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What Else Are You Reading?
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What else are you reading? - November 2015
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Rob, Roberator
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Nov 01, 2015 04:24AM
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I finished The End of All Things, liked it as I've liked everything I've read by Scalzi.Then The Sorcerer's House by Gene Wolfe, which was very strange, a bit confusing at first, and epistolary which I don't generally like - loved it! Gene Wolfe is a god.
Needed a change so I read Seduction and Snacks which made me snort-laugh out loud several times - just a contemporary romance, but full of cursing and drinking and sex, like normal people :) Read the sequel too, Futures and Frosting, which was good but I was tired of the shtick after those.
Moonsinger by Andre Norton - I liked this story a lot, but the overly formal language spoken by all the characters was a little irritating - I noticed it way too much.
I couldn't settle on anything new, so I'm rereading a few of the Retrieval Artist books (they are pretty short and move fast) while I decide what's next.
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Maskerade, then this month's pick plus a compilation of books 7-12 of the Dresden files. This month's pick is hard copy and I need extra on my kindle for late night reading. With regular insomnia I much prefer the kindle.When it comes in I'll get Seveneves. I'll have two weeks to read it and there's a line so I won't be able to renew. Once it's in it's binge reading time to get through on time.
Read Sunset Mantle, another one of the excellent tor.com novella series. Reminiscent of Gemmell. My Review.Read Murder of Crows, second book of the Others. Pretty good, maybe not as good as book one. My Review.
Read Black Sun Light My Way, second book of the Children of the Black Sun. Solid fantasy that hits second book syndrome over the head with a sword and blasts it with magefire. My Review.
Read Jackaby, first book in a supernatural version of Sherlock Holmes as set in 1890s America. My Review.
Read The Single Undead Moms Club which is typical Harper. My Review.
Read Ancillary Mercy which is typical Ann Leckie ie., brilliant. My Review.
Currently Reading The Name of the Star.
I'm half way through Hell's Foundations Quiver and really enjoying it except there are so many names. A new definition of page turner. I have to keep turning back to the maps and character reference to figure out who/what/where each chapter refers to.
Joel wrote: "Starting Dracula by Bram Stoker."It's pretty awesome, even by today's standards. Kind of nice to read the grandaddy of them all, the book that birthed a genre.
I'm slowly getting through Neuromancer. As it stands, I'd call it a confusing mess.Also starting Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay. I read his Sarantine Mosaic duology earlier in the year and loved it, so I'm excited to try something else by Kay.
John (Taloni) wrote: "Joel wrote: "Starting Dracula by Bram Stoker."It's pretty awesome, even by today's standards. Kind of nice to read the grandaddy of them all, the book that birthed a genre."
Yeah, I'm excited to finally give it a try.
I just finished Startide Rising. Through the first half I was struggling because there wasn't a lot happening and I wasn't connecting with the characters, but about halfway through when I saw where the story was going, I started to get into it. I'm going to read a few other books before coming back and reading The Uplift War.
Finished The Traitor Baru Cormorant. Let's see: Gender issues? Check! Sexuality issues? Check! Racial issues? Check! Cultural issues? Check! Yup, all the politically correct bases are covered; too bad the story is tedious and boring and it's all mired in purple prose.Starting Shadow of the Hegemon.
Here is my review of The thousand names, which is the 1st book in The shadow campaigns series, really loved this book and it is a must read for people loving military or flintlock fantasy.
I'm reading The Churn by James S.A. Corey. I don't think novellas for me. I haven't enjoyed any of the Expanse ones I've read.
Finished Rat Queens, Vol. 1: Sass & Sorcery. It was marvelous and everybody should read it. My review. Now I have to move on to Rat Queens, Vol. 2: The Far Reaching Tentacles of N'rygoth.
Listening to the The Forever War in my goal to read the BOM picks that due to the fact I did not know of S&L existence.
Read The Last Witness. Unlikeable character with fascinating ability tries to transcend it. My Review.Read Saturn Run. A thriller/suspense writer does SF with mixed results. My Review.
Read The Name of the Star which is a solid start to a YA urban fantasy series dealing with a London shadow police unit. My Review.
Currently reading The Madness Underneath, book two of the series that started with the Name of the Star.
Nothing. I've been in a reading funk for over a month and haven't finished a single book :(But, I just picked up a copy of Elantris and hope it will snap me out of it.
After finishing Empire Ascendant, I decided to get to the last of KSR's Mars trilogy, Blue Mars. I'm very excited to learn the exact kind of dirt that will save the world!
Finally finished up Star Wars: The Rise of the Empire today. Took me a little bit longer than planned. Been dealing with my mother's anal cancer diagnosis and transporting her to an fro to various doctors' appointments. We have been told the type she has is completely curable, which is a relief (she starts her treatments on Monday). Anyhoo, I was too nervous to read most of the time. Now I'm waiting for this month's pick to arrive in the mail. I know it made it to the USPS but who knows when they'll actually get around to putting it in my box.
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Best of luck to your mom.
Rob wrote: "Best of luck to your mom."Thank you!
I've just read Gold Fame Citrus. A dystopian novel about a couple living in an USA where there is hardly any water and everything is just becoming sand. It's an interesting story, a bit depressing - but the prose wasn't exactly for me.At the moment I'm reading The Hunter's Kind by Rebecca Levene. I really enjoyed the first book in the series Smiler's Fair, it reminds me of the epic, fun fantasy books I used to read as a teenager.
And then my TBR books for the rest of the month are this month's pick, Fangirl and The Rook (come to think of it, they're all bookclub picks. Huh).
Dara wrote: "Finished Rat Queens, Vol. 1: Sass & Sorcery. It was marvelous and everybody should read it. My review. Now I have to move on to [book:Rat Queens, Vol. 2: The Far Reaching Tentacles ..."I quite like those, too. I like the second one better than the first, actually. Eagerly anticipating the 3rd installment.
Misti wrote: "Finally finished up Star Wars: The Rise of the Empire today. Took me a little bit longer than planned. Been dealing with my mother's anal cancer diagnosis and transporting her to an..."Good luck with the treatment. It's not an easy thing.
I have a procedure tomorrow morning, and the prep involves having to drink more fluids today than I typically drink in two weeks. Oy.
Still reading Maplecroft, which is quite good, but I keep getting distracted.Also reading Viper Pilot: A Memoir of Air Combat, which reads like sci-fi in some parts.
Barnes & Noble had (might still be having) a "Buy 2 Get 1 Free" sale on Marvel and DC graphic novels, so I picked up Operation: S.I.N.: Agent Carter and two Black Widow collections. Also bought the first two Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-man collections with the third on pre-order.
Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man Ultimate Collection Book 1
"I have a procedure tomorrow morning, and the prep involves having to drink more fluids today than I typically drink in two weeks. Oy. "Thanks, I hope your procedure goes well.
I finished Midnight Tides. It took me a while to get into it, but when it was all over I absolutely loved it. Now onto The Bonehunters in text, continuing Robogenesis in audio.
Just finished rereading The Big Sleep. "Dead bodies are heavier than broken hearts." Never gets old.
In comics I've been reading Peanuts, part of the recent Humble Bundle. (Maybe still available) Also, read Trish Out of Water. Fun, teen action story. Ties into the Fathom universe.
Just finished Razor's Edge, a Star Wars story about Princess Leia. Nothing special but not bad, and it's Star Wars.
In comics I've been reading Peanuts, part of the recent Humble Bundle. (Maybe still available) Also, read Trish Out of Water. Fun, teen action story. Ties into the Fathom universe.
Just finished Razor's Edge, a Star Wars story about Princess Leia. Nothing special but not bad, and it's Star Wars.
David wrote: "Just finished rereading The Big Sleep. "Dead bodies are heavier than broken hearts." Never gets old."Quite likely my favorite piece of American literature, ever.
Just finished Lev Grossman's The Magicians. I hesitated on it because I'd heard so much about how loathsome the characters are, but I found them, while not likable, certainly understandable. We all like to think we weren't horrible shits when we were teenagers, but many of us were, and I found them to be such in a pretty accurate and believable fashion. It's a downer book, but I enjoyed it a lot.Also just finished Leviathan Wakes and The Engines of God, both of which were phenomenal. And Spawn Of The Winds, which was substantially less than phenomenal.
Next up: Adulthood Rites
Finished Days of Blood & Starlight... I liked it way more than the first book. Not that the first book was bad-this one was just more exciting. My teenager is telling me I NEED to read Throne of Glass-so I'm going to give it a try.
Finished Faerie Tale. Now reading The Library at Mount Char, a dark fantasy that's the author's first novel, and quite good so far.
Been a busy month and its only the 10th!Finally finishedThe Bonehunters on audio/paperback a few days back. It's been a slow slog through Malazan. I think I read Gardens of the Moon before my first child was born..so 2008! (so 3 kids later now...)Fortunately going back and relistening to the first two books and reading and audio simultaneously since then has been very satisfying. Time to commit and get the thing done!
I have Reaper's Gale in audio/paperback and will probably start that on Thursday during my commute to work.
Finished Shadows of Self just a few hours ago. More mistborn excellence!
Meanwhile I"m churning through Preacher, Vol. 1: Gone to Texas. Not sure it is for me.
Probably about time to get the S&L pick of the month, but I might not be able to resist running through The Vital Abyss.
Also have The Walking Dead, Vol. 24: Life and Death waiting on the shelf too.
Went back and read Two Serpents Rise (yes, I'm on a Gladstone kick...) and am into Full Fathom Five now. I paused Empty Space since it's gorgeous prose and I need a weekend to spend with it. Harrison's Light trilogy is brilliant but weird and really reward close reading.
Read The Madness Underneath which was much better than the first one. My Review.Read The Builders. The Magnificent Seven meets Kill Bill by way of The Wind in the Willows. My Review.
Read The Serpent. Poilitics as a literal game, fascinating series. My Review.
Read The Traitor Baru Cormorant. Dark and twisted. My Review.
Currently reading The Widow's House.
Elantris did the trick - first new book I've finished in well over a month. Definitely a fun book even if it's not as rich as some of his later works. Also the annotation to the short story he wrote in the same universe is one of the sweetest stories I've ever heard. my review
Alan wrote: "Elantris did the trick - first new book I've finished in well over a month. Definitely a fun book even if it's not as rich as some of his later works. Also the annotation to the short ..."OMG I so need to pick that up... it's been on the list forever.
Finished Welcome to Night Vale, which was pretty much everything I hoped it would be, and started Star Wars: The Rise of the Empire (an omnibus containing Tarkin, A New Dawn and some short stories) because December 17th looms ever closer on the horizon.
Finished Shadow of the Hegemon by Orson Scott Card. It really dragged for me in the first half but then picked up. Pretty good overall but not as good as Ender's Shadow.Starting Time and Again.
Kristina wrote: "OMG I so need to pick that up... it's been on the list forever. ..."Good time for that. The revised 10th Anniversary Edition has just been released :)
http://www.amazon.com/Elantris-Tenth-...
Thanks to the interview with Catherynne M. Valente in a recent podcast ep, I started listening to Radiance. It was a little rough going at first, because the story is told in script notes and diary entries and gossip columns and it's a little tough to tell the difference if your ears are drifting, but I got used to it and really started to enjoy the plot. Not only is the story delightfully weird ("Hollywood" on the moon! A woman missing on Venus! Space whales!), but the narrator is really smooth and the transcripts are easier listened to than read. I just finished Gail Carriger's Manners & Mutiny and really loved it.
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