What Else are You Reading? June '15

[Aildiin]

Well finished The Water Knife and I think it will be in contention for the 2016 Hugo ( provided someone drowns all the Puppies before then ( err, not drown, water is too precious..)

[Dharmakirti]

Sometime tonight (possibly on the bus ride home), I will finish The Familiar Volume 1. This has been one of the best books I've read in quite some time and I can't wait for The Familiar Volume 2 to come out later this year.

Up next will be this months group read, City of Stairs. I read the first chapter over the weekend and I thought the opening coutroom scene was just awful but the rest of the chapter intrigued me.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Dharmakirti wrote: "Sometime tonight (possibly on the bus ride home), I will finish The Familiar Volume 1. This has been one of the best books I've read in quite some time and I can't wait for [book:T..."

I had to stop at page 199 to read something that had to be finished and I'm so excited to get back to it! Can't wait for my father in law to leave! Heh.

[Andy]

I just finished


All three were great

I am almost finished with

I like it but beginning was kind of slow

[Michele]

I just had to read Nemesis Games since I had it pre-ordered from Audible (I forgot haha) and it was most excellent!

New Retrieval Artist book magically appeared on my Kindle woot! Masterminds is the last in her "Anniversary Day saga" of 8 books - the first books in the series stand alone, but these 8 are all one massive ongoing storyline.

I'd recommend them to everyone who likes The Expanse and murder mysteries and aliens. Book 1 is The Disappeared. The audio versions are good too, though only some of them are Whispersynced.

In audio I'm doing Heirs of Grace which, so far (Ch. 5) is a fun little book about a young woman who inherits a weird house from a mysterious old man. Supernatural fantasy wackiness is going to happen, I'm sensing. And some romance. It's a Kindle Unlimited and add audio for free.

[Joel]

I am about finished with The Disappeared, and it has been a lot of fun. I am really excited to read the rest of the series.

[Kristina]

I already read city of stairs, so this month I'm concentrating on nexts...next dresden (book 7), next parasole protectorate (book 3) and the final book in the Lux series.

Today to kill some time my son and I stopped in the library so he could play around in the kiddie section. I was just kinda perusing the SciFi/Fantasy shelves nearby and came across The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic and snagged it just because the title sounded interesting. I realized I almost never do that anymore-with goodreads keeping track of all my to-reads.. I tend to just order up holds online and run in to grab whatever off the hold shelf. I think I'm going to make an effort every so often to randomly pick a book that strikes my fancy.

[Dustin]

I read... or listened to How Star Wars Conquered the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of a Multibillion Dollar Franchise last month after getting it on Star Wars Day. I was never much of a Star Wars fan, but I loved everything about that audiobook. I've listened to it 2 and 3/4 times since I got it a month ago. Great fun, great narration. Wish there was something of similar quality for something I was more familiar with.

[Phil]

Finally finished Reamde by Neal Stephenson. I always love every word he writes, I just wish there were fewer of them in any given book.
Starting The Middle of Nowhere by David Gerrold.

[Trike]

Dustin wrote: "I read... or listened to How Star Wars Conquered the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of a Multibillion Dollar Franchise last month after getting it on Star Wars Day. I was never much of a Star Wars fan, but I loved everything about that audiobook. I've listened to it 2 and 3/4 times since I got it a month ago. Great fun, great narration. Wish there was something of similar quality for something I was more familiar with."

What are you more familiar with?

[Dara]

Finished City of Stairs. It was alright. My review. I liked it but was underwhelmed. Now moving on to The Color of Magic.

[Eric]

Machine of Death: A Collection of Stories About People Who Know How They Will Die it's good so far

[Rob]

So I had started City of Stairs, but put it down a few chapters in when my copy of Nemesis Games came in and now I'm half way throught that. I'll jump back to City once finished.

I also just finished The Hero of Ages on audiobook and am trying to decide what next to listen to (i have these already just need to choose) on my commute. Feel free to opine!

The Alloy of Law
Station Eleven
The Sparrow
Sharp Objects
The Casual Vacancy

[Rob, Roberator]

Of your list, I have only listened to Allow of Law. The audio is excellent. Have you already read the original Mistborn trilogy?

[Rob]

Yes - just finished hero of ages yesterday.

[Rob, Roberator]

Robert wrote: "Yes - just finished hero of ages yesterday."

Reading your whole post might have helped me realize that sooner. Oops. :)

[Stephen]

If you have not, put Tigana on your list. Simon Vance reads, with a really nice author note at the end of the audio in which Kay talks about his inspiration for the tale.

[David Sven]

Rob wrote: "Of your list, I have only listened to Allow of Law. The audio is excellent. Have you already read the original Mistborn trilogy?"

I second Alloy of Law

[Molly]

Continuing my Hobb streak, I'm currently finishing up The Complete Tawny Man Trilogy: Fool's Errand, The Golden Fool, Fool's Fate. After that, I'm taking a break with Love Minus Eighty, which has been sitting on my to-read list for awhile now. Yay!

[Will]

Just finishing up Seveneves, which seems like a popular choice this month, and have really enjoyed it. Also reading Gaiman's Angels and Visitations: A Miscellany.

[Trike]

Set aside City of Stairs in favor of the space opera Wolf Star, the second in the Tour of the Merrimack series. The cursing is hilarious. "Cheese and rice, this place is spooky." Meluch is clearly just goofing around, but her stuff at half speed is better than most other authors running flat out.

[Viola]

Close to finishing Evil Librarian, I love that title.

Will continue reading The Fall. Also have The Dispossessed to get through. If anyone here has read The Dispossessed can you tell me if it is worth it? I'm about 40 pages in and so far I find it tedious.

[Rick]

The Petrovitch Trilogy - The first three books in Simon Morden's Metrozone series. Book 1 was quite good. Next 2 on tap in the next week.

Also The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories is up soon.

[John (Taloni)]

Was on vacation and read a bunch of Discworld. Mort, Equal Rites, Going Postal, and Small Gods. Now reading The Color Of Magic. Seems to be missing a U.

I posted about it separately if anyone wants to get a Discworld discussion going, hint hint.

[Sophie]

Also just got back from vacation and in the down time got quite a lot of reading done. I finished up Us on the plane ride over and thoroughly enjoyed it for a non fantasy/sci-fi one. Next I read through The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy a couple of days in due to needing a day rehydrating. I've absorbed this in so many media forms, but never actually read the book. The book is definitely the best, and I plan to read the rest of them soon(TM). After this I read the City of Stairs. I enjoyed it a lot, even if I had some mixed feelings about a couple of the more heroic scenes. I then finished off The World Wide Wi-Fi: Technological Trends and Business Strategies which was horribly outdated and poorly written. I definitely wouldn't recommend it if you're looking to brush up on Wi-fi technical knowledge.

I'm currently listening to The Misbegotten and am about 1/3 of the way through. It took a long time to get going (about 150 pages or so..) but it's a good read now. I've also started on A Natural History of Dragons on the kindle. Being in the UK I couldn't easily get a copy at the time S&L were reading it, and it looked good. Only a chapter in so far, but it's had a good start.

[Walter]

Finished The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens' London. Recommended for fans of Dickens who'd like a better understanding of the London he wrote so much about.

Now reading City of Stairs. Feels promising, but having a bit of trouble becoming accustomed to the use of the first person present narrative style.

[David Sven]

Finished City of Stairs
My review

Continuing the Long Price Quartet series with An Autumn War

[Joseph]

Finished The Birthgrave (flawed but still impressive, especially for a first novel) and started Sword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski, the most recent Witcher book to get an English-language release.

[Christine]

I finished up the second book in Joe Abercrombie's Shattered Sea trilogy, Half the World. I wasn't too sold on the series at the start of the first book, but ended up really liking it at the end. Half the World didn't disappoint! They are fairly quick reads, too.

Going to start City of Stairs this evening. I'm excited!

I'm also planning to read the Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb this month. I read the Raid Wild Chronicles last year and have been kicking myself ever since that I've never read her before! And I would like to finally finish up Dune.

As far as out-of-genre books go, its been a lot of mysteries! Cocaine Blues, Late of This Parish, and Death on the Nevskii Prospekt. I don't recommend Cocaine Blues, I won't be continuing that series, but the other two were pretty good.

[terpkristin]

Finished up City of Stairs and really liked it. It kept me coming back and I really want to see what else comes out of the world. I'm definitely looking forward to trying out City of Blades, though it probably won't be until after Hugo voting is done.

I got through more of Uprooted. It's odd, I still can't tell how I feel about the book. I don't dislike it, but I'm also not sure that I'm liking it. I think I need to switch to a print edition instead of the audio edition...but I have other things that I'm reading.

I started The Three-Body Problem. I'm reading it mostly because I've heard great things about it, but also since it's nominated for a Hugo. I'm intrigued by the title and the fact that one of the main characters is an astrophysicist. Two chapters in, it's intriguing so far.

[Scott]

Just finished Ian Tregillis's The Mechanical. I will definitely be following this series of books. I read Bitterseeds and the other books in that run, really enjoying the writing.

[Aaron]

I finished Greatshadow fairly interesting Quest Fantasy from the perspective of a ghost of the partner of the main character who possessed the knife they carry around(and the main character is unawares). 3/5 writing was a bit weak at times but it was a fast read and enjoyable.

I'm almost done with Blade of Tyshalle, not as good as the first one but still very enjoyable I'll probably end up giving it a 4/5.

[[deleted user]]

Eric Brighteyes by Haggard. He never disappoints me and sometimes surprises me with just how interesting his stories can be. His retelling of a traditional Icelandic sage seems to use more modern language than William Morris's The Volsunga Saga.

Also reading El Dorado: Further Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

I'm going to try out City of Stairs today.

[John (Taloni)]

Currently reading Soulless by Gail Carriger. I started with the YA spy school books so it's interesting to see some of the secondary characters from those books in a different perspective.

Next up: City of Stairs.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

John (Taloni) wrote: "Currently reading Soulless by Gail Carriger. I started with the YA spy school books so it's interesting to see some of the secondary characters from those books in a different perspective.

Next up..."

The Carriger books are a lot of fun!

[Joanna Chaplin]

Enjoying a nice, quiet slow-burn sort of speculative fiction book from the point of view of a woman who could be described as a genetically engineered high-functioning autistic person. There's a sort of quiet distopia going on in the sort of way where all human cultures are a little distopic if you see the details. I'm enjoying the low level of physical action juxtaposed with her high level of internal agitation as she tries to figure out how she should live. It's called, a bit stereotypically, A Calculated Life and it is *exactly* what I want right now.

[Misti]

I'm reading Hexed. I <3 Oberon so much I named my new Kindle after him, lol.

[Joseph]

I finished Sword of Destiny and started a very rare (for me, at least) nonfiction book: Electric Eden: Unearthing Britain's Visionary Music by Rob Young, a history of British folk and folk rock music.

(Which I started reading because I heard it mentioned on a podcast about Elizabeth Hand's forthcoming Wylding Hall.)

[Walter]

Finished City of Stairs. Enjoyed it.

Now starting George R. R. Martin's Fevre Dream.

[David Sven]

Finished Broken Angels by Richard Morgan on audio
My review

Starting the latest book in Bernard Cornwell's Saxon stories The Empty Throne also in audio

[D]

I've been on a Dresden Files tear for the last few months. Just finished White Night - both reading and on Audible (love James Marsters' narration) | My Review

Also am a big fan of Michael J. Sullivan's Riyria; picked up Professional Integrity for free on Audible recently; his last Riyria story prior to the release of The Death of Dulgath later this year (and his new series with Del Rey next year).

Am about 1/4 of the way through the 10th book in the Dresden Files series now, Small Favor.

[Alan]

I'm currently reading To Say Nothing of the Dog. I started out really liking it but, about a third of the way in, the sustained whimsy and ineffectual viewpoint character is beginning to get exhausting.

[Marion]

I just started reading A Time of Changes by Robert Silverberg. I have never read Silverberg before and was told to read his novels during his prolific period from the late 1960's to the mid 1970's.

[Michele]

Heirs of Grace was a fun little urban fantasy about a young woman who inherits a house from a mysterious old man and learns about magic. Really interesting style for me - extremely contemporary and conversational all the way through. If you're a Kindle Unlimited customer, free to read and listen - the narrator was great.

Next I read The Umbrella Conspiracy, a Resident Evil tie-in novel (I didn't even realize these existed). Wow, was that a flashback to hours spend gripping a controller until my hands cramped. Fun and silly, definitely keeping these in mind for when I need something light.

I just finished Flex, which was good, not great. Really cool magic system, but a little too on-the-nose with it's social commentary. Overall though it was good.

Now I'm rereading Reflections in the Nile a time-travel romance. I'm a sucker for ancient Egypt.

[John (Taloni)]

Finished up City of Stairs. Wasn't all that impressed, actually. Also read Soulless by Gail Carriger and was REALLY impressed. Now on to the second Discworld book. Probably more of the Parasol Protectorate after that.

[Sandi]

I finished listening to City of Stairs. I really enjoyed it. I'm now listening to Swan Song. Wish me luck, it's a 36 hour audiobook.

I'm on the second book that's part of the Heritage and Exile omnibus by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Frankly, these two books aren't very well written. The only reason I'm sticking with it is because it's being discussed in the Orange County Science Fiction Club. We did the first book in the omnibus last month and we're doing the second this month. In July, we're doing another oldie, Star Soldiers by Andre Norton. I think I may be the youngest member of the group (I'm 54.), so it might be up to me to get them reading newer SF.

I've also got some non-genre fiction going.

[Rick]

Just finished Apocalypse Now Now, a very fun book. Review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Misti]

Breezed right through Hexed. Next up is Prudence.

[Sean]

I'm working my way through Sword of Destiny, the second collection of Witcher short stories. For some unfathomable reason, it's available in the US as an ebook, but not a dead-tree book. This makes no sense, especially when you can by a physical copy in the UK. What's the deal, Orbit?

Also, I'm using K.J. Parker's Two of Swords novellas as short palate cleansers between longer works. I've read through part 3, and it's pretty intriguing - each part is from the POV of a side character from the previous part, and reveals more about what's going on.