December 2011

And to wrap up 2011, here’ s the Stuff I’ve Been Reading post for this month.

1. Edgewood by Moi. Lest you think it mere padding to put my own novel on the list, I assure you that I sat down and read it front to end like a proper book. Which, of course, it is.
2. The Magician King by Lev Grossman.
3. The Hammer by K. J. Parker.
4. Solstice Wood by Patricia A. McKillip (25%).
5. The Darkness that Comes Before by R. Scott Bakker (20%).
6. The Writer’s Notebook: Craft Essays from Tin House by Dorothy Allison, et. al.
7. The Kingdom of Gods by N. K. Jemisin. The godling Sieh is the narrator of this exciting conclusion to Jemisin’s first–but I hope not her last–trilogy.
8. Miracle and Other Christmas Stories by Connie Willis. As it was a book I received for Christmas last year, I thought this read would be apt in December: gently Christmas-themed stories, all.
9. Hogfather by Terry Pratchett. Christmas in the Discworld is called Hogswatch–but what will happen to belief if the Hogfather is…inhumed…by the Assassins Guild? As it turns out, the sun may not rise. This book was also my first Christmas present (thanks, Sherri!).
10. The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin. Once you get past the turtle aliens, you realize this book is all about good stewardship of Earth’s natural resources.
11. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell. It was beautiful historical fiction, about a Dutch clerk in Japan during the 1800s; but Cloud Atlas remains my favorite David Mitchell novel.
12. Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton. The back-cover blurb by Jane Yolen advertises this novel as Pride and Prejudice with dragons, and it’s really spot-on: a positive delight to read.
13. Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper. A reread, this first book in the Dark Is Rising Sequence is something I picked up on a lark as I was arranging my new acquisitions on the shelf.
14. The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper.

Best Christmas Book: Hogfather

Best Sequel: The Kingdom of Gods

Best Fantasy: Tooth and Claw and The Magician King

Goodbye, 2011, and hello, 2012. I hope and trust that the new year will be filled with many excellent books.

12. The Magician King

TBR #12. The Magician King by Lev Grossman.

First sentence: Quentin rode a gray horse with white socks named Dauntless.

The Magician King is the sequel to The Magician, which is about Quentin’s education as a magician at Brakebills and his subsequent adventures in Fillory, a magical kingdom comparable to Narnia, but much darker. In this second book, Quentin experiences something akin to a Quarter Life Crisis as he questions his essential identity: Is Fillory really his home? How can he fulfill his role as a true magician king?

But it isn’t as existential as all that. This book is high adventure with lots of classic fantasy tropes employed in surprising ways. I liked the first book and I liked the second one, as Quentin and Julia quest through Fillory, Earth, the Nietherlands, their own pasts, and the future of magic itself.

Do I recommend this book? Definitely–for fans of the fantasy genre who can tolerate adult content and delight in the bizarre.