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Is anybody here interested in hearing about urban fantasy and sometimes romantic urban fantasy? I see no reason to post my reading unless there are other enthusiasts or might wannabe enthusiasts or otherwise I'm just posting off into a vacuum.
Urban fantasy...do you mean novels similar to the ones by Charles de Lint?
Yes, please post all. I read (devour!) a wide variety of genres, and I'm always looking for new authors
Currently reading Kerry Arthur's Riley Jensen, Guardian series, #4 and it looks like a dozen or more in the series, Riley is half werewolf, half vampire, working for The Directorate (in Australia) an agency charged with keeping the paranormals under control and protecting humans and paranormals from villain paranormals. Being part werewolf Riley is subject to an insatiable desire for sex around full moon, but fortunately the author writes relatively few details that would be bodice ripping. I'm a bit annoyed by the details, but fortunately most of the book is plot mixed with some romance (outside the sex part) and there's a lot of action and suspense... I skim the explicit parts. TMI
Currently reading Kerry Arthur's Riley Jensen, Guardian series, #4 and it looks like a dozen or more in the series, Riley is half werewolf, half vampire, working for The Directorate (in Australia) an agency charged with keeping the paranormals under control and protecting humans and paranormals from villain paranormals. Being part werewolf Riley is subject to an insatiable desire for sex around full moon, but fortunately the author writes relatively few details that would be bodice ripping. I'm a bit annoyed by the details, but fortunately most of the book is plot mixed with some romance (outside the sex part) and there's a lot of action and suspense... I skim the explicit parts. TMI
I don't read much of that genre but I did enjoy the first several books of the Sookie Stackhouse series. Actually, prior to reading those, I didn't know there was a genre called "urban fantasy." I definitely don't do romance novels and I could be mistaken but there seems to be quite a bit of overlap between the genres.
Ketabcha (a regular in this thread) suggested The Wolf's Hour by Robert McCammon which I read and loved. It's a WWII spy story and the protagonist is a werewolf. It never occurred to me that I might like such a story but I really did.
Oh I read the whole Sookie Stackhouse series and enjoyed it immensely. Was both happy and sad when the series ended.
There tends to be a blur between urban fantasy, urban romantic fantasy, and urban bodice ripper fantasy. The last one is basically just porn with a skeleton story, I quit those within 10-20 pages as soon as it becomes clear it's more porn than fantasy. The romantic type varies in explicitness and many feature minimal explicitness, often very limited. I'm a "fade to black" and leave the rest to your imagination type. I don't mind the romance and as with Sookie is often rather heart warming. Who could be a nicer person than Sookie Stackhouse?
I'll make a note of The Wolf's Hour by Robert McCammon on my TBR list.
Since most fantasy novels these days come in series, I'll probably make most of my recommendations on full series as I encounter them, maybe drag up a few ones I've completed from time to time.
Any reaction on Duma Key by Stephen King? It's next up on my TBR list.
I've read several of King's books but was put off by "The Gunslinger" (Tower series, Book 1) which I read several months ago. At the time wondered if it was worth striking King from my approved authors list.
Wow, if you like King, you could buy his complete works and be set up for practically forever. He's some sort of mad writer genius! (If you like his works. I'm ambiguous.)
Any reaction on Duma Key by Stephen King? It's next up on my TBR list.
I've read several of King's books but was put off by "The Gunslinger" (Tower series, Book 1) which I read several months ago. At the time wondered if it was worth striking King from my approved authors list.
Wow, if you like King, you could buy his complete works and be set up for practically forever. He's some sort of mad writer genius! (If you like his works. I'm ambiguous.)
I likes Stephen King when I was young. The last book I read was Joyland. I seem to get sidetracked with so many authors.
There are many authors who I would swear write faster than I can read.
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I gave up The Keeper of Lost Things at about 12%. It was too flowery -- verging on a chick-lit/romance combo, which means double the "ugh" for me -- and there were too many people and times to keep track of for someone (me) who's working on diminishing brain cells.
But I need something to read to wind down before bed so I'm going to TRY this: A Piece of the Wold by Christina Baker Kline. She's the one who wrote Orphan Train. This one, A Piece of the World, is another historical fiction piece (not my favorite genre, but I liked Orphan Train a lot) and is about the sickly girl who inspired Andrew Wyeth's painting Christina's World (different Christina than the other, obviously, since the painting is from 1948).
Christina, the author. Christina, the painting's subject. Christina's World in A Piece of the World. Christina, Christina, World, World, I need a Tylenol, Tylenol.
Any reaction on Duma Key by Stephen King? It's next up on my TBR list.
I've read several of King's books but was put off by "The Gunslinger" (Tower series, Book 1) which I read several months ago. At the time wondered if it was worth striking King from my approved authors list.
Wow, if you like King, you could buy his complete works and be set up for practically forever. He's some sort of mad writer genius! (If you like his works. I'm ambiguous.)
I'm a huge fan of Stephen King but I did not like his Tower series and never read more than the first book. Also, I did not like Duma Key either.
I hate to start off with two negatives but I don't recommend either of those. However, I can go on and on about his other books. Cell scared the daylights out of me. So did 'Salem's Lot. I'm not a fan of short stories but I like his. He wrote a book with Peter Straub years ago titled "The Talisman" and I really enjoyed it. That led me to Straub's books and my-oh-my was that a wonderful journey. Straub is a bit like Bentley Little when it comes to stories. I like them both very much.
When it comes to Robert Mccammon my favorite, as Marlow mentioned, is The Wolf's Hour. Running a close second is They Thirst. Mccammon has written some very good books, IMHO.
Thanks for the reply. Currently between books, hard choice between next installment of Riley Jensen, Guardian or Duma Key. Decisions, decisions. Maybe should read King's first chapter at least find out what it's about before deciding to go with comfortable same old. I guess it sort of demands a chapter of King since I've had it checked out of the library for a while whereas Riley Jensen just got checked out today after finishing previous in series.
I'm pretty uncomfortable with King since he fell out of my favor some years ago. Tower #1 was pointless to me, yet I have read enjoyable King novels in the past. Somehow my interest reached a point of fading with each next King until I just started ignoring him. Are his books some genre or does he have his own distinct genre?
I don't understand how he can type so fast, let alone plotting while typing. Must be some sort of savant. Most authors write just 1-2 books a year. Who knows? Maybe King could complete 2 in the same day! (And then go out for a movie!)
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