What Else Are You Reading - July 2018

[Joseph]

Finished Shadow's Son and moved into the second in the series, Shadow's Lure.

[Rik]

Struggling through a listen of the last book of Tad Williams Otherland series, Sea of Silver Light. I've said it before and will say it again, Williams has a great imagination but he needs a brutally honest editor who will tell him to cut out about 60% of the story as his books are needlessly padded.

Reading The President's Daughter by John Locke. If you haven't read Locke's Donavon Creed series, its about a hitman with a heart of bronze. The books are utterly absurd most of the time and ridiculous yet entertaining. None are very long so its a good easy read when you just want to shut off your brain and not have to think too much about it.

[Sheila Jean]

Since my post at the beginning of the month I finished 2 audio books and am about 72% through a 3rd. (Red Sister by Mark Lawrence, Age of War by Michael J. Sullivan, and The Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi).

If I were reading a dead tree edition of Children of Blood and Bone I would have skipped to the end to see what happens by this point. I don't dislike the book, but I have been catching up on podcasts and radio listening as often as I've returned to the audiobook.

In "print" I finished Circe, Seven Surrenders by Ada Palmer, and Starless by Jacqueline Carey. Circe was fine, I think I gave it 3 stars. I really enjoyed both Seven Surrenders and Starless, but not quite enough to give either a full 5 stars.

I read another 60 pages of Lost Gods by Brom last night, so I will finish this someday. Perhaps even relatively soon unless I get a surprise library hold.

[Phil]

Finished The Bicentennial Man and Other Stories by Isaac Asimov. Even though I've read a ton of Asimov I'd never read this before for a weird reason. When it first came out 42 years ago, being Canadian, I was so sick of hearing about the American Bicentennial that I purposefully avoided the title story figuring it would just be another piece of American propaganda. I finally saw the Robin Williams movie many years later and realized I was wrong. I think this collection contains some of the best written stories of his career. Ah well. I guess if you live long enough you can correct the misconceptions of your youth.
Starting The Garden of Rama.

[Robert]

Yesterday I finished Royal Assassin, the second book in Robin Hobb's "Farseer Trilogy." It was a really good novel. Took some turns I wasn't expecting, especially towards the end. I'm going to wait a few days before starting on the third book, Assassin's Quest.

[Stephen]

Sneaking in Space Opera before Record of a Spaceborn Few shows up on the Kindle App next week . Hope to finish off Mortal Engines in the next few days.

[Silvana]

Halfway through Broken Angels - you guys are right, it is so different with Altered Carbon. I am quite liking it so far but it has a very long build up. Will report the final verdict accordingly :)

Just realized I need to start George RR Martin's Dying of the Light today for a buddy read. Only read five pages, very nice intro. Martin knows how to grab his readers since the early days.

[Taras]

I've enjoyed the Practical Guide To Evil:Book 3 . Eventually it grabbed me with it's action and grand-war-planning, though what attracted me initially is that the characters (the cleverer ove's, at least) are well aware of the saw-it-coming good vs evil standart stories, and use it massively. Oh, and most of them just do things practically. That made using character archetypes from all over the fantasy history unexpectedly original, and the whole story and character's goals rational in just the right way.

[Iain]

Had a busy week.

Finished Mortal Engines for the monthly pick, OK but a bit meh... I much preferred Cities in Flight as a mobile city read.

Finished Blameless which was fun. A sweet confection of a book with very likeable characters.

Took a break from SF&F and flew through Force of Nature which is real page turner of a crime novel. If you like that sort of think take a gander (start with The Dry).

Three weeks into a listen of The Wise Man's Fear (just passed through the Boff a thon)... Only another 13 hours to listen to... Then the endless wait for a conclusion...

Slowly reading Children of Blood and Bone to my son when he is not watching Suits (no taste at all)...

Now I have to pick something else, probably Fool's Quest, I have to look through my iPad for all the books I have down loaded from the library..

[Lariela]

I'm currently reading Noumenon by Marina J. Lostetter.

[Jessica]

My recent reads:

The Death of Mrs. Westaway was a fun Gothic mystery/family saga. The main character lives in Brighton, so I was tickled to hear it mentioned as Philip Reeve's hometown (and hipster capital of the world, apparently) in the previous S&L podcast.

The Queens of Innis Lear was gorgeous as far as the world and its magic, but the pacing was a draaaaaaaag.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was quite a wonderful story about all the different ways there are to love someone.

Girls Burn Brighter was very, very good literary fiction about the winding paths two girls from India take after life tears them apart. But be warned it does have some pretty disturbing parts.

Obsidio was fun, but not nearly as fun as its predecessors - still, its provides a solid end to the YA sci-fi trilogy.

What Should Be Wild was...okay, but not great, and very strange.

[Mark]

Finished the 2018 Hugo novelette and short story nominees this weekend. Looking back at what I've read, I seem to have a thing for robots. Who knew?

[Michele]

I re-read The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter because I decided I wanted to before reading the sequel. Blasted right through it and loved it again.

I just finished European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman - really liked it, just not quite as much as the first. Still really good and I'll definitely grab book 3 as soon as it's out. It had even more of those character interruptions - so if you didn't like those in book 1, you won't like the second any better.

Now, back to re-reading A Discovery of Witches, which I set aside for the new shiny.

[Tassie Dave, S&L Historian]

Michele wrote: "I just finished European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman - really liked it, just not quite as much as the first. Still really good and I'll definitely grab book 3 as soon as it's out. It had even more of those character interruptions - so if you didn't like those in book 1, you won't like the second any better."

I'm about half way through it. I like the asides. They are a little spoilery, but are a lot of fun.

I think it is as good as the first book so far.

[Silvana]

Finally reached 50 Sword and Laser books for the challenge. Sword still leads with 28 books.

I finished with Broken Angels and gave it three stars. Long story short: too many build-ups, Kovacs still basically the irresistible James Bond, plot strands in Altered Carbon were more enjoyable than this mil-SF/BDO exploration story. I am still at the fence on whether to continue to the third book or not.

Still digesting Dying of the Light, which I have come realize to be GRRM's first story set in the Thousand Worlds universe. If you've read A Song for Lya, Tuf Voyaging, and liked them, this one you should read too.

Mark wrote: "Finished the 2018 Hugo novelette and short story nominees this weekend. Looking back at what I've read, I seem to have a thing for robots. Who knew?"

This is The Bot Year. I loved Fandom for Robots.

[John (Taloni)]

^Just finished Altered Carbon and while there were definitely silly parts, it held together well. Might give Broken Angels a look. I'm curious, what is BDO? The urban dictionary had a very...interesting...definition.

Edited to add:
I seem to have a thing for robots. Who knew?

Going back a few years, an internet acquaintance tried to mock me by tagging me with the phrase "I like stories about robots and spacemen." And I'm like, yeah, and?

[Silvana]

oh? BDO = big dumb object. Like Rama.

[David H.]

Urban Dictionary is the exactly wrong place to look up SF terminology.

[John (Taloni)]

Silvana wrote: "oh? BDO = big dumb object. Like Rama."

Ah! Thanks. I should have got that, being a fan of BDO stories like Ringworld and Rama.

[TRP]

Recently finished Marianne Dreams by Catherine Storr. This is a children's book and a quick read but is compelling and well put together.

It was adapted, fairly accurately, for UK TV in the 1970s and was more freely adapted into the film Paperhouse in the 1980s

[Dara]

Pausing on Memories of Ice to read Record of a Spaceborn Few. I got some weird looks at work for basically huffing my book but it smells so good. If anyone understand this, it's you guys.

[Ruth]

My preorder for Record of a Spaceborn Few has arrived- but I haven’t finished my previous preorder of Spinning Silver! Gah too many books! I need everyone to stop publishing new books for a couple of years so I can catch up with my tbr list!

[Tasha]

Dara wrote: "Pausing on Memories of Ice to read Record of a Spaceborn Few. I got some weird looks at work for basically huffing my book but it smells so good. If anyone understand ..."

The only thing that smells better than a new book is an old book.

[Jessica]

Just finished a neat little novella called Pavaria by a certain Tom Merritt

[Joseph]

Have started the very first D&D Forgotten Realms novel, Darkwalker on Moonshae by Douglas Niles.

[Iain]

Finished Fool's Quest which had me yelling at book several times.

(view spoiler)[ Damn it Fitz, Bee has been kidnapped... Wake up and get moving.... Finally gets moving 30 chapters later.. (hide spoiler)]

Now reading Gone Girl and hoping to finish The Wise Man's Fear o audio sometime this year..

[Francis x]

I am now reading -a wrinkle in time graphic novel by hope Larson (adapter). On Libby (an overdrive).

[Jonathan]

Just finished Fool's Quest as well! Still working on Revenger and The Vagrant. Started listening to The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter

[John (Taloni)]

I just finished up the last Mortal Engines book. Decent resolution, but sooooo long to set up. Also a bizarre mix of the scientifically plausible and the totally ridiculous.

Now on to the second Culture book, Player of Games. I also got Howl's Moving Castle but think I will wait on that a bit since I just finished a moving cities series.

[Iain]

Just lemmed Gone Girl, this one was definitely spoiled by seeing the movie (knowing what happens takes the fun out of a thriller).

Stated Jade City.

[Erik]

After finishing ME I've gone back to The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America. Only about half way through and have had it incubating since March. Will definitely finish this in August.

On audiobook I just started Neuromancer. I don't have a commute anymore (I actually miss having a breezy 15 minute drive each way for book listenin) so I'm pretty much only doing relatively short books now. Motivation to clean and do yard stuff being the only time I listen to books currently.

[William]

After actually flying over St Paul's while reading the end of Mortal Engines I'm now rereading Intervention (a life-changing favourite of mine) while sitting in the very spot it is taking place.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

I'm reading Summerland by Hannu Rajaniemi (I loved his book the Quantum Thief.) I'm a bit confused by the ghost spies but sticking with it.

[Brendan]

Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "I'm reading Summerland by Hannu Rajaniemi (I loved his book the Quantum Thief.) I'm a bit confused by the ghost spies but sticking with it."

Same! Started it last night.

[Dara]

Finished Record of a Spaceborn Few yesterday and it was magnificent. Loved it. My review.

Now I'm starting my re-read of Jade City with the group! I have it on kindle but bought a paperback copy because I wanted to.

[Joseph]

William wrote: "After actually flying over St Paul's while reading the end of Mortal Engines I'm now rereading Intervention (a life-changing favourite of mine) while sitting in the very..."

I have to say that's one of my very favorite ways to read as well.

Myself, I wrapped up Darkwalker on Moonshae and am moving on to Black Wizards.

[Jessica]

I finished The Astonishing Color of After, a YA book about grieving 15 year old Leigh, who discovers that her mother has turned into a bird after committing suicide. Much of the story takes place in Taiwan during Ghost Month.

[Tasha]

Jessica wrote: "I finished The Astonishing Color of After, a YA book about grieving 15 year old Leigh, who discovers that her mother has turned into a bird after committing suicide. Much of the sto..."

That sounds really interesting.

[Silvana]

Finished last night with a very cute dog story from Tolkien: Roverandom.

[Silvana]

William wrote: "After actually flying over St Paul's while reading the end of Mortal Engines I'm now rereading Intervention (a life-changing favourite of mine) while sitting in the very..."

looking great!