I’m on an extended vacation (yay for being a teacher right now) and have found myself in a slight dilemma. I traveled internationally and am in a very slow, stress free living space. I want to keep off the internet and my nose a book! Because it was international travel, I had to choose what I brought carefully (weight limits) and ended up blowing through my fiction much faster than anticipated. I can’t get English language books where I am. So, I have to resort to Libby and Kindle on my phone; which I usually don’t prefer. I will need something that really grabs my attention so it keeps me in the book and away from other apps! Looking at you, Reddit.
I have browsed the standard “summer reads” categories and those just never quite grab me. I have preferences for dystopian and historical fiction. Fantasy can be good, too, when done well. But I’m open to anything really good.
What I read in the last 3 weeks:
Voices of the Dead, Ambrose Parry (4th book in that series, first two were good, 3rd was still pretty good, 4th was more meh but I finished it out of loyalty to the series.)
Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood (slow to get invested, but once I did, it was good and very interesting. I’m thinking of trying the next in the series, but I’m not certain it’s going to hold me. I’ve read Handmaid’s Tale and its prequel, loved both.)
Armour of Light, Ken Follett (5th in the Kingsbridge series. I really liked it, just as I do this entire series. I wish I could like his contemporary stuff as much as this historical series. Anything like this series, I would eat up!)
Others:
I’ve read most of the Ice and Fire series, GRR Martin (just lost me half way through the most recent book, but offshoots were good — Knight of 7 Kingdoms and Fire and Blood.)
The Wheel of Time series was really good for the first 7-8. Then I got stuck — which I’ve read is typical as there is a few books that are tougher until it picks up again for the last few, maybe I’ll try to slog that.)
I have read all of Tolkien and loved it.
Essex Serpent, Sarah Perry (good and representative of the type of books I like.)
YA dystopian can work for me every once in a while, but it has to be written well and smoothly (Hunger Games was good, Divergent and Maze Runner good enough that I finished them all, haven’t found much else in that category yet.)
If you made it this far, thanks! I am grateful for any recommendations you are willing to give.
by mobiuscycle