What are you reading in December 2020?

[Chris, Moderator]

The holiday season is upon us! Time for a cozy fire, a mug of your favorite warm drink, and a good book. What are you reading in December 2020?

[Random]

I started Gideon the Ninth a few days ago. Its an interesting mix so far. Not sure exactly what I think yet.

[Shel, Moderator]

Random wrote: "I started Gideon the Ninth a few days ago. Its an interesting mix so far. Not sure exactly what I think yet."

I ended up loving that book, even though I had no idea what the hell was going on for most of it. Gideon was just such an engaging character that she kept me going.

I've been mentally exhausted this week, so have been retreating into my Mercedes Lackey comfort re-reads. I just finished Winds of Fury and am debating whether to continue into the Storms trilogy.

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

Random wrote: "I started Gideon the Ninth a few days ago. Its an interesting mix so far. Not sure exactly what I think yet."

Please post your comments in our discussion about that book (as well as here) if you like. We read it in July, and I think this will link to the discussion.
Spoiler discussion of Gideon the Ninth

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

At the end of November I finished Unnatural Exposure by Patricia Cornwell, another in her Kay Scarpetta series, 9/10.
I have The Little Country by Charles de Lint up next, but I’m having trouble finding time and motivation to read. Soon, I hope.

[Random]

Shel wrote: "I ended up loving that book, even though I had no idea what the hell was going on for most of it."

You have pretty much summed it up there. I am so completely and totally lost on what is going on, but Gideon is a fun character. :)

[Mary]

The Other Side of the Sky by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

[Mary]

The World of Mr. Mulliner by P.G. Wodehouse

[Christine]

I just finished The Doors of Eden which is a very complex book which I almost abandoned about a third of the way through. I did finish and am glad I did. Now I've just started Network Effect

[Wolf_Maiden]

I just finished Unfettered by Shawn Speakman on Kindle. My next Kindle book will be Riddle-Master by Patricia A. McKillip.

I will be finishing To Green Angel Tower, Part 2 by Tad Williams. Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn has become one of my favorite fantasy series.

I will also be finishing Traitor's Blade by Sebastien de Castell. I am really enjoying this, and plan to finish the rest of his Greatcoats series.

[Random]

Finished Gideon the Ninth this morning and really enjoyed it. Bought Harrow the Ninth last night and will be starting it at some point today.

Next up will likely be a reread of This Alien Shore in prep for This Virtual Night

[Shel, Moderator]

My library must have bought a bunch of new copies of The Doors of Eden, because when I requested the loan there were more than 200 people ahead of me, but then last week it was my turn! So I started it a few days ago. Not very far yet, but I'm intrigued. And then, of course, three other loans came in at the same time (including - FINALLY - A Memory Called Empire, so I can chime in several months late on the discussion threads from the summer). Going to be a bit of a scramble to finish them before I have to return them! But it's a good problem to have!

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

I finally finished The Little Country by Charles de Lint. It took me a while to get into it (the alternate storylines were a distraction at first), then I stopped for a while because I was sure I had read it before and didn’t want to “waste” time rereading it, but then I got back into it. I ultimately decided I had read it before, but that was OK.
8/10. So much of this book is a delightful, magical, thought-provoking story, but the mismatched romance aspects (every woman loves Felix?) and the powerful, evil, mystical cabal who run the world plot(s) don’t work as well as the story of Jodi and her companions dealing with the Widow Pender and central tale surrounding William Dunthorn’s mysterious book. The author’s philosophizing is neatly woven into the themes and plots of the tales, adding depth rather than distractions within the story. Glad I reread it.

[Mary]

The Quest for Cosmic Justice by Thomas Sowell

[Christine]

I just finished Network Effect and am now about to start The Dragon's Path

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

Christine wrote: "I just finished Network Effect and am now about to start The Dragon's Path"

I have nominated The Dragon's Path a couple times to be BotM, and last time it made it into the final poll, so I may try again. Or save it to nominate next time we do a fantasy series as a group read. Either way, I’ll be interested in your reaction.

[MadProfessah]

Oooh the “Dragon’s Path” is sneaky good! The entire “Dagger & Coin” series has an amazing payoff at the end with each book basically getting better as one proceeds in the story.

[Mary]

Intellectuals and Society by Thomas Sowell

[Leserling]

So far I read Ready Player Two -- which I didn't enjoy even half as much as Ready Player One, The Nowhere Emporium which was really lovely, Down the Common: A Year in the Life of a Medieval Woman, which was awesome, and The Duke and I, which was OK as far as romances go, I guess. Currently reading Secrets of the Singer Girls which had me captured from the go.

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

MadProfessah wrote: "Oooh the “Dragon’s Path” is sneaky good! The entire “Dagger & Coin” series has an amazing payoff at the end with each book basically getting better as one proceeds in the story."
That is how I felt about Daniel Abraham’s Long Price Quartet. Guess I should bump Dagger & Coin up my list.

[Megan]

I took a ridiculously long time to read Black Sun, which was very good, but unfortunately I started it right before a very busy time at work and several personal projects, so it was a bit difficult to keep track of all of the intersecting storylines when days would pass between picking it up. That is not the book's fault, though, so I highly recommend it.

I am currently about halfway through The Silent Patient for an IRL book club, and while it drew me in quickly at the beginning, it's now starting to drag a bit. Other members who have already finished assure me that the ending is worth it, so hopefully the tide will turn soon.

I am also listening to Silverswift, which I picked up for free during a brief Audible membership. It's very good - I'm about 3/4 of the way through - but I'm not sure who the intended audience is. The main character is eleven years old, and the cover is very middle grade/young YA, but many of the primary threads of the story are pretty deep thoughts about aging and the complexity of relationships, which I'm not sure would hold the interest of a real eleven year old for 6+ hours. There hasn't been anything inappropriate for young ears in terms of language, violence, sex, etc. - but I'd still recommend it for an adult more than a kid.

[MadProfessah]

Hmmm I’ve thought about starting THE LONG PRICE quartet by Daniel Abraham but there’s always other be books that get priority. Especially since fantasy is probably my 3rd or 4th fave genre (space opera, Murder-mystery, suspense thriller, epic fantasy...)

[Tamir]

Finished Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky, enjoyed it immensely and reviewed it here https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... . Really gave me a taste for more of Tchaikovsky's sciency SciFi which I will try in the near future.

Started Turn Coat (Dresden files #11 by Jim Butcher), and it's totally solid so far. Entertaining, none too heavy, fun and still interesting.

After I finish it, I plan to either go on to the next in the Dresden files (Changes) or Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. I recently really loved her book Ninth House and a friend recommended a Six of Crows as another solid book from her.

[Mel]

I really enjoyed the Clocktaur duology with Clockwork Boys and The Wonder Engine. Followed it up with Swordheart set in the same world. T. Kingfisher has become one of my new favorite authors with consistently satisfying fantasy. All 5-star reads from me.

I read some lackluster romances, What a Gentleman Wants and A Rake's Guide to Seduction, so chased it by rereading a really good one, Any Old Diamonds. It's so satisfying after a couple meh books to revel in one you love. Yes! It has a jewel heist plot, and some clues and easter eggs that I picked up on the second time around.

Started reading The Humans by Matt Haig. Alas, after reading the first several chapters in the ebook preview, I realized my library only has the audiobook available, so now I'm torn between waiting for a hold to come in, or attempting to struggle through audio.

[Shel, Moderator]

Tamir wrote: "Finished Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky, enjoyed it immensely and reviewed it here https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... . Really gave me a taste..."

Read the sequel, Children of Ruin - I thought it was even better than the first! Also, the group is reading his new one The Doors of Eden next month. I'm about halfway through it right now and very much enjoying it.

[Lindsey]

Random wrote: "Next up will likely be a reread of This Alien Shore in prep for This Virtual Night"

That is definitely on my list for January!

I'm spending December trying to finish all of my half-done books, so it's Dune, Ethics 101, and the audiobook of Alexander Hamilton for me. I also finally finished Wyrd Sisters, which deserved more attention than I was able to give it.

[Mary]

From All False Doctrine by Alice Degan

[MadProfessah]

I’ve got THE DOORS OF EDEN pretty high on my TBR list as well.

RB

[Random]

Finished Harrow the Ninth and enjoyed it just as much as the previous book.

Admittedly you spend a significant amount of time thinking "What the heck is going on" but at the same time remains interesting enough to keep me going.

Sadly the last book isn't due to 2022 so I've got a while to wait.

Started my reread of This Alien Shore and enjoying it was much as the previous times.

[Lily]

Just received Ready Player Two in the mail 4 days ago and finished it right there. It wasn't very well written but the world is highly immersive and I enjoy elaborate video games. THe first book is a must-read! You can skip this one ;)

[Jo]

Fleet Elements by Walter Jon Williams. Second in series and a great cliff hanger. Love the characters.

[Mary]

The Fate of Earth by Jeramey Kraatz

[Shel, Moderator]

I finished The Doors of Eden yesterday and ...wow. I can't WAIT to hear what you all think of it next month. Today I ripped through a mystery, The Searcher by Tana French - couldn't put it down.

My library loan for A Memory Called Empire FINALLY came through so that'll be up next. I also just started reading Stardust out loud to my fourth grader as a bedtime book. Love sharing my favorites!

[Mary]

The Roman Empire and the Silk Routes: The Ancient World Economy & the Empires of Parthia, Central Asia & Han China by Raoul McLaughlin

[Shel, Moderator]

I finished A Memory Called Empire last night and am off to the old spoiler threads to discuss it! Totally worth the wait at the library - I LOVED it!

Next up is The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.

[Christine]

I finished The Dragon's Path last night; I had difficulty for the first part of the book as it builds a world and characters (I'd love illustrations of the different species or at least a glossary describing them). The story unfolds slowly but by the time i finished, I was wholly immersed and looking forward to the next book. That said, I've just started Blue Moon which is out of genre

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

I’m not getting much reading done these days, but I did finish To the King a Daughter by Andre Norton and Sasha Miller, book 1 of the Cycle of Oak, Yew, Ash, and Rowan, 7/10. This is a story with lots of promise and a few really intriguing elements, but it also is somewhat flawed. The timeline, especially in the last third of the book or so, seems a bit askew. The characters don’t have a lot of depth—most are cardboard role-players. Even those characters who are more fleshed out seem to exist, not as individuals, but as game pieces. And while I know this is fantasy, there should be some sense of reality. Ashen, having been raised in the Bale-Bog, is an amazingly quick study at courtly manners, speech, dress, and pursuits like music, dancing, and needlework. She, Oberon of the Sea-Rovers, and the men of Rendel converse easily despite speaking different languages. Even with these weaknesses, the story is interesting and I look forward to seeing what happens next in this series. I also hope for stronger writing in the rest of the series.

Then I read book 2 in our Riddle-Master series read, Heir of Sea and Fire by Patricia A. McKillip, 9/10. Comments in our series discussion.

Now I’m out of genre with The Killer Collective by Barry Eisler, which I think might have been an Amazon First Reads choice. I didn’t know the author had written a number of earlier books with some of these characters, so I’m sure I am missing a lot of backstory. But I don’t think I’ll care—not sure I would be all that interested in the other books.

[Mary]

The Wizard's Butler by Nathan Lowell

[Mary]

The Dark Archive by Genevieve Cogman

[Christine]

I just finished Blue Moon which is pure escapist; a much higher body count than the usual Jack Reacher books
I see an empty library shelf behind me, so DL Fool's War which is not available as a book in my library. I really prefer books, but the library is slowed by the pandemic so I'll read a digital title

[MadProfessah]

Just finished THE SEARCHER & CHAOS VECTOR in the last week and am trying IRON LAKE by William Kent Krueger to see if the Cork O’Connor series will join my TBR mystery series rotation. I have THE SAINTS OF SALVATION by Peter Hamilton reserved for my New Year’s Day all-day read.

[Shel, Moderator]

I finished The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue the other day - definitely makes my list of top books of 2020 (I have to compile that list when I have time!). I've not read anything by V.E. Schwab before but I will definitely seek out her other books.

I needed something completely different to follow it up, so I'm reading out of genre with Between the World and Me; my principal has asked all of us to either read an anti-racist book or watch an anti-racist film before our next faculty meeting, which I think is awesome. This is not going to be an easy read, I don't think, but it will be an important one.

MadProfessah - I love all of of Tana French's books :) Have not read anything by Krueger so I look forward to your review!

[Mary]

Bones of the Past by Drew Hayes

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

Finished The Killer Collective by Barry Eisler, 6/10.

Continued with the Kay Scarpetta books, Point of Origin by Patricia Cornwell, 9/10. I learned a lot about arson, found the mystery intriguing, and was surprised by a few developments in the overarching plot beyond the death investigations.

I am also currently reading the Cycle of Oak, Yew, Ash, and Rowan by Andre Norton and Sasha Miller. Tonight I finished book 2 in that series, Knight or Knave, 6/10. Some great scenes, some annoying aspects, and an awfully abrupt ending, even for a book that is part of a series.

Next up is The Madness Season by C.S. Friedman.

[MadProfessah]

The Krueger book (IRON LAKE, first book in his 17-book Cork O’Connor series) is pretty good.

Big body count, much violence to the main character and complicated family life and back story. It’s no Tana French but I would say it’s better than your average mystery.

I’m a little skeeved out by a white dude writing from the perspective of a biracial Indian & white character who lives adjacent to a reservation. But it doesn’t seem like there’s been opposition/complaints to Krueger’s portrayal of Indian characters so I will probably read a few more in the series.

[Mel]

I did a buddy read of Murder on the Orient Express, which was entertaining to puzzle through, but broke me at the end. It was my first time reading Christie, so I don't know if that was par for course of not.

Currently on another buddy read for The Steerswoman, and although I'm not even halfway through, it's so good, and scratches so many of my particular reading itches. <3

[Lindsey]

Melissa wrote: "Currently on another buddy read for The Steerswoman, and although I'm not even halfway through, it's so good, and scratches so many of my particular reading itches. <3"

I love The Steerswoman and I've only read the first two so far. I don't know why it doesn't get more recognition. Books 3 and 4 are on my 2021 list.