Reading Room: The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack

I picked this up from the science fiction and fantasy paperback shelf at the library. It’s been sitting in a stack in the dining room while I’ve been reading (lately slogging) through Russell Kirkpatrick’s In the Earth Abides the Flame. I decided to ditch the latter for the moment and give this book, by Mark Hodder, a go.

I have only read a few pages but the writing is solid but easy to follow and the premise of a steampunk type escapade appeals to my love of adventure. Of note to me while reading the famous author blurb in the inside cover: Michael Moorcock (he’s famous for his Immortal Champion books) waxes poetic about his great a story this debut novel is. We’ll see. Still, that’s a hefty rec.

I hope your Thursday was fifty flavors of awesome! I’ll catch you tomorrow. 🙂

Reading Room: Sisters Red

I first saw this book when I was still in Seattle, working at the book warehouse. Its shelf location was right on the outside edge of a shelf which was a popular cart parking spot. Every time I parked there I stopped and picked it up and read the jacket. The cover is a showstopper! I literally couldn’t look away from it whenever I saw it.

The other day I was in one of those big box stores looking for the ReadyMade 100. I couldn’t find it so I decided to see what books were on offer and Sisters Red was there for only $7! I scooped it (along with the June 2011 House Beautiful… see this post for my favorite from that).

The opening scene is just as heartstopping as the cover, setting up a world in which werewolves, or Fenris, are terrifyingly real. The sisters of the title live with their grandmother, Oma March, in a house on a small town dirt road. When a stranger comes up the road one day their lives are changed forever.

Sisters Red follows in the tradition of updating a familiar tale (in this case, Little Red Riding Hood) with a modern sensibility. I don’t want to be one of those people who gives the whole plot away, so I’ll stop there… but I can’t recommend this book enough even though I’m only halfway through with it. If you like darker fantasy like Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely or even the last two books of the Twilight series – you’ll enjoy this read.

Happy Saturday reading (or playing)!