You Should Be Reading...

 Seanan McGuire:

  -author of the October Daye series, the InCryptid series, the Wayward Children series, and more

This is a writer I have only recently discovered. Once again, living in a cave for a decade has its drawbacks. I don't remember exactly when I began noticing the name all over bookstore shelves but suddenly, there they were. Everywhere. And they looked good. Unfortunately, I was in a position that didn't allow much buying of books. :( I had no actual income at that point and it was all I could do to keep up with a handful of my very favorite authors. No branching out possible. For some reason, I have been unlucky in libraries in that none of them near me have extensive collections of SFF. (I've begun to suspect that no public library in the country has extensive SFF holdings, sadly. But maybe I'm wrong. I certainly haven't been to every library around. Though it might be nice to try.) I still can't find her actual books in my library. But now that I've finally gotten into the e-book lending program, things have started looking up. They have quite a few there. 

Anyway, I finally got my hands on the first book in two of her series, October Daye and InCryptid, just before life unexpectedly blew up and everything got shoved to the side. About nine months or so ago, I found them waiting patiently on my TBR shelf and pulled them down. Since then I've read everything I can get my hands on. Seanan has won a spot on my short list of authors I will read every time. And boy, do I have a LOT of catching up to do! (I love that! I can read as fast as I want/can get the books. No other waiting required!)

Thanks to my library's e-book lending program, I have managed to read all of the InCryptid books and am now reduced to waiting for the next one like everyone else. (I hate that. Even the fastest writers take forever to give me new stories...) I have also devoured the Wayward Children series. I'm so excited that the newest one was just released. Hopefully I will have it in my greedy little hands- and read- by the time this post is published. (Sadly not. I'm still waiting on the mailman.) I'm still stalled on Toby, as my library doesn't have the second book in either real or electronic copies, and I really want to read them in order. But I will get there. In the meantime, I'm re-reading Wayward Children and InCryptid. So far these are my favorite of her series.

Why you should read InCryptid: Because it's great, obviously. If Buffy the Vampire Slayer had been a ballroom dancer, she would have been very similar to Verity Price. Sort of. The InCryptid series follows the Price Family, scientists and monster-hunters who save the world (or at least certain local areas of it) on a regular basis. All while trying to hide from their enemies and conserve species that science refuses to recognize. (Screaming yams, anyone?)

Why you should read Wayward Children: Also, because it's great. But this one has a creepier feel to me. (I like a little spooky. Sometimes.) It has a wide-ranging and (as far as I can tell) inclusive cast of characters, all of them children (at some point in their stories) who were misfits and ran away to various nightmare worlds where they actually did fit. So far, there are six books. I'm hoping for many more. And also that the mail will hurry up all ready and bring me the new one...