Books in the Post - 'All the Books!' Edition

Because sometimes you wait for one book to arrive and then they all show up at once. And they are all books that I want to read; I'm really looking forward to getting stuck in over the next few weeks.
Before we get started on those though, here are some books that turned up literally minutes after I posted last week,

While I won't be reading 'The Arrows of Time' (I didn't even know there were two books before it...) I will very much be reading 'Last Call' (because I just want to finish a book by Tim Powers, everyone else has) and 'The Falling Woman' (Fantasy Masterwork, enough said).
And here's the rest...

It would appear that right now, I'm just after reading about men hitting other men (and monsters) with big swords :o) Someone on Twitter said something about this being down to the nights drawing in and I think she's right. If other blogs are to be believed (and I trust them) there's some good reading to be had here. I'll let you know how that goes.

I already mentioned 'The TIme Traveller's Almanac' yesterday and will be picking more stories, from it, to write about over the next few days and weeks. I finished 'The Language of Dying' about ten minutes ago and will try and get a review up tomorrow. All I'll say for now is that it's incredibly powerful stuff and cured me of a minor urge to start smoking again. 'The Desert of Souls' has come my way before but I think now is the right time for me to finally give it a shot (the 'reading burnout' headaches are a thing of the past).
And 'Seven Sorcerers', the final book in a series that it appeared I was only person who actually liked. I've still got 'Seven Kings' to read but this one is definitely on the radar.

All of this, of course, comes after I've finished 'The Copper Promise' and maybe a couple of others. We'll see about those. What are you reading and what did you think of 'Doctor Who' last night? I'd tell you what I thought but iplayer is messing me around on both my phone and the computer. Thanks a lot iplayer...

See you guys tomorrow ;o)

Books in the post - The 'Three Weeks In, Three Weeks To Go...' Edition!

Three weeks into the new job (which doesn't feel so new anymore...) and I'm finally starting to feel like I've got back into the world of work. I've even started to wake up naturally instead of having to drag myself out of bed with the alarm. Having said all that then, I think this will be the last time I talk about being back at work. It's good to be back, lets just leave it like that ;o)

Three weeks to go until our baby turns up though... Yeah, you'll probably find me talking about that a little bit more before the time comes ;o) It feels like the last eight months have gone really quickly although Sue would violently disagree with the way she's feeling right now. Keep an eye out for 'new baby' pictures here over the next few weeks...

What with everything going on then, there hasn't been any room left in the week for new books to arrive. A couple managed to squeeze in actually. Go on, have a look...

I'm really keen to get reading 'The Copper Promise' as I've already read it twice in different formats (self published novella and submitted manuscript) and want to see the shape it has finally taken. Also, it's proper old school sword and sorcery and I can't get enough of that right now.
'The Forgotten Beasts of Eld' (has anyone read this?) is my last 'free pass' Fantasy Masterwork, purchased on Amazon. From here on in, it's back to scouring the second hand bookshops, I wouldn't have it any other way ;o)

That's me then, I'll be into 'The Copper Promise' soon but I'm reading 'She Who Waits' right now and it's amazing; I don't actually want it to end.
See you all tomorrow but in the meantime, what are you reading this weekend?

Some Books in the Post - The 'Got The House All To Myself' Edition!

I seem to be getting into a habit of saying this but, wow what a week...!
Sue and Hope spent the first part of the week being ill here (bronchitis for Sue and a filthy cold for Hope) and have since spent the second part of the week being ill down in Plymouth with my in-laws. Hopefully they should be well and back here in the next couple of days (I miss them).As for me? I've been busting my bits trying to get head round the ins and outs of the new job; I'm almost there :o)

This week has been all about the books as well though, isn't it always here? :o) You've seen one of them already (see the post below) but there were a few others as well. Check em' out...

The 'Judge Dredd Casefiles' are all about me trying to catch up with, and revisit, some of the cool stories that I missed out on years ago. This post has been scheduled so volume 20 will be what I'm reading a few hours from now when I wake up. Volume 21 could well be a 'commute read', on Monday, so if you're in London and see someone reading this book, it's probably me. Come and say hello :o)

I'm not going to lie, as soon as I knew Sue and Hope were on their way to Plymouth I took the chance to nip across town to the 'Book and Comic Exchange' in Notting Hill; a second hand bookshop that I'd been meaning to visit for a long time. Normally the only time we're ever there is for the Notting Hill Festival which isn't the best time for browsing books... This time was different though :o)
I've got to say that the 'Sci-Fi Corridor' was more like a slightly elongated 'Sci-Fi Alcove' but it was still crammed full of the good stuff so I shouldn't complain. You really need to go and check it out if you're in the area. Anyway...
The 'Fantasy Masterworks' collection grows a little bit more with 'The Land of Laughs'. I used to own a copy of this, which got lost in a long ago purge, so I was really pleased to see it on the shelf. Same deal with 'The Centuari Device'; it might not be the same cover but the book is back where it belongs on my shelf (and that's good).
I'm not quite sure how it happened but I somehow seem to be collecting old 'Conan' stories now and 'The Sword of Skelos' is the latest addition :o)

All of these books will get the review treatment here at some point. Can't say exactly when though as I've got some other bits and pieces that I want to write about first. Have a good Sunday everyone :o)

Books In The Post - The 'Poor Tired Graeme' Edition!

What a week... After fifteen months of unemployment I'm back in the world of work and it's a transition that has required a lot of adjustment on my part, very much like being in a car that goes from nought to sixty in less than a second... It's all good though but I am hoping that things start to feel a little easier this week ;o)

Anyway, the last week has been full of books waiting for me when I got home and this is the post where I show you what those books were. Not all of them will be reviewed, reading time is at a premium and will be even more so in about five weeks when our next child arrives... :o) I want to use that time then on books that I'll either enjoy or will get me thinking, either's good. The other books still deserve a mention though so here we go,

My Fantasy Masterworks collection is starting to look pretty special now although there's a way to go yet before it's complete (especially now they are bringing out the new books). This little lot came courtesy of Amazon ('The Riddle Master's Game' and 'The Well of the Unicorn') and my good friend James who popped 'The Dragon Waiting' through the door last weekend. The plan is to lay my hands on more of these at Christmas, what's here should keep me going in the meantime though :o)

I'm not going to go on loads about 'Zombo' as that is what the post below was all about. I had a lot of fun reading it, yesterday, though and there will be a review sometime this week. If I can work out what most of it was about that is... The 'Slaine' book is as gorgeous as it looks but strangely lightweight at the same time. More on that this week as well.

And the rest... I'll definitely be dipping in and out of 'End of the Road', Jonathan Oliver has got form for editing amazing collections so I'm looking forward to seeing what this one is like. It will probably happen one story at a time though (and I know which ones I want to start off with). 'The Wisdom of the Shire'? I don't think so, I had no interest in the hardback review copy I got last year and I've realised that my feelings haven't changed in the slightest. If anyone has read this book and wants to comment then feel free :o)
I'm quite interested in reading 'Fiddlehead' and 'The Art of Hunting' but they're both parts of series and that's putting me off a little bit. I know there's only one book preceding 'The Art of Hunting' but how standalone is 'Fiddlehead'? Does anyone know?
And 'The Waking that Kills'... The blurb is quite interesting but there are a lot of other books that I want to read first so don't expect to hear much about this book (here) any time soon. Here's that blurb for those interested...

The ghosts that haunt us are not always strangers.

When his elderly father suffers a stroke, Christopher Beale returns to england. He has no home, no otherfamily. adrift, he answers an advert for a live-in tutor for a teenage boy. the boy is lawrence lundy, who possesses the spirit of his father, a military pilot – missing, presumed dead. unable to accept that his father is gone, lawrence keeps his presence alive, in the big old house, in the overgrown garden.

His mother, Juliet lundy, a fey, scatty widow living on her nerves, keeps the boy at home, away from other children,away from the world. and in the suffocating heat of a long summer, she too is infected by the madness of her son. Christopher Beale becomes entangled in the strange household... enmeshed in the oddness of the boy and his fragile mother. only by forcing the boy to release the spirit of his father can there be any escape from the haunting.a dark novel of possession.

And, it has to be said, the cover looks lovely. You can see that over Here.

That's that for today I think :o) I'm going to settle down somewhere comfortable and read either Remic's 'The Iron Wolves' or Wagner's 'Conan: the Road of Kings'. I'm totally undecided so it will probably be a little bit of both :o)
Have a good weekend!

Some Books That Followed Me Home...

That actually sounds a creepier than how it went in real life (i.e. a review copy and a little birthday shopping the other day) but poetic licence and all that ;o)
This week was a quiet week for books but, given just how many I got rid of the other week, that's just how I like it right now. It gives me a little time to actually concentrate on what's on the shelves rather than what just appeared on the doorstep (and there are a lot of books on my shelves that I really want to get into). Anyway, check out the picture,

I am possibly the only person who won't be reading 'The Last Dark' as I've only read two of the preceding eight books... I did sneak a quick look at the end though, don't ask me why...
Birthday shopping meant that I was able to bend the rules a little and treat myself to another 'Fantasy Masterwork' (with a couple more on their way from Amazon). The closest I've come to Vance's 'Dying Earth' setting was through George R.R. Martin's anthology so I'm looking forward to getting back to the source as it were (and I'll have loads more reading time now I'm commuting again). 'The Queen of Air and Darkness' was a freebie (from 'Any Amount of Books') that I picked up because I haven't read a lot of Poul Anderson's work, just 'The Broken Sword', and I'd like to read more. It looks to be a little more 'sci-fi' and it looks like a very quick read. Once I've finished 'The Iron Wolves' I might pick that one up next.

That's me for today, I've got a few bits and pieces to take care of before work on Monday (like learning how to iron shirts again...) See you all soon and have a great weekend ;o)

The 'Everyone Else Liked Them' Book Haul!

Starting from today, instead of posting book pictures gratuitously (I've wanted to use that word for a few posts now) it'll be one post a week with all the books that came through the door, this will either be on a Saturday or Sunday. Here's the first picture to kick things off...

If I was going to give this pile of books a name it would be 'Everyone Else Seemed to Like Them so I Wanted Them Too' because a few of the books here do fall under that category. I haven't heard a bad word spoken about 'The Thousand Names' and even though Niall wasn't mad keen on 'The New Girl' he liked it just enough to whet my appetite (and thanks for the heads up Niall!) Liviu wasn't too impressed with 'Ancillary Justice' but he is the only person so far and all the right people have said all the right things so... I want to give it a go :o)

The Iain M. Banks box set is all about me wanting to read/re-read a little more sci-fi and deciding to start with some intelligently written space opera (looking forward to diving into these). 'Behind the Sofa' just appeared this morning and, being a fan of Doctor Who, I will dip into this one soon. 'Last to Rise'...? Well, I still need to read the first two books so you might be waiting a while for a review of this.

But that's enough about books that I really want to read, I need to shoot off and pick up some books that I really need to read right now. Is there anything here that catches your eye?

The 'Really Excited' Book Haul Post

One day I will eventually get round to making this a weekly post rather than what is starting to feel like every other day... I'm particularly excited about these books though and I think they all deserve a post of their own. Check out what came through the door yesterday :o)

Welcome back Fantasy Masterworks! I have been so excited about the prospect of the Fantasy Masterworks series kicking off again, both in terms of the new books that will be published and the rumours I heard that certain of the old Masterworks will feature in this new series. I'm really hoping that they do re-release some of the older books as the prices on Amazon 'New and Used' are a little prohibitive for me. 'The Dragon Griaule' is the one I'm most looking forward to reading here although 'AEgypt' looks pretty intriguing as well.

I've been trying to track down the 'Jerry Cornelius' books second hand (with some success) and now I don't need to anymore :o) The 'Jerry Cornelius' books are the only 'Eternal Champion' books that I haven't read so I'm looking forward to getting stuck in.
I still need to finish 'Ecko Rising' but what I have read has already got me looking forward to picking up 'Ecko Burning' (later rather than sooner but that's the way it goes). Any of these books take your fancy?

And now I'm off to carry on reading Aaron Dembski-Bowden's 'Betrayer', which is excellent, even though I should be reading 'Soldiers Live'. What? It's the weekend :o)

A few books that came in the post...

I'm trying to get my head round what I want to say about 'Shadows Linger' (for my next 'Black Company Re-Read' post) so while I do that I thought you might like to check out some books that came through the door today. All of them specifically requested by me and therefore all due to be reviewed over the next... well, however long it takes (but hopefully not that long). Go on, have a look :o)

'Wasp'

The war had been going on for nearly a year and the Sirian Empire had a huge advantage in personnel and equipment. Earth needed an edge. Which was where James Mowry came in.

If a small insect buzzing around in a car could so distract the driver as to cause that vehicle to crash, think what havoc one properly trained operative could wreak on an unsuspecting enemy. Intensively trained, his appearance surgically altered, James Mowry is landed on Jaimec, the 94th planet of the Sirian Empire. His mission is simple: sap morale, cause mayhem, tie up resources, wage a one-man war on a planet of eighty million.

In short, be a wasp.

'Slow River'

She awoke in an alley to the splash of rain. She was naked, a foot-long gash in her back was still bleeding, and her identity implant was gone. Lore van de Oest had been the daughter of one of the world's most powerful families... and now she was nobody, and she had to hide.

Then out of the rain walked Spanner, predator and thief, who took her in, cared for her wound, and taught her how to reinvent herself again and again. No one could find Lore now: not the police, not her family, and not the kidnappers who had left her in that alley to die. She had escaped... but the cost of her new found freedom was crime and deception, and she paid it over and over again, until she had become someone she loathed.

Lore had a choice: She could stay in the shadows - stay with Spanner - and risk losing herself forever. Or she could leave Spanner and find herself again by becoming someone else: stealing the identity implant of a dead woman, taking over her life, and creating a new future. 

 'Take Back Plenty'

It is carnival time on Mars, but Tabitha Jute isn't partying. She is in hiding from the law, penniless and about to lose her livelihood and her best friend, the space barge "Alice Liddell". Then, the intriguing Marco Metz offers her some money to take him to Plenty, and then the adventure begins. 

'The Sea and Summer'

Francis Conway is Swill - one of the millions in the year 2041 who must subsist on the inadequate charities of the state. Life, already difficult, is rapidly becoming impossible for Francis and others like him, as government corruption, official blindness and nature have conspired to turn Swill homes into watery tombs. And now the young boy must find a way to escape the approaching tide of disaster.

Like Gav, my 2013 is going to be all about reading projects. I'm already almost half way through my 'Black Company Re-Read' and reading some SF/Fantasy Masterworks is something that I've been meaning to do for a long time. It's not like I don't have enough on my shelf already but these four caught my eye and I had to get hold of copies. I'm reading 'Wasp' at the moment.

'Ghost Omnibus Volume 4'

After what seems like a lifetime trying to reconstruct the events that led to her death, Ghost finally nears the white-hot core of the truth. But like pieces of a broken window, the shards of the past can be dangerous and razor-sharp, and sometimes the truth goes deeper than anyone would want. And for the Spectral Avenger, a past revealed may mean a future destroyed.

 'The Goon: Them That Raised Us Lament'

Zombie rockabillies, superheroes with hilarious gay abandon, and the tragicomedy of carny folk are just a few bizarre tales in this new Goon collection from Dark Horse Comics! This volume collects The Goon #38-#41. 

You'll see 'Ghost Volume 3' reviewed here first but I've never read the stories collected in this final volume so I'm looking forward to having a few questions answered. I spent this afternoon reading 'The Goon' and... I'm not so sure about this one. I need to get my thoughts sorted before I post them but this was a slim volume in more ways than one... More on that some other time.

Any of these catch your eye?