Now Reading...

It is hard to know with self-published books, since I've seen some otherwise good books with crap covers. (Again, me talking about "Chosen" above, better than expected.) Then again, reading the description of this one, I would have been skeptical.

Normally a cover like that means "this is a paranormal romance disguised as an urban fantasy." I took a chance on it because it was cheap and the author was a man (yes that's a prejudice, but they're usually less likely to go the romance route).

It turns out this wasn't a romantic book at all. It was just dumb and not well written.
 
I decided to give The Broken Empire series a shot. I finished listening to Prince of Thorns, and I'm just about 1/4 of the way through King of Thorns. It is narrated very well. The guy really does a great job with the main character, and since it's in 1st person, that is great.

I was surprised as hell by the main character's character. It's really different, but it's entertaining as hell, if twisted as hell. I recommend it. It's really good so far. Not great, but good and entertaining.

Thanks for the recommendation!

BTW, I'm currently re-reading "Never Deal with a Dragon" which is the first Shadowrun book.

That was pretty much the way I took that series. Not just grimdark, but twisted grimdark, and you really can't help but root for the guy, even though he's a twisted fucker.
 
That was pretty much the way I took that series. Not just grimdark, but twisted grimdark, and you really can't help but root for the guy, even though he's a twisted fucker.

Yeah. Though he's evil as fuck, he's got a kind of code about him; a kind of honor, even if it is totally dishonorable (is that a word?).

It's entertaining as hell.
 
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As the title suggests, this is as generic a Fantasy novel as you can get. Hero starts with nothing, and then is given just about everything he wanted and more (Made a Knight, befrended a prince and in love with the crown princess) and then the author just as capriciously takes it all away from him by the end of the book. I think it is still a free download from Amazon, but I don't think it is worth many people's time.
 
After a great start, it was really slow in places. I kept slogging through the Harry chapters to get back to Pinhead and his adventures in hell.

Can't decide if I want to pick this one up or not. LOVED Imajica, Weaveworld, The Thief of Always, and Cabal. Have been lukewarm on some of his more recent efforts.

Recently Read:

Michael Connelly - The Burning Room (Harry Bosch). Fairly entertaining, but I kind of feel like Connelly is phoning it in these days.

Anthony Doerr - All the Light We Cannot See. Beautifully written, but holy crap, depressing as hell.

Paula Hawkins - Girl on the Train. Definitely a page-turner, although the format reminded me a little too much of “Gone Girl.”

Was a little burned out on dark subject matter after all that, so just finished “Funny Girl” by Nick Hornby. A quick, fun, read, although I didn’t enjoy it as much as “High Fidelity”, “A Long Way Down”, or “Juliet Naked”.

Next Up:

Still in the mood for a light read. Just got a Kindle version of Carl Hiaasen’s “Bad Monkey” from the library.
 
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As the title suggests, this is as generic a Fantasy novel as you can get. Hero starts with nothing, and then is given just about everything he wanted and more (Made a Knight, befrended a prince and in love with the crown princess) and then the author just as capriciously takes it all away from him by the end of the book. I think it is still a free download from Amazon, but I don't think it is worth many people's time.

I read this when Google had it for free last year. Agreed, not worth the time.
 
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This came as part of a Humble Bundle. I don't read Scalzi's blog often, but the collection was pretty amusing on a 13 hour drive.
 
Book 2 of the Shadow Campaigns: The Shadow Throne.

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So far it's a fantasy-lite retelling of the French Revolution. I like this guy's work so far. Not too grimdark, but the elements are there.
 
Just finished James Patterson's Honeymoon, and it was a fun read. Currently reading Scott Sigler's Contagious. It's alright, but 120 pages into it my enthusiasm is beginning to wane.
 
I really don't read a lot of humorous science fiction but stumbled across a couple of books that were laugh out loud funny. "Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse" by Victor Gischler (post apocalyptic romp through a string of strip clubs owned by a guy named Joey Armageddon) and "Off to Be the Wizard" by Scott Meyer (apparently, the first book in a series) that was a very pleasant surprise. A really good fish out of water type of story dealing with computer hacking and medieval England.
 
I really don't read a lot of humorous science fiction but stumbled across a couple of books that were laugh out loud funny. "Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse" by Victor Gischler (post apocalyptic romp through a string of strip clubs owned by a guy named Joey Armageddon) and "Off to Be the Wizard" by Scott Meyer (apparently, the first book in a series) that was a very pleasant surprise. A really good fish out of water type of story dealing with computer hacking and medieval England.

You may want to give Starship Grifters a try. That one cracked me up.
 
And I the #1 novel of the year so far!

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“A spellbinding story of world-altering power and revenge…Hawkins has created a fascinating, unusual world in which ordinary people can learn to wield breathtaking power—and he's also written a compelling story about love and revenge that never loses sight of the human emotions at its heart. A wholly original, engrossing, disturbing, and beautiful book.”
—Kirkus (starred)

An extravagant, beautifully imagined fantasy about a universe that is both familiar and unfamiliar…Hawkins makes nary a misstep in this award-worthy effort of imagination. You won't be able to put it down.”
—Booklist (starred)

"A bizarre yet utterly compelling debut...might remind readers of Robert Jackson Bennett's or Neil Gaiman's horror/fantasies.”
—Library Journal (starred)

“A terrific book, full of dark mystery and genuine beauty.”
—Richard Kadrey, New York Times bestselling author of Sandman Slim

“A first-rate novel… a sprawling, epic contemporary fantasy about cruelty and the end of the world, compulsively readable, with the deep, resonant magic of a world where reality is up for grabs. Unputdownable.”
—Cory Doctorow, New York Times bestselling author of Little Brother and Makers

"Funny, horrifying and original…the kind of story that keeps yanking you off in ridiculous new directions every time you think you know what's coming next."
—David Wong, New York Times bestselling author of John Dies at the End

"The most genuinely original fantasy I’ve ever read. Hawkins plays with really, really big ideas and does it with superb invention, deeply affecting characters, and a smashing climax I did not see coming."
—Nancy Kress, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author of Beggars in Spain

“This book is batshit crazy. From the very first pages, the story grabs you by the guts and doesn't let go. It mashes together fantasy and thriller, love stories and dark comedy, into a wild trip at once unpredictable and unforgettable. You'll never look at a librarian in quite the same way.”
—Keith Donohue, New York Times bestselling author of The Stolen Child

“A pyrotechnic debut...The most terrifyingly psychopathic depiction of a family of gods and their abusive father since Genesis.”
—Charles Stross, Hugo and Locus Award-winning author of Accelerando and The Apocalypse Codex

"Don't pick up this book unless you want to read something you've absolutely never read before. The Library at Mount Char is funny, bizarre, moving, frightening, and surreal. The most original work I've read in ages."
—Walter Jon Williams, New York Times bestselling author of Destiny’s Way and This is Not a Game
About the Author
 
Finished Carl Hiaasen’s “Bad Monkey” - mindless and funny. Would be great for a beach read.

Went in a completely different direction and read “1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12” by Thomas W. Phelan, as my sister and brother-in-law are using this approach for my nephew, and I wanted to get up to speed. I figure my Auntie job is less about discipline and more about acting like a goofball to make the little guy laugh, but at least I’ll know what the program is about.

Currently reading Laurie Notaro’s “It Looked Different on the Model” (very funny) and just added “The Library at Mount Char” to my library queue.
 
I finished listening to "King of Thorns" by Mark Lawrence. Sitting in my driveway. It's good. I really like it. I just started "Emperor of Thorns".

I've also started reading "Choose Your Enemies Carefully" by Robert N. Charette. It's the second book in the Shadowrun series. The first was okay. It was a bit simple, but fun to read anyway.