Coming attractions

Hey guys!

Not much happening on the Hotlist these days, I know. Returned from my hiking trip in the Canadian Rockies on the 7th and I've been working overtime since then to cover for colleagues who are themselves on vacation. Add to that the fact that this is the tourist high season, so I've been hosting a number of foreigners via couchSurfing. Which leaves me little time to read and review novels, and little time to keep track of everything that's going on in the genre.

I'm currently reading two books. The first is Sam Sykes' The City Stained Red, which I began in Jasper a while back after finishing Novik's atrociously boring Uprooted. It's a fun, balls-to-the-wall kind of book, which is exactly what I needed after the sleep-inducing Uprooted. Reading the ebook on my computer, which is why it's taking me longer than usual. Reading a book off a screen makes my eyes bleed. . . At work, I'm reading Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, which, after an excellent start, has begun to drag in the middle part. Still a very good read thus far.

You can expect reviews for these two works in the near future. In addition, since I've realized that I've only read one novel by a female author this year, I've decided that the next 4 or 5 works I read will be written by women. Of course, the female authors I enjoy appear to have failed to garner the feminists and the PC police's stamp of approval. Hence, this will in all likelihood not satisfy them and their ilk. . . :/

Be that as it may, with the last Kitty Norville installment coming out soon, I'm getting way behind in this series, so I'll definitely be reading one or two Carrie Vaughn books this summer. You can also expect a review for Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Chosen, which I should have read ages ago. Robin Hobb's Fool's Quest will immediately be moved up to the top of the pile as soon as it shows up in my mailbox! There are quite a few works by female authors I have an eye on, so I'll select one of them to join the list.

I have another two weeks of vacation coming in August. If I fly abroad, where I usually leave the books I read in hostels and guesthouses, I'll probably bring books I don't want to keep in my permanent collection with me. If that's the case, the aforementioned titles will be pushed back in the rotation and I'll get to them once I'm back home. If I stay here, it will be business as usual.

So there you have it! Hope you're enjoying your summer! =) Or your winter, if you live in the Southern Hemisphere!! ;-)