Reading roundup

[hamsterwoman]

59. T.A.Pratt, Poison Sleep -- book 2 of the Marla Mason chronicles, that I picked up on a whim (and without reading book 1). If it were better written, it might have been exactly what I've been looking for. As it is, it's not a bad series to tide me over between The Dresden Files books.

Comments

[aome]

One of the things I've wondered about Rachel Elizabeth Dare, from the moment she was introduced, is her initials: RED. Is that supposed to mean something, or be a clue about her, somehow? Or is it just a coincidence that her initials spell something?

[hamsterwoman]

Her full name is mentioned a lot more than I would expect, especially early on... so I've got to wonder right along with you if there's something about it that's some kind of clue or otherwise significant. But I can't think of anything it could mean...

[loupnoir]

*hides eyes as not to see spoilers for VoE* I love this series. Really. For one thing, there's honest to gosh FRIENDSHIP. My word, an author stretching his/herself in the interpersonal relationships. My library claims this has been checked out forever. All the rest of the series is in paperback, so I hate to buy the hardback, but darn it, I hate not knowing what happened, too.

[hamsterwoman]

I had to wait for months until our library got its act together and ordered some copies. And, yes, the interpersonal relationships -- human, dragon, and inter-species is wonderful. I love all the degrees (and complications) of human friendship, and the fact that even the romantic pairing is... well, frankly, a lot more friendship-based than romantic, and takes a decided back seat to Laurence's relationship with Temeraire and his crew.

Drat, looks like the PB is not coming out until May next year... I hope your library comes through soon!

[g0newiththesin9]

i have a series to recommend you. The apprentice adept series by Piers Anthony, the first book in it is called Split Infinity.

[hamsterwoman]

Thanks -- I always welcome recs! :) Any particular reason why you like these books (and think I would)?

I don't think I've ever seen any of these books -- all the Anthony books I've encountered have been the Xanth books, which I didn't pick up (and, I think, something about Vikings, maybe... which I read but wasn't overly impressed with -- that was in Russian translation, though, and a rather hacky one, so the fault may well have been the translator's.) But I'll definitely keep an eye open for the Apprentice Adept books.

[g0newiththesin9]

They're combination sci fi/fantasy. They're about two worlds and one is science and one is magical, and a lot of how it's written is reminscent of how the amber series is. My dad and I both read the amber series and both like the apprentice adept series, so I think you may too.

The Xanth books aren't bad. They're just full of weird characters and a lot of bad puns. I've read some of them for fun.

[g0newiththesin9]

this is the first one:

http://www.amazon.com/Split-Infinity-Apprentice-Adept-Anthony/dp/0345354915/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227670544&sr=8-1

[sheiannasherra]

Just skimmed through this since I'm always looking for new things to read and don't want to spoil myself.

Noticed that you like forensics/procedural mysteries and wondered if you've read the Kathy Reichs - Temperance Brennan mysteries. I like them much better than the Kay Scarpetta books - though I started reading them out of curiosity because I love the tv show Bones (at least I did until this season *grumble*) but the books are nothing like the show, having only the main character's name in common.

[hamsterwoman]

Out of everything on the list, I highly recommend the Temeraire books! I didn't think I would care much for the premise -- dragons fighting in the Napoleonic wars -- but I ended up getting hooked from the start and loving them a whole lot on the strength of the characters and the complex relationships between them.

I read the first two or three Tempe Brennan books a couple of years back -- I actually picked them up because I was looking for something like the Kay Scarpetta ones. I enjoyed them, but not as much as the early Scarpetta books -- I think the characters were not as well fleshed out -- but it's possible that was addressed later on in the series. There's also Tess Gerritsen's Maura Isles series -- another one with a female medical examiner protagonist -- have you seen those? They're even more melodramatic at times than the Scarpetta ones, and the last one got kinda weird, but I do like Gerritsen's "tough detective" half of the odd couple, the "Marino" role, which in this case is also a woman, detective Jane Rizzoli.