What are you reading in July 2014?

[Candiss]

Please tell us what you are reading, or plan to read, in July, 2014.

[John]

I'm starting Dune Messiah in a couple of days, and continuing my ongoing read of Don Quixote...should be done with that around September :)

[Esther]

I hit a reading slump and i live in the past as far as this group is concerned. I just finished Revelation Space. I will go back and find the thread. I have last months books to read some time this month.

I also carry around A Feast for Crows. I am really struggling with this one.

[Shel, Moderator]

I just finished re-reading The Lark And The Wren. It was a favorite of mine when I was in high school and for nostalgia's sake I still had to give it 4 stars, though if I was reading it for the first time I would probably have given it just 3.

In nonfiction, I've been reading Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of his Time, on and off, and it's fascinating :)

[Christine]

I am reading Remnant Population for Sci-Fi and The Riddle-Master of Hed for F. I hope to read the whole trilogy in July. And I am going to start a fairy tale retelling My Name is Rapunzel soon. I also hope to catch one of the group reads this time around. We'll see. July holds nothing but rain so far, so it's a good time to make progress in reading.

[Lindsey]

I am finishing my re-read of The Way of Kings (less than 10% to go! Oh, wait...). Trying to finish Thief's Magic, which got interrupted by my June book club read, and Death by Darjeeling before I start on my book club's July read, Good Omens.

[Christine]

I couldn't get into My Name is Rapunzel, therefore I started Assassin's Apprentice instead and I am really enjoying it.

[Juston]

I've just started The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. I've read the first 100 pages or so and wow what a start!

After this I have a few other Sci-Fi / Fantasy reads from my other groups and I may look at Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood.

I read Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale last year and was really impressed so I'm looking forward to the August Group Read.

[Juston]

John wrote: "I'm starting Dune Messiah in a couple of days, and continuing my ongoing read of Don Quixote...should be done with that around September :)"

I saw a fantastic documentary a few days ago called Jodorowsky's_Dune (wikipedia).

If you're a fan of Frank Herbert's Dune (like me) then you may enjoy this documentary.

[Sumant]

I have started with Perdido Street Station by China Meville and I am finding it refreshingly original, and to be frank amazed how the author has woven fantasy with metaphysics and surrounded it with dirty and corrupt city which I can definitely identify with.

[Ken]

Finished Miles. Mutants and Microbes. Its a collection of Miles stories, Falling Free, which was good but ended rather abruptly. Short Story Labyrinth and Diplomatic Immunity which was another enjoyable Miles book. All around a-ok

Started on another Mazalan book The Bonehunters

[Shel, Moderator]

I skimmed The Killing Moon briefly to refresh my memory, and now I'm reading its sequel The Shadowed Sun. N.K. Jemisin is just so good :)

[Lindsey]

Shel wrote: "I skimmed The Killing Moon briefly to refresh my memory, and now I'm reading its sequel The Shadowed Sun. N.K. Jemisin is just so good :)"

I read & enjoyed The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms last month. It was interesting. I probably wouldn't re-read that particular book but I will definitely be looking for the sequels.

[Andreas]

Back to the 80s! I've read Downbelow Station and gave it 4 stars.

Now, I've started The Yiddish Policemen's Union. Great language, exotic culture, not much SF in this alternate history.

[Pickle]

currently reading Uplift: The Complete Original Trilogy. by David Brin and The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick, Volume 5: We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, currently loving the PKD short stories.

Plan to read VALIS & Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

[Chris]

I just started The Waste Lands, the third book in Stephen King's Dark Tower series.

[Christine]

finished Assassin's Apprentice which was awesome and will start Royal Assassin in August. I am about to start A Discovery of Witches and Ancillary Justice tonight.

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

I finished the first 2 books in the Farseer trilogy and am SO grateful to this group for giving me the push to read Robin Hobb's work. I am taking a short break to read a stand-alone and then the first book of a different trilogy before coming back to Fitz.

Just started Illusion by Paula Volsky. I've never read anything else by this author. So far it's so-so.

[Shel, Moderator]

Just finished some nonfiction - Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science, which was quite interesting. I have met the author a few times as all three of his children attended the middle school where I teach, though I never had any of them in my classes. Really interesting guy!

Now I'm on to Ready Player One, which I know a lot of you really loved, so I'm looking forward to that!

[Sumant]

I am done with Dragon reborn and here is Review

[Candiss]

I just finished (and was blown away by) Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer. I passed it along to my partner, and he's also gaga for it. Of course, we are now both hopping to read the sequel.

I also burned through and enjoyed a couple of sf/f graphic novels this week - Lazarus, Vol. 1: Family and Rat Queens, Vol. 1: Sass & Sorcery.

I'm starting Weight: The Myth of Atlas and Heracles, a retelling of the Atlas myth by Jeanette Winterson, and another graphic novel, SNOWPIERCER VOL. 1: THE ESCAPE.

[Shel, Moderator]

I ripped through Ready Player One in two days - what fun!! and re-read a few favorite Ursula K. Le Guin short stories. Now I am reading some more nonfiction, The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl, which is a fascinating portrait of a period in history I know very little about. I'm waiting for The Goblin Emperor to come in at the library, so hopefully my request comes in in time for the August discussion.

[Juston]

I loved Ready Player One and can't wait for Armada.

Just started Royal Assassin.

[Chris]

I just started Snow Crash. Based on all the great things I've heard about it I have complete confidence that it will be a really good book, but man oh man, the first twenty pages really stink. I'm sure it only gets better, though.

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

Chris wrote: "I just started Snow Crash. Based on all the great things I've heard about it I have complete confidence that it will be a really good book, but man oh man, the first twenty pages really ..."

I found it hard to get into but ended up liking it.

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

Finished Illusion by Paula Volsky. 4/10--showed promise but there were too many flaws for that promise to be fulfilled, IMO. I have 2 more books by her on my shelf, so at some point, I will give her another try.

Next up are Assassin's Quest and The Magicians' Guild.

[Shel, Moderator]

Kathi wrote: "I found it hard to get into but ended up liking it. "

I feel that way about Stephenson in general. I always find the books slow to start but they're worth sticking with because of the payoff. My favorites are The Diamond Age and Zodiac.

[Lindsey]

Kathi wrote: "Next up are Assassin's Quest and The Magicians' Guild. "

Two great choices. I'm reading Canavan's latest right now! I also started in on Kowal's most recent novel, Valour and Vanity.

[Melody]

Reading Oryx and Crake for the second time. I wanted to reread it and The Year of the Flood before reading MaddAddam

And I will probably pick up a couple of graphic novels too. Baltimore, Vol. 3: A Passing Stranger and Other Stories and then rereading the Locke and Key series.

[Chris]

Kathi and Shel, it's great to know it's unanimous that Snow Crash gets better. I'll keep plugging along!

[Sumant]

I am done with Perdido street station and here is Review

[Matthew Reads Junk]

Finished Look to Windward because it was the book of the month here. (Discussion was kinda of lacking, but the book was fairly dull)

Started A Dance with Dragons , just to continue that series after a long break.

[Sumant]

Started The Scar and finding it pretty interesting although it is a bas lag world but setting is quite different in this.

Also got hardcover copy of Words of radiance and will be starting it today yeay !!!

[Shel, Moderator]

I'm a bit more than halfway through Oryx and Crake, a little early for the group discussion - it's when the library loan came through, so better early than late!

[Lindsey]

Finished Valour and Vanity (awesome) and Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (a little underwhelmed). If I can make it through the last 250 pages of Thief's Magic in the next week, I'll have finished 5 books and everything I intended to read this month!

[Pickle]

Sumant wrote: "Started The Scar and finding it pretty interesting although it is a bas lag world but setting is quite different in this.

Also got hardcover copy of Words of radiance and will be starting it today..."

It took me some persuading but i think The Scar is the best of the 3 Bas-Lag books, i really struggled to separate it and Perdido but i think The Scar shades it.

[Sumant]

Pickle wrote: "Sumant wrote: "Started The Scar and finding it pretty interesting although it is a bas lag world but setting is quite different in this.

Also got hardcover copy of Words of radiance and will be st..."

Ya if you get into Scar expecting the same dark city building as you get in PSS then you will be definitely disappointed but if you take scar as part of weird world of bas lag then you will definitely love it as I am because the sense of mystery is really nice in Scar.

[Shel, Moderator]

Had a lot of time to read this week - finished Mercedes Lackey's Redoubt and Jasper Fforde's The Woman Who Died a Lot (got a few funny looks on public transportation when the latter made me laugh out loud). I haven't decided what to start next but it'll be something on the kindle, because we're heading out of town for 2 weeks in a few days and I don't want to be caught in the middle of a paper book that I'll then have to lug around with me :)

[Deedee]

Currently reading The Martian (last month's BOTM -- now I wish I had read it last month, it's really good!); and Prince of Fools (a buddy fantasy novel).

[Sumant]

I am done with The scar and here is Review

[Nick]

Chris wrote: "I just started Snow Crash. Based on all the great things I've heard about it I have complete confidence that it will be a really good book, but man oh man, the first twenty pages really ..."

I'm in the thumbs-down category for this one. The pragmatist philosopher Richard Rorty, in Achieving Our Country: Leftist Thought in Twentieth-Century America, has a lot to say against it, too.

[Matt]

I'm kind of late to the thread, but I'm just finishing up Last Argument of Kings. I wasn't going to carry on after the first book, The Blade Itself, but sort of glad I did. I'm looking forward to seeing what people are reading in August.

[Helen]

Nick wrote: "Chris wrote: "I just started Snow Crash. Based on all the great things I've heard about it I have complete confidence that it will be a really good book, but man oh man, the first twenty..."

I couldn't get past the first 5%, hated it.