The Best of Pam’s Pages— Book Reviews

Last week’s post, an impromptu plug for a book I enjoyed quite a lot, prompted a comment from “Elizabeth” who is, I believe, the managing editor of Zumaya, which published the title Tigra, which was the subject of last week’s post. If you look back at last week’s post, in the comments, she thanked me for my review, which is too kind.

In fact, I hesitate to call my efforts here reviews, although some entries come closer than others. I have written reviews for three different internet sites, and I really enjoyed it, but I am not seeking reviewer status right now. On a SF message board which I read and sometimes post messages, one writer commented that the review is usually more of a reflection of the tastes of the reviewer than of the book, and while I like to think of myself as objective, the comment rings true. So, any comments I have made regarding books do reflect my tastes. That said, here are some links to past posts for books which I find worthy of keeper status:

•Linnea Sinclair’s Finders Keepers, a space opera with a romantic side, and the first title I read by this eBook author. My favorite is An Accidental Goddess.

•Quick takes, Catherine Asaro’s Skyfall and Neal Boortz’s Fair Tax Book are books which have no relation to each other apart from when I read them.

•Paranormal adventure awaits, Warprize and Tiger Eye.

•The superb Lois McMaster Bujold's debut novel, Shards of Honor.

•More short takes in romantic SF, which is one of my favorite genres.

All of these posts still point out some good reading, so do have a look at books I've enjoyed, and revisit some of my favorite posts on Pam's Pages.

I'm an eBook fan!

I have numerous bookshelves in my home, and I use spots (such as the ample space atop my kitchen cabinets) to store books as well. My children’s friends call our house “the library” which is a better label for it than “a messy house,” which is how hubby views it.

However, I do tend to let the paperbacks and hardcovers stack up, while I read all of the eBooks I can get onto my PDA. That is in part due to having it with me— I usually tuck my Palm into my purse, so wherever I am, I have those eBooks. Last week, I was at my doctor’s office for my annual physical, and they were just a bit behind, so the visit took up over two hours, and I spent quite a bit of that time reading. (Regs, by Nina Osier, a science fiction book which really made me say, “Wow!” and I don’t do that often.) The Palm had seventy seven titles on it the last time I looked, and most of those are novels, rather than short fiction. Try putting seventy paperbacks in your purse....

Yes, I have Marjorie Liu’s new paranormal romance in my TBR stack, but it was Osier’s book which got the nod, and that was due to it being in electronic format. I have a borrowed novelization of the life of Mary Magdalene which I do want to read as well, but it is large and heavy, so it is gathering dust. Instead, I just began reading a new Angela Verdenius eBook, which I had with me while I was waiting for my kids to emerge from school.

Some of my friends and relatives look at me as if I have lost my mind when I tell them that I prefer eBooks, but the truth is the number of unread titles on my Palm is fewer than five, and the number in my TBR stack on the shelves at my house is a tall stack (and it is growing). Actually, there are too many to put in one spot, but let’s just say that I have quite a few.

My friend, Malcolm Campbell, recently commented on eBooks as well, and he makes a case for them, but in a different way. Do take a look at his entry posted as Trick Falls.