Vaginal Fantasy Book Club discussion

GO TO POLL
THIS MONTH'S POLL IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT SO PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE POSTING YOUR SUGGESTION
In the last hangout, Veronica asked for book suggestions for January's MAIN pick, so you can leave them here. If you prefer, you can send your ideas directly to @Veronica on Twitter with the hashtag #vaginalfantasy. (You can always send books you'd like the group to read to our main Twitter account, @vaginalfantasy although V may not see them there.) I'll also put those suggestions left here (not on Twitter) into January's ALT poll. (The discussion for the ALT book will be online only.) Please include a link to the book's Goodreads page.

NOTE: Veronica may pick any or none of the books suggested. In the unlikely event that she picks the same book that wins the poll as the MAIN, then the second place book will become the ALT. If the MAIN is announced before the end of the poll, we will try to notify you so you can change your vote. All suggestions must have 100 ratings on Goodreads and be longer than 100 pages. One suggestion per member per month rule is suspended for this month, but only the FIRST suggestion from each member will be added to the poll. The following authors have been read more than once by the group already: Ilona Andrews, Nina Bangs, Anne Bishop, Jacqueline Carey, Gail Carriger, Kresley Cole, Grace Draven, Deanna Raybourn, and J.D. Robb.

Remember that the Vaginal Fantasy Book Club focuses on female-centric genre fiction, usually with romantic, historical, science fiction, fantasy, paranormal, or supernatural elements. For more information see The Vaginal Fantasy Alt Poll FAQ. For more great VF reads, check out The List of Lists for links to the various forum threads and listopias. One of the top unread books from the Suggested Reads for Vaginal Fantasy listopia will be automatically added to the poll each month. This month's pick is Grave Mercy.

Current Nominations:
•Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
•Omens by Kelley Armstrong
•Valour and Vanity by Mary Robinette Kowal
•Valor's Choice by Tanya Huff
•Tam Lin by Pamela Dean
•Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
•Keystone by Dannika Dark
•Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs by Molly Harper
•Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
•Aftertime by Sophie Littlefield
•Mercenary Instinct by Ruby Lionsdrake
•Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
•Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor
•The Cold Between by Elizabeth Bonesteel
•And I Darken by Kiersten White
•Starling by Lesley Livingston
•The Unleashing by Shelly Laurenston
•The Final Formula by Becca Andre

A Court of Thorns and Roses!

Briana wrote: "A Court of Thorns and Roses!"
Sorry, we read that last year.
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show_...

Omens would be a good choice for a main. We haven't picked a Kelley Armstrong yet, and I think this book is a lot stronger and better put together than her earliest ones like Bitten. (Different world, so you get more developed work while still starting at the beginning of a series.)

Valour and Vanity by Mary Robinette Kowal. Set in a Jane Austen world with magic, it's a heist movie with pirates.

All of the books in the series are good. The first book is built upon Jane Austen novels, the others explore the world-building.

Valor's Choice!! Military SF with a kick ass female lead. I read it and the second book in the series this summer and I couldn't put either of them down.

I second Omens ! Kelley Armstong is a fantastic Canadian author.

A Discovery of Witches Could be a good choice as well . A TV adaptation is filming currently as well so it's a good time to jump in to the world for those who haven't yet .

Tam Lin by Pamela Dean - the ballad set in the 60s at a small Ivy League college... Shakespeare, the Fae, geeky girls who read fantasy and scifi.

I absolutely recommend “A Discovery of Witches” by Deborah Harkness. Is a great series and I am so looking forward to the tv series being filmed! Will be released Autumn 2018.

A Discovery of Witches was the ALT for August 2014. https://www.goodreads.com/group/show_...

You can check to see if we've already read a book on the group's "read" bookshelf: https://www.goodreads.com/group/books...

We've read YA novels in this bookclub before so I'd like to suggest

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

I recently read this and the second book and found the love story adorable, the main character spunky and just a generally enjoyable read.

Keystone (Crossbreed #1) by Dannika Dark

Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs - by Molly Harper! A down on her luck librarian finds herself dying on the side of a road when Gabriel, her sexy new acquaintance, ( surprise - turns out he’s a vampire!) finds her and saves her the only way he can, make her a vampire. Rife with hilariously awkward moments, steamy scenes, and hysterical one liners, we get to follow Jane as she navigates her new undead status, her complicated relationship with Gabriel, her crazy family, and sketchy after dark employment “opportunities.”

"Parable of the Sower" by Octavia Butler

"Binti" series by Nnedi Okorafor (there are 3 novellas in the series so could read them all as one pick)

I've been recommending it for awhile, but... Aftertime by Sophie Littlefield. A single mom with a dark past in search of her lost daughter in a post-apocalyptic landscape.

is the first of a series. I thought it was funny and liked the characters.

Since Binti was Christina's second pick but also one I want to read I'm gonna pick that as my first pick. So I nominate (second?) Binti by Nnedi Okorafor.

I’m going to recommend a terrific series by Jodi Taylor. The Chronicles of St. Mary’s. Book 1 is “Just One Damned Thing After Another”. I am totally hooked on this series. Lots of laughs and action. Lots of history and a bit of romance thrown in.

For the poll, I'd like to recommend The Cold Between. I know Felicia has read it but I don't think they have as a group.

I would also throw my vote in with Binti. That's one I've been meaning to read and would love to do a group read for it.

Side note: I tried to read Parable of the Sower but it was just too grim for me. I couldn't get past the first few chapters. :(

I'd like to recommend And I Darken by Kiersten White. It's a dark historical fantasy about a female Vlad the Impaler. There is a romance, but the heroine is conflicted about it. It's been described as a YA Game of Thrones set in the Ottoman Empire.

I'd like to nominate "Starling" by Lesley Livingston...author of a recent VF pick (or nomination) "The Valiant"

During the hiatus The Wanton Wisconsinites decided to read The Unleashing. It has a different take on the usual paranormal romance.

[Edit: I was able to add the link after posting]

The link wasn't working but here's the description:

The Unleashing

Kera Watson never expected to face death behind a Los Angeles coffee shop. Not after surviving two tours lugging an M16 around the Middle East. If it wasn’t for her hot Viking customer showing up too late to help, nobody would even see her die.

In uncountable years of service to the Allfather Odin, Ludvig “Vig” Rundstöm has never seen anyone kick ass with quite as much style as Kera. He knows one way to save her life—but she might not like it. Signing up with the Crows will get Kera a new set of battle buddies: cackling, gossiping, squabbling, party-hearty women. With wings. So not the Marines.

But Vig can’t give up on someone as special as Kera. With a storm of oh-crap magic speeding straight for L.A., survival will depend on combining their strengths: Kera’s discipline, Vig’s loyalty… and the Crows’ sheer love of battle. Boy, are they in trouble.

I know I've suggested The Final Formula by Becca Andre before, but I can I throw it in the ring again? The Amazon ebook version is permafree, I believe.

The poll is now open.

I have recently discovered Jodi Taylor! Her Chronicles of St. Mary’s is terrific. Great female lead character. Book #1 is “Just One Damned Thing After Another”!!

Veronica has picked Binti for January's MAIN, so please vote for something else. You can always change your vote until the poll closes right before the show, or in this case, until 11:59 pm PT Dec 31st .