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What Else Are You Reading?
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What Else Are You Reading - November 2014
I just finished Heraclix & Pomp, though I haven't written my review yet. My plan for this weekend is to try to finish other things, if I can, too. I have The Slow Regard of Silent Things queued in my Audible app and have been reading a chapter or two of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? a night. I've also got City of Golden Shadow ready to go......but I still have Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation and What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions that I've started and hope I can get more done...
Jlawrence wrote: "I'm almost done with Joss Whedon: The Biography, which inspired me to start the Joss-written Astonishing X-Men, Vol. 1: Gifted, and just so I'll be reading too much at..."Ooh I love that little McKillip book. Do you have the one with the gorgeous cover?
Tonight I started Soldier of the Mist by Gene Wolfe. It's mass market paperback so my brain keeps shutting down. But the story is interesting - a soldier with a brain injury in ancient Greece who can see gods.
All the McKillip books with the Kinuko Craft covers are gorgeous! But I think Alphabet of Thorn is one of the best of her recent books.
Finished my commute audio book, Empire of Gold : A History of the Byzantine Empire. Now listening to the first in a seven volume edition examining the great books of history, The Modern Scholar - Odyssey Of The West I (1) Hebrews and Greeks (Volume 1).This might take a while...
Because I'm in my final year of a literature degree, my reading time is currently taken up by books for the course. I've just started The Child in Time, but haven't got far enough to know what I make of it yet. Other books I'll be needing to read include Poor Things, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, and Time's Arrow. As I'm doing a fairy tale module, there are a whole heap of fairy tale adaptations and related essays to gobble up. I am also rereading The Tale of Genji and Masks and The Waiting Years for my dissertation. And if I can possibly squeeze it in on top of this months book pick, I'd really like to check out the Rothfuss novella. And I want to read the second Ancillary book too, but that will probably have to wait until Christmas.But I am a really really really slow reader, so if I want to get through ANY of that lot, I'd better get cracking! :P
Currently, I'm listening to Wizard and Glass, and then I'm continuing with some more Song of Ice and Fire in A Feast for Crows. I'm excited because I know that this one is all "new" stuff as I've finally surpassed the show. And then I got some more stuff queued up but whenever I get the Rothfuss book I plan on squeezing it in.
Listening to Burn for Me though it's so confusing as the same narrator is used as in the other Ilona Andrews Kate Daniels series. I keep hearing Kate, Curran, etc :) Also reading Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Recently finished up a handful of the books I've been reading. First was Yesterday's Kin by Nancy Kress, which I absolutely loved. Short novella that makes me feel like shit for being a human.Here's that review
And then I dived into The Crimson Campaign by Brian McClellan, which really is a better book than the first in the series. Still not crazy about those books in general, but I definitely enjoyed TCC. Enough to grab The Autumn Republic on release day when it hits. My review.
And I literally just finished Elantris by Brandon Sanderson, the very last of the Cosmere backlist I had to go through. I definitely didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I'm not a high fantasy guy, and it's solidly high fantasy. Here's that review
And here's some of the other stuff I'm still making my way through:
And then I dived into The Crimson Campaign by Brian McClellan, which really is a better book than the first in the series. Still not crazy about those books in general, but I definitely enjoyed TCC. Enough to grab The Autumn Republic on release day when it hits. My review.
And I literally just finished Elantris by Brandon Sanderson, the very last of the Cosmere backlist I had to go through. I definitely didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I'm not a high fantasy guy, and it's solidly high fantasy. Here's that review
And here's some of the other stuff I'm still making my way through:
Where's the reviews, Rab? Stop teasing us!
Hah, there we go! Added an extra "/" for some reason.
Mod
Ooh I love that little McKillip book. Do you have the one with the gorgeous cover?"
I bought the Kindle version, and that cover shows up as a thumbnail for it in my Kindle library screen, but they didn't include it full-size in the ebook for some reason. :( Been looking forward to reading it for a long time, though!
Mod
I'm especially curious what you'll think of What If? engineering-wise, terpkristin. :D
In addition to Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, I'm currently reading Dark Digital Sky, Faceless Killers, A Fire Upon the Deep and Perdido Street Station. Do Androids is a re-read, although after 32 years it feels new to me again. The others I'm just getting started on, except for Dark Digital Sky, a modern detective novel told in the hard-boiled style of 60 or 70 years ago. I'm enjoying it immensely.
Rabindranauth wrote: "Recently finished up a handful of the books I've been reading. First was Yesterday's Kin by Nancy Kress, which I absolutely loved. Short novella that makes me feel li..."The Crimson Campaign really is far better; I had very mixed feelings about the series but became weirdly hooked on it so I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who felt that way.
I finished Station Eleven yesterday. An engrossing read, but a bit unsettling to read while a real pandemic rages - felt a little too real at times.
I've just started Hounded, which is one of the monthly book picks over at the Sci-Fi & Fantasy book club. I'm in the mood for something light, so I think I'll enjoy it.
On the back burner at the moment (mainly because life has been too crazy recently to spend much time thinking about what I'm reading) are Hild and The Gods of Gotham.
Currently reading dune messiah then probably going to read do androids dream of electric sleep. After that who knows.
Robyn wrote: "Rabindranauth wrote: "Recently finished up a handful of the books I've been reading. First was Yesterday's Kin by Nancy Kress, which I absolutely loved. Short novella..."
The magic is very offputting to me. McClellan made rules for what the powder mages can do, but for most of the action scenes he doesn't have them use their power past the bullet bending. It doesn't make sense. And then randomly he'll feel in the mood for something flashy or something, because then they'll start doing all sorts of crazy stuff, from controlling the energy of an explosion all the way to inhuman reflexes. So that really took a lot of the fun out of the book for me. But it was still a decent read.
The magic is very offputting to me. McClellan made rules for what the powder mages can do, but for most of the action scenes he doesn't have them use their power past the bullet bending. It doesn't make sense. And then randomly he'll feel in the mood for something flashy or something, because then they'll start doing all sorts of crazy stuff, from controlling the energy of an explosion all the way to inhuman reflexes. So that really took a lot of the fun out of the book for me. But it was still a decent read.
Finished Severed Souls today byTerry Goodkind. It was not a good read. I think this will be my last Goodkind book.Finally going to read The Fault in Our Stars, which I put on my e-reader before getting the previous book from the library. I figure that one should be quick, and then I'll try Arcanum by Simon Morden that I picked up from the library over the weekend.
On Audible I'm listening to Judas Unchained by Peter F. Hamilton. I finished Pandora's Star a few days ago and was surprised by how much it drew me in. As soon as I get through that I've got The Slow Regard of Silent Things on deck.
Jlawrence wrote: "I'm especially curious what you'll think of What If? engineering-wise, terpkristin. :D"It is, as expected, fantastic. I've been a big fan of Randall Munroe's work for a long time, and am a regular reader of xkcd and his related blog, What If. Given his past, it's not a surprise...the only sad thing is that the book doesn't (can't) have the mouse-over alt text. :) ;)
Finally reading The Broken Eye. I kept saying was going to start it over the last couple months, then getting distracted but other goodies. I have no idea after that.. I'm sure it'll take me most the month anyway.
Nearing the end of the-great-glass-sea by Josh Weil. It's a beautifully written book, but for Sword and Laser members, I have to point out that it is not really Sci-Fi, even though it takes place in near-future Russia, and contains engineering and agricultural technologies that don't currently exist.
One of the main premises is that endless daylight can be produced in specific areas of the earth through the use of mirrors orbiting in space, combined with the construction of vast earthbound "greenhouses" that encompass whole cities and regions. That is as far as it goes in Sci-Fi terms; the bulk of the book is about the impact of new technologies and business models on personal relationships as well as on cultural traditions. The central story contrasts the divergent paths in life taken by twin brothers in the context of these societal changes, and focuses on the deep-rooted love these brothers have for each other and how they are pulled apart from each other by overwhelming economic and political forces. At the same time, the damage to their relationship represents the crumbling of indigenous community traditions that the new technologies threaten.
This book refers to a great deal of Russian culture, both literary and political. There is a quite a bit of critical parody, in which Communism, Anarchism, and Capitalism are all shown in a rather unfavorable light.
The book reads more like 'Literary' fiction than Science Fiction, but I know that there are at least a few Sword and Laser members that like novels that don't necessarily remain enclosed inside genre pigeonholes, so I highly recommend it to those folks.
Finished The Slow Regard of Silent Things last night. It was a fun quick read. Going to read The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line next.
Tamahome wrote: "By the way Gravity's Rainbow just got put into audio. How about that for an S&L pick? :)"It's my favorite book ever and maybe the best I've ever read, but I suspect that would result in the fastest mass lemming in the history of the group. :)
P.S. I just started Dashiell Hammett's Red Harvest.
Listening to the audio version of The Name of the Wind. I'm not impressed at all, with the book that is, the narrator is doing a very good job.
Reading Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. Listening to The Legend of Drizzt: The Collected Stories
Sheila Jean wrote: "Finished Severed Souls today byTerry Goodkind. It was not a good read. I think this will be my last Goodkind book."I kept telling myself that through the first 11 volumes of his SoT series before I finally gave up. Oh to have all those hours back.
Sky wrote: "Sheila Jean wrote: "Finished Severed Souls today byTerry Goodkind. It was not a good read. I think this will be my last Goodkind book."I kept telling myself that thr..."
Each book in the series kept getting worse until Naked Empire broke me of the need to read any more. I do kind of half-heartedly wonder whether he's wrapped up the war yet. But what I really wonder is why I read so many of them after the 2d or 3d in the series.
I'm currently reading Happy Hour in Hell.
I'm currently listening to The Briar King by Greg Keyes, and it's doing a good job scratching my "not-so-shiny fantasy" itch. Not quite as grim n' gritty as Joe Abercrombie, but there's still some grit and grime in there. Kind of reminds me of Assassin's Apprentice.I also bought Gravel Volume 3: The Last King of England by Warren Ellis on Comixology. And that's... well, it's Warren Ellis. Need I say more?
Christopher wrote: "Nearing the end of the-great-glass-sea by Josh Weil. It's a beautifully written book, but for Sword and Laser members, I have to point out that it is not really Sci-Fi, even though..."
Sounds good!
I am currently listening to the audiobook of the Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud, and Simon Jones does a great job narrating.As for reading, I am about to start Ancillary Justice. I am really excited to give it a try finally.
Having (re)read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? just a couple years ago, I'll give it a pass for now. I'll be interested to read what everyone else thinks though.For now I'll be getting my Rothfuss fix with The Slow Regard of Silent Things and after that I've been meaning to catch up on the Drizzt saga, only 5 books to go now...
I'm currently reading Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and listening to Shadow's Edge by Brent Weeks (I'm late adopter of the Night Angel trilogy/Brent Weeks). After finishing one of those I'll start on The Steel Remains by Richard K. Morgan and/or Hard Spell by Justin Gustainis. I also keep meaning to pick up where I left off with The Dresden Files, I believe the next book I have to read is Ghost Story, but I have a bunch of other urban fantasy/fantasy mystery books and some sci-fi that I want to read but can never find the time (or the right mood) to read.
I'm just finishing off Alif the Unseen while I wait on my voyage to arrive. After that I'll read The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity with my girlfriend who gets my old paperwhite. After that I'll read through Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and Childhood's End. I loved interstellar and I'm in a bit of a scifi mood.
At home I'm finishing off Business Model Generation: A Handbook For Visionaries, Game Changers, And Challengers and then on to Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
Just finished Vagina Mundi (review here). Working on The Forbidden Knowledge of Enoch. About to start No Land's Man. All first-reads giveaways. Once I finish one of the latter two, I'll be starting The Eyre Affair on my nook and reading the remaining physical book at work during my breaks.
Just finished this month's S&L pick, so I'm finally starting the Long Price Quartet by Daniel Abraham, also known as the fantasy writer who transforms and connects with Ty Franck to form the space opera author James S.A. Corey. I picked up the omnibus editions, so Shadow and Betrayal includes the first two books. Might try to finish Miserere: An Autumn Tale and Ship of Destiny if I have time later in the month.
I've just started in on my paperback ARC of The Providence of Fire, with S.E. Lindberg's Spawn of Dyscrasia cued up on my Kobo. Fingers crossed, this week should see the arrival of A Play of Shadow on my doorstop.
terpkristin wrote: "I just finished Heraclix & Pomp, though I haven't written my review yet.
Heraclix & Pomp was such a great read. Not at all what I expected, but so much better because of it.
Heraclix & Pomp was such a great read. Not at all what I expected, but so much better because of it.
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I really enjoy his Dagger & Coin series, but I haven't read any of that series yet.
Tamahome wrote: "By the way Gravity's Rainbow just got put into audio. How about that for an S&L pick? :)"Oh that would be great! I keep meaning to read it and never doing it, so this would be a great push :D
Finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and now my re-read is done. It was excellent. The re-read that is, not so much DH. My review.Now I'm gonna try to finish Snow Crash.
Rob wrote: "Joe Informatico wrote: "I'm finally starting the Long Price Quartet by Daniel Abraham"I really enjoy his Dagger & Coin series, but I haven't read any of that series yet."
I thought the Long Price Quartet was very good.
Tamahome wrote: "By the way Gravity's Rainbow just got put into audio. How about that for an S&L pick? :)"It's hard enough to read, I can't imagine doing it on audio. Especially if you are reading all the footnotes in A Gravity's Rainbow Companion: Sources and Contexts for Pynchon's Novel to trying and understand all the obscure references.
Sky wrote: "Tamahome wrote: "By the way Gravity's Rainbow just got put into audio. How about that for an S&L pick? :)"It's hard enough to read, I can't imagine doing it on audio. Especially if you are reading all the footnotes in A Gravity's Rainbow Companion: Sources and Contexts for Pynchon's Novel to trying and understand all the obscure references. ..."
But sometimes that is the big mistake, missing the forest for the trees. When I shifted to reading Ulysses in audio, a lot more of it started coming together. So I dunno, might be worth a try.
Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "But sometimes that is the big mistake, missing the forest for the trees. When I shifted to reading Ulysses in audio, a lot more of it started coming together. So I dunno, might be worth a try."Interesting point...I have a few spare audible credits, I think I will try it. It's one of my reading goals for next year :)
Currently finishing up The World of Ice & Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones and also re-reading Mockingjay in preparation for the movie. The World of Ice and Fire is such a beautiful book, I find myself just staring at and studying the illustrations. I spent most of last weekend being truly engrossed. I haven't re-read the series in awhile, so it was fun to get immersed in the world again. (It was cold outside so cuddling up in my blanket and a mug of hot tea and a good book... ahhh heaven on earth...) I've always loved the history of Targaryen rule ( i even created my own "family tree"). Lots of stuff i knew from picking up things in the series proper and the Dunk & Egg stories, The Blacks and the Greens, etc. But it was nice to get a look at the entire known world.
Finished The Legend of Drizzt: The Collected Stories. Was left with the impression that I like everyone in the setting except the title character.Still working on DADoES, and will be starting The Tropic of Serpents soon.
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