Apple-Obsessed Author Fella

Whatcha Reading?

It’s that time again where I ask:

Hey, whaddya reading?

What was the last book you read (and how was it)?

What are you reading right now? Er, beside this post, I mean.

Me, I just finished:

Delilah S. Dawson’s HIT — a YA about a girl who takes on the debt of her mother and has to pay it back in a rather unconventional way: kill or recruit other debtors in service to the bank that just secretly took over the US government. It’s fucking rad, this book. It’s like, the metaphor of a teenager taking on the burden of her parents is right on. And Patsy is in some ways a cousin to my own Atlanta Burns* (an heir to the problems her not-great mother brought to bear, uses a gun, Southern, drawn into a conspiracy larger than she cares to handle, small town, unexpected dog).

Christopher Golden’s TIN MEN — doesn’t come out till the end of June, but this is a bad-ass near-future war thriller worth checking out. Terrorists and presidential assassinations and cool bleeding-edge tech and oh yeah soldiers controlling robot drone bodies with their minds. I read it and I thought, “This reads like Terminator plus Saving Private Ryan,” and then I went back and saw that Scott Sigler said exactly that in his blurb. Thus proving that I am secretly Scott Sigler.

Speaking of Scott Sigler —

I am presently reading his own: ALIVE. Which is so far taut as a choking rope and mysterious as the strange rash I have on my left buttock in the shape of Cousin Balki of Perfect Strangers. The book stars teenage protagonists but I don’t think is YA? Whatever, it’s great. Not out till July. I also, rather foolishly, haven’t read enough Sigler in my life, so this goes toward correcting it.

I’m also reading Adam Christopher’s MADE TO KILL — which is, what exactly? Robot pulp noir? I dunno what to call it, but I know I’m loving it so far. (Adam is, of course, my co-writer on The Shield, which hey did you see Drew Johnson’s jumping on board the book and hey look at that art that I’ve posted at the bottom of the page because I’m totally shameless and isn’t it cool?)

Oh! Also, a couple quick administrative notes:

a) I’m gone from Wednesday this week to Monday of next week. Because of Phoenix ComicCon, which is awesome and you should go and I’ll see you there. But that means posting might be light.

b) I feel like some folks haven’t yet seen the winners of the STORY IN SEARCH TERMS contest — but hey, the winners are picked, and if you are a winner, contact me, will ya?

Anyway.

Your turn.

What did you just read?

And what are you reading now?

Time to share the book-love.

Or I guess the book-hate if you didn’t like it, but pssh, whatever.

* by the way, Atlanta Burns is on sale this week at Amazon — the Kindle is at $3.99, and the trade paperback has dropped to $7.50, should you be so inclined to check it out.