Suddenly, lots of books. As listed last week, from the library came Liaden Universe Constellations Volume 3, the recently published collection of science fiction short stories by Steve Miller and Sharon Lee. I was about half way through it when John Scalzi’s latest, The End of All Things, arrived. After looking at it I realized I had only vague memories of the preceding book, The Human Division, so I decided to re-read that first, which I did.
Then another library book arrived, one I’d been eagerly awaiting: Man In Profile: Joseph Mitchell of The New Yorker by Thomas Kunkel. After reading Mitchell’s The Bottom of the Harbor earlier this year, I wanted to know more about him. My plan was to finish Constellation 3, then read Man in Profile, and then start the new Scalzi, but when I finished The Human Division I wanted to go straight on with his new book. So now I’m reading The End of All Things and taking a break to dip into Man In Profile now and then. It’s a wealth of riches.
Barbara has been reading up a storm. She finished both Hold the Dark by William Geraldi and The Gift of Darkness by V.M Giambanco. Yes, “dark” in both titles. Yes, both books are dark; that’s what she likes.
Now she’s reading The White Lioness by Henning Mankell. It promises to be…dark. Somehow I don’t think she’s going to be reading a Miss Marple novel any time soon.
How about you? Have you read these
books or authors?
What are you reading?
Tip the Wink 
I didn’t reread THE HUMAN DIVISION before starting THE END OF ALL THINGS. I probably should have.
Bill, it’s sure helping me to keep the players straight. I’m hoping Scalzi will also write, sooner rather than later, another book set in the Lock In world.
I’m looking forward to the new Scalzi as soon as it comes in. I may have to refresh my memory on the last one.
One new arrival: THE HANGED MAN OF SAINT-PHOLIEN by Simenon, in my updating to the new, larger size reprints Penguin is doing. I have another on the way. I have these listed on the exchange (PaperbackSwap) so whenever one is available I take it. I have five with the sixth on the way.
Jackie, Miss “How can you read two books at once?,” has gone to the Dark Side. She now reads one (usually) library book during the day and second book on the Kindle before bed.
I read three good ones this week. First was John Varley’s time travel book, MILLENIUM. I’d read a recommendation on the commentaries on a “best time travel” list, read the short story (“Air Raid”) and then the book he expanded it into. I liked it a lot. (The story was 1977; the novel, 1983.)
Next was the latest in Margaret Maron’s Judge Deborah Knott series, LONG UPON THE LAND, followed by the new Sheriff Dan Rhodes book by Bill Crider, BETWEEN THE LIVING AND THE DEAD. I am up to date on both series, and neither disappoints with the latest efforts. One highlight is the steer roundup scene at Walmart in Bill’s book, but overall it is definitely one of the better books in an already very good series.
Short stories? Mostly these have been from EQMMs and a few on the Kindle, though I do have two new collections I may or may not get to by Ann Beattie and Shirley Jackson (early and unpublished stories). Up next (already started before the latest books came in) is VANISHING GAMES by Roger Hobbs, the sequel to GHOSTMAN, but the new Peter Robinson/Alan Banks book is in transit to the library.
Jeff, I recommend rereading or at least skimming The Human Division before starting The End of All Things, but probably your memory is better than mine about books read. Based on my, George’s and Bill’s experience, I think you’ll like the new one.
I haven’t read any Simenon in a while, and not that one. So many books… Good for Jackie. I have read some Varley, but again, not that one. I’ll have to try it if the library has it.
I read the first few Judge Deborah Knott books, but left the series after that and haven’t returned. I’m also behind on Rhodes. I look around the house sometimes and wonder where all these books came from and when am I ever going to read them. Kinda depressing, though I won’t run out, and that’s good. No short stories this week but I’ll get back to the Liaden book soon. I’m about 100 pages into the book about Mitchell and liking it.
I just finished reading The End of All Things (my review is up on my blog today). Love the John Harris covers on THE HUMAN DIVISION and THE END OF ALL THINGS!
Seems we’re all reading it, George. Yes, the covers are great.
The only book I read this week was my FFB: THE SIRENS WAKE by Lord Dunsany. I’m boring. Ho-hum.
Plans for the move are…well, moving. One step forward, three steps back. I may be boring but my life isn’t.
Not boring, Jerry, just crazy busy right now.
Gotta get onto some Scalzi
Good plan, Charles.
Pick ’em up, put ’em down. Ugh!
Keep at it Patti, it’s either the books or your “reading mood”, but something will click for you!
Have you read any of “The Expanse” series books by James S.A. Corey (the “pen name” of two dudes: authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck)? I listened to the first one, Leviathan Wakes, and really loved it. I’ve just started listening to the second, Caliban’s War, and so far, so good on it too. These are doorstop space opera, and I really enjoy them. SyFy is actually launching a TV series based on them. If you haven’t checked them out, I recommend you do since you don’t seem to be reading much of anything else (nyuck, nyuck).
I just finished reading Naked in the Woods: My Unexpected Years in a Hippie Commune by Margaret Grundstein; it’s a read-for-hire, review TBP in the Indy on Thursday. It’s about what it sounds to be about and enjoyable enough.
Wrapping that up, I am quite pleased to have just cracked into the new Christopher Farnsworth novel, The Eternal World, which is focused on a battle over centuries concerning the Fountain of Youth. Farnsworth is a great guy and I loved his President’s Vampire series. 50 pages in and I’m having a lot of fun with this new one. After all the NF I’ve been reading, this is a nice diversion.
Finally, my current eBook “read on my phone at night when I can’t sleep” is Charles Gramlich’s Adventures of an Arkansawyer memoir. This thing is so downright folksy it’s hard to believe it’s from the same twisted bastard who wrote Cold in the Light. Ha ha.
Chris, yes, I’ve read Leviathan Wakes and after the latest in the series came out, being waaay behind on the books, I re-read it and then launched into Caliban’s War. At which point I kind of choked on all the words. Locked up and spend two months reading nothing but short stories! Finally I’m back to novels – as you see – but haven’t reapproached Caliban’s War, yet. After reading a bunch of SF I’ll flip to mysteries before I return to it.
Eternal World sounds interesting.