One might think that, after finishing the mammoth Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan this past summer, that I might shy away from another multi-book fantasy series.
Anyone who thinks that, doesn't know fantasy readers very well. We LIVE for the next multi-book series. And when we find good ones (even just so-so ones), we devour them.
And then we go out and find everything else that author has ever written and read that, too.
The Wheel of Time stretch started in April, finished at the end of August (with several non-Jordan books thrown in as I waited for the next books in the series to arrive). You can read my take on the series here.
The other books I read during that stretch more accurately reflect my varied tastes.
In May, I interspersed my series reading with A Walk in Wolf Wood by Mary Stewart (a children's story, but heck, it's Mary Stewart! You can't go wrong), The Perfect Poison by Amanda Quick and The Magic Circle by Nora Roberts. All three much lighter reading -- needed after the relentless and often confusing Jordanian monstrosity.
June saw me stepping away from the series entirely for a bit. My husband and I did some traveling, so I brought lighter reading with me. I'd read the three Katherine Kurtz/Deborah Harris books before, but enjoyed revisiting them this month. The Temple and the Stone, The Temple and the Crown, and Two Crowns for America all have an exploration of the Masonic traditions at their heart. Still in the fantasy genre, but smaller bites.
July put me right back in the Wheel of Time and I read three books of the series that month. What can I say? They're BIG!
By August I was determined to push through and crack that sucker. I read every single one remaining, with a tiny one-day break to re-read Katherine Kurtz book, St. Patrick's Gargoyle. This stand-alone book needed a series. I truly enjoyed it.
By September, with the Wheel of Time series finished (yay!), I went for a variety of genres: Archangel's Storm by Nalini Singh, a biography of Richard the Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penman, a Regency by Anna Harrington called A Remarkable Rogue and finishing the month with an autobiography of John Cleese, aptly titled So Far.
But you can't keep a good fantasy reader down for long. October started with Never After, a cute story by Melissa De La Cruz -- and then I read The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas. My husband had given me the first six books of the series for Christmas last year and I finally got around to them.
I got hooked. Bought the last two in the series and just finished it off this first week in November. Eight books in total in the Throne of Glass series and I couldn't put them down. The publisher markets these books as young adult, but don't let that fool you. This is a kick-ass heroine who undergoes some truly horrific trials as she grows from a seventeen-year old assassin to, well, her ultimate destiny (which I won't spoil for you).
How much did I like this series? So much so that I cleaned off my "permanent" bookshelves to find a spot for it. Space is at a premium here, so only the books I think I'll re-read get to stay. I now have two small boxes of books ready for donation to the library (which includes the entire Wheel of Time series -- reading that once was plenty!).
What will I read next? Something off my TBR shelves ("to be read"). I have three of those and I need to read through some of those to make room for Christmas. My husband already has my "if you're so inclined to get me books for Christmas..." list so I've gotta make room!
For those keeping record, that puts me behind on the number of books this year: I've only read 47. Between the loopiness of the knee surgery and then spending all those months on That Series, my reading ability (and time) took a hit. I'm usually around 70 by this point.
But that's okay. I'm glad I took the time to read through that series, despite my complaining about it. I haven't seen any of the filmed version yet -- but I will. And that will be a different post.
Take care and play safe!
Diana
