What are you reading in December 2018?

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

Please let us know what you are reading this month, and share your opinions! Any and all genres can be discussed here. I hope to have many things to add as I get back on track with my reading...

[Shel, Moderator]

I finished The Mad Ship for the group series discussion yesterday, and while I decide what to start next I read a few essays from a very random anthology I just downloaded to my kindle, Me, My Hair, and I: Twenty-seven Women Untangle an Obsession.

[MadProfessah]

Reading BALL LIGHTNING by Cixin Liu

[Tani]

I'm reading The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden right now as my physical book. I'm enjoying it a lot! I didn't love the first book in the series, but I think that was because I listened to it on audiobook, and while the narration was spectacular, it just wasn't the right kind of story for me to listen to.

I also started Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale. I'm not very far yet, but I'm enjoying the atmosphere and intrigued by the mystery.

[Silvana]

Reading Ringworld and Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr

Other upcoming reads:
Alif the Unseen
NOS4A2

[Gabi]

Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr and Planetfall were extraordinary novels that I wouldn't want to have missed for anything in the world.

[Silvana]

Cool! Looks like I need to read Planetfall, been in my radar for a while.

[Shel, Moderator]

My 8th graders just had a visit from YA writer Nic Stone and she was fantastic - I am going to download Dear Martin and start it tonight!

[Mary]

Swordheart by T. Kingfisher

[Miguel]

Currently reading Six of Crows and will start the year with some Ian M. Banks reading.

At this point of my life, I'm reading Ian M. Banks and Steven Erikson and I really enjoy this combo. Culture Series and Malazan the Book of the Fallen FTW!

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

Miguel wrote: "At this point of my live, I'm reading Ian M. Banks and Steven Erikson and I really enjoy this combo. Culture Series and Malazan the Book of the Fallen FTW! "

Ooh, I loved Malazan Book of the Fallen! We did that as a series read a while back, so you can always go to those threads, read comments, and add to the discussion.

I am also a fan of the Culture books but I have only read a few of them. You have some terrific books lined up to read!

[Kyle]

I am hooked on the Bobiverse! Finally getting through book 2 For We Are Many, forgot how much fun they are to read.

[Kerry]

I'm trying to catch up on some outstanding books I was reading along with a podcast, but I'm now two and a half books behind.

It's embarrassing to say, but that means I'm going to binge on a few Doctor Who Target Novelisations with the intention of being caught up with the podcast by the end of the year.

I read Target books as a kid, way back in the early 80s, but I recently had a chance to buy up almost the entire range (along with a bunch of other Doctor Who books) at a very good price. So now I have all these books sitting on shelves and I thought that even if I am almost forty years older now, I should actually read them. Then I found a podcast reading its way through the Targets and here I am, reading Second Doctor novelisations.

[Gabi]

I read Traitor's Moon by Lynn Flewelling and I'm happy that I re-discovered the Nightrunner series. I enjoy them even more than 20 years ago. And I learned that there are 4 new books I didn't even know. Happy times to come.
I've also started with The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson and I'm awed by the complexity of characters and worldbuilding.

[Nick]

I just finished the "Binti" series by Nnedi Okorafor. I have liked what I have read by her so far. In some ways she reads as very "classic," and, I guess, that is what I like about her work.

[David]

Just finished Arcanum Unbound, a set of novellas by Brandon Sanderson. Absolutely fantastic, one of my books of the year. I've read a couple of his books so far, and this one will prompt me now to read everything he's written.

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

So far this month I’ve read Ship of Magic and The Pillars of Creation. The first was excellent—engrossing, a good balance of action and introspection. The second was pretty awful, IMO, with way too much sadism by an entirely unlikable character, an OK story centering around an OK character, and the main characters of the Sword of Truth series mostly MIA. Now reading The Mad Ship and glad to be back in the Realm of the Elderlings.

[David]

Earlier in the month, I read Seven Elements That Changed the World, which was rather disappointing. Then I finished Akata Witch over the weekend. I've got a couple of books which caught my eye off of the new arrivals shelf at the library last week, so I've started the first, Marching to Zion, by Mary Glickman.

David

[Shel, Moderator]

I finished Dear Martin and rated it 4 stars on the strength of the story and the importance of the topic, though I found the actual use of language somewhat mediocre.

On to Ship of Destiny for the group read! I also have Akata Witch lined up for when I finish, so I can belatedly contribute to the group discussion whenever I do get to it.

[Mary]

Ghost in the Ring by Jonathan Moeller

[Mary]

Ghost in the Glass by Jonathan Moeller

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

Still alternating between the Sword of Truth series and our Realm of the Elderlings series, so I finished The Mad Ship (excellent) and Naked Empire (better than The Pillars of Creation but that isn’t saying much). Now enjoying Ship of Destiny, although the way the story shifts from one character & plotline to another with each new chapter is making it a little hard to really sink into the flow of the story. Before the end of the month I hope to read a couple other books that are not part of these 2 series, just for a break.

[Ken]

Been away again, been reading though
Sector General
The hospital books are good but not exactly action packed.

Tongues of Serpents
Not really happy with this Temeraire book, lots of nothing happened.

Power Ball: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game
This was quite interesting. The author took one baseball game, Astro's @ Athletics Sept 8 2017 and fashioned narative about baseball in general, moneyball, statistics and players. Very interesting.

Blackout
I just finished this, it was very hard to put down, very good.
One of the better books I have read this year

Just starting
Crucible of Gold

[Mary]

Ghost in the Amulet by Jonathan Moeller

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

Ken wrote: "...Tongues of Serpents
Not really happy with this Temeraire book, lots of nothing happened."

When I read the Temeraire books last year, this one got the lowest rating from me.

[Shel, Moderator]

I finished Ship of Destiny this afternoon, and will probably pick up Akata Witch next.

[Mary]

A Pocketful of Stars by Margaret Ball

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

I finished Ship of Destiny and read an odd little historical novel called Poor Richard's Game. Now I’m into Son of Avonar for a different group’s January read. I really liked the one other trilogy that I’ve read by Carol Berg and I’m already really liking this first book in her Bridge of D’Arnath trilogy.

[Mary]

Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman

[Shel, Moderator]

I'm still planning on Akata Witch afterwards but I ended up first picking up Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography, which I'm finding really fascinating reading. I pretty much know the Little House books by heart after many reads, but I didn't realize how much of it Laura Ingalls Wilder had fictionalized.

[Mary]

Temporary Preserves by David Zinn

[Mary]

Underfoot Menagerie: More Street Art by David Zinn by David Zinn

[Ken]

Finished Crucible of Gold, it was better than the last Temeraire book but that not saying much. The last three books in the series have been disappointments. Lots of travelling and just a bit of story.
I have two more to read but I think I am going to put them away for now, maybe try again next winter. Its sad because the first several books were really good.


Going to start some non fiction
Legion versus Phalanx

[Jim]

I finished my review of 2018 on Goodreads. It was a super year for my reading!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

Jim wrote: "I finished my review of 2018 on Goodreads. It was a super year for my reading!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

Wow, you read a wide range of genres! Thanks for sharing. And I have to tell you, I had a special smile for your comments about Rascal by Sterling North. He is from Wisconsin (lived here until college, I believe) and I remember when Rascal was published. My parents bought it for our school library after it won the Newberry Award and I remember reading it then. I would have been about 10 or so. What a great memory—thanks for bringing it back to me!

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

Ken wrote: "Finished Crucible of Gold, it was better than the last Temeraire book but that not saying much. The last three books in the series have been disappointments. Lots of travelling and just a bit of st..."

Though not as strong as the first couple books, I thought the last 2 were better than several of the middle ones. I rated them both 8/10.

[Jim]

Thanks, Kathi. I read for my pleasure & that takes me to some strange places. I was really happy to find Rascal in my library's selection of audiobooks. I've reread several books from my childhood with great results, but it was one of the best. At least it ends happily unlike other favorites such as Where the Red Fern Grows & The Yearling. They're all books that have a timeless quality about them.