The OF Blog: May 11-16 Book Porn

Saturday, May 16, 2009

May 11-16 Book Porn


Ten books this week, half being purchases and half being review copies that I've received. Nice mixture of the new and old, the speculative and not-so-speculative.

Top: Daniel Robb, Crossing the Water (this is a memoir of sorts of Robb's experiences teaching troubled teens on an island off Massachusetts. Since I've worked much of the past five years - and will be again in two weeks - with troubled teens, either as a teacher (again, in two weeks) or as a direct care worker, this book seems just the thing for me. Will be reading it in the next few days); Phaedra Wilson, Phantasm (part of the Zoe Martinque series. Since I haven't read the first one, don't know if I would be able to follow what would happen here); Alastair Reynolds, House of Suns (American release for this British Hard SF writer's latest novel. Might read this in the next month or so, since it is set in a different setting than his previous novels, from what I understand).


These three novels are purchases made because I wanted to have copies of Gollancz's SF and Fantasy Masterworks series. Since I'm familiar to some degree with each author, I'll just say that I'll be reading Clark Ashton Smith's The Emperor of Dreams omnibus, and Michael Moorcock's The Dancers at the End of Time and The History of the Runestaff in the near future.


Left: Kelly McCullough, Mythos (again, this appears to be part of a series that I haven't read, so for this and the next book, no clue as to when I would read them); Jes Battis, A Flash of Hex (see previous note); Bradford Morrow (ed.), Conjunctions: 52: Betwixt the Between: Impossible Realism (read this on Tuesday. Still formulating my thoughts on the theme, but most of the individual stories ranged from solid to outstanding. Recommended purchase for most).

3 comments:

Matt Keeley said...

Of the Moorcock, I think you're apt to like Dancers more than Runestaff. Moorcock wrote all four books in the History of the Runestaff in something like twelve days.

Terry Weyna said...

I'd be interested to know why you rank the Blaylock so highly. I read it and thought it merely okay. Pleasant enough, but not nearly good enough to rank with the best reading of last year.

Larry Nolen said...

Well, I felt that the character interactions and the pacing of the story were very well-done. When I thought about it, it was the sort of book that I likely would revisit at least once in the next few years. Not many books get that from me, so I thought it might have been considered...if I had a top 25 or so ;)

 
Add to Technorati Favorites