Books I'm Waiting On

This year, I made a resolution that I was going to read as few books for fun as possible -- the better to focus on the chaos of college.

Well, I'm miserable.

The only "for fun" book I brought along was Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch, and I've already finished it. I'm itching for new books to read. I'll have to wait until Monday for the library to open, sadly. Specifically, I'm dying to read:

Ahh! Look at those costumes!!!

The Republic of Thieves is the sequel to Red Seas Under Red Skies, and what with the way that one ended, I need to read the sequel. It's not a want anymore. It is a NEED. RSUR was a fantastic second book, but the ending was just...depressing. While The Lies of Locke Lamora could be read and enjoyed by itself, Red Seas Under Red Skies is clearly a part of a series that is meant to continue.

So far, my only complaint about the series is that amazing characters from the first book got dropped for the second. That makes sense since it completely changes place, but I hope this doesn't become a pattern -- develop great new characters for each book and then abandon them for the sequel.

I'm going to find The Republic of Thieves and then Bastards and Knives and then whatever comes next.

UK cover of Envy

The second book I'm looking forward to -- also a sequel -- is Envy by Elizabeth Miles. It's the second of the YA paranormal/horror Fury trilogy about the Greek Furies and their victims. In Fury, Em cheated with her best friend's asshole boyfriend, Zach. Zach juggles different girls and hookups like other people his age juggle homework assignments. In the Epilogue, we see a beautiful blonde woman (just his type; see cover right) come up to him and give him an orchid -- the mark of the Furies. DUN DUN DUUUUNNN.

I haven't read any reviews of Envy because I want to be surprised, but I sincerely hope that this Fury makes Zach fall obsessively in love with her and then cheats on him a lot because that would be lovely, lovely karma.

Also, I think this series poses a lot of problematic questions about revenge, crime, and punishment, especially because the main characters are the Furies' victims. What deserves vengeance? Is revenge justice, or does it just add to the cycle? Will I end up liking Zach by the end of Envy? (I seriously hope not, but I'm willing to turn the first page with an open mind.) I loved Chase from Fury, after all, and he did something far "worse" than cheating.

The third book I want to read ASAP is The Kingmaker's Daughter, Philippa Gregory's latest War of the Roses novel. Having done Shakespeare's Richard III this summer, I am extremely interested to read Gregory's interpretation of the life of Anne, Warwick's daughter, daughter-in-law of crazy Henry VI, and later wife of infamous Richard III.

I loved Gregory's take on the Boleyn family, and her bold storytelling choices with The White Queen and The Red Queen. I didn't read Lady of the Rivers -- Jacqueline just wasn't a very interesting character to me -- but I'm dying to see how she interprets Anne. Like many historical women, she's often mis-imagined or callously dismissed by the people who write history...namely, men.

Obviously, Gregory writes historical fiction, not history -- but so did Shakespeare, and we have tons of misconceptions about historical figures thanks to him. Richard III wasn't a hunchback, did you know? Neither did he poison Anne -- she was always sickly, and came from a sickly family. In fact, he sobbed openly at her funeral. Also, Anne and Richard knew each other as children, and all the evidence points to a genuine romance. Once Anne was widowed, Richard rode to her home in the middle of the night to propose.

Also, Richard III fought with a warhammer in one hand and a sword in the other. The guy was a boss.

Yeah, Richard III was probably a horrible person for all that -- but I really want to read about him through his wife's eyes.

The Republic of Thieves, Envy, and The Kingmaker's Daughter -- forget reading for class!