tottman's 2016 reading notes

I'm going to try and keep a record of my reading here this year. I usually have a lot of things going at once, and tend to start new books before I've finished with others, so completion can be sporadic and sometimes happen a lot in close proximity. I also read a lot of thrillers and mystery, though I usually have at least one science fiction or fantasy book going on.

To start off January, I'm reading:

The Cold Between by Elizabeth Bonesteel
Playing With Fire by Tess Gerritsen
The Devil You Know by Mike Carey

and I'm listening to:
The Liar's Key by Mark Lawrence and narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds

I also have some other half-finished books laying around that I may or may not dip back into. (It's why I can never find any bookmarks!)

Loving mysteries myself, I'm going to keep an eye on you, or at least your reading thread. From your profile, I see that you have kitties keeping watch over your reading selections as well!

Ooh good, another new person to follow! I really liked The devil you know and should try and read the sequels soon.

And I hear you about the bookmark problem *sigh*

I enjoyed the first Mike Carey entry. Need to get back to them. Also have the first of that Mark Lawrence series in the TBR planet somewhere....

Happy New Year and may your reading take you to everywhere you want to go.

Bookmarks? Are there ever enough of those? I use till receipts when I run out. Particularly from the shops in which I've bought the books.

Good luck with your reading this year, may good books be plentiful.

Thanks. I've been spoiled with the time off for the holidays and lots of time for reading. The kitties have been spoiled with the extra lap time as well.

Finished up Playing with Fire by Tess Gerritsen today. What a beautiful story. Now I have to get a review written for it and a couple other ARCs that are being released soon. If I had read this book last year, I think it would have made my top five reads for the year, and even this early it's looking like it will be on the list this year. This one is going to stay with me for a while. The plight of the Jews in Italy during WWII is not something I've read a lot about, and Gerritsen weaves bits of that history into this story. Lots of feelings about this one.

Next up is going to be Overwatch by Matthew Betley. Another ARC of a book coming out in a couple months. Hope to start that one in the next day or two since I always need to have a copy of a physical book going along with my ebooks:)

ETA some further thoughts.

So as often happens, I get distracted by mention of a new book, start to check it out and end up reading the whole thing before I finish the other books I'm reading. I was reading an article by Greg Hurwitz, who has a book coming out soon, where he is talking about his favorite books about assassins. One of the books he mentions is Slayground by Richard Stark and I pick up a copy and before you know it I'm hooked and read the whole thing.

As I'm checking out the books, I see both that Richard Stark is a pseudonymn for Donald Westlake and the first book in the series is called The Hunter and I see after that "(Payback)" which is a Mel Gibson movie from a few years ago. I really enjoyed that movie and remember being impressed by the way it felt both modern and anachronistic. I had no idea it was based on a book and once I figured that out, I had to check out the character.

Slayground a short little hard-boiled crime noir. One man, a criminal, pitted against the mob and a couple of crooked cops in a closed amusement park after an armored car robbery gone sideways. How could you not check out a book with a synopsis like that?

Great, crisp writing. A tough hero who is smart and skilled without being superman. Mob guys who are a mix of dumb grunts and fairly smart leaders, who happen to be a little too cocky and sure of themselves. This book was a lot of fun and it's a world and character I'd be happy to dip back into for a fun break every now and then. There are only 20 some odd books left in the series!

I'm going to look for Richard Stark. I like Westlake, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to like this group too.

>9 tottman: Glad to see you enjoyed the Richard Stark book. I have The Hunter on my tbr shelves (though it's in its other guise as Point Blank). Not read any of his books so far. Looking at Mr Westlake's author page it seems he does enjoy a pseudonym or two. Don't think I've noticed anyone else with that many before.

>11 AHS-Wolfy: I agree. He certain was prolific. It's also an interesting reminder of the times when you could write a book that was 180 to 200 pages or so and have a complete story. Hardly anything under 300 pages these days. A good story takes however long it takes.

Today I finished an ARC of The Cold Between by Elizabeth Bonesteel. It comes out in a couple of months. This was a really interesting science fiction mystery. Very character-driven with a decent amount of action and a little romance, but not so much that it should scare off anyone who doesn't like "kissing books" to quote The Princess Bride. I liked the space setting, with a mysterious wormhole as well as a planetside murder mystery. Interesting military and quasi-military space action. A very good story told in the confines of a universe that looks like it could have a lot more stories in it. Plenty of interesting characters. A really good effort for a first time author. I'll put together a full review a little closer to publication.

Now I'm continuing on with The Devil You Know as well as another ARC, Overwatch by Matthew Betley. This one is really fast-paced and adrenaline fueled.

>13 tottman: The Cold Between sounds intriguing - I'll wait for your full review in due course :)

I finished listening to The Liar's Key by Mark Lawrence this weekend. It was a great middle book in the series. Tim Gerard Reynolds does such a wonderful job with the narration. It's a testament both to him and the writing that such a complicated character is so likable. Jalen Kendeth is selfish and cowardly and untrustworthy. At least that is what he tells himself and what he tries to be and what he continually tells us he is, even if his actions gradually inform us otherwise. His partnership with Viking Snorri is such a contrast and at the same time the perfect pairing. We get to see a little more of the Red Queen's schemes in this book and they are wonderfully intriguing.

I almost always prefer to read a book rather than listen to it, but this is the first series where audio is my first choice for experiencing it. I can't wait for the next volume!

Today I finished reading Murder with Peacocks by Donna Andrews. I've read a few of the later books in the Meg Langslow series and loved them, but I finally got around to reading the first book in the series. It shows a little bit of the "first book" syndrome where she hasn't quite found her footing, but it was still a fun read. I like the occasional cozy mystery, but there are so many of them out there it's hard to find the really good ones, or at least the ones that appeal to me.

I really enjoy the characters and the small town feel and eccentricities of the Langslow clan. It's nice to know that some of these things become more polished in the later books, but this series starts off with the trademark humor and some wonderful characters. Andrews is fairly prolific, so I'm not sure if I'll ever catch up or even keep up, but I'll try to squeeze in some of the earlier novels along with the newest entries when I can. I really love this series.

>15 tottman: I just read the blurb for Prince of fools and The liar's key, and together with your description it sounded interesting. However, I absolutely hated Prince of thorns. The main character was disgusting and I couldn't find anything to like about him. I could have managed some of his harsh sides if I could have related to other parts of his personality, but there was nothing. Nothing redeeming or sympathetic or even slightly likable. So.... Do you think I might feel differently about Prince of fools?

>17 zjakkelien: Yeah, the character of Jorg in Prince of Thorns took some getting used to and I don't think ever became actually redeemable. Jalen and Snorri in Prince of Fools and The Liar's Key are completely different. Jalen is more of a Han Solo type character, the lovable rogue. Wants to be dishonorable, but has an inner goodness. His partnership, reluctant as it seems, with Snorri is one of my favorite fantasy pairings. I think you would like this even if you didn't care for Prince of Thorns.

Today I finished Overwatch by Matthew Betley which I was fortunate to get an ARC of. This book was action from start to finish. I really enjoy these types of books, the military/political action thriller. They tend to be a little light on character development but strong on action and a breakneck pace. For the first book in a new series, this was pretty polished. I would put this ahead of Brad Thor's first Scott Horvath book and just behind Vince Flynn's first Mitch Rapp book. Fans of Thor and Flynn as well as Brad Taylor and Ben Coes and the like will certainly like this book.

Logan West is the hero of this series, a troubled, alcoholic ex-marine who is attacked in his own home which starts a chain reaction that takes the action across the United States and into Mexico and on to Iraq. Flashbacks to a scarring encounter from his former time as a marine in Iraq further both the story and the understanding of the character. I'm a big fan of the Logan character as well as his former "gunny" John Quick. I liked his FBI friend Mike, but that character needs a little more development.

There are a lot of these types of thrillers on the market and it's a little tough to stand out, but this book does. I have a feeling that Matthew Betley is going to be the next big thing.

Now I have to get a full review written. The book comes out on March 1.

>18 tottman: Thanks for the recommendation! Although it is a bit as if I was asking for a book bullet...

Time to catch up on what I've been reading.

I finished The Devil You Know by Mike Carey and really enjoyed it. Really liked the characters and the style. He's got a new book out today too, Fellside that I wouldn't mind reading.

I listened to Ashley Bell by Dean Koontz and it was pretty good. The narrator was good and the story in the end wasn't bad. It was pretty slow for the first two-thirds to three-quarters of the book though. Koontz tends to long, wordy descriptions. The language is often quite evocative, but it kills the pace. The ending lacked a little suspense because you could see the twist coming from quite a ways off. All in all, good, but not great.

City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett was another good read and a nice followup to City of Stairs. They can each be read separately, but it was nice to return to a somewhat familiar world. Really interesting characters. Complicated and sympathetic. I've really enjoyed both books, but they are not quick reads for me. For whatever reason, they seem paced a little slow. When I'm finished, I have a hard time finding any fault with them.

Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz was a great book. A new character and series in the action/thriller genre. Great writing, fast-pace, suspenseful plot and interesting characters. I remember reading his first novel years ago which lacked polish but had a fascinating premise. He's grown so much over the years and is now one of the best writers out there.

Sandwiched in between two of my favorite reads of the year was the awful Extinction Horizon by Nicholas Sansbury Smith, narrated by Bronson Pinchot who I've loved reading other works. His narration wasn't bad, but it didn't really add anything here. I've read a number of zombie books so I understand that you have to be a little forgiving of the logic, but this books treats you like an idiot. The "science" wasn't just wrong, it was laughable. The characters were flat and one-dimensional, the plot lacked credibility and the action scenes were boring.

I followed up this book with The Cellar by Minette Walters which will certainly make my top 10 books for the year. The narration was brilliant and the story was dark and captivating. The entire story was set in one house and was enthralling. Very few if any truly sympathetic characters. I can't speak highly enough about this book.

Now I just have to get my reviews written up.

>21 tottman: Glad you enjoyed the Mike Carey book. The Felix Castor series is very good throughout so having enjoyed the first you should like the rest as well. Hopefully the last book shouldn't be too far away.

The Robert Jackson Bennett books have already been added to my wishlist but it's always good to see more positive comments for them.

>21 tottman: I've noticed the same pacing thing with Robert Jackson Bennett's City books - and like you, by the end I can't find fault with them. I'm looking forward to the third book.

>22 AHS-Wolfy: I'd definitely like to get back to more Felix Castor books if I can ever make a dent in mount TBR.

>23 Sakerfalcon: I'm curious where Bennett goes next with the City books, but I enjoy the world and the characters.

A couple more recent completions to catch up on.

Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben. This was my first book for me by him and it was amazing. It went down like candy and I finished it in a couple of days. Great characters, strong plot and fast pace.

The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi Scalzi is one of my favorite authors and I listened to the book this time after reading it the first time. At the time I originally read it, I was a little disappointed in this follow-up to Old Man's War. Disappointed meaning 4 stars instead of 5. Upon reflection, I think this is because I was expecting more John Perry from the first book. Now that I've read the whole series, I can appreciate Ghost Brigades place in the series and I enjoyed it even more than the first time.

The Second Life of Nick Mason by Steve Hamilton. Another thriller that was really interesting. Fast paced, really strong character, intriguing storyline and a complete story while introducing a new character and laying a strong foundation for the new series.

I think I took a hit from >13 tottman:. Will check it out. I have enjoyed some mysteries that are blended with other genres.

>25 tottman: Harlan Coben was a surprise discovery for me. I checked one of his Myron Bolitar novels out from the library because I was being methodical on the audio books available. When I saw it I thought, "Sports agent? Ick." But I ended up really enjoying it. So much so that I've read several of them. His other novels are a bit too intense for me, but I like his mysteries.

I'll post some links to reviews on my blog here for anyone interested.

Review of The Cellar

Review of Ashley Bell

Review of Sleeping Giants This one just came out this week and is excellent!

Review of The Cold Between

Review of Overwatch

Review of Playing With Fire

>28 tottman: Yours is about the third or fourth good review I've seen for Sleeping giants this week. The charity bookshop near me had an ARC but when I went back to get it someone else had snagged it! Hopefully my library will get a copy.

>29 Sakerfalcon: The story of how Sleeping Giants got published is interesting too. He wrote the book and gave himself a deadline to see if a publisher would pick it up. None did, so he self-published, sent it off to Kirkus for a review and they gave him a great review. Within a month, he had an offer from Del Rey to publish it as well as another offer optioning it for a movie.

>25 tottman: Does it count as a book bullet if it is something one already owns? I bought those two Scalzi books a couple of years ago and they got buried so deep underneath Old Mount Tooby that I'm not even sure where they are.

>31 clamairy: I'm willing to count it as a book bullet:)

>32 tottman: Then consider it a direct hit. :o)
(Well, two actually.)

>30 tottman: That is a good story!

I finished listening to Before Midnight by Rex Stout. I always enjoy returning to these books and they are a blast to listen to. I'm getting close to running out of the audio books that they've recorded of this series. Hope they do the rest of them. This one involved a perfume company contest and the murder of the ad agency exec in charge of the contest. Not the best Nero Wolfe story, but a bad Nero Wolfe story is still pretty darn good.

I also finished reading Dirty Magic by Jaye Wells. This was a really interesting urban fantasy. Great characters and a very creative world. Good magic and dirty magic, each used to create potions with either helpful or harmful and addicting effects. Cops versus the criminal wizards. A nice mystery to unravel along with the fascinating world building. I'll continue on with the series.

Audio Nero Wolfe mysteries? Almost makes me want to go back to a longer commute for my job!

>35 tottman: I read an extract from Dirty magic that was included at the end of another book. It seemed pretty good, and your review makes me think it will be worth investing in the series.

Time for another update at the end of May:

I listened to three audio books. The first one, Alien: Out of the Shadows by Tim Lebbon was an audible drama. I've listened to a few like this now, and I actually kind of like them as a change of pace. Full cast, sound effects. This one is a story that takes place between the original Alien and Aliens. It was actually quite good. There were a couple of eye-rolling moments and the hand-waving explanation of why Ripley remembered none of this interlude at the start of Aliens was a bit of a groan, but otherwise a lot of fun.

Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost was a fun little paranormal vampire story. Good writing, excellent narration by Tavia Gilbert (she's truly amazing) and just enough action. Definitely R-rated. I had to hit pause when I rolled down the window at the drive-thru:)

The other book I listened to was Three Truths and a Lie by Lisa Gardner. This was a quick one, just a short little story. I liked the self-contained nature of it as a little window into her detective D.D. Warren. It was awfully graphic though. I'm interested in reading more of her.

The other books I read were Borderline: The Arcadia Project by Mishell Baker and it was fantastic! I haven't read a lot of fantasy that deals with faeries, but I loved this book. I burned through it in about a day and a half. Absolutely amazing characters. All dealing with some sort of trauma or disability, but while their various conditions played a role, they were largely just part of who they were. No heroic overcoming limitations, just going about their lives. Add to that an awesome mystery type plot and you've got a real winner. This one is going to end up on my year's best reads.

At the other end of the spectrum is the novella The Jewel and her Lapidary by Fran Wilde. It was only about 100 pages but I struggled to get through it. Didn't connect with the characters and wasn't at all interested in the world.

The Heir of Night by Helen Lowe is a nice start to an epic fantasy series. It has a little bit of a science fiction twist which is like catnip to me when you can combine those two genres. I really like how this series is set up. I love the characters, the world is fascinating and I really want to find out more about all of it. It slowed down a little bit here and there, but I'm more forgiving of that in a first novel or first in a series. I'd like to get back to this series.

Finally I read Hell's Gate: a thriller by Bill Schutt and J.R. Finch. This was a really interesting historical thriller. At various times it reminded me of Indiana Jones, Michael Crichton, Clive Cussler, Alistair MacLean, James Rollins and Matthew Reilly. Here's my full review:

Review of Hell's Gate

Borderline and The heir of night are both on my tbr piles. Glad to see that they got good reviews from you.

Borderline I picked up to read a few pages and literally could not put it down.

So here's catching up on June and the first weekend in July.

I read The Hatching by Ezekiel Boone which I managed to snag an early review copy of. It comes out tomorrow. Really fun, quick read. First in a new series. Reminds me of a cross between Arachnaphobia and Independence Day. Here's my review:

Review of The Hatching

Next up were two more early review wins, one a graphic novel, the other an audiobook. I still have to get the reviews written on these. Prodigy: The Graphic Novel by Marie Lu is an adaptation of the book by the same name. It was an interesting read. Fast-paced, well-drawn and interesting world. I haven't read the series it's based on, but it was enough to make me interested in reading it.

Far From True by Linwood Barclay was my first encounter with this author, though he's been on my list for a while. This was a great book. It's the middle book in a trilogy. This didn't bother me and the story stood on it's own. I was able to pick up by reference some of the things covered in the first book. If that bothers you, you should start from the beginning. I'll also mention that the ending doesn't tidy things up but leaves some threads for the third book. This is one of my favorite reads of the year so far and a great find. He's on my must buy list now. I think it's going to make my top 10 list this year.

I went way outside my normal genres for the next one. I Thee Wed by Celeste Bradley, an historical romance. I'd read a couple romances when I was much younger but it was a couple years ago when I read an article talking about the slight that romances face. It reminded me a lot of the disdain that science fiction and fantasy faces sometimes. But good writing is good writing. I actually really enjoyed this book. Great characters and an interesting plot. Steamy sex doesn't bother me, even when it takes up two chapters in a row. I think romances are like cozy mysteries for me. I can really enjoy them, but it's important to find the good ones among all the not so good ones.

My latest read is All The Missing Girls by Megan Miranda. This is another ARC and another good one. I'm a sucker for a good cover and an interesting hook and this one had both. Two missing girls, 10 years apart, a woman pulled back to her small home town. Oh, and the story is told backwards. From Day 15 after the second girl goes missing back to Day 1. This one had me hooked. Unreliable narrator, characters who lie to each other and themselves, and everybody has a secret. The second half of this book had me turning the pages (actually swiping on my kindle) until I got to the very end. Really liked this one. Here's my review:

Review of All the Missing Girls

And for anyone who is interested, Victor Milan, author of The Dinosaur Lords and The Dinosaur Knights is stopping by my blog this Thursday, July 7th for a Q&A. I'm very happy to be part of his blog tour and I thought his answers to my questions were fabulous! Feel free to check it out on Thursday if you are interested. Below is the link:

Just Another Damn Book Blog

>40 tottman: I see the Kindle edition of Borderline is currently $1.99 at Amazon. My library has the e-book available for lending so I am torn between buying and borrowing.

>42 ScoLgo: Nothing wrong with borrowing and then adding it to your permanent collection later if you like it enough. The sequel is due out next spring.

>40 tottman: >42 ScoLgo: Uh oh. I should have donned my book bullet-proof gear. :oS

>44 clamairy: Too late now. You know what you have to do:)

Time to do another catch up post for July and early August.

I listened to The Wheel of Osheim by Mark Lawrence and narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds. Reynolds once again does an outstanding job of narration. The book is great and is a very satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. I love it when a book like this makes the whole greater than the sum of it's parts and that's exactly what it does for The Red Queen's War trilogy. Really loved these books. This is the first series I've sought out to encounter for the first time in audio just because I love what the narration adds.

Collecting the Dead by Spencer Kope was next up. A really satisfying thriller with a bit of the paranormal. Good use of humor in the characters for what is a heavy subject.

Review of Collecting the Dead

I also finished Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee which was an interesting book. I liked it based mainly on the strength of its characters. It's not an easy read, mostly because of its mathematics as magic quasi-science. Some interesting plot elements and world building, but a lot of it was as confusing as it was interesting. Undecided if I will continue this series. Review coming on this one.

I listened to A Man Lay Dead by Ngaio Marsh which was my first book by her. I know I should cut some slack to the first book in a series, but this book was really "meh" and not very memorable. I'm glad I read it though.

I also finished The Dinosaur Lords by Victor Milan which was a really interesting read. I enjoyed it, but somehow I think I was expecting more from the marriage of dinosaurs and epic fantasy. I am very grateful, however, to have been part of the blog tour for the second book in the series, The Dinosaur Knights and appreciate Mr. Milan's thoughtful answers to my questions. If you are interested, you can read the Q&A here:

10 Questions with Victor Milan

Next up was one of my favorite reads of the year and one of the best SF debuts I've read in a long time, Behind the Throne by K B Wagers. I flew through this book in a couple days. Fast pace, lots of action, plenty of palace intrigue and characters that grabbed me instantly. I'm still excited about this one.

Review of Behind the Throne

My next listen was The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware. Another good claustrophobic mystery with an unreliable narrator. I enjoyed it but felt it lacked something. The main character just wasn't quite as likable as I would have hoped and I think that impacted my enjoyment of the story. Worth reading/listening to though.

Review of The Woman in Cabin 10

Finally, today I finished Arrowood by Laura McHugh and this was another winner. I really enjoyed her first book, The Weight of Blood and love her style. She has a real grasp of the gothic mystery ouevre as well as a feel for small town rural America, this time in Iowa. This is a haunting book that draws you in with it's mood as much as the mystery itself. She has elevated herself to must read status for me. Review coming soon on this one.

Some great reads this month with Behind the Throne being the best among them with Arrowood and The Wheel of Osheim close behind.

I'm definitely going to have to get my hands on a copy of Behind the throne. It sounds great!

>47 Sakerfalcon: That one was just so much fun. I love when you run across those.

>48 tottman: Got me with that one too.

>48 tottman:, >49 AHS-Wolfy: A copy came home from Forbidden Planet with me last night. I hope I can fit it into my reading soon.

>46 tottman: I loved Ninefox Gambit in the end, but I had to quite consciously stop trying to understand the 'science' and just hand-wave it all as magic. It sort of reminded me of Iain M Banks in its focus on manipulation and ruthlessness in war.

>46 tottman:, >51 imyril: Ninefox gambit is on Mount Tbr. Glad to see positive reactions from you two.

I haven't been very good about posting here the last few months, but here's a summary of my reading for the last part of 2016. Here's August and September:

Arrowood by Laura McHugh. Very good modern gothic story.
Review of Arrowood

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch which was a really fun sci-fi thriller. Plus I got to meet him at Milwaukee, Murder and Mayhem a couple months ago and he was super nice.
Review of Dark Matter

The Last Colony by John Scalzi a fun relisten to one of my favorite series.

Kaptara, Vol. 1: Fear Not Tiny Alien by Chip Zdarsky which was a blast. I found it on a best of list of graphic novels.

King of the Bastards by Brian Keene which was only ok. Sort of a what would Conan the Barbarian be like as an old man.

Mechanical Failure by Joe Zieja was a fun, sci-fi humor book. I've read enough bad attempts at sci-fi humor to appreciate when someone gets it right.

Department of Temporal Investigations: Time Lock by Christopher Bennett which was an interesting story in the Star Trek universe, but I found it to be sort of a middling effort. Mostly interesting concept, mostly bland characters and tried to cram too much in to a short novella to do justice to the various components.

Murder in the Generative Kitchen by Meg Pontecorvo was another short novella but this one was packed with really interesting ideas that made it quite enjoyable.
Review of Murder in the Generative Kitchen

Age of Myth by Michael Sullivan is the first in a new fantasy series and it's narrated by my favorite narrator, Tim Gerard Reynolds so I really enjoyed it. There was a lot of setup and world building involved being the first in a series, but it still had great characters and an interesting plot. I'll be sticking with this series til the end.

Review of Age of Myth

Razor Girl by Carl Hiaasen was my first book by him and it was one of my favorite reads of the year. So funny and amazing writing.

Nothing Short of Dying by Erik Storey is the first in a new thriller series in the Jack Reacher vein. A pretty good entry.

Review of Nothing Short of Dying

Here's October til the end of the year:

The Complex by Brian Keene. A fun little zombie/end of the world story.

Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer was one of the most thought-provoking and interesting science fiction novels I've read, or in this case listened to, since Anne Leckie's Ancillary series.

Review of Too Like the Lightning

Into the Guns by William Dietz is the opening volume in a new "America rises from the ashes" series. Not a bad first book in the series from a writer I really enjoy.

Darktown by Thomas Mullen shines a light on a dark time in our history. This was an interesting listen for me, but it fell a little short on the storytelling front. Great narration by Andre Holland.

Review of Darktown

The Trespasser by Tana French is the latest entry in the Dublin Murder Squad series. I had a little trouble with the first part of the book, which was a little too angst-ridden for me, but by the end, she managed to really pull it off. This along with Michael Robotham's Joe O'Loughlin series are my favorite series right now.

The Dry by Jane Harper was my favorite book of the year. I got an advance copy, it comes out January 10th in the US but it's already out in other parts of the world. This book should win a lot of awards. Simply outstanding.

Review of The Dry

Clawback by J.A. Jance was my first full length novel by her I've read and I loved it. Just a fun, fast read with great pace and characters. This is one of those books you can just fall into and lose yourself and have fun.

Remnants of Trust by Elizabeth Bonesteel is the second book in a new series and it was even better than the first. The plot and the universe she has created are very well done, but it is her characters that really shine. Complicated and fascinating. I'm very excited to see where she goes next.

By Gaslight by Steven Price has some beautiful writing and is an interesting victorian mystery, but the plot too often takes a backseat to the lush, descriptive writing.

Review of By Gaslight

After the Crown by K.B. Wagers is the second book in the Indranan War series and both books are some of the most fun books I've ever read. They tie for my top SF read of 2016. Great characters and fantastic action. I'm on board for wherever she goes next.

Review of After the Crown

Best State Ever by Dave Barry is another funny book about Florida. The audio version suffers from a narrator who is not well-matched to the material.

Die Like an Eagle is the latest Meg Lanslow cozy from Donna Andrews and another fun comfort read.

The Nowhere Man by Gregg Hurwitz is the second in the new Evan Smoak series and it's fun to see a new thriller series in the hands of such a talented writer.

I've got a bunch of reviews to catch up on and there's a couple of more books I'll probably finish today, but they'll probably go on next year's thread.

The ones I'm finishing up are The Twilight Before Christmas by Christine Feehan and Abracadaver by Laura Resnick.

Happy New Year everyone!