What are you reading in Feb 2015?

[Michele]

I got distracted from my plans -

Did a reread of The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack. I love this series.

Tore right through Calculating God - it was good but a little too...calculating - seriously, the plot is so designed to set everything up perfectly for the "conversation" about God, that everything just feels a bit too contrived and phony. Still the various theories were all presented very well and mostly rationally and clearly.

Then I started The Wretched of Muirwood which I really enjoyed so I am now reading book 2 The Blight of Muirwood. I picked up this whole trilogy for $1.99 per book a while ago without any idea if it would be any good. And yay! I like it.

Oh and I also read Midnight Riot which I really liked and will definitely be continuing with the series.

[[deleted user]]

I'm on a short story binge right now. I currently have open the 2014 anthologies:


Some of the Best from Tor.com: 2014 (Because so many reasons),
Coming Soon Enough: Six Tales of Technology's Future (because Ben & Kress),
Subterranean Magazine Summer 2014 (because Swirsky),
Upgraded (because Ben & Ken Liu),
Twelve Tomorrows 2014 (because Andreas, Beukes & Sterling.)

Mostly I'm checking out my favorite authors and recommended stories in each of them, and then I'll go back and try the rest. (I've set 2015 magazines aside for now while I catch up on 2014. :)

I'm also listening to the audiobook of our current group discussion of Joan Vinge's The Snow Queen.

[Matt]

Ah I really liked the Muirwood series! Jeff Wheeler is working on another trilogy set in the same world and is releasing all three books at the same time.

I seem to be on a big fantasy kick need to mix in some SciFi but currently reading The Wise Man's Fear then I plan to move on to The Way of Kings.

[Ben]

I have made a start on The Corpse Exhibition: And Other Stories of Iraq first story left me scratching my head but in a good way. Not sure were I wanting to classify this how i would do so - its on the fringes of fantasy and memorable

Reading some Kelly Link - she is a distinctive and interesting and we should really discuss some of her stories sometime. reading Pretty Monsters: Stories and have read a good chunk of her other stuff.

Just about to start reading Snow Queen and catch up on some of the free KJ Parker online in time for that discussion.

Still finishing off Upgraded (very enjoyable).

Think the Egan is by far the best about Coming soon enough but the others are all short and enjoyable. Kress seems minor Kress but even minor Kress is worth reading.

[Brendan]

Green Mars. Read Red Mars a couple years ago and it is really comfortable to slip back into the lives of the First Hundred.

[[deleted user]]

For those looking for some genre novel inspiration for February, Tor.com offers three (non-comprehensive) lists:

February Releases in Science Fiction
February Releases in Fantasy
February Releases in Paranormal/Urban Fantasy and Horror

and Kirkus reviews offers one combined, curated list:
The Best Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Reads for February

[Jourdan]

Right now I'm reading The Snow Child; it's pretty interesting and kind of mysterious thus far. I really love the author's sense of setting and character development.

[Ally]

Jourdan wrote: "Right now I'm reading The Snow Child; it's pretty interesting and kind of mysterious thus far. I really love the author's sense of setting and character development."

That's one I really want to read.

I'm currently reading The Name of the Wind. It's looong, but good. Not too far into it, but definitely intrigued.

[Kelsey]

I'm trying my hand at two books right now, although one always ends up taking precedence down the line.

War and Peace is what I started first because I love Tolstoy, but it's too bulky to carry while I commute (I always end up having to stand on these crowded trains). So now I just read it at home.

Isaac Asimov's I Robot: To Obey is now my commute book and I plan on having it done before March. It's the sequel to Mickey Zucker Reichert's I, Robot series which is inspired by Asimov's series.

[Ally]

Suzanna wrote: "I just finished Koontz's Saint Odd and right now I'm working through Danielle Hanna's Journaling to Become a Better Writer.

Ally, I couldn't get into The Name of the Wind. The main character just ..."

It gets better once he starts telling his story, beginning from when he was twelve, I think. You start to see what led him to become what he is. But I understand. He did come across that way, but I'm still interested to see where the story goes. Although I'm currently putting it on hold.

Right now, I'm reading something much lighter-- .

[[deleted user]]

just finished Phase IV by Malzberg, was disappointed in it despite having enjoyed it a few decades ago...now reading Science Fiction since 1900 by Brooks Landon, a lit-crit...well into it, and unlike most SF lit-crit I like his ideas...he seems to know what he's talking about, whereas most of the lit-crit crowd who talk about SF just, well, talk.....

[Brendan]

Shari Kay wrote: "Finished Fortune's Pawn fun read"

Interesting, I read the first chapter of this when it came as a free sample in some other book. I had forgotten the title until now.

[[deleted user]]

Shari Kay wrote: "Finished Fortune's Pawn fun read"

I read the trilogy last year. Fun enough high action space opera, sort of old-school. Romance between a woman and her power armor. :) Had the added bonus of an actual, coherent conclusion.

[Bryn]

Read Combustion Hour, a short by Yoon Ha Lee and thought it tremendously good. It's exactly what I like most so I straight away bought her collection, Conservation of Shadows. -- My attention's been drawn to her before but I was afraid of her use of mathematics in science fiction, which she advocates. As the most unmathematical person on the planet I thought she'd go over my head and no doubt she will, on maths. But oddly enough, along with it, she's a poet. Even her titles are in rhythm as poetry as are her first sentences, and I love her style of imagination... the inner life of shadow puppets, of effigies... and I am so hooked.

[[deleted user]]

still reading Science Fiction Since 1900...Landon is dead on on so many of his points...I was a bit upset about his section on PKD....he mentioned several times PKD makeing contuntany errors in many of his novels....I kept wanting to scream "of course you fool, he was doped up and wrote them in like 3 days and his editors did not care!!!" In fact, the first time he got a editor that gave a frack (Judy-lynn del Rey) he wins a hugo for The Man in the High Castle....still, this is a good book, much note-takeing is taking place, and being I have many of the other histories and licrit books he quotes from I am constantly getting up, running to my shelves, and reading the reference in the orginal...haven't had this much fun in years....

[Lindsay]

Just finished A Dirty Job, by Christopher Moore. Not as "perfect" as Lamb, but quite good.

[Craig]

I'm reading Michael Moorcock's 'The Revenge Of The Rose'.
I've been a long-time fan of his character Elric and this is the 1st time I've read this story! GREAT!
Cheers
:-)

[[deleted user]]

I managed to get through most of the short fiction I wanted to read pre-Hugo in the anthologies I previously mentioned.

I also tried out a couple of other stories from the Nebula list, e.g. Shoen's Calendrical Regression (which I only recognized as a follow-on to last year's Trial of the Century as I was reading it.)

Since Ben nominated the Nebula novelette and short story nominees for our April group discussion, I'll save my opinions on those until I see if they'll get their own discussion topic.

And I've been reading along with our group discussion of Academic Exercises anthology .

I also read Seanan McGuire's Discount Armageddon, wanting to try one of her books without her "Mira Grant" pseudonym for, apparently having completely forgotten I read her Rosemary and Rue a couple of years ago. Senior moment. I'm now completely confused how she decides which books to give her more adult "Mira Grant" brand. Anyway, I think I'm suffering Urban Fantasy fatigue; all these snarky heroes have blended together. Discount Armageddon is fine, in the way another chocolate chip cookie is fine; I just shouldn't expect it to taste different from the previous one.

Also tried reading the much-praised Annihilation, which only proved I really need to resist reading horror, because I never enjoy it. To me, all the mysteries seems derived by the author withholding information the character/narrator has but just won't share. Obviously, much of the rest of the world disagrees. (Since Amazon had all three books of the trilogy on sale last month, I have the sequels on my Kindle and won't preclude the possibility of trying Authority someday after I've read all the fun books.)

[Kivrin]

G33z3r wrote: "I managed to get through most of the short fiction I wanted to read pre-Hugo in the anthologies I previously mentioned.

I also tried out a couple of other stories from the Nebula list, e.g. Shoen'..."

I read "Annihilation" after reading some rave reviews of it and didn't get what all the fuss was about. I was left with no desire to read the rest of the series. I liked the horror aspects but found the main character of no interest whatsoever.

[Bryce]

After taking a little break from reading, I've just finished The Slow Regard of Silent Things. Now I'm working on The Seeking Sword which is actually turning out better then I thought it was going to.

[[deleted user]]

The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter turned out to be an enjoyable page-turner. An alternate history where the Luddites triumphed and the Patent Office ruthlessly stamps out innovation. A clever heroine raised in a circus invents a fictional brother to maintain her independence in a male ruled society. Private eyes, carnies, missing persons, lecherous lords, illegal technology and cross-dressing.