SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
What Else Are You Reading?
>
What Else Are You Reading in 2021?
I just finished Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark which was pretty good. Ku Klux Klan members as monsters was a good touch
CBRetriever wrote: "I just finished Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark which was pretty good. Ku Klux Klan members as monsters was a good touch"Read that one earlier this year and also really enjoyed it.
I just finished both In the Stars I'll Find You & Other Tales of Futures Fantastic by Bradley P. Beaulieu & The Tangleroot Palace: Stories by Marjorie M. Liu. I usually don't opt for short story collections unless it is an author I know I enjoy. Both of these were a mixed bag for me, although I found myself preferring the sci-fi stories more than the fantasy stories in both collections. Definitely some gems, but quite a few... not-so-gems.
Read Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells today (well a little bit on the plane flight home from Sydney last night and the rest this morning). Loved it. Love Murderbot.
Hench was a DNF with extreme prejudice, so in audio I've turned to The Duke and I. Now that's a change in tone! This book was the basis for the Bridgerton TV show. After watching the first couple of episodes of the show, it's strange for the male lead to be described as having brown hair and blue eyes, and the Bridgerton siblings as looking near-identical...
Beth wrote: "[This book was the basis for the Bridgerton TV show. After watching the first couple of episodes of the show, it's strange for the male lead to be described as having brown hair and blue eyes, and the Bridgerton siblings as looking near-identical.."It's like that show Big Sky based on C.J. Box's Highway Quartet, which is now 5 books) having an African American woman as the main character when in the book, she was a chunky 30 something woman who was definitely white.
Recently completed "The Lighthouse Duet" by Carol Berg consisting of "flesh and spirit and breath and bone" Obviously some of the finest Fantasy written ever. I understand why It doesn't get the appreciation it deserves. Carol Berg battlefields are bleak places and the Main Character is definitely a work in progress who peaks about 1000 pages in. Also the writer does not bow to convention is pacing.
Don wrote: "Recently completed "The Lighthouse Duet" by Carol Berg consisting of "flesh and spirit and breath and bone" Obviously some of the finest Fantasy written ever. I understand why It doesn't get the ap..."She's one of my favorite authors, Don! I must have read that duet a dozen times.
Michelle, Anyone who loves Fantasy should know Carol Berg's name. In my estimation she comfortably sits as a peer with the very best the genre has in its ranks. I certainly will be doing a reread.
Don wrote: "Michelle, Anyone who loves Fantasy should know Carol Berg's name. In my estimation she comfortably sits as a peer with the very best the genre has in its ranks. I certainly will be doing a reread."I enjoy them each time. Have you ever tried Michael J. Sullivan's books? You might like them. I started with the Riyria books; the first is The Crown Conspiracy.
Thank You Michelle, I'll pick out a Michael J Sullivan now. Thanks for the tip.
FYI, The Crown Conspiracy may not be available under that name. When Sullivan got picked up by a publisher, they repackaged the novels into omnibus editions. Theft of Swords includes what were the first two books.
You're right, Chris! I had forgotten that.
Chris wrote: "FYI, The Crown Conspiracy may not be available under that name. When Sullivan got picked up by a publisher, they repackaged the novels into omnibus editions. Theft of Swords include..."I found it on Amazon, but it is only available in paper format.
So I am reading that one a tad slower since I mostly read my real books when I am 'thinking'
Theft of Swords is here on Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...
it contains
The Crown Conspiracy (October 2008)
Avempartha (April 2009)
my review of Ombria in Shadow by Patricia A. McKillip is up; this was a 5-star book for me: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
CBRetriever wrote: "Theft of Swords is here on Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...
it contains
The Crown Conspiracy (October 2008)
Avempartha (April 2009)"
I've had that in my TBR list but other series have got my attention and I've read them and has went on the back burner. Might have to finally buy this one and read it as it sounds good from the Blurb.
I finally finished The Big Book of Science Fiction, which I’ve been reading intermittently since 2017. Actually I read the last 400 pages or so (out of 1160) in the past couple of months. A great anthology. Over 100 stories and I enjoyed almost all of them.
Just read "Knights Ransom" by Jeff Wheeler. Solid in many ways, Lancelot in many others. I enjoy the King's Fountain world .
Since of the 8 BotMs of May in my various GR groups I've already read 7 1/2, I dedicated this month to the challenges I signed up for at the beginning and then completely forgot about, cause of distractions left and right.So for some popsugar challenge prompts I've read:
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, a story about 4 generations of a Korean family from beginning to end of the 20th century. Very interesting historical background where I learned a lot. The character writing stayed a bit distanced which perhaps was the best for the cruel topics of war, racism and prejudice.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, which provided some background of Afghan history from around 60ies to end of 20th century. The writing here was the opposite of the aforementioned book - way too emotional and melodramatic for my taste. Turned into a soap opera over several parts. More for readers who are comfortable with this kind of writing - I'm not one of them.
Carpentaria by Alexis Wright: The story of an Aborigines community, likewise 20th century, and their struggle with racism, environmental degradation and colonialism. The narration intertwines reality and dreamtime, so that the reader never really knows where and when something is happening - or if it is happening at all. Absolutely perfect for my taste of reading.
Certainly not recommendable for readers who don't like a structure that jumps around like mad and constantly plays with the conception of reality.
Mostly been plowing through the few installments of the In Death series that I haven't already read. They're futuristic romantic mysteries, that get more futuristic as the series progresses.
Reading "Harbinger" by Olan Thorensen.If Arthur C. Clarke and Tom Clancy walked out of a bar, 9 months later you might get a "Harbinger". Takes a very long time for the shooting to get started.
I just began Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.I knew nothing about this book going into it. Nothing! I didn’t even read the back of the book.
I am being surprised as I read it, and it is awesome! I suggest you go in as cold as possible.
Finished The Allies: Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin, and the Unlikely Alliance That Won World War II
here are my thoughts.
A very good book on the leadership of the war. For this work, the war itself is just a backdrop. Big events are used more to place the timeline for the discussions on the leaders that sat on top of the machinery that ran the war in their countries. It is a good look at the growth and the development of these three Men through their lifetimes. A well-written book that presents the biographies of these World Leaders alongside one another to give a more nuanced view of their lives.
Also reading "Project Hail Mary" and it's pretty good. Andy Weir does upbeat ingenious characters very well. I'm wondering if anyone looks at this novel as Hard Science Fiction?
Just began A DESOLATION CALLED PEACE by Arcady Martine
Had to drive from the farm to my mountains house (which I've sold so I've got to pack it up before I have a gastric sleeve operation on the 9th of June) and it takes over 7 hours so I put The Humans by Matt Haig on. I really loved The Midnight Library by him when I read it. Loving it. It's over 8 hours and I've listened to about 6 1/2 hours so far. Can't wait to finish it.Also still reading The Last Emperox by John Scalzi but couldn't find it when I was packing this morning so I brought The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers with me to start reading instead.
The Apocalypse Codex
by Charles StrossLibrary Files #4, possible to read as a stand-alone but some familiarity with the characters and milieu would be helpful. Bob works for the Laundry (in England -- the book is very British) which does proactive demonology. In this one Bob encounters an American televangelist who is rather more than he seems. I like the series a lot and this is a very entertaining book except for the rather rushed ending. 4 stars.
Andy Weir is a Stud Quality individual. I'm reading along with many others "Project Hail Mary" and it is very good but that is not why he is Stud Quality, Andy Weir makes physics and chemistry sexy and that is where the magic happens.I will not say the book doesn't have it's eyerolling moments, it does but it is original, clever and compelling.
GoodOnYa Andy Weir
And
GoodOnYa Jacqueline, warm thought to you on your upcoming surgery.
Recently Read that Disney settled royalties dispute with Star Wars writers. good for them.
Finished
The House in the Cerulean Sea. Poignant sums it up for me. Five stars.I did see the discussion threads. Sorry I missed the party.
Eric wrote: "I finished 
Soulless. Five stars. I can't remember having as much fun with a book. Hilarious!"If you--or anybody else in this thread--listen to audiobooks, the audio versions of these books narrated by Emily Gray are so fun. I read the first two in ebook, and listened to the third, and now I want to go back to the beginning and listen to the series the whole way through. :)
^ 100% agree!(I have to mention once again that she pronounces Akeldama differently in the first book and it's super hard to wrap your brain around when you know how it's supposed to be pronounced.)
(And of course once you move onto the other books in the universe, with different narrators, they pronounce lots of names differently, so it's sometimes annoying. Some of the names have several acceptable pronunciations, but clearly Carriger had a certain one in mind for all of them, and I wish all the audio narrators used the same one.)
Sounds like I’m glad not to listen to these - I’m quite happy with my own pronunciation!
Guess I live under a rock. I've never listened to an audio book. Not sure why I would. Different strokes for different folks. Maybe if I was going on a long road trip and I was driving?
I hadn't listened to an audiobook until a couple of years ago, myself, Eric. I'm not sure what motivated it--possibly it's because my brother told me about picking up books on CD at truck stops while fueling up the car on his long trips, and (truck stop thing aside) that sounded like a fun way to make the miles go by faster. I've since joined an audiobook service and have come to enjoy them not just as a way to fill time on trips, but as performances in their own right to actively seek out, including my having a growing list of favorite "actors."
Beth wrote: "I hadn't listened to an audiobook until a couple of years ago [sic] I've since joined an audiobook service and have come to enjoy them not just as a way to fill time on trips, but as performances in their own right to actively seek out, including my having a growing list of favorite "actors..."Me too Beth!! I still prefer eye reading, but I do enjoy a well performed audiobook too. This year may be the first that I listen to more books than I read. It's not my intent but life has invaded some of my discretionary reading time and as such those audiobooks on a long walk or doing repetitive tasks that don't require much concentration have been wonderful! And a good audio performance can absolutely elevate a book.
Beth and Monica. Good to know. Maybe some day.
Yes - I e found myself listening to books more and more while shopping for groceries, yard work/gardening, doing laundry and so on. Can get in more books per month that way 😊
I picked Soulless up on an Audible sale not too long ago, so you all are making me want to get to it sooner rather than later. :)I’ve only this past year started doing any significant audiobook listening. I’m not a good audio listener. I’m really picky about narration styles, and I feel like I absorb and retain things far better via the printed word. But I’ve always liked the idea of audiobooks, because it’s a way to enjoy more books while doing other relatively mindless tasks that I need or want to do. I kept trying them every now and then over the years, but rarely even managed to make it all the way through one.
Now I’ve picked back up my old cross-stitch hobby, and discovered I somehow have much more patience and attention for audiobooks while doing that than I do with other things. I offset my frustration at feeling like I don’t absorb it as well by thinking of it as a “sampling” endeavor. I’m listening to the first books in various incomplete series, which is something I normally avoid in print because I prefer to read a series all at once after it’s complete so I can stay immersed in it from beginning to end. If I like the audiobook well enough, then I’ll plan read it in print someday along with the rest of series, so I’m less frustrated if I don’t catch every nuance this time around because I feel like I'll get another chance someday.
I still prefer print, but most of my cross-stitching time has come out of my reading time, so this gives me a way to get back some of my reading time and enjoy two activities at once. I’m also getting a chance to read a lot of books from the group shelf that I had been interested in but that I wasn't likely to get to anytime soon in print because I was prioritizing the standalones and complete series.
Yes - same for me and puzzles the last year - combined puzzling and listening are great and use different parts of the brain
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
The Shadow Rising (other topics)Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones (other topics)
Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams (other topics)
Leviathan Falls (other topics)
The Jekyl Island Club (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Brent Monahan (other topics)Stephen King (other topics)
James S.A. Corey (other topics)
Robin Hobb (other topics)
Susan Palwick (other topics)
More...
Usually I take longer to hear/read Brandon Sanderson books. I don't want his books to end :-)