What Else Are You Reading - July 2019

[Tassie Dave, S&L Historian]

A Conjuring of Light is the least good of the trilogy.

I enjoyed it enough to have been glad I finished it, but wouldn't say it's essential to read if you liked the other 2.

It's slightly better than 'meh', but not much.

[William]

There are two great releases this month I am reading, one Laser and one Sword:

Fall, or Dodge in Hell by Neal Stephenson
Age of Legend by Michael J. Sullivan

[Silvana]

Finished with The Last Days of New Paris. Where surrealist art forms defending a city from the Nazis. It's alt history a la Mieville! Not my fave of all his works, but still fun.

Going to start the last book of Imperial Radch, Ancillary Mercy. Please don't suck.

[Cy]

I'm about to finish the most hilarious scifi I've read since Douglas Adams. It's an Audible Original short, The Adventures of Tom Stranger, Interdimendional Insurance Agent. It'll get five stars.The Adventures of Tom Stranger, Interdimensional Insurance Agent

[Trike]

Cy wrote: "I'm about to finish the most hilarious scifi I've read since Douglas Adams. It's an Audible Original short, The Adventures of Tom Stranger, Interdimendional Insurance Agent. It'll get five stars.[b..."

Correira can go straight to hell. He can burn for all goddamn eternity while he’s there.

[Alexander]

I've been reading American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race by Douglas Brinkley for an in-person book club with the Apollo anniversary coming up. That book's dearth of astronaut stories also has me reading A Man On the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts by Chaikin. Which is *all* about the astronauts and missions and spacey stuff.

I also just finished Spinning Silver which I thought was fantastic.

[TRP]

Recently finished listening to Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. It was a something of a slog and I'm used to better world-building but the The Wonderful Wizard of Oz(as in the L Frank Baum novel) bit at the end felt rushed.

[Kelli]

I finished Vessel and am now FINALLY reading The Stone Sky. I have a bad habit of not reading the rest of a series if something else is on my radar (Squirl!).

In my bid to finish up series I've left off, I hope to also finish reading A Conjuring of Light this month as well.

[Colin]

Finished reading Exit Strategy. It's been a really good series of Novellas. I'm definitely onboard to find out what happens to the Murderbot next.

Getting started on This Is How You Lose the Time War. I love a good time travel story - so I'm hoping that's what this is!

[Iain]

I have put Cage of Souls on hold ao lug a large hardback across the Atlantic.

In stead I read in book form Swords and Deviltry which I picked up in the humble bundle. Short and not very sweet. Superior sword and sorcery from Fritz Leiber introducing the peerless pair of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser. (view spoiler)[To characters are fridged in the book (hide spoiler)]

With the flight I burned through three shorter audio books.

Cocaine Blues which is s delightful mystery based in the twenties in Melbourne. The source material for Miss Fisher’s murder mysteries.

Doctor Who: The Good Doctor which is not one of the best Doctor Who stories around. A bit bot heavy handed in the political commentary.
Trace
The Naked Country which is a thriller in the North West of Australia, probably set in the late 50s. It is an odd mix of racist stereotypes and sensitive exploration of indignant culture. Probably the best you could hope for from a writer with his background. Definitely a page turner..

Now on to Snake Agent which I received in a Humble Bundle and I am listening to Trace.

[Jonathan]

Just finished re-listening to The Bands of Mourning. Made progress in my reading of Valor. Started listening to Kingdom of the Wicked.

[Trike]

The audiobook of Artemis finally came into the library! Weirdly, it’s in German. I don’t speak German.

[Ruth]

Trike wrote: "Cy wrote: "I'm about to finish the most hilarious scifi I've read since Douglas Adams. It's an Audible Original short, The Adventures of Tom Stranger, Interdimendional Insurance Agent. It'll get fi..."

Correira can go straight to hell. He can burn for all goddamn eternity while he’s there.

Am I missing something here??

[Ruth]

Currently reading The Magician King which is all about what it would actually be like to be king of a Narnia-esque magical land.

Just finished the audiobook of A Head Full of Ghosts which was creepy af.

And starting Vicious.

[Rob, Roberator]

Ruth wrote: "Trike wrote: "Correira can go straight to hell. He can burn for all goddamn eternity while he’s there.

Am I missing something here??"

Larry Correia is the guy who created the Sad Puppies and was a big part of the whole Hugo slate drama a few years ago.

[TRP]

Currently listening to Looking Backward: 2000-1887 by Edward Bellamy which is sort of science fiction (19th Century tale of a Victorian man who wakes up in the year 2000) but mostly a Utopian Socialist fantasy.
This was a massive best seller in its day and prompted lots of responses, both supportive and oppositional, as well as Bellamy clubs

Right now I'm wondering if I've picked up an early manifesto from Senator Sanders

[Ruth]

Rob wrote: "Ruth wrote: "Trike wrote: "Correira can go straight to hell. He can burn for all goddamn eternity while he’s there.

Am I missing something here??"

Larry Correia is the guy who created the Sad Puppies and was a big part of the whole Hugo slate drama a few years ago. ..."

Ah. Ok. I see also that the audiobook is read by Adam Baldwin, another... character. Don't think I'm going to be checking this one out any time soon!

[Dara]

Ruth wrote: "Ah. Ok. I see also that the audiobook is read by Adam Baldwin, another... character. Don't think I'm going to be checking this one out any time soon!"

Either of those people on their own is enough to drive me off. Together? I want to run as fast as possible in the opposite direction.

[Jonathan]

Robin Hobb just gave a 5 star review to RJ Barker's upcoming book The Bone Ships. If you haven't read his first trilogy, The Wounded Kingdom, I recommend giving it a try!

[Seth]

I finished Red Sister and immediately put the next one on hold at the library - really enjoyable. I moved on to Magic for Liars, a fast-moving noir thriller in a fantasy world. I was pretty good, if not great, probably worth a read if you liked Scalzi's Lock In - has a similar pace and feel

Now I'm headed into Star Wars Alphabet Squadron because seeing it sparked a boat-load of nostalgia for the 90's Rogue Squadron books which I loved back in high school.

[Aaron]

TRP wrote: "Currently listening to Looking Backward: 2000-1887 by Edward Bellamy which is sort of science fiction (19th Century tale of a Victorian man who wakes up in the year 2000) but mostly a Utopian Socialist fantasy.
This was a massive best seller in its day and prompted lots of responses, both supportive and oppositional, as well as Bellamy clubs

Right now I'm wondering if I've picked up an early manifesto from Senator Sanders"

This and its sequel were among the ways Bellamy promoted his version of successful socialism, including a way to transition from capitalism to it.

[Cy]

Trike wrote: "Cy wrote: "I'm about to finish the most hilarious scifi I've read since Douglas Adams. It's an Audible Original short, The Adventures of Tom Stranger, Interdimendional Insurance Agent. It'll get fi..."

If you're in Hell for all eternity, it goes without saying that you've been God damned.

[Joel]

Reading All Systems Red by Martha Wells and listening to Crucible of Gold by Naomi Novik.

[Gary]

I finished reading Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow, Port of Shadows by Glen Cook, and Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody. I am reading The Rooster Bar by John Grisham. I plan to read Persepolis Rising by James S.A. Corey next.

[Joseph]

Finished Revenant Gun (which was great) and decided to go for something old school (but also great): The Knight of the Swords by Michael Moorcock.

[Sheila Jean]

< rant > Why do all my requests come off hold from the Overdrive library at the same time?! < /rant >

[Iain]

Sheila Jean wrote: " Why do all my requests come off hold from the Overdrive library at the same time?! "

I have three dead-tree books waiting at the library 😧😋...

Luckily two are short, unluckily, I already have a door stop out...

[John (Taloni)]

FWIW You can put your hold on hold to arrive at a more convenient. I've done this when I'm down to position 1 or 2 and have a full load already.

[Sheila Jean]

John (Taloni) wrote: "FWIW You can put your hold on hold to arrive at a more convenient. I've done this when I'm down to position 1 or 2 and have a full load already."

I've done that in the past for books in a series I want to read in order, but I feel like the ETA's on some of my holds end up being so wildly off I get surprised.

[Trike]

Sheila Jean wrote: " Why do all my requests come off hold from the Overdrive library at the same time?! "

It’s because I returned mine early.

Sorry not sorry

[John (Taloni)]

Next up on the Indie kick, For Steam And Country by Jon Del Arroz. It's a whimsical YA Steampunk tale of a girl who inherits a flying steamship from her presumably dead father on her 16th birthday. Reads like fantasy but is nominally soft SF. Think Mortal Engines.

Del Arroz makes a point of his Christian beliefs, and the story reflects it. The teen romance never goes beyond hand holding and tingly feelings. The main plot is good vs evil, with many of the nominally evil people actually decent folks corrupted by a greater evil. And, the "good" king is named Malaky, presumably a reference to Malachi, a biblical figure.

Good PG13 adventure, well set up world, including reveals that make it SF. The knights use a surprising amount of technology and I couldn't help flashing on the Holy Hand Grenade of Monty Python's Holy Grail.

[Rick]

Reading.... yes, lots of it. Let's see:

Currently: This Is How You Lose the Time War which is lyrical and lovely and Gods, Monsters, and the Lucky Peach which is.. ok but I'm early in it still.

Earlier this month:
Apocalypse Nyx
Rupert Wong, Cannibal Chef
Johannes Cabal the Necromancer

[Meaghan]

Trike wrote: "It’s because I returned mine early.

Sorry not sorry"

I do this, as well. I figure that it gets other people the book faster, as I tend to read two-ish books a week during standard commute time and I'd otherwise be sitting on six or eight read books at any given time.

(Thanks for the heads up on the Sad Puppies business - I didn't remember the name, so it didn't immediately flag.)

Currently reading:
Crux - second book in the series. The third is already on hold - I'm still interested in where this one goes.

The Child Garden - reading this one for my Literary Parkour; I needed a book with "Garden" in the title and wasn't much interested in books on gardening or romances.

The City in the Middle of the Night - I am so excited to read this one! I picked up All the Birds in the Sky based on Overdrive shipping me to the page for it when I searched for something else and really enjoyed it.

[Trike]

I’m reading How to Invent Everything: A Survival Guide for the Stranded Time Traveller, which I’m going to buy for my 13-year-old cousin. It’s a clever and humorous way to sneakily explain science, technology and history to someone. It’s really great.

[terpkristin]

My brother got me that book and I agree, it’s realm well done and fun.

[Silvana]

Finished with Ancillary Mercy and was sorely disappointed. Should have stopped after book 2.

Also finished my reread of Best Served Cold - still great as ever.

I am reading two nonfictions, but since one of them is quite sciency I guess could put it here: A Short History of Nearly Everything. I've always been a fan of Bryson's writing.

[taeli]

I'm reading Ancillary Mercy, which I had started but put down for some reason last year and am just now getting back to and finishing up KA Holt's Red Moon Rising. I am also reading 2 non-fiction science related books: Slime: How Algae Created Us, Plague Us, and Just Might Save Us and Red Moon Rising: Sputnik and the Hidden Rivalries that Ignited the Space Age.

[Rob, Roberator]

I've been struggling to make time for book reviews lately, so here is a big huge pile of them. I apologize for not summarizing any of them here, it's taken me too much time already to write them all up.

Audio
Uncanny Collateral - ★★★★☆ - (My Review)

Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon - ★★★½☆ - (My Review)

The Hanging Tree - ★★★★☆ - (My Review)

Age of Legend - ★★★½☆ - (My Review)

Borders of Infinity - ★★★★☆ - (My Review)

Text
Vessel - ★★★☆ - (My Review)

[Dara]

I'm still re-reading ASOIAF. I'm on A Dance with Dragons but will likely pause to read Jade War tomorrow.

[Joel]

Just finished All Systems Red for the first time and really enjoyed it. Excited to see where Murderbot goes in the next installment.

Almost finishing listening to Crucible of Gold and will probably jump into Blood of Tyrants next. I've been listening to Temeraire on and off now for 3 years, and I'll be sad when I've finally finished the series. While every book hasn't been off the charts, I've loved the characters of Lawrence and Temeraire.

Currently reading Jingo. I've really been enjoying the City Watch books.

[Jon]

Finished Age of Legend a few weeks ago and now am finally diving into Senlin Ascends.

[Joseph]

I finished The Knight of the Swords and so, naturally, am starting The Queen of the Swords.

[Allison]

This month so far I've read

Dawn - I liked it better than the other two of hers I've read, but I think her style isn't for me. I think she's immensely talented and an important voice, but I get it now and I'm out.

Reread of The Once and Future King which is just as hilarious, wise and depressing as ever. New sections stood out to me as they intersect with current events.

Lud-in-the-Mist was fun to read, to see the inspiration for so many great stories. I'm not sure I loved it, but it was one of the more fun books I've read for academic purposes.

Becoming was as brilliant as I'd heard.

The Bone Doll's Twin was a 500ish page misery porn prologue to what I imagine is going to be an exploration of how to drive someone insane.

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms was fun--a Jemisinian take on the YA genre with a sweet (as in cool--there's nothing kind in the book) mythology.

The Book of M made no sense. An unromantic romance, a nonlinear road trip, a dreamlike nightmare told by someone who doesn't know how to keep the agonizing retelling of that dream short.

About to finish The Color Purple which is as brilliant and enraging as I'd imagined, and starting Royal Assassin as a palate cleanser/distance creator.

[Dara]

Jade War is out, y'all! Devouring it now.

[Trike]

Dara wrote: "Jade War is out, y'all! Devouring it now."

GoGo says “Same!”

https://www.instagram.com/p/B0RTsy2hU...

[Dara]

Trike wrote: "Dara wrote: "Jade War is out, y'all! Devouring it now."

GoGo says “Same!”

https://www.instagram.com/p/B0RTsy2hU..."

Yessss! GoGo is one cool pup.

[Ruth]

Dara wrote: "Jade War is out, y'all! Devouring it now."

My pre-ordered audiobook isn’t showing up in my library on my phone app for some reason >:(

[TraceyL]

Seth wrote: "I finished Red Sister and immediately put the next one on hold at the library - really enjoyable. I moved on to Magic for Liars, a fast-moving noir thriller in a fan..."

I read Magic for Liars because I saw it popping up a lot on Goodreads and wanted to see what they hype was about. I really loved it. It's a solid detective mystery set in a Hogwarts-esque school. The magic becomes more and more important as the story goes along. It's also more of a "realistic" version of Hogwarts where the students still act like regular teens - having sex and dealing with bullies, among other things.

It's definitely an adult book and not YA. It has good LGBT representation as well.

[Ruth]

Ruth wrote: "Dara wrote: "Jade War is out, y'all! Devouring it now."

My pre-ordered audiobook isn’t showing up in my library on my phone app for some reason >:("

Update : it’s working now hurrah!

[Joseph]

And The King of the Swords, the last of Moorcock's first Corum trilogy, has been started. I love these books!