SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
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What Else Are You Reading?
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What Else Are You Reading in 2019?
CBRetriever wrote: "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 sti..."Poor Fred, he should have tried talking to Women. Might have saved his life.
CBRetriever wrote: "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..."
Music is much better than the book of the same name. No doubt about it.
CBRetriever wrote: "I'm stubborn, though, and I want to understand why this books gets so many good revews"Well being stubborn is good in its way, but for me, I would say if you're going to stick it, then got for plus 50 percent and call it good. I think that is enough suffering to qualify as read for the TBR challenge.
YouKneeK wrote: "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 jus..."I really liked the dog. Thingy.
I finished: Coral and Brass
So I am finding this book underwhelming. It is really kind of annoying that this hard-charging, Marine is such a whiny paranoid individual. He mentions only a few people that he likes or respects outside of the Marine Corps (King and Higgens) and then goes on this long rants about others either not being smart enough to understand modern warfare, or else being out to get him personally or the Marine Corps as a whole.
I understand that judging what went wrong is harder when you have just won the war because victory makes self-evaluation less of a task than loosing. But there are a few less offensive ways to go about it. Smith seems to relish in choosing the most abusive and insulting ways to talk about those he finds himself in disagreement with.
I find it little wonder that he was shunted off to the side after the war was close to ending. I am starting to wonder if 'Howlin' Mad' had less to do with his temper and more to do with the fact that he might not have been all together all together.
While the book does bring up some really good information it is a hard read because you have to slog through his bits about the Army and the Navy, out to get the Marines and sometimes him personally.
I guess in a sense he would be the Stillwell of the Corps.
I am also reading Orc Road Trip: Racial Tensions Book 1
A book that is much more enjoyable than it should be. After all books that are about racial tension, even fantasy books that are discussing something that it is all too real shouldn't be this enjoyable.
But the whole write up about a single race, racism is worth the read. Especially the part about news being boring with just humans to watch. Everyone knows that the best newscasters are Beagles.
Dj wrote: "Well being stubborn is good in its way, but for me, I would say if you're going to stick it, then got for plus 50 percent and call it good. I think that is enough suffering to qualify as read for the TBR challenge"I've made it to 56% and still going (I think it ends at around 80%), Zarathustra is one messed up, confused dude as far as I'm concerned
Dj wrote: "Sometime in the future, I am going to have to learn to read the blurbs."Noooo… blurbs are evil! ;) I do on rare occasions find a book that would have made more sense if I’d read the blurb first (Lord of Light comes to mind), but mostly I hate them. They often give away so much info that you can extrapolate the first half of the story, if not the whole story, taking away the fun of discovery and surprise. Or else they’re altogether misleading.
Dj wrote: "I really liked the dog. Thingy."
Yeah, that part was pretty fun.
CBRetriever wrote: "Dj wrote: "Well being stubborn is good in its way, but for me, I would say if you're going to stick it, then got for plus 50 percent and call it good. I think that is enough suffering to qualify as..."Have you ever thought that it might just be that you're a Masochist?
YouKneeK wrote: "Dj wrote: "Sometime in the future, I am going to have to learn to read the blurbs."Noooo… blurbs are evil! ;) I do on rare occasions find a book that would have made more sense if I’d read the bl..."
Pretty much I am with you. Blurbs are evil. I generally only read about the first two lines, sometimes. Mostly I go with author recognition and comments in groups. Or if it is a free book, I read a bit of the blurb just to see if I am really interested or just like the cover.
Joon wrote: "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 wri..."
I am the same.
I also started writing reviews with the intention of reminding myself about books - what I liked or didn't like and stuff - but then I wanted to keep them vague enough to not have to spoiler tag them, so some of them have been nigh useless in reminding me about what a book's about.
Go me.
Mod
Preludes & Nocturnes was cool, I think Gaiman's stuff works a lot better visually than it does on plain paper.
Witches Abroad was super cute. He's a great "I need something light" to read author, and I'm having fun exploring his work when I do in fact need something light.
All Systems Red I thought was as good as everyone's said! Except the narrator was all wrong. So I'll be reading the rest when I get time to eye read.
Brown Girl in the Ring I also liked, I'll talk more about that in discussion, but I think Nalo is tremendously talented.
Now reading Halfway to the Grave as my light audiobook, which it is, and *sigh* back to Deadhouse Gates because it's due much sooner than A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe. I'll try to read it quickly so I can get to group discussion in something like a timely manner.
Allison wrote: "Preludes & Nocturnes was cool, I think Gaiman's stuff works a lot better visually than it does on plain paper."
Couldn't agree more. I liked Sandman a lot but his novels have underwhelmed. His short stories run hot and cold.
Dj wrote: "Have you ever thought that it might just be that you're a Masochist? "No, because I have given up on some books. It's an excellent book to fall asleep to
Sorcerer to the Crown: I loved Zen Cho's novella The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo and came to this book expecting to be similarly delighted. PoC leads! Regency setting! Anti-colonialism! Fae creatures red in tooth and claw! But instead it was tedious, a real struggle to get through. A disappointing, discouraging reading experience. (review)Next up: A Wizard of Earthsea for "Read All the Books," A Darker Shade of Magic for SFFBC BR.
Audio: almost done with Orange Is the New Black. Then The Calculating Stars, and Gardens of the Moon which is unfortunately fading in importance the longer I put it off so I'd better get back with it.
CBRetriever wrote: "Dj wrote: "Have you ever thought that it might just be that you're a Masochist? "No, because I have given up on some books. It's an excellent book to fall asleep to"
Oh, I have some Military History that works for that. Things like How Staff systems work and their set up. Informative, but definitely a sleep aid.
I finished one of this month's group reads, Brown Girl in the Ring, a couple days ago. It’s a short, fast read that falls more on the horror side of fantasy. As a standalone book, it's an easy book to slip into your schedule if you're like me and don't usually do the group reads because they conflict with your own plans. I liked it quite a bit, although I did have a couple complaints. I posted more thoughts in the spoiler thread, and I also posted a longer review here.Now I’m reading The Thousand Names by Django Wexler. My reading time has been a little limited the last couple days so I’m only 50 pages into it, but so far I’m very interested and hoping to get more reading in this weekend.
YouKneeK wrote: "I finished one of this month's group reads, Brown Girl in the Ring, a couple days ago. It’s a short, fast read that falls more on the horror side of fantasy. As a standalone book, it's..."I have it on hold at my library, but I'm glad to know that it works as a standalone because I seriously can't commit to many more series... o_O
I started
God's Hammer, which was a freebie from Bookbub. A Norse tale. Historical fiction, I'm guessing, with a big emphasis on fiction. Don't know if I'll get into the entire series.
About 1/3 into The Bear and the Nightingale. Liking it so far, and hoping we get more of the creatures, now that things are picking up in that direction. It's reminded me a bit of Spinning Silver, which I guess makes sense.
Read book 6 of Barbara Hambly's vampire series, Darkness on his Bones and reviewed it, explaining why I won't be bothering with any more of these - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2699418073.
Recently started 14 based on many recommendations since I really enjoyed The Fold. I think Peter Clines is turning into one of my favorite light sci-fi authors.Also reading The Lifeboat at the End of the Universe for the monthly challenge. Only just getting into it so no thoughts on it yet.
In the final stretch with Shadow of Night. I'm liking it but it really could have been shortened without losing any part of the plot. I'll definitely go onto the third book.
And I'll be doing a cozy mystery in the form of The Julius House so I can watch the movie I've already checked out. =)
Mod
Quick question, what monthly challenge though? If you mean our group read, we're reading A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe :)
Allison wrote: "That's awesome you've found a new fave! And great time of the year (in either hemisphere, I reckon) for a nice cozy :)Quick question, what monthly challenge though? If you mean our group read, we..."
BWAHAHA....a day late and a dollar short. It's last month's read but I'm finally doing it! I've got A Big Ship on my radar as well.
I first read A Canticle for Leibowitz, winner of the 1961 Hugo Award for best science fiction novel, as a clueless youth. Over the decades I have heard it intermittently calling me back, Read me again! So I did.It really is a stunning, thought-provoking work of imaginative power that both entertains and challenges the reader like few other books. Hilarious, disturbing, maddening, tragic, but ultimately hopeful in a harsh unsentimental way. Written by a World War II veteran whose life took a tragic turn. My impressions and thoughts on this Sci-Fi classic.
I read Nights Slow Poison this morning which is part 0.5 in Ann Leckie’s Imperial Radach series. It’s another glimpse into the wonderful universe that Ann has created. I really enjoyed it. It’s only short but it is sweet.
I am reading "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy". I have seen this book in Books-A-Million for a long time , and decided to try it. So far it is very interesting, some humor, some strange things happening, but so far a good read. Did not know this was a radio program at the start, or that it was as old as it is.
It’s definitely old. When I was in Year 12 (final year of high school) in 1981 it was one of the prescribed books for year 10. Our English teacher used to make us put our heads in our arms on our desks at least once a fortnight (sometimes every week) and read it to us. He said that final years and final exams are too hectic and we needed some down time so he read us Hitchhikers Guide. It’s fostered a life long love of all the books, TV shows, movie and radio series. I picked up the radio series transcripts a couple of months ago in a second hand Bookshop. I really love it. I’m glad you’re enjoying it.
We read the first Lord of the Rings book that year of HS - I think it was a break after Macbeth (2nd time around as I also read in junior year in a different HS in a different state
Perchance I read and listened to two books that dealt with the intermingling of the real and the spirit world, both weren't exactly strong plotwise and both could have done with a couple of 100 pages less - yet the approach couldn't have been more different.Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell was a very British novel with a very distinct and distanced prose (perfectly fitting the Victorian times), which was nice to listen to (Simon Prebble does a fantastic job), yet it never reached me on any emotional level.
Whereas The Famished Road, set in the poverty of an African community swallowed me and spit me out. The book certainly isn't for everybody, since it reads like a 500 pages long fever dream, but it sucked me in. And every other chapter I was painfully reminded of how pampered I grew up in my privileged environment.
Last week I finished listening to On the Shoulders of Titans. I enjoyed it in the end, but I struggled with the book a bit, especially early on. I'll still continue on with the series, and may pick up the prequel book once it's available in audio. - ★★★½☆ - (My Review)
I finally finished Thus Spake Zarathustra A book for all and none but I refuse to read the Appendixes (not written by Friedrich Nietzsche) which seem to be some sort of explanation of the book (books should not need explanations).Now to find something more pleasant to read...
I am currently finishing up John Twelve Hawks Fourth Realm Trilogy, Curious on feedback from others on this series. I've found some of the ideas intriguing but the writing, character development, and plotting to be not quite where I had hoped. I did like his novel Spark to be very well done.
Brad wrote: "I am currently finishing up John Twelve Hawks Fourth Realm Trilogy, Curious on feedback from others on this series. I've found some of the ideas intriguing but the writing, character development, a..."I remember being intrigued by this when the first book came out, but at the time the author's anonymity felt like a huge gimmick, which was a little off-putting. I did still pay attention as the rest of the series came out, and it sounded like overall it wound up being kind of underwhelming, so I never really gave it another thought.
The anonymity of the author and his fear/hatred of technology as it relates to privacy is all consuming and not one I share to that extent. I try not to let intrude on the story.
Currently banging my head against Black Leopard, Red Wolf; this will take me weeks to finish. Also reading All the Birds in the Sky at the same time. This is technically a re-read, but there may be no other book I've ever read that I more completely and immediately forgot all about than this one. I remembered that I liked it, but literally nothing else.
Tomorrow The City in the Middle of the Night comes out, already got that pre-ordered, and I want to read that this month as well.
Mod
Think after this I'm gonna take a small break from genre and listen to some nonfic.
Just finished up The Julius House. Very meh read, definitely not the best in the series. But now I can watch the movie, lol.
I haven’t read any of the Aurora Teagarden books but I love the movies. In fact I love most of those Hallmark mystery movies based on cozy mystery books.
Finished Alliance Rising: The Hinder Stars I and loved it. My only problem is now I need more. Fortunately I have other Alliance-Union books that I haven't read yet to hold me until then.Still in the middle of listening to Stars Uncharted, which is interesting, but I'm assuming will pick up more once the two POV characters meet up, which looks like it will happen soon.
Almost finished with A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe, which I am in love with at this point. I have the second book all lined up and ready to go when I finish this one.
In non-sff books, I'm listening to On the Come Up, which I was afraid wouldn't hold up to The Hate U Give, but so far it really has!
Oh good - I’ve just started alliance rising - glad someone loved it!
I finished
God's Hammer. An okay Norse tale, circa 920 AD. Next up, The Lyra Novels. These are early fantasies by this author, but I could not resist the Bookbub deal to buy all five ebooks for $3.00 USD. I'll see how it goes.
Orange Is the New Black (audio): I suspect, even without having read it, that The New Jim Crow would have more pertinent things to say about incarceration in the U.S.. This prison story by an outgoing, somewhat solipsistic young white upper-middle-class woman was an engaging and sometimes funny introduction to the topic. (review)Next up: Becoming
I've recently finished The Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy by Laini Taylor and was surprised at how much I absolutely loved it - I usually only read YA as a palette cleanser in between what I (somewhat snobbishly) think of as more 'serious' reads. They're usually always enjoyable but slightly inconsequential. But these I really really enjoyed!So, riding high on that YA cloud, I decided that it was time to finally read Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton - especially as the second two books were in the UK Kindle sale for this month. Well, what can I say, other than I wish I had actually started reading the first book before I bought the second two... *sigh*
It's kind of a come down after my previous reading experience - I mean, it's not so bad that I'm going to stop reading it, but I'm finding it really hard to suspend my disbelief. It just feels a bit less well polished somehow, and it's a real shame because I was hoping they'd be awesome.
I started Bird Box last night and had to force myself to put it down. I had heard all about the movie hype and, when I found out it was a book, had to give it a try. So far, so good. To cleanse my mental palette right before going to sleep I started reading The Travelling Cat Chronicles. In a word, LOVE!
Finished Bear and the Nightingale. Slow start, but the ending was almost everything I could have hoped for. (I just wish I could've read it straight through instead of getting interrupted by train stops and having to work... ) Looking forward to continuing the series.Unfortunately I don't have another book for the train ride home, though I might dip into The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps.
Mod
Finished off Wildeeps. Thought it was a bit of a slog, tbh. :-/***
Today I am finally starting Lethal White, which I've had on hold at the library since October and which just came in yesterday! I now have 3 weeks to read 650 pgs, since 53 people are on hold behind me, so no renewals for me!
I finished reading The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi and The Dispatcher by John Scalzi. I am reading Origin by Dan Brown. I plan to read The Broken Eye by Brent Weeks next.
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SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
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I did that once a couple years ago, rereading an installment of the Destroyermen series that I had read less than a year earlier. Decided to take a break from that series after that.🙄