Welcome to The Monthly Round-Up. Join me as I look back on the past month to see which books I’ve read, the reviews I’ve posted, the goals I’ve completed and my all important Book of the Month!
| The Monthly Round-Up: April 2016 |
April has been a strange month of sun between intermittent snow showers which, as it happens, makes for excellent reading time! I managed to read eight books this month; five novels, two novellas and one short story collection. However, I’ve been looking with increasing horror at my reading pile – as it rapidly makes its monstrous growth all the more apparent – and have decided that I’ll have to start crossing some of those books of my read list – eight books a month is not going to cut it! Backlist Burndown here I come. But in the meantime, here are the books which took over this April:
| Books Read |
| 1. |
Civil Blood by Mark Gelineau and Joe King
Another Gelineau and King novella, another wonderful piece of bite-sized fantasy! These novellas are really quite addictive and Civil Blood has upped the intrigue factor tenfold leaving me, and no doubt many other Echoes fans, in great suspense for the next Alys novella.
| 2. |
Tomorrow the Killing by Daniel Polansky
Tomorrow the Killing continues the story of Warden as he once again finds himself embroiled in the customary death, murder and mayhem which pervades Low Town. A wonderful sequel and a firm reminder that I need to get my Polansky reviews out!
| 3. |
Black City Saint by Richard A. Knaak
Black City Saint took me completely by surprise and is now one of my favourite urban fantasy novels. Set in the roaring twenties, and with its fair share of magic, mystery, saints and dragons, this is a novel which had be hooked from start to finish.
| 4. |
The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu
The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories is the first short story anthology I’ve read in a long time – and it certainly lived up to expectations. Ken Liu is a phenomenal writer with an effortlessly engaging style. With Grace of Kings firmly placed on my TBR, it’s only a matter of time before it too has been devoured.
| 5. |
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
I was a little hesitant about starting the Mercy Thompson series having heard that the first novel, Moon Called, really isn’t the best. However, it turned out to be a really rather enjoyable read and I can only look forward to a series which has a reputation for getting better and better. Blood Bound here I come.
| 6. |
Faith and Moonlight Part 2 by Mark Gelineau and Joe King
Yes! Another Gelineau and King, and yes! Another exciting and suspenseful conclusion. This second round of novellas is certainly pulling out all the stops when it comes to action, excitement and leaving you on the edge of your seat.
| 7. |
An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire
An Artificial Night was April’s Read Along – and what an awesome read it was! The October Daye series has taken a distinctly dark turn with this third novel and has become my favourite of the three so far.
| 8. |
The Steel Remains by Richard Morgan
The Steel Remains is dark, brutal, bloody and brilliant. With a surfeit of sex, violence and obscenities, an unforgiving world is carved out of its pages and reaches nothing short of a spectacular conclusion. This is one tale where the author never holds back.
by Daniel Polansky
| April Goals |
To finish NOS4R2 and Emma before the month is out!
Roll over!
Status: Incomplete
… Goal shake-up coming up!
| Goals for 2016 |
Goodreads 2016 Reading Challenge: 33/100 Books Read (33%)
Status: +8% in April
| Reviews Posted |
Stranger of Tempest by Tom Lloyd
Dragon Hunters by Marc Turner
Envy of Angels by Matt Wallace
The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu
| Other Posts From April |
The Monthly Round-Up: March 2016
The Friday Face-Off: April 01 – Water, Water Everywhere
The Friday Face-Off: April 08 – Peace is Poor Reading
The Friday Face-Off: April 15 – Metropolis
The Friday Face-Off: April 22 – Dead Men Tell No Tales
The Friday Face-Off: April 29 – Like One, That on a Lonesome Road
Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten… SFF Books That Will Make You Laugh
Teaser Tuesdays: April 05 – The Steel Remains by Richard Morgan
Teaser Tuesdays: April 12 – The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett
Teaser Tuesdays: April 19 – Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits by David Wong
Book Haul: April 09 – Calamity by Brandon Sanderson
Book Haul: April 11 – The Fire Sermon by Francesca Haig
Book Haul: April 17 – The Air War, The Man in the High Castle and Gardens of the Moon
Read Along: An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire – Week 1
Read Along: An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire – Week 2
Read Along: An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire – Week 3
Read Along: An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire – Week 4
Books by Proxy 
It’s been a really productive month for you, with plenty happening on your blog – and once more – HUGE congratulations on setting up the Friday Faceoff meme. It’s a highlight of my blogging week and is steadily creating ever more interest. Have a great May – let’s hope the snow flurries disappear sometime soon!
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Thank you so much! I really enjoy doing it too 😀 Hopefully I can get more reviews out in May though as I seem to be creating quite the backlog!! Thank goodness for bank holidays. I hope this month is wonderful for you too – both for reading and writing!
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Marc Turner just sent me a copy of Dragon Hunters and I’m so excited to read it!
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Yay! I really hope you enjoy it 😀
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Looks like another great month – I am particularly pleased to see you loved two more of Gelineau and King’s fantasy novellas; I have my own copies of both of these and I really must get round to reading more of them in May. I hope you have a happy May and manage to get down more of backlist books 🙂
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Thank you! And to you 😀 I’ve really enjoyed the second round of Gelineau and King novellas – they seem to have surpassed the first! I hope you enjoy them as much as I did 😀
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Thank you, I hope I do too 🙂
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Amazing month!
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Thank you! 😀
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YAY I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed Moon Called because Patricia Briggs is a personal fave – and like most UF series, the Mercy books get better as the series progresses. Same with the October Daye series, which I absolutely adore. Blind Michael is the creepiest villain I’ve read about in a long time. You’ve made me really want to read The Paper Menagerie now!
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Oh it was excellent – I’m so glad I decided to pick it up. I cannot wait to read the next novels in both series 😀
And I’m sure you wouldn’t be disappointed with The Paper Menagerie – it really is beautiful. Plus you can stop and start as much as you like!
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Great month. Well done.
Lynn 😀
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Thank you! 😀
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