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?
My reads from last week were all good to excellent (with the exception of the group BotM ^^')I read two non-fiction books side by side, both about plant physiology and the interconnections of life, the influence on humans and the importance for saving the environment. Both were excellent.
Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake highlights the many different fields of fungi science (and not so science). Mindblowing ideas that left me with the impression that you definitely need no alien lifeforms if you have fungi. So good!
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer combines plantphysiology with the wisdom of American indigenous. Wrote in a beautiful poetic style and filled with melancholy and sadness why we just can't see the right way. Very profound!
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton was my pick for the popsugar prompt "shortest book on your TBR". I've never read Edith Wharton and was a bit doubtful, cause tragic love affair isn't exactly my cup of tea. But the prose was really good and deep and she managed to suck me in. She told the drama between the lines of tradition-bound stiff New England characters. I was impressed.
The Green Man's Foe by Juliet E. McKenna is the second book in the Green Man series. Not my usual kind of book, but quite a feel good read. It landed on my TBR cause Adrian Tchaikovsky promoted the author on Twitter (they both worked together on short story collections), and I really like the rural England mystery crime adventures of a carpenter whose mother was a dryad.
Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica needs to be read with the warning to not read it on a full stomach! Very good, but icky like hell. Due to a virus animal flesh can't be digested anymore by humans, but humans want to eat flesh, so ... you can imagine where this is going. And she doesn't blend out anything.
I guess it is a bit more 'digestable' for vegetarians.
The Expert System’s Champion by Adrian Tchaikovsky was released this week, so of course I had to read it (my motto this year - no month without an AT book). The sequel to "Expert System's Brother" again excels at the description of an alien, hostile to humans, world and has some mindtwisting ideas of co-evolution. The ending could have been more poignant to my taste. But still good 4 stars.
Finished The Burning God. Easy 5 star for book as well as whole series.Now, I have finally decided to plunge into gigantic Wheel of Time. Lets see if I manage to reach the end of the journey.
Meanwhile reading Murderbot#2 in parallel.
It's been the driest week for reading for me in a while; for some reason the concentration hasn't extended to it. But, I've been slowly getting through Infinite Jest, whose title's aptness feels constantly validated by the book's ceaseless stream of thought and conversation from one topic to another, in a seemingly infinite flow (adding certain jest in the numerous, decidedly trivial notations, too). Nicely original.
I don't know why I have never read Lord of Light before but glad I eventually got around to it. Now that I have a handle on the background to the story I have to read it again to really enjoy it.My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished The Spy Who Came In from the Cold, which was so good, but also so bleak. I'm definitely taking a break before I move on to The Looking Glass War.I think I'm a little over halfway through Shards of Honour and it's definitely going off the rails into bad romance territory fast. The planet part was interesting, the ship slightly less, and now that we've done the time jump it just is not great so far.
I'm also reading Pushing Ice, which so far is an interesting book being wrecked by some obnoxious characters. It's a shame because I usually like Reynolds, so I'll stick it out and see if it gets any better.
If you enjoy a bit of light hearted Urban fantasy the Gunnie Rose series by Charlaine Harris is good. It is set in an alternate America and is like a Western with magic. I just finished book two, A Longer FallMy review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
They Called Us Enemy by George Takei of Sulu fame - presented in graphical format, this is a quick read into an unpalatable but necessary-to-know part of American history.my review - www.Goodreads.com/review/show/3365362217
Thankyou whoever it was on here who introduced me to this author! My review of Minor Mage
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Recent ReadsStarswarm: by Jerry Pournelle. I liked it 3 stars.
The Oblique Approach,
The Heart of Darkness,
Destiny's Shield: By David Drake & Eric Flint
enjoyed them, 4 stars.
ReRead of: "News of the World", loved it, 5 stars.
The Dry by Jane Harper, liked it 3 stars.
The Physician of Vilnoc by Bujold, Loved it 5 Stars.
Flesh and Spirit by Carol Berg...,... I'm still thinking about it. 3 or 4 stars.
Dog Training Revolution by Zak George, liked it 4 stars.
Recently I finished Alif the Unseen which I liked more than I thought I would because usually anything that comes near the adjective cyberpunk tends to go badly when I read it but this had enough of the fantasy in it that I didn't care about the computer world bitsI also just finished Gods of Jade and Shadow which I loved. I don't know why I thought it was going to be serious business lit fic so I was happy when it was much lighter and fun. Although I will say it did make me flash back to the horror of my undergrad capstone course where a fellow student had to give a presentation on the Popol Vuh and kind of failed hardcore.
I’m trying to read some books black authors in February so I finished Jacob Ross’s great mystery “The Bone Readers” and just started “The Rage of Dragons” by Evan Winter.
Don wrote: "three cheers to whoever!"🙂
Kate wrote: "@Emmett sorry, I never saw your last comment. Yes, you should read the last book in the series. Trying to slow down just to stay in the world she created. Also, I looked at your shelf and after a..."
I am so glad to hear that! I absolutely love Amelie Nothomb; she is my #1 favorite author. 😊
Would love to hear what you think after reading- particularly with The Character of Rain. If you find you like that one, definitely pick up Fear and Trembling as well.
Gabi wrote: "Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton was my pick for the popsugar prompt "shortest book on your TBR". I've never read Edith Wharton and was a bit doubtful, cause tragic love affair isn't exactly my cup of tea. But the prose was really good and deep and she managed to suck me in. She told the drama between the lines of tradition-bound stiff New England characters. I was impressed."Have you read The Buccaneers, Gabi? I think it's the only book of hers I've read, but it's one of my favourites. She didn't finish it before her death, so it was completed by two different sources - one in book form, and another as a mini-series by the BBC. They ended up generally the same, but in quite a different way. I like the book version of the ending better. It's also, like the one you read, insightful about the differences and clash between the old and new (including old and new money), and here she shows it through British tradition versus American brashness and youth, growing up, innocence and naivety, love and poetry, friendship, honesty and deception, and the differences between what people want.
Emmett, Kate, CB Retriever, and DivaDiane, regarding Thomas Hardy: I read 'Far From the Madding Crowd' in high school, and he does have very in-depth descriptions; his plot takes so long to move along, and the book felt heavy (not literally) and sad. But I also had good memories of it; some real things were dealt with and justice was eventually done. I think all the descriptions of farming life at that time were hard for me to assimilate, being so foreign. Overall, I think I liked it, having said that! I watched the movie last year (?) and really liked it - seeing it that way made the story much clearer and more enjoyable. It also meant watching lots of Matthias Schoenaerts 😊. If you like adaptations, and maybe found the book plodding, I'd recommend it.
Agent Running in the Field by John le CarréMy first but not last le Carre novel as I loved his humor and wit and the multiple occasions of double meanings kept me on my toes.
My review - www.Goodreads.com/review/show/3820672188
I finished Children of Time (a great read!) and In the Vanishers’ Palace (not my fav by this author sadly), and now I'm working on The House in the Cerulean Sea. It's going quickly and the characters are quirky and endearing.
Stephanie, I seem to be following your reading schedule (I’m doing them in audio, though, don’t know about you)! Children of Time, In the Vanisher’s Palace (now) and House in the Cerulean Sea is up next.
-- anyone else think the cover artist had Danai Girira in mind?Anyway, I haven't read much about these, but the first novella struck me as, coincidentally or intentionally, in conversation with Ender's Game. Not sure it's exactly a rebuttal, but a different perspective on children and war.
I’m currently reading “The Stone Sky” by N.K. Jemison and “The Haunting of Tram Car 015” by P. Djeli Clark.
Mod
Randy wrote: " -- anyone else think the cover artist had Danai Girira in mind?Anyway, I haven't read much about these, but the first novella struck me as, coinci..."
I have read the first in the series, I really enjoyed it. I’m waiting for the others to become available from the library.
The series is amazing and I can’t believe I hadn’t read any of N.K. Jemison books previously. I’m excited to read more of her works.
Really enjoyed Octavia Cade's science-fiction novella The Stone Wētā, a mosaic of inter-connected snapshots of women scientists trying to maintain the integrity of the data on climate change in the face of repression and disinformation by world governments. It's beautifully written. I'm definitely inclined to read more by this New Zealand writer.
I have yet to read the Stone Wētā, but Cade wrote a wonderful collection of poetry based on the periodic table call Chemical Letters, which I highly recommend.
I'm reading Ancestral Night by Elizabeth Bear. About 25% through and enjoying the details of the universe, the characters and their interactions. Some cool aliens so far too.
I’m trying to decide what to read after Koli:Phoenix Extravagant
Sword heart
Spiderlight
(Maybe Machine by Elizabeth Bear)
Someone tell me what to do 😋
Rachel wrote: "I’m trying to decide what to read after Koli:Phoenix Extravagant
Sword heart
Spiderlight
(Maybe Machine by Elizabeth Bear)
Someone tell me what to do 😋"
Machine if you're still wondering what happened to people from Ancestral Night,
else,
Spiderlight. You like Adrian Tchaikovsky's SF; try his fantasy too.
There i helped😁
Rachel, I think it depends on your mood! If you're in the mood for light and fun, then definitely Swordheart! And if not, Phoenix Extravagant was interesting, though not as brilliant as Ninefox.
I want to read them alllllllllllMaybe I’ll read the first page of each and see which grabs me most 😊
A Man of Shadows and The Bouncer, not really ecstatic about any book i am currently reading just going through the motions...
Najaf wrote: "A Man of Shadows and The Bouncer, not really ecstatic about any book i am currently reading just going through the motions..."That's a bummer! I hate it when I go through those slumps.
Michelle wrote: "That's a bummer! I hate it when I go through those slumps." just finished My Year of Rest and Relaxation, so how do you reset?
I re-read one of my comfort books. Do you have one? Something that you're not tired of, or that you enjoyed immensely.
Finished reading Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan, Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck, and The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold. I’m reading The Last Colony by John Scalzi. I plan to read The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King next.
Michelle wrote: "I re-read one of my comfort books. Do you have one? Something that you're not tired of, or that you enjoyed immensely."I have a few.
Left Hand of Darkness
Dune
Lord of the Rings
A Time for Trumpets
In general, I will read one of them again every few years.
I do a reread of Harry Potter from time to time. Find something new every time. It’s my comfort series. If I’m feeling like crap I will pick one up (any one) and read it. It’s getting time for another reread actually.
Michelle wrote: "I re-read one of my comfort books. Do you have one? Something that you're not tired of, or that you enjoyed immensely."Mine is The Name of the Wind or something by one of my favorite mystery writers (Jance, Kellerman, etc)
Michelle wrote: "I re-read one of my comfort books. Do you have one? Something that you're not tired of, or that you enjoyed immensely."Anything by Terry Pratchett
Michelle wrote: "I re-read one of my comfort books. Do you have one? Something that you're not tired of, or that you enjoyed immensely."anything by christopher moore but tbh i dont reread a lot of books.
Recently Read "Janissaries"
"Clan and Crown"
"Storm of Victory"
All by Jerry Pournelle &
Roland Green.
Surprisingly good and delightfully free on Audible.
Just got the fourth and final to series: " "Mamelukes" by
Jerry Pournelle &
David Webster. got that one on my Newer, Larger and more improved Kindle, I had a tiny paperwhite for years... I really enjoy the larger page size.
The Janissaries Series is a portal fiction with science fiction, fantasy and military fiction elements. enjoying it very much ****4 stars
I don't think that men have comfort reads but when the literary World fails us there are booksthat we consider rereading.
I sometime consider rereads on:
LOTR's + The Hobbit
The Sacketts novels
Lonesome Dove
Don wrote: "got that one on my Newer, Larger and more improved Kindle..."Which one did you get, Don? The Fire 10? I bought the Fire 10 years ago for the bigger screen and I love it. Except for the weight! The weight is hard on my arthritis and fibromyalgia. My daughter just bought me a really useful tablet pillow prop to hold it up.
Najaf wrote: "Michelle wrote: "I re-read one of my comfort books. Do you have one? Something that you're not tired of, or that you enjoyed immensely."anything by christopher moore but tbh i dont reread a lot of..."
Doesn't he write books that are kind of dark humor-ish? I've never read him. Maybe if you try an author with books on par with his. Perhaps someone in the group could recommend something along those lines for you!
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...
I fin..."
I completely feel you on that- If I remember, Desperate Remedies took me... maybe an entire year to read the whole thing. Not that it wasn't good, but his works just take some effort to read through.
Jemisin is more my speed as well- I also need to complete the trilogy soon