My 10 Current Authors

I have favorite authors, but it's impossible to rank them for all time. I go through moods where there are types of feels that I'm looking for. Depending on the mood and the current book I'm digging, I'll have a different favorite. Feeling like a comedy? I know a few. But what kind of comedy? Do I want a buddy romp and/or characters playing off each other? Or would something absurd like hitchhiking through the galaxy for the 42nd time hit the mark? I'd have to look at a time period and the books I read in that time period to come up with such a list and I don't have a list anywhere of books I've read.

Instead, I'll give you a list of 10 current authors I've been reading.

Sebastian de Castell - Greatcoats #1: Traitor's Blade - Maybe you can't judge a book by its cover, but the cover is what drew me to this one. Plus, it was only $3 (I paid $0.22 after applying some digital credits!). There were some good quips and banter which are major pluses for me. I love those inter-character dialogues and relationships. There was some good action, but overall the book somehow kept making choices that were just off enough for my tastes. It's hard to describe without spoilers, but imagine you hope for a character to do one thing and then they keep doing something else and you feel a little disappointed. It was never off enough that I stopped reading the book (no puppies were kicked), but I opted not to get book 2. I liked most of the prose and the jabs, but the actual plot decisions left me wanting.

Jodi Taylor - Chronicles of St. Mary #1: Just One Damned Thing After Another - There was a "Start a great new series!" sale on Kindle. This one caught my interest and it was only a $1 (and free after digital credits!). I know the hope is that you'll try the first one and be hooked.....and I was completely on board with it! I wanted a new series to capture my attention and ignite my imagination! 

Only I'm stuck partway through the book and I haven't finished it. It's not been bad, but I liked the Cradle series so much more I ended up going with that instead. There's been fun parts, but they've been smiles rather than laugh out louds. It's like eating a decent meal only for someone to gift one of my favorites. Why stick with ok when something better is offered?

I plan to go back to this one eventually. There could be a hook coming that will rope me in. There are a ton of books in the series, so the author clearly found her people. I'm not sure if I'm one of them yet.

N.K. Jemisin - Broken Earth Trilogy - The Fifth Season - I picked this book up from the library one day while Shane was reading comics. Honestly, it's been on my radar. The trilogy has won a ton of awards. I've seen it mentioned various places. One place it popped up recently was the Fantasy Reddit's Top Novels List (2023 poll). It captured 19th place (making the list is notable - 19th out of 235 books/series is even more so). 

I'd probably rate it 3 stars out of five. The people who love it will mention the prose. The people who hate it will mention the prose. One of the viewpoints is in 2nd person. I found that a little jarring, but the author does it for smart reasons that come together well by the end of the book. Some of it is written more stream of consciousness style which can be hit or miss for me, too. The book was well written even if it was a hit out of the park for me. It was a more cruel/brutal and dwelt on the tragedy and trauma more than I look for in a fun read. I could see why many people like it even though it wasn't a trilogy I was going to continue. I guessed the twist before it happened (hooray!). That meant there was good groundwork and plotting, but it wasn't the next level of awesome. I love when a twist blindsides me and I can flip back and see how the author teased it all along (as opposed when it blindsides me and makes no sense it all!). 

I went online to read what happens in the later books. It was a fun synopsis and a neat arc, but it felt like picking to watch a movie that was artsy and went on to win a ton of accolades when I was looking for something fun.  

John Scalzi - Dispatcher and Threeps

I've been queueing up a lot of Scalzi lately. It started with the Dispatcher series. They were free and short, so I went through those. Then there were some back to back audible sales. I picked up Locked In and Head On in the Hayden series. Both series are mysteries with sci-fi or fantasy elements. They moved fast, had some humor, and figuring out the worlds was as much fun as the mysteries. They touched on some darker/odder things that went along with the world changes, but did in a way that I wasn't repulsed. The Kaiju Preservation Society is downloaded and ready to go on my phone. I haven't started it up yet, but it will happen (maybe even soon). There's a mood to Scalzi's books so far for me. It's a little darker but cheeky, and I've been enjoying it. The feel has been pretty prevalent through all the recent books, so I'd guess if you hate the voice of one of his books you'll probably feel similarly about the others. 

Will Wight - Cradle Series -

The Cradle series is an anime in book form. It feels like it was inspired by Chinese cinema and wushu. They don't say "chakra," but people have "madra." There are different aspects like fire, water, light, hunger, life, death, and a wide assortment of other ones. People learn new fancy techniques, power up, fight a lot, and toss out witty phrases. It's a unique world and while it's not perfect it has been a lot of fun. The first book started off a little slow (especially because of how unique the world was), but it was a fast read. The second book was a little bit better, but I think it was the third book that sold me on the series. Those three books were only $10 as a collection on Amazon and the length of one Wheel of Time book. I burned through the first 9 books in a month or two. Book 8 was probably my favorite with some honest to goodness laugh out loud moments. Book 9 was good enough I bought Book 10 for $5. I think the series peaked at Book 8 for me, but there's only a couple of books left, so I'll ride it out to see if it ends well. There's been some interesting scale choices (which probably come from it's 'cultivation' origins) and the series may not crack my Top 10 fantasies. It is the series that got me back into reading  books instead of listening to them. The Cradle series has transformed my Kindle from an expensive nightlight into a worthwhile purchase. There have been multiple nights I have stayed up too late reading, because I was at an exciting part and I've woken up Carrie reacting to antics. 

Patrick Dugan - Indy

I got this book from an old WoW friend. Her dad signed it "For the Horde!" The guy got published, so he's automatically a more successful author than I am. I didn't include the title, though, because this isn't a stellar review. Some of that is on me. I started reading this book and immediately started thinking about how I'd rephrase or rewrite scenes. That's not a good place to enjoy a book from. I don't know if it was the book itself or the fact that I was closer to knowing the author that made me start reading that way. It was short, so I made myself power through it just to get it done. There are so many good books out there I don't feel like I need to finish a book I don't love, but this book came for free from a friend so I felt more compelled to finish as a thanks (even though it's been sitting around for years...)

The more I read (and try to write) I realize that I'm getting more and more specific about what I like in a book. My likes don't necessarily equal a well-written book, but they're things that automatically start to make a book resonate more with me.  

Rob Harrell - Wink - I started this audiobook with Shane and Carrie on our way home from Camp Highroad. It's based on the author's experience with cancer. The main character is in middle school, has a malignant tumor, and an eye removed. The reviews said it was funny and real. Cancer stories are not normally relaxing fiction, but it's the type of story I think it's beneficial for everyone to read at least one of in their lifetime. Shane hasn't had much exposure to cancer yet (Thank you, God, for our good health!), but it's going to happen eventually. This is an horizon widening type book and I think it's done that well so far. An adult may prefer a different book on the same topic, but it's doing well for us.

The only downside: There are clearly comics in the physical book. The audiobook does a good job with sound effects and funny voices to make those moments distinct, but I bet the visuals would be even more engaging (especially for Shane). 

Kwame Mbalia - Tristian Strong Series #1: Tristian Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky

I've been reading more lately, but this book is an example of what can make listening to audiobooks so special. I think it's really well done. The narrator has unique voices and a character that might have been annoying ended up amusing me because of how he chose to act them out. If I read this series, I will 100% hear the voices as they were narrated. 

But that's the narration. The book is great, too. It's a Juv/YA style book. There's a kid protagonist going through tough times who stumbles into worse things that are mythological in nature. He's got to learn, process, and get clever to overcome challenges and meets new friends on the way. It's a plot line that you've heard before, but this was it done well. Book 2 is on my wishlist for if it ever goes on sale. I'd buy it now, but I already have such a backlog I'd need a sale to justify adding more to my collection. I knew a lot of the American folklore references (John Henry, Brier Rabbit and Brier Fox), but a lot of the African mythological references were new and interesting (I'll leave those unspoiled!).

Hideyuki Furumashi - My Hero Academia Vigilantes Vol. 14 - I have to wait until October for the last book in the series! Booo! I picked this series up on a whim waiting for Shane to get out of camp. Once I started it, I had to finish it! Especially because I read online it was "ending soon." It ended a year ago in Japan, but the translations are taking their time making it into English. I'm sure I could find fan translations online, but I'm waiting for the official release. This series is set before My Hero Academia and there are a lot of tie-ins for heroes in the main series line. I've tried to get Carrie to read this, but with no luck. I keep telling her, "OH! I know something about what's happening here! I could tell you, but it'd spoil something from Vigilantes! You have to read it!" Only then she doesn't! There's one character early on who's more fan servicey, so it's not appropriate for Shane yet otherwise I'd share it with him. 

This is a Shonen anime, through and through. Expect an awkward main character who gets stronger and better at what he's doing. There will be enemies, some will becomes friends, and the main character's friend/ally network will grow as they face new and more deadly challenges until it all comes to a head. I think it stands on it's own, but the references to many mainline characters are an incentive for fans of the anime to read it.

Jacqueline Windspear - The American Agent - I like history and I like mysteries, so I took a chance on this one. The reviews on Goodreads were great and I can see why...for people already invested in the series. This was book 14 or 15 of Maisie Dobbs? With some mystery series, the characters don't change much and it doesn't matter where you start. One of The American Agent's strengths were it felt like a living plot. Things happened to characters in the background and lives were changed. There were references to things that happened in previous books, so I looked up the series. The first books start around WW1 and progress to the timeline to this book during the Battle of Britain in WW2. 

The history was clearly a big deal to the author. I felt like the plot and mystery were slower to develop, because she spent a lot of time trying to capture the feel of life during the Battle of Britain. Character appearances and clothes were described in detail. There were snippets from primary sources of the time and references to real life events. 

It made for a well written book that will be amazing for the right person (and all the high rating on Goodreads attest to that!). For me, it was probably a 3/5. I recognize the skill it was written with (especially in regards to the research), but I should have started with the beginning of the series. This tale started slow. It didn't grab my attention and I had to plod on by letting the audiobook play. The detailed descriptions will be a huge plus for some readers/listeners. However, I tend to like less descriptions and more dialogue/action. There were a few twists/observations alluded to that may have been given away better in a visual medium (and I won't say more to prevent spoilers). I certainly did not see the resolution ahead of time and I wonder if I would have clued in to more had it been a movie.

Bonus out from left field pick:

Colin Powell (w/Tony Koltz) - I picked this book off my shelf when I was working on the Top 10 Surprise Likes list. I remember reading about Colin's childhood, learning some Yiddish, and "After 30 days, you own the sheets." I remember wondering if Colin Powell would run for president and thinking I'd probably vote for him if he did. I couldn't remember if I ever finished it, though. So I flipped to the end of the book and started reading a chapter. It was about Morocco and Spain fighting over a barren island and both sides expected the USA to sort out the disagreement. I didn't remember it at all. Then I read another chapter with Colin talking about what he expected in hotel rooms and phased out. There are definitely some good stories in the book, but I couldn't count it on my Top 10 list since I'd never finished it. I only read a few chapters, but I did read it! That means it sort of fits on this list, just not enough I'd let it claim one of the 10 best spots.

Bonus finished an audiobook I began after this list was already started:

C.S. Forester - The Good Shepard - I listened to this between the time this list was conceived and was finished. I'd have to delete and swap things around to include it and I've already done that with some other titles. I got lazy and threw it down at the end instead. This was a historical WW2 read about a destroyer trying to protect an Atlantic supply convoy beset by a German submarine wolfpack. Apparently, it was made into a movie with Tom Hanks. Only it had the misfortune to have a COVID release date and never hit theaters. I'd watch it after reading the book, but it's probably not Carrie's type of movie (too historical and no comedy elements). It was a great book for listening to. There were a few parts that bogged down, but since I listened while working I'd just pay more attention to the task at hand. Inevitably, something would come up to catch my interest before too long and I made the journey across the Atlantic with Krause. There were a few parts that would've been more clear had I read the actual book, but overall I think it was a better listen than read. It went "very well."