Book number 5 on my list is waiting downstairs to be read, after only a short wait for it to arrive. While waiting, I kept busy reading the following:
Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris--This is the 5th book in the Sookie Stackhouse series, and it fits nicely in with the others. Started off a bit stronger than the previous four, but then settled back into the familiar tempo and tone. I don't have premium TV, so I'm not watching the HBO series inspired by these books (True Blood) but I will likely watch it later on DVD--I always prefer to read the source material first when I can, so I'm getting prepared. Rating: 3/5
Kitty Takes a Holiday by Carrie Vaughn--3rd book in the Kitty Norville series, and a welcome addition to the author's world. In the previous books, Vaughn explored werewolves (and other shifters), vampires, and fae. This book expands into a few different flavors/cultures of magic, and brings some previously-relegated-to-the-background characters into the main action. Well written and well-paced, and a very entertaining read. Rating: 4/5
The Last Colony by John Scalzi--the 3rd book in the world of Old Man's War, and a natural continuation of the first two books. Very different in tone from the first two, which fell firmly into the military sci-fi genre--this one takes place on a smaller scale, and remains planet-bound for most of the story. Scalzi has proven with this series to be a versatile and talented author who can tell compelling stories and create interesting and believable characters in several different sub-sets of science fiction. Although he says in the afterword that this is likely his last book with these characters, my husband just finished reading Zoe's Tale, which is apparently an Orson Scott Card-esque retelling of the events in The Last Colony from another character's perspective. Can't wait! Rating: 4/5
Next up: A Case of Conscience by James Blish. I have my fingers firmly crossed that this book is better than Leiber's was--it'll be hard to continue on through the book list if things don't start to improve dramatically.
Showing posts with label Carrie Vaughn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carrie Vaughn. Show all posts
Friday, February 20, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Book #2 has arrived!
I got an exciting e-mail from the Erie Public Library this morning, which said that my inter-library-loan copy of They'd Rather Be Right has arrived. Woohoo! I plan to start reading it tonight on my weekly dinner/book/movie-filled evening away from my home and family.
Before I jump into book #2, I thought I'd complete the list of non-award-winning books I've been reading while I waited for it to arrive. Over the past few days, I've read the following titles:
Kitty Goes to Washington by Carrie Vaughn--2nd book in the Kitty Norville werewolf series, and an enjoyable read. This one has a Red Scare/witch hunt theme that is pulled off well, and continues some unfinished plot lines from the first book in the series. There's nothing particularly original about Vaughn's treatment of the genre, but her plotting and characterization is good enough that I'll continue to read her books. Rating: 4/5
The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi--the sequel to Old Man's War, which I loved, has only a few characters in common with the first book but continues the overall story line very well. I wasn't quite as "wowed" by this one as the first, but Scalzi's writing is still darn good. Scalzi names many of his characters after renowned scientists and sci-fi authors, and it's like a particularly challenging easter egg hunt to find and follow the references; come to think of it, it's almost identical to a mental process he describes in this book as "unpacking". Well-layered, well-written, well-paced, and worth reading. I can't wait to see where he takes the story in the 3rd installment. Rating: 4/5
With any luck, the next post will get back onto the main topic of this blog--the award-winning books and authors that made the genre of science fiction what it is. If you've read anything amazing that you think I'd enjoy reading while waiting for other books on my list, let me know!
Before I jump into book #2, I thought I'd complete the list of non-award-winning books I've been reading while I waited for it to arrive. Over the past few days, I've read the following titles:
Kitty Goes to Washington by Carrie Vaughn--2nd book in the Kitty Norville werewolf series, and an enjoyable read. This one has a Red Scare/witch hunt theme that is pulled off well, and continues some unfinished plot lines from the first book in the series. There's nothing particularly original about Vaughn's treatment of the genre, but her plotting and characterization is good enough that I'll continue to read her books. Rating: 4/5
The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi--the sequel to Old Man's War, which I loved, has only a few characters in common with the first book but continues the overall story line very well. I wasn't quite as "wowed" by this one as the first, but Scalzi's writing is still darn good. Scalzi names many of his characters after renowned scientists and sci-fi authors, and it's like a particularly challenging easter egg hunt to find and follow the references; come to think of it, it's almost identical to a mental process he describes in this book as "unpacking". Well-layered, well-written, well-paced, and worth reading. I can't wait to see where he takes the story in the 3rd installment. Rating: 4/5
With any luck, the next post will get back onto the main topic of this blog--the award-winning books and authors that made the genre of science fiction what it is. If you've read anything amazing that you think I'd enjoy reading while waiting for other books on my list, let me know!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Waiting for book #2
It's possible that my librarian's superpowers have already failed the test. It's just as likely that I'm not quite as patient as I need to be. I suppose as I move into the more recent books on the list, they'll be easier to get... I hope so.
Because books are almost as essential to me as air, I've been filling my time since finishing The Demolished Man on 1/14 with some titles that aren't on my list. In the past several days, I've read the following books, some great, some OK:
Ender in Exile by Orson Scott Card--a direct sequel to Ender's Game, which is on my list of books to read for this project. If I'd been smarter, I'd have saved it to read after re-reading the first one. Oh, well. I like most of OSC's books, although I bogged down in some of his uber-political Peter/Valentine books and eventually tired of reading about Bean. I loved this one. Loved it. Loved it! Great writing, great plot, interesting views of things we've heard about in other books, but this time from other characters' perspectives. Great book! Rating: 5/5
An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris--the 3rd book in the Harper Connelly series. More in the mystery genre than any other, although the main character has the ability to sense dead bodies (gained from a lightning strike rather than a more typical supernatural source). Quick read, but much better written than her Sookie Stackhouse books. Rating: 4/5
Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris--the 4th book in the Sookie Stackhouse series. Very quick read in the supernatural mystery genre, but this one (like the entire series) falls firmly into my "vacation reading" category (quick read, not too heavy, doesn't require or provoke much thought). Rating: 3/5
Old Man's War by John Scalzi--a novelist friend heartily recommended this one, so I finally tracked it down. It's in the military sci-fi genre, and was a Hugo nominee. It's heavily inspired by Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers, and takes a few good-natured jabs at the modern movie cliche of drill sergeants. Despite the recognizable inspirations and homages, this book is very original and very enjoyable. As with many other works in the military genre, in print and on film, I enjoyed the training scenes more than the battle scenes (Full Metal Jacket is a prime example of this for me--the entire movie is great, but I'd be just as happy if it ended when the left training). This book is great, and I'm looking forward to starting the sequel, The Ghost Brigade (which is waiting on my reading table downstairs...). Rating: 4/5
Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn--Ms. Vaughn was also recommended by my novelist friend, who recently headlined a local fan convention with her. Since Vaughn is from Boulder, which is just a stone's throw from me, I'm surprised I hadn't heard of her before. Ah, well. Her writing fits in well with several other authors I enjoy (Kelley Armstrong, Kim Harrison, Jim Butcher, Glen Cook, and others), and is pretty entertaining and well written. The world features werewolves and vampires, which haven't yet "come out" to the world at large at the onset of the first book. Not quite what I classify as vacation reading, but pretty close; there's nothing that bogged me down or slowed the pace. I've just started the 2nd book in the series, Kitty Goes to Washington. Rating: 4/5
I probably need to take a step back and decide what to do about the 2nd book on my project list. The 3rd book on the list is on my shelf downstairs, so I could just skip to it. I could bite the bullet and purchase the 2nd book. I could try to be more patient. I could just keep reading whatever strikes my fancy and attempt to preserve the project as laid out in earlier posts. I'll let you know what I decide to do...
Because books are almost as essential to me as air, I've been filling my time since finishing The Demolished Man on 1/14 with some titles that aren't on my list. In the past several days, I've read the following books, some great, some OK:
Ender in Exile by Orson Scott Card--a direct sequel to Ender's Game, which is on my list of books to read for this project. If I'd been smarter, I'd have saved it to read after re-reading the first one. Oh, well. I like most of OSC's books, although I bogged down in some of his uber-political Peter/Valentine books and eventually tired of reading about Bean. I loved this one. Loved it. Loved it! Great writing, great plot, interesting views of things we've heard about in other books, but this time from other characters' perspectives. Great book! Rating: 5/5
An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris--the 3rd book in the Harper Connelly series. More in the mystery genre than any other, although the main character has the ability to sense dead bodies (gained from a lightning strike rather than a more typical supernatural source). Quick read, but much better written than her Sookie Stackhouse books. Rating: 4/5
Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris--the 4th book in the Sookie Stackhouse series. Very quick read in the supernatural mystery genre, but this one (like the entire series) falls firmly into my "vacation reading" category (quick read, not too heavy, doesn't require or provoke much thought). Rating: 3/5
Old Man's War by John Scalzi--a novelist friend heartily recommended this one, so I finally tracked it down. It's in the military sci-fi genre, and was a Hugo nominee. It's heavily inspired by Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers, and takes a few good-natured jabs at the modern movie cliche of drill sergeants. Despite the recognizable inspirations and homages, this book is very original and very enjoyable. As with many other works in the military genre, in print and on film, I enjoyed the training scenes more than the battle scenes (Full Metal Jacket is a prime example of this for me--the entire movie is great, but I'd be just as happy if it ended when the left training). This book is great, and I'm looking forward to starting the sequel, The Ghost Brigade (which is waiting on my reading table downstairs...). Rating: 4/5
Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn--Ms. Vaughn was also recommended by my novelist friend, who recently headlined a local fan convention with her. Since Vaughn is from Boulder, which is just a stone's throw from me, I'm surprised I hadn't heard of her before. Ah, well. Her writing fits in well with several other authors I enjoy (Kelley Armstrong, Kim Harrison, Jim Butcher, Glen Cook, and others), and is pretty entertaining and well written. The world features werewolves and vampires, which haven't yet "come out" to the world at large at the onset of the first book. Not quite what I classify as vacation reading, but pretty close; there's nothing that bogged me down or slowed the pace. I've just started the 2nd book in the series, Kitty Goes to Washington. Rating: 4/5
I probably need to take a step back and decide what to do about the 2nd book on my project list. The 3rd book on the list is on my shelf downstairs, so I could just skip to it. I could bite the bullet and purchase the 2nd book. I could try to be more patient. I could just keep reading whatever strikes my fancy and attempt to preserve the project as laid out in earlier posts. I'll let you know what I decide to do...
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