mikekn

19. Saint Fire - Tanith Lee [704/1565]
Book two in The Secret Books of Venus series. Here we follow the story of a young slave girl who gains the power to create fire from nothing. In this volume we also learn more about the church as it exists in Tanith Lee's parallel Venice. More great stuff (as evidence, I'm going on to book 3 instead of taking a break and reading something else).

18. Faces Under Water - Tanith Lee [709/1569]
This is the first of a series of books set in a parallel Venice (The Secret Books of Venus). If it follows her previous Secret Books, each book will be unconnected to the others apart from the setting. Like many of her recent books, this one paints great visuals - enough details to get a proper feel for the city and its inhabitants without being overly wordy. Must read more Tanith Lee!

17. I Dare - Sharon Lee & Steve Miller [704/1563]
Final book in one of the Liaden series. A fun read which brought together most everything from the previous books. There weren't any real surprises and I was never worried about any of the characters - the whole thing seemed set on a very straight course from the beginning (making it just an enjoyable book, but not a great one).

16.Scout's Progress - Sharon Lee & Steve Miller [705/1563]
Book two of the Pilots Choice omnibus. A more enjoyable read then the first one. More space opera/romance-lite goodness.

14. A Dirty Job - Christopher Moore [706/1563]
Finished this one a few days ago. It's a Christopher Moore book about Death, with a bit of a serious streak running through it. I've always enjoyed stories with personifications of Death, and this one was very entertaining. This story has the added bonus in that it is set in San Francisco so we have the return of Emperor Norton (and sadly, Bummer and Lazarus, two dogs who are fictionally associated with Norton, but that, historically speaking, were not)

15. Local Custom - Sharon Lee & Steve Miller [706/1563]
Book one in a two book omnibus. Local Custom tells the story of Shan's parents. While it's a good story, I found myself frustrated that the main conflict between the two was communication problems. I get that it was all based on poor understanding of each others culture and customs, but it just struck me the wrong way.

13. The Last Witchfinder - James Morrow [704/1560]
I've been waiting for this book for several years, having heard a reading from it sometime in the late 1990's. The narrator and "writer" of the book is another book (who explains that many books have achieved sentience and all try their hand at writing from time to time.) The story is set in the late 17th and early 18th century and follows the main character in her efforts to bring down the witchfinder profession (to which her father and brother belong). An excellent book. If you'd like a more in depth review, I found one at Strange Horizons.

12. The Sprouts of Wrath - Robert Rankin [699/1554]
Book four in the Brentford Trilogy brings the Olympics to Brentford. Typically bizarre Rankin fare, slow going only because I've not been able to stay awake and read most days.

New Books:
Winter Moon - Tanith Lee, Mercedes Lackey, C.E. Murphy
Slow Learner - Thomas Pynchon
Inside Job - Connie Willis
The Last Witchfinder - James Morrow

11. God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater - Kurt Vonnegut Jr. [696/1550]
This is one of Vonnegut's earlier books and while I enjoyed it, I find myself at a bit of a loss to describe it. It doesn't have as a strong or harsh a satirical bite as some of his other works, and it gives us a fairly uplifting ending.

9. Open Sesame - Tom Holt [698/1550]
Tom Holt has fun with Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.

10. Remake - Connie Willis [697/1550]
Connie Willis has fun with the future of movies.

8. Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson [698/1549]
Yes, I think Snow Crash was as good as everyone said it was. The only problem I had with it were the long pieces of dialog where the characters explain everything to the reader. Still it was a great book, and I'll be getting more of Stephenson's work in the future.

7. Plan B - Sharon Lee & Steve Miller [699/1549]
An action packed and enjoyable read as evidenced by the fact that I nearly finished it in one evening. I've got a few more of their books, but I think I'm going to avoid reading them all at once (need my evenings to get other stuff done).