On My Kindle - fun, new stuff

Just last week I was wondering why the only interesting fiction I could find was all from the turn of the century. And not the recent turn of the century.

I love Rafael Sabatini, Edgar Wallace, and H. Rider Haggard, but eventually you want something that's new.

Suddenly I've got new books out the wazoo. Now Lent is kicking in with a vengeance because my "add on" was to finish half-read books and read books that have been pressed on me, "you'll love this!" Not to mention book club and podcast obligations. Believe me, I'm reading as fast as I can!

I want to get to these books now! Here's a quick look see in case any of them hit you just right.

The Brotherhood of the Wheel
by R.S. Belcher

"... a small offshoot of the Templars endure and have returned to the order's original mission: to defend the roads of the world and guard those who travel on them.

Theirs is a secret line of knights: truckers, bikers, taxi hacks, state troopers, bus drivers, RV gypsies--any of the folks who live and work on the asphalt arteries of America. They call themselves the Brotherhood of the Wheel."

Knights Templar in big rigs? C'mon! This is begging me to read it!

I found this when looking for Bronson Pinchot's latest narrations on Audible. If I thought I could handle the violence or sex audibly, I'd definitely listen because Pinchot is superb. But I know I'll want to skim or skip those parts. So I chose this for my March book purchase (yes, I'm still trying to limit my book buying ... and mostly it works!)

I'VE READ IT: and can't recommend it.

Just One Damned Thing After Another (The Chronicles of St Mary's)
by Jodi Taylor

"Behind the seemingly innocuous façade of St Mary's, a different kind of historical research is taking place. They don't do 'time-travel' - they 'investigate major historical events in contemporary time'. ...

Meet the disaster-magnets of St Mary's Institute of Historical Research as they ricochet around History. Their aim is to observe and document - to try and find the answers to many of History's unanswered questions...and not to die in the process."

I'm fairly sure that when your mother tells you she's laughing continually at a really fun Daily Deal, you have to buy it. You know. For conversation. Hey, that's my story and I'm sticking with it. Also, time travel. And humor. And super cheap. So that was a done deal.

Amends: A Novel
by Eve Tushnet

A month in rehab would be stressful enough without a television audience. When the ramshackle cast checks in for "Amends," a new reality series about alcoholism and recovery, they don't know if they've been cast as villains or potential redemption arcs. Over the course of the show they learn what God sees when he shuts his eyes, how to appreciate the comforts of hallucination, and what it looks like when a wolf fights a troll. A conservative journalist woos a homeless Ethiopian visionary. A teen hockey star licks a human heart. And a collections agent pays some of his own oldest and saddest debts.

From backhanded compliments to accidental forgiveness, "Amends" proves that there's a place you can go when you've given up on reality: reality TV.

Not my usual thing. At all. Reading about alcoholics is dreary in the extreme (The Shining aside). But I was curious because it was Eve Tushnet and it was fiction. She certainly sticks the entry because the Kindle sample was enough to make me go for the whole enchilada. Also self-published and cheap for Kindle. Which were the final deal makers.  Via Brandywine Books.

The Short Drop
by Matthew FitzSimmons

A decade ago, fourteen-year-old Suzanne Lombard, the daughter of Benjamin Lombard—then a senator, now a powerful vice president running for the presidency—disappeared in the most sensational missing-person case in the nation’s history. Still unsolved, the mystery remains a national obsession.

For legendary hacker and marine Gibson Vaughn, the case is personal—Suzanne Lombard had been like a sister to him. On the tenth anniversary of her disappearance, the former head of Benjamin Lombard’s security asks for Gibson’s help in a covert investigation of the case, with new evidence in hand.

Mentioned by a friend who was reading it free with her Kindle read everything subscription (whatever that is called). Not having that, but tempted by the preview, it's my free March library choice for Kindle Prime.

I'VE READ IT: and liked it a lot.

Unforgettable
by Eric James Stone

In the near future, a fluke of quantum mechanics renders Nat Morgan utterly forgettable. No one can remember he exists for more than a minute after he's gone. It's a useful ability for his career as a CIA agent, even if he has to keep reminding his boss that he exists.

Naturally there are complications beyond that brief description. This preview kept me coming back month after month until I finally gave in and got it. Imagine growing up when your mother forgets you if she leaves the room for more than a minute.

I really enjoyed his short story collection Rejiggering the Thingamajig which contained the incredible That Leviathan, Whom Thou Hast Made. So I'm a fan.

Envy of Angels: A Sin du Jour
by Matt Wallace

In New York, eating out can be hell.

Everyone loves a well-catered event, and the supernatural community is no different, but where do demons go to satisfy their culinary cravings?

Welcome to Sin du Jour - where devils on horseback are the clients, not the dish.

Ok, this was just because I was in buying mode and it was one of the Daily Deals. But the preview looked fun, which seemed to be my main criteria. in this book spree.

Jennifer the Damned 
by Karen Ullo

When a sixteen-year-old orphan vampire adopted by an order of nuns matures into her immortal, blood-sucking glory, all hell literally breaks loose.

Ok, not on the Kindle but free because the author sent me a review copy. I'd had my eye on this one for a while.

A teenage vampire, adopted by nuns, who goes to Catholic school, and yearns for the chance to take Communion ... with many reviews at Amazon praising it as "literature, rich with vampire lore and intertwined with Catholic doctrine." Right down my alley.