#22: The Jennifer Morgue by Charles Stross
Another novel from the Laundry series. I guess you could call it a pastiche on James Bond, but there are some pretty entertaining inversions since the guy playing Secret Agent Man is actually an IT nerd who got roped into the intelligence agency...
I liked this one better than The Atrocity Archive, but saying why would spoil things. Suffice it to say, I'm looking forward to more, which is a shame because at present I've read everything he's published in the series.
The book also contained a short story called "Pimpf", about occult happenings inside a MMORPG. Writing it may have inspired him to write Halting State, the way he handled narration within the game was very familiar.
#23: Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik
Laurence and Temeraire visit China (land of Temeraire's ancestors) on a quasi-diplomatic mission. (They aren't exactly eager to go, but certain facts revealed in the first book of the series demand it.) Of course, getting there is half the battle, and things are not what they seem in the Imperial court...
An excellent addition to the series, and it sets the stage for quite a bit more story over the next few books. I'll be picking those up soon, perhaps with something else in between. Sora's been poking me about some of her favorites...
