Flights of Fantasy discussion
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What are you reading in April 2014?
Nienna,Please tell me what you thought of Dominion! I loved that series and have been meaning to go back and read the prequel.
Also, I thought The Ocean at the End of the Lane WAS for adults. I'm not saying a young adult couldn't have handled the content but is it the writing style that throws people towards young adult? I felt like the story itself, the way it ended, and the ideas it made you think about overall were not something a young adult would generally enjoy as much. Just my opinion...
But maybe I'm not giving young adult enough credit! I remember a lot of the stuff I read when I was young... totally not young adult content.
Kara - I liked Dominion. It's a very quick read. And was just enough to make me remember how much I liked the series. You also don't have to know the series to read it - I understood it and I have forgotten most of it.I'm not going to get into adult fantasy vs Young adult fantasy - it never ends well. Lol. For me the bottom line is usually the age of the main character. If the narrator of the book is a teen or younger than for me it's usually a young adult book.
Oceans doesn't follow that though because the narrator is older and the main story if a flashback. But it did feel like a coming of age story.
Kara wrote: "Also, I thought Ocean WAS for adults. I'm not saying a young adult couldn't have handled the content but is it the writing style that throws people towards young adult? I felt like the story itself, the way it ended, and the ideas it made you think about overall were not something a young adult would generally enjoy as much. Just my opinion..."I agree with you entirely. I think once you get past the surface of the story, what lies beneath is very adult - or, at least, something I think having some life experience under your belt could help you appreciate more.
Nienna wrote: "Yeah. It just bummed me out. Good book. But definitely not for me. It reminded me of a short story that I think Bradbury wrote but I could be wrong -In the story this ordinary couple are just hav..."
That reminds me of a short I read years ago. I can't remember the author now but he specialized in these type of short, strange and brutal stories. (view spoiler)
Ambrose Bierce! I *think*
MrsJoseph wrote: "Ambrose Bierce! I *think* "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
Yep. That one has stuck in my head since what... 8th grade?
c.o.lleen ± (... never stop fighting) ± wrote: "I agree with you entirely. I think once you get past the surface of the story, what lies beneath is very adult - or, at least, something I think having some life experience under your belt could help you appreciate more."
Yeah, the ending just made me think so much about who Letty was, where she was, what she sacrificed, and mostly why?
I want to read that now. I think I have it... somewhere. That's a kind of ending I love. I can see why it stuck with you.
I had to drop Life After Life. Because. Reasons. Went to the library and picked up The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry. And The Beekeeper's Apprentice. Not sure which I'm starting first.
Nienna wrote: "I had to drop Life After Life. Because. Reasons. Went to the library and picked up The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry. And The Beekeeper's Apprentice. Not sure which I'm s..."Last time I was at the library they had 'Beekeeper's Apprentice' for a quarter. I'm kinda kicking myself for not buying it. Even though I'm less enamored with the rest of the series, I did really like the first one.
c.o.lleen ± (... never stop fighting) ± wrote: "Nienna wrote: "I had to drop Life After Life. Because. Reasons. Went to the library and picked up The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry. And The Beekeeper's Apprentice. Not s..."For some reason, I find I like Holmes as a character, but I don't care for the original stories. Sacrilege. I know.
I decided to start The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry first. I love this book! This is the kind of book that makes reading worth it. I love that feeling.:)
Nienna wrote: "For some reason, I find I like Holmes as a character, but I don't care for the original stories. Sacrilege. I know. "I find that I agree with you, actually.
I wrote this in a review about a non-Doyle Holmes book I read last year:
See, I have a sort of complicated relationship with Holmes. Like some other things in my repertoire - like Alice in Wonderland, for instance - I like the *idea* of a thing more than the actuality of a thing.
I like the idea of Holmes, and I've considered myself a fan of Holmes since I was a child and my parents watched the PBS versions. But I had never actually read a lot of Doyle, aside from 'Hound of the Baskervilles' in high school. When I finally got around to rectifying this sad state of affairs - by reading Volume 1 of the two volume Doyle collection - I found myself a bit, well, disappointed. Often times I felt that the stories came across less as abounding in Holmes' brilliance, and more in highlighting the idiocy of everyone around him.
Also, the style, what with John doing the narration, always has the problem of a) telling over showing and b) most of the exciting stuff happening off-screen, and then getting described latter in chunks of dialogue.
So, yes, Faye does a good job of sticking to this style, but it's not really all that great a style in the first place.
But, then, I seem to be often sacrilegious/heretical. ^_^
I'm on a space opera kick. Finished the Rachel Bach Trilogy Fortune's Pawn Honor's Knight Heaven's Queen which I loved! Imagine if Ripley from Aliens were a mercenary kicking her way through space. Incredibly great read! I loved The Martian, (funny, intelligent and strangely gripping), a re-read of Shards of Honour and am almost finished with Grimspace. I don't see myself leaving the genre anytime soon. Any recs, send them my way!
Have you read Starship Troopers? Its a little controversial but it made me think about it long after I finished it.Then there's the Brainship series: https://www.goodreads.com/series/4039...
(just skip any book not written by McCaffery)
I had no idea she wrote anything other than Pern? I added it to my TBR. Thank you.
Laurel wrote: "I had no idea she wrote anything other than Pern? I added it to my TBR. Thank you."Welcome!
I'm reading Black Moon. It's okay, I guess, not sure what it says about me that reading a book about insomnia makes me so so sleepy. Really. I woke up almost 2 hours ago and I could go back to sleep right now. It could be a tag line:.
Can't sleep? Read Black Moon. You won't be able to keep your eyes opened. Or your money back.
Nienna wrote: "I'm reading Black Moon. It's okay, I guess, not sure what it says about me that reading a book about insomnia makes me so so sleepy. Really. I woke up almost 2 hours ago and I could..."lol
Nienna wrote: "I'm reading Black Moon. It's okay, I guess, not sure what it says about me that reading a book about insomnia makes me so so sleepy. Really. I woke up almost 2 hours ago and I could..."Must be something about stories about insomnia. I felt the same way about that Pacino/Williams movie... so boring...
Feeling frustrated. I can't seem to finish a book!
MrsJoseph wrote: "Feeling frustrated. I can't seem to finish a book!"I hate that feeling so much :(
MrsJoseph wrote: "Feeling frustrated. I can't seem to finish a book!"I'm feeling that. I'm having a hard time reading right now. And I'm not in the mood for huge tomes and long epics. I'm about ready to give up on Black Sun Rising. For now anyway. I'm just not feeling it.
Yeah, I dropped Serephina and I barely got started on Shards of Honor - I want to try that again.
MrsJoseph wrote: "Feeling frustrated. I can't seem to finish a book!"I feel like that is every minute of my life! I'm such a slutty reader. I read all the books at once then it takes me six months to finish one of them.
Black Sun Rising bored the living hell out of me.
Chris wrote: "Black Sun Rising bored the living hell out of me."I used to love that series when I was a teen. But at the time I was into the whole vampire homoeroticism thing (which if I remember correctly the later books have hints of) like Anne Rice. I'm going to try to push thru and see if the second book is at least a little better.
But now I'm really afraid to reread favorites from my teen years... especially Rice...
Chris wrote: "Black Sun Rising bored the living hell out of me."I did not care for it either. Its one of those books where I felt like I was missing something, I just didn't get why it was good haha
Felina wrote: "MrsJoseph wrote: "Feeling frustrated. I can't seem to finish a book!"I feel like that is every minute of my life! I'm such a slutty reader. I read all the books at once then it takes me six mont..."
I'm so there right now.
I'm glad I'm not the only slutty reader. I'm in good company.
Meanwhile I'm over here being all monogamous and such...Read Last God Standing yesterday. Nice idea, mixed implementation. Not bad, but nothing stellar either.
I feel like this thread has turned into - "What aren't you reading in April 2014?"Well - I am *not* reading Black Sun Rising. I tried picking up where I left off but I have 200+ pages to go and I just don't want to.
I *am* reading The Museum of Extraordinary Things. I've been looking at this book for awhile now. I love the title. And the cover is gorgeously weird -
- I love museums and carnivals and old time shows.
o_O wrote: "Meanwhile I'm over here being all monogamous and such...Read Last God Standing yesterday. Nice idea, mixed implementation. Not bad, but nothing stellar either."
First time for everything.
Nienna wrote: "I feel like this thread has turned into - "What aren't you reading in April 2014?""What aren't you reading?" Also accurately would describe the state of my office floor and the to-be read shelf which has spilled over onto said floor.
Actually I've got the to-be pile knocked down to under 20 for the first time this year, but with World Horror Con in a week and a half, that's bound to go back up and probably last until LonCon in August. Or all I need is coffee and a replacement set of eyeballs.
Re: Ocean at the End of the Lane: I would give it an adult rating; some older teens could definitely read it, but it's more retrospective. I also was not as floored by it when I first read it, but I think it's also a book that deserves reflection and possibly a re-read.I am currently reading Trading in Danger by Elizabeth Moon. I do not naturally gravitate toward sci-fi, but I am enjoying it.
Not sure what I want to read next-I've still got a bit before I have to make a decision, but I've got a pile of books (both library and non) and am not sure what I want to move to after this.
Re Ocean at the End of the Lane -I've been giving the whole young adult vs adult thing a 2nd thought. It was definitely a coming of age story for me - and so I automatically thought young adult. But - I can see the adult point too. So - coming of age tales - young adult? Or adult?
I've got tons of books. And nothing to read. Go figure. I'm just not in the mood. Working my way thru library books.Strands of Bronze and Gold is next up.
Nienna wrote: "I've got tons of books. And nothing to read. Go figure. I'm just not in the mood. Working my way thru library books.Strands of Bronze and Gold is next up."
Hmm, maybe there's something in the air or water. I'm having a similar issue.
I can relate as well, Felina! I put Inkspell on hold because it's just so-so, and 600 pages long. That's a lot of so-so. I'm not enjoying it as much as the first book in the series :( I'm rereading Starlight (Warriors: The New Prophecy, #4) now. I've read the whole saga, 30+ books! It's my guilty pleasure ;)
I shouldn't have done it, I'm trying to use the library more. But after hearing that Hugh Jackman thinks the next standalone Wolverine movie will be his last AND that movie most likely will be based upon the story Old Man Logan, I had to order Wolverine: Old Man Logan
from Amazon. It thankfully wasn't too expensive and should be here Friday (my library system only has one copy and it would have been months before I could get my hands on it). Of course, I don't want to read anything else right now... Patience is not my best virtue!
Finished Strands of Bronze and Gold and was pleasantly surprised. It's a retelling of Bluebeard - a fairy tale not often seen for good reason - imagine Disney trying to spin that story into a kid friendly musical - with more than a little Jane Eyre thrown in. I thought the author did a good job of trying to keep to the style of the period but still giving it a fresh and modern feel. I liked it. Recommended to fans of historical novels.Not sure what I want to start next...
Laurel wrote: "I shouldn't have done it, I'm trying to use the library more. But after hearing that Hugh Jackman thinks the next standalone Wolverine movie will be his last AND that movie most likely will be bas..."That looks good but sad.
It's supposed to be one of the best Logan stories ever written. I love a good character study and I think Jackman has a great deal of love for the role. It would be wonderful to see him give one of his most beloved characters a great swan song before they recast it with a new actor. I can't wait to read it!
Nienna - I just read Nickerson's newest work, The Mirk and Midnight Hour and really enjoyed it (more than SoBaG, actually).
Emily wrote: "Nienna - I just read Nickerson's newest work, The Mirk and Midnight Hour and really enjoyed it (more than SoBaG, actually)."Looks good. I like it's another not so well known fairy tale too - or at least one that's not often done in ya.
Started Elsewhere, a book I've had for awhile on my nook but just decided to read because I liked The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry so much. I really enjoy Zevin's style. In some ways it reminds me of Pushing Daisies or Dead Like Me - which I know is the same writer but I can't think of his name at the moment.
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Flights of Fantasy
Books mentioned in this topic
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry (other topics)Elsewhere (other topics)
Wolverine: Old Man Logan (other topics)
Strands of Bronze and Gold (other topics)
Strands of Bronze and Gold (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Ambrose Bierce (other topics)Larry Correia (other topics)
Alena Graedon (other topics)
Philip Pullman (other topics)
Philip Pullman (other topics)
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In the meantime I devoured Moon Called and started up Blood Song.
Moon Called was a quick good listen with solid storyline, characters, and writing. I have some small issues with the various romantic segues, but will probably read some more in the series before knowing how much it really bothers me... I'm not looking for a girl torn between two love interest type series.
Blood Song starts out interesting. I haven't made it far, but the narrator is very easy to listen to and I like what I've listened to so far.