December Reading List

66.  Shadow Legion: New Roads to Hell (pb), by Thomas Deja
65. Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith, short stories (Nook), by John Jackson Miller
64. The Ecclesiastical History of the English People (ua), by The Venerable Bede
63. Rooted in Good Soil (pb), by Tri Robinson
62. Doctor Who: The Ripper (gn), by Tony Lee, et. al.
61. Collateral Damage (ua), by Stuart Woods
60. Frozen Heat (ua), by "Richard Castle"
59. The Return of Sherlock Holmes (ua), by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Earlier in 2013:

58. W is for Wasted (ua), by Sue Grafton
57. Left Behind The Kids #30 (pb), by Tim LaHaye, Jerry B Jenkins, & Chris Fabry
56. Left Behind The Kids #29 (pb), by Tim LaHaye, Jerry B Jenkins, & Chris Fabry
55. I Shouldn't Tell You This (pb), by Kate White
54. Inferno (ua), by Dan Brown
53. Guys Can Be Cat Ladies Too (pb), by Michael Showalter
52. Invasion (pb), by Jon S. Lewis
51. Callahan's Legacy (ua), by Spider Robinson
50. Severe Clear (ua), Stuart Woods
49. The Third Kingdom (ua), by Terry Goodkind
48. Gotham Central: In the Line of Duty HC (gn), by Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka, and Michael Lark
47. Mockingjay (ua), by Suzanne Collins
46. The Shambling Guide to New York City (pb), by Mur Lafferty
45. The Hound of the Baskervilles (ua), by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
44. Guild of the Cowry Catchers: Book 4 (ua), by Abigail Hilton
43. The Big Cat Nap (ua), by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown
42. Free (ua), by Chris Anderson
41. Iron Man: Legacy of Doom (gn), by David Michelinie,
40. The She-Hulk Diaries (pb), by Marta Acosta
39. Elizabeth the First Wife (Nook), by Lian Dolan
38. The Maze (nook), by Jason Brannon
37. The President's Vampire (ua), by Christopher Farnsworth
36. The Pope Who Quit (pb), by Jon M Sweeney
35. Memoirs of Sherlock Homes (ua), by Arthur Conan Doyle
34. More or Less (ua), by Jeff Shinaberger
33. Blood & Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter (pb), by various
32. The Children of Hurin (ua), by J.R.R. Tolkien
31. Atlantyx, (pb), by Chase Dalton
30. Callahan's Secret (ua), by Spider Robinson
29. Take Four (ua), by Karen Kingsbury
28. Skull-Kickers, Treasure Trove volume 1, by Jim Zub and various artists
27. The Dalek Generation (pb), by Nicholas Briggs
26. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (ua), by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
25. The Areas of My Expertise (pb), by John Hodgman
24. The Skin Map (ua), by Stephen Lawhead
23. Catching Fire (ua), by Suzanne Collins
22. Quitter (ua) , by Jon Acuff.
21. The Bone Bed (ua), by Patricia Cornwell.
20. Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart (hc), by J.D. Greear
19. Left Behind: The Kids #28 (pb), by Jerry B. Jenkins, Tim LaHaye, & Chris Fabry
18. Left Behind: The Kids #27 (pb), by Jerry B. Jenkins, Tim LaHaye, & Chris Fabry
17. Left Behind: The Kids #26 (pb), by Jerry B. Jenkins, Tim LaHaye, & Chris Fabry
16. Time Travelers Strictly Cash (aa), by Spider Robinson
15. The Devil's Company (ua), by David Liss
14. Deadly Straits (ua), by R.E. McDermott
13. Doctor Who: Paradise Towers (ua), by Stephen Wyatt
12. DC Universe Secret Origins (gn), by various writers and artists
11. The Gods of Mars (ua), by Edgar Rice Burroughs
10. Craving Grace (hc), by Lisa Velthouse
9. The Sign of Four (ua), by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
8. DC Dead (ua), by Stuart Woods
7. A Study in Scarlet (ua), by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
6. The Hunger Games (ua), by Suzanne Collins
5. Take Three (ua), by Karen Kingsbury
4. Mary Through The Centuries (hc), by Jaroslav Pelikan
3. Roil (ua), by Trent Jamieson
2. The Devil You Know (ua), by Mike Carey
1. Ender's Shadow Ultimate Collection (gn), by Mike Carey

Book #66: The Shadow Legion, by Thomas Deja

The Shadow Legion: New Roads to Hell, by Thomas Deja.

This is (potentially) the first book in a new series of superhero novels. This one has a very nice noir feel, taking place in the early days of radio heroes.

New Roads to Hell is set in Nocturne, Florida, "the city that lives by night." An entertainment mecca with a dark side and a history of spiritual darkness, it becomes the battleground for a ghostly and ghastly turf war. The cast includes Dreamcatcher, Nightbreaker, Ferryman and Black Talon, and in this novel they go up against the evil Rose Red. I am a particular fan of Black Talon,who possesses the ability to morph at will between a range of African predators. The squeezing powers of a python, the size of an elephant, and the speed af a cheetah are all at his disposal.

As an "origin story" for the team, this story does what is supposed to do -- it makes me wish there was another one out there that I could read right away. Each chapter also contains an art piece that brings a sense of excitement to the novel, as well as reminding us of the comic-book nature of the story.

Deja's writing is strong, and his characterizations are solid -- each of the main characters have their own distinct motivations. The book moves at a great place, and was a very enjoyable read. There is a distinct ending, but the groundwork is certainly been laid for new adventures in this universe.

Source: Directly from the author, to prepare for an interview we conducted with him on The Book Guys Show.

Book #65. Lost Tribe of the Sith

Lost Tribe of the Sith: The Collected Stories, by John Jackson Miller. Nook.

It has been a while since I've read much in the Star Wars Extended Universe. I am old enough that there was a point in time where I had read nearly all of the novels,  and had the realistic goal of "catching up" with the novels in the EU. But I slowed down a bit, and the EU started cranking out fiction at an alarming rate. When it became obvious that I would never be current with the novels, I just gave up for a while. Like a decade.

But I saw that these these stories were available in the Nook store, and I took a chance with the first one. Obviously, I enjoyed each one enough to keep downloading and reading the next one.

The stories in this collection are titled individually: Precipice, Skyborn, Paragon, Savior, Purgatory, Sentinel, Pantheon, & Secrets. These start 5,000 before the events of A New Hope, or BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin), to use terminology from the EU. This is the age of the Old Galactic Republic, and they tell the backstory of the "Lost Tribe," which resurfaces a few decades BBY, as part of the Fate of the Jedi novel series. These books are told from the perspective of the Sith, and their part in the war against the Republic.

I am glad I jumped back into the EU with these. Even though they occurred so far before the "main action" of Star Wars, they tell interesting stories of people on the "other side" of the battle. If you like books told from the "other" perspective, I would recommend them. And if you are a fan of prequels (prequels in general, I mean, not movie Episodes 1-3), I would also recommend them. Good stories, and better world-building.

Source: Nook store.

Book #64. The Venerable Bede

The Ecclesiastical History of the English People, by The Venerable Bede. Unabridged audio.

I am a sucker for church history, but it took me a while to get around to reading the most famous piece of church history from the first millennium.

The focus is on the Christian history of the British Isles. This has been a particular interest to me since I ran across the music of the UK-based band Iona more than 20 years ago. Bede hits the main characters and locals that I was hoping for, such as Iona, Lindisfarne, Columba, and Columcille.

There are certainly moments of dryness in the accounts, as many of the people and circumstances have been lost to time (save this book). But many of the accounts were colorful, and so although some of the chronologies did not stick with me, many of the stories did. The relationships between the various British peoples, both with each other and with the authorities in Rome, form a backbone for the history.

In terms of theology, the issue that Bede spends the most time on is the correct dating for Easter. Although backing the Roman interpretation, he is gracious to other believers who believe differently.


Source: I listened to audio version of the book, provided free by LibriVox. An offshoot from The Gutenberg Project, LibriVox records public domain books, and makes them available on their website and through iTunes.

Book #63. Rooted in Good Soil

Rooted in Good Soil, by Tri Robinson. Paperback.

A third-generation farmer, as well as being a pastor, Tri Robinson has an interesting vantage point from which to analyze Jesus' parable of the sower. Robinson notes that the differences in outcomes in the story are due to the underlying condition of the soil. Robinson combines his knowledge of Scripture and farming to explain how we can develop the "good soil" required for spiritual growth.

The chapter relating the Trinity to the forces of soil, sun, and rain was the strongest part of the book. In it, Robinson tells vignettes from his life to show his own personal understanding of the roles of Father, Son, and Spirit in his own life. The chapter on the miracle of photosynthesis was also strong, discussing personal growth in a way I had not heard before.

The founding pastor of a large Vineyard church in Idaho, Robinson has written about the intersection of faith and the natural world before. His prior works, Saving God's Green Earth, and Small Footprint, Big Handprint, both argue for evangelical approaches to environmentalism and sustainability. He argues persuasively that a biblical worldview includes care and concern for creation.

This is not a theological tome, but is instead a readable treatise of discipleship, from a man who has been a church leader for many decades.

Source: borrowed from a friend.

Book #62: Doctor Who: The Ripper

Doctor Who: The Ripper, by Tony Lee. Art by Tim Hamilton, Andrew Currie, and others.  Graphic novel collection.

IDW Publishing continues to produce excellent Doctor Who comics, most if not all written by Tony Lee. I reviewed a collection of his stories featuring the 10th Doctor, and this graphic novel collects his first four issues featuring the 11th Doctor.

The collection starts with a light-hearted tale, "Spam Filtered," in which holographic spam infests the Tardis -- this is Amy and Rory's fault. In this story, Lee captures the feel of the Doctor's wackier stories, and is perfect for a one-off story, especially one that starts a series with a new Doctor. Humorous stories are notoriously hard to end, but Lee ends this story in a humorous way that even makes sense in the logic of the story.

The core of this collection is the 3-issue "Ripper" arc, in which case the Doctor and the Ponds arrive in 1888, right in the middle of the Ripper killings. A trail of Kryon radiation leads the Doctor to recognize that something distinctly non-Earthly may be happening in Whitechapel, both in terms of the villain and the lead detective.

Amy asks the common question of why they can't stop the killings. When the Doctor explains that he can't change the timeline, Rory quite accurately points out that he does just that ALL THE TIME! Another excuse is given, which makes some wibbly-wobbly sense, but Rory's follow-up question was one of the highlights of the collection.

There are a range of artists whose work went into these stories, and generally speaking, they do a workable job. There are times when Rory is nonrecognizable, but the likenesses of both Amy and the Doctor tend to be consistently on-model. But overall, these four issues make for a very good read.

source: public library

Between audiobooks (4)

I have written before of my habit of listening to a few episodes of PodCastle or Escape Pod in between audiobooks -- short story palate cleansers between novels. I am still waaaay behind (10 months?) on these podcasts), so I listened to a bunch of Podcastles last week, just after Collateral Damage. I listened to these episodes:



PodCastle 224: The Navigator and the Sky, by Ian  McHugh. An grandfather-granddaughter myth, with a Polynesian twist.


PodCastle 228: The Terror of Blue John Gap, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A "journey to the Centre of the Earth" style adventure story. Kind of scary, truth be told.

PodCastle Miniature 71: When the Jack-O-Lanterns want to change their destinies ...

PodCastle 229: The Tonsor's Son, by Michael John Grist.All about shaving and barbers, and other violent stuff. Where else would the world's most famous blades end up, other than barber shops? Gruesome and quirky.

PodCastle 230: Little Better Than a Beast, by T.A. Pratt. Another solid story from Pratt.

PodCastle Miniature 72: The Best Worst Monster, by Peter S. Beagle. Monsters aren't supposed to grow souls, and when they do ...

Guest appearances!

I was asked to appear on a few comic-book podcasts, and all of those episodes were released this past week! I enjoyed these recording, as I got to Skype with some veteran podcasters, and also plug the work that we've been doing over at the Relatively Geeky network.

In episode 20 of Trentus Magnus Punches Reality, I joined host Trentus and another guest, veteran podcaster Michael Bailey. We talked about the story 'Red Son,' which shows what would have happened if that rocket from the exploding planet Krypton had landed in Cold War Russia, instead of Kansas. A good comic, and a good podcast episode.

In episode 21 of Trentus Magnus Punches Reality, the three of us talked this time about a story that proposes a mashup of Batman and Green Lantern. The story, "Batman: In Darkest Night," was not very good, but I think our discussion of it was.

In episode 92 of Just One of the Guys, I joined host Shawn Engel to talk about the 3-issue "Hate Crimes" story arc. These issue, featuring versions of Green Arrow and Green Lantern, tell a very subtle story about racism, politics, pop culture, and the news media.

I have found the podcasting community to be a very welcoming and generous place, and I thank both Trentus and Shawn for inviting me on their show. I thoroughly enjoyed doing it.

Book #61: Collateral Damage

Collateral Damage, by Stuart Woods. Unabridged audio.

This latest novel in the Stone Barrington series picks up where the last one left off, with a terrorist on the run after an attempt on the President Will Lee's life in Los Angeles. The lone survivor of that attack takes her reign of terror to both the UK and New York City.

In Woods' first 20 novels or so, he developed a range of series that all took place in the same world. One of the fun aspects of reading these books is that characters from other books were mentioned in passing, or events from one book would have consequences in a book from another series. But in the last ten books or so, he has brought all of his characters into the Stone Barrington series.

In this book, Barrington and CIA operative Holly Barker work with the Lees and the MI5 operatives from prior books to take on this latest case.His old buddy Dino Bichetti from the NYPD also plays an important role in the conclusion of the case, and his personal life takes a positive turn.

And these recent books have also moved away from the smaller-scale mysteries and adventures to more epic terrorism and espionage novels. Ths transition has been mostly smooth, as the later books have continued to tell exciting stories, with believable action and strong characters.

source: public library

Book #60: Frozen Heat

Frozen Heat, by "Richard Castle." Unabridged audio.

This is the fourth novel in the series, loosely based on characters from the "Castle" TV show. Actually, it is loosely based on the fictional novel that character Richard Castle wrote in the "Castle" TV show. Many of the characters on the show have analogs in the novels, and though the novels are strong on their own, knowledge of the show helps with the inside jokes and references.

One of the things I like about the series is that the direction is diverging from events of the TV show, of which I am a fan.The story starts with the discovery of a frozen body in a suitcase, and clues from that crime lead to opening an otherwise "cold case" -- the murder years before of Beckett's mother.

The murder of Beckett's mother in the TV show has been an overarching storyline on the show, and this book tackles the subject as well. But in this version, they have moved into a more espionage thriller territory, with spy agencies on both sides of the Atlantic being involved.

There were a few too many cutesy "Firefly" references in this novel, referencing actor Nathan Fillion. But most of the humor in the novel was spot on, and the anonymous author managed to capture the heart of the relationship between Castle and Beckett, disguised as Rook and Heat in the book's universe.

The particulars of this plot were wrapped up nicely, but there are definite openings for the series to continue from where this one left off.

As always, the audio version of this is wonderfully presented by Johnny Heller.

source: public library. 

Podcast Marathon

It is final exam season for me at work, and I didn't have any yesterday. This left me some extra time for listening to podcasts and audio books. Here is what I listened to yesterday:

The Tony Kornheiser Show: Daily sports (mostly) show, from a sports station in Washington, DC

Superman in the Bronze Age: Charlie Neimeyer is joined by podcasting luminary Michael Bailey to discuss the interesting story from the 1970s where Jonathan Kent returned from the dead.

Satellite Sisters: Interview show #102 (#2 actually), wherein Lian Dolan speaks with Ian Punnitt about his interesting new book.

Quarter-Bin Podcast: Episode 12. Yes, this is my own show, but I do listen to it when it comes out, just to verify that the sound quality is good, and that no disasters ahppened in the upload / download process. 

Frozen Heat, by "Richard Castle." Narrator Johnny Heller does an excellent job narrating this detective novel.

Revisiting Holmes: The Third Collection

Book #59: The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Unabridged audio.

After trying to kill off his famous literary creation in the story "The Final Problem," Doyle found himself pressured to bring the famous detective back from the dead. Which he does in the famous story "The Empty House." This story opens this collection.

I personally remember many of these stories from the Jeremy Brett adaptations on PBS. "The Norwood Builder," "The Dancing Men," and "The Solitary Cyclist" fit this bill. I appreciate the value of Holmes doing his work in London, but I prefer the stories where Doyle is able to get the detective to the smaller, rural areas of England.

There is little in the way of character development in these stories, for either Holmes or Watson, as Doyle seems to have settled into a formula for his short stories. That is not to say that the stories themselves are not strong, but the lack of an Irene Adler or Professor Moriarity is noticeable.

As a university professor, I enjoyed the plot (and resolution) of "The Three Students," although "The Golden Pince-Nez" and "The Second Stain" are among the most enjoyable stories in this collection.

Source: Unabridged audio via LibriVox, and BooksSHouldBeFree.Com, a site that records audio of public domain books. Despite the "amateur" status of the recording, the audio quality and narration is very strong. Surprisingly strong, as a matter of fact.

Podcasting Milestones

Three long-running (and excellent) shows recently reached very impressive milestones. These all put the 11 episodes of my Quarter-Bin Podcast to shame!

SQPN: The Break. Father Roderick's show recently hit the 900th episode. This is now a mostly-weekly show, having started life as The Daily Breakfast, and covers pop culture, movies & TV, and current events and Catholic Church news. Father Roderick, a parish priest in Holland, oversees an entire network of podcasts. SQPN includes shows that cover more specifically spiritual content, as well as the excellent "Secret of" series of shows, that examine the lessons that can be learned from pop culture content such as The Hobbit, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Battestar Galactica.

Battleship Pretension. This terrific movie criticism podcast recently produced its 350th weekly episode. Hosts Tyler Smith and David Bax take a thought-provoking approach towards current and classic cinema. They don't do movie reviews, they do actual film criticism, and do it very well. They occasionally have a guest-host, but most of the episodes are just the two hosts. This is easily my favorite movie podcast.

 The Danger Room. This X-Men comic book commentary podcast recently his its 100th episode. Hosts Adam and Jeremy started at the beginning of this comic's history, and are already in 1979. They take a modern view on these alder comments, and make lots of fun of the sillier aspects of these stories.

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can
play along!
Just do the following:

Grab your current read.

Open to a random page.

Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

From the prologue of Rooted in Good Soil: Cultivating and Sustaining Authentic Discipleship, by Tri Robinson, author of Saving God's Green Earth and the founding pastor of the Boise Vineyard Church. 

"Life has a way of compacting and hardening the soil of our hearts. Life's hurts combined with the gradual accumulation of guilt and shame as a result of sin constantly weigh us down, causing our hearts to become like the soil in my garden after a long and harsh winter."

November Reading List

58. W is for Wasted (ua), by Sue Grafton
57. Left Behind The Kids #30 (pb), by Tim LaHaye, Jerry B Jenkins, & Chris Fabry
56. Left Behind The Kids #29 (pb), by Tim LaHaye, Jerry B Jenkins, & Chris Fabry
55. I Shouldn't Tell You This (pb), by Kate White
54. Inferno (ua), by Dan Brown
53. Guys Can Be Cat Ladies Too (pb), by Michael Showalter


Earlier in 2013:
52. Invasion (pb), by Jon S. Lewis
51. Callahan's Legacy (ua), by Spider Robinson
50. Severe Clear (ua), Stuart Woods
49. The Third Kingdom (ua), by Terry Goodkind
48. Gotham Central: In the Line of Duty HC (gn), by Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka, and Michael Lark
47. Mockingjay (ua), by Suzanne Collins
46. The Shambling Guide to New York City (pb), by Mur Lafferty
45. The Hound of the Baskervilles (ua), by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
44. Guild of the Cowry Catchers: Book 4 (ua), by Abigail Hilton
43. The Big Cat Nap (ua), by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown
42. Free (ua), by Chris Anderson
41. Iron Man: Legacy of Doom (gn), by David Michelinie,
40. The She-Hulk Diaries (pb), by Marta Acosta
39. Elizabeth the First Wife (Nook), by Lian Dolan
38. The Maze (nook), by Jason Brannon
37. The President's Vampire (ua), by Christopher Farnsworth
36. The Pope Who Quit (pb), by Jon M Sweeney
35. Memoirs of Sherlock Homes (ua), by Arthur Conan Doyle
34. More or Less (ua), by Jeff Shinaberger
33. Blood & Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter (pb), by various
32. The Children of Hurin (ua), by J.R.R. Tolkien
31. Atlantyx, (pb), by Chase Dalton
30. Callahan's Secret (ua), by Spider Robinson
29. Take Four (ua), by Karen Kingsbury
28. Skull-Kickers, Treasure Trove volume 1, by Jim Zub and various artists
27. The Dalek Generation (pb), by Nicholas Briggs
26. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (ua), by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
25. The Areas of My Expertise (pb), by John Hodgman
24. The Skin Map (ua), by Stephen Lawhead
23. Catching Fire (ua), by Suzanne Collins
22. Quitter (ua) , by Jon Acuff.
21. The Bone Bed (ua), by Patricia Cornwell.
20. Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart (hc), by J.D. Greear
19. Left Behind: The Kids #28 (pb), by Jerry B. Jenkins, Tim LaHaye, & Chris Fabry
18. Left Behind: The Kids #27 (pb), by Jerry B. Jenkins, Tim LaHaye, & Chris Fabry
17. Left Behind: The Kids #26 (pb), by Jerry B. Jenkins, Tim LaHaye, & Chris Fabry
16. Time Travelers Strictly Cash (aa), by Spider Robinson
15. The Devil's Company (ua), by David Liss
14. Deadly Straits (ua), by R.E. McDermott
13. Doctor Who: Paradise Towers (ua), by Stephen Wyatt
12. DC Universe Secret Origins (gn), by various writers and artists
11. The Gods of Mars (ua), by Edgar Rice Burroughs
10. Craving Grace (hc), by Lisa Velthouse
9. The Sign of Four (ua), by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
8. DC Dead (ua), by Stuart Woods
7. A Study in Scarlet (ua), by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
6. The Hunger Games (ua), by Suzanne Collins
5. Take Three (ua), by Karen Kingsbury
4. Mary Through The Centuries (hc), by Jaroslav Pelikan
3. Roil (ua), by Trent Jamieson
2. The Devil You Know (ua), by Mike Carey
1. Ender's Shadow Ultimate Collection (gn), by Mike Carey