New books

[eanor]

To fill my blog with some kind of content (since I've been much too quiet recently - blame work and tumblr), have a list of awesome new books I got for my birthday:

(Although I got most of them in German, I tried to find the English title if available so everyone can understand...)

• Ben Aaronovitch: Rivers of London
• Daniel Abraham: Leviathan Wept

Comments

[garonne]

Oh, I've heard a lot of good things about Rivers of London! I almost bought it at the train station a few weeks ago, but then I bought an old favourite instead, a Terry Pratchett (It was Schöne Scheine, which is called Making Money in English, I believe).

Recently I've been rereading old favourites instead of risking trying new things… The Pratchett was great, of course, but I should really expand my horizons! :) Maybe I should start with Rivers of London :)

[eanor]

I've only heard good things about Rivers of London, too. I'll let you know what I think of it once I've finished it. :-)

And one can never go wrong with Terry Pratchett. ;-) If you'd like book recs beyond Rivers of London (which technically I can't rec yet...), let me know. :-) Or well, have one rec already, just in case. ^^ Apparently you read in German, too? If yes, I'd very strongly recommend Victoria Schlederer's "Des Teufels Maskerade". I've recently read it and it's just SO well written (I'm not quite sure how good your German is, so it might be a bit demanding, maybe? Sorry if I'm judging your language level very incorrectly, though.) It's a detective / mystery novel with fantastic elements, set in early 20th century Prague and Vienna. It did feel a bit like Sherlock Holmes to me and also a bit like Steampunk or Urban Fantasy, but without all the blatant references books in these genres usually use. Very atmospheric and beautifully written with interesting characters (one of them is an otter! Why hasn't the Sherlock fandom

[garonne]

Thanks for the rec! It does sound very intriguing. I don't like outright fantasy (LotR and all that) but I do like it when it's satire (Pratchett) or steampunky. I love mystery and historical settings. I'll think of it next time I'm choosing a book!

And if it's got an otter too, then how can I resist? ;)

Actually when I buy books it's usually paperback novels at train stations in Germany, and yes, I can read German just fine :) Luckily, because of course there's usually only a tiny selection in English! The first time I picked up a Terry Pratchett in German, I did hesitate a bit, because some books are more suitable for translation than others (as hamsterwoman says below) and Pratchett has such a unique style. But the translator does a pretty good job. (I wonder now if it's the same person for every Discworld book…)

[lil_1337]

I haven't heard of any of the books, but I would love reviews when you finish.

Currently I am rereading all the Elvis Cole and Joe Pike novels by Robert Crais. Before that I worked my way through the whole series of Walt Longmire mysteries. They were well written and had great characters. I recommend all of the above if you like mysteries or police procedurals.

[eanor]

Oh, thanks for the recs! For now I have enough to read, but I'll keep them in mind for the future. :-)

[hamsterwoman]

Rivers of London is WONDERFUL! The series is my favorite thing I've read this year so far! So, really looking forward to your impressions.

(Though, I wonder if you have that one in English or German, because the original is so British, translating it must be an undertaking!)

[eanor]

Thanks for your impressions! I'm looking forward to reading Rivers of London even more now! :-) I'll be happy to discuss it once I've finished the book. :-)

And funny that you ask about the translation: Usually I prefer the original, but this time I thought I'd give the translation a try (also because the German cover was prettier... :-P). I really hope it works in German, too!

[sunshine304]

I've got the Aaronovitch book, but haven't read it. And I also want to read "Fortunas Flug". :)
Currently I'm reading "Das Mädchen mit den gläsernen Füßen", and so far I'm really liking it. Dysfunctional families, some fantastical elements, an image-heavy writing style.

[eanor]

Funny how we have several books in common! :-) I admit I've never heard of the one you're reading, but it sounds very interesting!

[sunshine304]

Yes, it seems we've got similar taste when it comes to books. :)
The book is kind of weird, and it seems more or less all the characters have some kind of commitment or relationship issues. It's also jumping around a lot, from past to present and back between chapters, but so far I've managed to follow the story without much problem.