What Else Are You Reading in 2019? Showing 2,501-2,550 of 3,237

[Sarah]

I think I'm going to a stick with Connie Willis for a bit. I've really enjoyed what i've read so far.

[Anna]

Gabi wrote: "Deadly combination: stuck in a traffic jam while listening to "The Yiddish Policemen Union" by Michael Chabon."

I could listen to it on Storytel, but for some reason every time I look at it I feel strongly that I don't want to try it. This isn't helping :D

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

lol Gabi! I prescribe for you some more Connie Willis, like Sarah here!

Glad you found someone you're enjoying, Sarah :)

[Gabi]

@Anna: those 12 hours felt like 100. I'm sure he is a good writer and he deserves all the praise by folks who like his style. But I have never encountered a style that was less to my liking. I honestly had to urge down the wish to hit somebody.

[Gabi]

@Allison: I just started listening to "Blackout " and I feel MUCH better already.

[Anna]

Maybe I'll listen to it on 2x someday when I need lots of extra adrenaline!

[Gabi]

@Anna: Chabon perfectly emulates a crime noir feeling, so if this is to your liking, it could be worth a try.

[Anna]

I'll get to it eventually. I know Sarah (our previous mod) really likes Chabon, and we've agreed on other books, too, so I'm not giving up hope entirely!

[Gabi]

Heaven is here! I can link again! (the mobile app and me will never become friends)

The last week that I was away from any sensible approach to GR I finished:

The trilogy "Wayward Pines" by Blake Crouch starting with Pines. The series starts strong as a clear homage to Twin Peaks and the first half of the first book manages to capture that feeling really well. Then it becomes more of an action thriller, which is still a satisvying read through book 2. The last one unfortunately loses all mystery and reads like a Zombie apocalypse (without Zombies) so that the suspense of disbelieve, which was necessary for the explanations in the first two books, just didn't work anymore.

Tales from Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin was the fifth Eartsea book I read with my boys - and they are still totally engrossed in this world, which is such a pleasure to witness. The story collection was a wonderful tie-in into the world we encountered in the first 4 books and the last story functions as transition to the last Earthsea book (which we are currently reading)

The Best of Connie Willis: Award-Winning Stories was a fantastic collection of one of the most wonderful authors I had the pleasure to get to know through this group. All of the stories in this collection won one or more of the major SF awards, and they all deserved it. (I read that she got 165 nominations so far … wow!)

The Rosewater Redemption by Tade Thompson was a worthy fast paced ending to this exceptional trilogy. It fell a bit flat at the end, but it is still 4 stars for me.

Walking to Aldebaran by Adrian Tchaikovsky turned out to be much more than expected. A masterfully structured novella which I read as BR here in this group. One more time to love Tchaikovsky (and I really, really have to get to his Fantasy novels to see if I like those as well)

The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon I read as part of my read-all-the-award-winners challenge as BR with another group. And even though it is one of the rare 3-time winners (Hugo, Nebula and Locus) the prose didn't work for me at all. I was glad when I reached the end.

ETA: I dwell a bit in the wonderful feeling to have for the first time more books on the read-shelf than on the TBR-shelf - then I will add the group shelf books to the TBR, so that I don't have to check every time if something I've read is on the shelf.

[Eric]

I've started The Fifth Season. Finished A Shadow on the Glass, which I wasn't thrilled with.

[Lowell]

Gabi wrote: "@Anna: those 12 hours felt like 100. I'm sure he is a good writer and he deserves all the praise by folks who like his style. But I have never encountered a style that was less to my liking. I hone..."

I barely made it through the interminably long The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. I really just wanted it over by the end.

[Gabi]

Good to know, Lowell. I was thinking about giving Chabon a second chance with this one, but it looks like I rather give him a wide berth. I'm not literary enough for this author.

[Bruce]

I’m on Chabon’s second book. I’m reading him chronologically, like I do many authors. I think his style is ok, but his characters and stories so far are kind of snobby, in the young college intellectual way, and upper middle class. They’re kind of pre-hipster, and Im not a big fan of hipsters. Obviously, I do respect that at this stage he’s writing from what he knows, and his own life, but it’s not very relatable. I’m mostly looking forward to the Sherlock Holmes novel he wrote, because I’m a major fan of the stories and films. And also the other novels that are more fantastical.

[Gabi]

Ha! I survived Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne - and have another author for my list: Writers-for-other-readers.

As enjoyable as I found HG Wells as tiresome Jules Verne turned out to be.

[Raucous]

Gabi wrote: "Ha! I survived Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne - and have another author for my list: Writers-for-other-readers ..."

That name is more positive than the one I'd mentally set aside for a list like that. Nice. I felt the same way about Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and must have felt very strongly about it given that I remember that reaction many decades later.

[Gabi]

Raucous wrote: " I felt the same way about Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and must have felt very strongly about it given that I remember that reaction many decades later. ..."

I just can't get over this crown-of-creation/animals-are-there-for-killing mind set that was displayed by the characters. I was grossed out by it.

[Trike]

Gabi wrote: "Raucous wrote: "I just can't get over this crown-of-creation/animals-are-there-for-killing mind set that was displayed by the characters. I was grossed out by it."

“The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” — The Go-Between

[Don]

Finished 2 Books

Mysterious Island by Jules Verne and it was alright but dated. It reminded me of Swiss Family Robinson and Swiss Family Robinson is the book I'd read again.

Unsouled by Will Wight, which I would compare to Spellslinger, young protagonist, late bloomer, surviving on his intelligence, tormented by his tribe. I thought Unsouled was a better book than Spellslinger, less comedy but less whiney. The series was on sale on Audible so I grabbed the next 4 installments.

[Nichelle]

Gabi wrote: "Good to know, Lowell. I was thinking about giving Chabon a second chance with this one, but it looks like I rather give him a wide berth. I'm not literary enough for this author."

I sort of enjoyed part of the first half of this book, but I felt like I was dragging myself over a briar patch with my lips during the second half. Once the premise ceased to be amusing the rest of the story just didn't hold up. And yet--awards and critical acclaim. Head scratcher.

[DivaDiane]

Help! I’m reasonably confident that the group read Downbelow Station, and not hat long ago, but do you think I can find the thread? Nope. I’m to a point in the book (last 100 or so pages) where I’d like to read the comments and it might help me with those fond memories Jemppu is referring to. It has gotten much more interesting and compelling, but I’m not really feeling the love. Can anyone point me toward the discussion thread? Thanks!

[Gabi]

@Diane: we read this in another group, as far as I can remember (am I allowed to link to other groups?)

[Trike]

Gabi wrote: "@Diane: we read this in another group, as far as I can remember (am I allowed to link to other groups?)"

Yeah, it was a pick for Sword & Laser.

[Anna]

Yes it's OK to link to other groups when relevant!

[Travis]

I just finished The Secret Commonwealth, the second book in Philip Pullman's Book of Dust trilogy, and really loved it. Absolutely the perfect sort of book to read in the fall. That said, it ends in a doozy of a cliffhanger, which has me sorta wishing I'd waited until Book 3 was available.

[Anna]

I was just about to ask about cliffhangers, but didn't need to. I've been so tempted to start reading the Book of Dust since the first book was published, but now I'm glad I waited!

[DivaDiane]

Thanks Gabi, Trike and Anna. I’ll go try to find it on The Sword and Laser, but if anybody happens to have the link to hand, I’d love a leg up.

[Gabi]

Diane wrote: "Thanks Gabi, Trike and Anna. I’ll go try to find it on The Sword and Laser, but if anybody happens to have the link to hand, I’d love a leg up."

I read it with the Beyond Reality Group in August: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Travis]

Anna wrote: "I was just about to ask about cliffhangers, but didn't need to. I've been so tempted to start reading the Book of Dust since the first book was published, but now I'm glad I waited!"

You're safe reading Book 1. It's more or less a standalone companion to the initial trilogy.

Book 2 opens over a decade later and, as far as I can tell, Book 3 will likely begin not just the same day but the same minute that Book 2 ends.

[Anna]

I'm worried I won't be able to stop at book one if I start now! But I have been eyeing it lately, it's good to know I can read it if I really want to.

[Raucous]

Diane wrote: "Thanks Gabi, Trike and Anna. I’ll go try to find it on The Sword and Laser, but if anybody happens to have the link to hand, I’d love a leg up."

Downbelow Station was read by Sword and Laser in March of 2013. It looks like the threads related to that (tagged DBS) are here:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

Allison wrote: "RJ, how timely!..."

Intentionally so. ;-)

[Rob]

For whatever reason I've been pretty unmotivated to write my reviews. I finally got a few more done though. Not all of them. Maybe next weekend I'll finally catch-up.

Some of these books date back to August.

The Liar's Key - ★★★★½ - (My Review)

The Wheel of Osheim - ★★★★☆ - (My Review)

Trail of Lightning - ★★★½☆ - (My Review)

Star Wars: Thrawn: Treason - ★★★★☆ - (My Review)

[Carolyn]

Taking a break from sci-fi/fantasy with On the Clock What Low Wage Work Did to Me and How It Drives America Insane. Sort of an updated Barbara Ehrenrich Nickel and Dimed.

[Trike]

Carolyn wrote: "Taking a break from sci-fi/fantasy with On the Clock What Low Wage Work Did to Me and How It Drives America Insane. Sort of an updated Barbara Ehrenrich Nickel and Dimed."

Is it as good as Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America?

[Kateb]

I just finished a series, I hate this feeling , it is missing these characters that I have built up a knowledge about them.

does anyone else get this feeling after finishing a series.

my solution is to read some frivolous series to get over it, so just started on sookie Stackhouse

[Kateb]

what is fan fiction

[Kateb]

I have read some books about a series that is like that, I always feel heated

[Jacqueline]

50 Shades of Grey started off as bad Twilight Fan Fiction. The characters were Edward and Bella but she changed it and published it.

[Phrynne]

Travis wrote: "I just finished The Secret Commonwealth, the second book in Philip Pullman's Book of Dust trilogy, and really loved it. Absolutely the perfect sort of book to read in ..."

I didn't even know that book was out! Now I have to go get a copy. Thanks Travis:)

[Phrynne]

I am reading Gideon the Ninth. You have to love Gideon! If you are into necromancers and weird magic this one is for you:)

[Gabi]

I had a fun ad hoc read of The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe by Kij Johnson with Anna, Kaa and Jemppu, which got me in the confusing world of Lovecraft and to Anna's horror ;p I squeezed in The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath as reference. Now at least I have read my first Lovecraft.

Due to this I'm a day late for my current BR of Invisible Planets: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation to which I'm very much looking forward to and hope to be right on time for my initiated BR of Green Mars.

I'm still enjoying the group read of A Night in the Lonesome October, but I'm squeezing the chapters in whenever I'm not arduously trying to keep pace with my BRs. So I'm lagging behind.

... I think it was around this time last year when I decided to stop joining BRs ... :p why is always year's end so cramped?

Oh, yes, as ear read I have The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
from our group shelf which is the acoustic equivalent of a warm blanket in front of a cozy fireplace.

[Kateb]

Kateb wrote: "I have read some books about a series that is like that, I always feel heated"

I meant cheated

[Gabi]

Phrynne wrote: "I am reading Gideon the Ninth. You have to love Gideon! If you are into necromancers and weird magic this one is for you:)"

:D I must politely disagree: one hasn't to love it ;p . I admit that I was glad that I bought it on audible so I could give it back and didn't feel the loss of money.

[DivaDiane]

Thanks Raucous, but that link only takes me
To the main page of Sword and whatever. I’m a member already and spent an hour scrolling back on the app to no avail. And no wonder, if it was in 2013!! I will try to find it on the desktop version. You can do a search of the group from there, right?

[Gabi]

@Diane: did you see my link above to an August read? It's not much discussion, but it is at least a recent one.

[DivaDiane]

Yes, Gabi, sorry for not responding! Yes, I read the thread. Unfortunately, not much of a discussion, no. Hoping the Sword and Laser discussion is more comprehensive.

[Gabi]

Diane wrote: "Yes, Gabi, sorry for not responding! Yes, I read the thread. Unfortunately, not much of a discussion, no. Hoping the Sword and Laser discussion is more comprehensive."

All well :D, I just thought you perhaps hadn't seen it.

[Phrynne]

Gabi wrote: "Phrynne wrote: "I am reading Gideon the Ninth. You have to love Gideon! If you are into necromancers and weird magic this one is for you:)"

:D I must politely disagree: one hasn't ..."

Lol! Oh well we can't all like the same things 🙂

[DivaDiane]

I hadn’t! I’m sure I voted for the book when it came up and then promptly forgot. 🤦🏻‍♀️I have it on my list for the TBR challenge here on SFFBC (because my initials are in the title and I’ve had it on my shelf forever), but I lost track of the Group read on Beyond Reality. I don’t get all the notifications from that group.

[YouKneeK]

Diane wrote: "Thanks Raucous, but that link only takes me
To the main page of Sword and whatever. I’m a member already and spent an hour scrolling back on the app to no avail. And no wonder, if it was in 2013!!"

I’m not a member of that group, but following Raucous’ link does bring up the list of threads from the 2013 Reads folder for me. As Raucous noted, the posts are tagged “DBS”, which are just a few down from the top.

Diane wrote: "I will try to find it on the desktop version. You can do a search of the group from there, right?"

Yes, you can search group posts on the desktop version. Just look toward the top-right corner of this page, or the group's main page, directly below all the links to the polls, discussions, group shelf, etc. There’s a box that says “Search discussion posts”. By default it will search for your text within the entire topic contents, but on the search results you can change it to “only topics” and search again. With "only topics", it will only return results for topic titles that include the book name you’re looking for.

I do that all the time to pull up old group read threads for books I’m reading off our group shelf backlist. It’s very fast and easy, but it won’t work as well if the topic titles don’t include the full name like some of those S&L topics, and if you can’t guess the abbreviation they used.