Everything happened in February: work stuff, I moved my desk, moved my apartment, got sick, a polar vortex! February 2019 had everything, except for a well enough me to read the normal volume I am used to. But now that the books are put away and the furniture has been arranged, I wanted to share with you the delights and learnings from this second month.
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I did a lot of good reading in 2018 and was introduced to new favorite people, authors, and series. Here is a list of 12 books I’m really excited to read or see out in the world.
I read 81 books this year, mostly thanks to an aggressive ARC schedule and audiobooks. The list here are 18 books which I read this year that I loved, but weren’t necessarily published in 2018. Some are from 2016, one comes out in January 2019, and one collection of manga had been published back in 1972.
From the Earth to the Shadows (2018) is the second part to this urban fantasy starring Malin, a Valkyrie assigned to send immortals to Kurnugia when their time is up. Things haven’t been as they appear for quite some time. Picking up right where Between the Blade and the Heart (2018), left off, Malin and her friends are trying to find the answers to questions left unanswered in the wake of the murder of Malin’s mother, Marlowe, a fellow Valkyrie. A stacked sequel, there are battle scenes, tender moments, and questioned loyalties galore as the world itself hangs in a balance (4 stars out of 5). Thank you Wednesday Books for the eARC. Continue reading
I did a lot of good reading in 2017 and was introduced to new favorite people, authors, and series. Here is a list of 12 books I’m really excited to read or see out in the world.
I had the pleasure of reading an eARC of Between the Blade and the Heart (2018) by Amanda Hocking. It’s an urban fantasy about Valkyries whose purpose is to send immortals back to the underworld. There are secrets, tension, and really cool fight scenes galore. I especially loved how differently Malin approaches her relationship with Quinn and her relationship with Asher. Her relationship with her mother is particularly compelling.
As part of the blog tour, Amanda answered some questions about the craft and inspiration for this Scandinavian-inspired urban fantasy. The book comes out January 2nd.
I met Marty at a reading with Maria Dahvana Headley , Victor LaValle, and Daniel Polansky. I’m so glad to have introduced myself to him because he is so active as a writer. He does reviews and pieces for Tor.com and has several of his own short stories out for you to read. He took time to answer questions that I had about short stories and long form that might be helpful to those pursuing both styles of fiction. You can find the most recent line-up of his work here.
