What are you reading in September 2020?

[Shel, Moderator]

Let's hear what you're reading this month!

[Lindsey]

I'm kicking off September with The Aeronaut's Windlass and Limited Wish, while my oldest child and I are reading The Mad Scientists' Club.

[Mary]

Destroyer of Worlds by Larry Correia

[MadProfessah]

I just finally started THE CHAIN by Adrian McKinty.

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

Kicking off the month with A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay. About 20% into it.

[Ines]

I'm reading The Luminous Dead, which I have been wanting to do for quite some time.

[Renee]

I am reading The Deserter

[Ken]

Its been a while between COVID and a new computer I havent been here as often as I like
FInished The Crippled God
Good ending to the series.

Mainline
It was pretty good. Bit uneven and some odd character choices

Little Brother
This was very good. Written in 2008 and it feels like today.

The Oppenheimer Alternative
This was a bit of a disappointment. Took a while for the story to get going and when it did, I felt, that it ignored the big hook.

Started rereading The Phoenix Guards

[Shel, Moderator]

I finished A Brightness Long Ago last night - my thoughts in the spoiler thread - and just got notified that my ebook loan of The City We Became is finally in, so I'll start that later today. Super excited for it!

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

So far in September, I’ve read:
A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay, 8/10. Comments in our BotM folder.
The Earthstone by Diana L. Paxson, book 4 in her Westria series, 7/10. A rather standard fantasy. Julian begins his quest to become king and master of the 4 jewels, battling his own insecurities and the villainous sorcerer Caolin. The author is a good storyteller and there are enough unique aspects to this tale to raise it above many others in the genre.
Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell, 6/10. The first Kay Scarpetta book, with a serial rapist/killer, a few likely suspects, and a rather unconfident medical examiner in Dr. Scarpetta. I plan to continue reading the series in hopes she gains confidence and the mysteries gain complexity.

Next up is Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler, and then I’ll be ready to wrap up the Old Man’s War series with The End of All Things.

[Renee]

I am on a c Christopher Moore binge. I am waiting for his new to come offf holdLamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal

[Mary]

Beyond the Clouds, Tome 2 by Nicke

[Shel, Moderator]

I finished, and loved The City We Became, which means that I have now read everything that N.K. Jemisin has written! Now I just have to wait for her to write more...

I'm out of genre now with Case Histories by Kate Atkinson. I had read and enjoyed her Life After Life, and have heard that her mysteries are quite good, so I requested this from the library and my loan just came in. So far it has a very similar feel to Tana French's mysteries, which is a very good thing because I absolutely love her books.

[MadProfessah]

I’m
Curious to hear more about CASE HISTORIES by Kate Atkinson.

[Shel, Moderator]

MadProfessah wrote: "I’m
Curious to hear more about CASE HISTORIES by Kate Atkinson."

I'll be sure to share my thoughts when I finish!

[Renee]

I am working my way through the very funny books of Christopher Moore. I am now readingCoyote Blue

[Random]

I went through a Christopher Moore marathon some years back. Had a great time doing it. :)

So Just finished The Stone Sky. I should have finished it almost a week ago but got distracted by a series of lectures that I couldn't pull myself away from.

Anyway, I really enjoyed the series and yes, the motivations that I did not understand at the end of the 2nd book are well explained by the time this one ends.

Its been kind of weird lately. It feels like a season here IRL. Air quality wasn't great last week, but by Friday the smoke started really hitting us from Oregon and California, in addition to the stuff hitting us from eastern Washington. I can't even imagine how bad it is further south of me, All day Saturday the sky was a very unhealthy shade of yellow and everything reeks of dirty old ashtrays. I spent the entire weekend shut up in the house trying to avoid it. And going absolutely batty stir crazy.

Air quality is currently at 238 (Very Unhealthy) and I've been hearing from some friends in Oregon who have been in the 300s (Hazardous).

[Ken]

Finished The Phoenix Guards.
Very good, takes a few pages to get into the strange dialog but once you do its quite enjoyable,

Next up, Splintegrate

[Chris, Moderator]

I am reading Harrow the Ninth, sequel to Gideon the Ninth. I enjoyed Gideon, particularly her character, although the book was somewhat difficult to follow. But I'm a third of the way through Harrow, and I am just lost and uninterested. I may plow on for a time, but it's work ....

[MadProfessah]

My digital hold of CASE HISTORIES came through so I’ll be reading it within the next 21 days I believe. First I need to finish “Way Station” by Clifford Simak which is only 250 pages but feels 2x long :(

[Mary]

Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 6 by Kamome Shirahama

[Random]

Just started Interference. I enjoyed the first book so have hopes for this one.

Well our air quality is now down to just Unhealthy and might drop to Unhealthy for Sensitive people tonight. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. It was 80 in my bedroom last night and that was with just about every fan we had going. I want to open a window SO badly.

[Shel, Moderator]

I finished Case Histories a few days ago and thought it was a solid 4-star read. I will definitely be reading more in the series. I appreciated (mild spoiler behind the cut)(view spoiler)[ how two of the three mysteries were definitively solved, while the third case was just...implied. (hide spoiler)]

The End of All Things will be next, when I can scrape up the energy to start a new book. First week of school and I'm totally drained!

[Mary]

My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero's Vol. 1 and My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero's Vol. 2 by Matsuri Akai

[MadProfessah]

I’m now reading LOOKING GOOD DEAD by Peter James then I have the CASE STORIES by Kate Atkinson and SWORN TO SILENCE on deck before the new Tana French comes out October 8!

[Shel, Moderator]

ooooh I didn't know there's a new Tana French coming! I picked up the Kate Atkinson because someone told me that if I liked Tana French, I'd like the Jackson Brodie series.

[Renee]

cave of boneCave of Bones

[Lindsey]

The Aeronaut's Windlass was amazing... good characters, good pacing, fun plot, lots of worldbuilding hints. Disappointed that it's yet another unfinished series, but it does look like book 2 may be coming in the next couple of years.

I also finished Limited Wish and jumped straight to the last book of that trilogy, Dispel Illusion. I liked the rules that Lawrence set up for time travel but was a little disappointed in the obvious ending (it was otherwise fun).

Since then, I started and finished Throne of Jade, which I greatly enjoyed. I've also started reading Wyrd Sisters and listening to Furies of Calderon and Storm Front.

[Random]

Started Bird Box Sunday evening and finished it last night. Talk about one that grabs you by the nose and pulls you along whether you want to or not. :)

[Christine]

I just finished reading The Human Division which I enjoyed despite not having read the rest of the OMW series (I think I may have read two). I did enjoy this book and don't feel I missed much by not reading the entire series in order. Now I'm starting on Unreconciled

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

Mid-September reads:
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler, 6/10. I think Tyler is a gifted writer in that the story really flows along; she has a deft way with words and turns of phrase, and each character and scene is vividly brought to life. But the story itself is rather meandering and depressing. The characters who make up this dysfunctional family are pretty unlikable. Perhaps I would have appreciated this book more if I were a parent—or maybe that would have made it even more depressing.
The End of All Things by John Scalzi, 9/10. My comments are in the discussion about this last book in the Old Man’s War series. Suffice to say I am glad I decided to read this series along with the group.
The Sea Star by Diana L. Paxson, book 5 in the Westria series, 8/10. A pretty quick read—the story moved right along (no endless journeys), and the plot was focused on Rana and Julian, for the most part. It was fascinating to see “Mother Nature” and more of her guardians personified.
Body of Evidence by Patricia Cornwell, book 2 in the Kay Scarpetta series, 7/10. Good enough that I will keep reading the series.

[Mary]

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

[Renee]

I love Tyler. Dinner at the Homesick is one of my all time favorites.

I am reading Cave of Bones I have been in the mood for mysteries.

[Shel, Moderator]

I'm about halfway through The End of All Things; I've just finished the second section. I'm liking this better than the last one - the episodes are longer and tell more of a cohesive story.

[Mary]

Of Other Worlds: Essays and Stories by C.S. Lewis

[Elizabeth]

Just finished The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley (a time traveling inter-corporation war saga). And am now starting Middlegame by Seanan McGuire, which seems to be a bit of a cross between fantasy and sci fi. I'm intrigued but not loving it yet.

[Shel, Moderator]

Liz wrote: "Just finished The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley (a time traveling inter-corporation war saga). And am now starting Middlegame by Seanan McGuire, which seems to be ..."

The group read Middlegame just this past December -- when you finish, feel free to poke around in the archives and chime in on our old threads, it's never too late to share your thoughts! Personally I loved it, although I can see how it's not going to be to everyone's taste.

I finished The End of All Things last night. Next up is New Kid -- this one is for work, it's our One School One Book activity and we'll be talking about with our homerooms next month. I also have the memoir Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed. Not sure which one I'm going to be pick up first, but it'll be one of those two!

[Random]

I finished Interference yesterday and still haven't managed to rate it.

Its the second book in a duology, but it feels like the second in a trilogy.

While I love her writing and she always keeps me engaged, character motivations seemed a bit wonky this time around.

And then add to it, at the very end of the book (right before the prologue) we get a PoV that turns everything on its head. You might say the character is just being paranoid, but all of the events line up with the thoughts and everything is shown in a new light.

Add in the prologue and all I can think is "How is this only a duology"?

Next up: I have no clue yet.

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

Random wrote: "I finished Interference yesterday and still haven't managed to rate it.

Its the second book in a duology, but it feels like the second in a trilogy.

While I love her writing and s..."

Author Sue Burke is still listed as a member of our group, back from when Semiosis was our BotM. You could try messaging her with your question about it being only a duology. I plan to read Interference at some point because I liked Semiosis quite a lot.

[Mary]

Julia's House Moves On by Ben Hatke

[Lindsey]

Mary wrote: "Julia's House Moves On by Ben Hatke"

*gasp* I did not know there was a sequel to Julia's House for Lost Creatures! Thank you!

(Highly recommend all of Ben Hatke's work... Zita the Spacegirl and Mighty Jack are fantastic sff graphic novel series for kids and adults!)

[Mary]

Lindsey wrote: "Mary wrote: "Julia's House Moves On by Ben Hatke"

*gasp* I did not know there was a sequel to Julia's House for Lost Creatures! Thank you!

Just came out Tuesday! Apparently there will be a trilogy.