Has anybody read any of the canon Alien novels and/or movie novelisations?
I read the novelisations of Alien and Aliens, both by Alan Dean Foster. It's interesting to read the subtle differences in the novelisations compared to the final film. This is quite common with almost all movie novelisations, as the books tend to be based on early screenplay drafts to ensure they are written in time for movie release. You also get a lot more background on characters and their thoughts/motivations are fleshed out somewhat by the opportunities for internal monologuing that novels allow.
As for canon novels, I am trying to read in timeline order rather than release order, so have just read Alien: Isolation in full so far. I enjoyed it, and it was good to see more of Amanda's story, her relationship with her mother, and other efforts to locate her prior to arriving on Sevastopol.
I am now about halfway through Alien: Out of Shadows, which is actually really entertaining. It's almost a mix of Alien/Aliens so far, in terms of slow creeping horror at first but I get the feeling that the part I am about to read is going to be more action orientated. Not really a spoiler, as it is mentioned on the blurb on the back of the book, but the story features Ellen Ripley prominently. However, the story is set before Aliens, so I am yet to see how Ripley ends up back on the Narcissus shuttle and with no memory of the events of this book by the time she is awoken in Aliens.