SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
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What Else Are You Reading?
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What Else Are You Reading in 2018?
Could we start The Years of Rice and Salt the 2nd week of March, then? I can catch up some other books in the meantime. I'm planning to join the group read of Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch which starts March 15, but other than that I'll be focusing on this one.
Beth wrote: "Could we start The Years of Rice and Salt the 2nd week of March, then? I can catch up some other books in the meantime. ..."Yes, sounds good. I'll definitely be able to start by the end of the first week of March. Plus, I was just realizing how many points I can get for the "owned books" challenge if I read this. :)
colleen the convivial curmudgeon wrote: "Finished Stormdancer last night. After a slow start, it really picked up once Yukiko and Buruu finally came together in the story. I enjoyed watching their relationship develop, and..."You are right about the Stormdancer trilogy. It didn't hold up but aren't the covers beautiful!
And Caraval wasn't what I expected either:) It was a good enough read though.
Phrynne wrote: "You are right about the Stormdancer trilogy. It didn't hold up but aren't the covers beautiful!"They are!
But I'm sad to hear the trilogy doesn't hold up. I was already on the fence about continuing, and this doesn't bode well.
Not sure where to ask this, but how come there were lots of buddy reads threads in this folder? Where does one get decided?
Mod
The "What Else Are You Reading" folder is where we've decided to house anything related to "side reads." Buddy reads have been springing up all over the place. You can absolutely recruit/suggest a buddy read based on something you see or have read in this thread, or anywhere else something gets mentioned. Anyone can start a buddy read--they're not "official" so y'all should have fun!
(Upon consideration, I'm thinking maybe I'll start a "do you want to buddy read" thread...)
Presently, the "Inclusive Bingo" challengers have selected a buddy read a month and will do so for the rest of the year, and sufficient interest in a Dispossessed, Tortall series, and Stormlight Archive series read led to us adding those as well.
I think upcoming so far there's a Terra Ignota buddy read tentatively in the works for when the 4th book comes out and an Eye of the World buddy read in late April.
That sounds great, Allison!So I just post my BR invite in that thread?
I might start with all my failed nominations in the poll.
Mod
So I just post my BR invite in that thread?
I might start with all my failed nominations in the poll."
Yeah! Pick something and see if you can get folk involved. Or in the poll threads...basically, asking if people will read something with you is almost always going to be considered "on topic" unless it gets spammy or sales pitch-y.(Which I know you wouldn't do, just putting it there so I don't have to walk it back later ;-) ) I'd also set the nom threads off limits so Sarah doesn't get a migraine.
But let's see if the Buddy Read Recruitment thread works as intended!
Allison wrote: "(Upon consideration, I'm thinking maybe I'll start a "do you want to buddy read" thread...)"I would appreciate this. I had considered seeking a Buddy Read once, but didn't know how to go about it in a place where it wouldn't get lost immediately.
Finished this one a while ago. Gave it three stars. Storm from the Shadows
My Review
Another in the long series of Honorverse books. This one is a sideline story, that is meant to fill in gaps in the main storyline. As such it has the downside of not always having a plot that is the easiest to follow breaking off from time to time to bring in things that are more in lines with the main story, then with what it taking place in this format.
While it still works on the basic premise of deep character development, it also includes far to much math for a light reading. The battle sequences seem to be drug down by all the math used to explain closing speeds and the number of missiles that get through defensive screens.
A good book, but not the easy read that the earlier books were.
Hannah wrote: "The Martian - Andy WeirCannot wait to delve into it! :)"
It's brilliant! You'll love it.
Definitely going to be re-readingTed Chiang's Stories of your life and others.
Stories of Your Life and Others
It's such an under appreciated collection of genius short stories, it hurts my heart!! For anyone who enjoyed The Martian or the movie Arrival, this is perfect. (Arrival was adapted from one of the short stories in this collection.)
Also will be reading:
Ernest Cline's Armada,
Philip K Dick's "Do androids dream of electric sheep?"
and John Wyndams "The Midwich cuckoos".
I started Swordspoint last night. Another one I've been saving for some unknown reason. I was finding it hard to get back into reading after the Olympics, and wasn't enjoying The City & the City, so I decided I needed a fun, light audiobook. It's perfect, exactly what I needed.
Mod
Glad to hear it! I am really interested in Swordspoint, but trying not to overwhelm my TBR
Since my last post (many weeks ago), I have read/finished..Mary Poppins so lovely and so much fun. It was the perfect book to listen to on a short road trip with my kids.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix what else can be said about these wonderful books? I’ve been alternating between reading my original hardbacks from childhood and audiobooks. They are so much fun to listen to. I’ve slowed my pace even more because I’m sad to be nearing the end, but I know my husband is anxious for me to finally read The Cursed Child, which he gave to me as a birthday gift when it first came out. (oops) I’m also glad to have some Pottermore short stories collections to read afterwards.
A Game of Thrones finally finished!! I am even more in love with this epic story than ever, which I didn’t think possible! Also taking this series slow because I want to be immersed in it forever. I’ve started watching the show from the beginning again too so I can make comparisons as I read.
In the Hand of the Goddess definitely more action than Alanna, and more fun. So far I’m not crazy about this series, but I am pretty excited to get to the next series in the Tortall books, Immortals.
Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said this book had me mostly shaking my head (sometimes chuckling), rolling my eyes, and throwing up my hands saying “What?!” I do NOT care about Jason Taverner! And I can’t see why anyone else would. And every girl he met was CRAZY! Well, maybe not so much the last girl. And the cop was creepy. Plus it really made no sense - nothing was explained very well. I have too many questions!!! Very annoying.
Ninefox Gambit I really loved this although it did frustrate me at times with how confusing it was. But I love the way it was written and I love a challenge. I need to make Raven Stratagem a priority on my TBR.
The Litany of Earth & Winter Tide I really liked the former but the latter just didn’t grip me, no matter how much I willed it to.
The Once and Future King beautiful, magical, wise and silly, maybe a little long-winded but I’m okay with that, I’m like that too.
The Handmaid's Tale gripping. Haunting. I love the way this was written. And I like what the Hulu series adds to it.
Slaughterhouse-Five I guess it just didn’t have enough sci-fi for me, I dunno. Some parts were boring. And I didn’t really care about Billy. It mostly just made me sad, and that’s not what I wanted from this book.
The Black Tides of Heaven really good, but I just wanted there to be MORE. Someone else said they would’ve liked it better as a novel and I agree.
The Woman Who Rides Like a Man this is my favorite so far in the Song of the Lioness. A lot of different things going on, I felt like. I’m excited to see how this series wraps up.
Ubik I really liked this one! It was much more of what I expected (and hoped for) from PKD. Trippy and weird, creepy, and had me on the edge of my seat. A fun mind warp.
Catwings read with my son. He’s very hard to please and there’s only a select few types of books or series he’ll read. But he loves cats and I really wanted one of my kids to give these books a try. So far he likes them and we’ll be moving on to book 2. :) It’s a very cute, warm story.
Currently reading
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
A Clash of Kings
The Dispossessed
The Girl With All the Gifts
Up next... Neverwhere, Lioness Rampant, The Invisible Library, and when they come in from the library The City & the City and Catwings Return
Ashley wrote: "Ubik I really liked this one! It was much more of what I expected (and hoped for) from PKD. Trippy and weird, creepy, and had me on the edge of my seat. A fun mind warp."The aerosol spray can variety I hope...
Emily wrote: "Definitely going to be re-reading Ted Chiang's Stories of Your Life and Others. It's such an under appreciated collection of genius short stories, it hurts my heart..."Yes indeed. I must have given that book as a gift to at least eight of my friends and family because I so much wanted other people to read it!
Along with Mythmakers and Lawbreakers: Anarchist Writers on Fiction, I'm re-reading the The Fionavar Tapestry. Still as amazing/powerful as the first time I read it.
Last week I've finished Tigana and I can just say wow. It's one one of the best standalone fantasies I've ever read.
Randy wrote: "Ashley wrote: "Ubik I really liked this one! It was much more of what I expected (and hoped for) from PKD. Trippy and weird, creepy, and had me on the edge of my seat. A fun mind warp."The aeroso..."
Yes, haha. Not the (even stranger) regressed version..what was it, liver and kidney balm?? Whatever that is!
Last month I finished: 
All Systems Red by Martha Wells - 3 stars
Queenpin by Megan Abbott - 4 stars 
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle - 3 stars
Money Shot by Christa Faust - 3 stars 
The Forever War by Joe Haldeman - 3 stars
Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders by Neil Gaiman - 4 stars This month I hope to finish:
Thieves Like Us by Edward Anderson
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
The Asphalt Jungle by W.R. Burnett
Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
Nexus by Ramez Naam
A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin And I'm also picking away at (but probably won't finish this month):
The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 2016 edited by Rich Horton
Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System from Crisis — and Themselves by Andrew Ross Sorkin
Moby-Dick or, The Whale by Herman Melville
The Collected Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe by Edgar Allan Poe
Uppers, cocaine and Ashley and Randy’s lists.
Trike wrote: "Uppers, cocaine and Ashley and Randy’s lists."Haha!
Trike wrote: "Uppers, cocaine and Ashley and Randy’s lists."What are things that used to be in Coca Cola prior to 1930? Alex.
Just finished my mini-review of: Undercover Magic
An interesting twist on the way that Magic works and how it exists in the Modern World. Simple direct and easy to read. A fun tale that occasionally gets a little to much into the batting eyelid stage, but interesting enough to give the second book a try
I finished: Best Chinese Take-out Recipes from Mama Li's Kitchen
Here is my comment on this book
This may be a fairly good cookbook, but I couldn't get past the fact that the introduction was somewhat misleading. The Author talked about how Chinese food, took a few ingredients and made them into something special. I am not sure what their idea of a few is, but most of the recipes had around 15 to 20 ingredients, which is outside of my range for a few. Might have to set this one aside for a while before diving into any of these.
I used to cook Chinese food but there is a lot of prep and stuff that went into it. I decided why bother when we had a perfectly good Chinese restaurant in town. I cook Thai now. Hubby loves Thai and we definitely do not have a Thai restaurant within 120km. It’s easier and doesn’t take as long. And you can buy already made spice mixes for it. We don’t have a decent Chinese here now either for that matter.....
I'm in fluff reading mode and signed up for another month of Kindle Unlimited. This is what I've downloaded to read (big ol Northern CA snow storm, so losing power is possible, need to have the books ready on the devices). If our storm gets really bad, I may get through all of them in a few days. :-) I've read previous books in the series and thought them worth continuing (other than DJ's rec).Undercover Magic (Dragon's Gift: The Valkyrie Book 1)
by Linsey Hall (author) (simply because DJ just mentioned it, it looked ok and its on KU).
A Plain-Dealing Villain (Daniel Faust Book 4)
by Craig Schaefer (author)
Cold Spectrum (Harmony Black Series Book 4)
by Craig Schaefer (author)
Blood Rain (Shadow Detective Book 3)
by William Massa (author)
Soul Catcher (Shadow Detective Book 2)
by William Massa (author)
The Living End (Daniel Faust Book 3)
by Craig Schaefer (author)
Dawn Arrives (The Second Dark Ages Book 4)
by Michael Anderle (author), Ell Leigh Clarke (author)
Glass Predator (Harmony Black Series Book 3)
by Craig Schaefer (author)
I don't do continuous KU, sign up for a month, read a boatload of books, have a cancellation reminder in my Google calendar and then stop and read things not on KU. I bounce back and forth.
Maggie wrote: "I'm in fluff reading mode and signed up for another month of Kindle Unlimited. This is what I've downloaded to read (big ol Northern CA snow storm, so losing power is possible, need to have the boo..."You know the reason I picked it up was it was on Kindle Unlimited as well. LOL.
Aleksandra wrote: "Last week I've finished Tigana and I can just say wow. It's one one of the best standalone fantasies I've ever read.":) GGK is an amazing author.
Trike wrote: "Uppers, cocaine and Ashley and Randy’s lists."::chortle:: I was just thinking as I read through the recent comments that Ashley and Randy have remarkably wide-ranging and eclectic taste in books :)
Good to hear someone is discovering Leviathan Wakes for the first time along with Ramez Naam’s Nexus.
Just finished The Woman in White , and I highly recommend it. It's relatively long without getting boring for a second for me, wonderfully written with interesting characters. Gothic mystery category~
Wow, Ashley, that's an impressive list! I hope you'll keep letting us know your thoughts on the Tortall books as you finish them over in that thread! :D Colleen, I'm glad to hear that Stormdancer picked up. I'm hoping I might get to it this summer. Though Phrynne, too bad the whole trilogy didn't hold up. :/ I'll probably still read the first one. I haven't been finishing many series lately and this one has been on my TBR for a while.
Allison, I'm so glad you made the buddy read thread! I've been having so much fun with the Tortall buddy read.
I've been doing a lot of rereading lately, having gone through all the Immortals series and most of the Protector of the Small series with the Tortall group. I also did rereads of The Firebird (one of my favorite historical romances with a supernatural element), The Touchstone Trilogy, and Crown Duel. Others I read:
The Gunslinger - I liked this but it didn't wow me. Would continue the series if I happened upon it. Maybe just not my style.
The Cruel Prince - This was good but I almost regret reading it since I'm going to have to wait for the sequels.
Countdown City - I liked this one but I preferred the first. Planning to finish out the trilogy at some point.
Once and for All - Liked this one a lot but it still doesn't hold up to Dessen's earlier work, in my opinion.
I'm currently reading Kushiel's Dart and not sure if it's worth it. I just finished chapter 33 (which apparently is on par with percentage of the book I've finished.)
Finally caught up in the Flavia de Luce series except for the newest release. Waiting for the local library to purchase/catalog....waitingwaitingwaiting...I’m hoping to finish The Long Utopia in the next day or two. Only one more book in this series to complete and that’s another series checked off of my catch-up list.
I’ve picked up Reamde and have read about 2 chapters so far but chipping away at series is currently my main reading goal.
Mod
Colleen, I'm glad to hear that Stormdancer..."
Yes! That's been a great discussion :) Glad you're enjoying it too!
I finished Caraval yesterday. Ended up giving it 2.5 stars. The concept was interesting, but the twist within a twist within a twist grew wearying, especially since it was very "telly" over showy. Also, the dialogue was pretty awful, and it was more romance than adventure, in the end.Now I'm onto A Gathering of Shadows, and I'm in those early stages where I'm desperately trying to actually remember what happened in the first book...
Karen wrote: "Finally caught up in the Flavia de Luce series except for the newest release. ..."I have The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie on my TBR. Worth getting into?
Averna wrote: "Just finished The Woman in White , and I highly recommend it. It's relatively long without getting boring for a second for me, wonderfully written with interesting characters. Gothic mystery categ..."It's been awhile, but I love that novel! Thanks for reminding me how good it is.
colleen the convivial curmudgeon wrote: "Karen wrote: "Finally caught up in the Flavia de Luce series except for the newest release. ..."I have The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie on my TBR. Worth getting into?"
I'm currently on hold, eagerly waiting for the new one too :)
Colleen: I really, really like the series. If you like murder mystery novels with quirky detectives, I would definitely give it a try. In terms of style and tone (and I guess setting), they remind me of some of the Golden Age detective authors - especially Sayers - though not at all derivative. Of course some of the books are better than others, but that's true of any series.
This year:01. Yes Virginia There is a Santa Claus (fin),
02. The Last Astronaut (fin),
03. Ready Player One (fin),
04. Flatland (Reading),
05. Harvard Classics in 365 days (Reading),
06. 1984
07. Fahrenheit 451
08. Armada By Ernest Cline
09. Artemis by Andy Weir
10. Utopia
11. A Study in Scarlet
12. Altered Carbon
13. In God We Trust by Jean Shepherd
14. The running man
Travis wrote: "Averna wrote: "Just finished The Woman in White , and I highly recommend it. It's relatively long without getting boring for a second for me, wonderfully written with interesting characters. Gothic..."Woman in White went straight onto my go-to recommendation list, which means I've been pushing it at everyone, haha. :)
colleen the convivial curmudgeon wrote: "Karen wrote: "Finally caught up in the Flavia de Luce series except for the newest release. ..."I have The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie on my TBR. Worth getting into?"
Personally one of my favorite series ever. Who couldn’t fall in love with an 11 year genius protagonist that specializes in poisons?
colleen the convivial curmudgeon wrote: "Karen wrote: "Finally caught up in the Flavia de Luce series except for the newest release. ..."I have The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie on my TBR. Worth getting into?"
Absolutely, without a doubt, emphatically yes! Probably one of my absolute favorite series! I promote it to everyone.
Francisca wrote: "Travis wrote: "Averna wrote: "Just finished The Woman in White , and I highly recommend it. It's relatively long without getting boring for a second for me, wonderfully written with interesting cha..."I loved The Woman in White! I have The Moonstone on my TBR for this year.
Mod
Apparently I've been missing out on this so called Woman in White.
Allison wrote: "Some great reads on their Tim! Hope you'll share your thoughts. Apparently I've been missing out on this so called Woman in White."
I was quite impressed with the book, even though the plot isn't something extraordinary. The writing style is just so good, and this comes from a person who has a hard time appreciating classic literature. Highly recommended. I swear I'm not a sponsor...
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SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
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Ooh, this is on my TBR pile and I was just looking at it the other day. I probably wouldn't be able to start for another week or so, but it would be fun to do a buddy read.
I haven't read Red Mars (yet), but I did like 2312.