The OF Blog: February 9-11 Book Porn

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

February 9-11 Book Porn



Posting this mid-week rather than during the weekend, just in case I receive another load of books. Books this time are just stacked, so no titillating cover art to be seen this time, alas. First photo is of books bought, the second of review copies sent to me.

Top: Christopher Barzak, The Love We Share Without Knowing (read this at the hospital yesterday while waiting three hours to see the doctor, but despite the illness clouding my mind, this was a damn good book. I'll say more in the weekend roundup and possibly in a longer review later this month or next); Czeslaw Milosz, The Captive Mind (this Nobel Prize-winning writer/political dissident wrote this book in 1951 about the pernicious effects of "New Faith" ideology (Communism) on people's perceptions of themselves, others, and what a society ought to do. Good, informative read that doesn't feel dated due to following events); Ken Scholes, Long Walks, Last Flights (2008 short story collection by an author whose first novel, Lamentations, is receiving some positive attention from some corners of the SF/F blogosphere. Hope to read this in the coming days.); Ann and Jeff VanderMeer (eds.), Best American Fantasy 2 (this second anthology has been long-delayed, but I still have high expectations for this, in part because I've discovered that my literary tastes match the VanderMeers to a large extent. Will read/review this one in the coming weeks); Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book (read this last night. Good, but I didn't like it as much as many others seem to have done. Perhaps I'll re-read it and then try to formulate a review later, just in case my illness interfered with the story enjoyment); Daína Chaviano, La isla de los amores infinitos (first saw this book recommended to me on Amazon based on my purchase history, then I saw Gabe Mesa mention it and I thought I'd see if I would enjoy this 2006 tale from one of Cuba's most well-known SF writers); Dan Simmons, Drood (in my early 20s, I read virtually all of Dickens' work, including his last, unfinished novel. Curious to see what type of tale Simmons will tell and whether or not I'll find the ending to drag a bit).




Top: S. Andrew Swann, Prophets (first volume in a new series. Looks to be military/action-adventure SF based on the descriptions enclosed); Kari Sperring, Living with Ghosts (debut novel that seems to combine the paranormal with medieval-based fantasy settings); Michele West, The Hidden City (paperback edition to a 2007 series opener); A. Lee Martinez, Monster (comic fantasy, first of Martinez's novels to be published as a hardcover, according to the press release); Kate Griffin, A Madness of Angels (pseudonym for acclaimed YA author Catherine Webb, this is her first adult-oriented novel); Jonathan Maberry, Patient Zero (from the description enclosed, it's a opener to a serial involving a CSI-style investigative team and terrorists...and zombies.); S.L. Farrell, A Magic at Nightfall (second in a fantasy series from one of the contributors to the Wild Cards series).

4 comments:

RobB said...

Looking forward to seeing your reaction to Drood Larry since you read all of Dickens. For me, it will take an extremely special book to nudge this off my top read of the year.

Larry Nolen said...

It'll be a few weeks before I attempt reading it, Rob, as I first want to make sure I'm completely recovered from this nasty lung/sinus infection, then I plan on re-reading the unfinished Dickens novel of that name before tackling Simmons' novel.

Wonder how it'll stack up next to Roberto Bolaño's 2666 in the eyes of a certain type of reader.

Adam Whitehead said...

Are you in line for an ARC of CITY AND THE CITY? I know the UK ARCs have started being shipped out.

Larry Nolen said...

Don't know. Requested one from Del Rey a week or so ago, but haven't received any, although they've shipped already, apparently.

 
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