Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy discussion
What We've Been Reading
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What are you reading in Nov 2014?
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I just picked up The New Annotated H. P. Lovecraft. It's a whopping 950 pages, so this book will doubles take me a while to work through. I've probably read most of Lovecraft 's stories over the years, but I'm really looking forward to delving into the notes and commentary in this volume. Should be quite interesting for a fan such as myself. :-)
I'm listening to The Martian by Andy Weir and reading The Getaway God by Richard Kadrey. (I always have two going at a time, it's safer that way. Who knows what would happen if I suddenly found myself bookless? *shudder*) The Getaway God is something like the 6th installment in the Sandman Slim series. They are my guilty pleasure. Lots of drinking, smoking, and demon slashing. And language, lots and lots of that.
The Martian is Weir's first story and is a complete delight. An astronaut gets stranded on Mars, NASA is scheming his rescue. The writing itself probably won't win any prizes, but the techno-babble is completely convincing and the main character (the stranded guy) is hilarious. It's also got enough plot twists to keep you guessing. Good stuff, I hope Weir writes more.
I've set The Hound and the Falcon aside, I made it through the first of the three books within, and was having trouble getting into the second. I may come back to it, I haven't decided yet. In the mean time I've started Double Exposure by Piers Anthony. This is the first book I've read by this particular author, but I really like it so far.
I just started Before They Are Hanged and am hoping to finish it and Last Argument of Kings before I start on the Dragon Age books. With the game coming out in a couple weeks, I'll have to read fast. :P
Dipping in and out of stuff at the moment - hoping to sort out time and energy to do a bit of reading and make a dent in my to be read list. Might do a reread or at least a re dip into Dragonbone Chair - beyond that a mix of short fiction, a few non genre stuff, Richard Parks Yamada novel when it is published later this month and I will give Mirror Empire a try.
I want to read The Martian and re-read A Canticle for Leibowitz and probably Burning Girls for the upcoming group discussions.
I'm finally getting to CryoBurn via audiobook. (after that I have some non-fiction audio to catch up on.)
Beyond that I have no idea. Of the genre books being released this month, there's nothing going on my to-read list. I would like to try City of Stairs & The Goblin Emperor as a couple of more books with buzz, before we get to the "best of 2014" season. (Which seems to have already broken out on Goodreads.)
I'm finally getting to CryoBurn via audiobook. (after that I have some non-fiction audio to catch up on.)
Beyond that I have no idea. Of the genre books being released this month, there's nothing going on my to-read list. I would like to try City of Stairs & The Goblin Emperor as a couple of more books with buzz, before we get to the "best of 2014" season. (Which seems to have already broken out on Goodreads.)
I'm still motoring through American Gods with Leviathan Wakes, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, and Storm Front on deck. Then I will start hitting some of the second books in the series that I have started over the last month, or so.
I'm finishing Twenty Years After (Dumas), and Pandora's Star (Hamilton), Check Out Time (Rigney) (and Thomas Paine and the Promise of America (Kaye)). (How do I link to the books in a comment?)
my to-read list this month is same as last month's...I spent more time in TN helping out my Mom than I thought I would and didn't get anything done last month
Melissa, if you're using Goodreads via an app you can't link. (At least I know that's the case on an iPad.) You also can't quote, italicize, bold, or do anything at all involving code. It's quite possibly the most annoying thing in the world. I hop on my husbands desktop computer from time to time just so I can play with all the fun features.
I finished The Steel Remains last weekend, and I'm about halfway through The Cold Commands. I'll probably finish the series in the next week or so. I'm enjoying it, although so far the first book strikes me as superior to the middle installment (more humor, more cohesion, more close third POV on Ringil). I'm planning on reading Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach trilogy next.I also have a couple of books I anticipate will be lighter reads (Helen and Troy's Epic Road Quest, The Android's Dream) that I may read b/t series or later in the month -- for those who've read the Scalzi, do you think I should re-read PKD's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? first (read it twice, most recently a couple of years ago), or are the allusions fairly general?
Michael wrote: "I just picked up The New Annotated H. P. Lovecraft. It's a whopping 950 pages, so this book will doubles take me a while to work through. I've probably read most of Lovecraft '..."Colour me jealous - I'd love to have that. After xmas maybe...
Currently most of the way through Untouched By Human Hands by Sheckley. Loooove Sheckley!
Also reading The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle which is turning out to be great fun.
And chipping away at The Mammoth Book of Locked Room Mysteries and Impossible Crimes.
Finished The Miocene Arrow a few days ago. Pretty good once you get past the begining when too many characters POV are thrown at you at once.Starting Starswarm tonight. Don't expect much from it, but it should be light/easy reading.
Finished 'Time Out of Joint' by Philip Dick, which is gripping. One of those books that you have to finish, once started. A great author.
Michael wrote: "I'm still motoring through American Gods with Leviathan Wakes, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, and Storm Front on deck. Then I will start hitting some of the second books in the series that I..."I just read 'Time Out of Joint' by Philip Dick. Loved it. Will be interested to find out about 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep' when you have read it.
I'm currently reading Rich Man's WarI liked the first book; this one isn't quite as exciting but still has that Starship Troopers feel to it that I like.
Mary wrote: "Michael wrote: "I'm still motoring through American Gods with Leviathan Wakes, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, and Storm Front on deck. Then I will start hitting some of the second books in t..."It was excellent! I finished it a couple weeks ago. I was intrigued going in, since I had been a huge fan of Blade Runner since I was a kid. But, it's an almost completely different story. I was slightly disappointed at how short it was, but I guess in the grand scheme of things that is a complaint I'd much rather have about a book, instead of it dragging on too long.
I also picked up The Complete Fiction of H.P. Lovecraft and have started reading some of the earlier works.
This month I read or reread and/or listened to - Handmaids Tale
Old Man's War
Tea with the Black Dragon
King Solomon's Mines
Blue Labyrinth
And I'm currently listening to Agatha H and the Airship City and reading Sorcery & Cecelia: or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot
My month o' books consisted of the following beauties:
My favorites were The Martian and The Slow Regard of Silent Things. I was mightily disappointed in Clariel. Can't wait to get the December reading started!
Michele wrote: "And I'm currently listening to Agatha H and the Airship City..."
Huh. The audiobook thing caught my eye. I read Agatha Heterodyne and the Sleeping City from the Girl Genius series by Phil and Kaja Foglio during our Graphic Novel Challenge this year (it had a Hugo nomination in the GN category). I just assumed it was all a graphic novel series. I wouldn't have thought of Phil Foglio as a prose kind of guy, but I guess the series starts with this actual novel.
Huh. The audiobook thing caught my eye. I read Agatha Heterodyne and the Sleeping City from the Girl Genius series by Phil and Kaja Foglio during our Graphic Novel Challenge this year (it had a Hugo nomination in the GN category). I just assumed it was all a graphic novel series. I wouldn't have thought of Phil Foglio as a prose kind of guy, but I guess the series starts with this actual novel.
The book version is a lot of fun so far (I'm about 50%) - I haven't read the graphic version so I don't know how it compares.There's a sequel and the third is out in Jan.
Michele wrote: "The book version is a lot of fun so far (I'm about 50%) - I haven't read the graphic version so I don't know how it compares."
I think I prefer Foglio's artwork in small doses, like the 1-page monthly "What's New" he used to do for Dragon magazine or the illustrations he did for Asprin's MythAdventures (which for some reason weren't included in the Science Fiction Book Club editions, grumble grumble:) In a full-length graphic novel I found his style a little overwhelming.
I think I prefer Foglio's artwork in small doses, like the 1-page monthly "What's New" he used to do for Dragon magazine or the illustrations he did for Asprin's MythAdventures (which for some reason weren't included in the Science Fiction Book Club editions, grumble grumble:) In a full-length graphic novel I found his style a little overwhelming.
Michele wrote: "And I'm currently listening to Agatha H and the Airship City..."
I just noticed this is one of the audiobooks Audible has on sale this week for $4.95. So I'll get back to you on it.... :)
I just noticed this is one of the audiobooks Audible has on sale this week for $4.95. So I'll get back to you on it.... :)
Books mentioned in this topic
Agatha Heterodyne and the Sleeping City (other topics)Clariel (other topics)
The Getaway God (other topics)
The Martian (other topics)
The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains (other topics)
More...


Now I'm listening to Prince Lestat by Anne Rice and hurrah! She is writing fun stuff again. This is like the last 10ish years of weirdness never happened :)
I'm going to be attempting NaNoWriMo so I won't be reading as much this month. I have read The Dragonbone Chair a few times and will try to chime in on that one, though it has been a while since my last reread so the details are pretty fuzzy.