What Else Are You Reading?

[Robert]

I wanted to start this topic thread so we can talk about books we're reading outside of the book club picks, or even non-Who books.

Right now I'm reading some works on Wattpad, but the last book I read was The Onion Girl by Charles de Lint. It's a good fantasy book, contemporary fantasy, but it might not be for everyone.

Ii has three major POV characters (only two of which are linked early on), plus a couple minor POV characters. It deals with some heavy issues as backstories to two of the major characters. All that said, I found it interesting and engaging. It's in the middle of a series, but I never felt as though I needed to have read the rest of the series to understand the story or the characters.

[Keith]

That's impressive if you can jump in the middle of a series and not feel like you HAD to read the previous ones.

Personally, I am in the middle of working my way through the first A Game of Thronesbooks. I have another stack I wan to get to alternating between them and the rest of the series.

[Bobbi]

I'm alternating between the Eithth Doctor Adventures, Sherlock Holmes, and the Dragonlance series. Recently, though, I was swept back into Percy Jackson. I love me some Greek mythology.

[Ben]

Currently I'm reading Stephen King's Doctor Sleep. I never imagined. Sequel to The Shining so I was ecstatic to see it realized. So far it's awesome! I've a stack of books and ebooks waiting in the wings. Some Star Wars, some Doctor Who and a RA Slavatore novel about Drizzt Do'Urden my favorite dark elf. I haven't read those books in years.

[Michael]

I'm going through some of the readily available Doctor Who book, currently on 'Players'. I've got a stack of about 7 right now to read. I might interject some others stuff, but haven't figured out what yet.

[Chrissy]

Seeing as I can't hardly leave work without checking out two or three books before walking out the door, I'm reading A LOT of stuff (currently, there are 27 books checked out on my library card. I know - I have a problem). Right now, I'm in the thick of The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. I'm actually listening to the audiobook because I listened to the Wheel of Time audiobooks and I loved the readers they had for that series and their using the same ones for WoK. Plus, the second in that series just came out and I'm on the wait list for that. Besides, anything Brandon Sanderson writes is pure gold. I'd probably read the phone book if they told me he wrote it. I also just finished Dangerous by Shannon Hale, who is another of my all-time favorite authors and I enjoyed this latest one immensely. After that, I started in on Under the Never Sky, which I'm enjoying so far. And I want - no, NEED - to re-read Divergent. Plus I have a few eARCs on my Nook waiting for me to get to them.

[Brittany]

I am currently reading quite a few books, because I can't just read one book at a time. Though I just got my hands on Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale by Russell T. Davies, so I am about to start that one, I am also re-reading some of my favorite children books from my childhood for a little project I am working on.

[Glenn]

I finally got around to one of my Christmas gifts (from Shaun none-the-less), and am reading Behind the Sofa: Celebrity Memories of Doctor Who, the wonderful celebrity memories of Doctor Who that has its proceeds going to Alzheimer's research. I'm also about half way through Doctor Who: Who-ology, as it's one of those books that you just pick up from time to time and read a few pages.

[Mark]

I'm currently reading a few books. But the main ones I have on the go are A restless mind (a gift from my girlfriend - to help me with anxiety and depression). Also Ice T's last book. Very different subjects but both interesting.

[Josh]

If I don't count all the ones I've 'sort of started' then left in limbo, then there's just two books I'm focusing on finishing right now. Firstly The Bicentennial Man and Other Stories by Issac Asimov. I'd recently read I, Robot and I like how these are many stories which follow along in the same continuity (though the last part I read took a bit of a diversion). If you do delve into Asimov you should definitely read these in that order (I, Robot first) though I did it purely by chance.

The other one I'm reading is Doctor Who: Ghosts of India by Mark Morris. With the tenth Doctor and Donna. I've actually been struggling with this for a while because it's never quite gripped me. But after I started feeling really impatient waiting to find out which Who book we'll be reading, I realised I could be focusing that energy on finishing the one I'm already half way through - that's got me through a couple more chapters already!

And Patrick Moore: The Autobiography is sitting by my bed waiting for the moment I finish with the robots. I've already sneaked a few pages of that.

[Josh]

Completely forgot until I just saw it on my shelf - I'm also half way through Chicks Dig Time Lords: A Celebration of Doctor Who by the Women Who Love It

[Chrissy]

I'm just doing some housekeeping in the discussion posts, so this is going to go in our "Off-Topic" section :) Carry on!

[Robert]

Sorry I haven't posted here in a while, but I've been busy with writing and... stuff. Mostly writing.

Anyway, a week or so ago I finished Anathema by Megg Jensen. It's a good YA fantasy story, and the start of a trilogy. I quite enjoyed it.

I read it on Wattpad, which is a website and a social network for sharing stories. You can join as a reader or a writer (or both). You can vote and comment on stories. You can follow others, and they can follow you and see what you read and write. There are also clubs where you can discuss what you're reading, meet fans (like Who fans), and share information.

Here's where you can find it: http://www.wattpad.com/

If you join, feel free to follow me. I have some of my works there, and I take part in some discussions in some of the clubs.

[Glenn]

I just finished reading Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen by Terrance Dicks. You can see my micro review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Josh]

I started reading Sharpe's Company when I'd finished this months Who book, and I think I might try to squeeze a Sharpe in between each Who book from now. (I have plenty waiting on my shelf already). I've very down to earth, gritty Napoleonic war stuff, so makes a nice contrast. But also contains many great characters I fell in love with through the TV adaptations, which stars Sean Bean (who amazingly gets through every episode without dying! Well.. there's that one time, but spoilers!)

Despite it being a very British series (both books and tv-films) I actually found my first Sharpe book in the Dusty Bookshelf in Manhattan, Kansas! Where it helped me through a short flu and a little homesickness.

[Brittany]

Well, I still reading many books at one time, but I have been craving Neil Gaiman lately. I am just about to finish Stardust, and about startThe Graveyard Book, and, then I am not sure. Unfortunately, I am not the only one craving his books, majority of his books are checked out....

[Glenn]

I also picked up and started reading The Maze Runner by James Dashner last week. I had to put it down for a couple of days so that I could read DWatAS as research for this week's podcast, but I am excited to continue. So far, it's really good.

[Glenn]

I just finished reading the Virgin Missing Adventure Downtime by Marc Platt in preparation for this week's podcast. I must say, having seen the video version of the story and having read the novel, the book gives me a greater appreciation for the story. I think Platt is better at writing in long form as opposed to screenplays. You can tell that he has grand concepts and great character development that just does not translate to the small screen. I think the same happened with his story for Ghostlight.

[Mike]

I'm currently reading Blakes 7: Lucifer by Paul Darrow. I've waited nearly 30 years to find out what happened after that fateful day on Gauda Prime.

The book isn't the most fast paced but the dialogue is good if you're a fan which I am. I'm enjoying it a lot.

[Robert]

Hm, almost two months since my last post in this thread. Well, May wasn't exactly a great month for me.

Anyway, I have read a couple more books on Wattpad, both fantasy. The first was The Warrior's Path. It's not the usual sort of fantasy story. There's not much in the way of fighting. It's mainly a drama about a young woman finding her place. It wouldn't be for everyone, but I enjoyed it.

The other is Dark Currents, the second book in the "Emperor's Edge" series. It's set in a steampunk/fantasy world, a features a disparate group trying to help their emperor while being known as outlaws. In this tale the "Emperor's Edge" deal a mystery involving their city's water supply. It's witty and interesting, with some fun characters.

Just about time to get back to writing. Hopefully two months won't pass between this and my next post. :)

[Amanda]

This month, I read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, A Quick Bite by Lynsay Sands, Mr Mercedes by Stephen King, and Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo.

I'm about to start reading The Program by Suzanne Young with one of my sisters and The Lions of al-Rassan for another book club :)

[Mike]

I've now finished Blakes 7: Lucifer and gave it three stars. As mentioned previously not the most fast paced but some good dialogue and resurrects the Blakes 7 story as it's the first part of a trilogy. I would probably only recommend it to fans of the show, however if you are a fan, you'll probably love it.

I'm now reading Ultimatum, a thriller by Simon Kernick as a short break from sci fi. I don't know if any of you have read his books, they're the most fast paced thrillers I've read. Extremely well written and short chapters make for a fast pace and off that 'Ok, just one more chapter' feeling. A good starting off point for his books is 'Relentless', and it certainly is.

Mike

[Glenn]

Just finishing up "Chicks Dig Time Lords". It a good anthology piece dealing with Doctor Who from a female perspective. It's really interesting examining the series from a perspective I'm not as familiar with.

[Amanda]

Glenn wrote: "Just finishing up "Chicks Dig Time Lords". It a good anthology piece dealing with Doctor Who from a female perspective. It's really interesting examining the series from a perspective I'm not as fa..."


Ooh, was that good? have you read Queers Dig Timelords? I've heard good things.

[Robert]

I love "Chicks Dig Time Lords." I do have a slight bias, in that one of the contributors, Jennifer Adams Kelley, is a friend of mine.

[Amanda]

I look forward to checking it out

[Josh]

I took There and Back Again: An Actor's Tale (Sean Astin's book about working on The Lord Of The Rings) out of the library purely to study it's index, but I've ended up getting drawn into reading the whole thing. I probably should have expected that since I'm a massive fan of Tolkien and anything behind the scenes of making film and television. The early chapters includes quite lot of of stuff about non-LOTR films and the nitty-gritty of Hollywood, but in a down-to-earth way.

Also very amusing to discover (spoiler?) that he somehow did an entire degree in Literature without ever hearing of The Lord of The Rings. Then how, having only just heard the name from his agent, he went into a big bookstore and asked if they had any Tolkien, and getting directed to shelves and shelves of the stuff. I remember how big those sections would be even long before the movies, so I was cringing for the poor guy as I read the lead up to that.

Btw, also loved Chicks Dig Timelords. And I've read 1 chapter of Queers Dig Timelords (Erik Stadnik's podcasting bit) which was great, but I'm torn on whether to read that or Chicks Unravel Time: Women Journey Through Every Season of Doctor Who first.

[Glenn]

Amanda wrote: "I look forward to checking it out"

Yes, it was quite enjoyable, Amanda.

[Robert]

Okay, so I haven't posted in this thread in a while. Oops.

First off, one of my holiday gifts to me, via iTunes gift card, was picking up The Discontinuity Guide. It's a fun guide to Classic Who. There are episode-by-episode nods to good lines, bad lines, flubs, and triumphs. There are attempts to sort out the history of the Daleks and the Cyberman. You might not agree with every comment about the episodes, but it's worth having.

Second, I just finished Deadly Games, the third "Emperor's Edge" novel. It breezed along nicely, and felt lighter in tone that the second novel.

Over the summer I dived into two classic novels, The Mark of Zorro and The Scarlet Pimpernel. I liked the latter more than the former; the wife's POV in that was interesting.

Finally, I read a bit more steampunk recently. One was Steam on the Horizon; I enjoyed the book. I met the author at a con in Omaha. The other is The Ruby Curse, by a Wichita area author. She's a friend, and I wasn't sure if I'd like her book, but she created a fascinating world of magic and steampunk, and created a truly unusual main character.

I picked a few other books on the gift card. I'll try to post again when I've read through them.

Cheers & Happy New Year!

[Robert]

I wanted to mention a couple of novels I've read since my last post.

About a week ago I completed The Stepsister Scheme. I suspect a few of you might enjoy this one. The premise is that Cinderella, aka Danielle, finds her happy ending interrupted by her stepsisters, who have learned magic. She gets help from Talia (Sleeping Beauty) and Snow (White) in pursuing her stepsisters and learning how to handle herself.

The other is Qualify. It's a YA sci-fi novel about a teenaged girl trying to qualify to be one of the few saved from Earth's destruction. New chapters are being posted at Wattpad, which is where I'm reading it.

I hope some you have had time to read outside of the club picks. Here's hoping for a spring full of entertaining books!

[Robert]

I wanted to add the latest book I read, since it has some relevance to a certain show we like. That book is Libriomancer. The premise of the novel is interesting: magic spells work by reaching into books, and books are the source of magic. The main character is one of these "libriomancers" who has to deal with a major crisis.

As to the relevance to us, said main character is a SF fan. The book ends with him wanting to get two friends hooked on two of his favorite series, Firefly and Doctor Who. No direct Who references that I recall, and he never pulls out a sonic screwdriver. It's well worth reading.

[Ben]

I'm currently reading Festival of Death, the Fourth Doctor book by Jonathan Morris. It's part of the 50 years reissue collection. I'm only 20% in, so it's tough to give a review. So far though it's got a very spooky feel to it. I would definitely recommend it just based on where I am in the book now.

[Robert]

So, Time Eddy happened in Wichita this past weekend. I had fun, sold books, and met lots of nice Whovians. I was also able to pick up Companion Piece: Women Celebrate the Humans, Aliens and Tin Dogs of Doctor Who. I finished it a little while ago. I liked it as much as I did Chicks Dig Time Lords: A Celebration of Doctor Who by the Women Who Love It. "Companion Piece" focuses mainly on the companions of the Doctor, and like the first book, all the essays were written by women. The essays are thought-provoking in their own ways, and though I agreed with some more than others, they're all worth the read.

I wonder if, at some point, one of these books might be a book club pick. I think either could lead to some interesting discussions about the book as well as the show. If they don't become picks, that's fine, too.

Happy reading!

[Holly]

Robert, I will most definitely keep those books in mind. I loved Chicks Dig Time Lords, and Chicks Unravel Time. I had added a discussion question about adding biographies of Doctor Who Actors for our book discussion I will also add this as well to the discussion topic.

[Eli]

I didn't know where else to write this as there isn't a general discussion section; where to start with the Doctor Who books? I have watched all existing classic and new Who, including some rare episodes.

[Lee]

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Doctor Who: Cybermen
Fascinating read