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Books

Quick book roundup

Grabbed from iBooks. Both of these are recent Tor releases, which I picked up due to liking the look of their excerpts posted on tor.com.

  • Unwept, by Tracy Hickman and Laura Hickman.
  • Child of a Hidden Sea, by A.M. Dellamonica

Grabbed from The Dreaming, a comic shop in the University District:

  • Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal: The Novelization, by A.C.H. Smith. Got this because of also having gotten the edition of The Labyrinth that came out.
  • The Complete Elfquest, Vol. 1, by Wendy and Richard Pini. Gotten because a) always a pleasure to buy Elfquest, and b) having this edition around means I can have something to share with folks in case anyone visiting wants to check Elfquest out.

114 for the year.

August 30, 2014 by
Books

Another quick book roundup

Grabbed from Kobo in ebook form:

  • A Fatal Grace and The Cruelest Month, by Louise Penny. Books 2 and 3 of her Inspector Gamache series. Read the second one from the library, and that put her officially onto the To Buy list!
  • Harbinger, by David Mack. This is a Star Trek novel set in the era of the original series, first of a series about a particular starbase. This intersects with the Enterprise’s own adventures, and the Enterprise crew shows up in this one. But I’m getting it specifically because the author got cranky mail from a reader complaining about a lesbian relationship between a couple of the characters–namely, a Vulcan and a Klingon. Part of me wanted to snag this to show the author some support. The rest of me goes WOO! and wants to see how he pulls off this particular relationship!

Grabbed from B&N in ebook form:

  • The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, by Leslye Walton. Another thing I’ve read from the library lately and which I decided I need to own. This is a YA book, and it’s magic realism rather than urban fantasy, which makes for a nice change of pace in the reading tropes. Plus, the author’s got a dazzlingly lovely way with a sentence. But really, she had me with “story about a girl with wings”, and bonus for it taking place in Seattle. In the 50’s. Which makes me think, Millicent probably knew this girl!

And last but not least, picked up from Third Place in print:

  • Codex Born, by Jim C. Hines. Book 2 of his Libriomancer series. Already grabbed this electronically, but Mr. Hines is on my Buy In Both Formats list, so!

110 for the year.

(I’ve been reading a lot more from the library lately, trying to beat the To Read list down some and pull back on spending ebook money as long as Dara and I need to spend a lot on house maintenance. We’ll see how the numbers progress as we head through the second half of the year!)

August 16, 2014 by
Books

Latest book roundup

Bought from Angry Robot Books:

  • The Guild of Assassins, by Anna Kashina. This is Book 2 of her fantasy series The Majat Code, about which I’ll be doing a (delayed) Boosting the Signal post to go up tomorrow morning.

Pre-ordered from Kobo:

  • Lock-In, by John Scalzi. I was going to get this anyway, since I’d read the preview chapters that Tor.com posted as well as the novella that does some introductory worldbuilding for the story. But I went ahead and pre-ordered after seeing Mr. Scalzi’s recent post on the Amazon/Hachette developments, and someone giving him shit about it and cancelling their Amazon pre-order with him. I decided pre-ordering from Kobo was appropriate balance.

Bought from Dark Horse:

  • Spike: Into the Light, by James Marsters. This is a graphic novel purchase, and digital for that matter, but I’m counting it here since it’s a full graphic novel as opposed to individual comics. Wanted to grab this out of general interest in James Marsters actually writing the story. And I always did like Spike! It’s a story going into some of what happened to Spike after he got his soul back at the tail end of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer.

Bought in print when I was in Qualicum for De Temps Antan, from a tiny little bookshop there called The Mulberry Bush, where I had a delightful conversation with the proprietors along the lines of “Tell me about something awesome I can buy by Canadian authors”:

  • Life of Pi, by Yann Martel. I heard about the movie version of this, of course. And I’m sure I could have grabbed a copy of this in local bookstores. But I hadn’t known the author was Canadian, and hey, the bookstore successfully pitched it. And I do like to have a bookstore successfully pitch me a book I haven’t read before.
  • The Sisters Brothers, by Patrick DeWitt. Again, Canadian author, and I liked the idea of the dark sort of noir-ish humor described to me as contained by this book.

105 for the year.

August 10, 2014 by
Books, Carina Press

Latest book roundup post

I’ve been reading a lot from the library lately, partly because Dara and I are having to sink a lot of money into rental property renovation, but also partly because it’s super-easy to check out library books on my newer Nook with the Overdrive app. But that said, I’ve made a few recent purchases regardless. Like I do. Here they are!

From Kobo:

  • The Gods of Gotham, Seven for a Secret, and Dust and Shadow, by Lyndsay Faye. These are mysteries, and I grabbed these because of Faye writing an excellent response on CriminalElement.com to the Slate article not long ago about why adults shouldn’t read YA. Faye’s response was pure gold and I resolved that I clearly had to read her books. Doesn’t suck either that Dust and Shadow is a Sherlock Holmes story. I’ve already read The Gods of Gotham as a library checkout, which confirmed that I needed to add Faye to my Buy list.
  • Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie. SF. This one’s been getting a lot of buzz for being on the Hugo ballot, and it was at $1.99, so I thought I’d better grab it while that price was good.
  • A Rogue by Any Other Name, One Good Earl Deservers a Lover, and No Good Duke Goes Unpunished, by Sarah MacLean. These are all historical romances, the first three of MacLean’s four-book series about the owners of a gaming hell in London. The series has been getting some nice buzz since MacLean was interviewed last November on the Dear Bitches Smart Author podcast. And Book 3 of her series is up for a RITA this year. I find the titles kind of twee, but the series itself is fun. Read the first two as library checkouts, and then put MacLean on the Buy list.

Meanwhile, from B&N in ebook form:

  • The Day the Dead Came to Show and Tell, by Mira Grant. Because MIRA GRANT, and also because woo, new Newsflesh story! If you haven’t seen Grant/McGuire’s own warning about this, do NOT read the summaries you may see of this novella on Goodreads or on any pages giving the book publicity. There’s a spoiler in ’em. Just go straight to the novella. Which is, as per usual, Grant’s excellent brand of zombie-ridden grim.
  • The Lady Astronaut of Mars, by Mary Robinette Kowal. I’d already read this but when Tor put it out for ebook purchase, I decided I needed to grab it. It’s a novelette up for a Hugo this year, and it’s a bittersweet little story about an aging astronaut having to choose between one last mission in space–and remaining at the side of her dying husband.

From B&N in print:

  • Shaman Rises, by C.E. Murphy. The final Walker Papers novel! Already bought in ebook, but this is me getting it in print. Because KIT.
  • The Jedi Doth Return, by Ian Doescher. Finishing up Doescher’s delightful adaptations of the original Star Wars trilogy into Shakespeare-style plays. Can’t wait to giggle at this one. 😀

And last but not least, from Carina in ebook:

  • Trancehack and Witchlight, by Sonya Clark. Sonya Clark is one of my fellow members of the Here Be Magic blog, and these are her first two books with Carina. They’re paranormal romances, but set in a futuristic timeframe, and they sound fun. Plus, I wanted to grab Trancehack while it was still on sale for 99 cents. Which ends TODAY, so if you think you might want to check this book out yourself, grab it fast before the price goes back up!
  • An Inconvenient Kiss, by Caroline Kimberly. Historical romance. Grabbed this one because the plot blurb sounds interesting, and the cover is beautiful. I approve of this recent trend in romance covers of the heroines in beautiful gowns.

100 for the year.

July 19, 2014 by
Books

Oh hey Carina is doing POD finally book roundup

It’s been a while since the last time I emptied the change jar, so I took it to the Coinstar machine at Safeway and found I had a whopping $77, woo! So I dumped it all into an iTunes code, and promptly bought myself a bunch of Tor titles I had on the To Read list–because I will happily buy from the iBooks store if the titles are DRM-free.

So here are the Tor titles I nabbed:

  • In the Garden of Iden, by Kage Baker. SF. Because I’d always heard this series was good, and although Ms. Baker has unfortunately passed away, I kept meaning to check this out.
  • Awakenings, by Edward Lazellari. Urban fantasy. One I’d seen buzz about on tor.com, and thought it sounded interesting.
  • A Darkling Sea, by James L. Cambias. SF. First contact story. Nabbed because this had an excerpt posted on tor.com, and the excerpt was interesting enough that I wanted to read the book.
  • The Highest Frontier, by Joan Slonczewski. SF.
  • Eyes to See, by Joseph Nassise. Urban fantasy. Nabbed because I thought the idea of the blind protagonist (who of course has otherworldly sight) sounded nicely creepy.
  • Three Princes, by Ramona Wheeler. Fantasy. Nabbed because AU involving a world where the Egyptian Empire remained a dominant power through most of history.
  • Silver, by Rhiannon Held. Urban fantasy. Nabbed because werewolves.

And meanwhile, I nabbed these from B&N:

  • Dangerous Refuge and Night Diver, by Elizabeth Lowell. Her two most recent romantic suspense releases, which I have already read as of this writing. Found them less interesting than many of her earlier works, although Night Diver actually surprised me by having queer side characters.
  • Maplecroft, by Cherie Priest (pre-order). Historical fantasy. Nabbed by pre-order because LIZZIE BORDEN. 😀

Nabbed from Amazon:

  • Steam & Sorcery, by Cindy Spencer Pape. Steampunk romance. Grabbed this (even though I already own it in ebook form) because it’s one of Carina’s first print-on-demand titles and I want to see what the output looks like, not to mention support the POD effort.
  • Per-Bast: A Tale of Cats in Ancient Egypt, by Lara-Dawn Stiegler. Nabbed because I know the author and she was offering the book for free on the Kindle over the weekend. Also because fantasy set in ancient Egypt, and cats!

Grabbed this from GreatBigSea.com:

  • Where I Belong, by Alan Doyle. Because ALAN DOYLE, and also because this is his forthcoming memoir, to be released in October! Pre-ordering straight off of greatbigsea.com because pre-orders are, indeed, love. And because GBS.com is guaranteeing signed copies, woo.

Lastly, picked these up from Dragonwell Press:

  • Lex Talionis, by R.S.A. Garcia. SF/mystery. Grabbed this because of featuring it on Boosting the Signal!
  • Mistress of the Solstice, by Anna Kashina. Fantasy. Grabbed this because I’d originally bought it when it was called Ivan and Marya and published by Drollerie Press. Wanted to grab a copy to support Anna Kashina’s re-issue of the book.

86 for the year.

June 16, 2014 by
Books

Because I have a new ereader and why not ebook roundup

Bought from Kobo:

  • Brown Girl in the Ring, by Nalo Hopkinson. Future dystopian fantasy/urban fantasy. This was actually bought from my original Kobo account, but only because I had gotten a tiny amount of credit on that account and I wanted to spend it. Which means this book won’t sync to my main Kobo library but OH WELL that’s okay. I have ways of getting around that. And I wanted this book because I’d been meaning to read it for ages, and because I really like the title.
  • Three Parts Dead, by Max Gladstone. Fantasy. I saw this series getting some buzz on tor.com, and the third book’s just dropped, so the first book as of this writing is available for $2.99.
  • Artemis Awakening, by Jane Lindskold. SF. Another one I saw getting plugged on tor.com, and since I’ve read and liked Lindskold before, I thought I’d given this one a try too.
  • The Goblin Emperor, by Katherine Addison. Lots of great buzz about this one all over the place. But really, you had me at “elves with airships”.
  • Circle of Shadows, by Imogen Robertson. Mystery. Book 4 in her lovely Crowther-Westerman series, which I’m quite looking forward to reading!

From Barnes & Noble:

  • Revenant, by Kat Richardson (pre-order). Urban fantasy. This is, I believe, the final entry in the Greywalker series. I’ve got to get caught up!
  • Skin Game, by Jim Butcher. Bought for obvious Because Dresden Files DUH reasons. Got to get caught up on these, too.
  • Sparrow Hill Road, by Seanan McGuire. Actually bought this twice, because Dara wanted it in print, and I picked up the ebook. But since the trade paperback was for Dara, it’ll count only once on my tally here!

71 for the year.

June 3, 2014 by
Books

Because pre-ordering books is love ebook roundup

Shaman Rises

Shaman Rises

I need to open this post with saying that WAUGH THE WALKER PAPERS ARE ENDING *sniff*. Why, I remember back in the day when Kit was throwing the manuscript for Urban Shaman together!

And now look at it. Book Nine. How gorgeous is this cover? Thank you, Kit, for delivering us a hell of a ride. I look forward to seeing how you’re going to wind it up, and what you’ll throw at us next!

Meanwhile, picked up lately from Carina Press:

  • In the Black, by Sheryl Nantus. SF romance by a fellow Here Be Magic member, as featured on Boosting the Signal! She had me with citing Firefly as an influence!
  • It Had to Be You, by Delynn Royer. Period mystery set in the 20’s. Looking forward to checking this out.
  • Goddess Born, by Kari Edgren. Historical romance with a character descended from the goddess Brigid–and who possesses the power to heal. For obvious reasons, I’m partial to healers!
  • Court of Conspiracy, by April Taylor. Also historical, but with more of a fantasy bent from the sound of it, with a big helping of mystery as well.
  • Embrace and Crucible, both by T.D. Wilson. Because every so often Carina does, in fact, publish straight-up SF, and I make a point of supporting that, as you know!

From Barnes & Noble:

  • Time for Love, by Emma Kaye. Another recent Boosting the Signal featured book. ‘Cause if I like the sound of ’em well enough to boost their signals, chances are I’m gonna wanna read ’em, too. And this one’s time-travel romance! With heroines disguised as boys on board a ship! Woo! 😉
  • Shattering the Ley, by Joshua Palmatier. Pre-ordering this, the first of his new series that seems like it ought to be an SF novel with its cover, but it’s not! It’s fantasy! And having read some of Mr. Palmatier’s best work, I’m ON BOARD. Gimme.

From Kobo:

  • The Twelve Kingdoms: The Mark of the Tala, by Jeffe Kennedy (pre-order, received today!). This is fellow Here Be Magic member Jeffe Kennedy’s first fantasy novel!
  • Shaman Rises, by C.E. Murphy (pre-order). The FINAL Walker Papers book, bought for general obvious MUST HAVE THE KITBOOK reasons as stated above, and pre-ordering because Ordering Things By Kit is Love. And a present to Future Me, who will see this book show up in her Kobo library and be all WHAT BRILLIANT PERSON DECIDED TO PREORDER THIS? And THANK YOU, PAST ME!

And from Smashwords, last but not least:

  • Cycling to Asylum, by Su J. Sokol. Grabbed this because the author approached me in email after I read her short work of SF set in Quebec, and so I had to nab this. It’s future dystopian SF, in which an American family flees worsening conditions in the States to take refuge in Quebec. Looking forward to reading this one quite a bit!

63 for the year.

May 27, 2014 by