Short Book Reviews.

I've kept the pace on my reading a book a week this year. (I was disgusted with myself for only reading 37 last year....) I've read 50 so far.

Book reviews are hard. So these are really more just short comments. This is the stack of books since October, which I'm taking back to the store after entering them in my book diary. I'm going to try to let this be my trigger from now on to write these little bullet reviews.

***The Reversal, Michael Connelly. Always a good, reliable mystery author, this has both Harry Bosch and lawyer Mickey Haller.

***Bad Blood, John Sandford. Also always a reliable good read. (Fucking) Virgil Flowers seems to be the main protagonist for Sandford's books these days, which is all right with me.

***Waiting, Frank M. Robinson. This had a great concept -- the next genetic level of humans living secretly among us -- I just didn't think much was done with it.

***Down River, John Hart. Edgar Award nominee. Unlike the Hugo and Nebula, which are very reliable indicators to me that a book is worth reading, I'm often disappointed in Edgar books. They seem to reward arch-typical characters, plots, and settings. Which, to me, often just seems more like stereotypical characters, plots, and settings... It's a fine line.

***The Unlikely Spy, Daniel Silva. First book by the writer of the Israeli spy novels I enjoy so much. Set in W.W.II, and it's O.K. But more or less a false start, I think, before he got going on Gabriel Allon.

***The Renegades, T. Jefferson Parker. Another really reliable mystery writer. What I mean by this, is that I read all these guys' books the minute I find a new one. (Connelly, Sandford, Parker) Real pro's.

***The Windup Girl, Paolo Bacigalupi. Deserves a more thoughtful review. I admired the setting, the complexity and the ambitiousness of this novel. The plot never really built momentum for me, though, because it was split among several characters equally, none of whom were terribly sympathetic. Reminded me of China Mieville's writing. This won both the Hugo and the Nebula.

***Catching Fire and *** Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins. Already talked about these, but would remind you again -- READ them!

***Anathem, Neal Stephenson. Wrote a fuller review a few days ago. Really liked it. Was totally challenged by it's complexity and ideas.

***Mister B. Gone, Clive Barker. Barker, like Stephen King and Robert McCammon and Dan Simmons, all of whom write so called "horror" novels --- which just seem like fantasy to me.
Let's just call it Dark Fantasy and call it even.