six*

I updated my book list on Wednesday only to discover that I’d read something like six books in the past week. I hold Scott Westerfeld and his wife, Justine Larbalestier, responsible for this, since I just got my hungry eyes on their latest books and read all four of them in a day or less each.
So although I don’t usually review books here, let me just run these past you.
Peeps, by Scott Westerfeld: Okay, it’s a book about vampirism as a parasite, set in New York City. Really? It doesn’t get more awesome. I’m a huge fan of Westerfeld’s from his Uglies trilogy and the cracklingly-great standalone, So Yesterday, and Peeps in no way disappoints.
Last Days, the sequel to Peeps, by Scott Westerfeld: I hate to admit, I didn’t love it QUITE as much as the first, but it’s an awesomely original take on the apocalypse as seen from the eyes of five teenagers starting a band on the brink of, well, the apocalypse. As with all his books, Westerfeld plays with slang and viral language and is remarkably good at it, especially in a book already about the cool kids in the band.
Magic or Madness and Magic Lessons, by Justine Larbalestier: Another fantasy trilogy (the end books comes out this year) that’s stunned me with its rich backstory and original details. Reason Cansino steps out from a back door in Sydney onto a cold street in New York, magical chaos ensues. Justine is every bit as talented as Scott but in a totally different way. She’s more emotional, less snappy, but equally powerful. My only complaint was that her fight scenes weren’t quite as crystal clear as they could have been but it’s a criticism made with the full understanding of how damned HARD it is to write fight scenes (and that Scott does it almost too well).
Russian Debutante’s Handbook, by Gary Shteyngart: Only though endless gothamist listings posts have I figured out how to spell his name (seriously, he does readings EVERYWHERE), but I only got around to this debut novel now. It’s good – and has improved by my favorable comparison to elements of The Corrections which I was never crazy about – and for a theoretically simple story of American assimilation, it goes some fun places, structurally. Like a city named Prava which is, in all other respects, Prague. Why the faking of Prague, Gary? I don’t know. But I enjoyed it – and like my friend Lavina pointed out, BEST AUTHOR PHOTO EVER. You will just have to go see for yourself.
The Promised Land, by Connie Willis and Cynthia Felice: Now, I absolutely ADORE Connie Willis. In fact, thanks to the joint efforts of Biscuit and Shana, Connie Willis is the reason I’m finally venturing into reading science fiction. This book was, well, it’s a sci-fi frontier romance. I mean, within those narrow confines, it was great, and I admit that I finished it in a day. And, actually, it’s got fire monkeys in it. Monkeys! That set stuff on FIRE! Really, you can’t go wrong with fire monkeys. But I didn’t love it nearly as much as Willis’ solo ventures, namely The Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog (best title ever, btw). But I enjoyed it. Plus also, FIRE MONKEYS! Srsly.
Wow! That was fun. So there you have it. Six books I’ve read recently, and some very off-the-cuff reviews of them. Go forth and read, people of the internet.
* this post about the orgy of reading is dedicated to my awesome father on his birthday, who’s read more books than god, and changed my life by introducing me to the awesome John Le Carre. Hippo Birdie, dad.