What’s the Last Great Book You Read?

Over the last few months I’ve been immersed in the second book in a series of books called The Green Bone Saga. I just finished it, and I wanted to share it’s sheer awesomeness with you.

The Green Bone Saga is set in a world somewhat similar to ours, with one key difference: Their version of jade (hence “green bone”) has magical properties that can enhance a person’s strength, speed, perception, etc. It’s rare and highly prized.

The books mostly follow the Kaul family, which is one of several powerful mafia-like organizations featured in the first book, Jade City. The characters are nuanced, deep, unique, and flawed in interesting ways.

In both books, there’s plenty of intrigue and behind-closed-doors strategizing, but there are also some memorable fight scenes. The last time I read a book with such memorable fight scenes was The Way of Kings (the second book in particular).

Magic plus mafia plus kung fu? These books were written for me!

If that combination of genres sounds interesting to you, I’d highly recommend this series. It’s unfinished at this point, but I don’t think it will be too long before the third book is available.

What’s the last great book you read?

12 thoughts on “What’s the Last Great Book You Read?”

  1. Just finished the Power of Habit. Amazing book. Thought it was going to teach me about business, but it taught me about science and life. I cried at least 3 times (lost count at that point). Amazing book. And im tempted to read it again. Although this series sounds intriguing too. Although i will probably wait until its finished to start it. Thanks for the suggestion!

    Reply
  2. On the Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis.

    Post apocalypse (comet collision) YA novel with an autistic protagonist, written by an openly autistic author. The protagonist Denise goes through a coming of age story, while trying to secure a place on the last generational ship to leave Earth for herself and her mother and find her sister in the flooded ruins of Amsterdam.

    Honestly? This was the first creative work I’ve ever truly emotionally understood what representation feels like as opposed to an intellectual understanding of why it’s important. And it is hugely frustrating that it was a book I read in my early 30s that gave me that, rather than something I read, or watched, or played, or whatever, as a child – I mean, sure, I’ve seen occasional other works with autistic but something in the depiction always felt a bit off outside of this.

    It’s been a couple of years since I read it, and I’m not dismissing the books I’ve read since as bad – I’d recommend some of them as wonderful reads – but this is the one that still stands out to me as truly great because of how I connected to it.

    Reply
  3. “Across the Nightingale Floor” by Lian Hearn

    Set in a fictional feudal Japan, a young boy, returning to his village after a day in the woods, finds his family slaughtered….what follows is a beautifully written, evocative story blending magic, warlords, ninjas, love and revenge.

    Also, I have to give a friend of mine a plug….she’s a writer and I just read a book of hers called “How to Walk Away”. It is the story of a young woman who’s life is derailed by a plane crash. If it were a movie, it would be a romantic comedy. Not the type of book I typically read, but I wanted to read one of Katherine’s novels and I couldn’t put it down.I found myself smiling and tearing up throughout the book.

    Jade City sounds great…. going to download it on my kindle now.

    Reply
  4. Thank you for the recommendation. I’ve added Jade City to my reading list which lately has consisted of the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. I just finished book 7 and each book about wizard detective Harry Dresden gets better and better.

    Happy reading!

    Reply
      • I wanted to get further into the series to familiarize myself with the characters before I played the Dresden deckbuilder so I haven’t played it yet. It too is on my list of games to play. : )

        Reply

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