A couple of months already since my last reading update. A couple of busy months, so not much was actually read, but here’s what I did get through:
- Deja Vu: A Technothriller (The Saskia Brandt Series) by Ian Hocking, and the sequel, Flashback (The Saskia Brandt Series Book Two). Two great fast-paced thrillers, ridiculously cheap (86p each), worth more than twice that. Some fun ideas, quirky characters, I look forward to more from this author. See also Ian Hocking’s website and find him on twitter.
- Rule 34
by Charles Stross. I love Stross
‘ books — as you can probably tell from my first list of books, which reads like a Stross back-catalogue. This one was just as enjoyable, and particularly of the time given the relentless rise of makerbots and other 3D printers. It’s bleak near future sci-fi. Wonderful.
- The Last Man on Earth Club
by Paul R Hardy, via All Metaphor, Malachi again. Despite the intense nature of the book, I enjoyed it. Well-written, and the ‘case notes’ style really works.
- Pretty Little Dead Things (A Thomas Usher Novel)
by Gary McMahon, snapped up in the Amazon sale when it hit 99p. It’s now £3.59, but worth it. The story struggled in places as McMahon seemed to get caught up in his own gore-fest, and I think it would have been better if he’d maintained the understated scariness, but still a fun read. More than a little bit Stephen King.
- The Noise Revealed
by Ian Whates. This is a sequel to The Noise Within
, which I received the dead trees version of last year and enjoyed. I felt the Noise Revealed struggled a bit, but was still a fast-paced and fun read. I look forward to the next one.
- The Second Ship (The Rho Agenda : Book One)
by Richard Phillips. A crazy bargain at £1.49, and a fun book. So good I’m half-way through the sequel
already. Don’t expect Shakespeare or Asimov, but do expect an enjoyable tale.
I’m still working my way through The Finkler Question
which I mentioned previously, but I must admit it hasn’t really caught my attention. It’s a bit dreary, and rather overhyped.
I’ve also been reading more of these books on my TouchPad (see TouchPad kindling) rather than the Kindle, which has a mixed result on my reading. I tend to have books accessible more of the time (I always have at least one of the Kindle or the TouchPad with me). But when I have the TouchPad, it’s too tempting to catch up on news, twitter, email … so I maybe read proper books a little less. We’ll see how that pans out long-term.
Previously: books, books 2, books 3.
