What are you reading in October 2012?

[Candiss]

Please let us know what you're reading this month!

[Shel, Moderator]

Home sick unexpectedly today (if having conjunctivitis counts as sick - I'm not allowed to be in school with it until I've been treated for 24 hrs, so...) and I used the morning to read Timeless cover-to-cover, finishing up the series. Loved it! I'm told she's writing a spinoff series and the first book will be out next year, so I'm eagerly anticipating that one!

I also finished Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti last night. Wonderful but very weird book. It jumped around in time a lot, which was hard to follow at first but I got used to it. What bothered me more was the constant shifting between first, second, and third person narration. It kept jolting me out of the story to be in Little George's head in one chapter and have him referred to by the omniscient narrator in the next. It's still worth reading, though - almost poetry, the writing is so lovely (and the atmosphere deliciously creepy).

[Candiss]

Feel better soon, Shel! I'd say conjunctivitis "counts as sick," considering it's highly contagious and messes up your ability to do your job. **speedy recovery vibes**

I'm finishing up Oryx and Crake, which I'm enjoying far more than I feared I would. I really like Atwood, but I'd heard so much about how bleak this story is that I went into the read with my guard up. However, perhaps I'm just acclimated to dark settings in my reading choices, because although the situation in the book is definitely dark, it's not sucking my soul like some other worlds have. Or perhaps Atwood gives her protagonist both a colorful enough voice that I am swept along instead of drowned and a level of cynicism and sarcasm that I relate to.

I'm undertaking our daily read-along of A Night in the Lonesome October and will be starting Grass in a couple of days once I've finished Oryx & Crake. I'm still nibbling away at The Shadow of the Wind, as well.

Next in queue are:


The Murakami is a re-read for a group, and this will be my third try with the Le Guin. I don't know why I can't seem to get into it, but I'm determined to keep trying.

[Justin]

The second Honorverse Young Adult novel comes out later this month. So I will be reading it once I get a copy.

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

I'm doing the chapter a day read for A Night in the Lonesome October, and continuing with Wheel of Time (more than halfway through The Fires of Heaven), and will be starting Torch of Freedom for our ongoing Honorverse read.

I've never read the Zelazny book and am very excited about it. I'm also enjoying the Wheel of Time series much more than I thought I would--so glad I finally took the plunge.

[Laura]

I'm also doing the chapter a day Zelazny, and haven't read it before, so am all excited. I love him, so I don't know why I didn't read this one.

Otherwise, as I never seem to read the books I plan to read and instead read something else, I think I'll wait until I've read it, or at least am actually reading it, to decide what's on the menu.

[Kevin]

[Sandra]

Kevin wrote: ""

I love that whole series but it's not light reading. No harder than Mazalan tho.

[Christine]

I'm almost halfway through Blind Lake and enjoying it. I had the Zelazny book but didn't get a chance to read it before it was due at the library. I have another hold on it

[Stefan, Group Founder + Moderator (Retired)]

I'm working on Tomorrow The Killing by Daniel Polansky. It's the forthcoming sequel to his debut novel Low Town (which was titled The Straight Razor Cure outside of the US). Good, dark, gritty fantasy - definitely recommended if you didn't catch it when it was released last year.

[Daniel]

I've just finished/dropped Who Fears Death, which totally didn't grab me despite what sounded like a great story. I'm on Grass right now, and on A Night in the Lonesome October, doing the day-by-day read. I'm gonna read Pohl's Man Plus for the Grandmaster Reading Challenge on Worlds Without End (reading one grandmaster per month), and then I'm gonna devour the new Culture novel, The Hydrogen Sonata. Wooh, new Culture, excited!! I might round this all off with Guns of Avalon, if time permits. Reading Grass sounds pretty involved, so I'll see how my reading pace turns out.

Christine: I read Blind Lake a few years ago and I loved it. Are you familiar with Robert Charles Wilson's other books? He's one of my favorite SF authors. I can recommend a few great books! I found that Blind Lake wasn't his best, but it's a solid book, more mainstream-oriented than his other works. (I feel it doesn't have Spin's universal appeal, but still.) It's like Stephen King doing hard SF. Anyway, hope you enjoy it!

[Pickle]

currently reading The Chrysalids with a view to read:

The Death of Grass
The Sign of Four
The Inverted World

and if i still have time, which i should as they are all reasonably small books, probably: The Dying Earth

[Stuart]

I am reading A Friend Like Henry by Nuala Gardner

[Kevin]

Sandra aka Sleo wrote: "Kevin wrote: ""

I love that whole series but it's not light reading. No harder than Mazalan tho."

Nothing is as hard as Mazalan in the fantay genre. It tops the list like other long and hard to read books.

But I do compare The War of Light and Shadows to be a lot like C.J. Cherryh's Foreigner in the complexity and overall dividing of the arcs.

But I never read anything like The Wars of Light and Shadow in terms of the chapter structure.

[Tim]

It's October!!!! Best reading month of the year IMHO. Lots of horror this month. Reading A Night in the Lonesome October here with the group. Also reading Carrion Comfort as buddy read with a few friends and Something Wicked This Way Comes with the SK group. Reading some PA/Sci fi inbetween all that with Wool Omnibus Edition and The Ghost Brigades

[Selena]

Candiss wrote: "Feel better soon, Shel! I'd say conjunctivitis "counts as sick," considering it's highly contagious and messes up your ability to do your job. **speedy recovery vibes**

I'm finishing up Oryx and..."

Glad to hear good news about Oryx and Crake - I've had it on my shelf for a couple of years now, maybe I'll pull it out after Christmas :)

Candiss wrote: "Feel better soon, Shel! I'd say conjunctivitis "counts as sick," considering it's highly contagious and messes up your ability to do your job. **speedy recovery vibes*

[Stuart]

I am reading A Friend Like Henry by Nuala Gardner

[Helen]

Shel, get well quickly, I used to suffer that regularly-caught from pupils!

[Shel, Moderator]

Thanks! It's pretty much gone now, thanks to 4 days of antibiotic ointment and not wearing my contact lenses (some of my colleagues had never seen me with my glasses on - I've been teaching there 12 years!). I most likely picked it up from my son, who had it 2 weeks ago; I thought I was safe once he recovered, but I guess the germs were still floating around the house...

To get back on topic, I'm reading A Night in the Lonesome October day-by-day along with the group, and working on Defending Jacob with my book group (composed mostly of other teachers from my school and a few ex-teachers) - it's VERY intense for us because it's a crime procedural that takes place in a middle school in the town where we all teach, so even though the writing is mediocre I'm completely riveted and it's very difficult putting it down to get to bed on time....

[Patrick]

Started The Malazzan Empire again in english (no dutch translation after 2nd book) . Hard to get started, but like it so far.

[Jenny]

I'm reading Midnight Riot. I really love how British this book is. I also like how the main character Peter Grant isn't phased at all by suddenly being involved with the supernatural. It's a nice quirky book.

I'm also reading The Skystone and I'm listening to The Graveyard Book on audio. All I can say is that I love Neil Gaiman;s voice :)

[Ken]

Finished up with the Miles Vorkosigan book A Civil Campaign. I enjoyed it but not enthusiastically. I am coming to the the Post Naismith books are as good.

Started on the controversial Navy Seal book No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden

[Christine]

I finished Blind Lake and am now almost done with Balance of Trade. I have enjoyed every one of the Liaden universe books I've read and have Ghost Ship waiting on the shelf

[Ken]

Finished up No Easy Day. The book was pretty good. Really enjoyed the description of the mission to get Osama. The controversy was all for naught and the complainers were just complainers.

Started another Rebus book. Black and Blue

[Tim]

Ken wrote: "Finished up No Easy Day. The book was pretty good. Really enjoyed the description of the mission to get Osama. The controversy was all for naught and the complainers were just complainers.

Started..."

What's the controversy about? I'm in the Air Force and have seen a few people walking around base with the book. Is it any good?

I'm afraid it's going to be political. I hate reading political books. Everyone tries to convince you their not biased and it's never true.

[Justin]

Started reading Fire Season by David Weber. An easy read obviously, but a good book so far. Despite being the sequel to A Beautiful Friendship, the plot of the story works well as a stand alone.

[Daniel]

Anyone here picked up the latest Culture novel, The Hydrogen Sonata? Looks promising!

[Shel, Moderator]

I'm about to start a re-read of The Hobbit for the first time in yeeeeears. Gotta get psyched up for the movie!!

[Christine]

Hust finished Ghost Ship (Theo Waitley, #3) and put in a reserve for Dragon Ship (Theo Waitley, #4). Now I'm starting Prized

[Ken]

Tim wrote: "What's the controversy about? I'm in the Air Force and have seen a few people walking around base with the book. Is it any good?"

Apparently the Publisher and writer didn't go through the pentagon to get the book vetted. So there was a stink that he might of exposed some secrets the DEVGRU Seals. He did not. Heck I saw most of the stuff he was talking about when I saw Act of Valor last winter.

It wasn't a great book but it was an enjoyable read.

Quite a bit of angry people figured he was looking for glory but he wrote under s pseudonym (Fox News leaked his real name) and apparently is donating most of the proceeds to Seal charities.
I didn't get the feeling he was looking for glory. He wrote about his actions is a pretty humble way.

With the exception of a couple of sentences there was nothing political in the book

[Nick]

Daniel wrote: "Anyone here picked up the latest Culture novel, The Hydrogen Sonata? Looks promising!"

Had not heard of it, but now am anxiously awaiting, though it probably will go on the ever-growing tbr list for a while. Banks is one of those who writes faster than I can read him.

[Nick]

I just finished Grass and reported on it. Before that I did another long read, Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson, which has the distinction of being the lowest rated book in the Beyond Reality Hall of Shame (of BOTM's), back when BR was keeping such records, on the "Hall of Fame" thread. I'm not sure why this particular book would've rated that distinction. IT's politico-back and forth might be a little too soap opera for our readers here, but for a "let's colonize Mars" book, it's okay. And it sets up what looks to be a decent trilogy...though I'm not captivated enough to plunge into the sequels right away.

[Christine]

I finished Prized and put in a request for the third book, Promised. Now I've stepped away from F & SciFi for a bit and am reading The Water's Edge

[Daniel]

Nick: Red Mars was reviled here? I quite enjoyed the book back when I read it. Not sure if I'd like it now. The sequels, however, are atrocious...

As for The Hydrogen Sonata, I'm nearly done, and it's a typical Culture book--that is to say, it's great. :)

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

I was one of the few who liked Red Mars and its sequels, although there were tedious parts in them.

I finished The Fires of Heaven and since I still have time before the next book that I haven't read in the Honorverse comes up for discussion, I decided to move right into Lord of Chaos.

And I'm doing our day-by-day read of A Night in the Lonesome October and loving that!!

[Nick]

Kathi wrote: "I was one of the few who liked Red Mars and its sequels, although there were tedious parts in them.

I finished The Fires of Heaven and since I still have time before the next book that I haven't r..."

Yeah, I kinda liked "Red Mars" and intend on reading "Green" and "Blue" someday. Though I might go to Robinson's Antarctica first as that one has been hanging around on my tbr forever.

[Daniel]

If you like alternate history, I really liked The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson. It's not a perfect novel, but when it's good, it's really good. It's about an alternate history where most of Europeans died of the Plague in the Middle Ages, leaving the Far Eastern Kingdoms, the Middle East, and Native Americans, as centers of power.

[Stefan, Group Founder + Moderator (Retired)]

That's a book I've been wanting to read for a long time, Daniel. I loved his latest novel 2312 too. I had the chance to interview Stan earlier this year, and that conversation made me want to read his novels even more.

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

One of the things I like about the Mars books was they made me think and read slowly. They were challenging that way and, sometimes, that helps make a book memorable.

I have not read Antarctica, although I own it. And I've read mixed things about The Years of Rice and Salt, but it's on my list to acquire someday...

[Ken]

I read Red Mars and Green Mars several years ago...I have barely any memory of them. I do remember liking them, I never got around the reading Blue Mars. I just pulled it off the shelf the other day. Think I am going to dig out Red and Green and reread them.
I have had Years of Rice and Salt on my TBR shelf but just never got past opening the cover.
Another book I may read in the next month

[Ken]

Finished the latest Rebus book, Black and Blue and after a slow start. Wow. Great book. These Rebus mysteries are damn good

Starting on some "traditional" fantasy. Shadow Of A Dark Queen
Feist books are funny. It always take me a long time to get around to reading them and when I do I keep think what took me so long. Hopefully this will keep the tradition alive

[Shel, Moderator]

I just finished my umpteenth re-read of The Hobbit, am chugging along with the group on A Night in the Lonesome October, and tonight I'm going to start in on The Dresden Files Collection 1-6 which I have out on digital loan from my library. We'll see if I can breeze through all 6 books before I have to return it (or turn off the wi-fi on my kindle so I can keep it a wee bit longer...). I've heard good things about these, and could use a little light reading! I've also got The Demolished Man waiting on tap for our November read.

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

I, too, am doing the group read with A Night in the Lonesome October, and am about 3/4 through Lord of Chaos, my first venture though the Wheel of Time series. I'm still about 2 books behind the Goodreads group that is reading that series, but I'm plugging away. And I discovered that I have The Demolished Man on my shelf, so that will be ready for November. And I want to get into Torch of Freedom before our group starts that discussion.

Shel, I'll be interested in your opinion of the Dresden Files. I have most of that series on my shelf but have yet to try them.

[Ken]

Shel wrote: "which I have out on digital loan from my library. We'll see if I can breeze through all 6 books before I have to return it (or turn off the wi-fi on my kindle ..."

LOL. What a good idea.
Wouldnt the Library keep track of when the book is actually removed from your reader and fine you accordingly?

[Shel, Moderator]

No idea. Even if they do, the fine will be cheaper than purchasing all six volumes and worth the convenience of not having to go back and forth to the library six times to get each individual book :) Going to the library used to be a 2-minute errand...not so much the case with a toddler in the house! LOL

[Jenny]

I'm still working on The Skystone and I'm listening to All Together Dead on audio. I had taken a break from the Southern Vampire Mysteries because the cheesy sex scenes were getting on my nerves. Now I just skip over those parts and I'm enjoying the rest of the story. I'm really glad I'm back into the series, it's just plain fun.

I haven't decided what to read next on my Kindle. I have plenty I want to read but nothing is especially sticking out. In the meantime I just read The Viscount and the Witch which is a nice short story about the Riyria Revelations.

[Ken]

Skipping the sex scenes...LOL
I do that all the time I haven't read the Southern Vampire books but other stuff, Carey's Phedre books come to mind.

[Kevin]

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