SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
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What Else Are You Reading?
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What Else Are You Reading in 2022?
I am reading book 2 of the Frontlines series by Marko Kloos, Lines of Departure. I'm glad the MC finally visited his mother ;)
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Did you mean because Crouch is formulaic or because his books are not heavy duty, intense science fiction?
..."
I meant no disrespect, just that he seems to have cracked the code of making fast paced stories that bring in audiences from both sides of the genre lines.
Allison wrote: "Woman Reading wrote: "Allison wrote: "it's for sure popular! Crouch is like the Patterson of science fiction"I meant no disrespect, just that he seems to have cracked the code of making fast paced stories that bring in audiences from both sides of the genre lines."
In general, I try to maintain a long fuse when reading comments online. I was just curious because while Patterson is really popular in crime fiction, he is not among my favorite writers. He's unusual because he "subcontracts" to a certain degree in order to publish so frequently -> 23 titles published in 2021!! And since I can feel that kind of factory line production in his novels, I'm not his biggest fan.
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pretty much the same as Patterson - early books good, later books formulaicbut I dislike Patterson having TV ads for his books
Earlier this year I finished a book called The Lake of Dead Languages. I really liked it. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Took a short break from reading (fishing/camping in Idaho), but I'm back! finished Ann Leckie's Ancilliary series, so... I finally have some of Lois McMaster Bujold's World of the Five Gods series, so, starting with Hallowed hunt, then Penric's Progress. Still gotta buy other books in the series, but at least I can start working my way to Paladin of Souls...
Just started
by A.G. Slatter.Read her story collection,
, some years ago and enjoyed it. This novel is set in the same world as several of the stories in that collection. So far, fairy tale-ish, but also a Gothic feel. Like those stories, set in a somewhat indeterminate past with Victorian overtones, with hints of magic.
I love Slatter's work set in the Bitterwood world! My favorite is Of Sorrow and Such, but I haven't read anything from her that I disliked. I'm reading through her short fiction very slowly, one story at a time when I have just the right amount of time, based on how long my Kindle app estimates it'll take me to read the next one.And of course if you like The Path of Thorns, don't forget her other novel All the Murmuring Bones :)
Anna wrote: "And of course if you like The Path of Thorns, don't forget her other novel All the Murmuring Bones :)."In Mount TBR. The premise of Path just appealed to me more in the moment.
If you like Slatter, have you read Theodora Goss' short fiction? The stories in her collection, In the Forest of Forgetting, sound similar notes for me, as do the stories in Kelly Barnhill's Dreadful Young Ladies and Other Stories.
I have Goss and Barnhill on my TBR, but haven't read from them yet. I think I've read something by Goss in a short fic magazine, but nothing that's by her specifically. Possibly Barnhill, too, but I'm less sure of that :Dedit: typo
Finished two fractured (retold better) fairy tales,
The Raven and the Reindeer and
Bryony and Roses, both by T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon). Loved both of them! If you like fairy tales, particularly re-done ones with better characters, these books are for you. The first skewers The Snow Queen, with a Gerta who is tougher, more steadfast, and smarter than she thinks she is. The second does a terrific job with Beauty and the Beast, givng it a dark mystery that holds to the end. In Bryony, we have a heroine who - dare I say - wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty when a thorny problem a-rose. (I probably should duck . . .)
Anna wrote: "Good puns are always welcome! :D"Good puns are ambrosia to my ears
In the middle of Emperor Mollusk versus The Sinister Brain and I can say for sure that A. Lee Martinez is not Patterson or Grisham and probably not sane.
Guilty pleasure of mine is a Grisham thriller - they are just so good.Another pleasure of mine, that most people in my circle of friends and family don't understand, is Pratchett. Just finished
Another fast paced thriller of a different sort.
Anna wrote: "I have Goss and Barnhill on my TBR, but haven't read from them yet. I think I've read something by Goss in a short fic magazine, but nothing that's by her specifically. Possibly Barnhill, too, but I'm less sure of that"I had to come back to confess that I've actually read The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill. I didn't remember I'd read it, but I've rated it four stars so I must've liked it? It was almost five years ago, and we've all lived several lifetimes since then!
I picked up Upgrade from the bookshop a couple of days ago. Still got A Master of Djinn sitting beside me though. Haven’t had a chance to read it lately. Been exhausted and can’t see too well when I’m that tired. We’ve been travelling heaps and then my father in law (who I used to look after full time for 7 1/2 years) had a stroke last Friday and passed away yesterday so it’s been a bit more hectic this week. It sucks but it is what it is. He was 94. Also Chessie I’m going to Portland in November. Where’s a good place/area to stay? We’re catching the train from Vancouver to Seattle and then a train to Portland.
I just finished the three book series ending with
The Burning God. A fantasy world and conflicts based on the Sino-Japanese wars. Battle after battle. Treachery and cruelty abound. Three stars.
Jacqueline, I'm sorry about your father-in-law!
Jacqueline wrote: "I picked up Upgrade from the bookshop a couple of days ago. Still got A Master of Djinn sitting beside me though. Haven’t had a chance to read it lately. Been exhausted and can’t see too well when ..."I've stayed at the Jupiter Hotel, The Society Hotel (downtown) and a few by the Airport. Jupiter and Society are quirky and a lot of the Society rooms share a bathroom down the hall with other rooms. The Society is near a lot of homeless people now. If you don't like that idea, stay out near the airport and there are trains going into downtown and the public transport in Portland is pretty good.
@ Jacqueline - try to stay in the Pearl or in Northwest PDX. Lots of good food and other things there and, of course, Powells. I've stayed at the DeLuxe which is fun and kind of old Hollywood in decor.
Rick wrote: "@ Jacqueline - try to stay in the Pearl or in Northwest PDX. Lots of good food and other things there and, of course, Powells. I've stayed at the DeLuxe which is fun and kind of old Hollywood in de..."The Jupiter is on Burnside just a bus ride away from Powells and had good good nearby
Jacqueline wrote: "I picked up Upgrade from the bookshop a couple of days ago. Still got A Master of Djinn sitting beside me though. Haven’t had a chance to read it lately. Been exhausted and can’t see too well when ..."Sorry to hear about your Dad. depending on what you're looking for there are a number of very nice, but somewhat spendy places downtown within transit distance of the Train Station. I have heard the Benson is a very nice place. I have never stayed there, but then I live in west side Portland out by Tannesborn. Although on the plus side for members of the group it is within walking distance of Powell's City of Books.
I've finally finished rereading through Magicien : Le Mage by Raymond E. Feist, a book I originally read some 15-20 years ago and was rereading in French as practice. That said, I think I'll lay off that for a while as, while it is good practice, it takes forever to get through a story and it's rather draining.Plus there's some stuff on my list to get to.
Locklands by Robert Jackson Bennett is next on the list. Book 3 of The Founders Trilogy, I really enjoyed the main character in this story and look forward to finishing this next.
I also still have to get to the last book in the Liveship Traders trilogy by Robin Hobb, and I've been meaning to continue the Shadows of the Apt series by Adrian Tchaikovsky after having read its first book Empire in Black and Gold some time ago, so those two are probably next after.
Just finished A Prayer for the Crown-Shy which is as good as the first book. Too short though and the ending kind of happens with no warning! Always a shock when you are reading on a kindle.My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Phrynne wrote: "Just finished A Prayer for the Crown-Shy which is as good as the first book. Too short though and the ending kind of happens with no warning! Always a shock when you are reading on ..."I have read it as well and liked it as well.
CBRetriever wrote: ".... but I dislike Patterson having TV ads for his books"When I went to London, I was bemused to find ads for books in big posters in the subway stations and tunnels, and other places. That never happens here! It seems the English give books a bit higher respect, or at least popularity, than we do. It seems similar to TV ads. Since books are so differently advertised here, it would seem especially out of place to see a TV ad for them. Do you think that might be why, or is it more than that? I don't read Patterson's or any other crime novels, so I have no idea. I just thought of that interesting experience when I saw your comment.
I got The Midnight Library! It's really hard to get at the libraries here, being so popular. It was on a display (with a 'library' theme 😊) when I went the other day, so I grabbed it.
Tamara wrote: "I got The Midnight Library! It's really hard to get at the libraries here, being so popular. It was on a display (with a 'library' theme 😊) when I went the other day, so I grabbed it."Loved that book! Enjoy:)
I haven’t found A Prayer for the Crown Shy in my travels yet. I don’t have an Amazon account or a kindle so I have to find it at a shop somewhere. Part of the fun of reading for me is the hunt for the books out in the wild. I’ve given Hubby all the names you’ve given me and he can look to see what’s available. He knows me well and had already sudsed out where Powells is lol Should be a good trip. Disneyland for his 60th and then San Diego (daughter wants to go to Sea World and the Zoo with our granddaughter). Then Vancouver, Seattle and Portland before San Fran (again because we didn’t get to do everything we wanted there in 2014) and then home. Then September next year we’re heading back to the States and going to Maine, New Hampshire and upstate New York and all that area for Autumn after 3 weeks in the UK and a trip on the Queen Mary 2. It’s time for some travelling.
Sounds like a wonderful trip, Jacqueline! I hope you end up with a suitcase full of books. I’ve see book trailers on YouTube, Michelle, which are like TV commercials come movie trailer but for books!
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I don't like it when authors use naivety to represent difference in species. At least not in such overwhelming doses. More time needs to be spent thinking about the nonhumans existence separate to anything else.
You talk about more homeless in that area now Chessie…I’ve noticed more and more homeless with each trip to the US. Been 4 times between 2013 and 2016 and it’s just getting worse. It is here too. Hubby has booked a hotel but it’s not in the city. It’s somewhere between the airport and the city on a train/tram or something line. A red line of some kind. No idea. Some sort of Hilton one near a big square park looking thing.
We’ve booked everywhere now. Just looking for a hotel in Sydney for before we go. We have our sons wedding on the Friday before we leave so we have to find somewhere near there and then move to the airport the night before we fly out. Fun times.
Jacqueline wrote: "You talk about more homeless in that area now Chessie…I’ve noticed more and more homeless with each trip to the US. Been 4 times between 2013 and 2016 and it’s just getting worse. It is here too. ..."
That's a good choice then. That train goes directly to downtown
We’re coming in by train from Seattle (actually using the train/bus to get from Vancouver to Seattle as well because there’s only so much you can see from 30,000 feet) and out by plane to go to San Fran so it seemed easy to get to by train and then easy to get to the plane. When we toured Italy we made sure we were near public transport. We travelled the country by their super fast trains so we mostly stayed near the big stations and went from there. I’m really looking forwards to this trip as I have lost around 105lbs (48kg) and I can actually walk this time. Sightseeing can be a bit of a chore when you’re 266lbs with shot knees and ankles and a husband who makes you walk for miles. I don’t know what it was that made me want to go to Portland, Seattle and Vancouver above everywhere else in the US. Especially in November. I follow Laini Taylor on Insta and she posts so many photos and it looks lovely and it’s so close to Mt St Helens and there is a Portland near where I grew up. Lots of little things I suppose. We usually go to places that have the same names as where we’ve lived. In England we went to Gloucester, Stroud and Stratford because we were living at one stage in Gloucester here. Didn’t even realise that Stratford was Shakespeare’s birthplace until we got there. Anyhoo…
if you have a chance take one of the tours that go up the Columbia Gorge - the waterfalls there are spectacular. The Japanese Garden is good too. And it's supposed to be cooling down by Monday.
I finished my re-read of Hawk last night, and it was highly enjoyable. After that, I read a short book, kind of like book 2.5 in the Mennik Thorn series: Strange Cargo, and that was fun. Now I'm rereading book 4 of Bernard Cornwell's series, Sharpe's Trafalgar. The last is good timing since I have been in the mood for a seafaring tale after the last club poll, and this one has a massive naval battle.
Thanks, Phrynne 😊. I'm looking forward to it.Jacqueline - I lived in Portland (the Oregon one) when I was little. Beaverton, specifically, which is apparently kind of an add-on or separate city to Portland. US city-definitions/terminology confuses me. We could see Mt St Helens.
I’m really looking forwards to going there Tamara. I loved the Midnight Library too. I really like all of the books Matt Haig has written that I’ve read.
Rest of my July reads (most again for popsugar prompts, that's why there are some unusual for me books in the list)Eve by Anna Carey, a "handmaid's tale" for the cheap was absolutely meh. So meh in fact that I can't recall the details, even though it is just a week ago that I finished it. But I didn't find any other palindromic title that I hadn't already read and where I had access to.
Songs in Ursa Major by Emma Brodie got a good 3.5 stars from me. A story about a girl musician in the 60ies who wants to build her career and slams head first in the misogynous world of the music industry.
Beartown by Fredrik Backman was one of those finds I'm hoping for while going through one strange book after the other. I would never have picked up a book about ice hockey, yet I found it on a list for the party prompt and it was available on storytel.
The party is only a chapter in the book, but the linchpin of the tale of several inhabitants of a small town that lives on and for its ice hockey club. Each of them has to decide whether they go for loyalty or for what's right. Super intense character drawing and development, absolutely beautiful prose. A fantastic book about a small town falling apart.
With the group I've read Solaris by Stanisław Lem (see BotM thread)
And I've finally finished The Expanse series by James S.A. Corey with Leviathan Falls. For me the last book was better than the several that came before because it finally gave more time to the question of the alien culture. I was waiting for this the whole series through and mainly got military SF with humans fighting humans. I cannot join the hype, but I've read it.
For August I make a break in popsugar and join Releasathon, a bingo challenge for just 2022 releases. Looks like fun.
Jacqueline wrote: "You talk about more homeless in that area now Chessie…I’ve noticed more and more homeless with each trip to the US. Been 4 times between 2013 and 2016 and it’s just getting worse. It is here too. ..."
The Red Line is a light rail that runs from the airport into the City. A very handy way to get around. The Mass Transit in Portland is very good.
Do you have to have a special card loaded with money to get around on Portland public transport or can you still use cash? Most places make you use a special tap and go card. I still have mine from LA and London (Oyster card) and I have my Opal card from Sydney. You’ve got to have a Go card in Brisbane. Sorry about not talking reading Alison and Anna but I am going to read whatever I buy at Powells. There would be quite a few books I can’t get access to over here that I can find in the US.
Jacqueline wrote: "Do you have to have a special card loaded with money to get around on Portland public transport or can you still use cash? Most places make you use a special tap and go card. I still have mine from..."you can buy tickets at the station or a card
Jacqueline wrote: "Do you have to have a special card loaded with money to get around on Portland public transport or can you still use cash? Most places make you use a special tap and go card. I still have mine from..."I have a card, but you can still use cash.
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Did you mean because Crouch is formulaic or because his books are not heavy duty, intense science fiction?
My library had categorized Crouch's novels as general fiction, not in sci-fi (granted, there's much less shelf room in that section).