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?
Soo wrote: "Marching morons?"Cyril Kornbluth story that they based the movie Idiocracy on.
Ah. Dax is closer than Marching Morons. =)
As a lighter appetizer before the heavy dealings of Heart-Shaped Box for a group BR later this month, I'm listening to the Audible production of Emma, with Emma Thompson as the narrator. I got it for free in an offer of Audible-produced content for subscribers. It's more of a radio play adaptation than an audiobook, with bits of dialogue interspersed with straightforward narration. There aren't ever sound effects/Foley in the audios I listen to, and for that reason I'm not sure if the background sounds in this one are distracting simply because of that, or because they're mixed too loudly. Other than that I'm enjoying it.
The last days I finished:Babel-17 for the group, which was a tough read, but quite mind boggling.
Lagoon for the BR. Nnedi Okorafor again got me with her mix of SF and spirituality. I so love her writing.
Selected Shorts: A Touch of Magic, where I immensely enjoyed the performances of the narrators.
Drachenschlag: Im Schein der Welten, which I picked for my TBR-cleanup challenge, but couldn't rate. From my adult perspective, the prose was less than satisfying, so I wouldn't recommend it. But the author was 12 years old, when he wrote this book, and this is an awesome achievement, which I wouldn't want to diminish by a bad rating.
Now I started my first Tanith Lee book East of Midnight - unfortunately in German. I have quite some books left here on my shelf which I never read, or can't remember (all in German). So I want to squeeze them in whenever there is some space to breath between BRs.
This one seems to be translated rather poorly, so I'm struggling a bit with the prose.
I'm moving onto book six of Frontlines. I have my fingers crossed. I believe this is the last book of the series and I'm not sure how things will be wrapped up. Murderbot! =D
Okay, I get it. It is rather humorous, cranky, naive, charge at windmills, cynical and totally hooked on tv shows. I'm having a great time with the books. I'll hop over to the thread once I finish Exit Strategy.
Finished Bird Box which was gloriously creepy and very hard to put down. I had been wondering about (view spoiler) so I was glad that kind of got acknowledged by the end.Read a graphic novel On A Sunbeam: A Webcomic, which was very whimsical and fun with a science fantasy kind of world. I loved the art in it.
Almost finished with The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter. Still not sure how I feel about it, but I think I like it. It's the kind of book that pretty much exists to make references to other works, which is simultaneously fun and annoying for me. But Kate Reading narrates it, so she's tipping it to the fun side.
Finished & reviewed On Bullshit:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Reading The Red Tree from OverDrive and almost finished with The Silmarillion Rewrite, at the AO3 fanfic archive. Just a few chapters left. I laughed so hard reading this...
@Jordan - I wanted to like the Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter more than I did but the delivery fell flat for me. It wasn't bad but I've read better adaptations using well known characters. Wee~ Finished Exit Strategy and I loved it! I'll be in line to get the next book when it comes out in 2020.
Soo wrote: "I wanted to like the Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter more than I did but the delivery fell flat for me."I had the same reaction to it. I loved the idea of a group of monstrous girls co-operating and solving mysteries but unfortunately the "monstrous" part was underplayed (imo) and most of it dragged.
Beth wrote: "Soo wrote: "I wanted to like the Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter more than I did but the delivery fell flat for me."I had the same reaction to it. I loved the idea of a group of monstrou..."
It was clunky and lacked the author's branding on the characters. I enjoy it when authors take something well known and mold it into either something new or a different way to think about it. This book didn't really have that. I read it because it was liked by an author that I enjoy reading. Sometimes that works and sometimes it's whatever.
I bought Wake of Vultures because of the quotes (authors I like) on the book & it seemed interesting. It ended up being okay. I need to be careful about that because I've gotten several books due to quotes & end up asking myself why I wasted my money. They would be fine to get from the library or on sale but not at full price. I have the next two books in the Shadows series so I need to buckle down and get them in at some point.
I think I have had better luck reading books that friends (including authors) have read & enjoyed on GR than by going on quotes on book covers.
Since it's finally feeling like fall here, I've started rereading the Harry Potter series for the first time in about a decade, I forgot how much I enjoy these books :)Inbetween waiting for them to become available on Libby, I've been reading the Stellar Conquest series by David VanDyke. I got Starship Conquest free on Kindle and enjoyed it so much I bought the second book as soon as I finished it. It was a really fun, short read, and a pleasant surprise! (I had no expectations going into it since it was free).
I can't tell you what I'm reading because I haven't decided yet! All I know is that it's not going to be something from a list or schedule. I'm having tons of fun just looking at my options and deciding which ones to try. I should do this more often!
Good to know I'm not the only one who isn't completely loving Goss' monster fiction mash-up. I may or may not go on to the next one when I finish the first one. It kind of depends on how she wraps this one up.
I am reading the Reckoners series, and thoroughly enjoying it. Earth with only Supervillains but no Superheroes in sight. Interesting basis for the story and Brandon Sanderson's execution is great.Firefight
Finished The Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village last night. And I didn’t even have to sit up until 2.30 this time. Such a great book. It was written by a GP (Doctor) who specialises in old people and the characters felt so real. Hmmm I wonder what adventures await me today.
I finished and really liked Early Riser by Jasper Fforde
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Since my last post, I’ve read:* The Power by Naomi Alderman. This held my interest and had some interesting themes, but I had trouble buying into some aspects of the plot. I also thought the author made mostly the obvious choices and I would have enjoyed a little more creativity within the setting she built. My review.
* Then I began my read of Robin Hobb’s Enderlings series. I read the first three trilogies about 7 years ago, so I’m starting with those and then I’ll continue on to read the newer books that I haven’t read yet. So far I’ve read the first trilogy, the Farseer Trilogy, starting with Assassin's Apprentice. I enjoyed it as much as I remembered. I’m not normally much of a re-reader, but I did enjoy re-reading this with the foreknowledge of what will happen. This was especially true of the third book, which I think I raced through a bit the first time around. I was so anxious to learn the fate of various characters, whereas this time I already knew what was going to happen and could just relax and enjoy the journey.
My review of Assassin’s Apprentice
My review of Royal Assassin
My review of Assassin’s Quest
* Next, I read The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince. This is a novella written by Robin Hobb which gives us the “real” story behind the legend referred to a few times in the Farseer Trilogy. It's set long before the series, but I decided to read it after the first trilogy so the relevant references would be fresh in my mind before I got the back story. I think that worked well. For first-time readers of the series, I definitely wouldn’t recommend reading this first. I enjoyed how this added to the depth of the world, and it held my interest, but the story was a little too romance-y for my tastes. My review.
* Then I read Words Like Coins. This is a short story by Hobb, also set in her Six Duchies setting. We learn all about pecksies. This story stands alone perfectly well and could be read without any familiarity with her books at all. I’m not normally a big short story fan, but I actually really liked this one. My review.
* Finally, I read Songs of Love Lost and Found. This is an anthology of five romance stories by five authors, one of which is a short story by Robin Hobb set in her Six Duchies setting. I’m not very fond of romances, not unless it’s a well-done side plot in a larger story. Also, as I said above, I’m not that crazy for short stories. So I read this knowing that I was definitely not the target audience for it, and didn't really enjoy it any more than I expected to. I did manage two early bedtimes thanks to this book, though! The Hobb story was ok, but nothing special and I didn’t think it added anything substantial to her series. If you’re reading this series and you’re not a romance fan, you won’t miss anything by skipping it. I think I liked the Jacqueline Carey story in this anthology, though. I rated it the highest of the five stories anyway, although I had mixed feelings about it. I think it’s set in her Kushiel series, which I want to read eventually. It left me with the feeling that I was missing out on the bigger picture, so I’ll probably re-read it whenever I finally get to that series. My review.
Whew. So now I’m going to take a very short Hobb break and read an unrelated standalone, The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury. After that, I’ll carry on with Hobb’s Liveship Traders series.
THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES is my favorite Bradbury standalone (I use that term to not fall in the novel / not-novel gap.) I rate CHRONICLES above even DANDELION WINE and the celebrated FAHRENHEIT 451.
ALLEN wrote: "THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES is my favorite Bradbury standalone"I’m glad to read you enjoyed it so much. Hopefully the same will prove true for me. This is only my second Bradbury book, the first being Fahrenheit 451, and I'm happily going into it completely blind. I have no idea what it's about, although I suspect Mars may have something to do with it. :)
Beth wrote: "Finished & reviewed On Bullshit:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ..."
I loved your review, Beth!
YouKneeK wrote: "ALLEN wrote: "THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES is my favorite Bradbury standalone"...
"I’m glad to read you enjoyed it so much. Hopefully the same will prove true for me. This is only my second Bradbury book, the first being Fahrenheit 451, and I'm happily going into it completely blind. I have no idea what it's about, although I suspect Mars may have something to do with it."
--Strangely enough, not really. But it is still read in many public schools."
(that's all the hint I can give)
Soo wrote: "I bought Wake of Vultures because of the quotes (authors I like) on the book & it seemed interesting. It ended up being okay. I need to be careful about that because I've gotten several books due to quotes & end up asking myself why I wasted my money."A lot of the authors are all friends, so... yeah.
One of my favorite collection of cover quotes comes from a book whose title I’ve forgotten. It had quotes like, “This book is wonderful!” - The author’s mom. “Buy this book! Dave owes me 20 bucks.” - author’s friend.😝
It's impossible by definition to prove the negative case, so Amazon went to the mats over an online cookbook published about five years ago that got twenty reviews (all but one five-star, the other four). Amazon said there was nothing to investigate and hinted that people who were dissatisfied were free to research the matter. You can't, even though all reviews had female first names only, all but three lived within 50 miles of the author's home site, and practically all had sleek, easy-to-type names like "Doni," "Debi," and "Connie," and nearly three-quarters of them were filed in the same two-hour period. PROVE that's not a fake -- but such "proof" is impossible.
It's like saying "You have to PROVE that Baby Milk Factory ISN'T a factory for Weapons of Mass Destruction."
Right now I’m on a book a day kick. Today’s adventure took place aboard Mercy of Kalr and Athoek Station. Yep Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie. I wonder where my next adventure will be.
I'm reading Lethal White. It's good. This is the best of the Cormoran Strike series. Galbraith is at the top of the game!
Read book 2 in Tanya Huff's vampire series, Blood Trail and reviewed it - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2539762383.
I’ve been on more adventures since Ancillary Sword 2 days ago. First I went and visited Peggy Smart and her friends at the Jacaranda Retirement Village (Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village) then continued my adventures with Breq/Justice of Toren (Ancillary Mercy). I also went adventuring with Murderbot (Exit Strategy). And I finished exploring the galaxy with the Bobs (We Are Legion (We Are Bob))
Loved "Promise of Blood" by Brian McClellan. Pitch perfect war fantasy with magic and gunpowder !!
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I finished several books that did not make enough of an impression so they will not be talked about. I did catch up on Frontlines series and I'm glad the "last" book out is not the last because that means there's at least another book or two to wrap up plot lines. =D Woo! I made myself wait before going into the Blade of Tyshalle (The Acts of Caine #2) by Matthew Woodring Stover. The narrator is not that great. He tends to do all the voices the same way so that's poopers. However, I'm fine when the POV is Hari/Caine's. Boy! This story. Whew. There are definitely some bumps in the plot but I am drawn & revolted by the way Stover writes the scenes & characters. It's like he cuts down drive, emotions, actions to the very base and then make it super explicit. At the end of Heroes Die, I was on the edge of my seat & wondering how the heck Hari will be able to do anything later. Now, I'm in the thick of second book and I can't believe the crazy that's happening. I definitely need to see how Stover makes it all possible.
Reading Agent of Chaos by Kami Garcia. I am enjoying it. I am a very slow reader thou. Can I stay in this group even if I don't read a book per month? I don't do challenges either :(
Gaia wrote: "Can I stay in this group even if I don't read a book per month? I don't do challenges either"Of course you can! The challenges are just for fun, and many people don't read all the monthly picks. I hope you'll find something that interests you :)
@Kirsten I loved loved loved Ammonite! Do add your opinion to the thread!
Gaia wrote: "Reading Agent of Chaos by Kami Garcia. I am enjoying it. I am a very slow reader thou. Can I stay in this group even if I don't read a book per month? I don't do challenges either :("Just so long as you keep up with your monthly dues, you’ll be fine. Send your $499.99 to Trike at Venmo.
(Don’t really do that. That was just a joke. I don’t know how Venmo works or if there is a Trike on there.)
Just finished The Man Who Ended the World. Quick impromptu read based on the intriguing title, which turned out to be such a wonderful, cleverly constructed and human telling of circumstances leading up to, and following the immediate aftermath, of a large scale event.Also a valiant effort to record contemporary popular culture works and phenomena in the literary pantheon, it feels.
Could work as a great read for the group too: while nothing like it and the story's brilliance stands apart from it, this heavily references a recent BR: (view spoiler).
I read Hugo and Nebula award winner Gateway for an IRL book club. I found it to be a surprisingly human story about the main character dealing with fear and trauma in a science fiction universe. I enjoyed it immensely.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I'm finally back to reading with my eyeballs again! Also I finished my Harry Potter reread so I'll be back to inundating you with my reviews once again.Most recently I finished Ghostwater, which after a bit of a slow start was really enjoyable. - ★★★★☆ - (My Review)
I just finished Falling Free, which was a diverting read but had the potential to be so much richer an experience. It was only my second Lois McMaster Bujold book, and I preferred The Curse of Chalion much more. I’m in the mood for something that will move me, and if the first two Farseer books were any indication, Assassin's Quest should do just that. This month is so insane with buddy reads (and the reread of Children of Time which I want to join) not to mention the official group reads and I’m trying to get it ALL DONE. In the middle of a very very busy period in my work. But it is WORTH IT. RIGHT???!
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Rob, i'm looking forward to the deluge!
Only worth it if you enjoy yourself in the process. Don't get reading burnout. It sucks when that happens.
I enjoyed Falling Free. It was a nice throwback into Bujold space series. The thing I liked about Dauntless was how the regular space fleet is basically a bunch of maverick/privateer types who don't work well together. Usually, you have a highly regulated format & procedure. I think Captain Jack will grow on me but it may take a book or two more of the series. Not sure how that will go but I'm willing to try.
Traitor's Blade - Best part are the glimpses into the author's head. The story is rather rough in my opinion and has a jarring tendency to flip flop from something cool to bland. There were several what the heck is happening moments. Great three musketeer vibe. An odd POV and somewhat awkward flashbacks. Kinda rough start but lots of potential for good old swashbuckling fun. I did this one as an audio and feel like there's a few parts I want to double check before I write up a review. So, I plan to speed read the ebook. I'm also checking to see if the story will come across better in print vs audio.
In the last few days I’ve only read one book. Why Mummy Swears by Gill Sims. I’ve been really tired this week and haven’t felt much like reading. Instead of adventures in reading today I’ve been driving between the beach and the farm.
Soo wrote: "Only worth it if you enjoy yourself in the process. Don't get reading burnout. It sucks when that happens."Agreed! I've fallen into this hole and now I'm like turning 180 degree around, reading anything but BRs ... the balance must work and the fun must still be there.
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SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
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And a little "Marching Morons" on the side? I like that combo.