What Else Are You Reading - June 2017

[Stephen]

Almost finished with The Hum and the Shiver, starting The Last Duel: A True Story of Crime, Scandal, and Trial by Combat in Medieval France which just caught my eye as I was roaming the New Additions feature on Overdrive, then a serious roll with all the new Star Wars books:
Rebel Rising, Thrawn and Star Wars: Guardians of the Whills.

[Lariela]

Just started The Paper Magician by Charlie Holmberg. Still reading Rebel Rising.

[Joseph]

Finished Elric: Swords and Roses and started Penric and the Shaman by Lois McMaster Bujold -- I really need to get cracking on my Hugo reading ...

[Michael]

I'm also reading The 40s: The Story of a Decade. I'm only part way through the first section on the war, but I find the articles just as (if not more) engaging as mordern New Yorker articles. I especially like John Hersey's account of a young J.F.K.'s survival in the South Pacific, hiding from the Japanese for six days.

[Lauren]

I just finished Assassin's Fate and it slayed me. What an epic ending to a 20-year series of trilogies. I was so pleased by it, but I also cried at least 4 different times.

Just got All the Birds in the Sky off of my 5-month hold at my library, so that'll be next.

[John (Taloni)]

Lauren wrote: "Just got All the Birds in the Sky off of my 5-month hold at my library, so that'll be next. "

I've been seeing a lot of good press on this so went to tag it at the library myself. You may hate me though - LA public library has 27 copies and I'm at spot #2. Will probably get it within a week.

[Lauren]

Nice! No hate here. I know that my library (the Allegheny County / Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh) only had 5 copies for a long time. They recently bought more, so my wait in the queue actually sped up!

[Melani]

I just read The Refrigerator Monologues and holy cow you guys. It's excellent. It's lighter on some of Valente's more flowery writing tendancies and is just lovely.

[Callum]

Haha Lauren that is exactly what I did. Finished assassin's fate, took a deep breath.... And jumped into all the birds. I'm. Absolutely loving it so far, just over 50% through and still not sure where the author wants to take it but loving both the characters and the little snippets of humour thrown in.
If you read thrawn before assassin's fate we may need to make our own book club. I'm currently trying to decide what to read after ATBITS. Any recommendations?

[Stephen]

If you have not read Have Space Suit—Will Travel, it was mention in All the Birds in the Sky , It is a fun, fast read and a perfect follow up to Charlie Jane Anders,

[Misti]

Ooh, my library hold on Norse Mythology just came in. :)

[Callum]

Stephen thanks so much for the advice, however sadly have space suit will travel isn't on kindle. I only use kindle to read now so sadly I don't think I'll be going that way. Any other recommendations?

[Eric]

Callum wrote: "Stephen thanks so much for the advice, however sadly have space suit will travel isn't on kindle. I only use kindle to read now so sadly I don't think I'll be going that way. Any other recommendati..."

https://www.amazon.com/Have-Space-Sui... it's on kindle

[Aaron]

Misti wrote: "Ooh, my library hold on Norse Mythology just came in. :)"

Great book!

I'm currently working on the rest of the Invisible Library series.

[Callum]

Thanks Eric for the help.... However when I clicked on the link it brought me to the book and everything.... But apparently it's not available for purchase.

[Joseph]

Callum wrote: "Thanks Eric for the help.... However when I clicked on the link it brought me to the book and everything.... But apparently it's not available for purchase."

Unfortunately, it's available as an eBook in the US store, but it looks like it's not available electronically in the UK store.

[John (Taloni)]

Finished Fallen Dragon by Peter Hamilton. This is the first of his books with sections that I actively disliked. I skimmed over at least 150 pages of the book. Hamilton goes long, but usually crafts well and pays off strongly. This meandered too much.

The book pivots about 80% of the way in and becomes essentially another story. I found the transition abrupt. There's a modest payoff at the end, but it wasn't worth the slog.

There's about a longish short story worth of material in this...unfortunately, the book is 700 pages. Hundreds and hundreds of pages of filler. Well, this is one of his early books and he clearly got better. Thankfully!

[John (Taloni)]

So, I'm now about 10% of the way into All The Birds In The Sky. This might be the funniest book I've ever read. If it delivers on even half of its promise I'll be delighted.

[Joseph]

Over the course of a couple of days I read a bunch of the Hugo-nominated novelettes (all of which I enjoyed), and just started All the Birds in the Sky, one of the Hugo-nominated novels I haven't read yet.

[Phil]

Finished The Hum and the Shiver. I'm glad we read this for Joanna but it wasn't really my cup of tea. To me it was just a melodramatic southern soap-opera (view spoiler)[with fairies (hide spoiler)] and an unlikeable main character.
Starting The Return of the Shadow: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part One.

[Sky]

I finished Ninefox Gambit. I had no idea what to expect going into it - it was weird in a good way and entertaining.

Next up I started Void Star, notable for a C-style cast to an arbitrary type.

[Stephen]

I have finished The Boy on the Bridge, which is as brilliant as the first book, The Girl with All the Gifts Now starting Tyrant's Throne.

[Rick]

@sky - the sequel to Ninefox is out this week. I'll be interested to see what you think of Void Star.

[Walter]

Finished our BotM. Now reading The Hero with a Thousand Faces.

[John (Taloni)]

Finished All the Birds in the Sky. It didn't live up to the opening - but then, the opening was so great I didn't know what could. The remaining book was very good. I'll read more of this author. But the book was disjointed and the segments didn't fit together well.

From the hilarious opener we go to the pain of middle school, turned up to 11. Hell, maybe 22. That part just plain hurt even as it was filled with truth.

Then on to the meat of the story. This is the kind of book where you don't know the plot until at least halfway through, and even then it's a slow reveal. We don't really know what's going on until the 3/4 mark.

I get that that's a thing, and I don't even want to say "these days" because I recall reading a book (non genre) that had a similar construction 40 years ago, on referral from my stepfather who liked the humor. No, I can't recall the book, but it had to do with a network executive's misadventures with a reality show before reality tv was a thing. But, I digress - at length. I know, what a surprise! :)

So the book trundles from hilarious to downright heavy, following, as I think about it, the arc of "Chasing Amy." There's some things that don't ring true, like the male MC describes every woman he dates as being the pinnacle of loveliness that he should never ever have rated. Er, women have been known to chase men and feel unworthy as well.

The mix of magic and science works well, and the slow reveals hit at the right times. The culture of the book is first the "so unhip it's hip" world of MIT's science hobbies, and then the culture of San Francisco. The author both lives in and likes, and simultaneously spoofs the excesses, of this world.

As for the end (spoilertastic)
(view spoiler)[it's interesting that the problem is not so much the environmental catastrophe, but humanity's response to it. Left alone, the tornado took out some cities. There could easily be a humane response and the world going on much as it had before. But both sides overreact and bring forth precipitous solutions. It is not nature nor even the disaster itself, but humanity's reaction that is the issue. (hide spoiler)]

[Ctgt]

Walter wrote: "Finished our BotM. Now reading The Hero with a Thousand Faces."

Nice, just finished The Power of Myth a few days ago and really enioyed it.

[Callum]

Just finished all the birds in the sky, and I really enjoyed it for the most part, there were definitely a number of flaws in the plot and pacing. But there was just enough character development and plot intrigue to keep me going. The review above by John sums it up almost perfectly in my opinion and much better than I could have done.
I'm now onto the stars are legion after hearing so many good reviews of it.

[Dara]

Finished my re-read of Assassin's Quest. I enjoyed it a lot more than the first time I read it but it still had lingering problems. My updated review. Going to continue spending time with Fitzy Fitz and dive into Fool's Errand.

[Emma]

Dara wrote: "Finished my re-read of Assassin's Quest. I enjoyed it a lot more than the first time I read it but it still had lingering problems. My updated review. Going to continue spending tim..."

It's been a few years since I read Assassin's Apprentice and Royal Assassin. I'm wanting to get back into the series and read the rest of them, but I don't remember much about what happens in the first two books. Would you recommend going back and re-reading the first two before picking up Assassin's Quest or just jumping into it?

[Dara]

Danielle wrote: "Dara wrote: "Finished my re-read of Assassin's Quest. I enjoyed it a lot more than the first time I read it but it still had lingering problems. My updated review. Going to continue..."

There's some light recapping in Assasin's Quest but not much. Re-reading the first two might be best. There might be some detailed summaries online somewhere. The Robin Hobb Collection group has discussions of each book that might help too. I can't remember how detailed they are, though.

[Brendan]

Currently reading: The Core of the Sun, a book about a future (2017, the book came out in 2016) Finland where all drugs are illegal and hot peppers are an illicit and illegal high. It's pretty bizarre.

[Emma]

Dara wrote: "Danielle wrote: "Dara wrote: "Finished my re-read of Assassin's Quest. I enjoyed it a lot more than the first time I read it but it still had lingering problems. My updated review. ..."

Thanks! I'll probably start with the first one then after I finish this month's book pick (and Miranda and Caliban which I currently have on loan from the library).

[Lariela]

Just started The Waking Fire and The Dinosaur Lords.

[Sky]

Rick wrote: "@sky - the sequel to Ninefox is out this week. I'll be interested to see what you think of Void Star."

Yep, the sequel is on my list right after I finish Void Star...So far I am enjoying it - feels like old fashioned cyberpunk (with an update for recent technological trends) and a dash of literary flair

[Geoff]

I'm still re-reading Words of Radiance and loving it.

I just finished Dark Run by Mike Brooks. Here's my review

[Rick]

Raven Stratagem is out! Reading that and Jack of Shadows.

[Tassie Dave, S&L Historian]

The Secret History of Twin Peaks

As much as I like the Lewis and Clark story, I wish they'd move forward a couple of centuries ;-)

[Trike]

Tassie Dave wrote: "The Secret History of Twin Peaks

As much as I like the Lewis and Clark story, I wish they'd move forward a couple of centuries ;-)"

The true story that inspired the show - and ruined a guy's life - is more compelling than anything David Lynch could ever conceive of.

Have a listen: https://www.imaginaryworldspodcast.or...

[Tassie Dave, S&L Historian]

Trike wrote: "The true story that inspired the show - and ruined a guy's life - is more compelling than anything David Lynch could ever conceive of."

I listened to it and it sounds like it is just a very unfortunate coincidence.
(The part Trike references is at 15:05 to 23:55)

Lynch and Frost may have based the murder on a real life event, but I would think they would have changed all details, not keep the name of the town and just move it 2 states away.

[Emma]

While I finish up Miranda and Caliban and The Kingdom of Gods, I started Skin Game on audio and I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn't): Making the Journey from "What Will People Think?" to "I Am Enough" in dead tree edition.

[John (Taloni)]

Rob wrote: "Finally, thanks in part to a BOGO sale on audible I finally listened to We Are Legion (We Are Bob) and very much enjoyed it"

Rollickin' Rob! I picked this one up just now after reading your review. Any author who uses the term "corpsicle" and puts the revived personality in a ship has clearly read his Niven. It'll be interesting to see how he does!

[Rob, Roberator]

I hope you enjoy it

[Rob, Roberator]

I fell behind a bit on my reviews, here's my last 3 books. All enjoyable, though For We are Many was the best of the lot.

For We Are Many - ★★★★☆ - (My Review)

The Hum and the Shiver ★★★★☆ - (My Review)

Elon Musk: Inventing the Future ★★★★☆ - (My Review)

[Joseph]

Finished All the Birds in the Sky and, for something completely different, started Swords Against Darkness, a brand new anthology of sword & sorcery fiction edited by Paula Guran. I think it's all reprints, going back to Robert E. Howard and C.L. Moore, and ranging to Scott Lynch and Saladin Ahmed. I've read a good chunk of the stories before in other settings, and they're all first-rate stuff.

[Travis]

I somehow never read the Song of Ice and Fire books and then didn't pick them up out of fear that the show had ruined them for me. I'm in the middle of A Storm of Swords now, though, and am enjoying them thoroughly despite knowing some key events in advance. It's funny the characters who I imagine exactly like the show's version (Maisie Williams just is Arya for me) and the ones who I imagine completely differently from the show, like Sansa.

I'm also reading Proxies: Essays Near Knowing. While I don't usually read essay collections, this one's combination of short essays (a page or two) combining autobiography and cultural observations is fantastic. People compare it to The Argonauts, but I'm liking it much more than that one.

[Clyde]

Just started The Last Good Man by Linda Nagata. About 10% in, and so far it is pretty damn good.

[Jordan]

Seems like I've been in somewhat of a reading slump lately.

I finally finished Shadow Run, which seemed like it took forever. I kept passing it up in favor of other things. It was pretty poor, lots of overdone YA tropes and a plot that felt terribly obvious. Chances are good that I won't pick up the next book.

I also finished the audiobook of The Handmaid's Tale, which was fantastic. Great story and great narration. Now to watch the Hulu show.

Currently listening to the audiobook for Hyperion. I wasn't sure how I felt about it at first since you're just kind of thrown in the middle of things with little explanation about the whole universe it's in, but I'm really liking it now.

[Allison]

This month I have finished:

The Gunslinger - My first Stephen King novel! His crafting is beautiful but the story itself sort of missed me a bit. I never felt like I had something to hold onto.

The Book of Phoenix - I loved the new myth feelings. It could have stayed an excellent novella.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings -
I mean, this is a classic and for good reason. Remarkable, both for its content and its prose. I think this one should be a must read for Americans.

Foundation - I listened to the dramatization, and I'm counting it. It was not at all what I expected. I loved the beginning, but it got weirder and weirder until it finally ended and I was sitting there thinking "HUH! What did I just listen to?" I'm not mad about it, whatever it was.

I am reading Midnight Riot now. I like the title Rivers of London better. It's funny, though nothing ground breaking in the genre. I'm enjoying it quite a bit.

Also listening to Frankenstein for the first time. Not very far in yet, but man, you can tell an early 19th century book from a mile off, no? Any Leverage fans here? It's a very distinctive writing style.

Next up is Sandman Slim I reckon.

[Rob, Roberator]

Allison wrote: "The Gunslinger - My first Stephen King novel! His crafting is beautiful but the story itself sort of missed me a bit. I never felt like I had something to hold onto."

Most people like The Drawing of the Three far more.

[Allison]

Rob wrote: "Allison wrote: "The Gunslinger - My first Stephen King novel! His crafting is beautiful but the story itself sort of missed me a bit. I never felt like I had something to hold onto."

..."

Thanks, Rob! It's in my TBR and I'll keep an open mind.