firecat's 2018 in e-books

[firecat]

2018 books (recommended, unfinished)

Let me know if you want me to say more about any of these.

Alma Alexander, Abducticon; Empress

 

Keri Arthur, Full Moon Rising (Riley Jenson Guardian #1)

Paolo Bacigalupi, "The Gambler" (novelette)

Belinda Bauer, Rubbernecker

Alfred Bester, The Computer Connection

Poppy Z. Brite, Lost Souls

Fiona Buckley, Queen's Bounty (Ursula Blanchard #10)

Grady Hendrix, HORRORSTÖR

Laura Beukes, Moxyland

Gail Carriger, Prudence (Prudence #1)

Raymond Chandler, Trouble Is My Business (Marlowe) (Short story collection)

Agatha Christie, Murder on the Orient Express (Poirot #10) (re-read)

Agatha Christie, A Caribbean Mystery (Miss Marple #10)

Nancy A. Collins, Sonja Blue #1–4

James S.A. Corey, The Expanse series #1–7

John Crowley, Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr

Samuel R. Delaney, Babel-17

Rosemary Edghill, The Warslayer

Barbara Ehrenreich, Natural Causes

L. L. Farmer, Black Borne (Warrior Slave #1)

Jeaniene Frost, The Beautiful Ashes (Broken Destinies #1)

E.M. Forster, Where Angels Fear to Tread

Karin Fossum, Eva's Eye; Don't Look Back (Inspector Sejer #1–2)

Kerry Greenwood, Cocaine Blues (Phryne Fisher #1)

Tony Hillerman, The Blessing Way; Dance Hall of the Dead (Leaphorn #1–2) (re-read)

Faith Hunter, Dark Queen (Jane Yellowrock #12)

Laurie R. King, The Language of Bees; The God of the Hive (Mary Russell #9–10)

Nancy Kress, Yesterday's Kin

Madeleine L'Engle, A Wrinkle In Time, A Wind in the Door (re-read)

Seanan McGuire, Night and Silence (October Daye #12)

Richard K. Morgan, Altered Carbon; Broken Angels; Woken Furies (Takeshi Kovacs #1–3)

Daniel José Older, Half Resurrection Blues (Bone Street Rumba #1)

Ruth Rendell (as Barbara Vine), A Dark-Adapted Eye

Cherie Priest, Bloodshot (Cheshire Red Reports #1)

Vivian Shaw, Strange Practice; Dreadful Company (Greta Helsing #1–2)

Clifford D. Simak, All Flesh Is Grass

Rex Stout, Second Confession (Nero Wolfe #14); Trouble in Triplicate (Nero Wolfe #15)

Martha Wells, The Murderbot Diaries #1–4

Comments

[hellkitty]

I'm reading the first Altered Carbon novel right now--I hear they diminish in quality. Is that true? How do you feel about it compared to the Netflix show? (Or, well, whatever ThinkyThoughts you might have about the series).

[firecat]

I also like the second and third books in the Takeshi Kovacs series, but they're different genres—the second is military and the third is, I guess, spy/political thriller? If you like the Kovacs character and Morgan's writing style and world building, you'll probably like them. If you like Altered Carbon because it's noir detective, you might not.

As for Altered Carbon, I like both the book and the Netflix show. There are a few changes in the Netflix show that work better than what's in the book, and a couple that don't work as well.

[bibliofile]

I too recommend Older's Half Resurrection Blues. It's not just that it has ghosts in it, but I liked the collection of characters. What did you like about it?

[firecat]

Yes I like the characters! I love the diversity and detail and writing. I like how he infuses his descriptions of horrific things with beauty. Also he’s good with dialogue.