What Are You Reading in April 2018?

[[deleted user]]

I am reading The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan.

[Bill's]

I could read Persepolis Rising but maybe I will continue on with Asimov's Foundation Universe.

I am about 60% done Foundation's Fear.

Next is:
Foundation and Chaos
Foundation's Triumph
Foundation
Foundation and Empire
Second Foundation

That's more than enough for one month, but next comes:

Foundation's Edge
Foundation and Earth

[Jim]

A Slip of the Keyboard: Collected Non-Fiction by Terry Pratchett was excellent even though I've never cared for his fiction. I gave it a 5 star review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Jim]

Binary Storm by Christopher Hinz is a SF adventure, a prequel to his Paratwa trilogy that was written & should be read afterward. It fills in some gaps & I really liked it. I was a bit surprised since often such additions are a let down. This wasn't. I gave it a 4 star review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Janny]

Jim wrote: "Binary Storm by Christopher Hinz is a SF adventure, a prequel to his Paratwa trilogy that was written & should be read afterward. It fills in some gaps & I really li..."

Wow, Jim, I didn't know that title existed.

[Jim]

I was surprised, too. Found it when I went to reread the trilogy which has been gathering dust on my shelf since I read it when it first came out. Most people don't seem to know of the Paratwa trilogy, either. It's a shame. One of the best kept secrets of the 80s. I had a tough time finding the first book way back when. Another one of those where there were a lot of the 2d book, the 3d wasn't hard to find, but the first... Sheesh! It's so great to be able to order books online now.

[Christine]

Jim wrote: "I was surprised, too. Found it when I went to reread the trilogy which has been gathering dust on my shelf since I read it when it first came out. Most people don't seem to know of the Paratwa tril..."

Not available at my public library

[Jim]

Christine wrote: "Not available at my public library "

That's what Abebooks.com & its ilk are for. Libraries have never had a lot of the better SF or fantasy. It drove me crazy when I was a kid & would find parts of series. Even when interlibrary loans became available, often the books weren't. People today have odd notions that books were as easy to get 40 or 50 years ago as they are today. Even Terry Pratchett was complaining about how most of the signings he did in the US were of bootlegged UK copies just 30 years ago.

[Random]

I've just about given up on the local book stores.

I remember heading to a major book store one day with a list of relatively new books I wanted to buy (within the last couple of years). None of them were in stock.

However, a new printing of the first Lensman book was under New releases.
The exact same copy of The Mists of Avalon I had bought and read 20 years prior was there.

Other than that, there were a lot of covers with scantily clad tough girls with tattoos. It was rather disappointing.

[Jim]

I adore the old pulp covers & love looking at the Internet Archive's pulp section:
https://archive.org/details/pulpmagaz...
It was covers like that which got me interested in reading as a little kid, although my favorites were the Lancer covers by Frazetta. I don't understand the current fascination with tattoos. I wonder what old age homes are going to look like in 40 or 50 years.

I've never understood the fascination with the Lensmen series. I've still got it, but I didn't care for it too much as a kid & found it unreadable when I tried again a few years ago. It must be just me. I reread E. Everett Evans Man of Many Minds not too long ago & liked it. I even liked The Black Star Passes by John W. Campbell Jr. 7 the Barsoom series, so I'm OK with hokey space opera. Just couldn't get into the Lensmen or Skylark again, though.

[Silvana]

Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi

[Jim]

Silvana wrote: "Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi"

I really liked that & I hadn't read Little Fuzzy for so long I'd practically forgotten it. Eventually I did reread it. Made them both even better.

[Silvana]

Jim wrote: "Silvana wrote: "Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi"

I really liked that & I hadn't read Little Fuzzy for so long I'd practically forgotten it. Eventually I did reread it. Made them both ev..."

so far so cute!

[Random]

I loved that one as well. One of these days I intend to read the originals.

[Justine]

I'm very lucky to live in a place with a library system that carries a very extensive collection of SFF and responds well to requests for purchase. We also have several excellent independent new and used bookstores that carry great selections.

[Joanne]

l am currently listening to Jade City by Fonda Lee and reading the book Earth girl by Janet Edward

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

Hoping to finish The Skull Throne soon—real life has interrupted my reading schedule yet again—and then it’s on to Persepolis Rising. At the rate things are going, that may be it for April, but I hope to get to a few more books!

[DivaDiane]

I’ve been on a book buying ban, because I have about 1000 unread books in various places (shelves, Audible, Kindle), but I am quite impressed with my taste in literature! This year so far I’ve taken 12 books from my stores and many of them were SF and F: Corby Flood , Cloud Atlas, The Graveyard Book, The Hobbit (a reread for me, my 8yo’s first time), Dan Dare -Voyage to Venus, The Lathe of Heaven (a reread), The Haunting of Hill House, the first 2 of UKL’s Catwings children’s books.

At the moment I’m in the middle of Bloodline (Star Wars), Otherland - Vol. 1, and Improbability Moon.

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

Jim wrote: "I adore the old pulp covers & love looking at the Internet Archive's pulp section:
https://archive.org/details/pulpmagaz...
It was covers like that which got me interested in reading as a li..."

Those are great pulp covers. Those were the kind of book covers I saw when I was young also.

[Ken]

Random wrote: "I've just about given up on the local book stores.

I remember heading to a major book store one day with a list of relatively new books I wanted to buy (within the last couple of years). None of t..."

Yep, sometimes its annoying. In the last 20 years I have watched the shelf stock dwindle. We had a great chain store location that had a wonderfully stocked SF/Fantasy section. I suspect as corporate took over it went downhill. The building was sold to put in condos several years back. it went from being the go to place to find a book to nothing, I think the only time I ever went if if I happened to be in the area
I used to go to Buffalo to watch some Minor League baseball and everytime I would complile a few books I was looking for and make my way to B&N, every time I came up with nothing.
Very disappointing.

[Ken]

Diane wrote: "I’ve been on a book buying ban, because I have about 1000 unread books in various places (shelves, Audible, Kindle), but I am quite impressed with my taste in literature! This year so far I’ve take..."
Ha, I am sort of this way, I have the same amount of physical books and about 250 ebooks. I am getting to that age where I am coming to a realisation that I am not going to able to read them all

[Mary]

Blood of Dragons by Jack Campbell

[Silvana]

Currently reading The Legion of Flame. Love me some early industrial period with espionage, naval battles, and dragons.

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

I finished The Skull Throne, part of Peter V. Brett’s Demon Cycle. Not afraid to kill off major characters! One book left in the series.

I will be starting Persepolis Rising this weekend—and then the long wait for the rest of the series to be published!

[[deleted user]]

Diane wrote: "I’ve been on a book buying ban, because I have about 1000 unread books in various places (shelves, Audible, Kindle), but I am quite impressed with my taste in literature! This year so far I’ve take..."

I've always wanted to check out catwings.

[Mary]

Waltz the Hall: The American Play Party by Alan L. Spurgeon

[Shamesdean]

Currently reading Krondor: Tear of the Gods by Raymond E Feist.

[Leserling]

I listened to Tangerine by Christine Mangan, and Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs.
I'm currently listening to Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan, the TV series of which I really enjoyed. Oh, and I nearly forgot, I'm listening to The Circle by Dave Eggers, too.

[Alissa]

Need to start Altered Carbon too!

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

After finishing The Skull Throne and Persepolis Rising, I went way out of genre for a little book of anecdotes and vignettes of life with a sibling who has Down syndrome (as I do), Joe: A Life of Mischief, Humor, and Joy. The titular Joe is 5 years younger than my sister and they attended school and have participated in many community events and activities together. Author Sandra Bartel does a wonderful job of conveying both the delights and the demands of the situation. Organization & editing could have been better, IMO, but the perspective is invaluable.

Now back in genre with another Drizzt book from the Icewind Dale trilogy.

[Christine]

I finished Origin a couple days ago; I'd forgotten how much I enjoy reading Dan Brown. Now back in genre with The Last Colony. I leave today for a week in Amsterdam and UK so will get a bit of reading done. I come home with two Irish Water Spaniel puppies next Wednesday!!

[Shel, Moderator]

I'm about halfway through Persepolis Rising. Next up will be Fire Dance, newly released sequel to Last Song Before Night which the group read a while back. The author is a friend and I can't wait to read her latest work!

[Ken]

Finished The Night Voice
The final book in the Noble Dead series. Series as a whole was ok, I wasnt much of a fan of the later books. This one no exception. They spent most of the book setting up the ending and attempting to close some forgotten storylines, they had several books to do this. The plotting of the later part of the series was dismal.

Started the book of the month. Been meaning to read this for a while
Fuzzy Nation

[Christine]

I just finished The Last Colony which I enjoyed but I did get a bit lost at times because it has been a while since I read the two preceeding books. Now on toThe Murders of Molly Southbourne

[Mary]

The Last Guardian of Everness by John C. Wright

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

I zipped through The Halfling's Gem, kind of a letdown in the Drizzt D’Orden books but a quick enough read. Then it was back to Kage Baker’s Company series with The Children of the Company—a wider perspective than some of the other novels. Now I am reading Wings of Wrath, Book 2 in C.S. Friedman’s Magister series.

[Christine]

I finished The Murders of Molly Southbourne and must say that I really didn't like the book. now moving on to An Unkindness of Ghosts

[Shel, Moderator]

I just finished Persepolis Rising and I'm going to take a quick break from fiction before starting Fire Dance - not sure what, exactly, but I have a few nonfiction titles sitting on my kindle that I've been meaning to pick up.

[Mary]

Mists of Everness by John C. Wright

[Ken]

Finished Fuzzy Nation, it was a quick read, and it was pretty good.

Started The Complaints

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

Blizzard over the weekend = extra reading time! I finished Wings of Wrath (excellent!!), went out of genre with Between Sisters (predictable but OK for a change of pace), back to the stories of Drizzt the Dark Elf with The Legacy (so-so), and now I’m reading the conclusion of the Magister trilogy, Legacy of Kings.

[Ken]

Kathi wrote: "Blizzard over the weekend = extra reading time!."
Ha, I did get some reading in between several beverages. I was terrible here, yesterday was the first day I could safely walk around

[Jim]

Planetfall Origins is an independently published book by Christopher George Quick. It's his only book to date, just published last year. I have no idea why I bought it new through Amazon, but I did & I loved it. I gave it a 4 star review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Ken]

Finished the Complaints
Well, Malcolm Fox is no Rebus but he is interesting in his own way. Book started slow but really picked up. It was really good.

Starting some non fiction.
The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

Legacy of Kings was fantastic! A great wrap-up to the trilogy and a strong book in its own right.

Now out of genre with Dead Sleep by Greg Iles. Then I will start on a couple books I need to read for May discussions in other groups.

[Silvana]

Finished with The Man in the High Castle. I don't like PKD's novels. His short stories are better.
Starting Wylding Hall. Loving it so far.

[Mary]

Dragon's Ring by Dave Freer

[Bill's]

I didn't make very good progress on the list that I made in message 2. I only finished 2 books:

Foundation's Fear
and Foundation and Chaos

I got distracted by getting a new computer and getting back into writing software. I have been reading Pro C# 7: With .NET and .NET Core and Professional Visual Studio 2017.

For computer related books the library only has beginner level and antique books. For the good stuff you pretty much have to spend lots of money.

[Mary]

Dog and Dragon by Dave Freer

[Ken]

Bill wrote: "For computer related books the library only has beginner level and antique books. For the good stuff you pretty much have to spend lots of money. "

I started using Linux instead of Windows and went looking for books. They are expensive and used bookstores dont see many of them. So I resorted to online teaching aids. Which I really need to get into again