What Else Are You Reading in 2019? Showing 1,401-1,450 of 3,237

[Jacqueline]

Just finished Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor. It was OK but nothing to write home about.

[Dj]

Raucous wrote: "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..."

If you have books to read you can't die.




That is my story and I am sticking to it

[YouKneeK]

I just finished River of Stars by Guy Gavriel Kay. This is set 400 years after the events in Under Heaven. It tells a separate story featuring different characters and stands alone perfectly well, but there are connections between the two and references that I did enjoy being able to recognize since I read them back-to-back.

I liked the characters and story in Under Heaven a little better, but this one did grow on me by the end. I think this one was a little more evenly paced because I never felt restless with it like I did with Under Heaven. I still preferred that one a bit more overall, though. Part of that was due to annoyance at the choose-your-own-ending finish. A major aspect of the story is left with an ambiguous ending and I wanted something more definite. I did enjoy the book though, and I especially enjoyed the setting and the way the story was inspired by Chinese history. My longer review.

Next up, I plan to start The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.

[Gabi]

Read Autonomous by Annalee Newitz. Another one of those been-there-done-that novels which I will have forgotten the most about by next week.

[Anat]

I'm almost finished with Lilith's Brood by Octavia E. Butler... and wow, what can I say... it's both disturbing and fascinating, quite a reading experience :)

[Krystal]

Kleo wrote: "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.

Sa..."

I must say I've put off reading it myself as I loved the movie so much!

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

Krystal wrote: "I must say I've put off reading it myself as I loved the movie so much! "


Stick with the movie. It's better. ;)

[Leah]

Claudia wrote: "@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, s..."

I'm trying to get through all of WOT this year too! I was on a roll and got through the first 5 in four months but now I'm stuck on Lord of Chaos and it is slooooow going. The story seems to be just kinda circling and repeating over and over. I guess a lot of people feel the same way about books 6-8 so hopefully I can get over this hump and back on track.

I've been trying to break it up by reading the Kate Daniels series by Illona Andrews as they come available at the library and it's a fun series. Plus they are quick refreshing break from the giant monsters I've been reading lately.

I also picked up Blood of Elves since my husband is obsessed with the Witcher games and I like it thus far.

[Gabi]

colleen the convivial curmudgeon wrote: "Krystal wrote: "I must say I've put off reading it myself as I loved the movie so much! "


Stick with the movie. It's better. ;)"

LOL! Don't let my boys hear that. They hated the movie and were cross with me that I "made" them watch it after reading the book.

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

Gabi wrote: "LOL! Don't let my boys hear that. They hated the movie and were cross with me that I "made" them watch it after reading the book. "


It might be a bit of the "bias of first exposure", but I was one who loved the movie as a kid, and when I read the book a few years ago I didn't particularly like it - especially the second post-movie half.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Three Parts Dead was lots of fun. Now reading Strange Practice, The Wrong Stars and All the Birds in the Sky for buddy reads!

[Gabi]

I read The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller and I feel kind of bad that the love story did nothing for me. Everybody around me is so in love with this book and I found myself skimming through the pages only mildly interested. ^^'

Perhaps it was the wrong time to read it? Yesterday I read A Taste of Honey by Kai Ashante Wilson, which is also more or less about a love story.
This novella totally captured me in everything from structure, worldbuilding, character, prose and style. So I contemplated that perhaps I do enjoy romances after all and wanted to give Achilles a try (which I shied away from as yet, cause I thought I don't like novels with emphasis on romance). But I guess my mind was comparing Miller's story with Wilson's and those two are quite different of course.

[Anna]

If I was in the mood for something easy, fluffy, fun and palate-cleansery, and had access to these four books on audio, which would you recommend as my first ever K.J. Charles? I'm leaning towards Unfit because it's short, but if something else is much better, please let me know!

Spectred Isle
The Henchmen of Zenda
Unfit to Print
Band Sinister

edit: Nobody reads Charles? :D I'll probably go with Unfit then.

[Kaa]

Anna wrote: "If I was in the mood for something easy, fluffy, fun and palate-cleansery, and had access to these four books on audio, which would you recommend as my first ever K.J. Charles? I'm leaning towards ..."

Hmm, I think it depends on what kind of palate-cleanser you were in the mood for, but probably Henchmen or Band Sinister? Unfit to Print was a bit forgettable for me, and Spectred Isle has a bit more of a dark edge than the rest (although I did love it, and if paranormal mystery is what you need then it's a very good option). Henchmen is very much a gothic pulp adventure with much swashbuckling and drama (although probably a bit better if you've read the original) - I recommended it to Allison after she didn't enjoy Swordspoint. Band Sinister is Heyer-esque romance, hijinks and tropes and all, and probably the most light-hearted on the list.

[Anna]

Thanks Kaa! That helps a lot! I need something light and fun, it sounds like Henchmen or Band would suit best. I’m trying to finish my super boring current read today, and then it’s time to give Charles a try.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

oo I might have time for Henchmen soon, Anna, we could discuss/ swoon together!

[Anna]

That’s also an option, although I’m not expecting it to be something I’ll have tons of opinions about :D Maybe I’ll be surprised! I’m in no hurry, I can listen to Discworld1 first. Yes, I decided to start Discworld, after all it’s no longer an ongoing series, so it’s only logical to start a 41 book series when you’ve just finished a 16+2 book series!

[Kaa]

Let me add some content warnings for Henchmen - it's pulpy enough that none of them really bothered me, but if you are sensitive to any of them, you probably won't find it very fluffy: (view spoiler)[domestic violence, child in peril, blackmail, murder, death, stabbing, gunshot wounds, poisoning, drowning, voyeurism (hide spoiler)] Band Sinister has fewer warnings, and mostly for discussion of topics, but it does have some: (view spoiler)[Description of an broken bone and the resulting medical care. Not gory, but a little graphic. Discussion of horrible parenting, neglect, slavery and homophobia. (hide spoiler)]

Also, the main couples in Henchman and Band are not strictly monogamous, in case that would affect your enjoyment.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

thank you! I always appreciate a heads up

[Kristy]

Finished A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge back in April and enjoyed it so much that I'm now onto The Lie Tree which is proving to be just as good. Although these books are marketed for a slightly younger audience I find they are just as enchanting for adults and the way she writes is really beautiful.
I'll definitely be reading her other works as well when I'm finished with this one.

[Anna]

Thanks again Kaa! :)

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Nice, Kristy! I love finding new favorites, and books that I can read without too much fear of the content that's still rich! I'll be looking forward to your comments about the other books

[CBRetriever]

finished The Expert System's Brother by Adrian Tchaikovsky which I liked better than Children of Time. Maybe this was because it didn't have lots of spiders?

[Beth]

Gemina: this is the second book in a YA SF trilogy. Gobble gobble chomp scarf burp! Super quick, suspenseful read with characters who are both tough and adorable. I thought it was better than Illuminae, but wouldn't recommend reading this one out of context, since it prominently features characters from the previous book. (review)

[Phrynne]

Just starting Children of Ruin on audio. It begins really well:)

[Brick]

I finished The Fold. I think I gobbled that one up in 5 days...lol. Good read! Gotta search for another one to read and, that being said, today my wife and I are going to the local Half Price Books. I'm sure I'll find something there. I'm like a kid in a candy store when I go. Who isn't, eh? And it's not that I can't choose a book off my TBR shelf, but a reader should be able to have options. Options are good, right?

[Nathan]

I'm currently reading VE Schwab's A Darker Shade of Magic. It was recommended to me on a 'female fantasy writers" thread a while back and I have finally got around to it and glad I have

[Pam]

Read Rebecca Tope's A Death to Record and reviewed it - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1946597025.

[YouKneeK]

I recently finished The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. It’s a standalone fantasy that centers around a unique circus that’s only open at night, and follows the story of two magicians who are taking part in a vaguely-defined competition that neither of them chose to participate in. I was very interested in everything in the beginning. The plot and the characters seemed interesting and I loved the fantastical descriptions of the circus and other things. Then those descriptions went on and on, the story slowed to a crawl, and it all started to feel tedious. The story was also pretty predictable, and the main characters never grew on me after my initial interest in them. It did pick back up in the last 25%, though. My longer review.

Next up I plan to read Neuromancer by William Gibson.

[ActiveX]

The overstory

[Thomas]

I just finished Samantha Shannon's Priory of the Orange Tree. For a complete review, see https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

[Beth]

I wrote 4 star reviews for two books:

Spinning Silver
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Tigana
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Pam]

Read A Sudden Wild Magic by Dianna Wynne Jones and reviewed it - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2867985171.

[Rob]

Catching up on some reviews:

First I listened to Fall, or Dodge in Hell, which I enjoyed but not as much as some of his other books. - ★★★½☆ - (My Review)

Then I listened to The Vexed Generation which I thought breathes some fresh life into the series. - ★★★★☆ - (My Review)

And finally I finished reading The Last Unicorn which I struggled with for nearly a month despite it's short length. - ★★☆☆☆ - (My Review)

[YouKneeK]

I survived Neuromancer. This is really all I have the energy to say right now. ;) There is a review on my profile page if anybody wants more words.

[CBRetriever]

after this one, Thus Spake Zarathustra, I don't think I'll be tackling Neuromancer then. One struggle a year is enough. And I'm skipping a lot of The Lord Dunsany Compendium because the first two books are like Zarathustra.

my scifi/fantasy main books I'm reading now are Sebastien de Castell's Greatcoats series which starts with Traitor's Blade. They're OK, though I'm not too fond of first person books.

[YouKneeK]

CBRetriever wrote: I don't think I'll be tackling Neuromancer then. One struggle a year is enough."

To be fair to Neuromancer, a lot of people I know seemed to like it better than I did. It was only a struggle for me because I wasn’t interested in it, and that probably depends at least in part on your tolerance for cyberpunk. I’m not a huge fan of it, but I’ve read other cyberpunk books that I was lukewarm on at the time and that now seem gloriously engaging by comparison. :)

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Haha! Finding a new baseline for comparison is uh...well, at least you got something out of your reading!

[Krystal]

I read My Brilliant Friend for a challenge and it reminded me why I much prefer fantasy. It was so DULL.

Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Gabi]

LOL! I'm with you, YouKneeK. I read Neuromancer some months ago and I was completely bored. Today I couldn't even say what it was about.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

lol Krystal! Yes, every now and then I read something else and I have one of two reactions:

"hey, that was nice! Maybe I should sprinkle in some X genre more often!"

or

"Well, I tried it."

I hope absence made the heart grow fonder and your next genre pick replenishes you!

[YouKneeK]

Allison wrote: "Haha! Finding a new baseline for comparison is uh...well, at least you got something out of your reading!"

That’s a good way to look at it! ;) Plus it was kind of like banging my head against the wall. It felt so good when I stopped…

Gabi wrote:"LOL! I'm with you, YouKneeK. I read Neuromancer some months ago and I was completely bored. Today I couldn't even say what it was about."

LOL, I expect I’ll be in the same boat before too long.

[YouKneeK]

Last night I didn’t even bother to type what I was reading next, so here it is.

This evening I plan to start Dreamsongs, Volume I, a short story collection by George R. R. Martin. I think it has both Science Fiction and Fantasy in it. I bought it on sale eons ago but have never gotten around to reading it. I thought this might be a good change of pace from Neuromancer, but who knows, maybe it’s full of cyberpunk stories. ;)

[Phrynne]

Just finished Terminal Uprising by Jim C. Hines. This author has a thing for librarians!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Anthony]

I’ve been on a bit of a tear lately, which culminated in the wonderfully rich and satisfying Sip of Magic, which further cemented my ongoing love affair with the work of Robin Hobb.

I want to get caught up with one of the recent group reads that I’ve missed, and was curious which of these titles you would recommend I tackle next:

Rosewater
Semiosis
Brown Girl in the Ring

I welcome your thoughts and input.

[Lesley]

Anthony wrote: “which of these titles you would recommend I tackle next:

Rosewater
Semiosis
Brown Girl in the Ring”

I just started Rosewater myself, so I’ll be interested to hear your thoughts on it if that’s what you end up picking. I found the premise of Semiosis more intriguing than the execution (I mean who isn’t fascinated by sentient talking plants?), but I know others in the group really enjoyed it. In contrast, I was fully drawn in by the Caribbean mythos, world building and characters in Brown Girl, but I always find it refreshing to read SFF that’s based on non-Euro culture/lore. Consequently, I’m already enjoying Rosewater after only one chapter.

[Jacqueline]

I just finished A Memory Called Empire. Really enjoyed it. 4⭐️. Probably closer to 4.5. Quite chuffed that I actually finished a BOTM in the month I was supposed to read it.

[Anthony]

Thanks for your input. I loved Midnight Robber a lot, and I’ve been very much enjoying Nalo Hopkinson’s stories in her collection Skin Folk, so I’m confident I would enjoy Brown Girl in the Ring.

But I’m kind of craving discovering a new voice so I am gonna go with Rosewater.

[Gabi]

I'm with Lesley here. "Semiosis" was a disappointment for me, mainly cause I came into it with wrong expectations and wanted it to be good. It's not a biological science story like I hoped, but a mosaic social story over several generations.
"Brown Girl in the Ring" was a great exploration of Carribean tradition and the protas were mothers which I always embrace with enthusiasm. It has a cruel streak.
Same goes for "Rosewater" with a selfish MC and a brutal depiction of Nigeria's future society. The plot is delightfully inventive and the narration structure is based on frequent jumps in three timelines, which some readers found jarring, yet I adored.

[Anthony]

Thanks Gabi!