SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
What Else Are You Reading?
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What are you reading in December 2010?
@Ala: Did you realize the author of Armor passed away this week? :( I read it in Scalzi's Whatever blog. For December, I've got so many fantastic reads to enjoy for my book clubs. I requested Ship of Magic from the library this morning. I started Against All Things Ending, which I have to finish in a flash because it's due back to the library next Tuesday. The rest of my December reads can be found on my current-month book shelf.
I have a big month ahead to catch up after NaNoWriMo and finish off my challenges by the end of the year!Currently Reading
Must Read in December
Potential Reads (if I read the above list)
I just finished Stories of Your Life and Others. Some of these short stories are really brilliant. Chiang has the sort of style that (IMO) many SF authors try for but don't succeed in carrying off.I'm also re-reading Cyteen (Unionside, #1), and when it arrives from the library I plan to re-read Christmas Forever, an anthology of Christmas-themed SF stories.
(I get so confused going between this thread in two different spec-fic groups each month! I read posts from several of the same people in both threads, then I wonder where my response went...forgetting that it's two different groups. Sheesh.)I'll do the short-form of my post this time. This month I will definitely read/finish:
After that, I have a number of other group and challenge selections to try to get to, in no particular order.
Starting off December with The Year of the Flood, by Margaret Atwood and Max Boot's, War Made New: Weapons, Warriors, and the Making of the Modern World.
Currently Reading: Grand Conspiracy by Janny Wurts
The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson
TBR:
Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson
Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb
Sixty Days and Counting by Kim Stanley Robinson
Probably will read more but don't have any specific plans yet...
Finished with:
Under Heaven by G.G. Kay
The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven/Jerry Pournelle
The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. LeGuin
December = Mistborn and Harry Potter month. All of both. Already finished the first Mistborn.... Loved it! ♥
Started The Blade Itself but lost interest at about 62%.Now reading Bright of the Sky
I also have a thriller and a humor novel in my TBR pile that I'll get to this month. I hope. :)
I started reading Promise of The Witch-King today. It's by R.A Salvatore. I am on page 17 but i'll be finished soon when i start reading it on monday. I have already read it a couple times before but i re-read books alot. I'm also reading The Complete Sherlock Holmes, about 1,100 pages, so i'm only on pg 113. A long way to go.
Just finished Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, amazing! I read it in two days, and loved it. I will defiantly check out more of his work.Next is romantic Pride and Prejudice, beautiful Tigana and "cheery" A Christmas Carol since it is Christmas:)
After chugging along quite swiftly through November, I've stalled more than a bit, am still bouncing about amongst Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Nyphron Rising, and The Coming Insurrection.
Tina wrote: "Just finished Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, amazing! I read it in two days, and loved it. I will defiantly check out more of his work.Next is romantic [book:Pride and P..."
A newcomer to Gaiman??? Awesome, lucky you! If you haven't checked out the Sandman graphic novels yet, that's something to add to your list ASAP. If graphic novels don't interest you, I'd recommend 'American Gods.'
Reading Lover Revealed at the moment. Started it one of the last days of november tho..
Gonna Read Last Sacrifice once i get it in the mail, then probably Graceling. After that i dont know..
Gonna Read Last Sacrifice once i get it in the mail, then probably Graceling. After that i dont know..
I was traveling the great Tree of Botanica in Walking the Tree by Kaaron Warren. I had pretty mixed reactions on this one. The setting is extremely interesting, but the writing is somewhat sloppy and amateurish.Nikki wrote: "I just finished Stories of Your Life and Others. Some of these short stories are really brilliant. Chiang has the sort of style that (IMO) many SF authors try for but don't succeed in carrying off."
I have this one, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. I plan to early next year.
MG wrote: "I'm reading The Eyre Affair. About 100 pages into it and liking it."I found it rather enjoyable, albeit short. Still need to get around to the rest of that series...
I just picked up Mockingjay and plan to get started on it after I get back from the gym tonight. Can't wait! Also grabbed The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Decided it was time to see what the fuss was about, though I was torn between starting with the book or the movie first (which sounds like blasphemy, I know! But I appreciate a really good movie!).
Working on Un Lun Dun and Beowulf's Children. I'm quite enjoying Beowulf's Children. Just read Gaiman's Neverwhere which is where the author of Un Lun Dun's original idea came so I am undecided about my feelings about this book. I so loved Neverwhere. Also read Mistborn a couple of months back. Great read. Glad to see some of you are enjoying this series.
Samantha wrote: "Tina wrote: "Just finished Neverwhere by Neil GaimanI have both the American Gods and the Sandman series on my TBR list. I don't have much experience with graphic novels but it looks pretty awesome. I have always loved the dark and the weird! :)
Tonyanc wrote: "Just started 
. I've read such wonderful things about it, I thought I would giv it a try."I just finished that a couple days ago, I loved it!
Tina wrote: "Just finished Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, amazing! I read it in two days, and loved it. I will defiantly check out more of his work.Next is romantic [book:Pride and P..."
I want to second the recommendation for American Gods and add Anansi Boys too it. I never really cared about the graphic novels so much myself. I find Gaiman can make the picture much clearer with words than any drawing can manage.
I concur with what Nathan said. I love Gaiman, but I love his novels and short stories, not his graphic novels.
Oh, I'm reading Mistborn too! Started it last month, but didn't find much time to read with Nanowrimo. Really good so far.When I finish that, I think it will be time to dive back into the Wheel of Time. I'm on book 4, the Shadow Rising.
Done with Politically Correct Bedtime Stories by James Finn Garner.I cannot say I laughed a lot but it did satisfy my cynical self and allowed for a couple of good chuckles.
After that I have decided that I am going to read A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham
Lots of good reviews on forums and I have got the first book as a free ebook from Tor.
However, I gave up on this because I didn't find the rest of the series in a decent ebook format.
So, I have been uncertain what to read next:
Tears of Artamon by Sarah Ash
Valen by Carol Berg
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (although, it is not fantasy and I don't think I want to read non-fantasy at the moment)
Maybe...Warlord Trilogy by Bernard Cornwell?
I have almost started to read Hunger Games but was scared off that it is YA.
I have finally settled on my next read. In fact, I have already started to read it.
Nothing from the list I have posted above.
Northern Lights aka The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Even if it is a YA book I think you will find Hunger Games an excellent read. I really enjoyed it. Thought I had ordered Catching Fire but my request was never answered. However, I think I have found a copy of Mockingjay - the third in the series. Very imaginative and creative series.
Even if it is a YA book I think you will find Hunger Games an excellent read. I really enjoyed it. Thought I had ordered Catching Fire but my request was never answered. However, I think I have found a copy of Mockingjay - the third in the series. Very imaginative and creative series.
Arthur,The Hunger Games is a book and a series well worth reading. It's YA and dystopian (not fantasy) and I haven't been one of those for a looong time, but I found it quite rewarding and well written.
I've read a lot of Bernard Cornwell, are the Warlord books fantasy or historical fiction? Told from the POV of Derfel (think that's his name) he's a high mucky much with King Arthur, isn't he? It's been awhile.
The Golden Compass series has been on my TBR list all year at least, but I don't think I'll get to it. Again. Enjoy!
Paraphrasing C.S. Lewis, a book written for young adults that's only interesting to young adults is not worth reading even by young adults. IOW, just because a book is YA doesn't mean you won't enjoy it. :)On the subject of The Hunger Games specifically, I didn't enjoy it that much when I listened to the audiobook. (It was a giveaway a while back.) But YMMV.
Right now I'm reading The Dervish House. I recently finished Lulu and the Brontosaurus and The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack. I wasn't entirely satisfied with either of those.
My impression of Christmas Forever was that most of the stories weren't interesting enough to re-read. But they were worth reading once.
Julia wrote: "Arthur,The Hunger Games is a book and a series well worth reading. It's YA and dystopian (not fantasy) and I haven't been one of those for a looong time, but I found it quite rew..."
Thanks.
I will get back to The Hunger Games.
I have time until March when the last book in Malazan world will be published. I hope to be able to read at least one more trilogy after His Dark Materials before I take a plunge into Malazan.
Malazan will be finished in March, eh? Been waiting for that before I jumped into it. Didn't want another never-ending series like ASoIaF
Three books currently. :)Beyond the Shadows - Promises to be an excellent finish to the Night Angel Trilogy.
The God Delusion - So far this book is very well-written, Dawkin truly has a razor-sharp wit.
Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe - A history book that is easy and exciting to read.
I finished The Quiet Woman by Christopher Priest. It wasn't quite as fulfilling as his other work, but it was still pretty good. Being a fan of Priest, I'll probably forgive most anything. :P
Rome Burning a sort of fantasy novel set in the current era but with the base premise that the Roman Empire never fell
Last night I finished Antiphon by Ken Scholes. It's good, but the the third book in the Psalms of Isaak suffers from middle book syndrome. Not much happens and we don't really get any answers.I was also in various places in Swords & Dark Magic: The New Sword and Sorcery edited by Jonathon Strahan and Lou Anders. It was a pretty mixed bag. Some of the stories such as those by KJ Parker, Scott Lynch, and Joe Abercrombie were good. A few others were pleasant surprises. The rest were just average to barely competent.
Hm, long double post.Last night I finished Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett. Yet another good Discworld book. Slowly, but steadily working my way through the series!
Finished up two books, both by Joe Nassise --
The Heretic and the second in the series A Scream of Angels Both were quite good--the first was easily one of the best reads of the year for me.
Re-reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy until I leave for vacation. It's pretty short (~150 pgs) but hilarious!
I couldn't get into Fantasy 2007, the stories are ok but this year is tough sledding reading wise for me.Best I could do this year is 5 books. Hopefully this new one below will be 6. So Fantasy goes on the back burner to be read at another time. I'm now reading something lighter:The Automatic Detective
This month I finished Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia, which I really did not like. I finished Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore, which I fully enjoyed. It was amazing. I also read The Fade by Chris Wooding, who is my favorite author. This book was amazing, creative, and you didn't see the ending coming at all. I'm about to start Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater for my book club, but I'm not looking forward to it. My brother already finished it and said it was horrible. But we tend not to like romance novels. Romance in novels is fine, as long as it's more of a sub-plot instead of the main focus.
SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
Armor (other topics)Foucault's Pendulum (other topics)
Ship of Magic (other topics)
Against All Things Ending (other topics)
Walking The Tree (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Kaaron Warren (other topics)Max Boot (other topics)
Margaret Atwood (other topics)
Neil Gaiman (other topics)
Bernard Cornwell (other topics)
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What are you reading this month?
I'll be doing a couple of the group reads here, as well as Armor and hopefully Foucault's Pendulum.