Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
ARCHIVE (General Topics)
>
What Are you Reading?
Mod
It sounded to me something like this: JOHANNA! BE SURE TO READ THIS!!!
:-D :-D :-D"
Haha! Note to self: Never dare Johann..."
LOL.
Mod
I wish he had not had to leave Nathan where he did."
I didn't know that about Cutback Path. Now I feel sorry for him (Hansen).
Mod
I wish he had not had to leave Nathan where he did."
I didn't know that about Cutback Path. Now I feel sorry for him (Hansen)."
I believe nothing could more clearly illustrate the state of gay publishing at that time than that single fact. There is nothing wrong with that book. It is classic Hansen.
Over the last few weeks, I've been reading the excellent City of Astreiant series by Melissa Scott and Lisa A. Barnett. The first book is Point of Hopes. This is a really neat fantasy mystery series with a romantic subplot. I haven't read the fourth book yet, but the first three are wonderful--cool characters, amazing world-building, great writing, and interesting mysteries. If that sounds like your sort of thing, it might be worth a look. This series is from Lethe Press, and they're still having their amazing $1.50 sale, so it's super cheap right now if you want to try it. http://www.lethepressbooks.com/store/...
Also from Lethe Press (and therefore, on sale) and recommended by a fair few of you is Melissa Scott and Amy Griswold's Death by Silver and A Death at the Dionysus Club, which I also just bought and am really looking forward to.
Mod
I remember my shock at that one. I thought surely my book was missing pages.
And to think people complain that *my* endings are abrupt! :-D
Mod
I think the world building in those is amazing.
Mod
LOL! Oh yes, compared to the ending of Living Upstairs your endings are like... never-ending. :-D
I have to admit that with Living Upstairs I did check if that really was the last page of the book! Twice, I think. :-)
Josh wrote: "Alison wrote: "Over the last few weeks, I've been reading the excellent City of Astreiant series by Melissa Scott and Lisa A. Barnett. The first book is Point of Hopes. This is a re..."I think the world building in those is amazing.
Yes! It's so impressive. I haven't read too many books that are that thorough and detailed and I love it. Sure, some people aren't into that level of detail, but I *like* knowing, for instance, what all the coins are called and what they look like and what they feel like and what they're made of and so on and so on. It makes it all very real to me. If going along with a character to get his foreign currency exchanged and learning in detail how that all works sounds a bit boring, then these might not be the right books for you. ;) But I think they're awesome.
Mod
Also, as it's a trilogy, It is also available as a very affordable boxed set, should you need a gift idea, as I did. :-)
The imagery, the plot, the characters, the school, it's very engrossing. It's sort of like Harry Potter with fairy tales, if one must compare it to another book.
Mod
I'm excited to start reading these next week during my Spring break, as I also enjoyed their Death by Silver books. The Lethe sale is definitely worth checking out, and the staff there was very pleasant. (I was confused about how to specify my format choice, and they answered my inquiries very promptly and helpfully.)
Read Eli Easton's Midwinter Night's Dream: lovely and heartwarming and uplifting and made me laugh too. Just the thing. :-)
Interesting blog post by Harper Fox, with an excerpt of her historical WIP and more merhttp://harperfoxblog.wordpress.com/20...
KC wrote: "Read Eli Easton's Midwinter Night's Dream: lovely and heartwarming and uplifting and made me laugh too. Just the thing. :-)"I haven't read that yet. I like her writing though. Sounds like just the ticket.
Alison wrote: "Over the last few weeks, I've been reading the excellent City of Astreiant series by Melissa Scott and Lisa A. Barnett. The first book is Point of Hopes. This is a really neat fanta..."Their website is awful. I cant download my book. I have emailed them to send it to me. I ordered the first one in the series :(
Antonella wrote: "Interesting blog post by Harper Fox, with an excerpt of her historical WIP and more mermaidsmen on the horizon:http://harperfoxblog.wordpress.com/20..."
Thanks, Antonella. Interesting to see the (adverse) effect on her of Samhain's demise.
Thanks for the info. I have now received the book. I couldnt see the ordering info on the website. It isnt the easiest website to negotiate but all's well that ends well :)
Mod
http://harperfoxblog.wordpress.com/20..."
I can't wait for these books!
But yes, the situation is definitely difficult for those authors who've committed entire or huge backlists into Samhain's keeping. Especially difficult for authors like Harper who rely heavily on her writing income.
I'm afraid I'm in the unimpressed camp as far as how Samhain is handling matters. The poor pitiful me-me-me tone of Brashear's letters--following on the heels of those multiple HOW MANY WAYS CAN I SAY WE'RE NOT CLOSING?! notices do not inspire confidence.
Mod
Karen wrote: "I wish there was a way to choose "hide post" on GR reviews, like that Facebook option. I would love to block out those annoying five-large-flashing-GIF posts, and a particular reviewer..."LOL! I wonder if you are talking of a reviewer I like (when he doesn't use the really annoying flashing-GIF posts). I love his reviews even when I don't agree with them because they are clever, funny and ''different''.
Mod
Oh! There is a way to do that. Well, to block certain people as a whole, not individual reviews, of course.
On the home page, when you're logged in, in the middle of the page, in the upper right corner of the reviews, there's a grey gear. Click on that. With that, you can choose who you want to get reviews from on your home page. I have mine set to "top friends and followers" which means I have to follow you, or you have to be a "top friend" to show up in my home page feed.
When you're on your friends page, I think you can edit friendships so that you have some as "top friends" and others not.
I did this awhile back, to also get rid of the GIFS, and I love how GIF free I've been. Sure, one sneaks in every now and then, but it's not as bad.
Hope this helps!
Antonella wrote: "LOL! I wonder if you are talking of a reviewer I like (when he doesn't use the really annoying flashing-GIF posts). I love his reviews even when I don't agree with them because they are clever, funny and ''different''...."I like them too, mostly. If it's a book I care about, I don't read his opinion unless it's 3 stars or more.
Mod
Jordan, I appreciate your detailed response. I use GR rather differently. I almost never go to my home page and I have less than 20 GR friends. I go directly to this group and/or a couple of others I've joined, or go to "my books" to mark "reading" or "read" status and to check out books I'm interested in.
Obviously those reviews rub me the wrong way. (I confess I have a thing about someone so conscientiously avoiding capital letters. Not my business of course, but I cringe at being reminded of my own adolescent journals.) It's a kind of writing that (obviously, again) bugs me — a kind of cleverly obscure, snarky, in with the in-crowd, writing for my pack/audience performance-style of writing. I haven't even read that many, and sometimes I've just found them to be incomprehensible, too cool for school, or at least too cool for me. But it really does bother me that they are so popular that they end up at the top of the review pages, and that so many of the popular ones are 2-stars and under.
Yep, it can be easier to bitch about something than to compliment. : ) So I want to add that I enjoy reading the reviews posted by members of this group, as diverse as our opinions are. There are several other reviewers that I pay attention to when trying to get a sense of whether or not I'd like to read a story, for example, Kaje Harper, who posts thoughtful reviews.
I tend to use GR to keep track of my own reading and to see what books are coming out. I love using listopia to see what books are coming out and when. I do like chatting with people about books and I also enjoy buddy reads when I have time. It is really nice to be amongst people who enjoy reading. Gifs and critical reviews dont bother me, although i can understand why authors get annoyed. I once had some strange person comment on a review i left on Amazon and she said my review irritated her. I really couldnt understand that. She wasnt the author, I didnt know her and my review was a very positive five star review. Basically she needed to get a life and put things in perspective because it was just a review, not some literary critcal essay. I just think that we are all very different and use reviews in very different ways, so each to his own.
The one thing I would like to do is to have more time following author blogs. I am not intrested in review blogs but I do wish I had more time to interact with my favourite authors.
Mod
I feel the same about reviews with tons of flashing GIFs. It seems to me that those reviews are actually about something else altogether than the book in question.
But reviews like that seem to have lots of fans, so they at least must be entertaining, and I'm probably in minority with my opinions about this.
Mod
Well, this is certainly true with some people! :-D
Mod
Yes. This is true, too.
Mod
I feel the same.
I've read Your Orisons May Be Recorded by Laurie Penny. Maybe 3.5 stars? I really hate the lack of half stars on GR...
Free here:
http://www.tor.com/2016/03/15/your-or...
Mod
Goodreads is a social media site, so the reviews are really about engaging with other readers. No single reviewer -- regardless of following -- wields power beyond Goodreads. And that power comes from engagement. This is what publishers look for. So a lot of reviews and a lot of comments on reviews is a good thing -- regardless of the review ratings. Or the number of gifs. :-D
And I so wish new writers could understand this and stop worrying about ohgodigotfouronestarreviewsmycareerisover!!!! No. Not at all. Not in the least.
It's a social club and there are "stars" within the club. People who have their own big followings and fan base. And that's so nice for them! And some of these reviews are thoughtful and insightful and well-written. And some of them are the equivalent of the class clown performing for the other tenth graders. Either way it's okay because we have a lot of people talking about books -- we have online book clubs. And that can only be a good thing.
Of course this is easy for me to say because I just click through to this group. I don't see all the other stuff. ;-)
Mod
I also read S.C. Wynne's Assassins Love People Too, which is the sequel for Assassins are People Too. Very entertaining — both of these.
Also, I'm currently in the middle of two books: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (for my book club with colleagues) and Measure of Devotion Trilogy by Caethes Faron. Both books are addictive in their own way. The latter was a free download that someone here recommended a few weeks ago.
Mod
I think readers are sometimes (frequently) irked by these ridiculing reviews because if it's of a book you love, it's basically ridiculing YOUR opinion and taste too. And nobody likes that.
But I can't imagine that was the tone of your review, so...different strokes.
Johanna wrote: "Karen wrote: "I wish there was a way to choose "hide post" on GR reviews, like that Facebook option. I would love to block out those annoying five-large-flashing-GIF posts, and a particular reviewe..."I find those gifs terribly annoying and I agree, it's not about the book they review anymore, but showing off how clever and cute they are themselves. * she said bitchily*
Mod
Jordan, I appreciate your detailed response. I use GR rather differently. I almost never go to my home page and I have less than 20 ..."
I hardly ever land on the home page, unless I'm at work, then it pops up all the time, because I'm not on the app. And that's when those gifs would annoy me. I do sometimes go through my home page to see what people are reading, but it's rare. Yeah, I usually come straight here, and hardly ever leave.
I'm not a fan of that kind of "writing for the audience". It seems very narcissistic to me, in a way.
Mod
Well, this is certainly true with some people! :-D"
It's true for sure.
Mod
I'm trying to get into other audio books, and other print books, but this is the only thing I want right now. *sigh* Actually, I think I just wish I was Adrien to have Jake there. Maybe.
I'll just have to keep rereading until I'm satisfied or something. :-P
I read reviews of books I have read myself and as Josh said, I am not overly amused, if someone gutted a book, I love.These type of reviews don't respect the work, the author had invested to write the book. The second motive for me to read a review, is to hear about books, so that I find new interesting story lines. But these reviews are not serious examination of the story and therefore not very useful for me.
Sabine wrote: "I read reviews of books I have read myself and as Josh said, I am not overly amused, if someone gutted a book, I love.These type of reviews don't respect the work, the author had invested to write..."
I read a wide variety of reviews here on GR for various purposes - to learn about new books and decide whether I should try them or not, or to read about books I have already read to get a better or a different understanding. And sometimes I like to read a snarky one, even if it concerns a book I love ;-) There are a few very active reviewers I tend to avoid, but not because of gifs or snarkiness, but because they read books that are "too much m/m contemporary romance with nothing else" for my taste.
I am reading Shadows & Dreams, book 2 in the Kate Kane series by Alexis Hall. So far, I am highly amused. I really want to sit down with him someday and just chat.
Mod
Anyway, I listened to Carry On to/from last weekend's trip down to southwestern NM.
And so far I've read Brad Boney's The Eskimo Slugger and Yes, and yes, you really do need to read these books in order to get the full affect (The Nothingness of Ben, The Return, The Eskimo Slugger, Yes). The first two are longish.
I also read Garrett Leigh's Lucky Man (2nd book in the Heated Beat series), and Heart To Hart (1st book in the Gaslight Mysteries). The Gaslight books are historical P.I. stories set in an imaginary 1920s Irish city. I purchased the first four books during AQ's closing sale. I enjoyed the first one.
These days, I usually don't finish books unless I can at least round them up to a 4. So many books, so little time. ; )
Johanna wrote: "I'm almost done with Raymond Chandler's The Long Goodbye — only three chapters left. It's good, I like it a lot, but it does feel rather *cough* long (LOL!) at times. In any case, I'm enjoying it very much!I also read S.C. Wynne's Assassins Love People Too, which is the sequel for Assassins are People Too. Very entertaining — both of these."
Yes, sometimes it feels a bit long :-) and can't be rushed, but i noticed, with Tey as well, and a few others, that I can leave the book and come back to it, and surprisingly i remember exactly what happened. Anyway, I do enjoy them very much, and i'm happy you're enjoying them as well :-)
Good to know! I really liked the first one - Assassins are People Too. Must find out what happened next!
I'm doing a re-read of Mary Calmes' A Matter of Time series (comfort read time).
Jordan wrote: "Gosh, right now, the only book I seem really, REALLY into, is The Dark Tide. Go figure. I listened to the ending (chapter 14 to the end) twice in one week. Since then, I've grabbed the paperback ed..."I love reading random sections of AE especially, which usually leads to rereading and hugging the books :-)
Mod
I'm with KC on this. And Jordan, there is nothing bad about a wee AE obsession. Many of us may be equally culpable. : )
Varecia wrote: "but because they read books that are "too much m/m contemporary romance with nothing else" for my taste. "Love that description! :-D Those slice of life stories rarely have the story arc or enough conflict/tension to keep my interest.
Mymymble wrote: "So I went to buy The Locker Room by Amy Case and bought Sidecar insteadPartly because I was a biker (though if I'd a sidecar I'd have been outta gang wham thankya mam no bang).
It's well written,..."
Way back when, I got The Locker Room and read the prologue I thought: Yeah, that's it, that's exactly it, gimme more! But then I found out that the book wasn't actually about playing the game but about Xander and Chris and their relationship (which didn't do it for me at all).
Disclaimer: I love basketball. Started playing again for fun and giggles last year and it's one of the best decisions I made in recent memory. ;-)
I started to read You Could Make a Life after I read several of the author's stories online. I like it a lot and esp. for the fact that the sport (hockey in this instance) isn't just window dressing.
Mod
Sounds like you're enjoying your spring break! :-)
Mod
Sometimes they are all about the reviewer."
Yes.
Mod
Love that description! :-D Those slice of life stories rarely have the st..."
Yep. That's how it's for me, too.
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
Q&A with Josh Lanyon
Books mentioned in this topic
Subtle Bodies (other topics)Husband Material (other topics)
Sing for the Coming of the Longest Night (other topics)
A Shattered Silver Crown (other topics)
A Shattered Silver Crown (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Jordan Castillo Price (other topics)Alexis Hall (other topics)
Katherine Fabian (other topics)
Iona Datt Sharma (other topics)
Cynthia Zhang (other topics)
More...
Sadly, Hansen had to self-publish Cutbank Path.
I wish he had not had to leave Nathan where he did.