FF: Reading Somethings Old, Lots New

This week only one YA or younger book…  and that one was as carryover from last week. Didn’t have an audiobook for the weekend…  Nearly went into withdrawal!

Persephone Steals the Shelf!

For those of you just discovering this feature, the Friday Fragments lists what I’ve read over the past week.  Most of the time I don’t include details of either short fiction (unless part of a book-length collection) or magazine articles.

The Fragments are not meant to be a recommendation list.  If you’re interested in a not-at-all-inclusive recommendation list, you can look on my website under Neat Stuff.

Once again, this is not a book review column.  It’s just a list with, maybe, a bit of description or a few opinions tossed in.

Recently Completed:

Maze of Bones, 1st 39 Clues novel by Rick Riordan.  Audiobook.  Part of a vast, multi-author.  I think I’ve seen another of these (“Spirit Animals”) being marketed in a very similar way (multiple authors, on-line support, “where do you belong” etc., sense of being tied to a computer game.)  Can anyone tell me if this is a new trend?

Nobody Loves a Centurion by John Maddox Roberts.  SPQR 6.  Decius is with Julius Caesar in Gaul.

The Tribune’s Curse by John Maddox Roberts.  SPQR 7.  Decius back in Rome.  Things are so bad he keeps wishing he were back in Gaul.

In Progress:

The River God’s Vengeance by John Maddox Roberts.  SPQR 8.  Don’t forget to clean the sewers!

Ghost Walker by Margaret Coel.  Audiobook.  Ms. Coel is keynote speaker for the UNM Writer’s Conference, where I’m giving the post-lunch talk.  Thought I’d try one of her books.

Gaming at the Edge: Sexuality and Gender at the Margins of Gamer Culture by Adrienne Shaw.  “Gamer” here means video, not RPG.  Interesting, but dense.  Only reading a bit at a time.

Also:

Re-read or read for the first time a bunch of pieces in the 1970 Science Fiction Hall of Fame anthology.