I’ve had a copy of Cherie Priest’s Four and Twenty Blackbirds sitting on my shelf for over a year now. The stack of “please read me” is very tall and I look at it with longing, but the thought of adding a book to all the other things I’m lugging around the city is not appealing.
Then Tor solved my problem by releasing it as a free ebook. I downloaded that sucker faster than you can say download and have to wonder why I waited so long to read it. Granted, my family is from Chattanooga, so there’s an immediate connection there, but more importantly, the story and characters are compelling.
How compelling you might ask? When Eden was — no spoilers, suffice to say she was in deep, I went an extra stop on the train and then walked back READING. You think walking while reading a book makes you look nerdy? Walking while reading a palm pilot… now that’s dedication.
If you haven’t read it, and the idea of Southern Gothic horror sounds appealing, let me recommend Four and Twenty Blackbirds
I couldn’t agree more. I’ve read all three Eden Moore novels over the last year and loved every minute I spent reading them. As scary as this sounds, they get better.
Woot! I’m glad to hear that.
I just read the excerpt on Amazon. I like what I read so far. I think I know what I’ll be buying my next trip to the bookstore. Thanks for the tip!
Always happy to pass on a book recommendation.
Did… did… you say… FREE???
I’m afraid if I start reading her it will give me an inferiority complex. Love the covers though.
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I did. Alas, you missed out on that chance. Tor is offering a different free ebook every week, but only for one week. This week’s is A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham. Next week’s book will be Orphans of Chaos by John Wright.
And wallpapers too! It’s cool stuff.
And I wouldn’t worry about feeling inferior. Cherie Priest’s writing is so smooth, you won’t even notice you are reading. It’s like Eden is standing next to you and telling you the whole story.
Aw, thank you! I’m glad you liked it. 4&20bb was my first foray into not-sucky full-length fiction, and although there are things I’d do differently now, it always has a place in my heart.
[:: beams ::]
[:: blushes ::]
You know, if you looked at it and didn’t think there were things that you’d like to do differently, you wouldn’t be a real author.
I did, sincerely, enjoy it.
This one has been on my to be read pile for a while now as well, might be time.
i liked it so much i had my teen book group read it, or would have if they’d gotten their acts together. unfortunately, i loaned my copy out to one of the girls, and never got it back.
A very guilty admission: I have over 180 ebooks on my phone.
AAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNDDDDDDDDDD NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWW MMMMOOOOOOOOORRRREEEE!!!!!!!!
BO HA HA HA HA!!!!
Yippeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!
Your phone must have a much bigger screen than mine.
Just gotta love that add on memory. Lots of entertainment, with no time for it.
Bonus ! ! ! My local Pub. Lib. has a copie of 4&20BB a few others. Just gonna have to read it old school, page by page.
Reading on… paper?
I’ve read while walking for years and years and years . . . since at least early high school. I’m surprised how few other people I see doing so. They read on the trolley, the T in Boston, on buses, yes. But not while walking on the street. It’s much easier than you might think; peripheral vision picks up almost everyhthing (except low-hanging tree branches, which have caught me in the forehead a few times), and other pedestrians tend to give you a wide berth.
I have learned to close the book on a finger and let it hang on my arm if a car is waiting to turn across the pedestrian crosswalk, however — just as a courtesy; for some reason, a reading pedestrian irritates some drivers (you can tell by the way they rev the motor as they make the turn after you’ve passed), even though I swear I walk just as quickly (that is, faster than most other pedestrians) while reading. If a quick glance shows no pending traffic in the immediate vicinity, however, I read while crossing the street as well.
But then, I also read while flossing. Nearly every night.