Items about books I want to read #11
Posted on: September 9, 2010
Once more, I have enough links to make another list of items I would like to read at some point in the future. I do like making these notes because not only do I get to jot down titles I would like to read, but it also let’s me look at myself as a reader based on what I am choosing. I am hoping to discern patterns as well as find gaps in my reading that need to be filled. Anyhow, here we go.
Books:
- Via Lambda Literary, two items. The one I am particularly interested in is Alleys and Doorways: Stories of Queer Urban Fantasy.” Book link to the publisher (warning to the sensitive: some titles on the site are explicit); Worldcat does not have a record. I have noticed that overall urban fantasy seems to be taking off, albeit wrapped in the romance genre (or in other words, romance with a paranormal element. Not all urban fantasy of late fits that description, but a lot of it does). The better half is starting to discover some of these urban fantasy novels, currently favoring the Mercy Thompson series, which actually does not sound too bad (I may even consider picking up the first novel to find out the appeal). So, I am curious to see how the queer folks do this genre.
- This sounds like a curious item, so I am adding it to my list. The title of the book is The Man Behind the Nose. It’s about Bozo the Clown and the man who portrayed the clown. It seems he did a bit more than just clown around. The Powell’s blog post does mention other books about clowns or with a clown theme, but I am not too interested in those.
- The folks at Guys Lit Wire are recommending some steampunk by Cherie Priest. The first novel, Boneshaker, was one that a colleague of mine mentioned, so the recommendations are adding up for me.
- From the Likely Stories blog, a mention of the book The Backlash: Right-Wing Radicals, High-Def Hucksters and Paranoid Politics in the Age of Obama. Given the recent rally by Glen Beck and other tea bagging antics, this may make a good read.
- From the Powell’s Book Blog, a review of the book Charlie Chan: The Untold Story of Honorable Detective and His Rendezvous with American History sounds interesting. In addition, it does make me want to go out and find some DVDs of the series.
- Jesus’ General reviews the book American Taliban: How War, Sex, Sin and Power Bind Jihadists and the American Right. Given some other things I have been reading lately that do make a good case that the American Right and the Taliban could be bedfellows, this may be worth a look.
- Via Blogging for a Good Book, the book is a graphic novel of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species. This sounds pretty cool.
- I have become a fan of publisher Haikasoru, which brings out Japanese science fiction in translation. So I am happy to see a suggestion for a book from that publisher. The book is Harmony, and it was reviewed by The Manga Critic over here.
- Bookshelves of Doom reviews the third book in Kage Baker’s The Company series. I was familiar with this series, but I have not picked up the books. However, I am bit curious because in the steampunk anthology I am currently reading, Extraordinary Engines, there is a story set in The Company universe. Based on how I like the story, I may decide or not to begin exploring this series further. The book in question is Mendoza in Hollywood.
- I am not big on the whole idea of common readers. Whether it is for some city or one of those college freshman program, I just dislike being told what to read and how to read it. Yes, I know, shocking for a librarian to admit that, but there you have it. It’s not that selections for these programs are bad; like everything in life, there are good and bad options, and I will read a book from these lists if it is a good one. What I dislike is the seeming indoctrination and touchy-feely discussions that follow. Anyhow, this book, How does it feel to be a problem? : being young and Arab in America, does seem like a relevant book to read given the current political climate in this nation. The book is discussed in this article from The New York Times reporting that Brooklyn College is facing some resistance over choosing the book for its freshman common reading. This one sounds like a book that more people need to be reading.
- The folks at Guys Lit Wire are also recommending a look at Lockdown, vol. 1: Escape from Furnace. It’s the first in a series from the looks of it. I am thinking folks who like dystopian literature may like this. In addition, they are also suggesting Secret Six: Unhinged, a compilation of the first six issues of a DC Comics series. I like new things, and this one sounds good. Also, when it comes to comics, I do prefer to read compilations with a full story arc than individual issues.
Book lists and other notes:
- From The Christian Science Monitor, a mini list of books to read relating to the egg recall. The list does include Fast Food Nation, which I have read already.
Tags: books and reading
