Emma Types Stuff

I have mentioned my love of the X-Files on this blog before, and my last Character Book Club post covered another 90s icon in the form of Wednesday Addams . Dana Scully therefore was the logical choice to be the next target of my book-reccing affections.  What to say about Dana Scully? Sceptic, science-person, seasoned badass. .. she was assigned the X-Files and attempted to add a dose of reality to the insanity that ensued. Her chemistry with Mulder grew to the point that even the most hard-hearted person would have to admit that if there is such a thing as soulmates, they were the closest TV has so far gotten to proving their existence.  Her influence hasn't even been constrained fiction - The Scully Effect launched STEM careers for thousands of real women seeking to emulate the first fictional female scientist to truly impact popular culture.  So... what books would I rec to Scully? And what should you read when you want to get your inner Dana Scully on? A Natural His...

There are very few authors that I dip into pretty much every year, and even fewer who publish enough to allow me to do so. Terry Pratchett was one, and Alexander McCall Smith's genteel No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books are like a yearly visit to old friends.  Gail Carriger's extensive Parasol Protectorate universe is the other.  For those of you who recognise the books, I can sense the surprise. Vampire/Werewolf Steampunk novels are the very essence of that Devil Wears Prada ' groundbreaking ' meme. I probably wouldn't have picked up the first (Soulless) had I not been seeking salvation in a second-hand bookshop while on a very tedious day trip.  The cover has a woman in Victorian garb, ripped straight from a DeviantArt Steampunk page, and a title in hot pink. Luckily I was being dragged round charity shops, at the seaside, in March and therefore up for literally anything that sounded more fun than that rainy experience.  So here is my guide to the series,...