Reread and no reads: August & September Reading

Fantasy bangers only.

September has been a glorious, exhausting, exciting, frantic month with the publication of my new book, The Age of Enchantment. I quickly realised it was not going to be a big reading month and I was correct as I have read one (1) book in September so decided to save this post for now to give me time to write it properly and to save a very sad little September reading update (the book was great, the reading rate was sad).

If you follow me elsewhere you’ll know that my latest book was published on the 12th September in the UK so I have been in a whirlwind of schools visits and book festivals and suchlike. So, before we get into the usual order of things if you’ll permit me a moment of self promotion… I do try to keep this irregular but I hope you won’t mind it occasionally.

The Age of Enchantment is the first book in the Chronicles of Whetherwhy series, an 8+ fantasy adventure series about seasonal magic, bookbinders and secret societies. It is born of my love of Tolkien and Le Guin and Wynne Jones (and Brambly Hedge and the Flower Fairies), and I’d be very grateful for any orders or borrows from the library, thank you! You can order signed and personalised copies from my local (award-winning!) indie bookshop here (and they ship internationally!) or signed copies from Waterstones here. Thank you so much and back to business…

Fire and Hemlock and Year of the Griffin by Diana Wynne Jones

At the beginning of the month I had the absolute honour of being invited to speak at the Diana Wynne Jones conference in Bristol on a panel with Garth Nix and Pari Thomson. Diana Wynne Jones is probably, when push comes to shove, my favourite author, and I was so delighted to be asked to be part of the event, which happens every five years. We were also invited to DWJ’s house to have tea with her sons which was pretty special - I was shown her study and library (and had a little cry) and played her husband’s piano, and was delighted by the Calcipher plushy in the fireplace. It was a gorgeous weekend and Garth, Pari and I spoke about what her books mean to us and how she’s affected us as writers and readers. I go back to DWJ’s books pretty regularly and reread a handful every year but before the conference, packed with the most ardent and knowledgeable fans and some of her family, I wanted to refresh myself on some I hadn’t read for a while. Top of this list was Fire and Hemlock, DWJ’s famously weird spin on the Tam Lin and Thomas the Rhymer myths that’s also modelled after Eliot’s Four Quartets. I read this as a child and was deeply unsettled by it and haven’t gone back to it since. I still found it unsettling but in a much, much more interesting way. It’s undeniably troubling at points, and very esoteric for what is nominally a teen book but it really gets under your skin and I’ve thought about it a lot since reading it again, helped by several interesting talks about the book at the conference.

“Only thin, weak thinkers despise fairy stories. Each one has a true, strange fact in it, you know, which you can find if you look.”

I also reread Year of the Griffin, the sequel to one of my all time DWJ favs, The Dark Lord of Derkholm. While the sequel doesn’t have quite the same place in my heart, it’s such a funny, charming, warm-hearted story and I really recommend both of them to any 12+ fantasy fans.

Should you read it? I truly can’t recommend the DWJ highly enough - if you’ve not read her before, leave a comment with your favourite fantasy book and I’ll suggest where to start!

The Obelisk Gate and The Stone Sky by NK Jemisin

After reading and loving The Fifth Season last month, I finished The Broken Earth trilogy this month - it’s been ages since I read a whole series almost back to back and I had a great time. Partly I did this because I loved the books but also I wanted to keep the complex world building and cast of characters fresh in my head which I think was worth it. I don’t regularly read sci-fi and this is as big cast of characters and a large and complex world and science/magic system. The second book was my least favourite, but this is in comparison to the other two, it’s still a brilliant book that I raced through - there was one particular moment early on that provoked a full-on out-loud GASP. With a world and story like this, being able to pull it all together and land the ending in a satisfactory way is quite the task, and one that Jemisin pulls off masterfully. The first book is the real masterpiece to me, but the whole trilogy is exceptionally good. Dark and complex and thoughtful while also being pacey and full of plot twists and action.

Should you read it? Absolutely yes. Even if you’re not a usual sci-fi reader (although perhaps if you don’t read fantasy either it might be rather in at the deep end). Definitely start with The Fifth Season though, the second and third don’t work as standalones at all.

The Return of the King by JRR Tolkien

I’ll keep this one brief so I don’t keep repeating myself as these books crop up pretty regularly around here. I finished my reread of the trilogy (I reread them roughly every few years) and there’s a reason it’s so beloved, okay! It’s so moving and epic and clever and funny and wise and I love it! (I do skip through the poems and songs though, even though Andy Serkis has a good go at them on the audio books).

Should you read it? Obviously. (I also have a Lord of the Rings character ranking coming up soon.)

The Dagger and the Flame by Catherine Doyle

I do need to start this by saying that Cat is a very close friend of mine but, you know, if I didn’t like the book I would just have never mentioned it on here or told anyone I’d ever read it. This is the start of a new YA romantasy series set in the city of Fantome which is a kind of magical turn-of-the-century Paris in vibes. It’s a proper enemies to lovers story - as in he is literally an assassin trying to kill her for the majority of the book. It’s got great chemistry and vibe-y world-building and is pacy and engaging and just huge amounts of swoony, dramatic fun.

Should you read it? If you like YA romantasy, or are buying for people who do, then this is an absolutely brilliant example of the genre.

A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan and The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. LeGuin

The Earthsea series is another of my really foundational fantasy series and I did a reread of the first three books to discuss on my podcast with my good friend, and theatre producer, Brian. (The episode will be out on Monday, but you can catch up on old episodes here or here.) When I was really struggling to work out what to write after Pages & Co, I reread a lot of fantasy and I really think Earthsea was what helped it all click into place for me. Brian and I are going to record another episode at some point about Tehanu, Tales of Earthsea and The Other Wind but for now I’ll just say that if you’ve read the first book, or the first three, you must read the whole cycle - it really just brings everything together in the most beautiful way. But do listen in to the episode on Monday for a deep dive into my feelings about the series!

Should you read it? Absolutely. Do read it in order, although I actually think that the first book is my least favourite and the series comes into its own as its scope widens and Le Guin builds outwards.

And then I started two books but honestly, reading the three Earthsea books in three days while on deadline kind of tuckered my brain out and I just didn’t really fancy picking up a book for a little bit as I focused on writing.

Last Seen Online by Lauren/Wren James

After reading the three Earthsea books very quickly for the podcast while on deadline, my brain got a bit tuckered out and then I went straight into promo for Whetherwhy with a schools and festival tour. I love doing events but they are tiring and I was also doing line edits for my Alice in Wonderland book while also drafting Whetherwhy 2 so basically just not much brain space available. So I wanted to read something that I knew would be really good but that also would be engaging and readable and I had a great time with Wren James’ Last Seen Online, a YA thriller about the murder of a TV star and the online community who dig into what really happened. It’s told partly through Tumblr posts and I have a really soft spot for “found media” sorts of books and this has all the tension and twists you want from a thriller but it’s also a lot of fun, while also both poking fun at and celebrating internet communities.

Should you read it? Yes - I’d recommend broadly if you fancy something easy to read but high quality. And if you are, or are buying for teens who loved things like A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder I’d put it high up your list!

Housekeeping!

• The links go to my Bookshop.org page and are affiliate links which means I get a small amount of money if you buy these books or other books via one of my links - thank you if you do buy this way, I appreciate the support!

• As a journalist and author, I am often reading proof copies of books sent for free by publishers. These are not sent with any obligation to read or write about them (indeed most of them are sent unsolicited) and I am never paid to say nice things about them. I’ll always disclose any personal relationships or if I’m reading a book for an event I’m being paid for. This month are all my own books ie books I bought with my own cash, aside from The Dagger and the Flame and Last Seen Online which were proofs from the publishers.

• Those of you who were paid subscribers, firstly and mainly a huge thank you for the support. As I mentioned in my update post, the tax situation is just too complex and time-heavy for me to be able to handle at the moment so I’ve issued full refunds to everyone, which should be with you within ten days (subject to your banks). If you haven’t received this by the end of October please do get in touch either in the comments, via DM on my Instagram or email me at annajamesauthor@gmail.com. Thank you.