happy. Recommend.

1. A Long Way To A Small Angry Planet

By Becky Chambers (357 pp ebook)

OMG. Can this be real? This is the first book I've finished in 2017? I have been barely able to keep up with my New Yorkers. (I recommend this great essay about taking an aging parent on an Odyssey themed cruise and this short story by new-to-me writer Emma Cline.) I made some ridiculous writing goals which kicked my ass and then broke my brain so my reading has dwindled. It's a crisis. When I finish the latest book, I'm taking a month off and concentrating on reading.

It took me about 6 weeks to finish this, which is no reflection of my feelings about the book which I enjoyed a great deal. It's about the crew of a Firefly-like spaceship and focuses more on the people and their relationships than crazy space adventures, although there is some of that, too. Recommend.

17. Ancillary Mercy

by Ann Leckie (328 pp)

I gotta be honest, I was disappointed. I loved the first one but had a harder time with the second one. This one was a slog for me. It felt like there were so many scenes with everyone drinking tea and talking about an AIs feelings. I also got bogged down in the world building. I had a tough time keeping the characters, species, governments, military units, titles, and locations straight. Still love the original idea. Would read another by this author.

16. Nemesis Games

By James S. A. Corey (530 pp)

Expanse book #5. I loved it as much as I've loved all of them. Amos Burton remains one of my favorite literary characters that I've met in the past few years. In this one, while the Rocinante is being repaired, the crew separates to take care of personal business. Terrible things happen and they all have to rescue themselves and find each other again. I have been trying to zoom through several books to pass on to my cousin who I will see over the holiday. Ancillary Mercy is next up.

15. Ancillary Sword

By Ann Leckie 356 pp

Wow. It's been two months since I posted a book. My reading has been scanty due to low brain juice in my spare time. I've read some novellas and romance. Getting through the New Yorker every week uses up the bulk of my reading time. I picked this up because I was going on a trip and wanted to get out of my rut. It's book 2 of a trilogy. I read Ancillary Justice in 2014. I did like this one but I had a harder time getting into it.

The protagonist is a soldier and sent to this space station and then things happen and there are mysteries to solve. I'm looking forward to finishing the series.

14. The Curse of Chalion

By Lois McMaster Bujold (502 pp)

I have heard about this author forever and this is my first time reading one of her books and I am thrilled that there are at least 20 more including stories in space. This is a fantasy set in an ancient Spain-like place with swords and power struggles and complex religion. The protagonist Cazaril has been through some rough times and goes back to the household where he once served as a page in the hopes of having a quiet life. Unfortunately, that's not how things go. It's one of those books where people you like do things you don't want them to do and cause terrible things to happen to other people you like. Really good. Recommend. I have been promising myself that I would only read books I already have but I learned that there are other books set in this world and the next one, Paladin of Souls, won both the Nebula and the Hugo so click click, it's on my eReader. I'm going to start it when I have a couple of hours to get into it.

13. Cibola Burn

By James S.A. Corey (581 pp)

This is Expanse Book #4.

I finally finished this book. I was working on a writing project and could not make time for reading. I finished Phase 1 of my project right before vacation and read 4 books while we were traveling. None knocked my socks off so I don't think I will add here.

Cibola Burn is about a group of refugees who settle a new planet, an evil corporation who has legal (?) stake in the planet, and there is some funky stuff going on with the planet itself. I loved this one once I got into it, although I'm not completely clear what happened at the end of the action. Reading around online, that seems like a common reaction.

I need to go buy book #5 and Book #6 comes out at the end of the year and then I'm waiting like everyone else.