What Else Are You Reading in 2023? Showing 801-850 of 1,880

[Colin]

Just read What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher. This is a reimagined Fall of the House of Usher with a dash of Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic to go with the Poe. It is cute-scary in a way that won't keep you up at night and makes for a great read on a quiet holiday afternoon. As always, her prose and characterizations are terrific. If light fantasy or magical realism stirred with a dose of horror is for you, try this one. It may even conjure up a song (apologies to Simon and Garfunkel): (view spoiler)[ Oh, Mycelia, I'm down on my knees, I'm begging you please . . . (hide spoiler)] Couldn't resist.

[Alexandra]

Colin wrote: "Just read What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher. This is a reimagined Fall of the House of Usher with a dash of Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic..."

Wonderful! I adore T. Kingfisher, but I have yet to read this one :)

[Michelle]

Colin wrote: "Just read What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher. This is a reimagined Fall of the House of Usher with a dash of Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic..."

Colin I'm going to have Simon and Garfunkel in my head for days now.

[DivaDiane]

LOL, Colin!

[Brett]

Every Man A Hero, Ray Lambert. Combat medic's memoir of Africa, Sicily, and D-Day (Omaha). Reading it for Memorial Day, and to kick off a WW2 binge.

[Brett]

In keeping with the WW2 theme: Damn Lucky, Kevin Maurer, about John Luckadoo, 100th BG, 8th Army Air Force, during 1943... which was hazardous to one's health.

[Michelle]

I just began reading Midshipman's Hope which has been in my TBR pile for ages. I *ahem* hope that it's a good one.

[DivaDiane]

Oh wow, Michelle, Midshipman’s Hope has been on my physical TBR for probably 25 years. It was recommended, but then I never think I like military SF much, so I’m never moved to read it. Now that I think about it, though, I usually do enjoy them when I read them. Let us know how it is!

[Jacqueline]

Hoping to start Witch King by Martha Wells. Picked it up today.

[Phrynne]

Jacqueline wrote: "Hoping to start Witch King by Martha Wells. Picked it up today."

Enjoy that one!!!

[Michelle]

DivaDiane wrote: "Oh wow, Michelle, Midshipman’s Hope has been on my physical TBR for probably 25 years. It was recommended, but then I never think I like military SF much, so I’m never moved to read it. Now that I ..."

I will! It's pretty good so far.

[Kirsten]

I've been listening to Doing Time by Jodi Taylor. Loving it! So hilarious!!

[Kirsi]

I'm in the mood for urban fantasy, so Magic Burns it is!

It's also been a while since I last read T. Kingfisher, so I'm also getting started with Bryony and Roses and, to nobody's surprise, I'm loving it already.

[CBRetriever]

I just finished The Birthgrave by Tanith Lee and then started on Shadowfire which is the second book in the trilogy. Totally different books. The first one had a female main character and she's pretty powerful with special powers. The second one is like reading a Conan story. Slow reading for the first and fast for the second.

[Eric]

Completed, Gobbelino London and a Menace of Mermaids. Another four star, whimsical romp by Kim M. Watt. This time, down to the sea we go. According to Watt, this tale will be followed shortly by the final book seven.

The more improbable Watt becomes, the more normal are her imaginative fantasies.

[Sarah]

Georgann wrote: "Well blow me over with a feather! I somehow hopped to the front of the line and my book came in yesterday!!"

Wonderful news, Georgann! I'm so glad one came through for you and I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. :)

[Sarah]

Kaia wrote: "I also just finished On Fragile Waves by E. Lily Yu. "

This was one of my absolute favorite books I read in 2022. I'm so glad to read that you enjoyed it as well, Kaia. It was such a sad, beautiful, moving story.

ETA: Kaia, have you read The Map of Salt and Stars? It reminds me of Fragile Waves. Another difficult, magical story about war, refugees, immigrants, persistence. Highly recommend, especially if you loved On Fragile Waves.

[Sarah]

Becky wrote: "...after I finish these Grady Hendrix books I have on deck in preparation for a signing I'm going to, that's my plan. Full series re-read. Woo!! :D

I read The Final Girl Support Group last year and thought it was so much fun and cleverly meta - I really enjoyed the 80s horror movie tie-ins - grew up watching many of those in middle school, when my friend and I would rent them from our local Blockbuster. :) I don't think her mom realized what we were checking out...

[Kaia]

Sarah wrote: "ETA: Kaia, have you read The Map of Salt and Stars? It reminds me of Fragile Waves. Another difficult, magical story about war, refugees, immigrants, persistence..."

Thanks for the recommendation, Sarah! That definitely sounds like one I would like - I’ve added it to my TBR list.

[Alexandra]

Kirsi wrote: "It's also been a while since I last read T. Kingfisher, so I'm also getting started with Bryony and Roses an..."

I've also read Bryony and Roses a few months ago, and loved it :)))

[Jessica]

I finished a couple of good horror-sci fi/fantasy reads. Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant (aka Seanan McGuire) is enjoyable creature horror about a joint scientific-tv expedition sent to the Marianas Trench to hunt for mermaids. And American Elsewhere by Robert Jackson Bennett is Lovecraft-inspired horror about an ex-cop who inherits a house in a small town in New Mexico that isn't on any map. She goes looking for answers about her mother, who worked at the mysterious government laboratory on the mesa above the town, and finds more than she bargained for (and yes, there are creatures with tentacles).

[Jan]

I finished Tuyo and enjoyed it. An interesting and original fantasy world to become immersed in. Well worth the read, and I will read more in the series.

[Michelle]

Jan wrote: "I finished Tuyo and enjoyed it. An interesting and original fantasy world to become immersed in. Well worth the read, and I will read more in the series."

Oh, good!

[Ozsaur]

Gods of Blood and Bone - loving the world building. Also enjoying how the main character is changing over the course of the novel.

[Beth]

Another light reading month. Oh well. At least I eye read something, even though it was very short. :)

A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn. The second of two books I read in quick-ish succession about an adventurous woman and set in Victorian England. This one had some emotional moments, but on the whole was a fun, sometimes tawdry romp. (review)

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers: an itinerant monk and a robot on a road trip. Nice scenery and a light tone made this a good read for a holiday weekend. (review)

also: 14 manga volumes. Feel free to browse my "manga" shelf if you're at all interested in what I've been reading in this category. :)

[Sam]

To top off my PKD reading experience for spring 2023, I have finished Lies, Inc. (AKA The Unteleported Man). The edition I read was the new edition containing missing pages.

This particular book has an interesting and unusual publishing history compared to other novels by Dick I have read. The story originally appeared in Fantastic Magazine in 1964. The story rights were then bought by Ace Books but Dick's subsequent revisions to bring the manuscript up to novel-length were rejected and the original story was published two years later, as part of one of those ever-present Ace Double original paperbacks.

Years later, in 1983 the expanded story was published by Berkley Books. Dick had been revising the material to include his original 1963 expansions (some pages of the 1963 manuscript were missing, leading to continuity problems), before his sudden death in 1982, leaving the revision incomplete. The original story was published, with Dick's revisions, as Lies, Inc. The missing pages were found and published in the Philip K. Dick Society Newsletter #8 from 1985. In 2004 a new edition of Lies, Inc was published which included the found pages--in other words, that's the version I just read.

This book is about a future in which a one-way teleportation technology called "telpor", making star-cruising obsolete, encourages 40 million people to emigrate to a colony on a planet in the Fomalhaut star system, having similarities to our world, which advertisingese shows as a lush green utopia; however, as it is a one-time venture, the only means of returning is an eighteen-year starship journey. This expanded version I have read includes a new first chapter and about one hundred pages of additional exposition, all the previously unpublished material beginning at Chapter 8.

No wonder this book was poorly received by the Goodreads community, but I think it was an interesting read nonetheless.

[Bobby]

Started “The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch” in my PKD LOA collection. Was kind of dreading starting it because the first story in the collection was not my favorite. But so far I like the second one.

[Michelle]

I just finished Midshipman's Hope and liked it enough to buy the sequel. Excellent characterization! By the end of the book I had a hard time putting it down.

[Mathew]

Halfway through . It's a finger crushing sized book!

[Colin]

Read All the Horses of Iceland by Sarah Tolmie, a short, engaging historical fantasy about the travels to Asia of Eyvind, a Norse trader in the 8th century, and the Mare with No Name he brings back. The prose is tight and reminiscent of the sagas in English translation. Fun to read. Recommended to those who like historical fantasy, magical realism, and important animal characters. Don't be fooled by the title - this is fantasy.

[Brett]

Peter Hart's Burning Steel, about the British tank regiment 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry in western Europe, WW2. He'd mostly done Great War subjects until recently, but this was the completion of a long term review of hundreds of hours of interviews with veterans in the mid-1990s (all available online with the Imperial War Museum). It's *brutal*.

[Stephen]

Brett wrote: "Peter Hart's Burning Steel, about the British tank regiment 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry in western Europe, WW2. He'd mostly done Great War subjects until recently, but this was the completion of a..."

I read Hart’s The Somme a few years ago. I was just looking for a good overview of the battle and it seemed to meet the need.

[Georgann]

Meredith wrote: "Catching up on a few recent-ish reads.

The Light Brigade, by Kam Hurley. I enjoyed (mostly) following the bendy-time travel aspect of the story and Hurley's social commentary was w..."
Just an FYI: I found a play list on Spotify for The Ballad of Perilous Graves that I really enjoyed, since I was unfamiliar with much of the music mentioned.

[Marc]

Finished CJ Cherryh's Rimrunners, part of her merchanter universe. It's pretty much about the story of Elizabeth 'Bet' Yeager, a ship mechanic (and former marine) abandoned on a space station, as she tries to get onto another ship, and on success, trying to fit in. A good story...

Now, reading David Brin's final? part of his uplift universe. Apparently there are 6 books, books 2 and 3 winning Hugos. In this universe, literally all but one sentient star-faring race has been 'uplifted' by other sentient races, where a race might find a species on other planets who show promise in sentience, and uplift them, kinda like how we uplifted dogs from wolves, only instead of just breeding, they can also modify them genetically. An uplifted race is indentured to the race that uplifted them for a long time period, but once that period ends, they become peers to the other races. That is, until humans uplifted not only themselves, but also uplifted chimpanzees and dolphins, a big no-no! Anyhoo, book 4 is set on a planet that previously housed a star-faring race but was then deliberately abandoned kinda like how a farmer might let a plot of land go fallow, don't plant anything and let the land rejuvenate so sometime later, re-cultivate. All peer races agreed to leave the planet alone. but some races-in-exile have been living there trying to not draw attention to themselves, and basically backsliding, de-evolving in advance, some literally devolving, living simpler. Some humans joined in (is it the remnants of the human race overall? dunno!). A big and so far interesting book.

[Becky]

I have officially started my re-read of the Expanse series, and related stories. Though technically it's a re-listen, because I'm again doing the audios. The stories are mostly new to me, so I'm looking forward to that new stuff just as much as the novels I already know I enjoy. :D

I'm also working my way through The Magician’s Daughter, which I'm quite enjoying, despite the uber-cliched title.

[Brett]

Beginning Atalanta, Jennifer Saint, and Alex Kershaw's The First Wave (about D-Day since the anniversary is days away).

[Eric]

I completed Witch King. I think I expected more from this author. Ho hummed my way through about 70% of the book thinking a mediocre two stars and then Wells kicked the tale into high gear. Added much needed depth and finished with a solid three stars.

[Alexandra]

I think there are quite a few of us reading Martha Well's latest, Witch King :))). I struggled a bit at first, I wasn't quite sure what to think. It was a case of "liking, but not loving". Then it all came together at around 40%, and I ended up enjoying the book very much.

My review is here ;)

[Brett]

Sand and Steel: The D-Day Invasion and the Liberation of France, Peter Caddick-Adams. This is a beast of a book (887 small-print pages, with a 20 page glossary), which I'm taking on because of the anniversary tomorrow. I've already learned some rather surprising things only 11 pages in - more than I can say for Kershaw's somewhat disappointing The First Wave, which I just finished.

Atalanta is good so far, but it's been so long since I read Ariadne that I can't remember what happened in that one, let alone compare the two.

[Becky]

I tried reading Witch King earlier this year but I just couldn’t get into it. Glad to know it picks up, but I don’t think I will revisit any time soon.

[Jess]

I am going to read the Scythe series soon. I'm also going to read Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. I'm currently finishing up Fourth Wing, which I found....very disappointing. I'm really excited to read the Scythe series though!

[Leonie]

I've been reading The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix - I 'read' it on audiobook and enjoyed it about a year ago. And I have to say, I think I'm enjoying it even more reading it with my eyes, having had the audiobook experience.

I've been listening to The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, which I loved when I first read it, but this time around, I'm finding it frustrating in some ways, waiting for it to get to the point. I've never been a great fan of stories within stories within stories - you know, the 'old story/fairytale' of the culture that illustrates the point in the book - and there are a lot of them in this book, and they seem to be very long. I'm reserving my judgement, because I am starting to enjoy it more many hours in.

I'd be interested in hearing what others of you who've read it/listened to it, think.

[Michelle]

Leonie wrote: "I've been reading The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix - I 'read' it on audiobook and enjoyed it about a year ago. And I have to say, I think I'm enjoyin..."

That's happened to me, too, although not with that particular book. I was rereading a series that I loved and had read twice before. But the third time? I found that I was not enamored at all. I thought maybe it's because I'm older now and some of my bookish tastes have changed a bit.

[Leonie]

Michelle wrote: "Leonie wrote: "I've been reading The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix - I 'read' it on audiobook and enjoyed it about a year ago. And I have to say, I th..."

I did wonder if it was just me being a few years older, and my tastes changing, actually. But having said that, I'm a compulsive re-reader, and lots of my books from that era are still marvellous on a re-read.

It's a conundrum!

[Ann-Marie]

Jess wrote: "I am going to read the Scythe series soon. I'm also going to read Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. I'm currently finishing up Fourth Wing, which I found....."

I recently read Fourth Wing and do not get the hype. It was way too much angst and pining, way too predictable and I did not enjoy it. I will not be continuing the series which I understand will be 5 books.

[Bobby]

Leonie wrote: "...I've been listening to The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, which I loved when I first read it, but this time around, I'm finding it frustrating in some ways, waiting for it to get to the point...."
I read it recently and felt the same way. After reading such a thick book I felt like not much happened. But I guess I got to enjoy being in the world that the author created even if the plot moved slowly.

[Becky]

Finished Leviathan Wakes & The Butcher of Anderson Station last night in my publish order re-read of the full Expanse series.
Moving on to Caliban's War!

[Mathew]

Jess wrote: "I am going to read the Scythe series soon. I'm also going to read Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. I'm currently finishing up Fourth Wing, which I found....."

I don't buy many new books, but I remember buying Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell because I thought I'd get my money's worth...since the book is like 1000 pages. I don't the story being all that good, or all that bad.

[Jan]

Ann-Marie wrote: "Jess wrote: "....I'm currently finishing up Fourth Wing, which I found....very disappointing...

...I recently read Fourth Wing and do not get the hype. It was way too much angst and pining, way too predictable and I did not enjoy it. I will not be continuing the series which I understand will be 5 books. "

Yeah same. I dnf'ed because I got tired of the constant angst and violence. Not an imaginary world I wanted to keep spending time in. I read quite a bit of it, but eventually decided it wasn't worth reading to the end.

I just read Blind Lake by Robert Charles Wilson. A good sci-fi mystery, if the ending was somewhat overly drawn-out. 4 stars. Interesting in the current climate to read an older book about use of technology that the users don't really understand and that is developing by itself.

Next up I'm going to read American Scoundrel: The Life of the Notorious Civil War General Dan Sickles by Thomas Keneally. Just came in at the library :) Should be an interesting read.

[Tyler]

Going to get into Sanderson either this year or next. Mistborn is on sale for Kindle at $2.99, but is Mistborn first or is Stormlight archive first? What is the correct storyline chronological order?