Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading?

[ATDrake]

Well, another one for the impromptu Dexter by Jeff Lindsay reading club here. The library recently acquired 4 out of the 5 books in ePub editions, and I finished reading the last one I was waiting on hold for out of the lot.

Mostly, they compare quite well to the TV series, though there are some things I feel the show did better and vice versa. Also, the quality takes a decided dip with #3, Dexter in the Dark, which I don't recommend spending money upon to read unless it's being offered dirt cheap, but rebounds and is back to form for #5, Dexter is Delicious, which is nearly as good as #1, Darkly Dreaming Dexter, and neatly picks up certain threads from that story, though it does leave a lot unresolved.

Also devoured Charles Stross' Lovecraftian bureaucratic technogeek Laundry adventure series, the first two novels, which I'd promised myself I'd buy for months now after reading the various short stories* and used the recent Kobo $3 off coupon to splurge upon.

Very enjoyable, and I realize now that I'm a sucker for stuff involving agents of paranormal investigation bureaus, like The Middleman and Bureau 13 (which is kind of like Laundry-lite and the tie-in books nice light comedic romps which I'd previously bought MultiFormat and cheap with coupon from Fictionwise). Possibly it's a residual X-Files effect, what with growing in proximity to the original shooting locations.

I'm pleased to say that two of the short stories were included as extras in the back of the novels, which also came with rather interesting essays by Stross on the similarities between Cold War spy thrillers and horror novels, as well as the Bond archetype.

Well worth my money, which I'm glad to have finally spent, though I'm going to wait until The Fuller Memorandum goes to paperback release pricing and in the meanwhile put in a request at the library for their hardcover copy.

Also read Stross' decidedly bleaker story A Colder War, which is a sort of precursor to the Laundry idea and shows the outcome of a US/USSR arms race involving a "shoggoth gap". Good and disturbing, offered free in his first collection Toast, which is CC-licensed and in various e-book formats, or as an online read directly from Infinity Plus.

* Available to read online; “Overtime” is especially fitting holiday fare, what with this being the season of the “Filler of Stockings, Lurker in Fireplaces, The King in Red”. You'd better watch out...

[jgaiser]

Nearly finished with a couple of short stories by Paolo Bacigalupi offered for free by Night Shade Books. "The Calorie Man" and "Yellow Card Man". Two stories in the world of "The Windup Girl". Good stuff.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by jgaiser

Nearly finished with a couple of short stories by Paolo Bacigalupi offered for free by Night Shade Books. "The Calorie Man" and "Yellow Card Man". Two stories in the world of "The Windup Girl". Good stuff.

Cool! Those are all on my TBR list. Thanks!

Some other nice downloads on that page as well.

[GraceKrispy]

I just finished "Heirs of Mars." Interesting read if you like science fiction and the idea of clones and machines becoming more human-like!

(Review on my blog.)

[shootingMaNs]

Because I have a really bad case of bronchitis, I had to stay home for Thanksgiving. The plus side was that I got to watch football to my hearts content, and I read a really good book, "Sandman Slim," by Richard Kadrey. It reminded my a lot of The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, but darker. I liked it so much, I bought the next book, "Kill the Dead," which I'm reading now.

[mikemc2]

Based on the recommendation of a coworker I'm currently reading Alan Furst's "Spies of the Balkans". It's a historical fiction espionage novel set in 1940 Greece. I'm about a third of the way and so far it's very good.

[lilac_jive]

I'm reading "And the Bride Wore Plaid" by Karen Hawkins in mass market right now, it's not very good. When I'm done with that I'm going to read "Abominable" by William Meikle, which I just picked up today for my iPhone. It'll be perfect after watching the TV show "Everest."

[jgaiser]

Originally Posted by shootingMaNs

Because I have a really bad case of bronchitis, I had to stay home for Thanksgiving. The plus side was that I got to watch football to my hearts content, and I read a really good book, "Sandman Slim," by Richard Kadrey. It reminded my a lot of The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, but darker. I liked it so much, I bought the next book, "Kill the Dead," which I'm reading now.

Coincidence.. Just started "Sandman Slim" yesterday and a bit more than half way through it. A great read. Looks like I may have to take a look at Jim Butcher.

[Arthursbedtime]

Reading Widdershins by de Lint. Good cast of characters.
Bought the paperback.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

I've yet to read those, but would like to.

Right now, I've got a lot of backlog of recently purchased titles.


Don

I get the Sookie Stackhouse eBooks from the library. I've read the first three so far. Eventually I am going to make a list of series I've not yet finished and get to trying to finish them.

[Fledchen]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I get the Sookie Stackhouse eBooks from the library. I've read the first three so far. Eventually I am going to make a list of series I've not yet finished and get to trying to finish them.

I started using FictFact.com a few weeks ago and so far I like it. It lets you keep track of where you are in a series and sends out email notices when the next book in the series is available. My only major complaint is that it doesn't list short stories unless the author releases a collection of those stories (as opposed to publishing them singly in anthologies) so you don't get a sense of where the stories fit in the series chronology.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Eventually I am going to make a list of series I've not yet finished and get to trying to finish them.

That a nice thing that Library Thing does for you. Every now and then I check it to see what Trek books I haven't read yet and and other series that I have gaps in.

BOb

[GraceKrispy]

I just finished reading "Meet Me in Nuthatch," by Jaqueline T. Lynch. It's about a town that decides to increase tourism by "living" as though in 1904.

My son checked out the "The Lost Hero" by Rick Riordan from the library and devoured it overnight. I want to read it, too! I also have a few ebooks checked out from the library I want to get through before they disappear- "Hero at Large" by Janet Evanovich (I read several pages and, like her other non-Stephanie Plum books, it's serious brain candy light on the brain and heavy on the candy), and "Dead in the Family" by Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse-- had it on reserve in HC, missed picking it up, had to pay $1 and then wait again...). I read all the books before it in the series, but in really odd orders (whenever they came in), so I'm still confused about some of the things that happened...

WAY too many books, way too little time!

(my review of MMIN isn't up yet, but will be soon if anyone follows those. I hit "publish" too soon on this post! )

[dreams]

My sis-in-law just loaned me Janet Evanovich's Wicked Appetite. I have only read a few pages, and it hasn't grabbed me yet, although she loved it.

[thinkpad]

I'm halfway through Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb. I paid $10 dollars for it so I would have expected the formatting to be better. Where there clearly should have been section breaks there's none, which makes it feel sloppy and unfinished.