Mad Hatter's Reading Log Vol. 8 (Aug)

August saw a big spurt of reading during the first week of the month due to a vacation (books 72 thru 76) and the rest of the time being quite busy. And don't get me started on what a horrible reading month September has been due to house repairs that are still on-going and likely won't be done until October.

72.  Guards! Guards! Terry Pratchett - My first official Discworld novel was a resounding success.  For many years I've been enjoying Pratchett (Nation, The Carpet People), but up until this point I refrained from the much loved Discworld series due to its length.  But now that I know more about the world and how the series is divided I'll be making my way through it for years to come.
73.  The Postman by David Brin - Please don't even let an image of the poor Kevin Costner adaption color your view of this absolute classic in post-apocalyptic fiction.  It is a stellar read. Highly recommended.
74.  Hammered by Kevin Hearne - The third book in the Iron Druid series certainly finished in a big and satisfying way.  I did have a problem with how easy it is for gods to die given that in the main character's 2,000 years of living hardly any others Gods have died. But, man, those Norse are a wild bunch. Recommended and I'll be back for the next volume.

75.  The Pintman by Steve Rushin - A bit of contemporary fiction with lots of jokes centered around a man down on his luck and up on his beer tab in NYC. Lots of word trivia, bar facts, and literary humor abound and kept me flipping the pages. The main female interest was a bit shallow in terms of characterization, but the main character is very self-centered so I guess it works out.   Recommended.
76.  The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril by Paul Malmont - This is so far my favorite discovery this year.  Malmont has a style mixing real characters of the past and their history with a touch fiction. Did someone say Meta?  Pulp writers from the 30s take center stage and prove how strange and adventurous real life was for these people. This is a novel to savor and re-read. I've already gone out and bought Malmont's other novels.  Highly recommended.
77.  Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett - My second taste of the Discworld was just as good as the first. My  next dip in the series will probably be a non-Night Watch book just to mix things up. I'm itching to try a Death book.

78.  The Goblin Corps by Ari Marmell - We get a look at the war of good and evil from the other side.  This almost feels like what we'd get if Scalzi actually tried to do Fantasy all of the way.  Very funny and I shockingly found myself caring about this rabble even as they murder people without any regard or misgivings. Recommended.
79.  Machine Man by Max Barry - Reviewed here.
80.  No Hero by Jonathan Wood - No Hero is the book Lovecraft might have written if he had a sense of humor and watched too many Kurt Russell movies. It is a story that never takes itself too seriously and succeeds for that reason. Plus there are a lot of explosions and decapitations. Recommended.

81.  The Map of Time Felix J. Palma - This was a strange one. Is it Steampunk? No, not really. Is it a Historical novel? Kinda. Straight Time Travel? Maybe. This book is very deceiving with its style to the point you never know what to believe as it is told so convincingly.  I had a strong dislike for the fourth wall breaking narrator yet still couldn't put it down due to HG Wells being one of the central characters. Recommend with reservations.
82.  Spellbound by Blake Charlton - A much stronger book than the already fun Spellwright. Charlton levels up in a lot of ways, but really comes alive with the expansion of his magic system and the explosions of cultures found in Spellbound. Review hopefully to come soon. Highly recommended for Fantasy fans.

This month was meta, humor, and pulp heavy.  There wasn't a clunker in the bunch. The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril was the strongest and most entertaining book of the month. Spellbound more than fulfilled all the promise Charlton showed with Spellwright. The Postman is just a true classic every fan should read at some point.

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