Books I’m looking forward to —

Okay, first?

I’m going to the World Fantasy Convention this weekend, which means I’m leaving tomorrow and not getting back home till Sunday evening. And I’m probably not going to take my computer with me, because I prefer to carry as little as possible with me on the plane and I’m not facing any tight deadlines. Besides, I hope I will be superbusy all weekend doing fun stuff. So: I will see you all on Monday. Have a nice weekend!

But!

I enjoy flying, I always ask for a window seat, I love looking out at the landscape, but all that time sitting in airports, ugh. I definitely will need a great page turner for the airport and the flight. So, yes, I just picked up THE MARTIAN.

The more exciting and the worse the nailbiting tension, the better. It has to contend with both the boredom of waiting and the distractions that abound when you’re in a crowded place. If I get so absorbed in the story that I miss my flight, I’ll blame Linda, because it was her comment that made me decide to buy it now for this purpose rather than just toss it on my very extensive wishlist.

But I won’t have any of the titles below, because they’re not quiiiite out yet:

I’m looking forward to Shinn’s THE TURNING SEASON, though definitely not as much as I’m looking forward to the next book in the TROUBLED WATERS series. I hear the third book of the latter is finished, btw, but I have no idea when it’s due out. Amazon doesn’t know about it at all yet, I see. Anyway, the whole emotionally overwrought tone of the Shifter series means it will never appeal to me as much as some of Shinn’s other work. But I liked both the first and second books and I’m ready for the third. It comes out in a couple of days, I think. I need it in paper to match the other ones in the series.

Also, this:

I’ve been a Marillier fan since I read the Swan Princess one, DAUGHTER OF THE FOREST, and the two immediate sequels. Not every Marillier book works for me, but I’m willing to start a new series by her. This one sounds like it may hit certain tropes that appeal to me. It also sounds fairy-tale-ish, but not like a direct retelling. Here’s a bit of the back cover copy:

In exchange for help escaping her long and wrongful imprisonment, embittered magical healer Blackthorn has vowed to set aside her bid for vengeance against the man who destroyed all that she once held dear. Followed by a former prison mate, a silent hulk of a man named Grim, she travels north to Dalriada. There she’ll live on the fringe of a mysterious forest, duty bound for seven years to assist anyone who asks for her help.

I’m not exactly running short of things to read, but that sounds good.

I also see this one is coming out:

This is the third book of the PATHFINDER series. I really liked the first book, I haven’t read the second, and I’m a bit nervous about it because a few days ago Kim commented that she was horribly disappointed in the second book. So I feel like I had better read the second before I even think about the third. I would be really annoyed — worse than just annoyed — if I spent money on the third book and then turned out to hate the direction Card takes the series.

For Card, that’s a particular worry, too, because I don’t think I’m alone in thinking that ENDER’S GAME was fantastic, SPEAKER iffy, and XENOCIDE terribly disappointing. It’s not unimaginable that he would handle another series in a way that would lead me to have the same reaction. So we’ll see.

Okay, one more, although it’s not out till December:

Ooh, a new Laura Florand romance! It’s a longish novella at about 200 pp. Despite The Torso, a cover look that has negative appeal for me, I am really looking forward to it. It features returning protagonists: Luc and Summer. I can’t wait.

What else is coming out in the next month or so that is especially interesting or exciting?