I love doing the link posts. It gives me a good excuse to hunt around on other peoples blogs, which is usually a Sunday morning thing. So the plan is, hopefully to post a Book-o-sphere Round-up every Sunday. These are going to be in a random order as it’s going to depend on the order I find them in NetNewsWire.
So what has been happening this week? Let’s have a look:
link: Walker of Worlds: Looking Forward to 2010
Here are some of the sci-fi releases that I’m especially looking forward to in 2010. While most of them are parts of a series that I’m already reading, there are a few stand alone books in there. I think 2010 has the potential to be a great year fro sci-fi literature, but getting around to all the best books will be a job in itself!
Mark has some great sounding SF listed like Empire of Light by Gary Gibson, Veteran by Gavin G. Smith, Orphaned Worlds by Michael Cobley to name a few.
link: Walker of Worlds: My Library, Jan 2010
Over Christmas I was doing some organisation and decided to get all my books out of their boxes and get some pictures so I had a quick reference of what I owned. Here are about 99% of my books (the other 1% are proof copies that are duplicates of HBs I own) – they’re not labeled but let me know if you want to know what any specific ones are (some of the pictures are blurry) or have any other comments
Mark also has a great set of pics of his books – I wish I was that organised.
link: Unbound!: E Reader Triple Threat Smackdown!
Choo: It took me longer than I care to admit before I actually figure out what an e-reader was. You see, I’m technologically retarded. It’s nothing short of a miracle that I figured out how to blog, really. Anyways, Hagelrat was boasting about her new Sony baby during the holidays, so I hit good old google up for some info. It took me about ten seconds to realize that I wanted one and that I would clearly not be complete as a human being until I had one.
Unbound! is having an ereader week this week. There is some great discussion of the different choices out there though some like the nook are US only at the minute.
link: The e-Reader story of CES 2010 — Engadget
One major trend dominating CES 2010 is the massive uptick in manufacturers showing off e-reader devices, software and technology. Vendors of all sizes are here in Las Vegas introducing products they hope will capitalize on piqued consumer interest and the predicted growth in the e-book market in the year ahead.
Though if you’re wondering what else might be coming this year in e-Readers Engadget has a bit of a round-up you can check out.
link: BSFA Award Nominations So Far — Best Novel « Torque Control
Over the next four days I’m going to post the nominations received so far in each category, as a prompt to get people thinking, possibly last-minute reading, and nominating. Remember, inclusion on one of these lists means that something has received one or more nominations; the five items with the most nominations go forward to make the shortlist. You can make as many nominations as you want, so if you see something and think, oh yes, that was good, wasn’t it? — you should nominate it.
Niall over at Torque Control is show of some of the nominated books for the BSFA Awards. I wonder what is going to make the Top Five? I’ve read The Naming of the Beast, Nova War, Avilion, Unseen Academicals so not too shameful. And all were some of my favourite books of 2009.
link: Speculative Horizons: Tim Lebbon signs deal with Orbit to release ‘Echo City Falls’
According to British author Tim Lebbon’s website, he’s signed a two-book deal with Orbit for a "rich, gritty novel" called Echo City Falls and one other untitled book.
James reminds me (it was on Twitter first 
) that Orbit has signed Tim Lebbon and Echo City Falls sounds v.interesting:
link: Deals and Deliveries: new dark fantasies by Tim Lebbon | Orbit Books
It hides below Echo City, a threat that has been growing over generations deep beneath the streets. The corrupt wheels of commerce, the murky cycles of political rise and fall and the rivalries of religious and military sects have intersected efficiently over the ages, filling specialised niches in a rigidly organised society. But this is about to change. As darkness stirs in the depths, a stranger arrives from across the desert that isolates Echo City from the rest of the world. Watchers have long whispered of the destruction of their city and search for something that will keep them from it. Madmen and spirits of the dead have foretold disaster and looked for a saviour. But no one expected either in this lifetime.
Labyrinthine, steeped in violent history and hiding horrors far below, the city starts to unravel as the plot gathers momentum to reach a dramatic and compulsive conclusion.
link: Review: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld|Ooh . . . Books!
I could have gone my entire life without having ever read Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan and never have regretted it. I know that I tweeted that I hoped I hated it so I’d have something unique to say on the bloggosphere, but really, I fully expected to like Leviathan.
All the reviews I’ve seen so far have been fairly positive to this one. This is interesting:
Between my biology and medical training, my threshold for willing suspension of disbelief is rather high in biological science fiction.
Everyone has different experiences when they come to a book and different point of reference is’t interesting that a view of biology made it hard to see past that and into the story.
I think I’m so eager to get away from the here and now that I’ll accept almost anything!
link: BOOK REVIEW – Dracula: The Un-Dead « Alternative Magazine Online
It is hard not to give away the many twists and turns whilst reviewing Dracula: The Un-Dead, but I can promise that the story gallops along at breakneck speed for the duration. Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt have really done their homework here. They even manage to show the story from the perspective of a dogged police detective, haunted by his failure to capture Jack The Ripper all those years ago. How does this tie in to Dracula and Countess Bathory you may ask? Wonderfully.
Alt Magazine reminded me that I didn’t get around to Dracula: The Un-Dead last year. Still not sure. Anyone else read it?
link: Dark Wolf’s Fantasy Reviews: 2010 Reading & blogging goals
Here is a list of 10 of the most anticipated books for me published this year, in alphabetical order:
Three of Dark Wolf’s books are on my list this year: The Desert Spear, Horns, and City of Ruin!
link: Dark Wolf’s Fantasy Reviews: Cover art – "The Bastard Son" by Rowena Corey Daniells
I like his clothes and weapons and together with the scene behind the character they make me curious about the story and the setting of the novel.
A lovely bit of cover pOrn!
link: Book Chick City Cover Crush: King Maker by Maurice Broaddus
I am just LOVING this cover! The book sounds like a fantastic read too
Ooo and another one!
link: Fantasy Book News & Reviews: I’m Perfectly Happy with My Reading Habits, Even If You Aren’t
Before I respond directly to some of the comments on his blog, I want to clarify a couple of things, since some didn’t get the point of what I was saying. The gender of the author has no influence on whether I will read a book or not. Some commenters seemed to think I set out to choose male authors. No. Here is what happens when I pick a pick, whether its online or in the bookstore. First, I notice the name of the book and the cover art. If either look intriguing to me, I pick the book up and read the description. If the description sounds like something I would enjoy (usually epic/heroic/high fantasy), I’ll buy the books. Simple as that. Nowhere in there, EVER, does the gender of the author come into play.
Jeff’s post is well worth reading. The lack of female authors in my own reading isn’t conscious but I am now coming conscious and I might have to swing my reading to include more a bit more consciously.
link: Cover Unveiled for The World House by Guy Adams ~ Mad Hatter’s Bookshelf & Book Review
No cookie cutter designs are being thrown out there and they are willing to try some things a bit on the edge. The World House looks to be the start to a series as well.
And other from Angry Robot Books another of my resolutions for this year, to read and review at least some of their output. If I’m being honest this is the one of theirs annoucned for this year so far that I really really really want to read. I have a thing for magic houses after reading the amazing The High House by James James Stoddard.
link: PUNKADIDDLE: Jasper Fforde, Shades of Grey (2009)
My review of Fforde’s latest title appeared in last Saturday’s Guardian, and you can find it online here...
And this is the review:
link: Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde | Book review | Books | The Guardian
People talk of "high concept" fiction, but I’ll confess I’ve never understood what altitude has to do with it. Wouldn’t "narrow concept" be closer to the truth? A high-concept novel takes one ingenious notion and bends everything else – character, narrative, style – around it. The result can be striking and thought-provoking, but it can also result in a rather straitjacketed read. Jasper Fforde’s new novel has one of the highest, or narrowest, of concepts I’ve come across in a long time, and as a consequence falls somewhere between "sharp" and "two-dimensional".
Fforde is one of those authors that I keep meaning to read, and have a couple of books of him bought and lined up but never raises high enough in my mind to go hunting for his book to read one. I’m weird I know.
link: gaskella: Complicated emotions are explored in this big novel
This was the last novel I finished reading in 2009, and it was solid yet gripping, a satisfying read that explores big and complicated emotions – yet I’ve struggled in my thoughts about how to do it justice in a review.
Where to start? Examining the cover gives a clue to the two strands of the story. We start in a prologue at Ypres, 1917 as the troops are preparing to go over the top on the first day of Passchendaele. A young private is searching for the major, only finding an apparently shell-shocked officer conducting an imaginary orchestra from a sheet of music in front of him.
I had a copy of this land through the door – and I am not a fan of historical fiction. I’ve tried various forms but unless they have a murder in them or a fantasy hook or magic or are mixed with anything. I just can’t seem to hold interest. Maybe this should be another resolution? See if I can get into Historical Fiction?
link: My Favourite Books: Dark Entries by Ian Rankin, illustrated by Werther Delle’edera
I chose this as my first graphic novel review for 2010. Needless to say I am pleased that I did. More than Mr. Rankin’s writing, I took to Werther’s illustrative style. I like to say I enjoy graphic novels but the fact that I don’t read enough of them makes me a liar. I’m a visual reader, especially when it comes to reading standard novels, no matter the genre. I enjoy scene setting and imagining how it pans out in my head. Werther’s artwork throughout Dark Entries is a showcase of someone who "got" Ian Rankin’s storyline for Constantine. It could have gone a whole different way, with lurid splashes and severe close-ups, but instead we have tightly controlled bit of art, revealing much of Rankin’s story, without it being repetitive. A good combination.
I am not adding Graphic Novels or comics to my 2010 reading, I can’t, but if I did. I think Dark Entries by Ian Rankin would make the list.
I think this is more than enough for this week.
More next Monday.
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