What Are You Reading/Looking Forward To?

[lea_hazel]

What are you reading right now?

What upcoming books are you looking forward to, and when do you plan on getting/reading them?


What I'm reading right now has nothing to do with fantasy, although just recently I finished the first two books of a trilogy based on Mesopotamian mythology. Hebrew-language fantasy is rather thin on the ground, what with the tiny market and all, but I really hope someone picks these books up for translation. Among the flurry of popular mythologies for English-language fantasy, the ancient Middle East is pretty far from sight. You will occasionally find a contemporary fantasy with a Djinn or so in it, but not much more.

At the top of my to-read pile are a bunch of non-fantasy books that have been sitting on my shelf for ages, but at the end of this semester I'm buying a bunch of new books, and probably at least half of them will be fantasy. I'm very looking forward to Acacia, an epic/political fantasy that received rave reviews from all my favorite bloggers. A billion people or so have plugged Marjorie Liu's contemporaries, so I'm finally picking up the first book of her Dirk & Steele series (see above, Djinn). And, of course, there's a new Jacqueline Carey and a new Robin Hobb, both of which I'm waiting on the paperback for.

Those are just the top of the list. There's a whole bunch of other fantasy on my radar. As you might be able to tell, I'm actively trying to expand my horizon.


ETA: I forgot to ask: Does anyone know of a community for mystery/detective books on DW? I searched the interests and checked the comm promotions, but couldn't find anything.

Comments

[ex_pippin880]

I have Garth Nix's Lord Sunday. If it is as disappointing as Lady Friday and Superior Saturday I may cry.

Oh man, I would love some Mesopotamian-based fantasy. Also Hebrew-based fantasy, actually. All I know about Middle Eastern folklore is djinns and golems. Need more folklore books. .__.

[lea_hazel]

I could have sworn that Golems were invented in the European diaspora, but apparently there are lesser-known references in the Talmud. Anyway, the golem myth is referenced in these books when the demons describe forming a slave out of mud, whose name was Adam. It was only when he accidentally gave himself a mouth and a soul that he became the first human. The book namedrops a lot of gods and such, but only Tiamat and Marduch are major players. And the Leviathan, which takes a very unexpected turn.

The books are called The Whale of Babylon and The Waters Between the Worlds and I really, really hope they get translated.

[ex_pippin880]

It was only when he accidentally gave himself a mouth and a soul that he became the first human.

I really like that idea.

I had the idea for a story involving golems and their folktales, and a friend went "oh so you're reading Jewish folktales for ideas?" and I had not done any research yet so I just assumed! woops.

There is a character in Reborn! whose name is Levi A Than...

[lea_hazel]

That's the problem with mythology, all the really good ideas require tons of research.

[digitalghost]

Were I fluent in Hebrew I would do it myself. This sounds awesome!

[lea_hazel]

I figure if I mention them often enough, maybe someone in the business will find out! I would do a fan translation if it weren't grueling work. As a translator I'm an abject amateur and I don't have the skills to properly translate something of this scope.

[mortalcity]

Right now, I'm rereading the entire Dresden Files series (less Fool Moon, because I'm missing it), rereading the first three Kushiel books, and reading Making Money by Terry Pratchett (this one for the first time). ...I've been having trouble focusing on any one book lately, if you couldn't tell.

I'm only really looking forward to a couple books at the moment - very limited book budget, so I tend to stick with authors I already like a lot. The next Dresden Files book is out in April, and Seanan McGuire has two new books this year, one in March and one in May (the second one as Mira Grant). I am very excited about all three of those, and will probably have to acquire them as soon as they're out.

[lea_hazel]

Oh, I heard really good things about Rosemary and Rue.

[mortalcity]

I enjoyed it a lot, and fairies aren't usually my thing.

[holyschist]

I had a few reservations about the worldbuilding, but overall I really liked it!

[stellar_dust]

I'm currently reading a lot of academic papers, and fanfic!

... I also just started re-reading Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams, which I guess is sort of fantasy? It's moving a lot more slowly than I remember from when I was 13, but hopefully it picks up in the next few chapters.

Jo Graham has a bunch of books coming out this year, in her Numinous World fantasy series and also some Stargate: Atlantis profic, all of which I'm looking forward to ridiculously.

[adair]

I just finished the first three books in Daniel Abraham's The Long Price Quartet. (Don't remember the codes for italics; I'll look them up later) The fourth and final book, The Price of Spring, is out, but it is in hardcover and I don't want one hardcover in a string of paperbacks. I'll either wait for the paperback or get a copy from the library.

It's not standard fantasy at all; philosophy, ethics and human relationships are the deep themes, and economics drives the action. I needed to give the reading close attention, and I am glad I started the series when all the novels were published. I read straight through A Shadow in Summer, A Betrayal in Winter and An Autumn War. I think I won't wait long to read the final book.

[nightmareink]

Embarrassingly enough to say, the last book I just finished reading that counts as fantasy in a way is Breaking Dawn (I am of the opinion that one should read the book first before forming an opinion on it) and I don't foresee myself reading it again. I've been getting books from the library as of late because I don't have the money for books plus some of the books I'm re-reading, I already own copies of. They just happen to be in storage.

Out of the three books I'm currently reading, only one is a fantasy novel. I'm re-reading The Subtle Knife by Phillip Pullman and will re-read the next book as well. I'm also in the middle of re-reading The Chronicles of Narnia.

Other than that, I have a pile of fantasy books (pretty much all YA) to read from the library. Most of them are new to me, so I'm looking forward to those. The most recent discovery I've made is the book Elf Realm: The Low Road by Daniel Kirk. It's a kid book since I found it in the children's section of the library, but it's still pretty good.

Eventually I'll start reading my fantasy books more geared toward adults, I just have a bad habit of taking more books from the library than I originally planned on.

[starlady]

I just bought N.K. Jemisin's The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, and I have Kindred, Magic Under Glass and Zahrah the Windseeker too, about all of which I am excited.

[lea_hazel]

I read Zahrah the Windseeker last summer and loved it, even though I usually have little patience for teen protagonists.

[starlady]

I just finished The Shadow-Speaker, which apparently is a companion book, and really liked it. I'm liking this one so far, too.

[rydra_wong]

I just finished The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms! I wolfed it down within two days, and that was only because I was being very dutiful about not fucking up my sleep patterns by staying up all night to read.

I'm still trying to decide whether some elements of the plot worked for me, but I enjoyed it hugely and most of it worked liek whoa. The worldbuilding's excellent and I loved the protagonist, not to mention various things which I will not mention for reasons of spoilage. I wouldn't hesitate to rec it.

[starlady]

Everyone I know who read it seems to have liked it a lot; I am one chapter in and quite happy so far. I've really enjoyed her short stories already.

[ex_pippin880]

I started reading THTK because of the comments in this thread. I am halfway through and I gotta say, it has got a lot to make up in a short amount of time to stop me wanting to punch the book in the face.

Why would I want to end this amazingly fun roll of being-given-debut-novels-and-getting-very-angry-at-the-awesome-potential-made-boring, though! I mean, I do so much love getting (riled) up every ten minutes to go "THE SHITPLOTOCALYPSE IS BACK". :|

Why am I so fussy and bitter aaaaaaaah.

[holyschist]

I've been reading Pearl North's Libyrinth (YA fantasy/sf/steampunkish) and really enjoying it so far.

I have a huge to-read list, but The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is definitely on it, and while I've been trying to use the library more, I'm thinking of ordering Alaya Dawn Johnson's Racing the Dark (and her new flapper vampire book when it comes out). My local library does not have the biggest selection.

I seem to be on a YA kick in general, with the exception of Octavia Butler, who's more SF than fantasy.

And of course I'm looking forward to the new Dresden Files book. I also just got T.A. Pratt's Blood Engines (omg, angst-free third-person urban fantasy!).

[shanaqui]

I'm waiting for Guy Gavriel Kay's new book to come out. And I'm also waiting for Jacqueline Carey and Robin Hobb, like you.

[senmut]

I'm torn between conquering the Dune books again to indulge my classic SciFi urge, and finally reading my Annotated Dragonlance Original Trilogy. I've been saving that, because sometimes the authors' viewpoints skew the relationship I have already forged with their creation.

[starlady]

You should start that DW community! Call it mystery or something catchy like that. ^^

[lea_hazel]

I thought about that, but I am epically bad at maintaining communities. :(

[morineko]

Upcoming/new release fantasy that I have on reserve at the library and/or have preordered, in no particular order:

Enchanted Glass, Diana Wynne Jones; The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, N.K. Jemisin; Wayfarer, R.J. Anderson; The Adamantine Palace, Stephen Deas; The Folding Knife, K.J. Parker; The Book of Heroes, Miyuki Miyabe; Kraken, China Mieville; Guardian of the Dead, Karen Healey; The Legions of Fire, David Drake

I am not a fan of most of the newer YA authors or urban fantasy.

I just finished Lev Grossman's The Magicians but I don't know if I'd recommend it to people who don't read mimetic fiction at all and/or don't like or understand metafiction.

[anthimeria]

Just read Cherie Priest's Boneshaker, a kickin' steampunk novel (starts slow, but the last two hundred pages are worth it). Also read a superhero novel called Black and White, possibly the best prose superhero story I've ever read (superheroes don't tend to translate well in nonvisual media. This story worked), and its sequel, Shades of Grey, is coming out this summer.

For YA fic, I just sped through Rosemary Clement-Moore's Maggie Quinn: Girl Versus Evil series, which is awesome beyond the telling of it. The first is Prom Dates From Hell.

[lea_hazel]

I heard of Black and White and was turned off by what appeared to be quite heavy-handed imagery. On the other hand I quite enjoyed Soon I Will Be Invincible.