I don't know why, but readers like to know what authors are reading. When I have my reader hat on, I feel the same way. So, here's what's on my nightstand at the moment:
- The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson -- Third book in the famed Millenium series.
- Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart -- Fantasy about an alternate China.
These books are my year-long books -- books that I read a little bit of here and there, taking the year (sometimes a bit longer) to finish:
- Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur by Keith Baines -- Classic rendition of these ancient tales.
- The Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies -- Three books by the reknowned Canadian author. Fantastic, so far.
And here's what was on the nightstand this year that I liked enough to bother mentioning:
- The Bastard by John Jakes -- The first of the Kent Family Chronicles.
- Dragon Forge by James Maxey -- Second book in the Dragon Age series that I'm reading with my son.
- Act of Will by A. J. Hartley -- Elizabethianesque adventure fantasy from my Magical Words co-hort.
- What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman -- Excellent mystery recommended by my wife.
- Shadow Valley by Gwen Hunter -- First thriller/mystery I've read by my friend Faith's AKA
- All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka -- Japanese Military SF finally making its way to America.
- The Time of Indifference by Alberto Moravia -- a classic by this well-known and well-received Italian author.
- Weavers of War by David B Coe -- Last of the excellent Winds of the Forelands series.
- Black Hole by Charles Burns -- Graphic novel about high school and an STD called "the bug" which mutates people into bizarre creatures.
- The Vanishing Tower by Michael Moorcock -- Book IV of the Elric Saga and, so far, my favorite since Book I.
- Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson -- Much lauded fantasy novel that I thought I'd give a try. Turned out to be even better than all the hype.
- Soulless by Gail Carriger -- Steampunk with vampires and werewolves.
- The Ten-Cent Plague by David Hajdu -- Non-fiction about the birth of Comics and the panic that followed.
- Creepy Volume 4 -- Collectin of Creepy Magazine issues 16-20.
- The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson -- Mystery/thriller sequel to the bestseller The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.
- Creepy Volume 3 -- Collection of Creepy Magazine issues 11-15 filled with classic genre comics from the 1960s.
- Cereberus: A Wolf in the Fold by Jack L. Chalker -- Book 2 in The Four Lords of the Diamond series. Fun, old-time SF.
- The Conqueror Worms by Brian Keene -- An apocolyptic nightmare by an excellent horror writer.
- The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafron -- Sophmore book by the author the incredible Shadow of the Wind.
- Shapers of Darkness by David B. Coe -- Book 4 in the excellent Winds of the Forelands series.
- The Rice-Sprout Song by Eileen Chang -- Short novel by one of China's great 20th century writers.
- Cover by Jack Ketchum -- Another chilling tale by a horror master, this one about a Vietnam vet hunting campers.
- The Craft of Intelligence by Allen Dulles -- A look into the world of Intelligence and Espionage by a legendary spy.
- Urban Shaman by C.E. Murphy -- Urban Fantasy by one of my Magical Words friends.
Finally, here are links to the nightstands of previous years: