This is WebGenii, with an installment from my "Reading Diary". For those of you who've been listening to Cover to Cover for a while, it should come as no surprise that I read many more books than I actually review. But even if I don't review a book, it doesn't mean that I didn't like it. It probably meant that I just ran out of time.
So what have I been reading lately?
First up, Diana Rowland's "My Life as a White Trash Zombie" by DAW. This book has a very clever premise; our heroine Angel Crawford wakes up in a hospital emergency room after what she thought was a fatal car accident. Instead she finds she is unharmed and has a mystery benefactor. But is she really unchanged by that accident? Angel has to discover the truth about her “condition”, and it’s not really a spoiler to say she’s a zombie - since it is in the title. She also wants to find out who made her into a zombie and who her mystery benefactor is. Along the way she discovers that her white trash past doesn’t have to define her future. It was a fun read, and I just have to reassure readers that the love scene at the end is not explicit. This was a real relief to me, since I’m not sure that I can handle explicit Zombie sex.
Next, I received a publicity copy of Ben Aaronovitch’s “Midnight Riot” out from Ballantine Books. This book was mentioned on “The Year in Fantasy” book panel at World Fantasy as being one to look out for. It was also published under the name “The Rivers of London”. This book has one of the best cover blurb quotes I have ever read, the quote has caused every person who has seen it to pick the book up and look at it. Way to go Diana Gabaldon! Her quote “What would happen if Harry Potter grew up and joined the Fuzz”. I really enjoyed this book and I hope to write a review for it soon. Peter Grant is a rookie cop dreading his assignment to the Case Progression Unit, the place where police paperwork goes to die. Instead, he discovers that he can talk to ghosts, and becomes an apprentice to the last wizard working for the Metropolitan Police force. Fast paced, sarcastic, lots of twists – I kept thinking how this would be great on TV.
I also received a copy of C.E. Murphy’s “Wayfinder” from Del Rey. And this was kind of a disappointment. I really enjoyed C.E. Murphy’s “Urban Shaman” series. But ”Wayfinder” is just not doing it for me, I’m finding it a bit of a slog. I think this is because it is the sequel to a book I haven’t yet read – “Truthseeker”. Our heroine Lara is a “Truthseeker”, which means she can tell when she hears a lie. It also apparently means that she can do much more. In “Wayfinder” Lara is looking for her fairy prince lover Daffyd, who is apparently the victim of fae politics. As I said this book is suffering because I haven’t read the first book in the series, where all the characters were set up. C. E. Murphy is a pretty reliable writer, so I think to give “Wayfinder” a fair shake I’m going to set it aside until I can find a copy of “Truthseeker” to read.
And look what just came in through the mail – “The Doctor and the Kid: A Weird West Tale” by Mike Resnick, published by Pyr Books. This looks like a steampunk and magic retelling of the life of Doc Holliday. It has a terrific cover.
Finally, Pyr was kind enough to send me Jasper Kent's "The Third Section". This is third novel in Jasper Kent’s Danilov Quintet. You may have heard me review the previous novels "Twelve" and "Thirteen Years Later". I did have some problems with "Thirteen Years Later", but in all likelihood I’m going to be sitting down to read "The Third Section", just to find out what happens next.
Just to recap, the books that I mentioned today were:
- Diana Rowland's "My Life as a White Trash Zombie"
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: DAW; Original edition (July 5, 2011)
ISBN-10: 0756406757
ISBN-13: 978-0756406752 - Ben Aaronovitch's "Midnight Riot" out from Ballantine Books – This was also published under the title "The Rivers of London"
Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Del Rey; Original edition (February 1, 2011)
ISBN-10: 034552425X
ISBN-13: 978-0345524256 - C.E. Murphy's "Wayfinder" from Del Rey. If you are interested pick up "Truthseeker", also from Del Rey – it was published in August 2010
"Wayfinder", by C.E. Murphy
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Del Rey; Original edition (September 6, 2011)
ISBN-10: 0345516079
ISBN-13: 978-0345516077 - Mike Resnick's "The Doctor and the Kid: A Weird West Tale", published by Pyr Books.
Paperback: 323 pages
Publisher: Pyr; Original edition (December 20, 2011)
ISBN-10: 1616145374
ISBN-13: 978-1616145378 - Jasper Kent's "The Third Section", "Twelve" and "Thirteen Years Later". All three books are published by Pyr.
"The Third Section" by Jasper Kent
Paperback: 479 pages
Publisher: Pyr (October 25, 2011)
ISBN-10: 1616145315
ISBN-13: 978-1616145316
This has been WebGenii letting you know what is on my reading list.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 4:55 — 4.7MB)
Subscribe: Android | Google Podcasts | RSS
About WebGenii
Recent Comments