The Sword and Laser discussion
What Else Are You Reading?
>
What Else Are You Reading - December 2012
date
newest »
newest »
In December I read Craig Dilouie's "infected," and "Killing Floor." I just finished William C. Dietz's "Legion of the Damned." I am currently reading "Cold Days," by Jim Butcher. Great month of reading!
The Quantum Thief and really enjoying it, even if (maybe especially because) I've had to look up some things to understand it.
I've managed to get 6 days off over Christmas so I've been on a bit of a binge. Started with "Old Man's War" which lead to "The Ghost Brigades" and am currently on "The Last Colony". I love reading actual books but find that ebooks are becoming more common in my library because of the sheer convenience but even ebooks come second to my library of audiobooks (the latest of these is "Red Country" with 3hrs left to listen to). I will listen to several audiobooks every week while driving a triple roadtrain from Perth in Western Australia through the Pilbara mining region - it's the only thing keeping me sane and alert. I think...
I've been sucked away starting with the vortex of the Women and Men tome, which I can confirm is the most difficult fiction I have ever read, but I managed to do it within my goal of a 2 months time frame. It's a fascinating book that uses meteorology, economics, and history as metaphors, and with some SF elements. I have to say that there is no fiction like it and will never be again. I would nominate it for SF to blow people's minds out, but the price tag of $150 for a book would do that first. Here's my review:http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Sooo, did I learn my lesson and ease off? No! I decided to join a Proust 2013 reading group which will take up about 6 months of my time. I went from W&M's 1,191 to In Search of Lost Time's 4,211 pages, with an abandoned hop along the way with
Infinite Jest's 1,104 pages. Somehow, trying to read IJ and Swann's Way just didn't work out. Proust won and I am now in Proust heaven. I finished Swann's Way and am reading all the fascinating auxiliary materials while waiting for the group to commence on January 1 with the first 80+ pages. Here is the link to the group if anybody's interested:
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/7...
Let's see....I saw The Hobbit movie. Meh. Luckily, I already read that book. I also saw Les Miserables and felt like rereading the Victor Hugo book at 1,463 pages. But NO.
Jenny wrote: "The Quantum Thief and really enjoying it, even if (maybe especially because) I've had to look up some things to understand it."I enjoyed it too.
Alex wrote: "I'm currently reading Ender's Game ^^"A book that I liked more than I thought I would. Basically because it did not preach at me.
Finished Side Jobs: Stories From the Dresden Files and will be going straight into Ghost Story, both obviously by Jim Butcher. It's been a few years and I'd forgotten just how much I like Harry Dresden.
I'm trying to trick the B&N people into giving me Peter F. Hamilton's Great North Road before Tuesday. I know it's in the stock room.
Tamahome wrote: "I'm trying to trick the B&N people into giving me Peter F. Hamilton's The Great North Road before Tuesday. I know it's in the stock room."Must be the wife's birthday Tuesday. Doesn't look like a book that you'll use your wiles to get.
Aloha wrote: "Must be the wife's birthday Tuesday. Doesn't look like a book that you'll use your wiles to get. ..."You read that before I edited it. :) I had The Great North Road by mistake.
Joseph wrote: "Finished Side Jobs: Stories From the Dresden Files and will be going straight into Ghost Story, both obviously by Jim Butcher. It's been a few years and I'd forgotten just how much I like Harry Dr..."My 17 year old son is on Grave Peril. My daughter, son-in-law and I have all been trying to talk him into the series. He finally read Storm Front and was immediately hooked.
I got some great books for Christmas (but no scifi/fantasy). Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power, Telegraph Avenue, and Van Gogh. I also retrieved my copy of Among Others from my mom's, where I left it at Thanksgiving. So much reading to do! Fortunately I've already finished Old Man's War.
I finished Old Man's War this morning, bringing my total books for 2012 to 56. Not too bad, especially considering that some were really long (e.g., The Stand and The Way of Kings).2013 will open for me re-reading The Gathering Storm and Towers of Midnight and then jumping into A Memory of Light. After that...well, I have a stack of "purchased but not read" books to get through, as per my 2013 reading goals. And whatever comes next for S&L.
I finished The Quantum Thief (my review here), and I'm really looking forward to The Fractal Prince, which I have on hand. I might read Daughter of Smoke & Bone first, because my book club picked that for January (one of my other book clubs, that is.)I'm hoping to finish The Black Flower: A Novel of the Civil War before 2013; I keep setting it aside for other things.
I finally finished The Hobbit. It's definitely not my cup of tea. I'm almost done with Sandman Slim, another book that's not really doing it for me. I figured out how to check ebooks out of the library and have read the first chapter of The Twelve Tribes of Hattie, a non-genre novel. Wow. I think this one is going to go really fast. I've also got a hardback of Where'd You Go, Bernadette that I have to finish by Saturday because I'm on my last renewal.
I haven't been listening to audiobooks because I've been home this week. I've got a little ADD going with them right now as I'm partway through The Twelve, Days of Blood & Starlight, and have just started Odd Interlude: A Special Odd Thomas Adventure.
terpkristin wrote: "I finished Old Man's War this morning, bringing my total books for 2012 to 56. Not too bad, especially considering that some were really long (e.g., The Stand and The Way of Kings).I have, at times, been tempted to measure a year's reading by page count, not volumes.
;-)
Finished reading Bujold's The Warrior's Apprentice. My review http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/....
Next up is my first Ian M. Banks Use of Weapons as my lunch time read. I'm starting at the 3rd culture novel in the series as a buddy read.
I'm also reading at the same time the first book Consider Phlebas - because I'm too anal to read out of order.
Also starting my reread of Steven Erikson's Malazan series with The Malazan Fallen book group. Starting with Gardens of the Moon.Uh Oh - did I not promise myself not to be reading 5 books at once this year. My new years resolution down the gurgler on the first day. Happy New Year all!
I read a little of Great North Road at a bookstore that put it out a day early. It seems very good but almost 1000 pages. There are smart cells in your body, including your eyes. Smart dust on the roads, etc...Here's the first page of the time line: http://pbs.twimg.com/media/A_di5T_CYA...
David Sven wrote: "Also starting my reread of Steven Erikson's Malazan series with The Malazan Fallen book group. Starting with Gardens of the Moon.Uh Oh - did I not promise myself not to be reading 5 books at once..."
I look like I read several books at once, but I actually only read one at a time. It's that I'm one of those that has to trip over something to remember it, so I throw a book in the currently reading to remind myself. For example, I'm popping in here because I started receiving notifications.
Just finished reading Now and Forever by Ray Bradbury. I'd never heard of this one, and came across it by accident. Wonderful book, recommend it to any and all Bradbury fans.
Finished Fool's Fate. So thankful for Sword and Laser for introducing me Robin Hobb. I really loved the Elderling books. My review is here if you're so inclined.
Taking a short break tonight to watch some TV and welcome the new year before what looks to be a busy 2013 (and January especially) of reading for me.
In the last 6 months I've gone from reading one book at a leisurely pace to where I'll be reading to 2 books at once and listening to a 3rd for the foreseeable future.
Not quite sure on my total count for 2012, but I have 34 entries on Good Reads, which doesn't count a few books I read in the first half of the year, but don't really remember, but does count a bunch of audio-book re "reads" I did that I don't really count.
All in all an good reading year and looking forward to all the stuff I have planned for 2013.
Taking a short break tonight to watch some TV and welcome the new year before what looks to be a busy 2013 (and January especially) of reading for me.
In the last 6 months I've gone from reading one book at a leisurely pace to where I'll be reading to 2 books at once and listening to a 3rd for the foreseeable future.
Not quite sure on my total count for 2012, but I have 34 entries on Good Reads, which doesn't count a few books I read in the first half of the year, but don't really remember, but does count a bunch of audio-book re "reads" I did that I don't really count.
All in all an good reading year and looking forward to all the stuff I have planned for 2013.
Started Alfred Bester's The Demolished Man yesterday. The closest thing I have to a New Year's Resolution, this year, is to read all the novels that ever won the Hugo Award. I tried to do this many years ago, and failed to follow through on the project. All the same, this will be my second reading of Demolished Man,seperated by a lot of years. It will be interesting to see how it works for me as a more experienced reader.
David Sven wrote: "But you're still posting in last year?"I wrote 2012 on a check this afternoon, too...
Reading LeGuin's Earthsea. Wow. I saw someone on one of these threads say she has a hell of a way with words. That's an understatement. It's almost like reading literary books, but there's cool stuff happening instead of a bunch of navel gazing.
Joe wrote: "Reading LeGuin's Earthsea. Wow. I saw someone on one of these threads say she has a hell of a way with words. That's an understatement. It's almost like reading literary books, but there's cool stu..."Don't watch Syfy's tv adaption.
Syfy's been a big disappointment. I remember when I first got it, I was all excited and now I hardly ever watch it. Too much pooor production. Shame, because it could've been my favorite if they'd put some effort into it.
Yes, but us with OCD get heart palpitations when seeing "new" things where we think they shouldn't be...oops now you made me make another one.
David Sven wrote: "Yes, but us with OCD get heart palpitations when seeing "new" things where we think they shouldn't be...oops now you made me make another one."
Lol. Exactly.
Lol. Exactly.
Tamahome wrote: "Trying out Stephen Baxter's Dr Who book, The Wheel of Ice. The dude knows science."He also did a great sequel to The Time Machine -- The Time Ships.
Books mentioned in this topic
Ring (other topics)The Time Machine (other topics)
The Time Ships (other topics)
Doctor Who - The Wheel of Ice (other topics)
A Cavern of Black Ice (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Jim Butcher (other topics)Joanne Harris (other topics)
William King (other topics)
H. Rider Haggard (other topics)
Aliette de Bodard (other topics)
More...









It's very interesting so far.