CONVERSATION: Looking Ahead to 2023
Hi everyone, I’ve got a new conversation topic for you. Last month we talked about how our reading went in 2022. Now let’s talk about 2023.
Do you have any New Year’s resolutions when it comes to your reading (i.e. read X number of books, read more of a genre or an author, finish more/fewer books, etc.) for 2023?
Which three 2023 releases are you most excited for?
What else are you hoping or wishing for?
Reading Goals
Rose: As I foresaw in my 2022 summary, I ended up reading between 155 and 160 books – specifically, 156, and I’ve started on another but won’t finish it today, so it’ll be the first for 2023 :)
I expect to read fewer books next year. I don’t have as much free time these days as I did earlier this year, and I discovered a bunch of new authors when I joined KU but have since exhausted most of their backlists. My goal is to get to around 100 again, but I’m not going to sweat it.
Janine: Last year I made my goal in the Goodreads challenge only five books, and according to Goodreads, I read 104 (a hefty percentage of them were DNFs, though). So this year I made my goal one book less than five.
I felt less pressured to review only current stuff early in the year last year, and had a lot of fun reading older books. In the second half of the year I searched harder for enjoyable 2022 books. That was more stressful. I had a lot of DNFs. Most of that was due to the quality of the books but the pressure I put on myself didn’t help.
Jayne: I don’t have nor am I looking to set any book resolutions for this year. I don’t want any pressure about what I read. Over the last few years I’ve tried to be more discerning about what books I choose so I’m having fewer DNF ones which I like.
Kaetrin: I set my Goodreads challenge to 100 books this year. Last year’s challenge I revised three times (down!) because I hit a bad reading slump during the year and I wasn’t going to get close to my original target. I didn’t update my personal blog at all in December. It offended my sense of order but I just didn’t have time. I’m starting to toy with some ideas about what I might or might not do with it going forward.
Janine: You’ve made me think of the one goal I have: to take on fewer review commitments. I get tempted by ARCs and last year I requested too many and ended up in a big crunch. I’m going to try to withstand temptation better this year.
Jayne: I’ve done that – requested too many arcs at a time – and ended up feeling I was tearing my hair out trying to make sure I finished them in time. I even had to take a month off from reviewing (about 10 years ago) because I got so stressed by it so I totally understand.
Sirius: I requested a little bit more of arcs this past year that I have done all these years (which was no more than two or three every year), but I am still planning to not ever request a lot, because I like to review without stress, not to acquire more of it you know?
I keep thinking about reading goals and coming up with none. Making reading plans is not something I usually excel at.
Jennie: I’d like to get on track again with spending more time reading in general and balancing the books I’m reading – it’s been a few months since I’ve read a non-fiction book. I’ve made little progress with the “classic” I’m reading – a 1851 novel called East Lynne. It’s probably been a while since I’ve read a romance. I sometimes need to force myself to vary what I read, which doesn’t sound fun, but I think it’s good for me?
I’d also love to find a historical romance that I really love or at least like a lot. I’m not too optimistic on that, though.
Layla: I’m not a New Year’s resolution kind of person— in reading or anything else. Also since reading is purely for stress relief and for fun for me, I don’t keep track of what I read and I don’t really always have intentions or goals with it. Having said that I have noticed myself gravitating towards more YA and more fantasy. My love— historical romance— has been a big disappointment so mostly I’ve been rereading old favorites.
Janine: I think I’m going to dip my toe a bit more into YA fantasy thanks to a couple of books I enjoyed in 2022. Other than that I don’t know.
Kaetrin: I expect my reading will continue to be mostly contemporaries with some historical, SFF and romantic suspense thrown in.
Rose: Looking at my recent reading trends, there will probably be more science fiction than in 2022; I kind of like space opera and military science fiction, and it’s a good change of pace from romance novels.
Our Most Anticipated Books
Layla: I’m excited for Kylie Scott’s April book, End of Story (out next month), Vanessa Len’s sequel to Only a Monster, Never a Hero (August), and Julie Kriss’s Reverb (May) her latest Road Kings (rock band) romance. I also look forward to Julia London’s May book which is a Cyrano De Bergerac retelling, The Viscount Who Vexed Me. I love Evie Dunmore so I’m looking forward to September’s The Gentleman’s Gambit.
Rose: Top of my list for 2023: KJ Charles’ The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen (March) and to her print reissue of A Thief in the Night (the latter is available on audio already, but I don’t do audio); Reverb by Julie Kriss, the final (?) Road Kings book; and whatever Cate C. Wells does next, which I’m hoping will be a return to Stonecut County and Jesse’s story. She mentioned in a Reddit AMA that Jesse is “straight but not narrow” – sounds interesting to me! But if she wants to write stuff in any of her other series, I’ll be there for that too.
Jayne: Of the books I already know about, I’m looking forward to One Extra Corpse by Barbara Hambly (March). In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune (April), whom I’ve never read before. And Witch King by Martha Wells, out May.
Janine: This was a much easier question to answer last year, when I was salivating for three books. I don’t feel that same level of anticipation for any book now, but I can still name a few I’m looking forward to.
If it’s not cheating to name a book that came out on January 3rd, the first is Holly Black’s The Stolen Heir. I wanted a book for Oak and Suren by the end of Queen of Nothing, even though they were still children then, and I’m very happy we’ll be getting one. Number two is Never a Hero by Vanessa Len. Last year’s Only a Monster was Len’s debut, and it was an impressively fresh, twisty, and morally ambiguous YA fantasy. I can’t wait to see where Len will take the plot and her heroine book two.
There are a number of books of other books I’m looking forward to—Nalini Singh’s next Guild Hunter book (I’m dying to know what’s happened in the nine years we just skipped and to read the next Illium / Aodhan book), Ilona Andrews’ surprise Kate Daniels novella, Magic Tides (out today), Jeannie Lin’s historical romance novella Love, Death & Lanterns, a probable 2023 release, and Elizabeth O’Roark’s The Summer We Fell, out May—but no leader of this pack comes to mind, so I don’t have a #3.
Kaetrin: I can’t choose a top three but I’m looking forward to loads of books this year including from favourite and new-to-me authors. Off The Map by Trish Doller, out in March, Just My Type by Falon Ballard (February 7th), End of Story by Kylie Scott, Unfortunately Yours by Tessa Bailey (June) and Happy Place by Emily Henry (April), along with Mary Balogh’s Remember Me (June) and whatever Patricia Briggs releases this year. I’ll be on the lookout for the next Megan Bannen too as I liked The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy so much last year. There are loads more but that’s the start of them.
Sirius: I am very much looking forward to We Could be Good by Cat Sebastian (June). So far I find her twentieth century settings much better done than her 19th century ones so this one looks very promising.
There is an upcoming book by Russian born author I never heard about before. I have no idea if the book will end up being good but I am very intrigued. The book apparently comes out in April. Spring in Siberia (April) by Artem Mosgovoy is the title.
New books by KD Edwards and Ilona Andrews, this goes without saying.
Jennie: I am probably the most clueless when it comes to this sort of thing.
I did some Googling; sadly my romance search confirmed that every damn book has a cartoon cover, and none of them, at first glance at least, interest me. For suspense/thrillers, I usually just poke around when I’m looking for something to read.
I found a couple of 2023 suspense books that piqued my interest – Rachel Hawkins’ The Villa, which came out very recently, for one. I always confuse her with Paula Hawkins, who wrote The Girl on the Train. I liked that book, though it had some problems (it was one of the first thrillers I remember reading with a crazy unreliable alcoholic female narrator, which has become utterly and problematically ubiquitous). Anyway, Paula and Rachel are different people, and I’ve never read Rachel Hawkins. But The Villa had an interesting blurb that involved two friends vacationing in Italy, a mysterious rock star murder at the same villa decades before, and callbacks to the famous summer Bryon and the Shelleys spent at Lake Geneva, which resulted in Frankenstein. I may give it a try.
The other author that caught my eye was former historical romance author Megan Chance, who has a book coming out next month called A Dangerous Education. Set in a school for troubled girls in the 1950s, it features a new teacher who is trying to find the daughter she gave up for adoption years before. Bad things apparently ensue. I’ve had mixed success with Chance’s post-romance books, but she’s an interesting author and the setting intrigues me.
Hoping and/or Wishing For
Rose: I’m hoping to see fewer cartoon covers, and more blurbs instead of lists of tropes, but won’t hold my breath.
Jayne: Fewer cartoon covers for me too, Rose! I can’t help but see them as funnier, lighter books and when the reality of the subject matter doesn’t match the cover, I get annoyed.
Layla: I have fewer writers I “follow” and more that I discover anew so I hope and wish for the discovery of more new writers I like! I hope to find more new (and older) books through my trusted sources. I also want Sarah Maas to write more books;)
Janine: What am I hoping for? Lisa Kleypas hasn’t announced a book for 2023, and it’s been a year and half since 2021’s Devil in Disguise. I loved 2019’s Devil’s Daughter and really liked Chasing Cassandra, her 2020 release. I hope she’s well and everything is okay in her life, and beyond that, I hope she’ll continue writing.
More generally, I hope to enjoy a greater percentage of the books I pick up than I did in 2022.
What about you, readers? Do you have any goals or resolutions when it comes to your reading in 2023? Which books coming out this year are you most excited about? And what are your reading-related hopes and wishes for the new year?
I don’t set reading goals and simply read what appeals; I don’t foresee changing that. One thing I will (try to) do this year is keep count of what I’ve read. I’m currently at Book 8, RR 0, NS 1…eight new-to-me books read, no rereads, plus one novella/story.
You listed some books above that I will happily read, but I don’t have three choices per se. I would certainly welcome new books by SK Dunstall, Anne Bishop (The Others series only), Anne Cleeland, Patricia Briggs, Lyn Gala, and Nathan Lowell.
@Kareni: That is a cool reading log system. I used to keep track of the books I wanted to read in a word doc—I’d write the titles and publication dates, and they would have a dash next to them if I hadn’t read them and a plus sign if I had. I think I logged my grades for them too. Now I use Goodreads but I wish my want to read list wasn’t public. I still do want my reviews to be public though and I don’t think there’s a way to hide one but not the other.
Are there any specific books (titles) you are aware of that you are excited for, Kareni? Also, what are your hopes / wishes for your reading in 2023?
Reading is my number one hobby and comfort, so I hate to feel pressured to read anything, hence, I never commit to a reading goal. There are so many authors and series that are auto buys for me, I always have something to read. Last year, for the first time, I tracked my reading on an Excel spreadsheet rather than writing everything down in a notebook. It worked well for me; I had a spreadsheet for books I purchased/borrowed from the library/borrowed from KU/got as a free download, another one for upcoming dates (books I’m definitely going to read), one for my general TBR (books/authors I’d like to read when I have the time), and one for my book budget. I’ve never used GoodReads–I’m not sure I want everyone to have access to what I’ve read. As for what I’m looking forward to in 2023:
Kati Wilde has a new book, SHERIFF’S BAD BEAR, due on January 31. It’s a shifter romance with MCs who were supporting characters in Kati’s earlier TEACHER’S PET WOLF. She also has another book in her Dead Lands series of fantasy novels, THE MIDSUMMER BRIDE, currently scheduled for July.
Ainsley Booth’s THE PLAYING GAME (February 21) is an m/f hockey romance. Booth has recently been publishing more books under her alternate pen name, Zoe York, and Booth has been radio silent. Since Booth’s books tend to be more on the erotic end of the spectrum than York’s, I’m expecting THE PLAYING GAME to be smoking hot! Speaking of Zoe York, her REBEL AT HEART arrives April 25, and is the next (last?) book in her Kinkaids of Pine Harbour series and features the “our divorce didn’t go through years ago, so we’ve just discovered that we’re still married” trope.
Trish Doller’s OFF THE MAP arrives March 7. I loved Doller’s FLOAT PLAN and liked THE SUITE SPOT, so I’m looking forward to this book which has a cartographer hero and a heroine who spends all her time on the road.
Julie Kriss’s REVERB (May 1) finishes her Road Kings series of rock star romances. I think Kriss is one of the most underrated writers in Romancelandia and the Road Kings series is among the best she’s ever written. Can’t wait!
Sierra Simone begins a new series based on the legend of Tristan & Isolde with SALT KISS (July 18). It’s an MMF romance and takes place in the same world as Simone’s New Camelot series, but with different characters.
So many other good books coming down the turnpike in 2023. I look forward to anything new by Cate C. Wells and any from another new favorite, KD Casey (who writes m/m baseball romances, including some co-written with Lauren Blakely).
@DiscoDollyDeb: That spreadsheet sounds complex but worthwhile. You make me wish I was better with spreadsheets.
Reading goals don’t necessarily have to involve the number of books read or the genres. They can also be “give myself permission to read more,” “take advantage of beautiful weather to read outside more,” “look a bit more closely at trigger warnings,” “maintain my list of what I read,” “use the library more,” “make fewer impulse purchases,” etc. Anything book or reading related.
Re Goodreads–it has its good points and its bad points, and I’m not trying to sell anyone on it, but you don’t have to list everything you read on there, people list or don’t list whatever they want to. I still don’t like the public nature of it at times but there are features I do like, like the shelves–for example I shelf books according to publication date, genre, setting, and more. So when I feel like reading a historical romance set in Italy, I can look through the Italy shelf and the historical romance shelf. The part I don’t like is the idea that people think I will review something if they see me reading it (sometimes they say so). I don’t always feel like doing that.
BTW I’m reading the Kriss books now and finding them a mixed bag. I hope I find the time to review them.
I’ve heard so many good things about Sierra Simone. Must try her.
I always do a reading goal. I don’t stress too much if I don’t meet it. I have reset expectations though since I have failed spectacularly to meet my goals in the last two years.
As far as looking forward — I always have a list of authors whose next works I look forward to and hope they will publish something this year.
For instance, I have no idea if Anne Bishop plans another book in the Others world this year bit of she does I’ll happily snap it up.
I always read the next JD Robb of which I think La Nora publishes two a year. This late in the game in that series they can be repetitive and not every book is as good as some of the earlier ones, but at this point it is a comfort read.
I was happily surprised by the new Kate Daniels that hit the shelves today so I snapped that up.
Generally speaking each year I like to find a new to me author and I will always go back to re-read an older book that I remember enjoying. I have an old Judith Michael book on tap, INHERITANCE. After Sidney Sheldon I found their books the best of the glittery 80s pot-boilery nightitme soap style books.
I also plan to try to read more science fiction. MY SF reading has fallen off a lot, I have a lot of SF books on my TBR that I have been neglecting so I plan to get to them.
No reading goals for me. I would rather read than do anything, so a goal … the only goal that would make sense is to read fewer books and do something different instead.
Several evenings last year I reached the end of a book and immediately went to purchase the next in series, only to learn it was available for preorder. Aargh. Did I keep a list? Oh, h*ll no.
I do set a Goodreads reading goal, but it’s not a number that is hard to reach or challenging. I do it to see that year’s books all in one spot. The past 2-3 years have really messed with my reading and finding new to me books that I really love has been hard for some reason. And many romance books have lost all appeal for me (I partly blame the covers for this as well). So this year I did set some reading goals but they are meant to be guilt-free and fun for me. Like one of them is to read 10 of the books I already own. ;)
I don’t have many books that I’m looking forward to so far. One is Kelley Armstrong’s Rockton spin-off series.
So far I’m right on target: I’m reading less than I did last year, and picking up more science fiction than in the past.
@Janine: I’m hardly an Excel expert, but find it pretty easy to keep track of my reading using a spreadsheet.
Have you tried Storygraph? I first heard about it a couple of years ago, and it seems to be gaining in popularity.
@TinaNoir: That list sounds useful. I used to have a word document list of books whose follow ups to look for but now that I I use Goodreads it’s a little different. Since I have publication date shelves, I go and look back at the shelves from the past couple of years and then do a search for the authors whose books I liked in those years and see what they have out or coming up and mark it as “Want to Read.” It was actually easier with the word document because I could take in a lot more at a glance.
Interesting about reading older books too. I used to read those sagas back in the 1980s. My favorite Sidney Sheldon was If Tomorrow Comes. I also really liked Jeffrey Archer’s saga Kane and Abel and its sequel The Prodigal Daughter. I liked the latter even better because it was really romantic in places. Although when I think of Archer’s optimistic notion that America would have a female president by the late 1990s or early 2000s (if memory serves) it makes me very sad. If you haven’t read them, I recommend these books.
What kind of SF do you read?
@LML: I know the feeling of forgetting something like that. But maybe you could look at your search engine’s history?
@Misti: It’s been harder for me to find books I love in the past couple of years also. I think part of it is how books are constantly marketed in web media articles now. “Top ten most anticipated romances of the spring.” “Best romances about enemies to lovers.” Etc. We don’t have the room to discover books on our own that we used to, and it feels a little like being force fed to me. But also, I think I’m less in tune with what’s being published these days.
@Rose: What SF have you read? Anything good?
I haven’t tried storygraph but I want to–I wanted to when I first heard about it and then I forgot until you mentioned it just now. I need a list for things like that too…
Last year I challenged myself to read one book a month that I had owned more than five years. Although I didn’t always do it, it did lead to several good reads. I’ve already this month’s book, so I’m starting strong in 2023. Too bad it was a meh read of With Love from Lukov.
@Jenreads: That’s a good (and budget friendly) challenge. What was your favorite of the oldies you read last year?
@Janine:
I really enjoyed After Hours by Cara McKenna. I’ve owned it so long it’s from my Kobo reader days. I don’t think I would have enjoyed it then, but sometimes books wait for us.
@Janine:
As far as Science Fiction goes, my favorite is space opera. I especially like a good rollicking one or stuff with found families or a good ‘justice will be served’ story and a am never gonna say no to all these with a dash or romance.
I love the Vorkosigan Saga — one of my favorites
David Weber writes a great ‘You done messed with the wrong person’ story. His PATH OF THE FURY is a perfect encapsulation of this. A young female super soldier has retired (for reasons) and space pirates come onto her planet and decimate her family. The resulting story and her opening a can of whoop-ass on the pirates is good stuff.
Also his Honor Harrington series is great military space opera
Other older favorite include:
Stephen R. Donaldson’ Gap series,
The Expanse series by James Corey,
Dune,
Ender’s Game.
Catherine Asaro’s Skolian Empire series is space-opera romance as are some of Sharon Lee and Steve Miller’s Liaden Universe and Anne McCaffrey’s Pern series as well as her Tower and Hive series. All good stuff
I have had on my TBR forever the Murderbot series, Becky Chambers’ Wayfarer series, the rest of Michelle Diener’s Class 5 series and some other newer ones.
@TinaNoir: Love the Vorsokian saga! (But my very favourite Lois McMaster Bujold is Paladin of Souls.)
@JenReads: I love AFTER HOURS. It’s my favorite Cara McKenna book (and she wrote a lot of good books). She stopped writing and went into a completely different career field several years ago. McKenna and Anne Calhoun (who went completely radio silent in 2017 and hadn’t been heard from since) are my two most-lamented no-longer-writing romance writers. How I miss them both.
@Kaetrin:
Yup, yup yup. Her Chalion series is top tier. Paladin of Souls is, imo, a perfect book. A great plot, fantastic characters, excellent world-building, her signature lovely prose, a beautiful romance, and some great ‘Hell’s Yeah!’ moments.
@TinaNoir: Michelle denier’s class 5 series is quite good! I hope you do try them and let me know what you think.
Btw I love space operas too but can’t find many good ones— I’ll have to read Bujold. Please share any other recommendations! I just wanted to know— have you read Jennifer Estero’s only bad options ?
@Jenreads: I’ve heard good things about that one.
@TinaNoir: I have been wanting to read the Vorkosigan series but the first couple of prequels I tried were kind of dated and I ended up quitting early. Where do you recommend starting with it? Others, feel welcome to weigh in too.
I’m not a Dune fan and I got hung up on the space turtles (my husband couldn’t stop laughing) in the one Lee and Miller book I tried. I did however adore the Pern books as a kid and for quite a while after that. I’ve heard good things about the Honor Harrington books, maybe I should try them.
You should definitely read Murderbot! Those are so good. I only read the first Class Five and while it wasn’t a bad way to pass the time I also wasn’t hooked enough to read further.
@DiscoDollyDeb: I didn’t know that about Anne Calhoun and Cara McKenna. Any idea why? I’m curious.
@Kaetrin and @TinaNoir: I enjoyed both The Curse of Chalion and Paladin of Souls a lot. Not sure which I liked better, maybe The Curse of Chalion. However I tried the first Penric and Desdemona novella recently and wasn’t into it at all, which surprised me.
@Janine: I seem to remember Cara McKenna saying something along the lines of writing no longer bringing her the joy it once had. She had a baby (not sure if it was her first) around the same time, and perhaps that factored into her decision to stop writing. Whatever the reason, she did make an announcement. On the other hand, as far as I can tell, Anne Calhoun simply “disappeared” after her last published book, TURN ME LOOSE, in 2017. She shut down all her social media accounts and hasn’t been heard from since. It’s strange because at the end of TURN ME LOOSE it seemed as if she was setting up a secondary couple for their own story in a future book. At this point, I don’t expect a new book from her, but I would like to know that she’s doing ok.
Jill Sorenson is another writer I miss. I understand she’s still publishing romantic-suspense (for Harlequin Intrigue) under the name Susan Cliff—but I’ve never actually been able to verify that Sorenson and Cliff are the same writer. As with Anne Calhoun, Sorenson appeared to be setting up a secondary couple in her last book, SHOOTING DIRTY, for their own story. Then, alas, nothing.
Interesting about Anne Calhoun. Something similar happened with historical romance Judith Ivory (Judy Cuevas) whose books I loved back in the day. Around the mid-2000s, she disappeared off the face of the earth. Before that she had been late delivering a manuscript and said that back pain prevented her from sitting in a chair for long periods, but then she just disappeared and no one knew what had happened to her.
Her Cuevas books have never been digitally published which is a crying shame. I hope someone digitizes them someday but that would require getting a hold of her first… If someone here knows her and thinks she would be interested in that, I’d love to know.
@Janine:
When I first got into The Vorkosigan books is was because the first full novel, SHARDS OF HONOR was being talked up as a romance novel.
You can actually get the first book and the second chronological book BARRAYAR in an omnibus edition called CORDELIA’S HONOR because they do work together as one long narrative and the character of Cordelia is pretty bad ass. But I do admit when I do a re-read of the series I tend to skip over SHARDS (even if there are some important plot/character elements in it) I always start with BARRAYAR. To me it is the exciting one.
The series really follows the character of Miles, but the first two books mentioned above are before his birth and recount how his mother (Cordelia) and father (Aral) meet and get together plus a lot of big, life altering event stuff and some great world building that preps us for when Miles comes and gives a LOT of context about who Miles is and, most importantly, WHY Miles is the way he is.
I admit I am completely biased, I think Miles Vorkosigan is one of the best character constructs (and hands down one of my very favorite fictional characters). The totality of the series paints such a vivid picture of one person being a major agent of change (and chaos!) and yet completely being a creature of the forces that created him. But it is so cool to watch him evolve over the course of the series.
As far as the Liaden Universe by Lee/Miller, again I was originally led to them because they were marketed as Sci Fi romance and the first one I read really was. It had a bit of a taboo relationship/secret baby plot! But I really liked the world building. The authors used language as a method to define the ‘alien’ culture and as a major brick in their world building.
@DiscoDollyDeb: If you look up Susan Cliff’s profile pictures on social media, it’s obviously Jill Sorenson. There are also some writing elements that read the same to me once I’d found out.
IIRC Cara McKenna had a baby, moved to the West Coast, and announced that she would be making a career change a year or two later. Maybe one day she’ll feel inspired again? One can only hope.
@Rose: thank you for the confirmation about Jill Sorenson being Susan Cliff (I just wish, if Sorenson is still writing, she’d go back to the couple she left hanging in SHOOTING DIRTY). Thank you, also, for clarifying Cara McKenna’s situation when she decided to stop writing. She did such a good job with gritty, working-class characters and environments—I’m sorry she decided to leave romance writing in the rear view.
@TinaNoir: Here is another huge fan of Miles. I love those books. Love them.
@TinaNoir and @Layla: For those looking for space opera, I recommend (yes, here it comes, @DDD), Linesman by SK Dunstall. There are two sequels, and this is a series that I reread frequently.
Following.
@Kareni: lol! Dunstall owes you a commission. I’m not a space opera fan, but you’ve recommended LINESMAN so often, I’m tempted to give it a try.
@DDD, if you do, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
@TinaNoir: Thanks Tina. I actually read Barrayar and Cordelia’s Honor years ago and I liked Barrayar better. Cordelia’s Honor was disappointing by comparison but I don’t know if I’d feel that way today; that was twenty years ago or so. However I did try rereading Barrayar recently it was slow to get off the ground so I put it down. I’d like to get back to it anyway. Books are paced faster these days. Alas, our various devices are making our attention spans shorter and shorter.
I have seen Miles compared multiple times to Eugenides from the Attolia books and that’s the main reason I want to read the Vorkosigan books. Gen is an amazing character so any character that gets compared to him has to be great. I just need to get through the prequels because I’m a stickler for reading order. Also, my husband hasn’t read them and I want to read these together with him (we frequently read SFF books together, reading them out loud to each other).
Re Liaden — which book was the forbidden relationships / secret baby book? I really like both of those tropes (and here I hear all of you groaning re secret baby; I know it’s bad to hide your child from their father but I have a soft spot for it anyway).
You guys are cracking me up!
@Kareni: I am intrigued by the SK Dunstall book. I will give it a try.
@Janine: Janine the secret baby book in the Liaden Universe is ‘LOCAL CUSTOM’ Goodreads says it is the 6th book in the series, but I think that is revisionist universe numbering. I think it is the first, actually. Also recommended is SCOUT’s PROGRESS the second (but GR says 7th) book in the series where the heroine (trigger warning) is the victim of domestic abuse by her brother and gets away because of her mathematical brilliance. Both have a nice romance at the center.
@TinaNoir: I hope you’ll enjoy Linesman!