What are you reading right now? Part 3

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

I finished Baycation several days ago. Not as satisfying as most of the series, about 3.5 stars. Hopefully the next one will be back in space again. Currently rereading fantasy and not finding anything new in either SF or fantasy that looks interesting.

What are you reading?

[Craig]

I am really enjoying this series

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B...

[James]

I just finished ‘Fortunate Son’ by Shane Gries. It’s a novella at about 25 pages in length, but it gets started quickly and presents a really interesting view at the topic

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KQHYC37/...

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

I reread most of a fantasy series (skipping the last one because it came out less than a year ago), reread Special Forces 01 by Honor Raconteur which is SF set on a planet but with backstory discussed from battles on ships. Not my favorite book by that author but it’s readable.

Now I’m reading a new book: Shadows of Eternity by Gregory Benford. Too soon to tell how good it will be but the free preview hooked me. Set on the moon about 200 years from now.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Shadows of Eternity by Gregory Benford has some interesting parts but also some parts that are boring or make me cringe. About 60% through but I’ve put it aside for now because Consensus at Aditi by Blaze Ward came out today. That’s the sequel to Encounter at Vilahana which I enjoyed.

Later this month I’ll be reading the new chapbook from Lee & Miller Bread Alone: Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Number 34.

[Audrey]

Eyes of Tomorrow by Glynn Stewart. I am about 20% in and it feels like slogging through deep snow. It is the last of the series, so I am going to try to finish. I might ditch it if it doesn't get any better.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Finished Consensus at Aditi by Blaze Ward. Gave it 3 stars.

Reread Omnilingual by H. Beam Piper. Dated but yay the female scientist not only solved the problem but got credit for it!

Now unless I find something else interesting I’ll attempt to finish Shadows of Eternity by Gregory Benford.

[Trike]

I’m reading Aurora Rising, aka The Prefect, by Alastair Reynolds, which is definitely Space Opera-adjacent so far. This is a big book with a big scope.

[Rosenblue(promoting non-biased,honest reviews & a dislike button on GR)]

Witch Hat Atelier volume 1 (Tongari Bōshi no Atorie/atelier) by Kanome Shirahama.
I really enjoy this story so far it's been wholesome, full of fantasy and beautiful artwork and unique themes.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

I got about 90% through Shadows of Eternity and reached a point where I realized I just didn’t care how it ended. Officially giving up on this one. Rereading fantasy. There’s a new Liaden short story that should post (free) on Baen later today to look forward to.

[L J]

Teresa wrote: "I got about 90% through Shadows of Eternity and reached a point where I realized I just didn’t care how it ended. Officially giving up on this one. Rereading fantasy. There’s a new ..."

Thanks for the info. I love how Baen posts free reads.

For any who read Ilona Andrews they're going to be posting a free short on their blog and possibly will be posting installments when they start their next book.
Sweep of the Blade sequel is on the list of possibles. I really enjoy the space vampires - serious fighting but so much fun!

[Ally]

I'm definitely falling down the rabbit hole of LitRPG !
I found a group on this special subgenre.
There is a list of SciFi LitRPG. https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
I will try to read some.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Phooey. That new, free Liaden short story won’t post until December 15. Oh well…

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Currently rereading Longshot Hypothesis by Blaze Ward, which is first of a series. I liked it very much the first time I read it. This second reading it’s not as much fun. I remember too many details, and I know that the series reached a point where I stopped caring about it, but it’s filling my current need for something to read.

[Trike]

Teresa wrote: "it’s filling my current need for something to read."

Here are some recent 3+ star books I’d recommend:

Providence by Max Barry (standalone)

Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes (sequel is Prime Deceptions, a 3rd coming next May)

Annihilation Aria by Michael R. Underwood

The Last Watch by J.S. Dewes

Terminal Alliance by Jim C. Hines (I laughed out loud a couple times; sequel is Terminal Uprising)

[Richard]

I recently finished Edges by Linda Nagata, the October reader pick, and enjoyed it enough to move on to the second book Silver. (Sorry I don’t know how to put the li k to the book here, at least in the iPhone app). Also about three quarters finished with Alastair Reynolds Inhibitor Phase which I’m enjoying (he is my favorite sci fi author). Also, not sure where to ask - there used to be a place where we discussed books of the month but I can’t seem to find that any more. Anyone know where that might be? Thanks.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

The discussion thread for Edges is here
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I bet if you post a comment on that thread it will start showing up on the main page for the group again. I haven’t posted threads yet for the December books.

[Richard]

Thanks Teresa!

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Longshot Hypothesis isn’t holding my interest nearly as much as it did the first time I read it, so I put it aside and reread some fantasy.

Now I’m reading Bread Alone by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, which I had preordered and it came out today. This is a chapbook in the Liaden Universe, containing four stories. I’ve read two of the stories before. The third appeared in an anthology that I didn’t buy, and the fourth is completely new.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Bread Alone was good, finished it Friday. I had read three of the four stories before. It’s longer than their chapbooks usually are. I like having the four related stories in one book so that when I reread one I can find the others easily. Between all the chapbooks and the multiple Liaden Universe Constellations even if I know something was a short story instead of a scene in one of the novels, it’s not always easy to find it so I can reread it.

I’m back to rereading fantasy.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Finished rereading that fantasy series.

Reread Fair Trade: An Alien Invasion Story by Mackey Chandler for the December Limited Pick.

Now rummaging through free samples and my Goodreads shelves to find something that holds my attention. I do have a preordered fantasy anthology due to arrive in a few days, but the preordered fantasy novel I was eager to get has been pushed back to mid January.

[Craig]

I bail rather quickly on books. I finish maybe 1 in 15 that I start. That said I recently finished The Sword of Jupiter (Imperium Book 1) by Travis Starnes https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B...

Interesting enough, but there are a lot of planning meetings (if you read it you'll understand. That part reminded me too much of work.

I liked a bit more Cold Eyes by Peter Cawdron
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B...

It held my interest nicely. It had a plot that I didn't see coming, which is very welcome.

[M.]

I am reading Star Splinter by J. G. Cressey. This is a great Space Opera and I am truly enjoying this story. Cal is leading a crew of kids to safety and the kids are proving their worth as the author had written great characters in this novel. He has included a hero and the buddy, a jerk, a complete crazy nut, and a child genuis. What more could you ask for in the middle of a war? Can't wait to get back to it tonight.Star Splinter

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

I’ve been reading fantasy lately, while waiting for a new space opera to catch my attention. There will be a new, free to read online, short story in the Liaden Universe on or about the 15th posted on Baen website. Judging by how fast the author of Bob's Saucer Repair writes, the 22nd book in that series should drop any day now.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

I’ve started rereading Boundary by Eric Flint and Ryk Spoor. It’s a lot closer to hard SF than space opera. Paleontologist dig uncovers a rather complete skeleton of something unrelated to anything we know about. Then the first mission to investigate Phobos turns up a mummy that’s a match for the fossil.

[Trike]

Currently reading Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Shards of Earth, which is definitely widescreen space opera. Like spaceship-crushing, planet-destroying stuff, with hive-mind gangster aliens and Amazon warrior clones and genetically-engineered psychics.

[Betsy]

I've started reading A Call to Insurrection, which is Book 4 in the Manticore Ascending series. The book won't be published until February 1, 2022, but I decided to go ahead and pay the ridiculous price for an eARC from Baen. Although this series is not as good as the main Honorverse series, it still meets my need for something new and engrossing. I'm only a little ways into it, but it looks like there will be lots of exciting space battles. Hopefully that's not all. We'll see.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

I’m looking forward to reading it in February. Please let us know more when you finish it, Betsy.

[Jemima]

I'm reading Space Opera by Catherynne M Valente. A bit like Hitch-hiker, but denser.
Bizarre, but worth pursuing...

And I have a couple of earlier Group Reads on my desk to catch up on over Christmas - Project Hail Mary, and the Quantum Thief, which of course is the current read and I seconded it :)

[Gilles]

After The lost fleet, by Jack campell, who was very good, i'm on the last of The lost fleet : Beyond the frontier of Jack Campbell. I likes spaceship and space batlle and Campbell is using his experience in the Navy to make the battles plausible.

[Maria]

I'm reading Hail Mary by Andy Weir

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Finished Boundary by Eric Flint and Ryk Spoor. I had forgotten enough of it that I enjoyed it, particularly the parts that reminded me of The Martian by Andy Weir.

I read the new free short Liaden Universe story that is up on Baen website:
https://www.baen.com/every_storm_a_ra...

And now I’m rereading Threshold by Eric Flint and Ryk Spoor, which is the sequel to Boundary.

[C. John]

My currently reading shelf has 30+ items on it but most of them aren’t active.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

C. John wrote: "My currently reading shelf has 30+ items on it but most of them aren’t active."
I thought mine was bad…. Goodreads shows 11 books but there’s only one I’ve touched in the past month. A couple of times a year I go through and decide ‘nope I’m never going to finish that’ and either move it to my gave-up-on shelf or mark it as read then delete that record or something. It’s tricky on the rereads.

[C. John]

I am going to have to take a closer look at it and see why the various books are on there. I know some of them are books I am reading on the computer and those always seem to take a long time. And a few of them I don't know where they are, thanks to the move from one domicile to another.

[Gaines]

At the moment, I'm reading The Eye of the World (finally, after decades of planning to) , and will likely read at least the next two books in the series after that (in part so that I can watch the show, because I'd prefer to read the books first!). However, a Christmas pressie has arrived in the mail this morning: A Memory Called Empire. I'm excited about it, and am really looking forward to reading it :-)

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Finished rereading the first three books of the Boundary series. I haven’t ever read the rest of them because the free preview of #4 didn’t hook me.

Now I’m rereading Legacy by Bob Mauldin.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Finished Legacy, now rereading book 2 of the series: Spheres of Influence by Bob Mauldin

[Betsy]

I finished A Call to Insurrection, the fourth installment in the Manticore Ascendant series. It was good but not great. Here is my review. After that I read a nonfiction and now I've started Colonyside, which is the third installment of the Planetside series. I enjoyed the first two books in the series and bought this one as soon as it came out, but didn't read it right away. No particular reason. Probably just got distracted with other things to read.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Thanks Betsy! I’ll make a point of rereading book 3 at least before the new one is out in February.

I finished Spheres of Influence and am now rereading the third book Far Horizons by Bob Mauldin. This series is definitely space opera, with a lot of action - some space battles, some dealing with an alphabet agency that likes to kidnap its own citizens and ambush people. Two different alien races too. And a ship they named the Heinlein has a pair of red headed identical twin sisters as officers. SF references to be expected since a lot of the characters are SF fans.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Finished rereading Far Horizons and just started the final book of the series, which I had not read before because it wasn’t out yet when I first read this series: When One Door Closes by Bob Mauldin.

[Teresa, Plan B is in Effect]

Finished When One Door Closes. Not expecting that kind of ending; not bad just unexpected. Three stars.

Now I’m trying out the January BOTM Backyard Starship by J.N. Chaney. It’s not grabbing me so far but I’m not finding anything else interesting either right now and it seems readable.

[Richard]

I read Alastair Reynold's latest - Inhibitor Phase. He's my favorite author at least for sci fi so always a great read for me. Now I'm into Belladonna Nights and Other Stories a collection of his short stories. Appreciate seeing what others are reading - found a lot of good stuff!

[Rosenblue(promoting non-biased,honest reviews & a dislike button on GR)]

I'm currently reading Yoshihiro Togashi's Hunter X Hunter and finishing up on other reads to end off December.