Maintenance Monday
Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200
We all have them. Our absolute favorite authors. I mean, there's authors we like. Authors we love. And then there's authors that it doesn't matter HOW BIG your To-Be-Read pile is, said author's latest will go STRAIGHT to the top. I never gave this much thought until I drove 35 minutes to the nearest bookstore after confirming via phone they had ten copies of Carrie Vaughn's Kitty Goes to War, only to wait twenty or so minutes after searching the whole store for a copy I knew they had to finally nab an associate who had to go to the back room to get it. My husband kind of raised his eyebrows and said, "So what, you'll read this months later?"
Not at all! I read this sucker as soon as I finished the book I was currently reading! Despite the ridiculous size of my TBR pile, Carrie Vaughn's latest Kitty adventure moved straight to the top.
Which got me thinking: who else is a must-read-NOW author? I've got authors who come oh-so-very close (John Scalzi, Cherie Priest), but there's still a lonesome title sitting on the shelf waiting on me to remember it exists in both cases.
Ann Aguirre is one for the books written under her name (her space opera and urban fantasy; I don't have the same OMG-MUST-HAVE need for the paranormal romances she writes under a pen name, though I'll read them eventually).
Paolo Bacigalupi is a now a must as well, especially after reading his most fabulous YA debut, Ship Breaker.
Jeaniene Frost is teetering between the MUST-READ-NOW and the must-buy-now-and-read-when-the-mood strikes me pile, but so far, I've gobbled up everything she's written VERY quickly, even if I haven't been overly thrilled with her last two offerings.
M.L.N. Hanover, which is the pen name for Daniel Abraham's urban fantasy series, has been a delight so far. I'm eyeing the release of the third book VERY carefully.
Karin Lowachee, who doesn't publish new material all that quickly, so when I do get a new book, it must be devoured and promoted as soon as possible. So she'll get to write more, of course. ;)
Maria V. Snyder, who's a grad school colleague of mine, so the bias is obvious. But her books are fun, fast reads, and I always look forward to whatever she's got coming out next.
Carrie Vaughn, who, of course, inspired this post, and who wrote the very first urban fantasy series I ever read, which may be a bit of a bias (but that's another topic!). While I don't always love each new Kitty adventure, I can guarantee I'm going to get something good and juicy and different from Vaughn's work than I would otherwise in the genre. That, and she's branching out into other non-Kitty books, and that's exciting!
Mind you, this list isn't ALL of my favorite authors, just the authors that pretty much get bumped to the top of the TBR no matter how much I've got to read and when I've got to read it by. Some authors, like Cherie Priest and John Scalzi and Melissa Marr and Catherynne M. Valente and Daniel Abraham, are very CLOSE to being on that must-read-NOW-no-matter-what list, but aren't quite there yet (or have fallen slightly from grace).
So that's my list. What authors go straight to the top of your TBR pile?Book Club Selections
July: Summon the Keeper by Tanya Huff
August: Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente
Book Sale: In order to buy new books, I have to sell old ones. Help me out? :) Details are here.
Follow me on Facebook, and find me on Paperback Swap!
FAVOR!! When I review a book you've read and reviewed yourself, would you kindly provide a link to your review in the comments of mine? I love seeing what others think, and sometimes I see those reviews when they're originally posted, but don't read them as I don't want to spoil myself on something I know I'll read in the future. The problem, then, is I often forget to go back and read the reviews I missed! So please, if you've reviewed something I'm reviewing, shoot a link my way. :)
Giveaways & Challenges
@ Dreams & Speculation: Enter to win one of three hardcover copies of Stories: All-New Tales Edited by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio. For details, click here. Deadline 7/16.
@ Jawas Read, Too!: Enter to win a copy of either The Demon's Lexicon or The Demon's Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan. For details, click here. Deadline 7/21.
@ Jawas Read, Too! the "Summer of Series" reading challenge is halfway over. Can you believe it? July is Elizabeth Moon's Vatta's War series, which I completed last year. It's a five book series, so if you want to participate, I recommend starting NOW. To read my reviews on the installments, click here and start with Trading in Danger.
For more details on how to sign up, or to see what series are coming your way in the future (like Elizabeth Moon's Vatta's War), click here.
Got a giveaway or reading challenge you'd like to promote? Please comment.
Upcoming Reviews: Crossing the Line by Karen Traviss, Kitty Goes to War by Carrie Vaughn
Currently Reading: Summon the Keeper by Tanya Huff (yes, it's early, but given how my reading schedule has slowed, I want to make sure I get this book read before some of my other obligated July reads)
2010 Reading Total: 58 out of 75 (once I hit 75, I'll move that number up to 100).
2010 Comics Total: 213 out of 365. #214 will be tonight! (I've been bad this week and not reading an issue a night. But I'm between series, and I should be ahead anyway because sometimes I read multiple books a night)
We all have them. Our absolute favorite authors. I mean, there's authors we like. Authors we love. And then there's authors that it doesn't matter HOW BIG your To-Be-Read pile is, said author's latest will go STRAIGHT to the top. I never gave this much thought until I drove 35 minutes to the nearest bookstore after confirming via phone they had ten copies of Carrie Vaughn's Kitty Goes to War, only to wait twenty or so minutes after searching the whole store for a copy I knew they had to finally nab an associate who had to go to the back room to get it. My husband kind of raised his eyebrows and said, "So what, you'll read this months later?"
Not at all! I read this sucker as soon as I finished the book I was currently reading! Despite the ridiculous size of my TBR pile, Carrie Vaughn's latest Kitty adventure moved straight to the top.
Which got me thinking: who else is a must-read-NOW author? I've got authors who come oh-so-very close (John Scalzi, Cherie Priest), but there's still a lonesome title sitting on the shelf waiting on me to remember it exists in both cases.
Ann Aguirre is one for the books written under her name (her space opera and urban fantasy; I don't have the same OMG-MUST-HAVE need for the paranormal romances she writes under a pen name, though I'll read them eventually).
Paolo Bacigalupi is a now a must as well, especially after reading his most fabulous YA debut, Ship Breaker.
Jeaniene Frost is teetering between the MUST-READ-NOW and the must-buy-now-and-read-when-the-mood strikes me pile, but so far, I've gobbled up everything she's written VERY quickly, even if I haven't been overly thrilled with her last two offerings.
M.L.N. Hanover, which is the pen name for Daniel Abraham's urban fantasy series, has been a delight so far. I'm eyeing the release of the third book VERY carefully.
Karin Lowachee, who doesn't publish new material all that quickly, so when I do get a new book, it must be devoured and promoted as soon as possible. So she'll get to write more, of course. ;)
Maria V. Snyder, who's a grad school colleague of mine, so the bias is obvious. But her books are fun, fast reads, and I always look forward to whatever she's got coming out next.
Carrie Vaughn, who, of course, inspired this post, and who wrote the very first urban fantasy series I ever read, which may be a bit of a bias (but that's another topic!). While I don't always love each new Kitty adventure, I can guarantee I'm going to get something good and juicy and different from Vaughn's work than I would otherwise in the genre. That, and she's branching out into other non-Kitty books, and that's exciting!
Mind you, this list isn't ALL of my favorite authors, just the authors that pretty much get bumped to the top of the TBR no matter how much I've got to read and when I've got to read it by. Some authors, like Cherie Priest and John Scalzi and Melissa Marr and Catherynne M. Valente and Daniel Abraham, are very CLOSE to being on that must-read-NOW-no-matter-what list, but aren't quite there yet (or have fallen slightly from grace).
So that's my list. What authors go straight to the top of your TBR pile?Book Club Selections
July: Summon the Keeper by Tanya Huff
August: Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente
Book Sale: In order to buy new books, I have to sell old ones. Help me out? :) Details are here.
Follow me on Facebook, and find me on Paperback Swap!
FAVOR!! When I review a book you've read and reviewed yourself, would you kindly provide a link to your review in the comments of mine? I love seeing what others think, and sometimes I see those reviews when they're originally posted, but don't read them as I don't want to spoil myself on something I know I'll read in the future. The problem, then, is I often forget to go back and read the reviews I missed! So please, if you've reviewed something I'm reviewing, shoot a link my way. :)
Giveaways & Challenges
@ Dreams & Speculation: Enter to win one of three hardcover copies of Stories: All-New Tales Edited by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio. For details, click here. Deadline 7/16.
@ Jawas Read, Too!: Enter to win a copy of either The Demon's Lexicon or The Demon's Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan. For details, click here. Deadline 7/21.
@ Jawas Read, Too! the "Summer of Series" reading challenge is halfway over. Can you believe it? July is Elizabeth Moon's Vatta's War series, which I completed last year. It's a five book series, so if you want to participate, I recommend starting NOW. To read my reviews on the installments, click here and start with Trading in Danger.
For more details on how to sign up, or to see what series are coming your way in the future (like Elizabeth Moon's Vatta's War), click here.
Got a giveaway or reading challenge you'd like to promote? Please comment.
Upcoming Reviews: Crossing the Line by Karen Traviss, Kitty Goes to War by Carrie Vaughn
Currently Reading: Summon the Keeper by Tanya Huff (yes, it's early, but given how my reading schedule has slowed, I want to make sure I get this book read before some of my other obligated July reads)
2010 Reading Total: 58 out of 75 (once I hit 75, I'll move that number up to 100).
2010 Comics Total: 213 out of 365. #214 will be tonight! (I've been bad this week and not reading an issue a night. But I'm between series, and I should be ahead anyway because sometimes I read multiple books a night)