What I've Been Reading

War for the Oaks—Emma Bull

I could have sworn I had never read this book, but that’s what happens when you write a classic urban fantasy: 20 years later readers scratch their heads and say “This is awfully familiar…” Anyways, Minneapolis, special girl musicians, bands, faeries, epic battles, blah blah. Look, I get why it was so good when it was written, and Eddi is a strong, capable modern heroine but she’s been eclipsed by heroines more kickass.

The Spellman Files & Curse of the Spellmans—Lisa Lutz.

The 3rd book in this series, Revenge of the Spellmans, is due out in early March, and Lutz will be doing a signing at The Poisoned Pen Bookstore. I reviewed the first two in the links above and they’re both excellent. I was looking for a comfort read when I took these out, and I got what I needed.

The Soul of A New Machine—Tracy Kidder

This book was recommended as an excellent case study by Yin’s book so I read it as prep for work. It’s long, and nothing much happens but I did glean a bit of insight out of it. Unfortunately, not any insight on how to run or write a case study. But auditors and computer engineers have a bit of the same creative mindset and need to solve problems and make things better. It's also an interesting management case study. Check out Wired's update on the players 20 years after the publication of the book.

Sober For Good—Anne M. Fletcher

Another bit of work related reading. You can get sober without AA; it requires doing all the same stuff that AA requires, but it’s possible to go it alone or figure out your own path if it turns you off.

Chinatown Beat—Henry Chang

A well written but very dry and rather characterless offering from Soho Press.

Nightlife, Moonshine, Madhouse—Rob Thurman.

The 4th in this series, Deathwish, is due out the first week in March. Yes, I reread these to prepare. Yes, I am excited. They were some of the best books I read last year. If you put together a tv show based off these books and alternated it weekly with The Dresden Files which so, so much improved the books and Supernatural, I'd be all twitterpated and embrace my geekness full-time.

Host Family—Mameve Medwed

What a stupid book! So we’ve got this dumbass middleaged heroine who gets dumped by her husband who takes off with a French girl and then meets a very nice parisitologist she refuses to marry...just no, let's not think about it. Laurie Colwin was better than this. CHICK LIT is beter than this twaddle passing itself off as intellectually inclined mainstream fiction.