F is for Fiction

I have always been a total bookworm. I started reading early & never stopped! Last month I wrote about 'comfort books' – the books you reach for when you want a laugh or need a hug. All the ones on my list were Discworld books. Let's branch out a little. Here are some books Terry Pratchett didn't write:

Watercolor & Ink line drawing of an open book. Pink-purple-blue haze is rising from the pages, along with bronze swirls & stars. (Reminder that I am #NotSponsored by anyone, I just love books!)

Some Great Books I Read Recently

Noor by Nnedi Okorafor or anything by Science Fiction Queen Nnedi Okorafor, really. 'Noor' is my favorite so far, but I have only discovered this author this year. A woman ostracized for her prosthetics goes on an adventure & saves the day! Kabu Kabu is a book of her short stories that is also fantastic. If you like Cory Doctorow, you desperately need to check out Nnedi Okorafor!

Dead Water by C. A. Fletcher This is a horror thriller that takes place on a Scottish island. The writing is excellent, & the cast of characters sticks with you. It's not my preferred horror genre (that's zombies) but it does feature a very well-crafted monster. If that isn't enough to get you to check it out, you should know that the audio book is beautifully read.

Piranha to Scurfy by Ruth Rendell This is another book of short stories. I am not usually all that into mysteries, but these were fun to read! I'm afraid to actually say anything about it & risk spoiling the mysteries.

Some Great Books I Re-Read Frequently

The Rampart Trilogy by M. R. Carey You might have seen me ranting about M. R. Carey before now. I love so many of his books! I am shocked this trilogy hasn't been turned into tv/movies yet. It's absolutely brilliant science fiction. If it had been around when I was in middle/high school I would have been absolutely obsessed with it. People who liked 'The Giver' but weren't impressed by its sequels will like this trilogy. The audio books are read exceptionally well! The voices I came up with in my head when I first read the physical books have been completely supplanted by the ones in the audio books, which never happens.

The Wolves Chronicles by Joan Aiken This is the first book series I remember becoming completely obsessed with, reading it over and over until I had my favorites (“The Wolves of Willoughby Chase” & “Is Underground”) memorized.I've loved these books since I was so very little, & I realize leaves me with a hopeless bias. Nevertheless, I think this is a good book series for everyone from the age they learn to read at a chapter book level on up. It takes place in an alternate history of the UK, it's a bit steampunk, & the main character changes from book to book so you can never be sure what will happen next! Aiken reminds me a lot of Dianna Wynn Jones, who wrote 'Howl's Moving Castle' among other things. Digital drawing of a brown cat covered in grey stars sitting on a book.

Which is your favorite comfort read? If you haven't read any before, where do you think you will start? Let me know on Mastodon or Ko-Fi! Have a fantastic day, draw something for my art challenge, see you next week!

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