What are you reading in May 2021?

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

This is the place to share what books you are reading this month (May 2021), and, of course, what you think of them! All genres welcome here!

[Mary]

Wearing the Cape: A Superhero Story by Marion G. Harmon

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

End of April, I finished St. Patrick's Gargoyle by Katherine Kurtz, 8/10. Yes, the Christian/Templar/Knights of Malta themes do rather bludgeon the reader repeatedly, yet I found the basic story to be charming and immensely likable. Francis Templeton is a marvelous protagonist, and Paddy and his fellow gargoyles are magical and wondrous with just enough hint of humanity to make them relatable. Dublin’s old buildings and the city itself are almost characters in their own right. A self-contained story of love, faith, and magic.

I also sped through Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell, another Kay Scarpetta novel, 6/10.

This month I’m starting off with The Blood Mirror by Brent Weeks, book 4 in his Lightbringer series.

[Random]

Started Fugitive Telemetry last night. Fell asleep reading so had to finish it this morning.

And I'm all out of Murderbot again. :(

Went for a drive yesterday! First time I've been able to get behind the wheel since mid February. Sadly this means I'm going to have to start going back into the office come Monday.

Project Hail Mary is supposed to come out in a few days. Premise sounds interesting so I'll likely be picking it up when it does.

[Mary]

Villains Inc. by Marion G. Harmon

[Random]

Started Malorie and finished in the same day.

While good, I don't think I enjoyed this one as much as I did the first.

[Christopher]

This month, I will be reading both the sci-fi and fantasy selections for this month, The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson and Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse. Also, if I can get my s**t together, I plan to start reading Kindred / Fledgling / Collected Stories by Octavia E. Butler at the end of the month.

[Leticia]

I read Kindred / Fledgling / Collected Stories some months ago. I liked Butler's short stories and essays a lot. They are food for thought for sure.

[Lindsey]

I'm moving in a few weeks and I'm on a quest to finish my "currently reading" books so they can be packed. (That list had gotten a bit out of hand at 13 books!) In the last week I've finished The Hidden Oracle to check what my oldest was reading (definitely middle grade but good enough that I might read the rest of the series), Kindred for my IRL book club, The Queen's Weapons (turned out much better than I expected), and Binti: The Complete Trilogy (which was awesome and fun).

Now I'm working on Six of Crows for my virtual book club, which is waaaay better than the original trilogy. My holds on the audiobooks of Alexander Hamilton and Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed both came in last week so I'm hoping to make some progress there. I'm also still in the middle of Rhythm of War, Green Arrow: The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 1, and my re-read of This Alien Shore. If all that doesn't keep me busy enough (ha!) my library holds for The Poppy War and Fugitive Telemetry are arriving soon.

[Mary]

Bite Me: Big Easy Nights by Marion G. Harmon

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

Lindsey wrote: "... and Binti: The Complete Trilogy (which was awesome and fun). "

Oh, I agree, awesome and fun! I went in not knowing quite what to expect and was blown away!

[Random]

Funaki finished Black Sun Rising

Torn if I want to hit the next book now or Project Hail Mary

[Mary]

Young Sentinels by Marion G. Harmon

[Mary]

Small Town Heroes by Marion G. Harmon

[Shel, Moderator]

I've been out of genre the past few weeks with The Evolution of Useful Things: How Everyday Artifacts-From Forks and Pins to Paper Clips and Zippers-Came to be as They are. (fascinating subject material, but written in sort of a dry very academic tone), and then One Good Turn, the second of Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie mysteries (plot that kept thickening and thickening in a fascinating way, although Jackson made some questionable decisions IMHO).

I have The Space Between Worlds waiting for me at the library when I can get over there to pick it up, so that will probably be next. I also just finished The Mark of Athena with my son and we started The House of Hades tonight. Really enjoying this series!

[Mary]

Ronin Games by Marion G. Harmon

[Paul]

Currently reading The Space Between Worlds and listening to Cage of Souls

[MadProfessah]

Just finished ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE by Louise Penny so I can start A DESOLATION CALED PEACE!!

[MadProfessah]

@shel we have similar tastes!! I just read ONE GOOD TURN as well, just a few weeks after THE SPACE BETWEEN WORLDS. I just finished ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE by Louise Penny and am about to start A DESOLATION CALLED PEACE by Arkady Martine. Before the Penny I read Evan Winter’s brilliant THE FIRES OF VENGEANCE (epic fantasy).

I tend to bounce between genres, from mystery/thriller to F/SF.

[Chris, Moderator]

MadProfessah wrote: "Just finished ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE by Louise Penny so I can start A DESOLATION CALED PEACE!!"

I think Louise Penny's Gamache mysteries are wonderful. The characters are so well drawn, as is the small town. I feel I'd know Three Pines if I saw it!

Gamache is both wise and very human. The small moments, like Ruth and her pet duck, somehow lighten the mood without detracting from the skillfully plotted story. She's a master.

[Shel, Moderator]

MadProfessah wrote: "@shel we have similar tastes!! I just read ONE GOOD TURN as well, just a few weeks after THE SPACE BETWEEN WORLDS. I just finished ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE by Louise Penny and am about to start A DE..."

I loved A Desolation Called Peace even more than the first book. Can't wait to hear what you think of it!

I'm almost finished with The Space Between Worlds. My family left me alone to read for a few hours for Mother's Day yesterday (heavenly!) so I made good progress!

[Mary]

Team-Ups and Crossovers by Marion G. Harmon

[Mary]

Recursion by Marion G. Harmon

[Mary]

Repercussions by Marion G. Harmon

[Shel, Moderator]

I'm on A Killing Frost right now, the 14th book of the October Daye series by Seanan McGuire. This is my favorite urban fantasy series!

[Random]

I started When True Night Falls and then I got distracted by some podcasts.

Wolf 359 was really good. I'm torn between starting Unseen or behaving myself and going back to the Coldfire series.

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

I have been falling behind in my reading, but managed to finish 2 books so far this month—The Blood Mirror by Brent Weeks, book 4 in the Lightbringer series, 8/10, and The Nonborn King by Julian May, book 3 in the Saga of Pliocene Exile, 8/10–this continues to be a very creative series, written back in the 1980s but unlike anything I’ve read in terms of this particular mix of science and myth.

Now starting Imago for our series read.

[Shel, Moderator]

Random wrote: "I started When True Night Falls and then I got distracted by some podcasts.

Wolf 359 was really good. I'm torn between starting Unseen or behaving myself and going back to the Coldfir..."

I adore the Coldfire trilogy, but have to say that When True Night Falls is my least favorite of the three. But still worth reading! Gerald Tarrant is my favorite anti-hero of all time :)

I am about halfway through A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab and am really liking it. I just recently read my first book by Schwab a few months ago - The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - and loved it so much I had to go back and look up some of her other books. This one isn't quite on that level, but I'll almost certainly finish the trilogy and see what else she's written!

[Mary]

Flame and Crimson: A History of Sword-and-Sorcery by Brian Murphy

[Mary]

How To Be a Tudor: A Dawn-to-Dusk Guide to Tudor Life by Ruth Goodman

[MadProfessah]

@shel the VS Schwab “London” books are quite good. Excellent fantasy with a smidgen of romance. A nicely self-contained trilogy. I’ve been meaning to get to “Addie Rue” so I’ll bump that higher on my list now that I see you say it’s even better.

I also finished “A Desolation called peace” and definitely thought the sequel was better than the original.

It seemed more interesting and engaging, with a better ratio of action to argumentation.

Right now I’m reading tge latest Rebus book by Ian Rankin.

[Random]

I finally caught up with Unseen. Its like an audiobook of short stories set in a shared urban fantasy setting. I really love radio dramas so this format is really very fitting for me.

Finished a reread of Remnant Population in prep for the discussion next month. Its a personal favorite of mine and not that long.

Back onto When True Night Falls

[Mary]

How to Be a Victorian by Ruth Goodman

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

Closing out May (almost): Imago by Octavia E. Butler, 10/10. Discussion in our series folder, but I will add that this trilogy (Xenogenesis/Lilith’s Brood) were the first books I’ve read by Butler, but definitely won’t be the last.

Dream Thief by Stephen R. Lawhead, 6/10. Lots to like in this SF book, but a bit heavy-handed with the spiritual message. This is one of Lawhead’s early books, and I think it shows.

Out of genre now with yet another Kay Scarpetta book—Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell.

[Shel, Moderator]

My last three reads were out of genre - If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood, a true crime book that I got as a free Kindle read (three stars - gripping story, but the writing was meh); The Kids Are Gonna Ask by Gretchen Anthony and Run by Ann Patchett, both contemporary fiction (but very different from each other).

I just picked up The Priory of the Orange Tree from the library so that'll be next for the June read.