What Else Are You Reading in 2023? Showing 501-550 of 1,880

[Eric]

Completed What Happened in London. A four star prequel to Kim Watt's "Beaufort Mysteries." Also, a more serious side of Kim Watt. "London" provides background for Detective Inspector Adams and her startling case of missing children near a bridge on the Thames River. What lurks there....?

[Jan]

Legends & Lattes
3.5 stars. I liked it, but didn't love it as much as some other readers clearly do. Still, I get the hype. It definitely had a warm and cosy feel, and the characters were appealing.

[Phrynne]

The Sinister Booksellers of Bath by Garth Nix
A follow up to The Left Handed Booksellers of London and I found it just as good. I especially enjoyed an alternate Bath, and Merlin's cross dressing.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Meredith]

Recently I've read:

The Mimicking of Known Successes, by Malka Older, a sci-fi-mystery set on Jupiter. I thought it started slow, but the world-building was great and the mystery developed nicely.

Chaos on CatNet, by Naomi Kritzer. Sequel to Catfishing on Catnet which is on the group shelf. The characters are as endearing as in the first book and I thought the story was engaging with lots of action. I gave it 4 stars and I gave the first book only three stars.

[Sam]

Ubik was a very interesting and fun read with purely no frills, about psychic powers being utilized in corporate espionage, while cryonic technology allows recently deceased people to be maintained in a lengthy state of hibernation. What's funny about the edition I read is that, though originally published in 1969, the edition I read was published by Vintage Books over 20 years later, in December 1991, so the exact future setting at the time--1992, in June of that year--was very close, only six months from when this edition was first published. Most people didn't even realize by then that humanity had colonized the Moon and psychic powers were commonplace. Also, in that exact same year of 1992, Richard Pinhas released an album titled DWW featuring the tracks called "Ubik" and "The Joe Chip Song". Joe Chip is a debt-ridden technician and is the main protagonist of this.

This novel also relies on time travel, as Joe Chip, and the other protagonists, gradually find themselves moving into the past, eventually anchoring in August 1939, shortly after the outbreak of World War II. They experience shifts in reality. Many objects they come into contact with (especially cigarettes) are much older than they should be, some being older types of the same object, and are rapidly deteriorating. I know, it sounds really crazy, but it feels very realistic and disturbing. At the same time, they find themselves surrounded by "manifestations" of Glen Runciter, who is supposed to have been deceased; for example, his face appears on their money and cigar advertising. Glen Runciter, for those of you who don't know him, is in charge of a "prudence organization" employing "inertials"—people with the ability to negate the powers of telepaths and "precogs"—to enforce the privacy of clients.

The concept of 'half-life' was used in this novel, in which it is a form of cryonic suspension that allows the deceased limited consciousness and ability to communicate. The writer, Philip K. Dick, had done this before, in the 1963 novella What the Dead Men Say, in which death is followed by a period of 'half-life', in this case a short amount of time which can be rationed out over long periods in which the dead can be revived—so that, potentially, they can 'live' on for a long time. Ubik even re-uses a page of the novella verbatim.

There were several planned film adaptations of this novel. PKD's screenplay, for example, features numerous scenes that are not in the novel. Also, Cryo Interactive Entertainment released Philip K. Dick's Ubik, a tactical action/strategy video game very loosely based on the book.

So you have to ask yourself after reading this: is Glen Runciter really deceased? Or are the others deceased?

[Bobby]

Listened to most of "No Plan B: A Jack Reacher Novel" by Lee Child & Andrew Child in the car back and forth from Arizona to California. We have about 48 minutes left so I need to finish so I can count it as a read book. My wife is more into books like this - murder mysteries - so we listened to it during our drive together.

[Jan]

Phrynne wrote: "The Sinister Booksellers of Bath by Garth Nix
A follow up to The Left Handed Booksellers of London and I found it..."

GTK. I enjoyed the first book and intend to read this one too.

[Chris]

Sam wrote: "So you have to ask yourself after reading this: is Glen Runciter really deceased? Or are the others deceased?"

When I saw Inception, I was reminded of Ubik's ending.

[Araych]

The Labyrinth Index by Charles Stross

Laundry Files #9, strongly recommend reading series in order. Bob's gone and so is Mo. This one is narrated by Mhari who, as you remember, is the head vampire. One of the Old Gods has caused the USA to forget about the President and the creature who is now Prime Minister tasks Mhari to fix this. Stross's style is still dense and fascinating but I really miss Bob and Mo. 3 stars.

[Eric]

Completed The Crown Tower. This a prequel series to the Theft of Swords series, which I have not read. Three stars. Somewhat predictable until the end. I've started the second book, The Rose and the Thorn.

[Michelle]

Eric wrote: "Completed The Crown Tower. This a prequel series to the Theft of Swords series, which I have not read. Three stars. Somewhat pre..."

The series gets better as it goes.

[Eric]

Michelle wrote: "The series gets better as it goes."

I'll look forward to that. Just barely started The Rose and the Thorn. Thanks!

[Beth]

Since there's no chance I'll finish another book this month, here's my pathetic March roundup. We adopted a cat early this month, and he's a darling, but his health issues have made me all but non-functional when it comes to reading.

Book Girl and the Famished Spirit by Mizuki Nomura: a light novel series about a girl named Tohko who could be a goblin who eats books, or could be a rather odd ordinary girl who eats books. This book's conclusion didn't sit well with me, which is possibly a reflection on the novel it's loosely based on. (review)

Call Me Maybe by Cara Bastone: a short romance between a woman running an online business, and the call center employee who is assigned to her when she is having trouble with her website. Cute fluff. (review)

[ShooF]

Ascendant by Michael R Miller- got it for free on Amazon so rather than just download the sample I got the whole Book. Have to say that I'm enjoying it, well written & decent story line but with the caveat it's basically Eragon- better written than Eragon but as it was sort of the first with this storyline, any subsequent attempts are inevitably going to be compared.

[S]

A Memory of Things to Come - James Islington. Love his work.

[Alexandra]

I just finished Crimsy: A near-future sci fi adventure, a hard sci-fi dealing with the discovery of life on Mars. I won the book in a giveaway on StoryGraph ;) It was flawed (dry prose, the pacing was off at times, and I did not like some of the narrative choices), but I did like some parts of it. My review is here :)

Currently reading: The Time Traveller's Guide to Elizabethan England. I am enjoying it as much as the first book in the series, The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century, this is a great way of exploring fascinating historical periods.

[Gary]

I finished reading The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer by Neal Stephenson. It is about a nanotech future set in Shanghai. I am reading The Tommyknockers by Stephen King. It’s a science fiction horror novel about something changing people in the Maine town of Haven into something not human. I plan to read The Human Division by John Scalzi. It is the fifth book in the Old Man’s War series.

[Brett]

Pleasantly surprised by The Cruel Prince, so I'm starting in on The Wicked King.

[Kaia]

I just finished Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohammed. It was a very different take on the "three wishes" concept and has so much depth and things to think about. I'm not a graphic novel reader generally, but I really enjoyed this one. Content warning (edited to add some things I missed in my initial post): (view spoiler)[there is a section where one of the characters is struggling with depression, and it is very realistic. There is also child death, domestic abuse, imprisonment, and cancer. None of these are graphic or gratuitous, though. (hide spoiler)]

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

I was also surprised by Cruel Prince! Curious what you'll think of book 2.

Kaia this sounds like my exact cup of tea, thanks for bringing it to our attention

[Rachel]

Oh I’ve just started Shubiek after convincing the library to buy it!

[Jason]

Doctor Who: Vengeance of the Stones


A short one, but I'm really enjoying my most recent dive into the Whoniverse!

[CBRetriever]

finally finished Ancient Light, sequel to Golden Witchbreed by Mary Gentle which was over 700 pages. I didn't like this as much as the first book as it seemed to be battle after battle...

[Tamara]

I picked up The Golden Enclaves, last in The Scholomance series by Naomi Novik, and Daughter of the Moon Goddess, by Sue Lynn Tan, at the library - both books I wanted to read! This is nice. They've been busy for a while, and it's a treat that they were both in at the same time.
Hopefully I haven't deprived any high school students of their hoped-for holiday reading... (2 weeks of school holidays are starting)

[Michelle]

I finished the Saxon Tales HF series tonight with War Lord. What a good book! And whew, I was so relieved at the ending. I was really worried how things would turn out. Thanks @Mindy for your keeping your fingers crossed for me 😄

[Michelle]

Tamara wrote: "I picked up The Golden Enclaves, last in The Scholomance series by Naomi Novik, and Daughter of the Moon Goddess, by Sue Lynn Tan, at the library - both books I wanted to read! This is nice. They'v..."

They can pick up some Sarah J. Maas in the meantime, Tamara!

[Tesseract]

Kaia wrote: "I just finished Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohammed. It was a very different take on the "three wishes" concept and has so much depth and things to think about. I'm not a graphic novel..."

that sounds so interesting! going on my to-read list.

[Meredith]

Kaia wrote: "I just finished Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohammed. It was a very different take on the "three wishes" concept and has so much depth and things to think about. I'm not a graphic novel..."

I'm so pleased my library has this and now it's on my TBR for a soon-ish read. Thanks for the recommendation!

[Christopher]

I've started a thread for an April short story read here. It's "The Douen" by Suzan Palumbo.

This is a horror story from the Dark Magazine that was recently nominated for the 2022 Nebula Award for best short story.

They say April showers bring May flowers. Not sure what April horror brings, but hopefully an interesting discussion!

[Ryan, Your favourite moderators favourite moderator]

Nice! I'll read this during the sportsball break.

[Colin]

Went back to MG for a bit with The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There by Catherynne Valente. This is the second in the series of 12 year-old (now thirteen) September's adventures in Fairyland. As with the first book, it is sweet, whimsical, and full of lessons about growing up and relying on yourself. (For example, a brief scene showing September learning how to negotiate was great.) A good book for everyone, but especially if you have young kids to read it with (or to).

[Sam]

I think I oughta be ready for Player One. I've been reading a lot of PKD these early months of 2023, so maybe I should also immerse myself in the amusement park world of Ready Player One this April.

[Sam]

I've been hearing about Ready Player One a lot, especially now that there's a film and a sequel, so I oughta look into it this month.

[Sam]

Childhood's End was a very amazing read! I liked how it talked about the sentience of life in space and the future. I was prompted to read it because, if you've probably seen Fast Times @ Ridgemont High, the book I noticed that Arnold is holding while talking to Brad about working at All-American Burger is Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke.



This is the edition he is carrying: the 1976 Ballantine paperback edition.



Overall, the book was a very awesome read! Clarke is a true genius!

[Dj]

Sam wrote: "Childhood's End was a very amazing read! I liked how it talked about the sentience of life in space and the future. I was prompted to read it because, if you've probably seen Fast Tim..."

Whoa, Dude, that is Gnarly.

[Beth]

I did manage to squeak in one last "read" in March: the Audible Original How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps. The characters in this story live in a world much like a video game, including character classes and leveling up. This is basically a long riff on "The Legend of Zelda" series, with not-exactly-oblique references to other Japanese video games along the way. Inventive, cute and insubstantial. (review)

[Jason]

Legends & Lattes

Didn't think I'd ever be reading a fantasy book about an orc opening a coffee shop and enjoying it, but here we are!

[Brett]

"Allison Hurd I was also surprised by Cruel Prince! Curious what you'll think of book 2."

I didn't like it as much as book one - Jude seems to have lost some brain cells since last time - but I'm intrigued enough to have checked out The Queen of Nothing today.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

hahaha that was basically my thought too ^^ Tell us how Queen of Nothing is though :)

[Marc]

Just read Samuel R Delany's Empire Star. very very short book, a hair over 90 pages of hmmm... Set in the future, way in the future, simplex, complex, multiplex, as I got to the end, I can see where it was going, but I'm going to have to let that one sit for a bit, then re-read it! anyhoo, I'm flipping the book over and reading babel-17 (got a version of the book that one side is empire star, flip it over and it's babel-17.

[Michelle]

I'm about a quarter of the way through The Malevolent Seven and I'm really enjoying it! What a despicable cast of characters- they're hilarious!

[Brett]

Thoroughly enjoyed the Folk of the Air trilogy. Gonna tackle another series and some nonfiction before I (maybe) continue with the companion pieces.

Starting on Medical Apartheid. This is why I prefer my fiction to be on the lighter side.

[Brett]

"Lighter side" in this case is The Dragon Republic. It's been a few years since I read The Poppy War, and the wiki synopsis is minimalist, but some of it is coming back to me. I don't like to reread, but it would've been helpful here.

Medical Apartheid is horrifying, as expected.

[Araych]

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

First in the Murderbot series. Short (150 pages) space opera told from the perspective of a partially self-aware security android. Very entertaining, I liked it a lot. 4 stars.

[Alexandra]

Araych wrote: "All Systems Redby Martha Wells

First in the Murderbot series. Short (150 pages) space opera told from the perspective of a partially self-aware security android..."

Murderbot rules! I love this series, I am now waiting (impatiently, I might add) for book 7 :)

[Colin]

I've been reading through MARS COLONIES: Plans for Settling the Red Planet, edited by Frank Crossman. This is not fiction in the sense that it's not a story. In 2018, the Mars Society held a contest for a plan to set up a 1000-person, self-sustaining settlement on Mars. This book collects the 22 best entries. The detail in some of them, especially the engineering and chemistry, is amazing. This is not light reading; it's everything from the selection of the landing site to building the structures to running the society and economy. If you are drawn to Mars, world-building (literally), or engineering (chemical, mechanical, electrical, and nuclear), you should enjoy this.

[Dj]

Colin wrote: "I've been reading through MARS COLONIES: Plans for Settling the Red Planet, edited by Frank Crossman. This is no..."

That does sound interesting.

[Dj]

Where the Iron Crosses Grow: The Crimea 1941–44

A strong entry into a region of WWII that doesn't get as much coverage as some other areas. Crimea as a whole makes for a fairly isolated campaign field and even with sometimes uneven access to resources, it can be told more fully than some of the battles that took place in the old Soviet Union. The author takes a different view of the battles in Crimea than Manistein does. In fact, without being harshly critical his writing makes it fairly clear that he doesn't have quite the same view as many others about the Field Marshall. The book covers the whole war in Crimea which is very refreshing. In general, very few individuals come out with a really good reputation for their leadership in these battles.

Overall the book is jammed packed with information and is well worth the effort to read.

[Dj]

Silent Victory: The U.S. Submarine War Against Japan

This book can double as a weight training aide. A massive telling of the US Navy's submarine efforts, mostly in the Pacific. At first, it seems to take into account every patrol and each and every torpedo fired. If falls out of that habit fairly quickly which is a good thing otherwise the book may have been three to four times as long. I am sure that there are those out there who would find this book a riveting read, but I am not one of them. Don't get me wrong, this is an amazing book that is filled with information that is well worth the effort to grind through if you must. It is also a great way to help induce some sleep from time to time.

It is also very good at showing the difference between reported numbers and those calculated after the fact by officials looking at Japanese records. A good book as a resource and one that shows just how important the submarine force was to victory over the Japanese.

[Colin]

Dj wrote: " Silent Victory: The U.S. Submarine War Against Japan

This book can double as a weight training aide. A massive..."

While I have not read the tome above, for those interested in WWII submarine warfare, I would strongly suggest Hellions of the Deep: The Development of American Torpedoes in World War II by Robert Gannon. This details the development - often the less-than-successful attempt to develop- torpedoes for the US submarine fleet. On p. 91, you can find an excerpt from the log of the USS Tinosa (July 24, 1943) which records firing 15 (not a typo) mark 14 torpedoes that hit a tanker without effect. After the eleventh, the log notes, "I find it hard to convince myself that I saw this." A terrific look at the behind-the-scenes reality.
The book is well-written, easy to read, and only 203 pages. Excellent book and worth reading.