Well, that Reading Wednesday escalated quickly

[dhampyresa]

What did you finish reading

Dying Bites, by DD Barant: I mentionned last week that I picked up this series again because of the friendship between Jace (human FBI profiler) and Charlie (300 pounds golem powered by a T-Rex) and I was not disappointed.

"Charlie, how do you feel about scuba diving?"
"The same way an anvil does."
"Don't worry," I say. "We'll tie the rope around you again, and feed it out as long as we can."
"And when you get to the end of your rope?"
"That's where I live, Charlie."
"I noticed. I'm not going to drag you under, Jace."
"You won't. I'm going to haul you up."

Have I told you guys how much I love friendships? I love friendships so so so much, more anything else and these books are so good to me on the platonic us-against-the-world front. I love the banter between Jace and Charlie (aat one point they use it to identify each other). I love how much they care bout each other but don't say it. (Jace is so bad at feelings, you guys, so bad. It's hilarious.) I love that they have fights but they make up, but it's not easy and everyone has to make concessions.

I really enjoy the way the murder plot unfolds in this book and how that's used to reinforce the worldbuilding, but with a valid in-text reason, if that makes sense. I mean, there's a reason the murderer picks the places and victims he does and it's a very good in-text reason, but it's also a good way to show some of the world's underpinnings, including the ones no one would ever have told Jace about if they had had a choice. The climax is really great as is the fight on Easter Island.

Death Blows, by DD Barant: Another thing I love about this series is how off-the-wall it is. Elder Gods! Comic books as objects of great magical power! T-REX POWERED GOLEMS! The murders in this book revolve around comics and one comic in particular. It's a different experience re-reading it now that I know more about comics. Not that it wasn't enjoyable and perfectly understandable before, but now I get to enjoy reading things like "Mutant rockstars" and go "OMG IT'S DAZZLER!" or read "Asgardian thunder god frogs" and think "yup that was a thing that actually happend". (Also, her informant on/in the comic subculture is totally Neil Gaiman: he wears a black leather jacket and sunglasses, his name is Neil and he's an oneiromage.) Ilove how much care and love goes into the depiction of comics. Sure, they're the motivation behind the murders, but it never comes across as comics being evil in and of themselves. There's a fair amount of talking about the power of comics (actual magic power in this world) and that shows up in-text several times (one character actually gets rebooted, haha wat, this is so lol comics, but in the best way possible). The climax at one point features a tense conversation on Batman's origin story (his parents are deaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad).

Also, all the friendships in this book are great SO GREAT, whether it's JAce&Charlie, Jace&Xandra, Jace&Gretchen, Jace&Cassius, Cassius&Gretchen or any of the others.


What are you reading now

Killing Rocks, by DD Barant: I'm not entirely sure where this is going yet, but where I'm at, Las Vegas in under siege, something's up with Charlie and Jace's only ally is a magician form another universe who kidnapped her and stole her face (not literally, I hasten to add, but it could still happen! I hope not, though. I like Azura). Also, it features the line

Stories want to be told, you know. That's why they created people.

I am sensing this will be A Theme in this book. I like it.

Hannibal's Odyssey, by William Mahaney: Yes, still.


What are you reading next

the rest of the Bloodhound Files, I think. After that...

There was a sale on books by the DCU Book Soc (also cake) and I kind of went all out, hahaha oops.



LOOK THEY HAD CHEAP BOOKS WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO, NOT BUY THEM? That's just crazy-talk, man.

For the curious, I bought about one of each kind they had (except The Great Gatsby, because I already had it and a book in Irish, because I don't read Irish) and the books are: Anne Frank, Inverting the Pyramid, The Hobbit, Ender's Game, The Book Thief, Fight Club, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Wicked, Fahrenheit 451, The Secret Scripture, The Hich-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Death of Bunny Munro, Hogfather, Strom Front, The Last Frontier, The Princess Bride, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Gone Girl and Stone of Destiny. I don't know what most of these are about, but I bought 19 books (and 6 cupcakes) for 31€, so you know, I kind of don't care. BOOKS!

(And they're doing another sale next week with other books (including Days of the Dead) and of course I will be there and buying more books and how am I ever going to get all these back home? Who cares, BOOKS!)

Comments

[jessalae]

Oooh books! I have read... 8.5 of those, and enjoyed several of them very much. I have such a bad habit of finding a book sale or a used bookstore and buying a bunch of things without thinking about where I'm going to store them, because they're cheap, and they're books, I need them! ...and then I end up needing more bookshelves.

[dhampyresa]

You have to tell me which ones you read and enjoyed! (I've already read some of them, but I didn't own them, so.)

You too? It's come to the point where I try very hard not to go into bookstores at all. Alas, when the books come to me...

[jessalae]

Let's see... I absolutely love The Princess Bride. Hogfather, Storm Front, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy are all great too. I remember really enjoying The Book Thief, too, but I don't remember many details of the plot -- I read it all in one day back in high school, and it's all kind of a blur.

My family goes on a vacation every year to a city that has an amazing little used bookstore, and I've figured out that if I only bring cash with me when I go in, I won't completely overspend. I'll still walk out with a dozen books, though, because everything is super cheap and they have an awesome sci-fi/fantasy section.

[dhampyresa]

I've read Hogfather and Stormfront already, but I didn't own them, so now I do! I'll probably try H2G2 next, I think.

That is quite clever, but when the books are super cheap, that doesn't help much (I paid less than 2€ per book here).

[schneefink]

Omg what a beautiful haul. The ones I know are very good. You should take a picture of your bookshelves :)

[dhampyresa]

Ooh, which ones do you know? (I don't have a bookshelf at the moment, so they're all sitting in a pile on the floor in my room. I could take a picture of they, if you wanted.)

[schneefink]

I absolutely love The Princess Bride. Hilarious fantasy romantic comedy. If you like it you should watch the movie, too. Hogfather is very good; I'm not sure how well it works if you don't know Discworld, but I don't think it takes away a lot. The Book Thief is very sad, but very good. The Hobbit, Fahrenheit 451 and Hitchhiker's Guide are classics and deservedly so. Fight Club is definitely interesting, but it wasn't quite my type, so to speak. I enjoyed Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, though I found it a bit slow at times, and The Picture of Dorian Gray (same.) I heard good things about Wicked. Storm Front is the first Dresden Files novel: I like the series and would recommend it, but the first couple of books are where the author is still getting comfortable and it gets better later. I've never read Ender's Game, but from what I've heard about it some people love it and some hate it (from what I've read it's one of those books I'd enjoy when reading the first time just for fun and hate when reading the second time and/or actually paying attention, but idk.)

[dhampyresa]

I've seen the Princess Bride movie, which is why I bought the book. I have already read Hogfather, Fahrenheit 451, Wicked, Picture of Dorian Gray and Storm Front, which I really should have mentionned in my post.

Thanks for the breakdown; I'm reading H2G2 next, but after that, who knows!

[yuuago]

Some of the ones you've bought are ones I've been meaning to read (TTSS in particular). And some of them I've read: The Hobbit, Wicked, Hitch Hiker's Guide, Hogfather, Dorian Gray. I liked some more than others, but they were all pretty good. Book sales are wonderful. :)

[dhampyresa]

This is all good news. I mean, as long as I like 3 of them, it's been a bargain, but the more I like the better a bargain it is. Book sales are so wonderful!

[silverflight8.livejournal.com]

YOU HAVE TO READ THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY.

[dhampyresa.livejournal.com]

OKAY! I WILL! NO NEED TO SHOUT!

[silverflight8.livejournal.com]

YES IT IS SO NECESSARY I LOVE THAT BOOK

SO MUCH

(<3?)

[dhampyresa.livejournal.com]

♥!

[ericadawn16.livejournal.com]

Yes, I second this!

But it also looks like only the first book so I hope you can find the others. The last one is a little weird but I love all of it.

It even has Thor and a cellist in a few parts!

[dhampyresa.livejournal.com]

I'm putting on my list. I think I'll get to it after I finish the Bloodhound Files series.

It was only the first book. I'll get the others (though probably on Kindle) if I enjoy it.

I did not know that! (I also read this as "Thor as a cellist" the first time around, which why has no one written this AU yet, I ask you?)

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

SO MANY BOOKS! Congrats a such a huge haul!

I have a copy of Days of the Dead and it is lovely and has very pretty maps and family trees at the beginning.

I've never read the Barant books you're reading, but I really like that excerpt!

[dhampyresa.livejournal.com]

I kind of have no idea how I'll get them back home. Probably by post, I think.

I am so excited to finally own one of the Benjamin January books! And since it's a book club, I can reasonably hope that at least one other person will buy it. I love getting people to try books I love.

These books are so good at friendships, seriously, so good. There's so much good stuff, especially between Jace and Charlie. I just really love it when (a) friendship(s) is/are the most important thing in character's lives and these books deliver that in spades.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

I do hate how hard books are to transport and store. But everything else about them is awesome!

I've been trying to collect a hard copy of each of the Ben January books, but so far I've only managed to find about five of them. It seems to be harder to find the ones by the UK publisher here in the US, but that's just a coincidence.

I look forward to reading them!

[dhampyresa.livejournal.com]

That is the worse things about books indeed.

I'll be happy with owning a copy of just one, or else this will turn into a scavenger hunt and I'm not doing that anymore.

I hope you enjoy them!

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Ha, it totally is a scavenger hunt, but I like having an excuse to duck into the independent bookstores nearby whenever I'm in the right part of town (as the big chains never seem to have any Hambly books).

[dhampyresa.livejournal.com]

Excuses to get into bookstores are the last thing I need. I rarely walk out of bookstores with less than five books.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Ha, yes, I have that problem too.