What else are you reading - December 2021

[Rob, Roberator]

The year is now approaching it's end. What books will you be trying to get in before the new year?

[Rob, Roberator]

I finished my reread of the Expanse just in time to start Leviathan Falls yesterday.

Enjoying it so far. I'm also glad I did the reread before getting into this because I had forgotten so much detail, even from the more recent books.

[Lpfahler]

I am rereading the Foundation series as I am watching the show on Apple TV. I read these many, many years ago. I am not as enamored with them today as I was when I was a teenager. The story is still sweeping and fast paced but the lack of women characters sticks out like a sore thumb in today's light. It is like half of the population of the galaxy does not exist.

[Sheila Jean]

I'm still plodding through Perhaps the Stars. I've managed to get about a third of the way through so far.

I will put it down immediately when some other books I have on hold at the library come through: Leviathan Falls, Winterlight, the book of the month. I might even finish everything if the timing works since I'm taking the last two weeks of the year off from work.

I'm going to finish up The Thousand Names in audio, but I'm not sure what I'll listen to afterward.

[Mark]

Hope to finish out the year with this month's pick, plus Elysium Fire, Jade Legacy and Leviathan Falls.

[Colin]

Not excited about this month's pick, so I went looking at what was already sitting in my Audible account. Settled on Heaven's River, a book I was excited enough about that I pre-ordered it ... and promptly ignored for over a year. Go figure!

[Rob, Roberator]

I read the original foundation book when we did it for S&L, but never continued with the series. I don't have appleTV so I haven't been watching the show at all.

I still need to do the second Jade War book (which I own). I've spent the last several months just on the Expanse though.

[Mathew]

I read the Foundation series the summer I had just finished University, but before I found a full time job. I had so much time that I burned through that series and the LOTR.
I remember thinking the Foundation series was great, but now (20 years later) I cannot remember a specific thing about it.
Might have to reread :)

[Ruth]

My aim for December is to finish reading all the books I have owned for more than a year. I’m nearly there!

I’ve been reading some of the novellas Tor dot com kindly gave me last year. Just finished Sisters of the Vast Black by Lina Rather which was an excellent science fiction adventure story about nuns in space who live on a giant slug. I’ve preordered the sequel which comes out next year.

Now I’m reading The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark, set in a steampunk-y magic-y alternate history Cairo. Enjoying it so far.

I’m also reading The Haunting Season: Ghostly Tales for Long Winter Nights, an anthology of ghost stories which is so good I’ve bought another copy for my mum as an extra Christmas gift.

[Mark]

I looked back at what I spent to read along with S&L this year and realized I had five years worth of S&L expenses recorded.

2017 $56.21
2018 $54.23
2019 $50.62
2020 $58.31
2021 $70.22

Most years, I get a few S&L picks from the library, a few I've purchased preemptively at Kindle sales, a few purchased used, and a few that I purchase new. The total for 2021 is higher than previous years because I splurged on an ARC from eBay for this month's pick. S&L picks only represent part of what I spend on books and comics. Reading this thread and lurking in the Discord, I wind up buying many more books that are discussed. If only I could read them all.

Edit: I also found an ARC of Pandora's Star on eBay and bought it. That will bump up my 2022 total.

[Mark]

Ruth wrote: "I’ve been reading some of the novellas Tor dot com kindly gave me last year. Just finished Sisters of the Vast Black by Lina Rather which was an excellent science fiction adventure story about nuns in space who live on a giant slug. I’ve preordered the sequel which comes out next year."

I got a kick out of the nuns in space. I've preordered the sequel too.

[Chris K.]

I'm reading American Comics: A History by Jeremy Dauber. It's an excellent history American comics (so far). I'm only 50 pages in. No pictures though.

I'm also, still, slowly, reading House of Chains by Erikson.

[Ian (RebelGeek)]

Rob wrote: "I finished my reread of the Expanse just in time to start Leviathan Falls yesterday.

Enjoying it so far. I'm also glad I did the reread before getting into this because I had forgo..."

Did you read all the short stories & novellas too?
I just started LF & the only ones I skipped are the ones not available on audio. I'll probably read them eventually.

[Ian (RebelGeek)]

I recently finished The Last Graduate & A Spindle Splintered both were fantastic! 4 stars +
I'm planning to read Battle Ground this month after I finish the Expanse.

[Joseph]

For reasons I find hard to articulate, I just started The Crystal Shard, the first (in publication order) of R.A. Salvatore's roughly one million billion Drizzt books.

[Trike]

Ruth wrote: "My aim for December is to finish reading all the books I have owned for more than a year. I’m nearly there!
."

That sounds amazing. I could do that, too, if I read a book per day. And December were 227 days long.

[Rob, Roberator]

Ian (RebelGeek) wrote: "Did you read all the short stories & novellas too?"

Not this year because I read most of them last year. I managed to get them all from the library and had previously avoided them due to the cost/length ratio.

I will pick up Memory's Legion when it comes out though. I may redo all the stories at that point. I haven't decided.

Some are better than others, and most are skippable in terms of the larger story.

I think 2 most important ones are:

The Churn (which is also my favorite of the bunch) before reading Nemesis games
Strange Dogs before reading Tiamet's Wrath

All the others add some depth to the world/characters but don't really do any critical world building.

[Iain]

The The Witness for the Dead has helped give me my reading mojo book. This is just delightful.

Opera, mystery, .... So much fun.

[Ian (RebelGeek)]

The Churn is definitely the best!

[Ruth]

Iain wrote: "The The Witness for the Dead has helped give me my reading mojo book. This is just delightful.

Opera, mystery, .... So much fun."

Oo I have this waiting for me on my kindle (once I finish my personal challenge of reading everything I’ve owned for more than a year) looking forward to it!

[AndrewP]

Ruth wrote: "My aim for December is to finish reading all the books I have owned for more than a year. I’m nearly there!"

Would love to do that too, but for me, even a conservative estimate puts that at several hundred:)

[Tamahome]

69% into Pandora's Star. Just finished the "alien" chapter. Intense!

[Ruth]

Tamahome wrote: "69% into Pandora's Star. Just finished the "alien" chapter. Intense!"

Nice.

[Joseph]

... I know I have books on my shelves that I bought in the 1990s that I haven't read yet. Some might date earlier than that, even.

[Tassie Dave, S&L Historian]

Joseph wrote: "... I know I have books on my shelves that I bought in the 1990s that I haven't read yet. Some might date earlier than that, even."

My oldest TBR sitting on a shelf is from 1979

[Iain]

Tassie Dave wrote: "Joseph wrote: "... I know I have books on my shelves that I bought in the 1990s that I haven't read yet. Some might date earlier than that, even."

My oldest TBR sitting on a shelf is from 1979"

For a minute I thought 1879. Handfasted

[Trike]

Tassie Dave wrote: "Joseph wrote: "... I know I have books on my shelves that I bought in the 1990s that I haven't read yet. Some might date earlier than that, even."

My oldest TBR sitting on a shelf is from 1979"

I’ve got some homework from that year I’ve never gotten around to.

[Ruth]

Tassie Dave wrote: "Joseph wrote: "... I know I have books on my shelves that I bought in the 1990s that I haven't read yet. Some might date earlier than that, even."

My oldest TBR sitting on a shelf is from 1979"

If I owned books from 30-40 years ago I would simply read them before buying any new ones. RIP to your TBR but I’m different.

I’ve now started reading a dead tree edition of City of Lies by Sam Hawke that I bought back in April. It has a cover quote from Robin Hobb and that’s all the recommendations I need.

[Tassie Dave, S&L Historian]

Iain wrote: "For a minute I thought 1879.."

The book is from 1869. So you're not far off.

"War and Peace"

[Colin]

Apparently I joined Goodreads in Apr 2012, and I found I still had a couple of books I'd added to my TBR list in that month. It prompted me to have a bit of a clear out, but there's still some I'll probably never get to, and probably some paperback purchases that pre-date that and aren't even on the list.

[Jerimy]

Getting Ready to go Hiking in July, and trying to finish 100 books this year. In the interest of completing both goals I have read this month:
1. Survival 101
2. A Time to Keep Silence

Currently reading,
1. Hiking Safely in Grizzly Country

Plan to read:
1. Advanced Bushcraft
2. Rabid
3. A Christmas Carol

That puts me at 100 books for the year, covers hiking, and even honors Christmas. Good enough for me.

[John (Nevets)]

Jerimy wrote: "Getting Ready to go Hiking in July, and trying to finish 100 books this year. In the interest of completing both goals I have read this month:
1. Survival 101
2. A Time to Keep Silence

Currently ..."
So where are you planning on going hiking? And I take it from your reading list, it is a multi day backpacking trip?

[Ian (RebelGeek)]

John (Nevets) wrote: "So where are you planning on going hiking? And I take it from your reading list, it is a multi day backpacking trip?"

Or are you prepping for the apocalypse?

[Silvana]

Finished with Leviathan Falls - can't believe it's over. Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Continuing the Planetfall series with Before Mars

[Jerimy]

John (Nevets) wrote: "Jerimy wrote: "Getting Ready to go Hiking in July, and trying to finish 100 books this year. In the interest of completing both goals I have read this month:
1. Survival 101
2. A Time to Keep Sile..."

Yes, plan on hiking a 75-mile trail in Durango, Colorado. Can't be too prepared. You must hike? Which trail has been your favorite so far?

[Jerimy]

Ian (RebelGeek) wrote: "John (Nevets) wrote: "So where are you planning on going hiking? And I take it from your reading list, it is a multi day backpacking trip?"

Or are you prepping for the apocalypse?"

You're funny Ian. Not too worried about the apocalypse. The only book on my list for that would have been the Holy Bible.

[Tassie Dave, S&L Historian]

Jerimy wrote: "You're funny Ian. Not too worried about the apocalypse. The only book on my list for that would have been the Holy Bible."

That reminds me of Ricky Gervais' response when told the Bible was automatically part of his list of items he'd have if deserted on an island.

But I'm too much of a gentleman to repeat it 😉 (even though I agree with his sentiment and practicality)

[John (Taloni)]

Long time ago I read a great time travel book by L. Sprague de Camp. It stuck in the mind partly because it was so much better than anything else he wrote. I read plenty of his books but always thought of him as a second-level author.

Anyhoo, not being a D&D player I didn't know what Appendix N was until a few years ago. Realized that the book in question was indeed Lest Darkness Fall and tentatively targeted it for a reread. That time came recently.

Things I remembered well: The bloodthirsty almost-girlfriend, lots of Roman history, the endless struggle to keep the dark ages from coming. Also a distinct memory of a warrior saying "Ni, nist!" and refusing to do a strategic retreat.

Memory was good; those are all in there. What hit me more on a decades-later reread was the intricate plotting of historical events. That, and the quality construction of character, tho it did come off a bit dated.

In any event, this book stands up extremely well. I'm amazed that it was written in 1939. The book could have come out five years ago and sold well.

Also included in the volume I read were related followup works by Fred Pohl, SM Stirling, and David Drake. I can understand the desire to add on to such a quality work, but none of these followups are up to snuff. Of the three the one I can forgive is Pohl, as he wrote a straight-up exponential growth warning tale of the time common to that era's SF.

[John (Taloni)]

With that book read, none of my on-hold books were coming up. So I turned to an old standard: The St. Mary's time travel books. With some trepidation: Another Time, Another Place is the twelfth and last book published to date. Well, that and a bunch of shorts.

This one departs a bit from the formula. Big shakeups at St. Mary's. The time travel bit - Babylonia this time - ends early, then we go on to seemingly unrelated events. It all ties in well at the end but is somewhat slow getting there.

In the middle of the book I spotted the book of the month available at LA Public Library for a 7-day read. Thought about it but I hate to leave a book in the middle. And I didn't feel I could finish both in the 7 days, and considered the chance I'd need more than 7 just for that book. So I passed, but of course when I went looking for the same opportunity a few days later it had come and gone. Oh well.

As a result of which I decided to go on to several of the shorts, with the idea that when one of my Hold books comes in, I'll switch over. Thinking The Expanse might do surprise availability; that's fairly common with new books as people who recommended it might not quite be ready, so they delay their hold when the book arrives for them.

Just finished "The Very First Damn Thing" which is a prequel to all events in the series. It's okay if you know the characters already. Not much point otherwise.

[Trike]

John (Taloni) wrote: "Long time ago I read a great time travel book by L. Sprague de Camp. It stuck in the mind partly because it was so much better than anything else he wrote. I read plenty of his books but always tho..."

Hmm, I’m intrigued.

Turns out it’s available online for free: https://archive.org/details/Galaxy_Sc...

[John (Nevets)]

Jerimy wrote: "John (Nevets) wrote: "Jerimy wrote: "Getting Ready to go Hiking in July, and trying to finish 100 books this year. In the interest of completing both goals I have read this month:
1. Survival 101
..."
While I enjoy camping and going on day hikes, I've never gone on a long distance one like you are doing. I really do think our US national parks and forest are awesome to visit. While I was truly awestruck by the Grand Canyon, I think Glacier is the one I enjoyed visiting the most. But all that I've been to so far are completely beautiful. Personally I like getting away from crowds when I can, so I do like to get off the main tourist areas, or go at less popular times if I can. Enjoy your trip, that should be a great week.

[Iain]

John (Nevets) wrote: "Jerimy wrote: "John (Nevets) wrote: "Jerimy wrote: "Getting Ready to go Hiking in July, and trying to finish 100 books this year. In the interest of completing both goals I have read this month:
1...."

I prefer the British long distance hikes. Someone takes your bag to a and you walk between B&Bs daily. Nice bed and hot meals...

[John (Taloni)]

Triiiike! You've never read "Lest Darkness Fall"? Oh, do. Very much do.

Probably you'll be a little more offended that I was by some characterization that I just rolled my eyes at. Those bits represent a fairly small part, but I have to acknowledge they are there. Just remind yourself, written in 1939.

De Camp knew Roman history very well and my god does it show. You feel like you're there. Any big city library's Overdrive should have it. Do yourself a favor and read a clean copy. The one at the link is the book, yes, but in barely adequate PDF. Plus de Camp gave it a light polish for the novel release.

[Joseph]

Time for Streams of Silver.

[Trike]

Just started listening to Fan Fiction: A Mem-Noir: Inspired by True Events by Brent Spiner, read by him with Trek guest stars and I’ve already laughed out loud five times.

[Ruth]

Iain wrote: "John (Nevets) wrote: "Jerimy wrote: "John (Nevets) wrote: "Jerimy wrote: "Getting Ready to go Hiking in July, and trying to finish 100 books this year. In the interest of completing both goals I ha..."

I prefer the British long distance hikes. Someone takes your bag to a and you walk between B&Bs daily. Nice bed and hot meals...

And no rattlesnakes or bears!
I’d love to visit some of the US National Parks to see the Grand Canyon and all the other spectacular scenery, but the wildlife does scare me a bit...! Also I hate camping.

I’m currently reading my last book I’ve owned for more than a year, and it’s a non-fiction book: A Fistful of Shells: West Africa from the Rise of the Slave Trade to the Age of Revolution. Interesting if a little dense.

[Iain]

Ruth wrote: "Iain wrote: "John (Nevets) wrote: "Jerimy wrote: "John (Nevets) wrote: "Jerimy wrote: "Getting Ready to go Hiking in July, and trying to finish 100 books this year. In the interest of completing bo..."

The critters usually run away in Oz....

[Fazila]

Reading The Shadow Of The Gods by John Gwynne, The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams, The Wretched Of The Muirwood by Jeff Wheeler

[Seth]

Iain wrote: "The critters usually run away in Oz..."

I read Ruth's quote and immediately thought "at least it isn't Australia," so I guess everyone has a different perspective.

Anyway, if you don't like bigger wildlife, you can try the Eastern US. Shenandoah and the Smoky Mountains are both lovely, the New River Gorge is impressive, and Acadia is just great.

[Jerimy]

John (Nevets) wrote: "Jerimy wrote: "John (Nevets) wrote: "Jerimy wrote: "Getting Ready to go Hiking in July, and trying to finish 100 books this year. In the interest of completing both goals I have read this month:
1...."

Thanks, John, I hope it will be memorable. This will be my first long-distance hike. That's why my brother chose one of the shorter ones. I like hiking the day trails too. Usually only do 2-18 miles in a day, depending on how much time we have. Used to camp a lot when we were kids, but only camp once every few years now. Too many people at the campsites, and many dog owners don't clean up after their pets. I like to find old cattle trails and drive through the overgrowth to camp in a clearing by myself.

Take care