#chris vuklisevic

[noahsbookhoard]

📚July 2024 Book Review (Part 1/3)📚

I separated the book for July at more or less random and it comes that today's three novels are mostly character driven stories! I don't think I had read many such books before but they really grew on me and those three are all really good!

Du thé pour les fantômes de Chris Vuklisevic

Felicité and Agonie are sisters, one helps ghost leave the living world with magic teas, the second is a witch. They hadn't seen each other for 30 years when their mother dies. The sister must meet again to uncover the secrets left by their mother and maybe repair what could be of their relationship and of their complicated childhood.

First thing that struck me was the style. There are two different style of narration in this book: one in which the narrator is welcoming the reader in a teashop and telling them about Félicité "La Passeuse de Fantôme", and another in which he narrates from an omniscient point of view Félicité's and Agonie's childhood (the names are transparent words and tells you a lot about how they were treated as kids), their separation, their reunion and the quest for answers from their mother that takes them from South East France to Spain.

The first one is really direct, informal and speech-like. Pretty funny too, I wasn't expecting to be compared to a tuna and egg sandwich by page 2 but here we are! The second one is much less oral but very poetic and melodic. It sets an heavy atmosphere even sometimes dark especially when it comes to the mother and Agonie.

The characters are more than what appears at first glance and they evolve a lot throughout the book, especially Agonie, given that we hear a lot about her childhood but she herself appears relatively late in the novel. The mother too is a mysterious figure, when you think you have a good idea of who she was you realise there is more to uncover and as you do the sisters also appear under a new light. The character development is masterfully done and I got really attached to them.

This book hasn't been translated yet in English but I hope it will, it deserves to be!

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

Rosemary Harper just joined the Wormhole tunneling ship Wayfarer, a scrapheap of a ship but with a tight knitting crew. She will travel to deep space and learn to live and work with her new crewmates, a diverse and chaotic bunch of individuals with lives and background as complicated as her own.

This novel, in my opinion, is the very definition of character driven narrative: not much happens in the plot but the story is packed with episodes that highlights the characters, their stories, their relationships, their feelings... The novel devotes a lot of time to establishing the dynamics of the crew, the friendships, the inimities, and even the characters who keep the most to themselves are forced at some point to open up and divulge more of who they are and why they are so isolated and secretive. And it is all done oh so subtlety! no character development is forced, even when the bad guys end up literally beating it out of one particularly aloof crewmember. It feels really intimate but never intrusive, the novel invites you in on their private moments, the love stories, the sad ones too. It is wonderfully balanced.

The soft sci-fi setting works really well, it isn't so lore and science heavy that you don't have time to properly focus on the character but it creates some really diverse and interesting alien species, a wormhole tunneling system that is not too lingo-heavy but completely believable (mainly because Rosemary has no idea what is going on so why would the reader? The specialist can deal with it that's what matters) and varied planets and settings for that different adventures of the crew. I especially liked the market, it felt like every market in the world and yet completely alien in its content.

It is an new favorite of mine, although as of posting this I haven't read the rest of the series. I laughed, I cried and I felt like I traveled far and wide with this crew. I am deeply fond of the novel, as if I had read it ten times before.

Le dernier des siens by Sybille Grimbert

1835, Gus is a young zoologist on an expedition to study the northern European fauna. When the crew of the ship calls on a little island to hunt a colony of Great Penguin for their meat he saves one individual that he names Prospero. He has unknowingly rescued the last of his kind. For the next 15 years man and animal will develop a profund bound. Exploring from Faroe island to Denmark in search of others of Prosp's kind Gus will deal with the realisation that he is witnessing the extinction of an entire species.

I read this book in one sitting, the style is simple but fluid and the story is intriguing: a man saves a rare specimen of penguin and, once the scientific curiosity transform into something of a friendship, he sets of to reunite the animal with his kind only to realise it might be the very last one. The feelings of Gus evolves very quickly and interestingly from the 19th century lack of care for the preservation of species to a burgeoning of ecological consciousness to the tragic realisation of the damage already done and still done in his time.

Seen through the prism of 21st century ecology Gus is horrible in the first part of the book. Sometimes when I was angry at him for his mistreatment of Prosp or the way other characters talk about a near extinct species, it was always good to remember that, although the Great Penguin did go extinct and it was very much was mankind's fault and that there has been a trend of rich people adopting endangered species to exhibit them live around their house, this specific story is fictional. That doesn't make it less tragic, it just made me refrain from mentally strangling fictional characters.

His growth is that much interesting that he first conveyed the mainstream opinion of the time: "there's no species extinction, only evolution! Animals that disappear were just not suited for survival and whatever happens it certainly isn't our fault!"

But he learns, from Props and from people, biologists and zoologists, who already in the 1830's realised that we were destroying entire biomes with oblivious enthusiasm. It doesn't change history and the fate of the Great Penguin but it reflect to us what we know but tend not to realise deeply enough: there are entire species going extinct far more quickly than the natural rythme of evolution and balance of biodiversity and it is entirely our fault.

It is a very touching story, but not something that I ever want to see actually happen (it reminds me of the film "The Fox and the Child" in which a little girl tries to befriend a fox and it doesn't go well at all): it is a warning, a beautifully written one, but a tale of caution more than of inspiration.

[anolis3]

"Du Thé pour les Fantômes", by Chris Vuklisevic.

"À celui qui est la fin de toute phrase, l'or dans chaque fêlure, et le tempestaïre de tous les orages dans ces jours qui mesurent la largeur d'une paume.", from Du Thé pour les Fantômes.

"Antes, todos os caminhos iam. Agora todos os caminhos vêm. A casa é acolhedora, os livros poucos. E eu mesmo preparo o chá para os fantasmas.", from Envelhecer, by Mário Quintana.

[misshortensia]

Coup de cœur de novembre

🍁 Un roman atypique qui m'a beaucoup marqué cet automne : si vous aimez les histoires de fantômes et une bonne tasse de thé, il pourrait bien vous plaire !

📖 "Du thé pour les fantômes" de Chris Vuklisevic, c'est l'histoire de deux sœurs, l'une sorcière et l'autre passeuse de fantômes , à la recherche du fantômes de leur mère décédée. Agonie et Félicité se retrouvent après 30 sans avoir échangé un mot, et vont découvrir de nombreux secrets sur la vie de leur mère. Une histoire de famille mystérieuse, sombre, dans laquelle le thé délie les langues des vivants et des fantômes.

[froy]

"Best handig, hè, vragen en woede. Daarmee vergeet je het verdriet. ... Haar woede en haar vragen vermorzelen verder alles in haar en het vergruizen is welkom, je hoeft er niet eens op te reageren, want het is eenvoudiger om je af te vragen hoe hoog de geheimen en leugens zich opstapelen, tot waar het gaat, dit verhaal, tot waar het zijn wortels en mysteries uitstrekt, tot waar en tot wanneer. Niet zo ver. Niet ver, maar heel diep."

Thee voor Geesten - Chris Vuklisevic

[crepuscule-pourpre]

[thehoneybus]

set my reading challenge at 52 books this year, and i'm deleting Instagram so it should be doable

[elmaxlys]

Bon une fois que j'en ai fini avec mes lectures actuelles, je me lance dans quoi ?

[antonomase]

PÀL du Pumpkin Autumn Challenge 2023

Encore une pile que je ne respecterai pas !

AUTOMNE FRISSONNANT

Viens flotter avec nous : T. KINGFISHER, Thornedge (2023) ✔️

L’enfer des backrooms : L. E. HARPER, Kill Your Darlings (2023) ✔️

Perfectly Splendid : Katie LUMSDEN, The Secrets of Hartwood Hall (2023) ✔️

AUTOMNE DOUCEUR DE VIVRE

Something Wicked This Way Come : Meg CABOT, Enchanted to Meet You (2023) ✔️

Poupée de souvenir automatique �� votre service ! : François BÉGAUDEAU, l'amour (2023) ✔️

La Dame Chouette des Îles Bouillantes : Naomi NOVK, The Last Graduate (2021) ✔️

La loi fondamentale de l’échange équivalent : Sangu MANDANNA, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches (2022) ✔️

AUTOMNE DES BOIS ET AU-DELÀ

Pomme alors ! C’est le goût de la tarte aux amaudes ! : Chris VUKLISEVIC, Du thé pour les fantômes (2023) ✔️

La Légende de la Hache Noire : Simon JIMENEZ, The Spear Cuts Through Water (2022) ✔️

La mélodie infernale de la corne de chasse : Rick RIORDAN, Percy Jackson and the Chalice of the Gods (2023) ✔️

Rocket Raccoon on the Run : Yoon HA LEE, Ninefox Gambit (2016)

AUTOMNE RAYONNANT

We’ll Always Find a Way : Shelley PARKER-CHAN, He Who Drowned the World (2023)

L'esprit indomptable de Jo March : Laure de CHANTAL, Les Neufs vies de Sappho (2023) ✔️

Siúl A Rúin, Maureen : Shauna LAWLESS, The Children of Gods and Men (2022)

[scarletfantasia]

1, 4 & 11 for the end of year book asks

How many books did you read this year?

For now I have read 25 books. Which I dont find a lot comparing years ago as a bookworm...but as I didnt read a lot since years bc of depression and studying...I think it's a pretty good achievment. And I consider I have still books to read before the end of the year. So let's continue step by step!

4. Did you discover any new authors that you love this year?

Oh yes def! I discover two authors this year that I particularly appreciate : Chris Vuklisevic with Du thé pour les fantomes (Some tea for Ghosts) and Olivier Bourdeaut with Waiting for Bojangles.

11. What was your favourite book that has been out for a while, but you just read now?

I would say Waiting for Bojangles and Hunger Games saga. For that last one I never saw the movies or read the books, took me a while to finally being able to see them (thanks to the prequel) and I genuinely enjoyed them. I am just a little bit long concerning T3. When I will finish Dune Messiah I will finish it. It's also a book I enjoy a lot too and I read the first tome years ago.

Thanks for the ask @sabraeal :3 (sorry for the delay too, it was lost between the spams)

End of year book ask

[lebibliocosme]

Memento mori

Titre : Memento mori Auteurs/Autrices : Chris Vuklisevic (Memento mori) ; Christopher Bouix (Une magnifique et soudaine histoire d’amour) ; Jean-Laurent del Socorro (Le Sage de la montagne) ; Thomas Gunzig (Nous aurons des lits pleins d’odeurs légères) ; Anna Triss (L’amour à mort) ; Lionel Davoust (Pour se rappeler Mirigor) ; Julia Richard (Nec-Romance) ; Ariel Holzl (La saison de la sorcière) ;…

[noahsbookhoard]

All the books I read in 2024 (in reverse chronological order)

Vacation by Deb Olin Unferth

A Local Hbitatation (October Daye #2) by Seanan McGuire

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo

The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei

Winter Spirits short story collection

The Agatha Christie Book Club #1 by C A Larmer

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Retour à St Mary (Cosy Christmas Mystery #1) by Carine Pitocchi

Le Père Porcher (Chroniques du Disque-Monde #20) by Terry Pratchett

Soie by Alessandro Baricco

Prince Caspian (The Chronicles of Narnia #2) by C S Lewis

A Day of Fallen Night (Root of Chaos #0) by Samantha Shannon

Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood

When Among Crows by Veronica Roth

My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine

Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Cerulean #2) T J Klune

The Sword Catcher (Chronicles of Castelane #1) by Cassandra Clare

La Dame du manoir de Wildfell Hall (The Tenant of Wildfell Hall) by Anne Brontë

L'amant by Marguerite Duras

The Restaurang at the End of the Universe (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy #2) by Douglas Adams

Une belle vie by Virginie Grimaldi

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Wintersmith (Discworld #34) by Terry Pratchett

Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone (Ernest Cunningham #1) by Benjamin Stevenson

What Feast at Night (Sworn Soldier #2) by T Kingfisher

Le Bastion des Larmes by Abdellah Taïa

If We Were Villains by M L Rio

War and Peace by Leon Tolstoi

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

Rule of Two (Darth Bane Trilogy #2) by Drew Karpyshyn

Les Dragons by Jérôme Colin

Hotel Magnifique by Emily J Taylor

Le dieu d'automne et d'hiver by Pauline Sidre

Les Possibles by Virginie Grimaldi

A Close and Common Orbit (Wayfarer #2) by Becky Chambers

The Outsider by Stephen King

Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow

Tous les silence ne font pas le même bruit by Baptiste Beaulieu

Trois battements un silence by Anne Fakhouri

Kiss Kiss by Roal Dahl

Assassin's Apprentice (Realm of the Elderlings #1) by Robin Hobb

Halloween Party by Agatha Christie

Artificial Condition (Murderbot Diary #2) by Martha Wells

The Light Throught the Leaves by Glendy Vanderah

Et que ne durent que les moments doux by Virginie Grimaldi

The Eyes are the Best Part by Monika Kim

Ring Shout by P Djeli Clark

The Rest of the Robots (Robots #2) by Isaac Asimov

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

On the Way to the Wedding (Bridgerton #8) by Julia Quinn

Our Missing Heart by Celeste Ng

Book of Blood I by Clive Barker

Ilos by Marion Brunet

Babel by R F Kuang

Rosemary and Rue (October Daye #1) by Seanan McGuire

Thud! (Discworld #34) by Terry Pratchett

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel

Les aventures de Billy et du Pyrobarbare : la forteresse du chaudron noir by Bob Lennon

Space Opera by Catherynne M Valente

Magie et Sentiments : les secrets de Longdawn by Ariel Holzl

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

It's in His Kiss (Brigerton #7) by Julia Quinn

Les Cinq by Matthieu RochelleDid You Hear About Kitty Karr by Crystal Paul Smith

The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia #1) by C S Lewis

How to Raise a Kraken in Your Bathtub by P Djeli Clark

An Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie

The Oleander Sword (The Burning Kingdoms #2) by Tasha Suri

Time to Orbit : Unknown by Derin Edala

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

4.48 Psychosis by Sarah Kane

Under the Whispering Door by T J Klune

The Moth Keeper by Kay O'Neill

Cain's Jawbone by E Powys Mathers

Darth Bane : Path of Destruction (Darth Bane #1) by Drew Karpyshyn

Du thé pour les fantômes by Chris Vuklisevic

Labyrinthes (Caleb Tracksman #3) by Franck Thiliez

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers

Le dernier des siens by Sibylle Grimbert

Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie

Going Postal (Discworld #33) by Terry Pratchett

House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland

Blanche-Neige et les lances-missiles (Du temps où les dieux buvaient #1) by Catherine Dufour

When He Was Wicked (Bridgerton #6) by Julia Quinn

The Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Celle qu'il attendait by Baptiste Beaulieu

Jusqu'à ce que mort s'ensuive by Olivier Rolin

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

The Umbrella Academy Vol 1-3 by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bà

Il était deux fois (Caleb Tracksman #2) by Franck Thilliez

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

To Sir Phillip With Love (Bridgerton #5) by Julia Quinn

Le papillon des étoiles by Bernard Werber

Beren and Luthien by J R R Tolkien

A Hat Full of Sky (Discworld #32) by Terry Pratchett

Le manuscrit inachevé (Caleb Tracksman #1) by Franck Thiliez

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

Akata Witch (Akata Witch #1) by Nnedi Okorafor

Romancing Mr Bridgerton (Bridgerton #4) by Julia Quinn

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton

An Offer from a Gentleman (Bridgerton #3) by Julia Quinn

Delicious in Dungeon vol 1-14 by Ryoko Kui

Doctor Who : the Star Beast by Gary Russell

La promesse de l'aube by Romain Gary

The Jasmine Throne (The Burning Kingdoms #1) by Tasha Suri

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adam

The Illiad by Homer (trad Emily Wilson)

The Viscount Who Loved Me (Bridgerton #2) by Julia Quinn

The Me You Love in the Dark by Scotty Young

The Duke and I (Bridgerton #1) by Julia Quinn

Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

Nona the Ninth (Locked Tomb #3) by Tamsyn Muir

The Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger

House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T J Klune

I, Robot (Robot #1) by Isaac Asimov

Monstrous Regiment (Discworld #31) by Terry Pratchett

The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in your Home by Jeffrey Cranor and Joseph Fink

Fullmetal Alchemist Vol 1-27 by Hiromu Arakawa

The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fischer by E M Anderson

All System Red (Murderbot Diaries #1) by Martha Wells

Veiller sur elle by Jean-Baptiste Andrea

Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

Segurant le chevalier au dragon by Emanuele Arioli

Chanson Douce by Leila Sleimane

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

He Who Drowned The World (The Radiant Emperor #2) by Shelley Parker Chan

Et à la fin ils meurent by Lou Lubie

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

The Wee Free Men (Discworld #30) by Terry Pratchett

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Harrow the Ninth (Locked Tomb #2) by Tamsyn Muir

Histoire de coming out by Baptiste Beaulieu and Sophie Nanteuil

Heartstopper Vol 1-4 by Alice Oseman

The Old Guard by Greg Rucka

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

Le Comte de Monte-Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

La Cicatrice by Bruce Lowrey

Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Us by Sara Soler

Gideon the Ninth (Locked Tomb #1) by Tamsyn Muir

[the-lightbulb-and-the-octopus]

French recs, let's go! I knew my habit of only buying physical in French and almost exclusively buying fantasy would pay off one day.

La fille sans nom - Maëlle Fierpied : That one is probably middle grade, an adult might find it a little too fast paced and too easy. The setting is very much based on magic, runes and stuff like that.

L'Héritière des Raeven - Méropée Malo (3 books) : I'd say it's YA, and most importantly, urban fantasy. Very typical tropes, and a few less typical ones, but I do remember feeling a little like the ending was rushed.

Derniers jours d'un monde oublié - Chris Vuklisevic : That one is a bit dark, so you might want to read it knowing that first! I really like the setting, and the added info in between chapters that strengthen the world's existence.

La Moïra and Gallica - Henri Lœvenbruck (in that order, 3 books for each series) : Two related series taking place in a world that is strangely similar to ours, with magical creatures and people, the end of an era and a lot of political scheming.

La Stratégie des As - Damien Snyers : Fantasy, steampunk (yes both, and it's lovely), a heist, a lot of friendship forever and a queer side character.

Le Chant des cavalières - Jeanne Mariem Corrèze : Medieval fantasy with an order of women warriors who ride dragons! And a least two queer characters. I must admit that it did not fulfil my desire to understand the world better.

Mer mortes - Aurélie Wellenstein : I guess that one is SFF, because it relies on magic in an almost medieval setting... in the future. Talk about ecology, and a little queer twist, if you can call it that. This author wrote a lot of other things, but this one is my favourite (and also it's one that doesn't have the dreaded rape/incest combo that @logarithmicpanda mentioned), so you can also check it out.

Bohen - Estelle Faye (2 books, only read the first one) : Classic medfan setting, political scheming and revolution, includes a few queer characters and relationships. But I have to say, I found the first book a little too long and this is why I haven't read the second one yet.

Le Phare au Corbeau - Rozenn Illiano : Urban fantasy, ghost hunting, friendship, different timelines and queer main characters! I attempt to rec that one to pretty much everyone because I really liked it. Also, useless fun fact, somehow features characters named exactly like my two nieces.

Adding a few titles that I have NOT read yet and thus cannot vouch for, but, oh well

Quand vient la horde - Aurélie Luong

La Fille-Sortilège - Marie Pavlenko

L'Enterrement des étoiles - Christophe Guillemain

Malou dit vrai - Gwen Guylin

Dehors les Chiens, les Infidèles - Maïa Mazaurette

L'Ensorceleur des choses menues - Régis Goddyn

What's your favorite niche SFF book? Something that doesn't have a fandom, but still matters a lot to you? (Lets say, less than 5000 ratings on GR?)

[froy]

Ik wachtte maanden en jaren tot er een bericht op de bodem zou verschijnen. Jij was tenslotte vertrokken, het was aan jou om terug te komen. Jij kon bepalen wanneer je terug wilde komen.

Thee voor Geesten - Chris Vuklisevic

[lebibliocosme]

Du thé pour les fantômes

Titre : Du thé pour les fantômes Auteur : Chris Vuklisevic Éditeur : Le Bélial Date de publication : 2023 (mai) Synopsis : On va suivre Agonie, sorcière, et Félicité, passeuse de fantômes, dans la quête de leur histoire familiale, alors qu’elles ne se sont plus vues depuis une trentaine d’années. On ira de Nice à l’Andalousie, de la vallée de la Vésubie jusqu’au plus profond de l’âme humaine pour…

[lebibliocosme]

Derniers jours d'un monde oublié

Titre : Derniers jours d’un monde oublié Auteur : Chris Vuklisevic Éditeur : Folio SF Date de publication : 2021 Synopsis : Plus de trois siècles après la Grande Nuit, Sheltel, l’île du centre du monde, se croit seule rescapée de la catastrophe. Mais un jour, la Main, sorcière chargée de donner la vie et de la reprendre, aperçoit un navire à l’horizon. Il est commandé par une pirate impitoyable,…