Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
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What Are you Reading?
Alison wrote: "Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan series (I'm about halfway through this classic sci-fi series and it's so fantastic.)"The SO is reading this series so I know in detail everything that's going on with Miles... :-)
Ahem. My name is Judy and I'm a hardcore SF/F fan. While I've read excellent contemporary books, my main focus this last year was SF/F, and if it's a space opera, so much the better. I'm a sucker for well-written books that don't insult my intelligence. A few of my favorite authors:
Rob Colton: Galactic Conspiracies series
Angel Martinez: Endangered Fae series, The ESTO Universe series, Brimstone series, Variant Configurations series, Brandywine Investigations series, Offbeat Crimes series, AURA (with Bellora Quinn) series (yep, read them all!)
Victoria Sue: Sirius Wolves series
Harper Fox: The Tyack & Frayne Mysteries
Nicole Kimberling: Bellingham Mysteries series
Jordan Castillo Price: Psycop series, Mnevermind series, Petit Morts series
Astrid Amara, Nicole Kimberling, Ginn Hale: Hell Cop series
Shutting up now, but I know, just KNOW I'm forgetting a favorite. :-)
Antonella wrote: "Alison wrote: "Just wanted to mention this very cool thing from Ginn Hale. It's a long excerpt from the next Lord of the White Hell/Cadeleonian book (what is this series called?):http://www.ginnh...
Oops! I've just seen this by Blind Eye Books and posted it in the freebies topic... "
Between the two of us, we've got it covered!
I figured you might post it, but you hadn't yet, so I went ahead. Exciting news! :)
KC wrote: "Alison wrote: "I read Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows for the first time this year and after finishing the first chapter, I'd already decided it was one of my favourite books ever, and at..."So maybe it was you who inspired me? I remember thinking that I hadn't read it and I didn't know much about it, so I looked it up at the library. If so, I must thank you, KC, and will imagine giving you hugs. :) I'm looking forward to getting my own copy. I just picked up the big illustrated copy at the library and I thought the artwork was so perfect. I love that there are so many different illustrated versions. There's one to suit everybody. :)
KC wrote: "Alison wrote: "Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan series (I'm about halfway through this classic sci-fi series and it's so fantastic.)"The SO is reading this series so I know in detail everything that's going on with Miles... :-) ..."
Oh, Miles. :) He's one of my most favourite characters. I started the series a couple of years ago, so I'm certainly taking my time with it, but I am enjoying it so much. I think I may be ready for the next one now.
Karen wrote: "Alison wrote: "… -Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan series (I'm about halfway through this classic sci-fi series and it's so fantastic.)"Love this! I revisited some of these via audiobook this year."
So how are the audiobooks, Karen? Worthwhile? If you don't mind me asking...
I read a few Christmas shorts over the holidays and LB Gregg's newest Romano & Albright. I forgot how much I liked them. I've now moved on to Jordan Hawk's Maelstrom, but the head-hopping is kind of bugging me. She wrote the last book this way too, but I don't remember it in the earlier volumes. I hope it's not going to be a trend this year.
Kirsten wrote: "I read a few Christmas shorts over the holidays and LB Gregg's newest Romano & Albright. I forgot how much I liked them. I've now moved on to Jordan Hawk's Maelstrom, but the head-h..."Head hopping? She clearly states at the beginning of the chapter who is in charge.
Head hopping is when characters switch back and forth within a scene and such. Also called third person omniscient.
Susinok wrote: "Kirsten wrote: "I read a few Christmas shorts over the holidays and LB Gregg's newest Romano & Albright. I forgot how much I liked them. I've now moved on to Jordan Hawk's Maelstrom..."To me, head hopping is changing the POV in the middle of the story. It goes from first person Whyborne to first person Griffin. That's not third person omniscient, which would be more of a god-like, outside observer.
(ETA: Okay, I reread your comment, and I think we agree on what 3rd omniscient is, but not what head hopping is. No matter the term used, the changing POV in this book takes me out of the story every single time.)
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Tamara Allen has a new book out, which is always something to get excited about (for me, anyway!)--The Road to Silver Plume. I just bought it and am really looking forward to it.
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So how are the audiobooks, Karen? Worthwhile? If you don't mind me asking...
I've enjoyed them a lot, but you should listen to the Audible samples and decide for yourself. IMO, the narrator understands what he's reading and expresses it well. Also, several of the books turned up on Audible's special (discounted) lists last year, so it's worth checking those lists when they come out if you're an Audible member.
Alison wrote: "Tamara Allen has a new book out, which is always something to get excited about (for me, anyway!)--The Road to Silver Plume. I just bought it and am really looking forward to it."Thank you for telling us! I knew it was coming, but I would have missed it now.
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Alison wrote: "Tamara Allen has a new book out, which is always something to get excited about (for me, anyway!)--The Road to Silver Plume. I just bought it and am really looking forward to it."Thanks for the reminder! I knew she had some books in the pipeline, but I didn't realize it would come so soon.
I started my new year with A Case of Christmas by Josh. I enjoyed this but I wish it was longer. I loved the setting and the characters and it left me wanting more. :)I also finished listening to We Danced by Jeff Erno. It was a really nice audiobook and the story was good. There were some elements of the story that didn't ring true for me ( mostly about child protection) but on the whole it was lovely to listen to.
At the moment I am reading a memoir Positive: Living with HIV/AIDS by David Menadue. It is brilliant and is about the authors experience of living with HIV and Aids during the eighties in Australia. It is very hard to put down because it includes the authors life story, growing up gay in rural Australia, the development of gay rights in Australia as well as the challenges of living with Aids at a time when no treatment was available. It is just so interesting and says so much without being too long or boring.
So my reading this year has started really well!
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So it's a new year and that's often a time for introspection. And right now I kind of bemused by how what I'm reading is affecting me. I set aside Blue on Black, opting for a break with some lighter holiday reading and also for Josh's wonderful A Case of Christmas, because Blue on Black is long and dark and is exactly the sort of thing that was exactly my sort of thing and sometimes still is. But now I'm totally strung out over Alex Gabriel's Learning How to Lose trilogy.
Uh, thanks, Antonella for posting that the first book, Learning How to Lose, in Six Easy Steps. Step One: Tetris / Step Two: Fun and Games, was available as a freebie. I think. ; )
OK, so the protagonists of this serial — this long, six-episode, three book serial — are "idols"/Japanese pop stars, who also do more serious work as actors, but seem to spend most of their time being sent to interviews and television appearances where they're asked inane questions and made to take part in embarrassing contests and other antics. And no, I didn't know almost anything about this aspect of Japanese pop culture, and the background is not spoon-fed. The author just jumps right in and I jumped along. So I find myself reading a long, long story, all written in present tense and from the POV of a self-deluded/slowly awakening 20-something, and I'm mesmerized, semi-cringing, and haltingly trudging toward the inevitable heartbreak at the end of book two.
I'm pretty sure that this is one of those stories that will become a personal cult favorite, even though it's something of a hot mess. The writing is intelligent and witty and could have been edited, but who cares? That was definitely not a stand-alone first book, and the trilogy requires a commitment of time and attention.
Also, there's no m/m sex in the first book, but when they finally get to that point it's one of the best written scenes I've read. And there is a description of the closing scene in their samurai television drama that could have come from an historical novel worth reading on its own. I was almost in tears.
This isn't one of those "I strongly recommend" posts, because… well, because of what I've described. But I did want to share this with the group, and am interested whether anyone here has read or is reading it. : )
Alison wrote: "Tamara Allen has a new book out, which is always something to get excited about (for me, anyway!)--The Road to Silver Plume. I just bought it and am really looking forward to it."I was just looking to see if she'd put out a new one two days ago, and I couldn't find anything! Thank you for pointing it out. Sometimes the search engines on these sites are horrible.
Off to buy this one!
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This is great news!
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I also finis..."
It's so nice to read all these post about how everyone has had time to read during the Holidays!
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That IS interesting pondering, Karen. After reading your post I continued thinking of what is it about our very favorite authors that really, truly speak to us? And why some books become perfect comfort reads — and why some books we enjoyed we never want to re-read?
And how the books we crave for at different times vary depending on things going on in our lives (like what you told about Blue on Black). I mean, I LOVE Joseph Hansen's books, but when I have a lot on my plate I can't always take the melancholy, aching beauty of his writing.
I'm starting the year with KJ Charles's A Seditious Affair - so very good; almost too suspenseful, but so very good :-)
I was thinking yesterday about books I enjoyed last year, so here's my list:All of Josh's new stories, but top of list are: Wizard's Moon , Murder in Pastel, and Winter Kill.
Historicals and fantasy:
- Tey's The Daughter of Time - listened to the audiobook - both the story and the narration were excellent.
- JL Merrow's To Love a Traitor
- Joanna Chambers' Unnatural
- KJ Charles: Jackdaw (fantasy) and A Fashionable Indulgence
- R. Cooper's My Man Godric (fantasy)
Christmas/Holiday stories:
- Josh's A Case of Christmas
- Keira Andrews' If Only in My Dreams and Where the Lovelight Gleams
- Indra Vaughn's The Winter Spirit
- Heidi Cullinan's Winter Wonderland
General:
- To Kill a Mockingbird - I avoided this book for a very long time because I was sure it would be different than how it actually is..., but the important thing is that I did read it and it's now one my favorite and cherished books ever!
- SC Wynne's Home to Danger
- Eli Easton's How to Howl at the Moon and How to Walk Like a Man
- Alexis Hall's Waiting for the Flood
- Leta Blake: Will & Patrick Wake Up Married, Will & Patrick Meet the Family, Will & Patrick Do the Holidays
- Astrid Amara's Song of the Navigator
- Jordan Castillo Price's Mnevermind trilogy: The Persistence of Memory, Forget Me Not, Life is Awesome
- Lou Harper's Dead in L.A. series
Mystery series (ongoing):
- Richard Stevenson's Don Strachey mysteries
- Dorien Grey's Dick Hardesty mysteries
And...i'm sure i'm forgetting some Very Awesome Books I read last year...
ETA: James Colton's Strange Marriage and The Outward Side; Joseph Hansen's Steps Going Down and the short stories collections.
Alison wrote: "KC wrote: "Alison wrote: "I read Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows ... I love that there are so many different illustrated versions. There's one to suit everybody. :) "Yes! I love all the different drawings. I tried to find an audiobook version I liked - there are so many audio versions too - but none seemed to fit, and with this book, it needs to be exactly right :-)
Johanna wrote: "Ije the Devourer of Books wrote: "I started my new year with A Case of Christmas by Josh. I enjoyed this but I wish it was longer. I loved the setting and the characters and it left..."I am not sure how it is in other countries but here a book is a mandatory Christmas gift. And staying up late to read on Christmas Eve night is also mandatory ;)
It's a tradition I love. Christmas is for eating, reading and playing card/board games.
When I mentioned For Real as my favorite book and Winter Kill got an honorable mention I didn't realize I forgot another book that really got to me. Billy's Bones was one I couldn't put down and that resulted in an extremely tough workday due to lack of sleep. I know it's not new and I'd had it for a long time on my Kindle without reading it and if someone is similarly crazy I suggest you read it ASAP! Just don't start late ;)
Ame wrote: "I am not sure how it is in other countries but here a book is a mandatory Christmas gift. And staying up late to read on Christmas Eve night is also mandatory ;)..."I read somewhere that most books in Iceland are published around Christmas because it's so book-focussed; don't know if that's true?
Yes, that is true. It's the height of the book season.
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Thank you for the recommendation! I'm definitely going to get the audio book!
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Such a cool tradition.
KC wrote: "I was thinking yesterday about books I enjoyed last year, so here's my list:All of Josh's new stories, but top of list are: Wizard's Moon , Murder in Pastel, and [..."
There are several books on your list that are among my favorites of 2015 too. :-)
The others I'll take as recommendations and put them on the list. ;-)
Ame wrote: "Johanna wrote: "Ije the Devourer of Books wrote: "I started my new year with A Case of Christmas by Josh. I enjoyed this but I wish it was longer. I loved the setting and the charac..."Where can I apply for Icelandic Christmas? :-)
Karen wrote: "I'm thinking about why we read, and why we choose to read whatever it is we choose. I like to think that I read for the pleasure of a well-told story, a well-turned phrase, a bit of a challenge (gu..."Learning how to loose sounds like something I'd like to try. I read the author's freebie Still Waters and liked it a lot, especially the imaginativness.
Calathea wrote: "Learning how to loose sounds like something I'd like to try. I read the author's freebie Still Waters and liked it a lot, especially the imaginativness."Me too. And I've heard only good things about her
. It's on my reading list since ages...
Antonella wrote: "Calathea wrote: "Learning how to loose sounds like something I'd like to try. I read the author's freebie Still Waters and liked it a lot, especially the imaginativness."Me too. And I've heard on..."
That was another book I really liked last year, and I'm usually not one for humorous books!
Calathea wrote: "Ame wrote: "Johanna wrote: "Ije the Devourer of Books wrote: "I started my new year with A Case of Christmas by Josh. I enjoyed this but I wish it was longer. I loved the setting an..."
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It's a tradition I love. Christmas is for eating, reading and playing card/board games."
Love this too. Also applying for Icelandic Christmas. : )
I always gave books to my daughters for Christmas and birthdays, but now that I'm not as sure of their preferences and of what they've already read, I give gift cards to our favorite local bookstore. I give them to everyone on my family gift list, according to who's in town, so this holiday it was to fourteen. A favorite local cafe is next door to the bookstore, so we usually make an outing/meet-up or two from this, and I get to enjoy seeing what everyone picks to read.
Karen wrote: "Uh, thanks, Antonella for posting that the first book, Learning How to Lose, in Six Easy Steps. Step One: Tetris / Step Two: Fun and Games, was available as a freebie."Thank you for your opinion, which moved the book up my reading list ;-).
Alex Gabriel wrote another free story in the same universe, i've just posted this in the freebies topic: Walk the Walk
I just read The Cornish Coast Murder by John Bude. It was first published in 1935, and I like crime fiction from that era so was hoping to discover another author with a good long backlist. Unfortunately I didn't take to this one; the characters didn't really come to life for me, and even the setting (which should have been marvellous, a Cornish seaside village) never felt real. I only finished it because it is the monthly read for a GR group I've just joined, Reading the Detectives.I seem to be in the minority, though, as generally it gets good reviews.
Finished yesterday KJ Charles' A Seditious Affair which was excellent if a bit too suspenseful for me; i'm very much looking forward to the next one.Then I read Jess Faraday's The Strange Case of the Big Sur Benefactor, a nice little historical mystery with a dash of steampunk.
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In December I did read all of the Margaret Scherer Henry and Emily Bryce mysteries: The Gun in Daniel Webster's Bust, Glass on the Stairs, Green Plaid Pants and the Diplomat and the Gold Piano.
And I read all the Lenore Glen Offord Todd and Georgina MacKinnon titles: Skeleton Key, The Glass Mask, Smiling Tiger, Walking Shadow.
All enjoyable, although I preferred Offord's work.
Reread James Colton/Joseph Hansen's Known Homosexual and the two rewrites Stranger to Himself and Pretty Boy Dead.
I'm currently reading James R. Langham's Pocketful of Homicide.
Given how much reading I have lined up for this year, I don't think I'll be reading anything other than vintage mystery, so this is probably a really good year to write historical. ;-)
Josh wrote: "I'm a little concerned that I can't seem to recall half of what I read this year. I'm sure I read some M/M but I'm blanking on titles.In December I did read all of the Margaret Scherer Henry and ..."
ooh, historical? Maybe a sequel of Doyle and Spain... just sayin' ;)
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Right now though, I'm reading Uncovering Ray, a romance about an androgynous college drop out and a male college jock. I'm actually loving it and don't want to put it down. It's currently the BOM for the Transgender Fiction GR group.
by Harper Fox releases today.Here an excerpt:
http://www.harperfox.net/books/cold-f...
Buying links:
http://www.samhainpublishing.com/book...
http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Fusion-Har...
I read a Winter/Christmas short story that I enjoyed and maybe you will too. "A Fortunate Blizzard" by L. C. Chase. It has what I call heart.Blair
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Blair"
I love L.C. So talented in so many areas. And such a genuinely nice person.
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by Harper Fox releases today.Here an excerpt:
http://www.harperfox.net/books/cold-f...
Buying links:
http://www.samhainpublishing.com/book......"
Woohoo! This should be a good one!
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In December I did read all of the Margaret Scher..."
It's possible!
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Q&A with Josh Lanyon
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I read it for the first time in Oct 2014, started it without any expectations, and I was immediately enchanted. So glad you felt the same. It's such a wonderful book. I got a print version with lovely drawings - there are so many versions but i was looking for a particular style and this was exactly it:
http://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Ori...