Big Book Haul | Oct 2023

I may have been on a bit of a spree recently picking up a few new titles, and I have a few credits and birthday vouchers left so do leave me your recommendations below! Which of these should I try first?

Intro & Outro acknowledgements:
Cookie by ✦ Shmidt Sergey ✦ from the Noun Project
Guitar by Vectors Market from the Noun Project
Music written & performed by K & M Gray

Channel Art:
@georgina_webb_design on Instagram

My Instagram & Threads: @kittygbooks

[josephfernandez]

I’m always into different approaches in fantasy when it comes to determining who gets to access magic. Genetic magic is so overdone so I’m excited when I see new approaches. I like the idea that anyone can use magic, it’s just very expensive to learn. It’s an especially interesting concept in urban fantasy with it’s obvious real world connections.

[KValeNagle]

A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking is the big T. Kingfisher/Ursula Vernon fantasy title to see if you like her =] Though if you want a horror read for October from her, she writes a lot of cozy horror that're basically Old Weird retellings in a modern setting. The Hollow Places and The Twisted Ones (The Willows / The White People inspired) were the first ones to really make cozy horror something we've all been talking about nonstop for the last few years. The dog/cat survive, which is why they feel both cozy and disturbing? She went on to do another one, What Moves the Dead (The Fall of the House of Usher-inspired), starring the protagonist Easton. That was so popular, her publisher asked for her next two cozy fantasies to also feature Easton, nonbinary hero icon. I think the one getting advertised everywhere now is What Feasts at Night (May 2024 release in the US), though I dunno what they're inspired by.


The distinction between T. Kingfisher and Ursula Vernon used to be about whether it was self-published or trad-published. Then it became furry vs non-furry. Then it became YA vs. adult. Here in 2023, there's no real distinction between them that's meaningful. Some of Ursula's work comes out as Kingfisher, some as Vernon, but everyone knows it's all her.

(My fun Ursula story is that my husband got to meet and talk to her at World Fantasy Con while she was buying fountain pens and ink from him. He was like: Oh, my wife reads your books and loves your animal facts!" and Ursula was like "Oh! I know Vin. She's one of my people." So for all my recommendations, consider that I am, apparently, one of Ursula's people =] )

[Sara]

I'm a huge fan of T Kingfisher and especially her writing style and humour! I liked Paladin's Grace but I'd also recommend Swordheart as an entry point. I don't see a lot of people talking about it but I really loved her Beauty and the Beast retelling called Bryony and Roses - it's very short and has some unique twists and turns, definitely worth checking out imo

[adrastea]

Tommorrow, Tomorrow & Tomorrow was a great book club read. We all read different genres but loves this book and still had lots to talk about

[suzannemoore]

For T. Kingfisher I would recommend Nettle and Bone- it is superb! Also, This Is How You Lose the Time War was a wonderful SciFi book.

[safinan]

Happy reading to you, always look forward watching ur book haul.. 🎉

[treebranch]

If you’re looking for a great audiobook or just a book for your book club I’d recommend The Imaginary Corpse by Tyler Hayes. It’s so original. The main character is a stuffed dinosaur named Detective Tippy. I’ll leave it there for you but I will say I loved it. Stand alone as far as I know.

[khomo]

Very nice book haul!📚📚📚🤖🚀 I'm mainly listening to the library at mount char by Scott Hawkins and eyes of the void by Adrian tchaikovsky just now...and slowly going through your backlog, too!😊😊

[alexandruteodor]

Hi! For me, listening to the audiobooks by Joe Abercrombie, narrated by Steven Pacey, was a blast. I highly recommend them if you haven't listened to them already. The first 6 and a half are on YT though. Another great audiobook was Flowers for Algernon, also on YT. A book that I absolutely love is Beyond Redemption and although I've read it, I've listened to the audiobook sample and it sounds very good, I'd buy it if I didn't have it in physical format.

[ToddsBookTube]

Todd here. Nice book haul Kitty G! Happy Autumn.

[netnavi]

If youve got audible credits to use, try out Jacka's other (finished) series Alex Verus. It's quite different to Inheritance of Magic, but it's great.

[NWalsh_]

A matter of magic is a bind up of 2 books by Patricia C Wrede and it is amazing (the thieves cant language was hard to wrap my head around initially) and I’ve reread it several times. It does read quite young though.

I love fantasy of manners books - could you recommend other good fantasy of manners books? It’s quite hard to find good ones 😊

[launchedathousand]

The Andy Serkis Hobbit and LOTR are great audiobooks.