What Else Are You Reading - January 2014

[Nikki]

Sixty pages into Chronicles of the Black Company
Mostly I am really enjoying it, though there are some annoyances, ie. the clipped writing style (which I know is purposeful) and in the almost complete lack of character and scenery/world descriptions. Painting a little bit more of the picture would be nice!

[David(LA,CA)]

Finally finished off London Falling. Also knocked out a pair of WoW graphic novels: World of Warcraft: Dark Riders and World of Warcraft: Bloodsworn.

Heading into Bob Moore: No Hero.

[Aaron]

Finished Reamde on Friday and while I enjoyed it, I couldn't help but feel it was not up to Neal Stephenson's high standard.
This weekend I devoured Horrid Little Stories which was a thoroughly amusing diversion, and then The Reluctant Dragon which made me feel like a child again in the best possible way. This inspired me to add Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows to my TBR list since there really is something magical about rereading a childhood classic.
Still waiting on The Einstein Intersection to arrive at my local library, so for a change of pace I think I will finally get around to reading a copy of No Country for Old Men. It can't always be happy endings and nostalgia.

[Jeff]

Well my 1st two picks for 2014 were duds for me: Daughter of Smoke & Bone audiobook wasn't for me and The Einstein Intersection didn't do it either. I think I'm gonna jump to something a little more safe enjoyment wise and read Shift Omnibus Edition (Silo, #2) that's in my pile. Not sure for the audiobook. Was thinking London Falling but alas there is no audiobook for it. I like my urban fantasies when it comes to audiobooks so I need to dig around.

[Clyde]

Just finished:
-Endgame: Bobby Fischer's Remarkable Rise and Fall - from America's Brightest Prodigy to the Edge of Madness
- The Human Division
- The Einstein Intersection
- The Thin Red Line

Now reading:
- The Last Unicorn
- Dangerous Women

Next up (switching to crime fiction for a while):
- Star Island
- A Purple Place for Dying

[Rob, Roberator]

I finished listening to Best Served Cold, which I really enjoyed. (My Review)

Next I started listening to Leviathan Wakes.

[Walter]

Finished The Sandman Omnibus Vol. 1. Now on to The Sandman Omnibus Vol. 2.

[Jeff]

Ok settled in w/ my next picks. The audiobook of Neverwhere & Timebound (freebie Amazon Kindle select).

[Sandi]

I finished The Einstein Intersection. I"m now starting Range of Ghosts by Elizabeth Bear.

[Jennifer]

I just finished Death Masks as kind of a come down after my book high of The Shadow of the Wind. I have now moved on to The Way of Shadows

[Robert]

Finished The Einstein Intersection, started listening to the audiobook of Redshirts by John Scalzi before I move on to I Don't Want To Kill You.

[Kevin]

Just finishing off last months group read. A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent

After that I'm hoping to finish off two series I'm really enjoying so far in the next 2 weeks: Necessary Evil and Wings of WrathLegacy of Kings

[Rob]

I"m buried and flipping between the following books!

Cetaganda
Double Down: Game Change 2012
Dangerous Women

re-listening to Leviathan Wakes and will use that as a jumping off point to catch up on the next two in the expanse saga.

[Mark]

Related: I'm about 2/3 through Abaddon's Gate and I'm amazed that the quality is still so high after 3 books!

[Tamahome]

I'm checking out Up Against It for some old fashioned science fiction in space. It stays within the solar system; I call it "solar opera", like Leviathan Wakes.

[Dara]

Solar opera is a great term. Change approved.

[Sandi]

I just finished Beyond the Shadows by Brent Weeks. I was blown away by the climax. Now, I'm anxiously awaiting the release of the third book in his Lightbringer series.

My new audiobook is non-SFF, The Trinity Game by Sean Chercover. It's narrated by Luke Daniels. He does an amazing televangelist.

[Ctgt]

Sandi wrote: "I just finished Beyond the Shadows by Brent Weeks. I was blown away by the climax. Now, I'm anxiously awaiting the release of the third book in his Lightbringer series.

My new audiobook is non-SFF..."

I've had that Chercover book on my kindle for quite some time but can't seem to get to it. I'll be interested to hear what you think.

[Sandi]

I'm an hour and a half in and really enjoying it. I think that's mostly because of the narration.

[Ctgt]

Sandi wrote: "I'm an hour and a half in and really enjoying it. I think that's mostly because of the narration."

Thanks, sounds good. Maybe I'll have to pick up the audiobook, since I have the book already it's only $1.99. I'll check back after you've finished for the final verdict.

[Dharmakirti]

I finally finished Fallen Dragon, I enjoyed it but didn't love it (3.5 stars). I do look forward to reading more Peter F. Hamilton.

I recently started this month's selection, The Einstein Intersection, and so far I really like it. It is my second Samuel R. Delany novel. I think Nova will be the next Delany novel I read.

I'm still working on The Witching Hour and The Man From Primrose Lane.

[Rob, Roberator]

Sandi wrote: "I just finished Beyond the Shadows by Brent Weeks. I was blown away by the climax. Now, I'm anxiously awaiting the release of the third book in his Lightbringer series.

My new audiobook is non-SFF..."

I was also blown away by it. Blow away by how terrible it was. Lol. I thought the first book was really good and the series kept going down with each sequel Alas.

I'm told by multiple people that I'll like his Lightbringer series much more however.

[Emmanuel]

I've gotten way behind on my reading and I'm hoping to cut down that stack of unread books on my nightstand in these first two months of the new year. I'm currently reading Swordspoint, then after that it'll be Einstein Intersection, Lies of Locke Lamora, Red Seas Under Red Skies, Crystal Deception, Malinda Lo's Inheritance, The Riyria Chronicles, the Shadowdance series, Drakenfeld, the Enchanter Heir, and House of Hades. Yeah. I've got a long haul in front of me.

[Gregor]

Emmanuel wrote: "I've gotten way behind on my reading and I'm hoping to cut down that stack of unread books on my nightstand in these first two months of the new year. I'm currently reading Swordspoint, then after ..."

I can't speak for the rest on your list, but the Scott Lynch books are excellent.

[Viola]

I've decided to go with The Blood Gospel. You can never go wrong with Rollins, although it is co-authored.

[Bryan]

So far I'm not reading a lot of sf in 2014. Mostly I'm reading nonfiction: history, technology, education.

The new Thomas Pynchon, Bleeding Edge has a few sf touches (so far; not done yet).

I'm looking forward to Ancillary Justice, and, hopefully, some new horror.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

I started this month's Sword and Laser pick at lunch today, otherwise I'm trying to zip through the Tournament of Books list... I think there is a post-apocalyptic title but otherwise no sword/laser.

The reactions from most people to the Delany make me think back fondly to the days of Lem, when lemming became a thing. What would a Delany be? :)

[AndrewP]

Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "The reactions from most people to the Delany make me think back fondly to the days of Lem, when lemming became a thing. What would a Delany be? :) ."

If it's an eBook then it's obviously going to be a 'Del', as in 'Delete':)

[Tamahome]

To 'Delany' something could mean:

1) to write excessive introductions

2) (say a lot of things in parentheses)

[Noomninam]

Kurt wrote: "I'm reading Embedded

Its by Dan Abnett one of the writers of the Guardians of the Galaxy series from Marvel Comics that is now a movie coming out in Augu..."

Kurt wrote: "I'm reading Embedded

Its by Dan Abnett one of the writers of the Guardians of the Galaxy series from Marvel Comics that is now a movie coming out in Augu..."

I loved Embedded. Planning to revisit this author.

[David Sven]

Finished Percepliquis on Audible
My review
Starting House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds, also on Audible

[Dharmakirti]

Bryan wrote: "So far I'm not reading a lot of sf in 2014. Mostly I'm reading nonfiction: history, technology, education.

The new Thomas Pynchon, Bleeding Edge has a few sf touches (so far; not done yet).

I'm ..."

Are you enjoying Bleeding Edge? I've had it sitting on my coffee table for a couple months and I keep telling myself "next, I'll read it next."

[Bryan]

Bleeding Edge... it's light. Like Inherent Vice it sticks to a single narrator, a fairly coherent plot. BE has the classic Pynchon humor (wild names, one-liners, wacky set pieces), but eases off on the lyric weirdness of, say, Gravity's Rainbow or Against the Day.

It's a very pleasant read. The heroine is good company. The depiction of NYC in 2001 charms me, since I'm a NY native and (obviously) close to that year. The technological explorations are both visionary and well grounded. Ultimately it's... comforting, in a way.

The 9-11 aspect has been disappointing so far. Descriptions were perfunctory. Pynchon explores some conspiracy theories, then almost reluctantly sets them aside. Not a lot there.

Some context: I'm a Pynchon fanatic, have read everything, and can tell stories about weird and entertaining Pynchon-related stuff.

Full review coming up.

[terpkristin]

Jenny wrote: "The reactions from most people to the Delany make me think back fondly to the days of Lem, when lemming became a thing. What would a Delany be? :)

I had this exact same thought! I like the Del(ete). :D

[Bryan]

I prefer more positive terms, such as Delicious, or Delight.

[Joshua]

I just finished Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti and it totally blew me away though I can also understand the people who thought it sucked. You have to like language and description and backstory and not care too much that there isn't any plot until toward the end. But some of those backstories, whoa. Lots of emotional impact.

Now I'm working on The Windup Girl which is similarly difficult for me even though it is also blowing me away with its excellence. Both these authors are SO GOOD at using just the right word at the right time. So for a little break I'm reading things like The Wizard Test which are good but light and quick and fun and something I can share with my kids.

Seems like these days I always have one paper book and one ebook in my currently-reading phase, and I find that usually going back and forth is a good thing, especially for finishing things like Mechanique that otherwise would end up buried under lighter/easier reads.

I read this month's Delaney many years ago and am trying to decide if this is an occasion for a re-read or not.

[Thomas]

Finished reading Scalzi's Old Man's War yesterday, and was quite satisfied with it. I think some of the comparisons I've seen to Heinlein's Starship Troopers do this book an injustice. It's much better than Starship Troopers.

I have quite a stack of unread sci-fi and haven't picked the next read from that category yet. I'll focus on making progress on Einstein: His Life and Universe in the meantime.

[Mark]

I just picked up S. after hearing about it on Geek's Guide to the Galaxy.

It's a book, but there's also people having conversations in the margins, and it's full of postcards and notes stuck in the pages (well they're supposed to be stuck in the pages, I got it from the library in a separate bundle and had to stick them back in and pretend)

So this will either be a really awesome experience or really annoying

[Dharmakirti]

I finished Einstein Intersection yesterday and I loved it. 5 stars!

The Man From Primrose Lane just got really interesting and took a turn I did not see coming at all. I'd recommend this novel to those who like murder mysteries and surprise twists.

[Ryne]

Just started The Adventures of Amanda Love, reminiscent of Firefly. Totally awesome and fun a quarter of the way through. Finished Working for the Devil which was a great fast paced story, and my favorite of the few urban fantasy novels I've read.

[Sandi]

I finished listening to The Trinity Game yesterday and I really enjoyed it. I don't know if I would have liked it as much in print though. The latest Flavia de Luce mystery, The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches came out Tuesday, so I started it today. I haven't decide what my next listen will be. Probably some science fiction.

Today, I finished reading a paper book--my second in the since Christmas 2012. City of Lost Dreams, the sequel to City of Dark Magic, was actually better than the first book.

My current ebooks are Range of Ghosts and Roadside Picnic. The latter is turning out to be perfect for the gym. It has four long chapters. The first two have each taken just about the right amount of time for my recumbent bike session.

Between new releases and terrific sales, I'm having a really hard time digging through my backlog of both audio and ebooks.

[Marc]

I recently finished the first three 25th Anniversary collections of the Drizzt Do'Urden novels...which are always fun. So, to take a quick break, i went with Mr. Joe Ambercrombie and Mr. Martin to ween me off the Forgotten Realms kick...also just started, Tesla: Man Out of Timewhich has been facinating thus far...talk about a guy living Science Fiction!! Before They Are Hanged, A Dance with Dragons...Enjoy all those terrific titles folks!!

[Dawn]

Finished Long Live the Queen which is the end of the trilogy. Kind of sad to see it come to an end. Also finished Her Ladyship's Curse which was ok the heroine is a bit much. I think I am going to continue with my steampunk theme and read Romulus Buckle & the City of the Founders

[Sandi]

OMG! I just listened to two hours of Farside by Ben Bova. I'm going to lem it and try to return it to Audible. I don't cry "sexist" at most books, but this is the most sexist piece of drivel I've ever read. It seems like it was written in 1953 rather than 2013. Add to the fact that 1/2 of the book so far has a female POV character and it's narrated by Stefan Rudnicki. He's a good narrator, but a very poor choice for this book. He has a very deep voice and can't do women well at all. UGH!

So, I now need to go through my backlog and choose another audiobook.

[David Sven]

Finished Hobb's Rainwild series with Blood of Dragons very nice ending.
My review
Changing it up with a bit of steampunk with Romulus Buckle the City of the Founders

[Mark]

Embarking on 35 hours of Robin Hobb with Ship of Magic for my January Audible pick

[Sandi]

I want to state for the record that I was not plagiarizing the other reviewers of Farside in my review. In fact, I started laughing when I saw how many people thought what I did about it seeming 60 years older than it is.

[Mark]

Yeah, well I haven't been impressed by a Bova book since maybe Saturn...

New Earth was just awful and I don't have great hopes for Mars, Inc.: The Billionaire's Club.

Still, he is one of two authors I have read their entire work of fiction so far (the other being Arthur C Clarke) so I keep wading through the crap he puts out these days hoping for a gem...

I think the Grand Tour series from Empire Builders all the way up to Leviathans of Jupiter is top notch, but he seems to have faltered in quality after that

[David(LA,CA)]

Finished up Bob Moore: No Hero, and I'm going to try the next in the series (Bob Moore: Desperate Times) to see if it expands the world a bit more.

Also started listening to World of Warcraft: Dawn of the Aspects

[Sandi]

I have Empire Builders too. I have to let the nightmare of Farside fade a bit before I give that a go.

Hard Magic is my current audiobook. I'm liking it a lot.