Books

I'm a voracious reader and collector of books.  History, sci-fi, urban fantasy, fantasy, detective stories, classics- it doesn't really matter so long as it's good.

Perhaps you'll see something that piques your interest and discover a new author to enjoy. That's the purpose of this page!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

December 5, 2014

Whew! Lots of catching up to do. We'll do this quick and dirty:

Finished reading Chris Philbrook's "Adrian's Undead Diary" series. As I mentioned in today's post, I cannot rave enough about that series. If you like the whole zombie apocalypse genre, find and read these books.

Finished John Ringo's Council Wars books. They kind of left things unresolved, so I'm hoping for some more installments in the future. I have the first two books of his Black Tide Rising series on my too-read shelf, but they will have to wait for a while as...

... I've picked up the last two books of Vickki Petterrson's Celestial Blues trilogy, so I'm re-reading "The Taken" before I roll into the new books. I'm finding I'm enjoying "The Taken" as much the second time around as I did the first.

Apparently, the brother-in-law of Splintered Light Miniature's David McBride is a guy named Stu Jones. Stu has a couple of Christian based post-apocalypse not-quite-zombies books out. Yeah, I know; try to wrap you mind around Christian themed zombie books. Actually, I think they're really good and I can't wait for the third installment of Stu Jones' Action Of Purpose trilogy.

Finished Kim Harrison's "The Undead Pool", the next-to-last Rachel Morgan book. I can't believe how bummed I am at the conclusion of that series ("The Witch with No Name" just hit the market in hard back).

Somewhere in all this I read David Weber's "House of Steel", which is sort of an Honorverse encyclopedia. If you're into his Honor Harrington series its a pretty much obligatory read.

I also read J.D. Robb's "Naked in Death", the first of her gazillion volume "In Death" series. My wife listens to the audio books, but in no particular order, so I was thoroughly confused. In any case, I was intrigued and decided to give the series a try. It's a nice break from sci-fi and post-apocalypse books.

Not sure what comes after the Celestial Blues trilogy. I might drag a history book off my shelf just for a complete change of pace.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

July 29, 2014

Loved "Beau Geste". I never knew the story was told by the youngest brother. As much as I love the movie, it doesn't do the book justice.

Let's see, since "Beau Geste" I've read Larry Correia's "Warbound", the third (and I think final) book of his Grimnoir Chronicles. My son tells me the series is "Diesel Punk" - magic and technology in the 1930s. Lots of fun that left me wanting more.

Then, there was Laurell K. Hamilton's AAffliction", which I liked a lot. I've been reading the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series for nearly 20 years. I really like the stories and the plots, but I could use a little less of the "heteroflexible" porn. I'm going to miss Rachel Morgan when Kim Harrison finishes that series....

I mentioned in a previous post that I met author Chris Philbrook at the Texicon Game Convention last month. I was dithering over purchasing the first book in his Adrian's Undead Diary (AUD) series when some guy walked up, listened to me a Phil for about a minute, then looked at me as if I were an idiot and promptly purchased the first book for me. That kind of obligated me into buying the second book, which I finished last night. After reading the two books, I was left with two thoughts: (1) I'm an idiot and should have bought all six books at the convention, and (2) I need to go to Barnes and Nobel this weekend and order the next four books. Turns out they are not carried in the store. The books are really good and you never know where things are going. I find them totally unpredictable. They have a Walking Dead feel to them, which is a bit funny as the first book was written before that series started, but wasn't published until afterwards. Check out his website at thechrisphilbrook.com.

I started John Ringo's "There Will Be Dragons" today. I like his writing a lot. According to Chris, it was John who prompted him to publish his web serial


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

May 30, 2014

Finished "The Taken" today.  I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did, and I didn't have a clue how Vicki Pettersson was going to make a series out of it until the very end.  I don't want to spoil the book for anyone, but it's a story about love, redemption, and always looking forward and not wallowing in the past.  Interesting treatment of celestial beings (angels and so on) and a twist on the Heaven and Hell theme.  Looking forward to the next installment.

Now, it's Beau Geste.  Shortly after I joined the Navy, I made a point of trying to read either a history book or literary "classic" each year.  The 1939 version of Beau Geste is one of my favorite movies, but I've never read the book.  Quite a jump from urban fantasy to the French Foreign Legion....

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

May 23, 2014

Finished Wild Justice this morning.  Lots of twists.  Fun read.  Happy ending.

Next is Vicki Pettersson's "The Taken".  Don't know a thing about it, but the back of the book talks about a 1950s PI who is apparently an angel who brings victims of violent death over to the other side.  Looks like he's getting sent to collect some journalist after her impending doom, but opts instead to save her from her fate and help her figure out why someone wants her dead.  Apparently doing so may help him solve his own murder.

I liked Pettersson's Signs of the Zodiac series and am hoping I will find this one as enjoyable.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

May 16, 2014

Just finished the Jill Kismet series - lots of fun. On to Kelly Armstrong's Wild Justice, the conclusion of the Nadia Stafford trilogy. Nadia is a disgraced cop turned hitwoman with a conscience. I've enjoyed the first two book and have been looking forward to this one.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

May 2, 2014

Right now, it's urban fantasy.  I'm reading the omnibus of Lilith Saintcrow's Jill Kismet series.  The omnibus includes all six books of the series.  Jill Kismet is a "Hunter", sort of a paranormal detective/vigilante who keeps the minions of Hell in her city under control.  I'd never heard of Lilith Saintcrow or Jill Kismet.  Quite honestly, I'm a sucker for a good book cover and picked up Saintcrow's omnibus of her Dante Valentine series.  I liked it so much, I picked up the Kismet omnibus when I saw it, and will eventually move on to her Victorian Science Fiction Bannon and Clare series.

If you like fast reads with strong female characters, you might find Dante Valentine and Jill Kismet to your liking.