What Else Are You Reading in 2023? Showing 401-450 of 1,880

[Brett]

I'm on the damned app.

[Phrynne]

Seems I am 100% a Jemisin fan. The Killing Moon starts a bit slowly but the characters pulled me in and I struggled to put it down. I am looking forward to #2.

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

[Oleksandr]

Phrynne wrote: "Seems I am 100% a Jemisin fan. The Killing Moon "

It was an interesting read (I've read it last year) but neither characters nor plot truly enthralled me – this book, while fine, is IMHO weaker than her later The Broken Earth Trilogy

[Radiantflux]

I have started reading through the Hainish books by Ursula Le Guin. I have been a fan of The Dispossessed: for a long time, but have never read through her corpus fully.

I am on her third book City of Illusions at the moment and enjoying it a lot—it seems much better than her first two Rocannon's World and Planet of Exile.

I have also read, and really enjoyed, a couple of PK Dick's books The Man in the High Castle and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? recently, and want to do a deeper dive into his work over the coming year.

[Beth]

February round-up, since it looks like I won't be finishing anything else today:

The Shadowed Sun - after a couple of false starts over the course of over ten years (!), I've finally finished this duology. I agree with what Oleksandr said a message or two above regarding The Killing Moon, that these books aren't as strong as Jemisin's Broken Earth books, but they're still pretty cool. I enjoyed both a great deal, particularly the setting and the characters from the temple. (review)

Spirits Abroad - another one I'd been sitting on for a while. Its being this month's VBC selection inspired me to read it, and go online to track down the other stories in the 2021 edition that were not in the ebook I had (from 2014). As always, some individual stories have already faded from memory, but the collection overall made a strong impression with its mythology, down-to-earth families, mild horror, and settings ranging from England to Malaysia to the afterlife. (review)

Obsessions of an Otome Gamer: Elementary School Years - a "light novel" (Japanese YA, in translation) with a conventional "reincarnated in a favorite video game" setup, that distinguishes itself from the pack with its evident love for piano and concert performance. (review)

[Beth]

Since next month's VBC selection is almost certainly going to be SFContact, I'll get in some more fantasy until my copy comes in. Currently continuing my Zen Cho streak with The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water

[Jason]

Just started Glen Cook's The Black Company

[Oleksandr]

Jason wrote: "Just started Glen Cook's The Black Company"

a classic grimdark fantasy, the first books in the series are quite solid

[Bobby]

Radiantflux wrote: "I have started reading through the Hainish books by Ursula Le Guin. ..."

I got a Ursula Le Guin collection for Christmas and recently finished Roconnan's World. Also got a Phillip K. Dick collection and read The Man in the High Castle. I really enjoyed RW but MITHC seemed a little weird for me. Looking forward to reading more. I have several books on my shelf to be read that are on the group's book list.

[DivaDiane]

Felt much the same way about Man in the High Castle, Bobby.

[BJ]

Radiantflux wrote: "I have started reading through the Hainish books by Ursula Le Guin. I have been a fan of The Dispossessed: for a long time, but have never read through her corpus fully.

Don't skip the short stories! My personal opinion is that, after The Dispossessed and Left Hand of Darkness, the best of the Hainish work is in the 6 sort of linked short stories she wrote in the 90s. I read them in the Library of America volume but they've been published elsewhere as well! The Shobies’ Story, Dancing to Ganam, Another Story or A Fisherman of the Inland Sea, Unchosen Love, Mountain Ways, and The Matter of Seggri!

[Marc]

Ooh, loved the black company series! and the Hainish series! gotta finish it off, the books after the Dispossessed...

Finished CJ Cherryh's Heavy Time. A decent story, not as grand as Cyteen, I did not like the font of the book though, kinda hard to read.

Anyhoo, on to the next CJ Cherryh book Hellburner!

[Radiantflux]

BJ wrote: "Radiantflux wrote: "I have started reading through the Hainish books by Ursula Le Guin. I have been a fan of The Dispossessed: for a long time, but have never read through her corpus f..."

Thanks. They are on my list! I am looking forward reading the complete corpus, including the short stories over a relatively short period of time. I am reading chronologically, and next is the Left Hand of Darkness, which I read so long ago I can barely remember anything.

According to ChatGTP these are the books/collections in the cycle:

"Rocannon's World" (1966)
"Planet of Exile" (1966)
"City of Illusions" (1967)
"The Left Hand of Darkness" (1969)
"The Word for World is Forest" (1972)
"The Dispossessed" (1974)

Short story collections that include stories from the Hainish Cycle:

"The Wind's Twelve Quarters" (1975)
"A Fisherman of the Inland Sea" (1994)
"Four Ways to Forgiveness" (1995)
"Unlocking the Air and Other Stories" (1996)
"The Birthday of the World" (2002)

[Radiantflux]

Bobby wrote: "I got a Ursula Le Guin collection for Christmas and recently finished Roconnan's World. Also got a Phil..."

That's funny. I had almost the opposite reaction. I thought Rocannon's World was OK, but really loved TMITHC. I guess because I had already calibrated it as a PKD novel I was surprised how straightforward it was. :)

[Ashlynn]

I am going to be finishing the Harry Potter series in the next two weeks and I am not sure what to read next. I prefer YA Fantasy and dragons, but does not have to be epic fantasy. Suggestions?

[Radiantflux]

Vita NostraAshlynn wrote: "I am going to be finishing the Harry Potter series in the next two weeks and I am not sure what to read next. I prefer YA Fantasy and dragons, but does not have to be epic fantasy. Suggestions?"

Well if you want a dark version of Harry Potter (that doesn't really do it justice) you could try Vita Nostra by the Ukrainian authors Marina Dyachenko. I have heard the second book is not as good as the first, but the first blew my mind away. It was so good.

[Meredith]

Eric wrote: "Finished Baking Bad. Kim Watt gets three stars for this humorous murder mystery solved by two members of The Women's Institute in a small English vil..."

I thought this was fun. I've also been enjoying the author's Gobblino London series.

[DivaDiane]

Fantasy and Dragons, eh? Well, it’s SF in disguise, but you may like Anne McCaffrey’s PERN series, starting with Dragonquest.

Then there’s Robin Hobb’s Realms of the Elderlings series that starts with Assassin’s Apprentice.

[Mel]

Seconding Diane's suggestion of Pern for dragons.
Although Pern starts with Dragonflight, I started with Dragonsong and would recommend that one first, especially since you prefer YA.

[DivaDiane]

Oops! Yes, first book is Dragonflight. The Dragonsong trilogy is great, more geared towards YA than the others.

[Eric]

Meredith wrote: "I thought this was fun. I've also been enjoying the author's Gobblino London series."

Kim M. Watt has an amazing wit and she really brings her characters alive. It almost feels like they write their own tales.

[Ann]

Kirsi wrote: "Stupid app won't let me link... But I'm reading Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley and loving the heck out of it. I went into it completely blind and had no idea it was so heavily focused on..."

I just finished listening to Fire Keepers Daughter and I'm with you a really immersive and interesting story.

I also listened to The Guncle, the author read it which is nice. It was a really sweet story about a gay uncle who takes care of his niece and nephew for a summer. It ended up being really sweet balanced with a bit of snark!

[Faith]

My review of The Drift by C.J. Tudor

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

[Alexandra]

I've just reread Vita Nostra for another book club (I know it's been BOTM here as well). I'm so glad I did. It deals so brilliantly with the power of language... Also, I discovered so many things I missed during my first read, just because I was so amazed and overwhelmed.

My review is here ;)

[Radiantflux]

Alexandra wrote: "I've just reread Vita Nostra for another book club (I know it's been BOTM here as well). I'm so glad I did. It deals so brilliantly with the power of language... Also, I discovered ..."

I see that the sequel has finally been translated into English, but I am not sure I want to read it as the first book was so good, and the second gets mixed reviews.

[Eric]

I completed The Ten Thousand Doors of January. Portals into other realms. A young lass' struggle to find her past and future while being stymied by powerful men eager to close forever the magical Doors. Four stars.

[Michelle]

I'm reading Tano, number 6 in the Tuyo series. I started it last night. It's really enjoyable to be back in this "world"! I love the way the characters speak and interact.

[Meredith]

Mel wrote: "Meredith wrote: "I loved Nimona - story and art. You are reminding me I still want to pick up Lumberjanes."

Oh, same! I didn't realize it was 20 volumes though! So even for a graphic novel series,..."

I read Lumberjanes, Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy this weekend. It was very fun, funny and action-packed. Great art too. I was very tempted to pick up the next volume immediately, but decided to focus on the (several) other books I'm reading and save Lumberjanes for treats. Still, I probably won't wait too long to continue the series.

[DivaDiane]

I am finally reading The Book Eaters, which I had wholly forgotten was a group read late last year. I’m about 50% in and enjoying it quite a bit.

[Kirsi]

I'm buddy-reading The Book Eaters with DivaDiane and also enjoying it.

Another one I've got going is The Jaguar Path by Anna Stephens. I read the first book of the series, The Stone Knife, a while back and loved it - it's brutal and quite unique, Aztec-inspired grimdark fantasy with excellent characters.

[Colin]

In the realm of historical fiction, finished Prince of Darkness by Sharon Kay Penman, the fourth and final Justin de Quincy mystery. In this, de Quincy, the queen's man (Eleanor of Aquitaine's spy and detective) must disentangle a plot to ruin John and bar him from being the successor to Richard the Lionheart. Yes, there is a crucial murder that also needs solving. De Quincy finds that he must work for John, who had once ordered him killed, and with one of John's knights, the man who had been ordered to kill de Quincy. Talk about a fraught partnership! This is a marvelous mystery that twists its way through the details of late 12th century politics and culture. The resolution has a number of surprises and holds them until the end. From the ending, you would expect another book and Penman's author note says, "if I may borrow a line from Bernard Cornwell and his marvelous Sharpe series: Justin will march again." However, he didn't and now he never will. I find that sad. Highly recommended to all who like historical fiction and mysteries.

[Rick]

Just started Tuyo which i've had in ebook form for a long time. So far so good.

[Michelle]

Rick wrote: "Just started Tuyo which i've had in ebook form for a long time. So far so good."

I love that book!! I just finished the 6th in that series, Tano a few minutes ago. It was excellent. She certainly knows how to write good character-driven stories.

[Rick]

Michelle wrote: "

I love that book!! I just finished the 6th in that series, Tano a few..."

Yes, the characters are done well. I can't even remember what brought the book to my attention but when i first started it I could tell it was something I really needed to pay attention to and put it down for a time when I could do that. That time... is now. I hope. :)

[Brett]

The Dark Forest was a worthy sequel. Looking forward to Death's End.

[Radiantflux]

Brett wrote: "The Dark Forest was a worthy sequel. Looking forward to Death's End."

I was a little disappointed by the last book in the trilogy. I think The Dark Forest was my favorite.

[Faith]

My review of The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler

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

[Oleksandr]

Faith wrote: "My review of The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler"

Great book, one of the best SF novels of 2022

[Tash]

I'm currently making my way through Neal Stephenson's Anathem. It is easily one of themost challenging books I've read so far this year but it is also one I've enjoyed reading.

[Oleksandr]

Tash wrote: "I'm currently making my way through Neal Stephenson's Anathem. It is easily one of themost challenging books I've read so far this year but it is also one I've enjoyed reading."

It is hard to read but on audio it is even worse - all these created words...

[Marc]

Moving my way through CJ Cherryh's Merchanter aka Company Wars universe, finnished Hellburner. A good book, really a direct sequel to Heavy Time, several folks from Heavy Time are in Hellburner, dealing with the Earth side, again, not as grand as Cyteen (such a great book), or even Downbelow Station.

Now, on to CJ Cherryh's Merchanter's Luck, another book in that universe.

Then gonna take a break from sci-fi and read Steve Jones Lonely Boy (gotta finish that hulu series Pistol, watched the first 3 episodes). Then go back, maybe CJ Cherryh's Rimrunner (got it on order), maybe PK Dick's A Scanner Darkly.

[Oleksandr]

Marc wrote: "Moving my way through CJ Cherryh's Merchanter aka Company Wars universe, "

I've re-read Downbelow Station this month. A question, why don't you follow the author's suggested reading sequence? Just curious

[Tash]

Oleksandr wrote: "It is hard to read but on audio it is even worse - all these created words..."

I couldn't even imagine trying to listen to an audio version! I'm just glad I can keep going back to the glossary...

[Kirsi]

I just got started with Dead Silence and I already have a feeling that I probably shouldn't read it late at night.

[Michelle]

Last night I finished the new anthology When Swords Fall Silent: An Assassination Anthology. I bought it for the Royce short story by Michael J. Sullivan. It was really strange to post my review on amazon and I was the only review. That's never happened to me before! Anyway, although I'm not a short story kinda gal there were some good ones in here. There were also some mediocre ones.

[Oleksandr]

Michelle wrote: "Anyway, although I'm not a short story kinda gal there were some good ones in here. There were also some mediocre ones."

I'd say this is usual for srory anthologies, there are both gems, dross and in-between

[Kirsten]

Ozsaur wrote: "Klara and the Sun - It's been on my TBR for a while and I'm happy to finally get to it. I'm almost halfway through, and I'm enjoying it, especially how observant Klara is."

I loved it!!

[Ozsaur]

Kirsten, my friend loved it too, but I have to admit, I was disturbed by the way Klara was treated by everyone around her.

[Kaia]

I have gotten sucked into two new (to me) series lately - The Singing Hills cycle (first one is The Empress of Salt and Fortune) and the audiobooks for Rivers of London. I love the incorporation of storytelling in the Singing Hills novellas, and I’m sad to be reading them so fast. I’m going to run out soon and will have to wait for Nghi Vo to write more. The Rivers of London audiobooks have been the perfect entertainment for my commute and doing chores around the house - the narrator is amazing, and the stories are an engaging mix of police procedural and fantasy.

I’m also making my way through Contact for the book of the month read, but it has been going slow. It’s interesting, though.

[Alexandra]

Kaia wrote: "I have gotten sucked into two new (to me) series lately - The Singing Hills cycle (first one is The Empress of Salt and Fortune) and the audiobooks for [book:Rivers of London|931745..."

I enjoyed The Singing Hills Cycle very much! I loved the writing :) It's a pity that they are so short...