Christmas reads: part one

This Xmas, I’m spending some time away from the office in a lovely house in the Lake District with my partner’s family, where I shall be, let’s be honest, a bit bored. So what better plan than to do what I normally do all of the time anyway, and read some genre stuff?

I’m going to be very good and make myself have at least one day of non-work related reading. Other than that, I expect it will be editing and slush-piling and so on. But here are a few things on my ‘read for pleasure’ pile:

The Soddit. I can’t believe I’ve never read this parody from Adam Roberts. His non-parody work is remarkable, but for some reason I’ve never got around to his series of spoofs. With The Hobbit on its way (yes, I’m writing this before the release, perhaps it turned out to be awful) this seems like a good moment to give it a try. And I have very fond memories of Bored of the Rings.

London Falling. A new novel from the very busy Paul Cornell. I got a copy of this on the launch day at Forbidden Planet, and it’s waiting for me. I can feel it calling me. But I don’t have time right now for an astoundingly well-reviewed London supernatural crime story. So it will have to wait. Shut up, London Falling. I’ll get to you in time.

The Walking Dead Volume 8 (Hardback). This only counts if someone buys it for me for Christmas. I know I’m behind on these as well. Hint Hint.

The Long Earth, by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter. I did manage to find time to read Dodger, but I’ve had this on the shelf since publication as well. Always a fan of Terry’s work, and Stephen is one of our best writers of any kind of genre. This idea is a fascinating one, and I’m excited to see how the two have worked together to pull it off after so many years of discussion.

Something by Wodehouse, almost certainly. This is the time of year that I go and buy books from the Everyman Wodehouse series. Lovely little hardbacks, and one day I will own the complete Wodehouse in these editions. I’ll have a shelf that will make you  green with envy. But this is not that day. So I shall buy some more, and look at my pitiful 20 or so volumes, and weep. Isn’t that what Christmas is all about?

I hope you have/had a lovely break, that The Hobbit was good and Xmas day Doctor Who was fun.  Merry Christmas!