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?
I finished the series “Tales of the Ketty Jay” which has been nominated in group votes several times. It was such a delightful and feel-good series, that now I’m ready for some dark futures: just finished The Handmaid's Tale and started Parable of the Sower
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Heiliger Strohsack! That's a heck of a line up. I offer custom tinfoil caps, please let me know if I can shape one for you.
Allison, I may need one of your custom tin caps if I really do read GREAT EXPECTATIONS, SOUTHERNMOST and GORKY PARK simultaneously, with A CANTICLE FOR LEIBOWITZ only two weeks in. (Although I have read two of the four already)Can you give me a quote? Seven and seven-eights, Reynolds Wrap?
(I have the green feather lol.)
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haha! Great goodness, that's another perilous line up!
I finished Behold the Dreamers a few days ago and really enjoyed it.Then I picked up The Regional Office Is Under Attack! and abandoned it, as not my thing, now.
I'm now rereading Parable of the Sower.
Hi all, it's been a while since I've checked in & I'm in a reading slump. It feels like I'm taking forever to listen to Age of Swords on Audible because I've been more in the mood for podcasts (especially Hello from the Magic Tavern, a comedic fantasy podcast). I've also hardly been reading Doctor Who: Fear of the Dark on my Kindle because this year I started getting chronic migraines, and I found that screens can sometimes trigger the pain. So! I'm hoping that a good graphic novel can pull me out of my slump. Last night I started The Adventure Zone: Here There Be Gerblins which is perfect because it's a graphic novel of another one of my favorite podcasts!
I'm getting around to starting Obsidio. I feel like I need a series recap of Illuminae before I do though. I may have forgotten some of the more complex bits.I also just bought The Gender Game so I can't wait to begin that too!
Kersten, is THE GENDER GAME the sequel to THE TENDER TRAP? (Just kiddin')
Allison wrote: "Anna wrote: "Dawn, dump Artemis immediately, kill it with fire, and then read Martian instead!"I believe this is the official SFFBC stance on Andy Weir's books. haha!"
LOL Anna and Allison! I'm so glad it's not just me then! XD Well, I already spent over three hours on the audio which I spent by Audible credit on, and it all counts towards my annual reading goal, so I can't just dump it :P But I'm glad to know The Martian is much better, even if I don't feel much like being inside another of Weir's characters just yet.
ALLEN wrote: "Kersten, is THE GENDER GAME the sequel to THE TENDER TRAP? (Just kiddin')"
Haha, that's a new one!
ALLEN wrote: "Kersten, is THE GENDER GAME the sequel to THE TENDER TRAP? (Just kiddin')"
Or THE TINDER GAME? ;-)
Anthony wrote: "After seeing the film version of The Martian, which I mostly enjoyed, I felt zero compulsion to read the book. I can’t imagine what the novel might add to the experience..."I was also recommended the book right after I saw the film and had no interest in reading the book but then again I didn't find the movie that interesting, so why would I want to read the book, was my thought. I'm more curious now, as time has passed, to see how much it differs. I'm curious about the book Annihilation is based on, too, cos again the film felt simplistic to me (albeit pretty as hell), and I heard the book is quite different.
For a film about a guy alone in space I far prefer Moon. The moral complexity of the film really moved me.
I haven't seen Martian, but I would guess that if you didn't like the movie, then dump Andy Weir altogether and move onto something else.
Jenny wrote: "Hi all, it's been a while since I've checked in & I'm in a reading slump. It feels like I'm taking forever to listen to Age of Swords on Audible because I've been more in the mood for podcasts (especially Hello from the Magic Tavern, a comedic fantasy podcast). I've also hardly been reading Doctor Who: Fear of the Dark on my Kindle because this year I started getting chronic migraines, and I found that screens can sometimes trigger the pain."Hi Jenny! I love Doctor Who but never really got into reading the novels as I prefer to watch the Doctors do their thing on tv :) However Doctor Who: Fear of the Dark is pretty good, Trevor Baxendale is one of the best writers in the genre I think. His Torchwood novels are really intense thrillers, too! I'm sorry about your migraines, I hope you get through the book anyway :)
Anna wrote: "I haven't seen Martian, but I would guess that if you didn't like the movie, then dump Andy Weir altogether and move onto something else."You may be right, maybe he isn't me after all. But I'd like to give him a shot at least, so I can say I know what I'm talking about when I complain about him, haha.
ALLEN wrote: "Or THE GIN GAME?"I'd be into that!
I have both The Martian and Artemis but haven’t got around to either of them. I found the Martian in a “take one leave one” library at the motel I stayed in when I was in Brisbane last week. I didn’t have one to leave but I will be going back again so I can leave one then. I watched the movie and it was good but I had no desire to watch it ever again or to read the book. That might change. The read the book bit not the watch the movie again bit. I had a distinct urge to read it when I saw it on the shelf. And the price was right. This week I’ve been reclaiming my Mountains house. Stuff just got dumped when we moved again 12 months ago and it’s rather messy. So I’m tidying and clearing out the living areas so that I don’t have to live amongst boxes when I’m here and also organising the spare bedrooms so people can use them if they come here. Big job. But I have been reading in amongst it.
As a kid I loved reading Doctor Who books. I love Doctor Who period. Never miss it. In fact I watched the first episode (Unearthly Child) aged 2 sitting on my Mother’s knee in 1965 (Australia got it 2 years after it was on in the UK). I remembered it well along with a heap of first and second Doctor stories. And 3rd, and 4th and 5th....53 years of watching Doctor Who. They didn’t get repeated then. You saw them once and they moved to the next city/country. I didn’t see the repeats until early 2000s and so much was missing. I have all the episodes. Classic and New Who. I have heaps of Doctor Who stuff all over my house. What’s the plural of TARDIS? Whatever it is I have it. I have them everywhere. And Daleks and all sorts of things. But I digress....I’ve got some books here by Terrence Dicks. I read everything the library had and they had heaps. The librarian used to buy them for me. I haven’t read the new ones but I do have The Legend of River Song in hardcover which I enjoyed. And I have all of the others on my computer ready to go when the mood takes me.
Finished Her Pretty Face by Robyn Harding (sort of contemporary thriller thing which was really good and kept me reading but not thrilled) and I also read Dr Dog by Babette Cole. Again. I used to read it constantly to my kids. Don’t scratch your bum and suck your thumb lol Didn’t know there was a sequel to Dr Dog. Will have to keep an eye out for it so I can have it here if we ever have any grandkids.
Currently reading Carnaval by Stephanie Garber on my iPad and the paperbacks of The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden and Beartown by Fredrik Backman. I always travel in the car with two big shopping bags of paperbacks. Well I start out with one and then hit the second hand shops 🤪 When I’m not cleaning here I read heaps and I do at the beach too. Can’t read the iPad mini all the time. It hurts my eyes. And I don’t want a proper kindle.
Since my last post, I’ve read:* Touch by Claire North. This was my first time reading anything by the author, under any of her pseudonyms, and I was pretty impressed. It sucked me in right away and kept my attention through the end. I’ll definitely cycle back around to her work in the future. I caught The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August on sale the other day and went ahead and bought it, so that will likely be my next choice. My review.
* Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan. First of all, this title is problematic for me. I type “carton” so often in my day job that I don’t think I have once managed to type this title correctly on the first try. So after this post, I’m never typing about it again. :p Altered Carton might have been a more interesting book as Altered Carbon didn’t do much for me at all. I didn’t hate it, but I thought it was just average and I decided not to read the rest of the books in the series. My review.
* The Raven’s Shadow trilogy by Anthony Ryan, starting with Blood Song. I loved the first book and couldn’t put it down. I was really excited about finding another epic fantasy author whose work I enjoyed. The second and third books weren’t quite as enjoyable to me, though. I still liked them, but the endless battles and travel started to get monotonous. I enjoyed the series enough that I’d be willing to try the author again someday, but I would probably skim friend reviews first to get general impressions from people whose tastes I’m familiar with. My reviews:
Book 1 – Blood Song
Book 2 – Tower Lord
Book 3 – Queen of Fire
Now I’ve detoured from SF&F for a bit to start The Count of Monte Cristo. I’m reading the unabridged version translated by Robin Buss, which Amazon claims is 1276 pages, so I’ll probably be on this one for a while! Especially since August is going to be The Month of Business Travel Hell. Believe it or not, I don’t know this story at all. I try to avoid book synopses, but I accidentally caught a glimpse of the synopsis when I bought the book so I know it’s about a (view spoiler). This of course makes the early parts of the book seem extremely predictable, but so far it's holding my interest. Hopefully that part will happen soon so the rest can be a surprise.
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LOL, I guess it is when you put it that way!
YouKneeK wrote: "Since my last post, I’ve read:* Touch by Claire North. This was my first time reading anything by the author, under any of her pseudonyms, and I was pretty impressed. It sucked me..."
Touch also introduced me to Claire North and I love her style. I picked up The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August on sale as well. I read The Sudden Appearance of Hope and it was very good too. I just love how she takes a cool concept and really fleshes it out and explores all the implications.
Jenny wrote: "I've also hardly been reading Doctor Who: Fear of the Dark on my Kindle because this year I started getting chronic migraines, and I found that screens can sometimes trigger the pain."I assume you have the self-lighted version that’s like an iPad rather than the e-ink kind. I too suffer from light-induced migraines, so I feel your pain.
I found that inverting the color scheme to white letters on black helps immensely.
I just read New York 2140 during a trip to NYC. The book is huge and bursting at the seams. It might as well be two books. I came for the futurist prediction of a climate change devastated New York and tolerated the politics and people that came with it.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I have my iPad as white on black (or grey) normally now. It still makes me tired but doesn’t give me headaches. I get those just by being alive at the moment.
Jamesboggie wrote: "I just read New York 2140 during a trip to NYC. The book is huge and bursting at the seams. It might as well be two books. I came for the futurist prediction of a climate change dev..."I am thoroughly confused as to why a massive book about climate change and living with the consequences wouldn't be deeply political.
But hey, I'm only a few hours in (listening to the audiobook, and it has a huge cast, which is awesome). Perhaps I'll get annoyed (not likely, because I like Robinson's works).
@Lowell I fully recognize that the political content is justified. I also find it less enjoyable than other parts of the book. It reminds me of The Jungle: it does a great job identifying the problem but struggles to sell the solution through literary tools. Too often it feels like the impassioned ranting of an undergraduate. Even if you agree with the argument, the style is strident and annoying.I hope that it does not bother you as much as it bothered me.
Just finished reading The Nine-Chambered Heart and it was absolutely gorgeous! The characters were so rich and deep, it just drew me in from beginning to end. Not normally the sort of book I would read but this is my favorite read of the year... so far at least :)
Bobby wrote: "Touch also introduced me to Claire North and I love her style. I picked up The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August on sale as well. I read The Sudden Appearance of Hope and it was very good too. I just love how she takes a cool concept and really fleshes it out and explores all the implications."I think I’ve seen a few people mention The Sudden Appearance of Hope favorably now. I’ll have to keep an eye out for that one too!
YouKneeK wrote: "Bobby wrote: "Touch also introduced me to Claire North and I love her style. I picked up The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August on sale as well. I read The Sudden Appearance of Hope and it was ver..."Has anyone else read her in another of her pen names Kate Griffin? Her Matthew Swift series is excellent!
She is also brilliant as Catherine Webb. Waywalkers is a gem.
Leonie wrote: "I've just started Ancillary Justice, which I'm not sure if I like or not yet."Keep going Leonie. It is good!
Leonie wrote: "I've just started Ancillary Justice, which I'm not sure if I like or not yet."I found the first ~3 chapters of Ancillary Justice to be much less enjoyable than the rest of the book. I am glad I stuck it out, though.
I read a bit of AJ in the shop and decided I liked it. It’s in my TBR bag. When I travel in the car I fill a shopping bag with books and take them with me. I’m going back to Hubby in a few days. I started with one bag and I’m taking two home lol. Today I bought 5 $2 books (an Agatha Christie with 3 books in it, a Matthew Reilly, Chocolat, amd 2 I cant remember) 😃 And a $4 Salem’s Lot. Oh and Sabriel.
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When I travel in the car I fill a shopping bag with books and take them with me. I’m going back to Hubby in a few days. ..."
Haha! love it. Also I hope you like Sabriel! That's one of my youthful favorites :) I really appreciate how Garth Nix writes characters.
Anna wrote: "I wish I'd saved Record of a Spaceborn Few to read after our August group reads."Anna, I'm so glad you mentioned this. Just picked up Record of a Spaceborn Few from the library and I'll be saving it for after Parable of the Sower.
I got a deal on Robertson Davies' SALTERTON TRILOGY and the volume arrived yesterday. All the three novels are good, but I launched right into the middle one, LEAVEN OF MALICE (1954), about a false engagement notice placed in the local paper. The real Robertson Davies edited the Kingston, Ontario paper and "Salterton" is clearly modeled after the real Kingston of the Fifties. LEAVEN OF MALICE went on to win Canada's highest prize for humorous writing, the Stephen Leacock Award for Humour, in 1955. It goes without saying that these three novels were written prior to the novels that became THE DEPTFORD TRILOGY in the 1970s, but while the Salterton-based books may not be as "global" as the Deptford Trilogy, they are indeed darn funny.
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Leonie wrote: "I've just started Ancillary Justice, which I'm not sure if I like or not yet."I had the same feeling until nearly the end, which is where it all comes together and you realize all of that other stuff is necessary to understand the dynamics of the finale.
Anthony wrote: "Alondra wrote: "Anthony wrote: "Aha. Just wait... Among other things, I feel Hobb is masterful at the steady unfolding of a story, and at creating a powerful cumulative effect......"I see that. I..."
I have seen the mixed reviews and it seems like a love it or hate it. Ugh.
Finished The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. Not much of a plot but cute, cute, cute! (yes, I'm all for sophisticated reviews ;) )Now there's room for something darker: I let the dice decide whether it will be Certain Dark Things or Parable of the Talents
@Gabi yes there was something very comforting about spending time with those sweet characters in The Long Way... Glad you enjoyed it.
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Just finished Graceling, which would have been a great palate cleanser after Changeling. Woooops. As a book in its own right, I think it was too gushy for me. I'm a tough dame, these kids with their antics and confessions of affection make me want to throw cold water on them. GET A ROOM. Oh wait, you did. LEAVE ME OUT OF THE ROOM.
Anthony wrote: "@Gabi yes there was something very comforting about spending time with those sweet characters in The Long Way... Glad you enjoyed it."Just saw that the other books in the series have nothing to do with the crew :( . I was hoping to learn more about them, especially Corbin.
Gabi wrote: "Finished The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. Not much of a plot but cute, cute, cute! (yes, I'm all for sophisticated reviews ;) )Now there's room for something darker: I let ..."
Gabi I wonder if the person who wrote THE LONG WAY TO A SMALL, ANGRY PLANET had in the back of the mind Gore Vidal's 1955 teleplay "Visit to a Small Planet"? I wasn't there for the TV broadcast, but we read the scenario in English class in the early 1970s.
[BTW not to be confused with the 1960 Jerry Lewis movie.]
Gabi wrote: "Just saw that the other books in the series have nothing to do with the crew :( . I was hoping to learn more about them, especially Corbin. "Yeah. I read the second and it was good, but not as good, imo, and I saw the third's coming out about different people again.
I'd really love to revisit with the original crew, though.
I think I read somewhere that there may be an upcoming book that's about the original crew, but it's possible it's just that Chambers hasn't ruled it out. The third book was more similar in feel to the first one.
Finished
Blood and Sand Trilogy Box Set. A fun romp and to learn that Hell has more souls than Heaven. Gee, really?Onto
Blackbeard: The Birth of America.
Anna wrote: "I think I read somewhere that there may be an upcoming book that's about the original crew, but it's possible it's just that Chambers hasn't ruled it out. The third book was more similar in feel to..."Thanks for reminding me that the third book is out now. Just went to Amazon and got it on my Kindle:)
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SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
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I see that. It is so good and..."
I feel your reluctance, keenly!