AUGUST NIGHTSTAND BOOKS
I know, the first Wednesday of the month is tomorrow. But I'm doing Nightstand Books a day early because the whole countdown deal thing for King's Warrior starts tomorrow, so I shifted my week a bit.
Anyway, without further ado, my nightstand this month:
Yes, that is a chocolate muffin and a glass of milk. Sometimes a yummy snack is essential to the reading process. (Especially when you're 8 months pregnant).
Moving on. I've actually read a lot more this year than I thought I would have time for. I just can't not have a book to read in the evenings before bed. (Yes, the double negative was on purpose). This month's list is a bit eclectic-feeling to me, as we've got representatives from the urban-fantasy, technological-thriller, juvenile/dystopian, and mystery genres. As I usually stick to epic fantasy, I feel like this month's nightstand is doing a good job at portraying me as a bit more varied in my reading tastes... which is quite new and different for me, and hopefully entertaining for you.
So, from the top down we have:
- Summer Knight by Jim Butcher, book #4 in the Dresden Files. Yes, I've gotten sucked into this series. Modern day, wizard, Chicago, vampires, dueling sidhe courts... it actually doesn't surprise me that I enjoy these books. Would I recommend them? Nope. They're a bit like the sci-fi TV show Firefly for me that way... I love it, but I cannot recommend it.
- The Giver by Lois Lowry, one that I Highly recommend, though there is a very disturbing scene towards the end that involves a baby being killed. I finally convinced my husband to read this for the first time (and then realized later that, really, you have to be a kid the first time you read it, he overanalyzed everything about it, and was annoyed by the lack of details (which makes sense, he's currently working his way through Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series... which has way too much detail)). But I want to see the movie, and I wanted to be able to discuss all the differences that are bound to exist between movie and book with him. Anyway, I also want to re-read it before the movie comes out. More on my thoughts on the whole "The Giver as a movie" later.
- Through the Viscera by DJ Edwardson. I am so excited to begin this book! Hooray! I really enjoyed DJ's "Into the Vast" last year and have been waiting for the next book in the series, and no, I'm not just saying that because I know he reads my blog.
- The Adventures and the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. We've had this book on our shelf forever and I've never read it, or any Sherlock Holmes, for that matter. I decided it was high time to remedy that. Particularly since I really love all things Sherlock Holmes. So far I've read the first story, and enjoyed it quite a bit. I am amazed at how much the BBC show "Sherlock" uses from the stories and plot and dialogue. I had assumed (incorrectly) that the modern-day take would have to deviate by quite a lot... it really doesn't... so far.
So there you have it - my August reading list.
What's on YOUR nightstand this month, dear Reader? I'd love to hear what books you've got lined up for the end of summer/start of fall!