Summer Reading Pile – FictionSummer Reading Pile – Fiction

As many of us are in the midst of our Summer Reading Piles, I thought I’d talk about mine and make some other suggestions. I’m going to break this up into a list for fiction and a list for poetry. These aren’t full-on reviews, especially as some are still in my TBR pile.


The first book is Hard Time by Sara Paretsky. Over the years I’ve gone on “mysteries with female protagonists written by women” binges. Forgive me that I am way out of date on some of them. V. I. Warshawski is the protagonist of my favorites series. “Hard Time” is the 9th in the series and came out in 1999. As always, the story is great and V.I. is right on target. The series is still going strong and the newest book will be out in October (“Shell Game”)


Last weekend, I read Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs. This is book 10 in the Mercy Thompson series and is awesome. I describe Patricia Briggs’ urban fantasies as gourmet popcorn. When I get one, I just want to curl up on the couch with it until I’m done. Mercy is the queen of snark and I love the depth of the world that Briggs has built.


Etched in BoneI’m in the midst of Etched in Bone by Anne Bishop. This is the fifth book in the Others series. This alternate vision of our world, in which human beings are far from being the top predator, is marvelous. This world is detailed and the characters intriguing.


On my TBR list, I have several books that I found on lists on Unbound Worlds. Unbound Worlds is a great site for anyone interested in fantasy and/or science fiction. They have a batch of suggested books for different sub-genres. The books in my pile are “House of Stairs” by William Sleator, “The Rook” by Daniel O’Malley , and “Gardens of the Moon” by Steven Erikson.