[June] What are you reading?

[Nellisir]

...the style is so vividly impressionistic that it's sometimes hard to believe that the narrator is male; that's my only issue with it.

Huh. That didn't even register for me. I liked the viewpoint as male, and the fact that it wasn't stark, black and white, literal, and generic. Both Rob and Mick "Scorcher" Kennedy came across as having emotional depths & complexity that authors don't often portray for men; I think that's truer to life than not. I don't recall whatshisface in the third book that way, though.

 

[Elodan]

Finished Shadow Prowler by Alexey Pehov. Liked it well enough that I'll pick up the next in the series. I knew it was part of a trilogy but the book pretty much just stops at a certain stage of the journey with no real climax to it. A little weird.

Started Tricked by Kevin Hearne. The forth book in the Iron Druid chronicles. I almost put the first book down because it started really slow. I'm very glad I pushed on because each book has been better than the last.

 

[Everett]

Huh. That didn't even register for me. I liked the viewpoint as male, and the fact that it wasn't stark, black and white, literal, and generic. Both Rob and Mick "Scorcher" Kennedy came across as having emotional depths & complexity that authors don't often portray for men; I think that's truer to life than not. I don't recall whatshisface in the third book that way, though.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/08/AR2010080802334.html

The first paragraph is exactly how I felt, too, when I finished the book.

Sometimes Rob Ryan's voice rang true to me; sometimes I felt like I was reading someone who'd jumped straight into novel writing without ever trying her hand on the page before (which is true). All the later narrators seem very real to me -- even Scorcher, who I just don't like enough to get immersed in his story. Sometimes the imagistic "highs" and the poeticism of Rob's internal landscape -- the sheerly euphonistic way he talks about being a murder detective -- just seem off, to me.

 

[Nellisir]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/08/AR2010080802334.html

The first paragraph is exactly how I felt, too, when I finished the book.

Sometimes Rob Ryan's voice rang true to me; sometimes I felt like I was reading someone who'd jumped straight into novel writing without ever trying her hand on the page before (which is true). All the later narrators seem very real to me -- even Scorcher, who I just don't like enough to get immersed in his story. Sometimes the imagistic "highs" and the poeticism of Rob's internal landscape -- the sheerly euphonistic way he talks about being a murder detective -- just seem off, to me.

Basically, out of four books, you liked two a bit better, and I liked the other two a bit better.

I call that a win for Tana French.

 

[Krug]

Been reading Fearsome Journeys, an anthology of fantasy stories. An excellent Scott Lynch story in the same world as Gentleman Bastards. KJ Parker and Daniel Abraham's stories aren't too bad either.

 

[Mage of Spellford]

Green Rider series by Kristen Britain, four books so far in the series. I am on book three, good series. Typical spunky female protagonist but the plots are original and the last book that I read "First Rider" has a back-story that is ready-made for a game world. Not what I would call adult fiction -- no graphic violence or sex -- teen friendly.

No spoilers but it is pretty cool!

 

[Nellisir]

Finished The Immorality Engine (not The Immortality Engine, as I thought, although frankly, either title works). I would give this a strictly average rating, except for one thing. When bombs are going off around you in the street, and you are blown off your feet, you fall to the GROUND. You do not fall to the FLOOR. Not the first time, not the second time, not any time.

So 2/5 for The Immorality Engine. Frankly, I powered through it last night just to finish it. Read this if you need a nap, or love steampunk more than you love interesting characters, novel ideas, or intriguing plots.

Have started The Laughing Policeman, featuring the indomitable Martin Brek, if by indomitable one means mopey, sniffly, and of notable persistence only because he can't think of anything better to do. These books have probably the most doggedly realistic policework of any series I've read. Very good books, BTW.

 

[Richards]

I'm reading The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, by Stephen King. One of his I had never gotten around to reading, and I'm making up for that now. So far it's been really good.

Johnathan

 

[The Gibbergeist]

Silmarillion, just started...

 

[Nellisir]

Stayed up waaay too late last night to finish The Laughing Policeman. 4/5. I'm a little annoyed that the introduction spoiled the quasi-twist at the end; I don't know if I would have hated it or loved it if I hadn't known about it, and I rather resent not being given the chance to find out.

Probably going to read comics for a bit: I splurged and got House of M: No More Mutants and House of M: Wolverine/Iron Man/Hulk, and those just arrived today. Plus it's New Comics Wednesday, and today was a bumper crop - Avengers Arena; Wolverine & The X-Men; All-New X-Men; Uncanny X-Men; X-Men; & Uncanny X-Force.

I'm in the mood to read something longer when I do another book though, so...House of Bedlam? 1493? The Distant Hours? Tropic of Night? The Return of Captain John Emmett? (I bought it so I assumed something about it looked interesting, though it hasn't caught my eye since then...).

Birthday on Friday. (Also 10th wedding anniversary, but who's counting?) Mother-in-law sent $$$. She is an omnivorous reading machine that make me look like a remedial student, so in her honor I will probably go hit some used bookstores and find some more of the Martin Beck series, and stuff by Jussi Adler-Olsen.

(To be honest, if I were really to go shopping for me in the spirit of her, I'd have to buy myself a book of weird facts and something related to cats. Fifteen years I've known her, and every year, I get the cat thing and my wife gets the dog thing. Just because I had two cats, and my wife had a dog when we met. Household currently at one cat (same) & two dogs (different), at least for now.)