The (Sort of) First Five(ish) Books of the year
Ironskin, Tina Connolly: Billed as steampunk Jane Austen, this turned out to be Jane Eyre with elves. ugh.
Graveyard Special, James Lileks: I didn't like Mr. Obvious, his second novel, and he hasn't much improved in the intervening 18 years. The problem is he likes zany and isn't very good at plotting. His turns of phrase are delightful, but there were only 3 or 4 worth highlighting in this book. On the plus side, I learned a lot about smoking pot. I should really go back to reading his blog regularly.
Enchanting the Lady, Kathryne Kennedy: This is a Romance novel with an intriguing premise: one's place in the aristocracy is based on your magical ability, which is largely inherited. I wonder why the author switched from the Regency period to the Victorian era without changing the character of the Prince of Wales or checking the state of the royal family. oops.
City of Bones, Cassandra Clare: Is there a description for novels about a marginalized youngster who find out s/he is secretly very magical and the only one who can save the world? I liked it enough to be excited about the movie - even if Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Lena Headey aren't getting enough screen time - but not enough to reserve the next book in the trilogy from the library.
Tiger by the Tail, John Ringo, Ryan Sear: aka the Kildar does Southeast Asia. Ringo's co-author added a lot of historical research, even more gun dorkiness, and such a thick veneer of James Bond, he hangs a lampshade on it. There's also less sex. I think most people who've read this far into the Kildar series will enjoy it bc they are not nice people.
Cold Days, Jim Butcher: The 14th book in the series is mostly about faerie politics and corruption. It explains many of the unresolved questions from the prior books and contains more sex scenes. I'm glad I read TWH's spoilers about the book, because while by the end of the book there are no new questions, Harry Dresden lives in interesting times. One small nit though: in the first few books, Harry talks about how names are dangerous information -- and in this one, he uses his full name as a battle cry. I wonder what other inconsistencies I'm missing.
Graveyard Special, James Lileks: I didn't like Mr. Obvious, his second novel, and he hasn't much improved in the intervening 18 years. The problem is he likes zany and isn't very good at plotting. His turns of phrase are delightful, but there were only 3 or 4 worth highlighting in this book. On the plus side, I learned a lot about smoking pot. I should really go back to reading his blog regularly.
Enchanting the Lady, Kathryne Kennedy: This is a Romance novel with an intriguing premise: one's place in the aristocracy is based on your magical ability, which is largely inherited. I wonder why the author switched from the Regency period to the Victorian era without changing the character of the Prince of Wales or checking the state of the royal family. oops.
City of Bones, Cassandra Clare: Is there a description for novels about a marginalized youngster who find out s/he is secretly very magical and the only one who can save the world? I liked it enough to be excited about the movie - even if Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Lena Headey aren't getting enough screen time - but not enough to reserve the next book in the trilogy from the library.
Tiger by the Tail, John Ringo, Ryan Sear: aka the Kildar does Southeast Asia. Ringo's co-author added a lot of historical research, even more gun dorkiness, and such a thick veneer of James Bond, he hangs a lampshade on it. There's also less sex. I think most people who've read this far into the Kildar series will enjoy it bc they are not nice people.
Cold Days, Jim Butcher: The 14th book in the series is mostly about faerie politics and corruption. It explains many of the unresolved questions from the prior books and contains more sex scenes. I'm glad I read TWH's spoilers about the book, because while by the end of the book there are no new questions, Harry Dresden lives in interesting times. One small nit though: in the first few books, Harry talks about how names are dangerous information -- and in this one, he uses his full name as a battle cry. I wonder what other inconsistencies I'm missing.