Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
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What Are you Reading?
WMD wrote: "For sci fi zone: I just read the Out of Time series by C.B. Lewis. action/nerd interface; Time travel; m/m. Enjoyed, as I do all time/space continuum issues since first introduced to me by Star Tre..."A great series! I hope she continues on with it.
Alison wrote: "Karen wrote: "Alison wrote: "On a similar note, I've just finished reading Alexis Hall's The Affair of the Mysterious Letter and it is wild! It's very funny and very strange and ver..."
Oh, ha ha! I transposed/misread June 18, 2019 to June 19, 2018 and wondered why I hadn’t noticed it on my Kindle app for a year. :)
Oh, ha ha! I transposed/misread June 18, 2019 to June 19, 2018 and wondered why I hadn’t noticed it on my Kindle app for a year. :)
Oh, Antonella, that’s so cool that you learned all those words you didn’t know!
Also, who doesn’t love Harry Potter?! The first book, I think, is still my favorite.
Also, who doesn’t love Harry Potter?! The first book, I think, is still my favorite.
Jordan wrote: "Oh, Antonella, that’s so cool that you learned all those words you didn’t know! Also, who doesn’t love Harry Potter?! The first book, I think, is still my favorite."
After I read the fourth book I grew a bit tired, especially of the frequent explanations about stuff of the past books. I didn't buy the next ones immediately after they came out, but I found them second hand for one dollar each and I thought that sooner or later I would read them. I'm curious to see how I will feel this time.
Marge wrote: "WMD wrote: "For sci fi zone: I just read the Out of Time series by C.B. Lewis. action/nerd interface; Time travel; m/m. Enjoyed, as I do all time/space continuum issues since first introduced to me...A great series! I hope she continues on with it."
Marge, you're in luck: the final two books are already written and we'll get book four later this year and the final book early next year. Yay!
Antonella wrote: "After looking at MtSnow's pictures of her visit to the Warner Bros. studios just outside London, where the Harry Potter films where made, I decided to reread the first four Harry Potter books, and ..."That's neat, Antonella. It's always nice to see proof that we have learned things. I'm actually reading the series for the first time right now at a leisurely pace. I also read the first book back when came out twenty years ago and it didn't grab me then, but now it's such a big deal and everyone's wild for it, and I thought I'd try again. The first book still didn't grab me, but I find the later books to be much better.
Alison wrote: "Marge wrote: "WMD wrote: "For sci fi zone: I just read the Out of Time series by C.B. Lewis. action/nerd interface; Time travel; m/m. Enjoyed, as I do all time/space continuum issues since first in..."Cool!
Jordan wrote: "Also, who doesn’t love Harry Potter?! The first book, I think, is still my favorite."Well, me, for one. They just never appealed to me for some reason. I mean, I read them all, so I didn't hate them, but I wasn't all that impressed. To be fair, I was well into my adulthood when the first book came out, so I'm not exactly the target audience.
I know, there are quite a few people who dislike Harry for one reason or another. I wouldn’t have read them myself because they were too popular in my opinion, but then my grandmother bought me the first four books for my birthday when I was in college. I eventually felt guilty and read them after a while. And loved them. *shrugs* but I get they aren’t for everyone.
Alison wrote: "Marge, you're in luck: the final two books are already written and we'll get book four later this year and the final book early next year. Yay! "Thank you for the update! Are you on her webpage?
Edited to add: Google is a wonderful thing. I found her on FB and Tumbler. Looks like Time Turns will be released on September 16, apparently from Ninestar Press.
Marge wrote: "Alison wrote: "Marge, you're in luck: the final two books are already written and we'll get book four later this year and the final book early next year. Yay! "Thank you for the update! Are you o..."
Ooh, that's sooner than I thought. Excellent! :)
I just finished listening to Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine (not a m/m). I'm not sure if it was Alison or Mymymble (or both?) who recommended this a while back? It's a beautiful, touching and somewhat magical description of a childhood summer in a small Illinois town back in 1928. I especially liked the parts seen through the eyes of 12-year-old Douglas. Those details and small miracles only children tend to notice and mull over! How powerful everything feels when one experiences it for the very first time!
Thank you for the recommendation!
Thank you for the recommendation!
Johanna wrote: "I just finished listening to Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine (not a m/m). I'm not sure if it was Alison or Mymymble (or both?) who recommended this a while back? It's a beautiful, touchi..."Not I, but I'm so glad you enjoyed it. It sounds lovely. :)
Johanna wrote: "I just finished listening to Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine (not a m/m). I'm not sure if it was Alison or Mymymble (or both?) who recommended this a while back? It's a beautiful, touchi..."One of my favorites, although I don't think it was me who recommended it. That is, I'm constantly recommending it, but I don't remember doing so here.
Mymymble wrote: "It was me. Possibly Alison as well. I'm so glad you enjoyed that beautiful book.
Something Wicked This Way Comes is similarly elegiac but it's (very non-gory) horror so maybe not for ..."
Thank you, dear! :-)
I could probably cautiously approach Something Wicked This Way Comes. With baby steps, maybe. :-D
Something Wicked This Way Comes is similarly elegiac but it's (very non-gory) horror so maybe not for ..."
Thank you, dear! :-)
I could probably cautiously approach Something Wicked This Way Comes. With baby steps, maybe. :-D
SamSpayedPI wrote: "Johanna wrote: "I just finished listening to Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine (not a m/m). I'm not sure if it was Alison or Mymymble (or both?) who recommended this a while back? It's a b..."
Maybe it was telepathy? :-D
Maybe it was telepathy? :-D
Alison wrote: "Johanna wrote: "I just finished listening to Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine (not a m/m). I'm not sure if it was Alison or Mymymble (or both?) who recommended this a while back? It's a b..."
I think you'd like it, actually.
I think you'd like it, actually.
Johanna wrote: "I just finished listening to Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine (not a m/m). I'm not sure if it was Alison or Mymymble (or both?) who recommended this a while back? It's a beautiful, touchi..."Sounds good! And so different from one of his short stories i read a while back, which was a bit horror-ish, very well written, and traumatized me slightly forever, lol. So this sounds more like my cup of tea. :-) Though i do plan to continue reading that collection of short stories someday.
I finished Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. So good! So many wonderful ideas. And it was interesting to compare some of these ideas with similar ones in more recent books like Harry Potter ((view spoiler)) and Suzanne Collins' Gregor the Overlander.
My favorite of Ray Bradbury's works (and granted, I haven't read many of them yet) is Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles. But, most of M.C. is really boring, IMO. BUT there are two really awesome stories in there that totally grabbed me when I read them in 9th grade and never let me go:
"There Will Come Soft Rains" and "The Fall of the House of Usher II". The first is really sad and depressing, but in an interesting way, that talks about the continuation of technology after humans are gone. The second one deals with book banning in a humorous and very dark way that I absolutely loved.
"There Will Come Soft Rains" and "The Fall of the House of Usher II". The first is really sad and depressing, but in an interesting way, that talks about the continuation of technology after humans are gone. The second one deals with book banning in a humorous and very dark way that I absolutely loved.
KC wrote: "Johanna wrote: "I just finished listening to Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine (not a m/m). I'm not sure if it was Alison or Mymymble (or both?) who recommended this a while back? It's a b..."
One of the stories/chapters of Dandelion Wine was a bit more suspenseful than the others (Chapter 30 about the Lonely One), but not horrifyingly so, IMO. All in all, the spectrum of emotions were widely present in the book—from joy to sorrow. What I really liked is the fact that the overall mood is hopeful, nostalgic and somewhat philosophical.
After reading the book I found out that Dandelion Wine is considered to be Bradbury's most personal work. The book is described as the first of Bradbury's "autobiographical fantasies," in which he recreates the childhood memories of his hometown, Waukegan, in the form of a lyrical work, with realistic plots and settings touched with fantasy to represent the magic and wonders of childhood.
If you've already started one of his short story collections, you're probably interested in knowing that also Dandelion Wine is a series of short stories loosely connected to summer occurrences, with Douglas and his family as recurring characters. Many of the chapters were first published as individual short stories, the earliest being The Night (1946), with the remainder appearing between 1950 and 1957.
One of the stories/chapters of Dandelion Wine was a bit more suspenseful than the others (Chapter 30 about the Lonely One), but not horrifyingly so, IMO. All in all, the spectrum of emotions were widely present in the book—from joy to sorrow. What I really liked is the fact that the overall mood is hopeful, nostalgic and somewhat philosophical.
After reading the book I found out that Dandelion Wine is considered to be Bradbury's most personal work. The book is described as the first of Bradbury's "autobiographical fantasies," in which he recreates the childhood memories of his hometown, Waukegan, in the form of a lyrical work, with realistic plots and settings touched with fantasy to represent the magic and wonders of childhood.
If you've already started one of his short story collections, you're probably interested in knowing that also Dandelion Wine is a series of short stories loosely connected to summer occurrences, with Douglas and his family as recurring characters. Many of the chapters were first published as individual short stories, the earliest being The Night (1946), with the remainder appearing between 1950 and 1957.
My favorite of Ray Bradbury's is Dark Carnival, his first collection of stories, published in 1947. They are (mostly) horror stories. Many, though not all, of the stories were reprinted in The October Country, but many of those that were reprinted were "updated," to their detriment in my opinion. Anyway, I thought you might enjoy this article about the "real" Lonely One.
SamSpayedPI wrote: "My favorite of Ray Bradbury's is Dark Carnival, his first collection of stories, published in 1947. They are (mostly) horror stories. Many, though not all, of the stori..."
Thank you for that link, Sam! That's so interesting about the "real" Lonely One. I love knowing facts like these behind stories!
It's so fascinating to know what are the things inspiring artists (an author, in this case) to shape and create their art.
Thank you for that link, Sam! That's so interesting about the "real" Lonely One. I love knowing facts like these behind stories!
It's so fascinating to know what are the things inspiring artists (an author, in this case) to shape and create their art.
Johanna wrote: "KC wrote: "Johanna wrote: "I just finished listening to Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine (not a m/m). I'm not sure if it was Alison or Mymymble (or both?) who recommended this a while bac..."Oh! I didn't realize this was in short stories format as well. That's good. I really love short stories when well done - so many layers, so much to ponder. The collection I mentioned, the one with the scary story, it's The Illustrated Man, and in the process, i also remembered that i actually read several stories from that collection, not all scary, but i guess tending toward the darker side of things.
KC wrote: "Johanna wrote: "KC wrote: "Johanna wrote: "I just finished listening to Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine (not a m/m). I'm not sure if it was Alison or Mymymble (or both?) who recommended ..."
Oh, yes! I enjoyed The Illustrated Man too!
Oh, yes! I enjoyed The Illustrated Man too!
Some recent good reads:I really loved Love for the Cold-Blooded, or The Part-Time Evil Minion's Guide to Accidentally Dating a Superhero. Very hilarious gay fantasy romance about young Patrick, a son of supervillain who happens to fall for a superhero. I was really impressed by how well the author wrote humor throughout.
Just finished Cordelia Kingsbridge's gay romantic suspense series. (Last book is #5, A Chip and a Chair. A little violent in parts, but I've always appreciated her writing style from her earlier online works, and this series was a good, exciting vacation read.
Really dug the urban fantasy/romance A Ferry of Bones & Gold and its sequel All Souls Near & Nigh. You can tell the author loves lots of action, which made it a fun, fast-paced read. I'm looking forward to book 3 next month.
Next up is deciding between The Monuments Men Murders or Mainly by Moonlight. Decisions....decisions... :-D (Both will be read, but deciding which to be first....hmmm...)
ttg wrote: "Some recent good reads:I really loved Love for the Cold-Blooded, or The Part-Time Evil Minion's Guide to Accidentally Dating a Superhero. Very hilarious gay fantasy romance about ..."
I read "Love for the Cold-Blooded" some time ago liked it as well. The humor is great and the romance is very cute.
I am currently reading Jon's Downright Ridiculous Shooting Case. I am just at Chapter 3, so I don't know why the case is ridiculous, but so far I enjoy it. Both Jon and Donovan are likable and the portrayal of Jon abilities is interesting.
ttg wrote: "Some recent good reads:I really loved Love for the Cold-Blooded, or The Part-Time Evil Minion's Guide to Accidentally Dating a Superhero. Very hilarious gay fantasy romance about ..."
I loved it as well. And some of us met Alex Gabriel a couple of times at cons in Europe, a lovely person.
Thank you also for the rec of A Ferry of Bones & Gold, you are not the first one to recommend it. It looks good.
I’m currently reading A Chip and a Chair and absolutely loving it! I think I might be sad when it’s over. Lol. But I still don’t know who the killer is. I’m beginning to suspect some of the more side characters now... hmmm...
ttg wrote: "Some recent good reads:I really loved Love for the Cold-Blooded, or The Part-Time Evil Minion's Guide to Accidentally Dating a Superhero. Very hilarious gay fantasy romance about ..."
I absolutely loved this. So funny and just delightful throughout. Glad you enjoyed it. :)
We haven’t posted in the BOM: Kill Game thread from March in a few months, but I’m currently reviving the thread if anyone is interested.
ETA:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
ETA:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Oops! I just posted my whole comment for A Chip and a Chair here. Hopefully, it will not get lost as I move it to the correct place!
Not m/m but I take a chance and recommend a book I read in my vacation The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker. Some of you might have enjoyed her The Regeneration Trilogy from the first world war.This book is about the siege of Troy, as experienced by the women, taken as prizes by the victors of the fights. Wonderfully written, horrifying and with food for thought about women’s and girls’ lives in war in general.
Anne wrote: "Not m/m but I take a chance and recommend a book I read in my vacation The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker. Some of you might have enjoyed her The Regeneratio..."</i>
Thank you for the recommendation. This sounds interesting.
I just finished [book:The Tattooist of Auschwitz which is a harrowing true story from the time and place we should never forget.
Thank you for the recommendation. This sounds interesting.
I just finished [book:The Tattooist of Auschwitz which is a harrowing true story from the time and place we should never forget.
Johanna wrote: "Anne wrote: "Not m/m but I take a chance and recommend a book I read in my vacation The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker. Some of you might have enjoyed her [book:Th..."
Oops. I don't know what happened with the links there... *wide-eyed*
Oops. I don't know what happened with the links there... *wide-eyed*
ttg wrote: "Really dug the urban fantasy/romance A Ferry of Bones & Gold and its sequel All Souls Near & Nigh. You can tell the author loves lots of action, which made it a fun, fast-paced read. I'm looking forward to book 3 next month."
I have A Ferry of Bones & Gold as audio. I think it's time to start listening to it! :-)
I have A Ferry of Bones & Gold as audio. I think it's time to start listening to it! :-)
Johanna wrote: "ttg wrote: "Really dug the urban fantasy/romance A Ferry of Bones & Gold and its sequel All Souls Near & Nigh. You can tell the author loves lots of action, which made it a fun, fast-paced read. I'..."I'm listening to it now and enjoying it. Gary Furlong (who has narrated some of KJ Charles' work) does a good job with it. (He gets to use both is American and British accents. :-) )
Just finished the first two books in the Consulting Magic series (all thanks to Karen's rec earlier in this thread this month)- The Courtship of Julian St. Albans and the The Apprenticeship of Julian St. Albans. I enjoyed both although both felt like "early" works. It's a very "cozy" urban fantasy mystery romance, and at times felt like a cup of warm (magical) cocoa, with some dashes of murder thrown in. Very sweet and very cozy. Oh, and lots of food descriptions for those who like getting hungry while you read. :-) I'm taking a small break before diving into book 3, but am looking forward to it. I wouldn't recommend if one is not a fan of fantasy and magic though. Or overall sweetness as it is a very sweet series. Could be useful though if someone is looking for something warm and not very stressful.
Anne wrote: "Not m/m but I take a chance and recommend a book I read in my vacation The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker. Some of you might have enjoyed her [book:The Regeneratio..."
It sounds like something I would not be able to put out of my mind--and right now I am seeking easily forgettable stuff.
Except when it comes to research. ;-)
It sounds like something I would not be able to put out of my mind--and right now I am seeking easily forgettable stuff.
Except when it comes to research. ;-)
Mymymble wrote: "Josh wrote: "Anne wrote: "Not m/m but I take a chance and recommend a book I read in my vacation The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker. Some of you might have enjoyed..."
LOL
LOL
Mymymble wrote: "Easily forgettable stuff ie fluff?May I introduce: Hottie Scotty and Mr. Porter"
R. Cooper is great for fluff. I would point to For Better or Worse (set after Hottie Scotty) and Jericho Candelario's Gay Debut as well.
I'm currently reading several things!
Where'd You Go, Bernadette - MEH. I have issues with this, but it will be an interesting book group discussion next week!
The Crystal Cave - Read this once before, loved it, and now I'm listening to the audiobook and loving it all over again! Such a great narrator!
Rainbow Warrior: My Life in Color - I'll be starting this one next, I think. It's the memoir/autobiography of Gilbert Baker, the man who created the rainbow flag! So looking forward to this!
Sleeping Your Way to the Top: How to Get the Sleep You Need to Succeed - apparently this book isn't the best of the lot on sleeping, but I've learned a lot I didn't know about sleep so far. And it's inspired me to create a booklist for work about sleep. :-)
Where'd You Go, Bernadette - MEH. I have issues with this, but it will be an interesting book group discussion next week!
The Crystal Cave - Read this once before, loved it, and now I'm listening to the audiobook and loving it all over again! Such a great narrator!
Rainbow Warrior: My Life in Color - I'll be starting this one next, I think. It's the memoir/autobiography of Gilbert Baker, the man who created the rainbow flag! So looking forward to this!
Sleeping Your Way to the Top: How to Get the Sleep You Need to Succeed - apparently this book isn't the best of the lot on sleeping, but I've learned a lot I didn't know about sleep so far. And it's inspired me to create a booklist for work about sleep. :-)
Philipp wrote: "Mymymble wrote: "Easily forgettable stuff ie fluff?May I introduce: Hottie Scotty and Mr. Porter"
R. Cooper is great for fluff. I would point to For Better or Worse (set after Hot..."
Thank you! I didn't know either!
On the subject of R. Cooper, she's been re-releasing a lot of her older works as the rights come back. Shiny new editions of my R. Cooper top favourites have come out just recently--Let There Be Light and Wicklow's Odyssey and My Man Godric. The very lovely A Wealth of Unsaid Words is now available for set your own price (I think it's worth more than no money, personally) on Smashwords here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
A. J. Demas (author of One Night in Boukos and Something Human; both excellent alt.historical mm novels) has a new one out: Sword Dance.
WMD wrote: "A. J. Demas (author of One Night in Boukos and Something Human; both excellent alt.historical mm novels) has a new one out: Sword Dance."Thank you, I didn't know about
Sword Dance, I'm going to buy for sure.And thank you for mentioning Wicklow's Odyssey, dear Alison. I didn't know about that book either.
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