What are you reading in December 2019?

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

The last month of the year! Let’s hear about what you’re reading (in any genre) to close out 2019.

[Atlanta]

I am currently reading misery by Stephen king

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

I am still reading The Red Knight by Miles Cameron, book 1 in his Traitor Son Cycle. And I have a big queue of other things to read this month, too! I will have to squeeze in my reading time around holiday decorating and activities.

[Chris, Moderator]

I just finished The Starless Sea, and it's one of the most beautiful books I've read in a long time. It has the same magical quality and in-depth worldbuild as her The Night Circus, but it is completely standalone. I couldn't put this down!

[Shel, Moderator]

I've been picking at The Humor Code: A Global Search for What Makes Things Funny for a few days now and I am finding the subject interesting but the writing dry. I feel like it could be a great book.... if it were written by Malcolm Gladwell. So I'm going to put it down unfinished and pick up the latest library loan that just came in, Consider Phlebas, because you all have been raving about the Culture books and I feel like I need to give them a try (I know everyone says that they stand alone and it doesn't matter what order you read them in, but I'm a little anal about my book series so I figure if it grabs me I have a few months to get in the next few in time to read Excession with the group in February).

[Mary]

Image and Imagination: Essays and Reviews by C.S. Lewis

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

Shel wrote: "... Consider Phlebas, because you all have been raving about the Culture books and I feel like I need to give them a try..."

I confess that was not one of my favorite Culture books, but I will encourage you to persevere because I have given them all 4 or 5 stars (even Consider Phlebas). Thought-provoking and, at least so far, very different from each other. Like you, I am pretty anal about reading things “in order”, although my first Culture book was #7, which I read with the group and which got me started on the Culture books, so then I went back and started with #1. But I will say that each is different in style and tone.

[Ken]

Finished up Betrayal in Berlin. Good book but there were a few stretches where I didnt read it for a while. A week in the Dominican, zero pages read, five days of training zero reading done.

Started Nemesis Games
It's quite good after the minor disappointments of Books 3 and 4

[Nynniaw]

Been reading mostly Warhammer books so far. I enjoy the setting a lot, but will likely take a break of it soon.

[Jim]

1984 is one of the few books that is worthy of reading once a decade throughout my life. The theme of what is real/true is especially of interest today with 'fake news', weighted searches, & eminently editable text. This is the first time I've read it as an audiobook. That's a great format, but I backed it up with an ebook. My 5 star review is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Shel, Moderator]

I just finished Consider Phlebas and I have to say...I was not impressed. I was wavering between two and three stars as I read, and the ending knocked it down to two for me. No spoilers, but I finished thinking That was it, WTF? I confess I just skimmed the appendices. I'll give book 2 a try before giving up on the series, though.

[Random]

Shel wrote: "I just finished Consider Phlebas and I have to say...I was not impressed. I was wavering between two and three stars as I read, and the ending knocked it down to two for me. No spoil..."

Very similar to my response for the book. I felt like it was nothing but one great big action scene after another. Even my space opera adoring husband didn't like the series, though I believe he didn't read all of it. While he read more than I did, he also gave up feeling grumpy and trying to figure out why anyone liked it. :)

Just finished The Time of Contempt and starting Baptism of Fire at some point today. Still enjoying myself. :)

[Eva]

I've dnf'ed Consider Phlebas at least for now, as well - and space opera is my absolute favorite genre! I agree: the book seems to attempt to generate sympathy for the main character not by making him sympathetic, but by simply putting him in one mortal danger after another. And he seems to assess all female characters in terms of their f***ability, which I found weird and off-putting. I read about 20% and still had not figured out why I should care about any of it, so I put it aside for better reads. I often think that many SF "classics" are merely classics because everyone has read them or because they started something, not because they were actually wonderful, well-written novels. I generally have much better experiences when reading newer works. On the other hand, I don't want to pan the entire series just because I thought the first 20% of the first book were lackluster.

[Shel, Moderator]

Many friends whose taste I trust have assured me that the first book is very different from the rest of the series and that I'll like the others better, so I made myself finish it when I would have DNF'd otherwise and I will give book two a try sometime soon - but next up is Fool's Assassin for the series read!

[Christine]

I just finished The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince. Now out of genre with The Enemy

[Random]

Random wrote: "Even my space opera adoring husband didn't like the series, though I believe he didn't read all of it. While he read more than I did, he also gave up feeling grumpy and trying to figure out why anyone liked it. :)."

You know, if I hadn't been lazy, I could have just looked at my husband's ratings/reviews. He went through Excession and his comment was
"Horrible characterization, no real plot to speak of that isn't riddled with holes and cliches."

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

I finished The Red Knight by Miles Cameron last night. Seriously, the first half of this book was a bit of a slog... too many POV characters scattered in too many locations, no list of characters, and NO MAP!
But then things started to come together—literally, many of the characters ended up in the same locations and the number of locations narrowed. The action picked up, and the characters fleshed out (some). I will say the book is meticulously researched and informed by the author’s considerable experience in historically accurate re-enactments.
Many questions answered and many more raised... perfect for the first book in a series. I feel like I am just starting to peel back the layers.

[MadProfessah]

I’m reading THE TESTAMENTS by Margaret Atwood. It’s an interesting “remix” of the Handmaids Tale which builds upon the tv adaptation.

[Shel, Moderator]

I started Fool's Assassin and am super excited to be re-united with Fitz :)

[Ken]

Finished Nemesis Games, The Expanse Book 5
It was very good, I lost some sleep over this one, could not put it down.

Started War

[Jim]

I'm rereading Alas, Babylon. Great book.

[Random]

Finished Baptism of Fire and starting The Tower of Swallows.

I also started The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments to add a bit of non fiction into the mix.

[Atlanta]

Now I’m reading the wife between us by Greer Hendricks.

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

I am about 3/4 through Traitor's Moon by Lynn Flewelling, Book 3 in her Nightrunner series. Very good! This series is excellent!

Next up will be Fool's Assassin for our series read.

[Christine]

I finished The Enemy which thoroughly enjoyed (great escapist reading) and am now reading The Last Town

[Shel, Moderator]

I'm almost done with Fool's Assassin - having a hard time putting it down. Next I have lined up Educated, which people have been raving about all year and I finally got from the library. I also just finished reading The Graveyard Book to my third grader, and we are starting Watership Down next...so much fun to introduce him to my childhood favorites :)

[Christine]

Shel, Educated is not an easy read due to the subject matter, but it is a great book!!

[Mary]

Utterly Dwarfed by Rich Burlew

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

I finished Fool's Assassin—excellent, and looking forward to the rest of the Fitz and the Fool trilogy.

I am doing part of an Early Bird Books Reading Challenge, so out of genre for now. Skipping Christmas by John Grisham is up first.

[Mary]

Cloak of Wolves by Jonathan Moeller

[MadProfessah]

The later Culture books are much better. The first 3-4 are really not very good IMHO. But “Matter” and “Surface Detail” and “The Hydrogen Sonata” are great!

[Random]

Finished The Tower of Swallows and started Lady of the Lake

[Shel, Moderator]

I finished Educated - tough read, but excellent. Now I'm working on Parable of the Sower to get ready for the January BotM read. I am out of town visiting family right now so I'm working my way through whatever I have loaded on my kindle!

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

Finished Skipping Christmas (5/10) and on to A Morbid Taste for Bones for the winter break reading challenge at Early Bird Books. I am only going to do 3 of the 6 prompts so I don’t get too far behind on other books I need to read for January discussions.

[Atlanta]

I’m almost finished with the forever war by Joe Haldeman.

[Random]

Finished The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments and found it to be a bit disappointing. I wish more time had been dedicated to the experiments themselves.

Finally started We Have No Idea: A Guide to the Unknown Universe. I've been sitting on it for ages.

I really don't want to be at work today.

[Shel, Moderator]

I finished Parable of the Sower...it's an odd book! Not bad odd, I quite enjoyed it, but definitely odd. Looking forward to hearing what you all have to say. I do want to read the sequel, but not right away.

I wanted something light to clear my palate so I'm on to Prudence by Gail Carriger... I ADORE her books and was giggling within the first paragraph. I have requested Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City from the library, so hopefully I get the loan in time to discuss it with everyone.

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

A Morbid Taste for Bones was OK but I won’t likely be pursuing any other Brother Cadfael books. Then I read Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child, another Jack Reacher book. It was OK but not as good as several others in the series, IMO. Now I’m reading one more out of genre book, The Woman from the Glen by Chloe Gartner, historical fiction about Scotland during the Jacobite Rising of 1745.

[Atlanta]

I’m now reading old mans war by John scalzi.

[Mary]

Blood of Ambrose by James Enge

[MadProfessah]

I’m trying to finish THE INSTITUTE by Stephen King before the end of the year...

[Random]

@Kathi asked this in the previous month's thread, but since its closed, I'm answering it here.

"A different group of which I am a member is finishing the Witcher series as a group read. I confess I did not read it along with them, but I will be interested in your reaction."

Ok, I haven't read the prequel yet, but I just finished Lady of the Lake

I gave the series a solid 4 stars. To describe it in a word, brutal. I quite enjoyed the series and am dying for my husband to read it so I can talk about it, especially events that happened in the last half of that book. :)

(view spoiler)[
I can see where a lot of people might be upset. There is no happily ever after. There is no good guys win. Bad things happen regardless of whether or not you deserve it.

Grimdark before grimdark became superficial.

But then I don't like superficial and I have no problems with dark and brutal endings if it fits the story. And this ending fit the story.
(hide spoiler)]

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

Random wrote: "@Kathi asked this in the previous month's thread, but since its closed, I'm answering it here.

"A different group of which I am a member is finishing the Witcher series as a group read. I confess ..."

Thanks for the update. I don’t think I will add it to my “to read” pile any time soon. I don’t mind grimdark, but have plenty of others things piling up (literally!).