Okay, maybe “Booktober” is overselling it, but two of my favorite authors put out new books this month. It was pretty awesome.
First I got Battle Ground, the latest in the Dresden Files series. Not to give anything away, but this one was action packed and created a lot of interesting possibilities for the future of the series. Dresden Files has always been reliable light reading for me, and Battle Ground was no exception.
Then came Zoey Punches the Future in the Dick, the eagerly awaited sequel to Futuristic Violence in Fancy Suits. By golly, I love dark, bloody comedy. This book wasn’t quite as dark and bloody as the first one, but it had some nice twists and turns. In these books, the action is always hilariously overblown, while the characters are surprisingly understated. The characters are clear and distinct, but not much is said about their personal stories and motivations, which leaves me a lot to think about and imagine. I really like that–these are characters I find myself thinking about a lot and wanting to reread from time to time. I look forward to future episodes in the Zoey series, and seeing if my hunches about different characters are right or not.
New fiction is always fun, but eventually I start to miss the elegance of older writing. This month I’ve been reading M. R. James, famous antiquarian and writer of lovely little ghost stories. I’m enjoying them thoroughly. I’d heard of James, but somehow never read him, and thought this the perfect time to fix that. His stories are the perfect length for a quick read before bed, and many are free on Project Gutenberg. Taken one by one, they’re quite prim and quiet, almost bland, but the more I read the more it feels that mysteries and monsters are waiting just beneath the surface of our educated, civilized world. It’s a pleasantly chilling feeling, perfect for the countdown to Halloween.
And, for Throwback Thursday, a little treat from Alice Cooper:
Oddly Cultured 
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