30 April 2012

What I am reading: April 2012

It's a crazy month, but one of the things I have done is started clearing through my Kindle back log while doing some traveling.
Even though I have more than 600 books on my Kindle, it gets harder to get through to the older ones and then I lose track of what I want to read— it's not as easy as looking at a wall of books to go through 14 pages of them, especially when some are misformated and show up without an author to sort by. Next month I think that I will do more dead-tree reading and follow by getting rid of a bunch of books- in this case, I have cleared many of the books off my reader and now I have them only in a back-up file on my computer (and the ability to re-download them as needed from the vendor).

  1. Silenced by the Yams by by Karen Cantwell: I thought this was a funny and charming mystery. Third in the Barbara Marr mystery series, with a mom protagonist, funny kids, interesting husband, and quirky friends. It was a free Kindle download and I will read the next in this series, because the ending is a cliff hanger!
  2. Time Spike by Eric Flint and Marilyn Kosmatka: I'm wandering through my Kindle as I try to find what books are not living in the Cloud (that is, not purchased through Amazon). I bought this (and the next) some time ago from my favorite e-tailer, Baen Books, and I was glad to start reading some good, solid SF. Eric Flint first came to my attention with his 1632 books and this is in the same vein: a time slip brings a high security prison, with its contents, into the very far past.
  3. The Power of Illusion by Christopher Anvil:Classic SF from the 50's, hanging on my Kindle from a Baen package. 22 short stories and not a one a clunker, from the Baen series collecting Anvil's works and edited by Eric Flint. Since it's from Baen, it's DRM-free and readable on all platforms, as well as well-priced. Liked it very much and followed it up by reading (and enjoying) two more Anvil novels.
  4. The Trouble with Aliens and
  5. The Trouble with Humans by Christopher Anvil: Great stories, primarily from the Golden Age and just so clear in attitude that anyone who likes Mad Men should be reading them. Even though I loved all three collections, readers should be clear that the imperialistic 50's attitude is there: if you hate that, don't read this.
  6. Wheel of the Infinite by Martha Wells: Another very good novel by Martha Wells. This one with a(nother) very strong female lead. Maskelle is the Avatar for the only "god" that was not previously a human- the Adversary. Chaotic but bringing justice, Maskelle starts the story as an Avatar in disgrace, although still honored. Great story, with a Buddhist tinge (to my eyes) and strong characters and world building. Highly recommended.
  7. The Element of Fire by Martha Wells: Slightly Three Musketeers meets Elizabethan England meets Faerie, I liked it very much. Kade Carrion was a strong character, I enjoyed the world and the personalities.
  8. City of Bones by Martha Wells: These three Martha Wells were free/inexpensive downloads, which I raced into after reading her two (later) Raksura novels last month.
  9. Immortal by VK Forrest:Non-sparkly but interesting vampires, cursed in the old country. Several different "lineages", but this one works through a cycle of re-birth, with memories and powers re-emerging toward adolescence. Very interesting background, decent murder mystery foreground.
  10. Give First Place to Murder by Kathleen Delaney: Another Kindle freebie. A mystery set at the race track. Ehh.
  11. Monster Hunter Vendetta by Larry Correia: Wandering through my e-books, fell across this one which was part of a Baen Webscription and which I had never read. Fantasy war/ violence, aimed, I think, at men. But interesting and fast reading.

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