What are you reading in March 2014?

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Bad Girls Deadlift]

Sam wrote: "Hey everyone. I had a small break from Fantasy for a couple of weeks (don't worry, I'm as disappointed in myself as you are), but today I picked up The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K Jemisin. I'v..."

Most people I know who read it enjoyed it.

It's on my TBR, too. I also bought book 2...so I better like it, lol!

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Bad Girls Deadlift]

Luke wrote: "In other news, I wrote a little 300 word piece for a competition for an ARC, and the judges include Mark Lawrence and Luke Scull, so I'm pretty stoked that they'll be reading my little story :D"

congrats! I hope you do well!

[Eon Windrunner]

Luke - you better sign my copy of your book when it is released. ;-)

[Luke]

Lol, well of course!

The competition only has 62 people in it right now, and it ends in a couple days so I'm a little hopeful.

[Jackie]

Luke wrote: "Lol, well of course!

The competition only has 62 people in it right now, and it ends in a couple days so I'm a little hopeful."

That's exciting! Best of luck. Is this your first competition?

[Paolo]

Good luck Luke!

[Luke]

For my creative writing, yes. I've participated in non-fiction writing competitions a few times, and have even placed in a few of those.

This is the first time I've actually done anything with my creative stuff. I've let people read my work occasionally, but I prefer to bide my time and slowly work on my abilities, while I read all the important works.

Here's the piece for anyone interested. Content warning, this is a darker piece, meant to be similar to Lawrence's style. (view spoiler)[47. Gold and Scarlet

He sank to the chair, it complained loudly in the now silent hall. The blood slid from the blade, a growing puddle beneath it. He watched as the pool growing from the body on the table reached out and enveloped the puddle from his knife.

She knew the rules. She knew the traditions. Why? Why would she chance fate like that? Why would she force his hand?

He glanced at the second still figure, crumpled on the floor in front of the table. He was young. Too young. She had always liked the young ones.

Had. Fools, both of them.

A servant that he hadn’t seen approach slid a tray piled high with food in front of him then danced away on silent feet. Even the servants were sticklers for tradition. They could ignore the pale figures and the scarlet pools, as long as there was a reason. A shit reason in his mind, but as good a reason as any in theirs.

He lifted a spoonful of something to his lips. It’s amazing how the body returns to its normal programming even as the mind reels.

He barely heard the crunch of his food between his teeth as he gazed at that pool. It had encircled his gold tray by now. Gold and scarlet. Tradition and its price.

He hadn’t cared who she fucked. Well. That wasn’t quite true. But that was the way of it. He could as easily change the way things worked as he could undo his actions from minutes before.

He glanced down at the gold. He could see part of his reflection, making him look like one of the faces of a long dead prince, gilded in gold. If those princes had a decent slathering of blood splashed across their faces that is. (hide spoiler)]

[Paolo]

I like it! Good luck man!

[Sinistmer]

Luke wrote: "In other news, I wrote a little 300 word piece for a competition for an ARC, and the judges include Mark Lawrence and Luke Scull, so I'm pretty stoked that they'll be reading my little story :D"

Writing competition, for an ARC? I am intrigued...

[Luke]

Yeah, it's for Mark Lawrence's Prince of Fools, hosted by Bloody Cake News (a fantasy blog).

[Michelle]

Reading The Wild Road by Gabriel King.

[ally ¯\(ツ)/¯]

1 in 62 is a lot better odds than
1 in 4942 in the goodreads giveaway!

Good luck!

[Chris , cookie guilt]

Nice work, Luke. A good shot of grimdark to make the evening complete.

[Lee]

I'm still making my way thru Feast for Crows - slowly. The 3rd book was so great, I have to agree that this one is a disappointing follow up. I'm enjoying reading from POVs of characters we have met but haven't had yet. I like reading the returning characters. But the new ones just aren't interesting to me. And I do miss the ones who are strangely absent.

I'm also reading Charming - a loaned library book :) - it's more urban fantasy and less Once Upon a Time than I was expecting. Enjoyable in a Dresden ripoff kind of way. Not bad. But nothing you haven't read before.

[Luke]

Chris wrote: "Nice work, Luke. A good shot of grimdark to make the evening complete."

Thanks! I'm still trying to decide what style I will use. I really like Lawrence's voice in his books, so I might end up writing Grimdark when I try to get published.

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon, Not a book hipster!]

I started Vicious this morning. So far, I'm intrigued...

[Luke]

I started The Red Knight over the weekend. I don't know if I'm just not as smart as I thought I was, or if this guy's narrative style isn't very smooth.

[Lee]

Luke wrote: "I started The Red Knight over the weekend. I don't know if I'm just not as smart as I thought I was, or if this guy's narrative style isn't very smooth."

Always blame the author. ;)

[Eon Windrunner]

I struggled with the Red Knight too Luke. Have yet to finish it.

[Eon Windrunner]

Nienna wrote: "Luke wrote: "I started The Red Knight over the weekend. I don't know if I'm just not as smart as I thought I was, or if this guy's narrative style isn't very smooth."

Always blame ..."

High-five!

[Luke]

His sentences are weird. I always feel like I skipped something while reading, go back, and then realize that I haven't missed anything. It breaks up the flow pretty bad.

[Eon Windrunner]

That could be it. I wasn't sure what the problem was for me. I enjoyed the characters and the story seemed interesting, but I just couldn't get through it.

[Luke]

I'm really interested in it, since he's a period re-enactor and fights in full armor, so everything should be very accurate. It's just that his writing style is hard to read. It might have something to do with the fact that he's a historian, and probably writes at a much higher reading level than your typical fantasy novel.

[Becky]

Post an example.

[Luke]

Oh dear, I'll have to do that at 10 tonight. I don't have the book on me.

[Laurel]

I'm siding with Nienna. Blame the author. If it's not doing it for you, even if you want if to be good, put it aside and move on. All of our TBRs are far to long to waste our time on bad books. Let another book's siren call beckon ;)

[Luke]

The sad thing is that I have far too many of those resting on my conscience (they're resting on my nightstand too) lol. If I was to add another to that stack, it might break the camel's back.

[Laurel]

I donate them to charity (or put them in the Little Library on my front lawn) and consider myself even.

But, I'm far too strong willed and impulsive to ever tell someone to ignore their conscience. I hope the book gets less sucky!

[Luke]

I read for different reasons than some. I want to be a fantasy author, so in my mind, I should read all the important works, even if I don't care for them personally. I might switch to The Blade Itself or The Lies of Locke Lamora though, since they've both been on that shelf for far too long.

[ally ¯\(ツ)/¯]

I read The Lies of Locke Lamora in February. It was such a fun book. I'm reading Red Seas Under Red Skies now.
I think Locke & Jean might be my favorite book friendship. They have such great chemistry :)

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Bad Girls Deadlift]

Luke wrote: "I read for different reasons than some. I want to be a fantasy author, so in my mind, I should read all the important works, even if I don't care for them personally. I might switch to "



Have you read Andre Norton?

[Lee]

☆αlly☆ (litєrαry єscαpist) wrote: "I read The Lies of Locke Lamora in February. It was such a fun book. I'm reading Red Seas Under Red Skies now.
I think Locke & Jean might be my favorite book friendship...."

I love me a good bromance. :)

[Lee]

I finally finished Feast for Crows - seems like I've been reading it for weeks. I liked it. Not as good as the first 3. And that ending... Wth... And not in a good way. Also, even though I get to read Dragons without a wait, it probably wasn't a good idea for Martin to end with a 'to be continued soon' note... Just saying. ;)

I started right into A Dance with Dragons to finish up - first time reading this one... and I'm ready for it!

[Becky]

Nienna wrote: "I started right into A Dance with Dragons to finish up - first time reading this one... and I'm ready for it! "

Are you? Are you REALLY? ;)

[Nyssa]

Hoping to finish Carmilla tonight, as the 6th and final book of my March Madness challenge. Not sure how many pages I have left (they're not showing up on my Kindle, even though I ran it through Calibre), but I'm currently at 39% complete (chapter 5 out of 16).

[Lee]

Becky wrote: "Nienna wrote: "I started right into A Dance with Dragons to finish up - first time reading this one... and I'm ready for it! "

Are you? Are you REALLY? ;)"

Yes!! ;)

I've been trying to get to it since it first came out but I kept getting stuck with Feast for Crows... I think Feast might be cursed for me...

[Nyssa]

N. wrote: "Just finished London Falling it was frightening and wonderful."

That does sound interesting! I also enjoyed your review. :)