September was a very busy month for me and I think i did fairly well considering with reading and reviewing! I read every book on my TBR list except bell hooks’ Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center. This will remain on my TBR list for next month. I also played both of the games I acquired last month and I absolutely love Among the Stars. Check out my reviews this past September for my thoughts on some of the books I read! In addition, I hope to review the other books I read this month.
I also ran a giveaway this past month and we have a winner!! Daniel from 100 Story Reviews! Congratulations! I will be sending Daniel Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor and Sushi Go! published by Gamewright Games.
September Haul
Books
Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova
The #DSFFBookClub pick for September 15 – October 15. I was going back and forth on my finances to decide whether or not to purchase and participate. But then I went to my local book store and they had it featured in the YA section. I picked up a copy and could not put it down. I ended up buying Labyrinth Lost and I was not disappointed! I hope to write and post a review of the book soon.
E-Books
The Unbroken Line of the Moon by Johanne Hildebrandt
This is my Kindle First pick of the month. I recently lost Amazon Prime and unfortunately, I will be unable to renew it on my account. Therefore, this will be my last free e-book from this program, which might actually get me to start reading them! I do not really have comments on this book. Some months I have a hard time picking a book based on the description and I think this one sounded the best out of the five. This story is an alternate history fantasy novel set in the Nordic region.
Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson
Gardens of the Moon was the Tor e-book of the month for September. Another book club I am a part of and get free books from that I end up not reading. Eventually I will read them… That is what I say when I look at the hundreds of books on my Kindle. I do not know anything about this book but I assume it is some type of Science Fiction / Fantasy.
The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps by Kai Ashante Wilson
For World Peace Day, Tor gave away a free e-book available for only one day. I picked it up as soon as I heard about it. From the description, I look forward to reading this novella about a sorcerer fighting a necromantic terror.
Games
Lanterns: The Harvest Festival designed by Christopher Chung
My sister gave me this game for my birthday. I have played Lanterns a few times in the past and really like this fast and clever tile laying game with a cool theme. In the game, players are truing to lay tiles in a certain way to make the most beautiful displays of lanterns in the water. The art is gorgeous and the rule set is simple, yet engaging. A wonderful game to add to my collection.
TBR October
Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center by bell hooks
This stays on the TBR list from last month. I am actually pretty disappointed I did not even start this book. As someone who values intellectual books and discussion, I definitely paid more attention to my fiction stack than my theoretical, social justice stack. I am committed to at least starting this bell hooks’ classic.
Joyland by Stephen King
Stephen King remains as one of my favorite authors, despite one of my missions to read and review authors from marginalized communities. I think he has the ability to weave weird stories with such suspense and thrill. Because I am reading other mystery, crime, and detective novels this month, I decided to also throw in Joyland, which is King’s “Hard Case Crime” novel published in 2013.
Chicken with Plums by Marjane Satrapi
I read The Complete Persepolis earlier this year and really loved the powerful graphic novel. As I was browsing our local library in the small and sad graphic novel section, I saw this small volume. As soon as I saw the author’s name, I picked it up and checked it out. I am looking forward to another powerful graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi!
City of Strife by Claudie Arseneault
Claudie (@ClH2OArs) is an author I follow on Twitter and I saw a tweet about this book: a multi-layered political fantasy led by an all LGBTQIAP+ cast. That is really all I needed to know to reach out to request an ARC to read and review. All I can say is I am very excited to dive in and feature this book this month for LGBTQ+ History Month here in the United States.
Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley
My first pick for the #DiverseDetectives event in October hosted by Bina and Silicon. Devil in a Blue Dress follows the main character Easy as he is employed by a wealthy White man to find a White woman, Daphne Monet. Easy needs the money so despite a gut feeling, he takes the job. That is just the beginning…
The Case of the Missing Servant by Tarquin Hall
This is my second pick for the #DiverseDetectives event in October and I was excited my local library actually had it, although only in large print format. Watch out for India’s most acclaimed detective! With comparisons to Hercule Poirot and Sherlock himself, The Case of the Missing Servant is the first book featuring detective Vish Puri. I look forward to reading this one because I do enjoy a classic mystery in the vein of Agatha Christie once in a while.
Foundra: The Rift War by Emmanuel M. Arriaga
I am about halfway though this science fiction space opera. This was actually first published last year but I found it on NetGalley and it looked interesting. I do not think I will post a review on my blog but I will share my thoughts with the publisher and on Goodreads. Right now I think the book is okay. Not terrible; however, there is nothing that is gripping me into the plot and characters.
Wow! That’s quite a TBR. It makes me feel good to know I’m not alone when it comes to huge monthly TBRs. I recently picked up The Sigh by Marjane Satrapi; I’m now on a quest to read all her works (there aren’t a ton, so it feels a bit like cheating). I also have a few bell hooks books on my desk at home, but I haven’t picked them up either. I have to be in the right mental space for books like that.
Good luck with your TBR, Brendon!
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Posted by Jackie B @ Death by Tsundoku | October 5, 2016, 4:32 PMThank you! I find myself every month take on more books than I list here too. There is just so much good literature out there, I want to read it all!
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Posted by Brendon | October 8, 2016, 3:34 PMI completely agree. I wish there was more time for reading!!
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Posted by Jackie B @ Death by Tsundoku | October 8, 2016, 5:42 PMI’ve wanted to read Gardens of the Moon for ages! I hear amazing things about the series. It’s supposed to be very dense and requires some serious commitment, but if readers are willing to put in the effort, they will be immensely rewarded. What has kept me at bay is the length and comments that the series comes together brilliantly in later books. I just don’t have the time to commit right now, but one day, when I am older and no longer a book blogger, I will finally start this series because I love epic fantasy!
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Posted by Read Diverse Books | October 8, 2016, 10:45 PMOh yikes! I am definitely afraid of committing to a series like this. It sounds brilliant and amazing but I am with you on the commitment piece.
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Posted by Brendon | October 10, 2016, 9:55 AMAnd I’ll third that. I can read standalone books which are dense because it’s easy to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But series which are really dense are harder for me to pick up and start. That said, I’ve never had any regret reading a series like that!
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Posted by Jackie B @ Death by Tsundoku | October 10, 2016, 10:05 AMI see your blog is in the same niche like my page. Do you allow guest posts?
I can write hi quality and unique posts for you. Let me know
if you are interested.
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Posted by Marian91 | November 11, 2016, 5:26 AMHello! Thank you for stopping by. I do feature guest posts every now and then, particularly during blogging events like this month during my Native Hawaiian #OwnVoices event. What in particular would you want to write about?
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Posted by Brendon | November 11, 2016, 9:53 AM