New E-Books
Yesterday morning I was delighted to find that two of the ebooks I pre-ordered from Barnes & Noble as soon as I turned my Nook on and connected to wi-fi. Of course, I already have a backlog of ebooks that I have downloaded but have yet to read. I seem to have become addicted to various online games and game apps, which cuts into my reading time, but is handy for keeping hamsters at bay.
Still, anything I wanted enough to pre-order pops instantly to the top of by to-read list. The two that arrived today are Chimes at Midnight by Seanan Mcguire and The Song of the Quarkbeast by Jasper Fforde.
Chimes at Midnight is the latest in the urban fantasy series featuring October (“Toby”) Daye, as well as every mystical person or creature that was ever said to populate the British Isles, plus a few more besides. I’m not usually that fond of urban fantasy, though I have read some by Mercedes Lackey and Sarah Zettel. But I know Seanan slightly through my friend Leslie and I always try to support writers I know personally, or at least tangentially.
I have also read the first two books in Seanan’s Incryptid series, but don’t like them nearly as well. Sarah Zettel’s Vampire Chef novels were funny, but from what she’s posted, I’m not sure there will be any more.
Seanan, under her pen name Mira Grant, has another book coming out this fall called Parasite, and I have pre-ordered that as well (Oct. 29 release date). I hope it is as good as the NewsFlesh trilogy, which was wonderful. (Later I may talk about why.)
The new Jasper Fforde is the second in his YA series that began with The Last Dragonslayer. I love Jasper Fforde, especially his Thursday Next books. That being said, I have not loved his other books quite as much, and even the more recent Thursday Next novels seem a little tired. And the Nursery Crimes series I could take or leave.
Young adult (YA) fiction is another genre I have mostly avoided, especially if the POV character is a pre-adolescent or adolescent male. But evil Leslie got me started on a few - Harry Potter, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Boat of her Own Design, and the Hunger Games trilogy (which read like grown-up fiction to me, but I suppose is YA because the main character is a teen). I’ve also dipped into Gregor the Overlander and devoured Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (which seems to be marketed as mainstream rather than YA fiction), despite the male narrator. (I also pre-ordered the next book in the Girl Who series. Oct. 1 release date.)
Getting back to Fforde, the most interesting Fforde book I’ve read lately is Shades of Grey (and boy, I bet he regrets that title, even if it is perfect for the book). I sincerely hope he gets back to it. It had subtlety, humor (of course), plot twists galore, and an ending that cries out for a sequel. At the start, the world Fforde built seemed confusing, but as I was drawn into the story, it began to make more and more sense. I want to know what happens next, and soon, dammit!
And that brings us to next week, when the (yes, pre-ordered) new Sue Grafton (W Is for Wasted) comes out. It will instantly skyrocket to the top of my must-read-immediately list. Only three more letters in the alphabet after this one! Whatever are we Kinsey Millhone fans to do?
Still, anything I wanted enough to pre-order pops instantly to the top of by to-read list. The two that arrived today are Chimes at Midnight by Seanan Mcguire and The Song of the Quarkbeast by Jasper Fforde.
Chimes at Midnight is the latest in the urban fantasy series featuring October (“Toby”) Daye, as well as every mystical person or creature that was ever said to populate the British Isles, plus a few more besides. I’m not usually that fond of urban fantasy, though I have read some by Mercedes Lackey and Sarah Zettel. But I know Seanan slightly through my friend Leslie and I always try to support writers I know personally, or at least tangentially.
I have also read the first two books in Seanan’s Incryptid series, but don’t like them nearly as well. Sarah Zettel’s Vampire Chef novels were funny, but from what she’s posted, I’m not sure there will be any more.
Seanan, under her pen name Mira Grant, has another book coming out this fall called Parasite, and I have pre-ordered that as well (Oct. 29 release date). I hope it is as good as the NewsFlesh trilogy, which was wonderful. (Later I may talk about why.)
The new Jasper Fforde is the second in his YA series that began with The Last Dragonslayer. I love Jasper Fforde, especially his Thursday Next books. That being said, I have not loved his other books quite as much, and even the more recent Thursday Next novels seem a little tired. And the Nursery Crimes series I could take or leave.
Young adult (YA) fiction is another genre I have mostly avoided, especially if the POV character is a pre-adolescent or adolescent male. But evil Leslie got me started on a few - Harry Potter, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Boat of her Own Design, and the Hunger Games trilogy (which read like grown-up fiction to me, but I suppose is YA because the main character is a teen). I’ve also dipped into Gregor the Overlander and devoured Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (which seems to be marketed as mainstream rather than YA fiction), despite the male narrator. (I also pre-ordered the next book in the Girl Who series. Oct. 1 release date.)
Getting back to Fforde, the most interesting Fforde book I’ve read lately is Shades of Grey (and boy, I bet he regrets that title, even if it is perfect for the book). I sincerely hope he gets back to it. It had subtlety, humor (of course), plot twists galore, and an ending that cries out for a sequel. At the start, the world Fforde built seemed confusing, but as I was drawn into the story, it began to make more and more sense. I want to know what happens next, and soon, dammit!
And that brings us to next week, when the (yes, pre-ordered) new Sue Grafton (W Is for Wasted) comes out. It will instantly skyrocket to the top of my must-read-immediately list. Only three more letters in the alphabet after this one! Whatever are we Kinsey Millhone fans to do?