What Else Are You Reading in 2018? Showing 751-800 of 3,893

[Phrynne]

My review of Stormlord's Exile by Glenda Larke

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Hakan]

I am reading The Legacy Series: Dawn of the Shadow. I am at quite half of it and it is amazing!

[Rob]

I finished King of Thorns. It was alright. -
★★★☆☆ - (My Review)

[YouKneeK]

After four months and a few short breaks to read other things, I’ve finally finished The Wheel of Time. The ending was mostly satisfying. There are almost always things I feel were missing by the end of a big series, and this series was no exception, but I didn’t have any major complaints and I had a lot of fun reading the entire series. Here are my reviews for the books I’ve read since my last post in this thread.
New Spring (prequel)
Book 11
Book 12
Book 13
Book 14

I started Fahrenheit 451 today, which is one of the group’s re-reads for the month. This will be my first book by Ray Bradbury.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

I finished Children of Blood and Bone and The Invisible Library. Glad they're both behind me. Kinda mad I powered through them rather than sticking with my original plan of reading Three Body Problem, but I guess now I'll get to join the buddy read, which will be fun. OR ELSE.

(JK, no pressure! I am looking forward to that, though.)

[Sabrina]

Since my last update (quite some time ago), I finished the first 5 books of the Draft Sequence with Last First Snow and Four Roads Cross. Overall, a very imaginative magical story, that lay just a little out of my grasp.

I read the first three books of Old Man’s War (Old Man's War, The Ghost Brigades, The Last Colony) from John Scalzi and found it to be completely different to the Draft Sequence as it just lacked some detail but was overall engaging and interesting.

Finally, I’ve found the first Discworld novel that I liked: The Light Fantastic: it seemed I should have just stuck with the chronological order instead of trying other subseries… or maybe I just timed it better to my mood?

All these battles led me to reading Catch-22 and it’s mocking report on a pointless war…

[Phrynne]

I finished The Lost Plot by Genevieve Cogman

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[HeyT]

Today I finished reading Annihilation and just before that The Power. I'm above pace with my bookshelf challenge so now I'm going to work more on my owned book challenge with The Dopplegänger Gambit

[Don]

Just finished "The Terminal List" if revenge is your thing, this books for you. I liked it enough to motor through it. GnashTag: DARK AND BLOODY.

[Don]

wonders.... Sabrina, how many disc world novels that you didn't like have you read?

[Sabrina]

Don wrote: "wonders.... Sabrina, how many disc world novels that you didn't like have you read?"

Haha, not that many: I did try Mort, Guards! Guards! and of course The Colour of Magic before. They were all okay, but I guess I needed to be in the right mood for these quite sarcastic and silly stories.

[Pam]

Did a catchup of three reviews:

The Book of Skulls by Robert Silverberg - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2318899866.

The Best of C.L. Moore - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2334266276.

The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2334278660.

[Tomas]

With 6-day delay, I jumped into the group re-read of Fahrenheit 451

[Julia]

Julia wrote>>: "I read and loved -- and that can also mean truly creeped out by, right?-- "

Michele responded>: Ha! You need to join the Literary Darkness group -- lots of like-minded folks there :)

No thanks! I enjoyed I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer, but I wouldn't want to make the reading of books like this a regular thing. I read it for, partly, the Read Harder challenge, where you try to get out of reading ruts.

Since then I've finished Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult. I didn't like it. I wish she had written the antagonists as likeable people. I read it for my RL book club, either we'll talk about it a lot, or hardly at all. And I've finished An American Marriage by Tayari Jones, which was an Oprah listed book, so it fit another category on the RH list. That one I liked a lot, maybe loved.

Not sure what's up next.

[Jenny]

Allison wrote: "So bummed I prioritized the books I did over Three Body Problem. I'm back on the wait list and chomping at the bit--can't wait to hear what you think Peter!

Jenny, I love the Sandman Slim series :..."

I loved the audio. MacLeod Andrews is an excellent voice actor and did a surprisingly nice job at having different voices for each character. I would recommend listen to the audio. I finished Aloha from Hell this morning and I'm eager to continue with the series.

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

I started Kinslayer yesterday, sequel to Stormdancer. I appreciate the character crash course in the beginning. ^_^

[Scott]

I finished Boy's Life. Fantastic book!

Now I'm reading The Chalk Man.

[Pam]

Read a short story collection Amazons edited by Jessica Amanda Salmonson and reviewed it - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2337053129.

[Doubledf99.99]

I'm reading Ready Player One and Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis.

[CBRetriever]

Completed

The Grand Sophy = an excellent Georgette Heyer book
and
The Outlander Series = a fairly good read and so I had to read the last book in the series: Written in My Own Heart's Blood which i thought "jumped the shark" as it was mostly just battles, fights and sex barely held together by a story
and
The Poison Eaters and Other Stories = a very good collection of short stories
and
Blood And Sand by Rosemay Sutcliff:

"The Ottoman Empire is the setting of a novel that examines the loyalty between men that helps makes warfare bearable. Thomas Keith, a Scottish soldier during the Napoleonic wars, is captured in 1807 in the Nile delta by Turkish forces under the Egyptian viceroy. With no reason to rejoin the English forces, he is persuaded to become an officer in the viceroy's army. Training for desert warfare, and witnessing the fellowship and piety of the Bedouin troops, he converts to Islam. During a long but unsuccessful campaign to free the holy cities of Mecca and Medina from forces hostile to the Turks, Thomas commands a troop of cavalry, marries a girl he has rescued and serves as amir (governor) of Medina, making a close friend of Tussun Bey, the viceroy's son. Loyalty and friendship are the strong thread on which Sutcliffe strings her stirring narrative--most of it based on historical fact. "
and
Skin Folk by Nalo Hopkinson which is a series of stories set in the Caribbean or Canada (but with mostly Caribbean protagonists). It was quite good

[Monica]

CBRetriever wrote: "Skin Folk by Nalo Hopkinson which is a series of stories set in the Caribbean or Canada (but with mostly Caribbean protagonists). It was quite good "

I read this last year and thought it was great! It was unexpected.

[Karen]

I finished Reamde laaaaaate last night. Not at all what I expected but a fun read. I was expecting sci-fi since my only other Stephenson read was Seveneves.

I’m listening to Artemis but not too actively since MY ENTIRE LIFE lately was taken up with finishing Reamde! I also just started The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I figured something quick and light was needed after Reamde.

[CBRetriever]

Monica wrote: "CBRetriever wrote: "Skin Folk by Nalo Hopkinson which is a series of stories set in the Caribbean or Canada. It was quite good "
I read this last year and thought it was great! It was unexpected."

I had bought it as part of a Humble Bundle and I usually find some pleasant surprises in them as in books or genres or with story-lines I wouldn't normally buy.

[Alondra]

Started Neverwhere and am absolutely loving it. Too bad that I have been distracted by my family this entire day, or I could be reading... LOL

Also started Speaks the Nightbird. I don't think I have read a bad McCammon novel yet. I bought the first 5 books in this series, before I even read the first book. There are very few authors that I do this for, so he's definitely something special :)

[YouKneeK]

Since my last post, I’ve finished the two group re-reads for the month:
* Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
* Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.

Of the two, I liked Fahrenheit 451 the best and thought it had the more interesting story. Good Omens was funny, and had some fun characters, but the story didn’t hold my interest very well. My reviews:
* Fahrenheit 451
* Good Omens

Last night I started The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin and was sucked into the story right away. I haven't had as much time to read this weekend as I would have liked, but I keep thinking about it when I'm not reading it. I’ve looked forward to trying more of her work ever since enjoying her Dreamblood duology over a year ago.

[HeyT]

Since finishing The Dopplegänger Gambit I decided to pick up another book that's been on my shelf for years. I wanted something under fantasy because I'm trying to keep my sci fi vs fantasy reads on an even pace so now I'm reading Sorcerer's Son.

[Francisca]

Thomas wrote: "Two reviews from me today, first is King's Dragon by Kate Elliott, and second The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander. I thoroughly enjoyed both ..."

Lloyd Alexander is definitely a forgotten great! I loved the Prydain chronicles growing up - it's great to find someone just discovering them! :)

[Trike]

Read Children of Blood and Bone which was disappointing. It’s essentially a clunky YA version of the superior NK Jemisin book The Killing Moon.

Just started the nonfiction Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries, which has one of the greatest pull quotes ever:

We think of English as a fortress to be defended, but a better analogy is to think of English as a child. We love and nurture it into being, and once it gains gross motor skills, it starts going exactly where we don't want it to go: it heads right for the goddamned electrical sockets.

[Rob]

Emperor of Thorns - ★★★☆☆ - (My Review)

Broken Homes - ★★★★☆ - (My Review)

Two Serpents Rise - ★★★☆☆ - (My Review)

[Trike]

Rob wrote: "Broken Homes - ★★★★☆☆ - (My Review)"

Is this a math thing?

[Rob]

Trike wrote: "Rob wrote: "Broken Homes - ★★★★☆☆ - (My Review)"

Is this a math thing?"

Lol. That's a copy/paste fail thing.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Rob's reviews go up to 6, which is the literary equivalent of having an amp that goes to 11. ;-) We all appreciate your thorough, dedicated approach to reviews, Rob!

[Rob]

Are you calling me the spinal tap of book reviews? ^_^

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Rob wrote: "Are you calling me the spinal tap of book reviews? ^_^"

Your reviews loom mighty, like a majestic 8" Stone Henge.

(I am of course teasing you but I do love that you give a quick break down of the audio as well as the book!)

[Rob]

Allison wrote: "I do love that you give a quick break down of the audio as well as the book! "

Thanks. I'm not sure how/why I settled on that format originally, but I've been using it for a few years now. I like it because you can get a quick idea of the book/narration (if applicable) and dig into my thoughts if you want to.

I also try to keep all my reviews spoiler free, which can get hard when you're reviewing books in a series. Sometimes it's hard to talk about even characters you like because just mentioning they are in a book could be a spoiler.

I have a decent number of people following my reviews on goodreads, but I get typically them like 1 at a time. I'd guess I average maybe 3-5 new followers/month?

Part of that is probably my general policy of not friending people before I know them/who they are first.

One day a few months back I got like 5 or 6 almost all at once, and I discovered someone recommended my reviews in /r/fantasy on reddit in a thread about Audiobooks because I do a so many fantasy audio books and I always review the narration. I don't use reddit at all, so it was a bit of a surprise when that happened.

So I guess the format works for some folks. I don't have the following the top reviewers on the site do, but I have to assume all those people follow me for some reason.

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

I finished:

Nexus by Ramez Naam - 5 stars - highly recommended "post-cyberpunk" near future thriller about using nanotechnology to create superintelligent post-humans

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott - 3 stars - kind of like a geometry lesson mixed with Victorian-era social theory but there are some interesting ideas for a book written over 130 years ago

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden - 3 stars - a "rural fantasy" set in the pre-Russian countryside based on peasant folklore of the time

[Dj]

Here is my review for:
Hail Warning


I found this book equal parts a fun read and frustrating. The basic premise is difficult to buy into, but that is generally the way of high level spy thrillers. So it is also easy to overlook. Mostly the people are acting the way you would expect people to act, but the CIA director is a major knucklehead and at one point he tells the Main Character that he has to pay before he gets information, but Hail, the Main Character has already done one job for the CIA and didn't even bring that fact up. Neither did anyone else. Seems a little short term memory loss was in play for everyone involved.

An enjoyable, if not excellent book, kind of looking forward to the next one in the series.

[Dj]

Here are my thoughts on:
The Paper Magician


This book brings some fresh ideas. I was intrigued and enjoyed this book quite a bit. It has flaws, but then I am of the view that all books do and this one had a great deal fewer than many first attempts. The view of the way Magic works is quite enjoyable. The Characters are well developed in regards to the main characters and the conflict resolution was unique.

I look forward to reading more of these book in the future.

[Dj]

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin


This is considered the first of the Modern Autobiographies. It however is weak in an overall sense. It covers a relatively small part of Franklin's life and nothing in regards to his being a Founding Father of a new nation.

Interesting for the difference in style, but not so much from a historical perspective.

[Karen]

Finished up The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society only 10 years after it came out. What a sweet read. I’m looking forward to the movie in April.

Getting ready to start Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. I’m slowly whittling my to-read list down although I did come out of the library with books I didn’t know I wanted to read...

[Julia]

This morning I finished Struck By Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal by Chris Colfer, which I gave one and a half stars. The main character is a jerk. I also borrowed the movie-- both came from the library-- hopefully I'll like it better, it has a great cast.

I also finished The Boy on the Bridge by M.R. Carey, which I liked a lot.

[G.H.]

Just finished Origin by Dan Brown. Brilliant concept imperfectly written but a good read. It's definitely in the world of near-future SciFi.

[Dj]

G.H. wrote: "Just finished Origin by Dan Brown. Brilliant concept imperfectly written but a good read. It's definitely in the world of near-future SciFi."

I generally enjoy Dan Brown's books, but I would have to say that imperfectly written about describes them all.
The DaVinci Code which he stresses is well researched has a main character that states that the Catholic Church borrowed rituals from the Aztecs. Unlikely at best.
And then there was the happy comment about the Church having no Goddess Figure.
I figured he had never been in a Catholic Church or had misstated. Since there are Statues of Mary in almost every church I have ever been in. The Misstatement would be that if your talking the threefold Goddess, the Catholic Church has no representation for the Crone, only the Mother and the Virgin.

[Michele]

Thomas wrote: "Two reviews from me today...second The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander. I thoroughly enjoyed both ..."

Lloyd Alexander's Prydain series is wonderful. I still re-read it on occasion.

[Michele]

Just got back from a trip, during which I finished The Humans, The Rise of Silas Lapham (Norton Critical Edition and I found an actual mistake in a footnote!!), and Vampire in Love. Now working on In the Eyes of Mr Fury.

[Phrynne]

Reading Obsidio and loving it!

[Beth]

I've written a review for The Language of the Night: Essays on Fantasy and Science Fiction:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Rob wrote: "Allison wrote: "I do love that you give a quick break down of the audio as well as the book! "

Thanks. I'm not sure how/why I settled on that format originally, but I've been using it for a few ye..."

Cool! It's nice to have positive feedback :)

I am reading The Dispossessed like 6 pages a time, for the font is tiny and the language is dense. I keep finding myself rereading sections--it's sort of like wine tasting, where the first taste is nice, but the second taste gives you the full flavor. So great.

However, I am getting a few characters confused with that and the other book I'm reading, Carnival because it's about aliens to a new culture also. It's quite enjoyable though. I think the dialogue is a liiiittle off, but the world so far is really cool and I like how Bear is handling her thought experiments on gender and sexuality.

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

I'm still reading Kinslayer. I keep dozing off reading... and I'm not sure how much of it is just me being tired, and how much of it is the book being boring. *sigh*

[Udayan]

Loved Annihilation to death. Started on Borderline by Mishell Baker and Face in the Glass by Frances Hardinge.