SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
What Else Are You Reading?
>
When SciFi and Fantasy Get Old
When I'm tired of fantasy/scifi, I usually turn to literary fiction, poetry, and history.
When I burn out on SF/F, I switch to mystery/crime. Every once in a blue moon, when I'm tired of all my old standards, I switch to reading classics - Austen, Dickens, and the like.
I switch to the classics, a horror novel or two; or MG books like a Series of Unfortunate Events and Warriors (it's nice to read something light after all the serious fantasy stuff I read).
I like literary classics. The 19th century fascinates me. I am an editor, though, so getting to read things IN my genre is a treat.
Nonfiction for me -- it's all research. Everything is grist to a writer's mill.
I have a hard time finding enough sci-fi/fantasy books to read to get burned out on them! Mostly I just reread the ones I know I can trust. I have a handful of books on my own shelf that I can turn to, including Carry On, Mr. Bowditch and The Golden Gate. I suppose I tend to write more than I read nowadays. (Ex. Silver Princess) That way I'm always being entertained by a new story! ;-)
Non-fiction, usually something to do with science or history, preferably both.
It doesn't seem to be happening to me much the last few years, but I tend to go with Non-Fiction (computer crime books in particular) or some sort of action/thriller sort of thing (Bourne Identity/Tom Clancy sort of stuff).Every now and then I read John Grisham, but I haven't really enjoyed his books as much since I was in high school. Probably because they are mostly all identical.
I probably read as much or more mystery as I do sci-fi and fantasy, perhaps even a bit more since I don't care for the current trend that seems to dictate that every new book out, especially fantasy, is "Book I" in a series, usually with a cliffhanger ending.When I really get tired of anything new I go back to my own books, books that are on my bookshelves because I enjoy re-reading, like a visit with old friends.
Sharon wrote: "I probably read as much or more mystery as I do sci-fi and fantasy, perhaps even a bit more since I don't care for the current trend that seems to dictate that every new book out, especially fantas..."I agree; it seems you have to have a series to have any chance of getting published or getting readers.
I find myself going back to some of those older fantasy books from the 70s, 80s, and 90s when that wasn't quite the case.
Greg wrote: "I find myself going back to some of those older fantasy books from the 70s, 80s, and 90s when that wasn't quite the case. "In most cases I can deal with it fine if it doesn't have a 'cliffhanger' ending and there a few series I follow faithfully. My favorite series, however, are those that have a new story for each book, the characters continue on but the plot changes and each book is complete with beginning, middle and end.
Cliffhanger endings are something of a hot button with me for several reasons and there is almost no quicker way for an author to get on my "never again" list than to manage to write a book that doesn't appear to be a 'series' and I get to the very end of the book and discover it not only is the first of a series ... it has a cliffhanger ending.
Books in a Series should have different plots. No cliffhangers, otherwise I would say it is one book divided in two or three ... tomes.
I grew up on a ranch and we only went to town once a month most of the time. I got to go the Saturday matinee when we did and they always had a 'serial' then ... a segment of something like the Lone Ranger ... always ending in a cliffhanger. I never got to see the next segment so never, ever knew how it ended.I've hated cliffhangers of any kind ever since those days.
Sharon wrote: "I grew up on a ranch and we only went to town once a month most of the time. I got to go the Saturday matinee when we did and they always had a 'serial' then ... a segment of something like the Lone Ranger ... always ending in a cliffhanger. I never got to see the next segment so never, ever knew how it ended.I've hated cliffhangers of any kind ever since those days. "
Yeesh. I can see how that would come to be a
I either just randomly select a book or ask someone to choose one for me, though I haven't hit a rut in a while.
Also, Trike, LOL
Also, Trike, LOL
Romance or something funny. Sometimes non-fiction.
Sharon wrote: "I've hated cliffhangers of any kind ever since those days."I hate cliffhangers too, almost never read a series which is the same story. I think a series should consist of stand-alone novels united by the same hero or the same location.
I can get tired of any genre. To avoid this I make certain to vary my reading habitually. I try not to read two books in a row that are too similar.
I shift to history, science, philosophy, historic fiction, politics or "world literature" if you will forgive the category. This year I've read:
Sync
The Island at the Center of the World
In the Plex
The art of racing in the rain
The battle of bretton woods
Inocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey
I just finished reading Candle In the Wind, a small press book set during the US's Civil War. Unfortunately, I can't recommend it to anyone. I'm also reading 2012's Best American Science and Nature Writing, which is a lot of fun!
History. Usually classical, but I've been reading some medieval/Byzantine stuff too more recently. I occasionally read sci-fi (I prefer fantasy as a rule), and rarely science (Marc Seifer's biography of Tesla was very interesting).
History for me -- especially history of science and technology. Example:The Perfect Machine: Building the Palomar Telescope
After that, current science and technology. Like Brenda says, if you're a writer, it's all research.
I like historical mysteries, particularly ones where the author is good at depicting the time and place in which the story is set. It feeds my xenophilia in a different way...
i only read sci-fi/fantasy and the odd horror so if i tend to mix it up when reading so i dont get bored.Currently reading the monster Pandora's Star but 800 pages in and i need a break so going to read Night Watch by Terry Pratchett
Margaret wrote: "I like historical mysteries, particularly ones where the author is good at depicting the time and place in which the story is set. It feeds my xenophilia in a different way..."Have you read Carola Dunn's Daisy Dalrymple mysteries? They are all set in England in the 1920s. Dunn is good at depicting that period after the WWI.
Right now I am reading HOW ANIMALS GRIEVE. It is longer than it needs to be, IMO.
Olga wrote: Have you read Carola Dunn's Daisy Dalrymple mysteries?Yes, some of them. I agree she does a good job with the time and place.
When I need a break from fantasy, I love a good cozy English mystery, or a historical fiction (think Philippa Gregory) ... I love both the Plantagenets and the Tudors.
I read a lot of different genres, mysteries, horror, non-fiction, science fiction, fantasies. I also read literary classics. I mix it up all the time depending on what I'm in the mood to read. The only thing I won't read is romance books.
I mostly switch it up by sub-genres. if my last book was military SF, then my next one might be urban fantasy. if my last one was fluffy romance with fangs, then the next will be a far more thinky, socially conscious sort of SF. when I need a total change of pace, something litfic or historical, usually selected for me by a friend's strong recommendation, or on the reading list for a litfic group I occasionally read with.
I'm a magpie-mind, reading what interests me, or what is recommended to me, especially if it's also loaned to me. So, I'm reading David Drake's "Lord of the Isles" series, Gene Stratton-Porter's Limberlost series, John Scalzi's "Old Man's War" series, Sharon Lee's Liaden series, Michelle Sagara's Elantra series, plus some of Byron Katie's stuff and whatever else comes to hand. I try to read at least one book a day, or more, if possible.
I read mystery (James Lee Burke, Martin Cruz Smith), true crime, historical fiction, biography, and history. A fascinating book I finished recently was "The Devil in the White City," by Erik Larson, about the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. I had no idea that so many of the things we take for granted now were actually introduced at that event (the Ferris Wheel is one of them).And who could forget Little Egypt?
http://www.amazon.com/The-Devil-White...
Ruth wrote: "I read a lot of different genres, mysteries, horror, non-fiction, science fiction, fantasies. I also read literary classics. I mix it up all the time depending on what I'm in the mood to read. Th..."That's exactly what I do to. :)
I am a pretty eclectic reader, with scifi & fantasy as my first go to for a good read. After that I tend towards non-fiction: history and science/math, and older classics after that.
My current read is fun The Ordinary Acrobat: A Journey into the Wondrous World of the Circus, Past and Present. He has a Fulbright to study at France's premiere circus school, so it's a memoir and a history.
I'm an almost exclusively SF&F reader, but when it does get stale I have backup plans that really depend on my mood - sometimes I'll pick up something funny in SF&F to shake things up, along the lines of Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett; other times I'll go to non-fiction, reading about stuff like quantum physics, astronomy, the Triad, Medieval European or Japanese military history (any subject that piques my interest, which really could be anything); or I'll hit the classics - anything from Beowulf to Kafka. I've got three kids, too, so I get to read bedtime stories EVERY DAY (which is awesome)....
I try to mix it up a bit, I might read two or three Sci-Fi novels, then throw in something from a different genre, like history or a spy/thriller novel. Whatever floats my boat at the time. It keeps me from getting so burnt out on one genre.
I really don't get tired of Fantasy. (Sometimes I need a break from sci-fi...) but really... on the RARE occasion that fantasy suddenly doesn't appeal to me, then I like to pick up a "feel good" story. Something like "Where the Red Fern Grows" or "Lad of Sunnybank" or "Little Women" - usually it's something in the YA end of the spectrum, though not always. "Pride and Prejudice" or something like that can make the list as well.Another favorite genre, that can be a nice break from the fantasy/sci-fi without REALLY leaving it altogether is the meta-fiction genre (aka Jasper Fforde's "Thursday Next" novels). I really enjoy meta-fiction.
I also am not a fan of cliff-hangers... except in television shows... but only when I'm watching on Netflix or DVD and don't have to wait any longer than either a) the time it takes to hit "next episode" or b) the next night if it's too late to stay up for another episode. :)I do like series. I like hanging out with favorite characters for more than one book, especially in fantasy/sci-fi. I don't like saying "goodbye," which may be one of the reasons I love the fantasy genre so much.
I hit a classic or non-fiction book then cycle back to genre fiction.
Julia wrote: "My current read is fun The Ordinary Acrobat: A Journey into the Wondrous World of the Circus, Past and Present. He has a Fulbright to study at France's premiere circus school, so it's a memoir and ..."That sounds wonderful - I just requested it from the library!
Peggy wrote: "Julia wrote: "My current read is fun The Ordinary Acrobat: A Journey into the Wondrous World of the Circus, Past and Present."That sounds wonderful - I just requested it from the library!
If you enjoy circus history, or traditional or modern circuses, I think you'll like it. If you don't already like some kind of circus, it may not be the book for you.
In the past four years I have only read 4 books that were not SF/F. Gunslinger by Steven King, which reads very much like a fantasy.
One autobiography
and two crime dramas, both of them Criminal Minds books.
I really enjoyed the Dark Tower series, but like you said, I'm not sure I should count that.I was reading quite a few Pulitzer prize winners for fiction earlier this year when I took a break from fantasy. It kind of came from my habit of reading Hugo and Nebula award winners.
I make sure I read one non-fiction book and one classic literature book a month. You've got to keep those brain cells hoping absorbing new facts, new words, and more complicated sentence structures.For the non-fiction I read a lot of history (famous women, interesting lesser known stories, social progress), science (biology, genetics, environmental), and sociology. For classic fiction I definitely tend towards action and romance.
Romance novels are my "I'm not feeling well where's my blankie and hot chocolate" companion.
Non-fiction is always good for a break: for me, history (often military), sociology, space exploration.A non-sf/fantasy genre I occasionally visit is westerns, particularly the work of Loren Estleman. Check out THE ADVENTURES OF JOHNNY VERMILLION or BILLY GASHADE. They're short and stand-alones: no series or cliff hangers here!
For contemporary hard-boiled crime, try POWER OF THE DOG or THE DAWN PATROL by Don Winslow.
A long time ago, I went to a reading/book signing for Loren Estleman. What an interesting man! I don't know if it's still true, but at the time he was writing two books a year on a manual typewriter!
I never read just sci-fi and fantasy. I elect a healthy blend of SF/F and literary fiction, classics, crime and mystery, non-fiction, historical, and stuff for school (which is mostly cognitive science). I do have periods when I focus more on one or the other, but my book list for this year probably includes more non-sci-fi than it does sci-fi and fantasy.I actually almost stopped reading Fantasy altogether. Not quite but close.
Peggy and Jaime,I have just discovered Loren Estleman and his Valentino, film detective series, which is now only three books long.
Good to hear that his westerns are fun, too. Here are the Valentino books:
,
and
.
SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
An Instance of the Fingerpost (other topics)Woman in the Nineteenth Century (other topics)
Arcadia (other topics)
Across the Fourwinds (other topics)
The Dark Prophecy (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Steven Brust (other topics)Iain Pears (other topics)
Emma Bull (other topics)
Ben Aaronovitch (other topics)
Ben Aaronovitch (other topics)
More...
After finally finishing the WoT series this past week I wanted a break. I picked up a book my dad had bought me more than a year ago:
It's not a bad book, quite entertaining actually. And it's also a nice change of pace for a few days before I choose which book I'll tackle next.
So, what books do you tend to read when it's time for a break from fantasy/scifi? Adventure, Mystery, Romance, Non-fiction, more? I'm interested and surely others are as well.