What Else Are You Reading in 2019? Showing 1,351-1,400 of 3,237

[Chalken]

I'm reading Cradle by Will Wight. It's a fantasy series inspired by Eastern wuxia novels. It's basically martial arts with magic. It's a progressive type fantasy, which means that the protagonist gets stronger as time goes on, but it has that kind of epic vibe as well. Currently 6 books are out and each is about 300 words. It's a quick read and I'm loving it so far.

[Andy]

John wrote: "uh oh. I have (had?) plans for a Butler read with Earthseed duology, Kindred, just got Wild Seed from Library and Bloodchild and Other stories. Will start with Wild Seed as library time limit and so I can check off a challenge and then go from there."

That might work just fine for you.

If I regretted it (or the other three I read last year), I would have stopped. Butler's writing is great, and it holds up incredibly well decades later, including excellent direct and indirect social commentary. There's just not an abundance of joy and light.

It's no more intense than a lot of apocalyptic/dystopian fare. It all depends on your reading preferences, and how many you care to read right in a row.

[Robert]

Yesterday I finished Embers of War. Good science fiction novel about atonement. Had a few interesting characters, including a sentient starship.

[Anna]

I really enjoyed Embers, it was lots of fun!

[Pam]

Read Rebecca Tope's Peril in the Cotswolds and reviewed it - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2852307721.

[Andy]

Whew. Finished Clay's Ark last night, so that's five Butler books since late April.

Which I'm glad I did, but I'm recovering with 50 cc's of Murderbot, stat. (Artificial Condition)

[YouKneeK]

I just finished Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay. I enjoyed it quite a bit, although not as much as The Lions of Al-Rassan or Tigana. I liked that this one is set in a fictional historical China. It was nice to read a book with a different setting and culture than what I typically read. The fantasy elements are, as is often the case with GGK’s writing, minimal. They show up rarely and play important but brief roles in the story. As always, I enjoyed the way he wrote characters and their interactions with each other, and I enjoyed the story. I thought it did occasionally dawdle a bit too much, but that might have been a timing thing. I was also occasionally distracted by the tense changes. From what I could tell, he switched from past to present tense whenever writing from the POV of a female. My longer review.

I plan to continue on with River of Stars next, which I understand takes place in the same setting but 400 years later.

[Sarah]

@YouKneek the tense switching sounds interesting- was there a reason for it other than the speaker/character being female.

[Lizzie]

YouKneeK wrote: "I plan to continue on with River of Stars next, which I understand takes place in the same setting but 400 years later."

I thought Under Heaven was good, but River of Stars was absolutely wonderful. Enjoy!

[YouKneeK]

Sarah, I’m not sure. It did give those scenes a kind of different feel that I couldn’t put my finger on, but I never came up with any tangible theories as to why the author did it.

Lizzie, That’s great to hear, thanks!

[Sarah]

YouKneeK wrote: "Sarah, I’m not sure. It did give those scenes a kind of different feel that I couldn’t put my finger on, but I never came up with any tangible theories as to why the author did it.

Lizzie, That’s ..."

Huh. Sounds neat anyway- might have to check it out. Thanks!

[Gabi]

I need the collective group mind for a second: I consider picking up Ninefox Gambit as my next audio. Is this advisable or is it too complex? (not the book itself, but to go for the audiobook version). Any audio experiences?

[Anna]

Gabi wrote: "I need the collective group mind for a second: I consider picking up Ninefox Gambit as my next audio. Is this advisable or is it too complex? (not the book itself, but to go for the..."

Hmm, the first time I read it I definitely preferred eye-reading. There is so much weird stuff thrown at you, it's easier to take in when you can take natural pauses after each one. But after a while, when you're in the world, the audio is fine. If you have access to both, I'd say read the first few chapters with your eyes, and then continue with audio once you feel comfortable.

[Richard]

I am a bad choice to ask about this topic since I am fully a sight reader. My audio skills are hampered by working flight lines at airports with a lot of jet traffic. It was interesting to work there, and I worked with ear-protection, but old-age has also played a role along with my other labors in large manufacturing plants, again with required hearing protection. In addition to the upcharge of a book just to get the audio version from a vendor shuts me off on those purchases as well. Old age, fixed income, etc., ad infinitum.

Richard W. Buro, in the deep heart
of the Lone Star State of Texas

[Ariana]

Gabi wrote: "I need the collective group mind for a second: I consider picking up Ninefox Gambit as my next audio. Is this advisable or is it too complex? (not the book itself, but to go for the..."

I listened to it on audio, and loved it, but it probably depends a little on your tolerance for being thrown in to the middle of things and not knowing what's going on for a while, and just muddling through hoping that it'll all become clear. It definitely takes a while to figure out what all is going on, so if being confused for a while until things fall into place is not to your taste, then probably go with Anna's suggestion.

[Kaa]

I would agree with Anna and Ariana. I recently re-read it on audiobook, and I think Emily Woo Zeller does a very good job with it, but the story dumps you straight into things without much explanation. I think it was easier to listen to when I was already familiar with the world-building than it would have been for the first read.

[Anna]

I also really like the audio, I'm thinking of maybe doing my third audio reread soon ^_^ To get in the mood for Hexarchate Stories.

[Kaa]

Anna wrote: "I also really like the audio, I'm thinking of maybe doing my third audio reread soon ^_^ To get in the mood for Hexarchate Stories."

Would you be interested in a BR for Hexarchate Stories? I'm at the top of the hold list at my library, so I'm up for reading it as soon as it comes out.

[Serial Bibliophile]

The complete Wheel of Time series, the Dresden Files series, and the Lightbringer series, plus a few more books...I have lofty goals for 2019. There goes all my New Year’s resolutions...

[Anna]

Kaa, sure! I'm thinking we could probably use the existing Machineries thread.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Claudia wrote: "The complete Wheel of Time series, the Dresden Files series, and the Lightbringer series, plus a few more books...I have lofty goals for 2019. There goes all my New Year’s resolutions..."

OH, is that all? I really don't think you push yourself enough, young lady! haha!

[Kaa]

@Anna: Yay, sounds good!

[Gabi]

Thank you very much to everybody for the Ninefox Gambit audio input. Learning that Emily Woo Zeller narrates lets me lean towards the audio version. She saved "Poppy Wars" for me.

[Raucous]

Claudia wrote: "There goes all my New Year’s resolutions..."

The only one that I made this year was about reading. I can't decide if that's cheating or knowing myself.

[Gabi]

I just finished listening to We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson. An ad hoc read, cause I saw Bobby suggesting it in the LGBTQ+-SF section and the description sounded so deliciously weird.

It turned out to not be an SF book (albeit the frame story is about abduction by aliens, but I read this as a metaphor), but a YA novel about loss and guilt. I was surprisingly easily drawn into the plot, liked the characters and found a lot of my own teenage melodramatic world-weary thoughts mirrored therein.
A rather unexpected gem.

[Serial Bibliophile]

@Allison: I know right! Realistically I expect to finish only a fraction of them. I’m on a WOT Goodreads group and our goal is to finish by year’s end but I have so many other books I wanna read, so I’m doing one WOT and one non-WOT book a month. Couldn’t do it without the help of audiobooks!

[Serial Bibliophile]

@Raucous: I support your resolution 100%! My husband would say my resolution should be to read LESS and get out more... Pffft!

[Raucous]

@Claudia: Luckily my spouse is totally on board with this reading thing - including audiobooks that we reserve for when we are getting out more together.

[Raucous]

I'm just starting T. Kingfisher's Bryony and Roses. I enjoyed our buddy read of The Raven and the Reindeer and am looking forward to seeing where she takes some of her other retellings.

[Jacqueline]

My Hubby is happy I’m reading too. Apparently sitting in one place reading a book is OK but sitting in that same place for the same amount of time playing on the computer isn’t OK. Go figure. Still sitting doing next to nothing. He also likes having a decent selection of books to read now. He reads every night in bed and used to whinge that we didn’t have anything decent to read. Now, with my book buying obsession, we have hundreds.

[Anna]

Raucous wrote: "I'm just starting T. Kingfisher's Bryony and Roses. I enjoyed our buddy read of The Raven and the Reindeer and am looking forward to seeing where sh..."

You're starting with the good ones! After those I'd recommend trying out her short fiction, specifically Jackalope Wives and Other Stories.

[Topher]

Right now, Radical Acceptance, Roadshow, and NOS4A2

[Raucous]

Anna wrote: "... You're starting with the good ones! After those I'd recommend trying out her short fiction, specifically Jackalope Wives and Other Stories."

Whenever I add another book to my TBR list these days the phrase "To infinity and beyond!" comes to mind. However this one sounds too good to pass up. Thanks!

[Anna]

Fortunately adding things to your TBR doesn't cost anything, nor force you to read anything yet! :D

[CBRetriever]

does force one to make decisions though

[Gary]

I finished reading Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie. I am reading Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow. I plan to read Port of Shadows by Glen Cook next.

[Pam]

Read Ian Rankin's Set in Darkness and reviewed it - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2855932448.

[Karin]

I read about the woman who came up with the original idea that all of modern frequency hopping things stemmed from (but with modified tech and 3 years after her patent expired) in Beautiful: The Life of Hedy Lamarr

[Don]

Is reading:
"Downbelow Station" by C.J. Cherryh.
And
"The Potato Factory" by Bryce Courtenay.

[HeyT]

I'm working my way through Children of Time in print, A Natural History of Dragons in audio, and The Bride Wore Size 12 in ebook. I can't seem to focus on just one book at a time right now.

[Kleo]

I've just started reading The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. I loved the film as a child so when I found out it was based on a book I had to get it. Really enjoying it so far.

[Gabi]

Kleo wrote: "I've just started reading The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. I loved the film as a child so when I found out it was based on a book I had to get it. Really enjoying it so far."

I've read this with my boys not long ago. And afterwards we watched the movie (never watched it before). The boys were quite upset at how inacurate the movie was. It was fun to listen to them while we watched. XD

[Leticia]

Yeah, the first Neverending Story film is a badly done mishmash of a great book, but as a child you can still enjoy it. I got the first book as a child after watching the film and enjoyed how far it went on. The second Neverending Story film is really garbage.

[Gabi]

Yes, I think If one watches the movie first, it is cute!

[Kleo]

Wow, thanks for the heads up guys. Loved the movie so much as a child but I do get the feeling that I'm going to see the film in a different light once I've finished after reading the comments.

Same happened to me with The Shining though so won't be the first time!

[Gabi]

Okay … here we go: my new goal in life - get The Way of Thorn and Thunder by Daniel Heath Justice onto our group shelf.

This book has less than 100 ratings here on GR and this has to change. It is easily one of the best Fantasy books I've ever read, it is a meaningful re-telling of the trail of tears in Fantasy attire. The author is of the Cherokee Nation and knows what he's writing about. I was sucked in, swept away, shivered and cried. This narration has everything I want in a good book.

[Trike]

Gabi wrote: "Okay … here we go: my new goal in life - get The Way of Thorn and Thunder by Daniel Heath Justice onto our group shelf.

This book has less than 100 ratings here on G..."

Did you read it or listen to it?

[Gabi]

Trike wrote: "Did you read it or listen to it? "

There seems to be no audioversion for it (at least not in my country), so I read it.

[Andy]

Gary wrote: "I finished reading Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie."

I really enjoyed that book. Read it in a buddy read for another group. I plan to read the sequel.

[Pam]

Read The Lamp of the Wicked by Phil Rickman and reviewed it - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2859224316.