You Should Read This: The Birthday Problem by Caren Gussoff

Erin Morgenstern’s THE NIGHT CIRCUS was a terrific read and one that will delight fans of THE PRESTIGE and CARTER BEATS THE DEVIL. Lots of gorgeous and beautiful description of a highly evocative setting and the love story that plays out against it.

While on a visit to Baltimore recently, I was introduced to Joe Hill’s graphic horror novel, LOCKE AND KEY. I read the first one, and am looking forward to the rest.

THE PALACE JOB by Patrick Weekes was a terrific romp of a fantasy read, and is an Ocean’s Eleven type adventure played out against a fantasy setting.

Jonathan Wood’s NO HERO and YESTERDAY’S HERO reminded me of a less frenetic Charlie Stross. Another fun and frothy urban fantasy was Jennifer Willis’ VALHALLA.

Love Joe Lansdale, but I’m reading him slowly in order to spread out the cost of getting all the Hap and Leonard novels. September held THE TWO-BEAR MAMBO as well as a collection of short fiction, BUMPER CROP.

I go back every few years to read E.F. Benson’s Mapp and Lucia novels. Why doesn’t someone do a fantasy version of these? That would be so awesome.

THE WEIRD: A COMPENDIUM and THE APEX BOOK OF WORLD SCIENCE FICTION are both books that I am dipping into periodically, spacing them out so I can think about the stories, rather than absorb them all in one long read.

THE BANDIT KING by Lilith Saintcrow is a fantasy romance, the sequel to THE HEDGEWITCH QUEEN. I’ve yet to find a Saintcrow book that I haven’t enjoyed.

In nonfiction, I’ve been reading these:

• RATIO by Michael Rudman, which talks about the ratios needed for certain things like biscuits vs. pie dough and explores a lot of the science. It’s fascinating, and I’m thinking about taking a year just to work through each of the 33 ratios (he goes through doughs, stock, sausage, sauces and custards) he explores.
• Gretchen Rubin’s THE HAPPINESS PROJECT and STUMBLING ON HAPPINESS by Daniel Gilbert.
• FROM AN ANONYMOUS SOURCE purports to be written by a senior White House official. It’s entertaining if you’re interested in politics.

• The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black: Vampires, yes. But an interesting twist on them, and a protagonist who drags us along to Coldtown to find its secrets.
• The Rise of Renegade X by Chelsea M. Campbell: This is listed as Jan 2014 for the paperback edition, but I believe the e-version was self-published in 2013. It’s a terrific teen superhero adventure, featuring a protagonist trying to figure out if he’s a hero or a villain. IT has a sequel as well, The Trials of Renegade X.
• Conjured by Sarah Beth Durst: I don’t usually like protagonists who wake up with amnesia, but here Eve and her situation grabbed me and made me care much faster than such narratives usually do. The book managed to surprise me, and did so in a really engaging way.
• Contanimated by Em Garner: This is a zombie story, so I didn’t expect to like it much. But the zombies are caused by a diet drink, and the challenge is integrating the contaminated into society. When that contaminated is your mother, it’s a whole new issue. The ending is not as satisfying as it could be – things feel a bit too easy — but overall this was a gripping, hard to put down book.
• Control by Lydia Kang: Plenty of corporate-controlled futures in the YA I read this year, and this was one of the more interesting ones. The ensemble of teen characters are engaging, entertaining, and above all believable.
• The Color of Rain by Cori McCarthy: This features a fairly adult theme, in that the protagonist prostitutes herself to get herself and her brother off planet. But the sex is fairly low-key and not depicted in the thorough way it might be for adults. It’s a good story with a charismatic main character in desperate straits.
• Twinmaker by Sean Williams: This book is an extended exploration of the implications of matter transporters. It’s a lot of fun, fast-paced, and ingenious.

#sfwapro