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What Else Are You Reading? > What Else Are You Reading in 2019?

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message 351: by Axel (new)

Axel | 12 comments Finished Air Awakens by Elise Kova a few days ago. And it was great, fast-paced all the way through. Full review coming next week once I'm home from my vacation.

I will probably binge read the rest of the book in the universe next.


message 352: by Shomeret (new)

Shomeret | 411 comments I read The Adventure of the Silicon Beeches: A Chevonne & Sherlock Tale by Mary Fan which is a novelette that began a series of stories in which Sherlock is an AI and "Watson" is a woman who can repair AIs. I had read later stories first in anthologies. I really liked the premise and characters. So I finally was able to find time to read the start of the series. I was glad to see how the relationship between Sherlock and Chevonne began.

See my review at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


message 353: by CBRetriever (new)

CBRetriever | 6105 comments I started this one Thus Spoke Zarathustra for the TBR contest and it's gonna be a long, hard slog. So far I'm 20% into it and it's like reading sermons. Very sexist too: “Women are still cats and birds. Or at the best, cows.”

I expected the book to be anti-religious, but not a women are inferior to men type of book as well


message 354: by Soo (new)

Soo (silverlyn) | 1007 comments I say don't torture yourself, CB.


message 355: by Peggy (new)

Peggy (psramsey) | 393 comments CBRetriever wrote: "I liked the first part of Snow Crash a lot but, it got a bit confusing/slow towards the end. On the other hand, I loved Reamde."
I loved the idea of Reamde, but it felt like it should have been a much shorter book.


message 356: by Kaa (new)

Kaa | 1541 comments Shomeret wrote: "I read The Adventure of the Silicon Beeches: A Chevonne & Sherlock Tale by Mary Fan which is a novelette that began a series of stories in which Sherlock is an AI and "Watson" is a ..."

I didn't realize until reading The Tea Master and the Detective recently how much I would love AIs + Sherlock Holmes, so I'm really excited to hear about more stories with this concept. It doesn't look like the series is listed on GR - do you know if all the stories are listed somewhere else?


message 357: by Shomeret (new)

Shomeret | 411 comments Kaa wrote: "Shomeret wrote: "I read The Adventure of the Silicon Beeches: A Chevonne & Sherlock Tale by Mary Fan which is a novelette that began a series of stories in which Sherlock is an AI a..."

The only one that's available separately is this one. The others are in Love, Murder & Mayhem: Cosmic Tales of the Heart Gone Deadly Wrong and Brave New Girls: Stories of Girls Who Science and Scheme.


message 358: by CBRetriever (new)

CBRetriever | 6105 comments Soo wrote: "I say don't torture yourself, CB."

but it's part of my TBR contest choices.... :(

10. Reminds you of a song: Thus Spake Zarathustra
---- Richard Strauss tone poem, part of which was used in 2001: A Space Odyssey


message 359: by Kaa (new)

Kaa | 1541 comments @Shomeret: Thank you! I will give the novelette a try and then see If I can find those anthologies.


message 360: by Soo (new)

Soo (silverlyn) | 1007 comments CB, you can always change your TBR choices. It's only set in stone if that's what you decide to do. No need to make yourself suffer if you're not enjoying the book.


message 361: by CBRetriever (new)

CBRetriever | 6105 comments I'm stubborn, though, and I want to understand why this books gets so many good revews


message 362: by Soo (last edited Feb 03, 2019 09:09AM) (new)

Soo (silverlyn) | 1007 comments I feel like I did that with The Passage and I'm over it. lol

The story was ok but it could have been amazing if it was worked on a bit more before release. I went into it because of reviews by friends. If the book met the potential, the popularity would make sense but it doesn't.


message 363: by Mareike (new)

Mareike | 1457 comments Finally finished Future Home of the Living God today. It was....okay.

I wonder if I might have enjoyed it more had I read it rather than listened to it. This is not to say that I didn't enjoy Erdrich's narration, because I did, I just wonder why it did not grab me the way I thought it would....


message 364: by YouKneeK (new)

YouKneeK | 1412 comments Thomas wrote: "I've just finished The Charnel Prince by Greg Keyes. I am really enjoying this series and think it is such as shame it is not given the credit it deserves. See my review..."

I’m glad you’re still enjoying that series! It always makes me happy to see somebody read it and talk about it since I see it mentioned so rarely.


message 365: by YouKneeK (new)

YouKneeK | 1412 comments I finished Snow Crash earlier today. I liked it, and it held my interest, but I never felt any strong enthusiasm about it. There wasn’t anything in particular that I disliked, I just never felt all that invested in either the story or the characters. My longer review.

Later today I plan to start Brown Girl in the Ring, which was a spur-of-the-moment decision when I realized it was the beginning of a new month, the group was reading a standalone book, I'm not in the middle of reading a series, and my library had the e-book available. I’ve avoided reading any synopses or discussions about it, so I know nothing about it and look forward to going into it blind.


message 366: by Phrynne (new)

Phrynne I really enjoyed Half a King by Joe Abercrombie, one of my favourite authors. Half a King (Shattered Sea, #1) by Joe Abercrombie

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


message 367: by Alondra (new)

Alondra Miller | 4 comments Reading Kings of the Wyld and am really enjoying this. :)


message 368: by Joseph (new)

Joseph Carrabis (josephcarrabis) colleen the convivial curmudgeon wrote: ""

"Make Orwell Fiction Again" - Is that a meme or a book? I love it as a quote. Something future generations will consider indicative of a political era.


colleen the convivial curmudgeon (blackrose13) | 2717 comments Joseph wrote: "colleen the convivial curmudgeon wrote: ""

"Make Orwell Fiction Again" - Is that a meme or a book? I love it as a quote. Something future generations will consider indicative of a political era."



It's a meme. I first saw it on a non-red hat...


message 371: by Pam (new)

Pam Baddeley Read vol 5 of Barbara Hambly's vampire series The Kindred of Darkness and reviewed it - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2699419110.


message 372: by Mareike (new)

Mareike | 1457 comments I read A Witch’s Guide To Escape: A Practical Compendium Of Portal Fantasies by Alix E. Harrow this morning because the story's name caught my eye on the 2018 Locus Recommended Reading List and the way this short story captured the magic and escapism of books, and how much especially teenagers sometimes need it is beyond anything I have ever read. I would absolutely recommend this to everyone.

Just now I finished Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx, which was also excellent and moving.


message 373: by Leah (last edited Feb 05, 2019 11:16AM) (new)

Leah | 35 comments Currently working Oathbringer after making it through the first two installments, really enjoying the story so far and the character arcs are fantastic.

Also just finished The Cruel Prince, it was a quick 4 hour read last night and while I enjoyed some aspects of it overall I was not a huge fan until the last third of the book. I have noticed over the past few years I have started to enjoy YA novels less and less on the whole. Some I still greatly enjoy such as the TOG series or HP but overall I think as I get older (I'm currently 28) I just don't relate to the age group much anymore. I also think of definition of what constitutes as a YA novel is just so vast these days.

I also think I am getting spoiled by authors like Sanderson, Paolini or Lackey who put sooooooo much detail into their novels that others now feel like mere outlines to me as they don't go into as much depth as I would like. Bahaha, but I feel that is a personal issue on my part.


message 374: by Allison, Fairy Mod-mother (new)

Allison Hurd | 14221 comments Mod
So glad you're liking Stormlight, Leah!! I find lately there are things that sort of hit the spot. If I've been reading a lot of heavy, mentally-taxing stuff, a classic teen-saves-the-world is sometimes exactly the right thing to balance me out. But knowing there are Sandersons and Le Guins and Gavriel Kays out there makes it hard to stop hunting for them!


message 375: by Beth (new)

Beth (rosewoodpip) | 2005 comments in re WoT:

Leah wrote: "It's one of my great embarrassments that I haven't finished it yet. But at this point I would either have to read a re-cap on the beginning novels or just start all over again. "

tor.com runs a reread of the WoT every couple of years, it seems. One of those might be a good way to reacquaint yourself with the series without a 5000-page commitment. Here's one iteration: https://www.tor.com/series/wot-reread/


message 376: by Kaa (new)

Kaa | 1541 comments Mareike wrote: "I read A Witch’s Guide To Escape: A Practical Compendium Of Portal Fantasies by Alix E. Harrow this morning because the story's name caught my eye on the 2018 Locus..."

I read A Witch's Guide after I saw your review, and I loved it too. Since I'm connecting basically everything I read back to Ursula Le Guin these days, I thought it was awesome that A Wizard of Earthsea was mentioned, especially since the comments on escapism reminded me strongly of Le Guin's opinions on the topic. I would also recommend Do Not Look Back, My Lion by the same author, which is in the most recent edition of Beneath Ceaseless Skies but does not yet appear to have a GR listing. A very different story, but just as powerful.


message 377: by Hank (new)

Hank (hankenstein) | 1230 comments I just finished The Collapsing Empire and The Count of Monte Cristo

Both excellent in totally different ways.


message 378: by Anna (new)

Anna (vegfic) | 10434 comments The March polls are still open, go vote if you haven't already!

Please note that one of the fantasy options, Early Riser, has a US pub date of February 12th, 2019. It's been out in the UK since August, so we didn't notice this until Hank kindly pointed it out. Thanks again Hank! So if you're voting for Early Riser, please make sure you'll have access to it in March.


message 379: by Joon (new)

Joon (everythingbeeps) | 512 comments Aww both my choices are in second place lol


message 380: by Allison, Fairy Mod-mother (new)

Allison Hurd | 14221 comments Mod
Go talk 'em up, Joon! Vote early, vote often, campaign at will!


message 381: by Hank (last edited Feb 05, 2019 05:33PM) (new)

Hank (hankenstein) | 1230 comments I feel bad about putting Early Riser in a tough spot, if it doesn't win, stick it in another poll later in the year.

Or of course I can nominate it....mods don't have to do all the work.


message 382: by Allison, Fairy Mod-mother (new)

Allison Hurd | 14221 comments Mod
Don't feel bad, Hank! If I'd realized, I'd have held off. Totally my fault. If it still wins, I'll see what we can do. If it doesn't win, it's in line to hit the runner up poll :)


message 383: by Rachel (new)

Rachel | 1405 comments I’ve got a hold on Early riser so it’s all about how fast the library gets it 😁


message 384: by Kiki (new)

Kiki  | 14 comments So far this year I have read:
Unwind (Unwind, #1) by Neal Shusterman
The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #2) by Rick Riordan
Doctor Who The Coming of the Terraphiles by Michael Moorcock .

I started David Bowie A Life by Dylan Jones , which I am taking a small break from because biographies take me way longer than fiction books do.

Currently reading :
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
You Might Be a Zombie and Other Bad News by Cracked.com

And I plan to continue the Unwind series as well as the Percy Jackson (Olympians) series and will hopefully get to read all the books I have set in the 4 or 5 challenges I am attempting to complete :)

AND I really wish that the 3rd book in the King Killer Chronicles will be released soon Doors of Stone (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #3) by Patrick Rothfuss , I love that series so much!!!


message 385: by Leah (new)

Leah | 35 comments Beth wrote: "tor.com runs a reread of the WoT every couple of years, it seems. One of those might be a good way to reacquaint yourself with the series without a 5000-page commitment..."

Ahhh! Beth, you are awesome! Thanks for the tip! :)


message 386: by Leah (new)

Leah | 35 comments But knowing there are Sandersons and Le Guins and Gavriel Kays out there makes it hard to stop hunting for them! "

I actually do not know those last two, I am certainly going to have to check them out!

And very true, sometimes a quick and dirty teen-saves-the-world can be quite fun and a nice break between all the super dense stuff.


message 387: by Allison, Fairy Mod-mother (new)

Allison Hurd | 14221 comments Mod
Oooh, Leah! You have such joy before you!


message 388: by Leah (new)

Leah | 35 comments :) :) :) I love this site, though since joining my TBR has nearly tripled in size, bahaha!


message 389: by Allison, Fairy Mod-mother (new)

Allison Hurd | 14221 comments Mod
Leah, it's a real problem!! But the best sort of problem :)

Kiki, we're all anxiously awaiting Doors of Stone, too! And I love the Little Prince, an enduring favorite <3


message 390: by Eric (new)

Eric | 463 comments I finished Gold Digger, The Remarkable Baby Doe Tabor by Rebecca Rosenberg Gold Digger, The Remarkable Baby Doe Tabor.

I've restarted The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie The First Law Trilogy. I say restarted, because I totally forgot I had read the first two books after finding book three on my Kindle. Somewhere after book two, I went brain dead. Perhaps when I got caught up in the Elderlings Realms.

So, I am now skimming and skipping chapters in the first two books getting back up to speed on the characters before I start book three.

Does anyone else suffer gray matter loss, forgetting they have read certain books?


message 391: by Allison, Fairy Mod-mother (new)

Allison Hurd | 14221 comments Mod
Eric wrote: "I finished Gold Digger, The Remarkable Baby Doe Tabor by Rebecca Rosenberg Gold Digger, The Remarkable Baby Doe Tabor.

I've restarted The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie [bo..."


Totally. I actually joined Goodreads after re-reading a book I'd read years ago that I'd hated then and hated now, but didn't realize until I got to the agonizing ending that it was something I'd read before. Now I write reviews for all the books I read so I remember what it was that I liked or did not like.


message 392: by Sarah (new)

Sarah | 3166 comments Allison wrote: "Eric wrote: "I finished Gold Digger, The Remarkable Baby Doe Tabor by Rebecca Rosenberg Gold Digger, The Remarkable Baby Doe Tabor.

I've restarted [bookcover:The First Law Trilogy|..."


I don't know that I've ever forgotten a book I've read- but I do think writing reviews helps me remember them. Then I have to really think about the things I did and didn't like.


message 393: by Eric (new)

Eric | 463 comments Allison wrote: "Totally. I actually joined Goodreads after re-reading a book I'd read years ago that I'd hated then and hated now, but didn't realize until I got to the agonizing ending that it was something I'd read before"

Glad I'm not alone in the memory department. :)


message 394: by Allison, Fairy Mod-mother (new)

Allison Hurd | 14221 comments Mod
No sir. I keep talking about getting insulation for my mind because it is hella leaky up there.

Sarah, yes! Writing reviews helps me a lot! It's the "hobby" version of taking notes while you study.


message 395: by Beth (new)

Beth (rosewoodpip) | 2005 comments Eric wrote: "Does anyone else suffer gray matter loss, forgetting they have read certain books? "

Absolutely, but it's more on the fifteen- to twenty-year scale than anything shorter. Mostly happens when I get halfway through a book and finally realize there's a reason why it seems hauntingly familiar. :D

Writing reviews on this site is a great memory aid. So here's hoping that it's still around in fifteen to twenty years!


message 396: by Mareike (new)

Mareike | 1457 comments Kaa wrote: "Mareike wrote: "I read A Witch’s Guide To Escape: A Practical Compendium Of Portal Fantasies by Alix E. Harrow this morning because the story's name caught my eye o..."

Only just saw this. So glad you liked it, too, Kaa!
I was actually reminded of Tolkien, who seems to have had similar thoughts about escapism, too. (That makes the little jab at him even funnier, imho.)
I'll definitely check out the story you recommended.


message 397: by Axel (new)

Axel | 12 comments Does anyone else suffer gray matter loss, forgetting they have read certain books? "

It has certainly happened to me, but most of it is books I read when I was still in elementary school. I remember most of the books I've read in high-school forward.

And as others has already said, writing reviews is a great memory aid. I started doing it recently, and it certainly helps.


message 398: by Joon (new)

Joon (everythingbeeps) | 512 comments I tend to forget virtually everything from most books I read.

I remember I read them, even whether I liked them or not, but I retain almost nothing specific.

This year I did intend to start writing reviews for this very reason, but I've put it off and I'll continue to put it off until I've forgotten what I read at the beginning of the year.


message 399: by Dj (new)

Dj | 2364 comments Trike wrote: "Finally read Fahrenheit 451, which is as good as everyone says. The predictions he makes are eerily prescient, especially the ones about TV and the anti-intellectual beliefs infecti..."

I suggest youWhy People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time Why People Believe Weird Things Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time by Michael Shermer

While I won't say that TV has nothing to do with the dumbing down of a nation, or the internet for that matter, this book will show that the Anti-Intellectual trend in humans has been going on for longer than that.

Staying informed (as opposed to being smart or educated) takes a lot of work. Sadly there are plenty of people out there that don't think that is a worthy goal to strive for.


message 400: by Dj (new)

Dj | 2364 comments YouKneeK wrote: "For once, I’m going to post in a semi-timely manner.

On Tuesday I finished The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North. Harry August is reliving the same life over and..."


I read Snow Crash and found it underwhelming. Then I read an article about why our current Sci-Fi is messed up and it pointed out that Snow Crash was a parody of the standard Cyberpunk genre. I have been reconsidering it from that viewpoint and might have to give it another go based on that. Much like I had to watch Fifth Element as second time going in thinking it was a comedy before I enjoyed it.

Sometime in the future, I am going to have to learn to read the blurbs.


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