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January 2012 - New Year, new reads


mashiara

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I love the Matthew Swift books but I read a bit of Iron Druid and it did nothing for me. (Too self congradulatory.) We need to stop treating Urban Fantasy as an undeferentiated mass, I think.

Reading more of Flashman. They're kind of addictive fun, though the first one was clearly making a point, but either its not anymore or its making it via literary references i've never read (The Prisoner of Zenda? Uncle Tom's Cabin?) so its just kind of a swashbuckling fun adventure series - with an ass for a hero, which makes it a bit weird at times.

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I gotta try Griffin's urban fantasy, I have enjoyed her epic stuff.

Are we thinking of the same person? Griffin has written other books, published under her real name Catherine Webb, but they're YA and I don't think they're epic fantasy really. But since I haven't read them, I may be wrong. She's not written anything else.

I really should get onto her YA books. She wrote her first published book at 14 for something to do in her summer holidays - suck on that, Paolini. And it's supposed to actually be good, too.

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I love the Matthew Swift books but I read a bit of Iron Druid and it did nothing for me. (Too self congradulatory.) We need to stop treating Urban Fantasy as an undeferentiated mass, I think.

See I am the reverse. The Swift books were too dense for Urban Fantasy to me and I felt and they got bogged down pace-wise. As far as British-based Urban Fantasy I go for Mike Carey every time. I think the point of Iron Druid books IS to be self-congratulatory, or at least that's how I read it. It's very self-aware and makes fun of itself a lot.

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Are we thinking of the same person? Griffin has written other books, published under her real name Catherine Webb, but they're YA and I don't think they're epic fantasy really. But since I haven't read them, I may be wrong. She's not written anything else.

I really should get onto her YA books. She wrote her first published book at 14 for something to do in her summer holidays - suck on that, Paolini. And it's supposed to actually be good, too.

No, I am being an idiot and thinking the wrong person. It's not the first or last time I'll get names completely wrong.

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Finished 1610 by Mary Gentle, and finally finished listening to Haruki Murakami's Kafka on the Shore.

Liked both, although the latter was a bit too much style over substance at times.

Detailed reviews coming up on LJ and goodreads soon ;)

And now, shock! horror! I've run out of new books! :bawl:

I've got some ordered but they haven't been delivered yet.

So I'm reading the German version of The Baker's Boy by J.V. Jones which a friend lend me. In the first chapter, the protagonist has killed his servant and raped the drugged-unconscious queen...I foresee lovely things to come...

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So I'm reading the German version of The Baker's Boy by J.V. Jones which a friend lend me. In the first chapter, the protagonist has killed his servant and raped the drugged-unconscious queen...I foresee lovely things to come...

WTF?

And now, shock! horror! I've run out of new books! :bawl:

I've got some ordered but they haven't been delivered yet.

WTF?? Is is wrong for me to be more shocked and outraged by this?

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WTF?

I know...he seems to be your typical anvilicious evil chancellor type...

The worse thing though is that everyone has names like a random handful of scrabble tiles, so I can't remember who they are. (except Jack, but he's foreign)

WTF?? Is is wrong for me to be more shocked and outraged by this?

No. It is outrageous. :(

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I finished Faith by John Love. I found it strange and original. I hope I don't forget to nominate it for next year's Hugos...

I finished this Monday morning and I agree, it did get pretty strange. But I loved it. I would never have guessed it was a debut.

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Finished up Traitors Gate. It dragged more than the first two, but I actually enjoyed the last 150 pages as much as any in the series. Minor things buged me, like a brother and sister going by "sis" and "brah," and some very clunky conversation editing(Even had my wife read a passage for me to see if I was being dumn, neither of us could figure out which of the four named people were speaking at what time).

Next I have a choice, either Phoenix Rising: Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, or Triumff:Her Majesty's Hero, both ebook deals. I will decide at lunch which one.

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I love Mike Carey too, tbf, it's an excellent series. No new ones on the horizon for now, though. :(

Have you tried Ben Aaronovitch's series yet? That's a promising one.

Yep, read the first two books. Great stuff!

Have you read Carey's ongoing comic series UNWRITTEN yet? It's excellent!

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Libraries? In Luxembourg? Rofl.

Seriously, in terms of getting novels in English, Luxembourg's a wasteland. You'd get the stuff that's on the syllabus for high school, and some Stephen King novels, and that's it.

Another thing I really miss about living in the UK are used-book shops.

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