It’s been slow going this week. I’m creeping through The Devil of Delphi by Jeffrey Siger, no fault of the book, I just haven’t much felt like reading, though I did read a few short stories.
The Devil of DelphiThe Killing Lessons by Saul Black, a book she read a review of and decided to try.
Back again from the library is The Oregon Trail, an American Journey and she says she’ll get to it when she can.
So over all a light week on reading here, especially by me. Not that I’ve been doing much of anything else instead of reading, I just find myself staring out the window, or puttering about in the garden, or listening to music or whatever.
How about you?
Have you read these books or authors?
What are you reading?
Tip the Wink 
I finally finished some books – the two by Kevin Wilson, THE FAMILY FANG and the collection TUNNELING TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH. Somewhat odd might be the best way to describe his writing. I also finished CAPITAL CRIMES (edited by Martin Edwards) since our return from the 11 day road trip on Friday. I’m readng WHAT THE DOG SAW, as I was before we left, as well as a book that sounded interesting after I read a review of it, Rajan Khanna’s FALLING SKY. (It was described as steampunk meets zombies), plus an ebook of short stories (so far they are all very short indeed), B. J. Bourg’s ALIVE INTO HELL. It was free and sounded interesting. I also picked up five library books upon our return.
Tomorrow I will list the free books I brought home from Bouchercon.
Richard, I’m not reading much of anything these days. I’m hoping I’ll get back into the reading mood again.
Speaking as an expert, Richard, staring out the window is a perfectly valid way to spend your time.
Despite copious hours of window staring, I managed to finish a fair amount of books this week: Edmond Hamilton’s science fantasy A YANK AT VALHALLA, two graphic novel collections (TARZAN: THE JESSE MARSH YEARS, VOLUME NINE — work from 1953 — and Volume I of CONAN: THE BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH ARCHIVES, written by Roy Thomas), Thomas Tessier’s debut novel THE FATES, an Edgar Rice Burroughs Graustarkian novel THE RIDER, Erle Stanley Gardner’s 1970 COPS ON CAMPUS AND CRIME IN THE STREETS (a cogent, well-meaning, and occasionally wrong-heading polemic which unwittingly demonstrates the generational divide of the late Sixties), and two anthologies by Michael Moorcock of “new wave” writing, THE BEST SF STORIES FROM NEW WORLDS, volumes 1 and 5.
Rising to the top of Mount TBR are an early SF novel by John Wyndham, the new Shirley Jackson collection, and an Ed Gorman anthology of Civil War spy stories.
Here’s hoping the coming week brings you quality window staring, gardening, music appreciation, and — of course — reading.
I’m working on calculating 150 MID-TERM GRADES. And reading EXTRA CREDIT essays. So it’s short stories for the next few weeks. I’m not watching much TV. The Buffalo Bills are mediocre, none of the “new” TV programs are compelling. But, we’ll give SUPERGIRL a try.
Been reading short stories HONEYDEW by Edith Pearlman. Trying to read AMERICANNAH for my book group but not getting into it. Also started a mystery for our holiday book read.
Patti, he says his will be a Winter read rather than holiday, though he might try to do both.
– Barbara
Bouchercon. We got 15 books combined in our two book bags (and boy, were they heavy!) and, for the first time, all were different. One was a hardback, one a mass market paperback, and all the others were trade paperback size. Of the ones I brought home these were in the bags:
J. D. Rhoades, DEVILS AND DUST (the one hardback). Bounty hunter Jack Keller’s fourth. I got this signed.
Bryon Quertermous, MURDER BOY. He was one of the many people coming up to bask in Bill Crider’s presence, so I ran upstairs and got the book for him to sign. Looks nasty.
Vaseem Khan, THE UNEXPECTED INHERITANCE OF INSPECTOR CHOPRA, first in a new series set in Mumbai, about a newly retired cop. Looks like my kind of thing,
There are a couple of others I’m not sure I’m keeping.
These I was gifted by Maggie Mason:
Reed Farrel Coleman, WHERE IT HURTS, an ARC. New one (series?) about a retired Long Island cop turned PI.
David Morrell & Hank Wagner, THRILLERS: 100 MUST READ. This originally came out in 2010 and I could sworn I had read it, but it isn’t on my database.
Also thanks (indirectly) to Maggie:
David Putnam, THE SQUANDERED, an ARC, third in his Bruno Johnson series (after THE DISPOSABLES and THE REPLACEMENTS). We (and Bill Crider and his daughter Angela) joined Maggie for lunch and she was eating with David and his wife Mary (two very tall people, by the way). He is a retired California cop who worked three years for 5-0 in Hawaii before becoming a writer and we had a good time. Mary gave me a copy of his forthcoming book. Now I need to get the earlier ones.
Lastly:
I went to get my copy of Brendan DuBois’ short story collection from Crippen & Landru signed and told him what a fan I was, both of his short stories (he’s at or near the top of my favorite current mystery short story writers) and his non-series books, and he generaously offered me an ARC of his forthcoming (in February) NIGHT ROAD, which he signed for me.
He says “Wow, that’s a lot of loot!” The thriller book might be interesting to me, too.
– Barbara