What Else Are You Reading - April 2016

[Rob, Roberator]

Olivia wrote: "I just started reading Nexus by Ramez Naam. It's about an illegal drug called Nexus that links people's minds. So far I've been enjoying it."

That's a really good book. The next two are the series are pretty enjoyable as well, though I still think the first one was the best.

[Jason]

Loved that book. Read it last year. Not getting into the second one just yet. Slower start.

[Joseph]

Finished Court of Fives (it was relatively short and I had lots of reading time) and am starting something completely different, The Throne of Bones by Brian McNaughton.

[Dustin]

I've recently finished:

Calamity

Blood Song Which was gained a star for the ending, but would have been a three otherwise.

Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle-earth Which I enjoyed and was useful research.

Dragonsbane Which was nothing like what I was expecting, I think I confused it with something else, but was a pretty decent read regardless. A little dated. But how tired I became of being informed that "The key to magic is magic."

[Aeryn98]

I just finished Golden Son, the 2nd book in Pierce Brown's Red Rising Trilogy. I was surprised how much I like this series. I'm holding myself back from buying the 3rd book right away instead of having to wait for the library copy.

[Rob, Roberator]

It's been a bit hectic lately, so I've fallen behind on my reviews. So here's a bunch. Most of them are a bit shorter than I normally write, likely because I had so many. I enjoyed all of them though.

The Dragon Reborn - My Review

The Last Mortal Bond - My Review

Lords of the North - My Review

Exploding the Phone: The Untold Story of the Teenagers and Outlaws who Hacked Ma Bell - My Review

Lumberjanes, Vol. 3: A Terrible Plan - My Review

[Marion]

I'm currently reading Aurora the May pick. Looking forward to the discussion.

[Rick]

Read Claire North's Touch which was good but not amazing. Need to find my copy of her The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August (it's... paper!) and read that as I like her generally. Started Aurora which could be interesting. Finished Richard Kadrey's The Everything Box which is a fun little romp.

[Phil]

Finished The Fifth Season. I had mixed feelings about this. The strange styles (second person, present tense, etc.) didn't bother me as much as they usually do, I think because they were only used a chapter at a time and then changed. I found the plot quite compelling but I don't like the device, used many times here, of the story only progressing because characters are keeping secrets and are hostile to each other for no good reason.
I also found the ending was way too abrupt.
Starting The Magic of Reality: How We Know What's Really True by Richard Dawkins.

[Sparrow Knight]

Just finished listening to Saberhagen's An Old Friend of the Family, the 3rd in an enjoyable series. I think what I liked best about this one is the relationship that forms between the younger members of the family & the old 'doctor'.

Also reading Thanissara's Time to Stand Up: An Engaged Buddhist Manifesto for Our Earth -- The Buddha's Life and Message through Feminine Eyes. Mixed feelings about this one. Having come of age in the 70's, equating rape of women & exploitation of nature is old news. The analysis is pretty thoroughly Jungian, which is an interesting & useful perspective up to a point. I am ok w/the way she places this in a Dharmic context, but every now & again she goes on the warpath against a particular person or company & her language becomes very black & white. The Koch brothers are all evil, Monsanto is evil, etc. No real depth analysis of how this is all interrelated...population growth, the need for greater crop production, advancing technology, poor or mislead oversight, etc. It's never as simple as some would like to believe. And we really haven't even gotten to climate change yet. I'm a third of the way through & she's just finishing the bit about dealing w/our shadow side & the consequences of not doing that skillfully.

Overall, I think it will be a worthwhile read, but very mixed.

[AndrewP]

Marion wrote: "I'm currently reading Aurora the May pick. Looking forward to the discussion."

Me too. There was only one copy available in the library system so I had to grab it and start early.

[Sparrow Knight]

AndrewP wrote:
Me too. There was only one copy available in the library system so I had to grab it an..."

Oh, so you're the one who got it. ;-)

[Joanna Chaplin]

Absolutely wonderful story from Lightspeed this month.

http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fic...

It's about how a mother's birth plan gets totally sidelined in the face of interspecies diplomacy. It's also got some neat aliens. It just feels so *topical* to me as a lot of my age mates are starting to have kids and many of them want their deliveries to be as unmedicalized as possible, but many hospitals still don't offer many options. I am planning to try and get some of my midwife friends to read it even if they are not necessarily scifi fans.

[Ju]

Joanna wrote: "Absolutely wonderful story from Lightspeed this month.

http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fic...

It's about how a mother's birth plan g..."


I'm training to be a midwife and a fan of sci-fi and fantasy so I'm SO going to read this!

Did you read 'Vanilla' in the Kaleidescope anthology? Not really midwifery related but I did like the approach to relationships and connection and normalcy in that.

In any case, if you haven't heard of the anthology it's brilliant and was one of the best reads that year. Kaleidoscope: Diverse YA Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories

[Sky]

Joanna wrote: "Absolutely wonderful story from Lightspeed this month.

http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fic...

It's about how a mother's birth plan g..."

That's awesome! My wife is 6 days overdue as of today (which is fine, average first pregnancy is 41 weeks). We finished our birth plan last week. Yesterday our OB said she thinks the baby is coming today or tomorrow - my wife and I will definitely read this today :)

[Trike]

Congrats. :)

[Keith]

I'm plowing through Jack Mcdevitt's Academy and Alex Benedict series, learning that one should never, ever EVER say "There's no danger" on any mission with Priscilla Hutchins. It's almost comical at this point. Just finished Chindi and am moving on to The Devil's Eye.

[Stephen]

I am reading Linda Nagata The Red: First Light. I almost gave up after a rather uninspired beginning, but it has picked up some steam. Glad I did not quit,

[Trike]

Stephen wrote: "I am reading Linda Nagata The Red: First Light. I almost gave up after a rather uninspired beginning, but it has picked up some steam. Glad I did not quit,"

Yeah, the beginning of that is really clunky and expository, especially the main character's dialogue, and as you go along you realize *why* it sounds like that: because he's in a reality show and playing to an audience.

It reminded me a bit of the beginning of Avatar where Jake is narrating and you later realize he's doing it as practice for his field reports later.

[Misti]

Last night, I finished The Magicians. I liked the first half, the second half not so much. I actually like the TV show better than the book and am glad I watched it first.

I think I will read Red Rising next.

[Maclurker]

STILL waiting on A Darker Shade of Magic from Overdrive. I've been 5 on the wait list forever (more or less). So instead I'm diving into "The Dark Tower" series by Stephan King. I just started The Gunslinger. I've been wanting to get into this series for a while and the pending movie gives me the perfect excuse. Now it's my summer reading project to finish all 7 volumes.

[AndrewP]

Almost half way through Aurora and also listening to Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere on audible.

[Trike]

Started Ex-Isle, the fifth installment in the Ex-Heroes series. Superheroes + zombies = fun!

[Brendan]

Already read Aurora a while ago, so reading I, Robot, a book I've been meaning to read for a while but could never find a copy (that didn't have Will Smith on the cover.) He does a good job of anticipating modern computing (at least it seems like that to me, a coding-illiterate) but the areas that he thinks will be easy as compared to how computing has actually gone are funny in hindsight. Strong AI + slide-rules and vacuum tubes! Wouldn't say it is Asimov at his Best, but it is Asimov at his Quite Good.

[terpkristin]

While on vacation last week with my best friend, I didn't get much reading done, which was disappointing, because usually I read a lot when I'm on vacation. Then was PAX (and I got sick), where I got a copy of Atomic Size Matters, a comic book that's a chapter of a woman's PhD dissertation in inorganic chemistry. It started as a Kickstarter and was on sale at the Cards Against Humanity booth. I read it yesterday and it was fantastic! I just wish I could add it to my list here at GR (alas, no ISBN).

Also while at PAX, I went to a panel about The Banner Saga and found out that a fan wrote a book set in the world of the game. The game designers liked the book so much that they got it published: The Gift of Hadrborg. I got a copy of it for free (autographed, too!) and am looking forward to reading that.

And I'm still working on The Skull Throne on Kindle and The Crown Tower in audio. Once I finish The Skull Throne, I'll move onto Aurora.

[Marion]

AndrewP wrote: "Marion wrote: "I'm currently reading Aurora the May pick. Looking forward to the discussion."

Me too. There was only one copy available in the library system so I had to grab it an..."

I'm about halfway through and enjoying it quite a bit. I will post a review when I finish.

[Joseph]

Finished The Throne of Bones and, just 'cause, started Neuromancer, probably for the first time since before Bill Clinton was elected to the Presidency.

[Ju]

I'm about to finish Uprooted by Naomi Novik, and will also take on Bad Power by Deborah Biancotti today.

[Phil]

Finished The Magic of Reality: How We Know What's Really True by Richard Dawkins. This is a primer of basic science and critical thinking. While it was a little elementary for me and probably most others on this site it was still well written and an enjoyable read. It would be a great present for a bright twelve year old or an adult without any science education.
Reading Aurora now.

[Rick]

just started Lightless which is well-written so far (about 50 pages in). Also started Aurora finally.

[Rob, Roberator]

Here's my latest batch of reviews.

I finished Aurora super early, because I got the audio book from the library. At least I waited until May to post My Review. :-D

I also read The Palace of Glass. Django Wexler continues to impress me (My Review).

Finally, I got around to reading Attack on Titan Vol. 18, things seem to be slowing down again (My Review).

[Ivi_kiwi]

Joanna wrote: "Absolutely wonderful story from Lightspeed this month.

http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fic...

It's about how a mother's birth plan g..."
Great story. Thank you for sharing the link.

[John (Taloni)]

I think I *cough* MAY need to post in the next thread about reading all of Discworld...