Spell the Month in Books is a monthly meme hosted by Jana at Reviews from the Stacks. The link up post is posted on the first Saturday of each month. Each month one or two themes are suggested for the books that are chosen. The theme for July is “set in a fantasy world or fictional place!”
J is for Just One Damned Thing after Another by Jodi Taylor
This is the first book in a time-travel series. The main protagonists are historians from St. Mary’s Institute of Historical Research. Each has a special area of expertise but the assignments may take them to any time in the past. The story carries you along pell mell through adventure after adventure, and the historians find out that there are lots of challenges ahead. I think that there are now 14 books in the series, and I have read the first two books.
U is for Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett.
Terry Pratchett is well-known for his fantasy books set in the Discworld Universe. I am no expert on the books in this series; I have only read two of them. But I did enjoy those. I read The Light Fantastic, the second book in the series. Later I read Mort, the first book in the Death Series. Unseen Academicals is set at a university where the wizards must win a game of football without using magic. It is a later book in the series, #37.
L is for The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers.
This is a space opera. To get away from an unhappy event in her past, Rosemary Harper joins the small crew of a ship that creates tunnels through space for faster travel. She is the clerk, taking care of ordering and forms and such. Some of the crew is human and others are various types of aliens.
I liked the various aliens and their different gifts, needs and culture. The author did a great job with differentiating between the characters. Many of the characters are quirky and everyone has to learn to accept the quirks on a long journey in a small ship.
Y is for The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon.
This novel crosses genres, being both an alternate history and a mystery, with elements of a conspiracy thriller. This book came to my attention via my husband, who read it first and recommended it to me. The setting is an alternate universe where Jewish refugees and their descendants have been allowed to in live the Federal District of Sitka, in Alaska. At the point the novel begins, the District is about to revert to Alaskan control.
10 comments:
I think this is a really clever meme, Tracy. And I like your choices. I have to admit, I'm not as much of a one for fantasy/speculative fiction, but I've been wanting to read some Terry Pratchett (I should have long before now!). And the Jodi Taylor looks really interesting.
Great choices (that U is always a challenge!). I want to read that Jodi Taylor series some time as it has such a cult following.
I've never seen this meme and it sounds like it would be a fun challenge each month. (at least "July" is short!) I want to read more Discworld books, including Mort. I've only read the five "Tiffany Aching" books and really enjoyed them. I think they're actually part of his YA Discworld stories.
Margot, I enjoyed doing this. I want to read more Terry Pratchett. His books are commentary on the world we are living in, with a fantasy setting. The Jodi Taylor books are a mashup of many genres, but I see them as primarily adventure stories, and the ones I have read have mystery elements too.
Constance, I plan to do one for AUGUST, so I wonder if I will have problems with the two Us in that month. I have at least 10 more books in the Jodi Taylor series, sent to me by a lovely blogger friend and his wife. So I will be reading more of them.
Kelly, I was glad to start with a short month for this meme. Actually I wanted to start with March, but I kept putting it off.
I have heard of the Tiffany Aching series in the overall Discworld series but don't have any of those. I have about six other books to try.
Never read Michael Chabon but The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay fits the A category for August. This may be the push I need.
Kathy, I had wondered about The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay but I saw that it is over 600 pages. I hope you read it and review it, so you can let me know if it is a good read. I have another book by him, The Final Solution, which is very short. I may try that sometime soon.
Such great titles! I love it. :D
Thanks, Lark. I enjoyed finding titles for fantasy settings.
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