What else are you reading - July 2023

[John (Taloni)]

^^ Thanks TRP! I decided on the next Fred the Vampire Accountant book for now. May work in some Jasper Fforde a few books from now.

[Rob, Roberator]

Silvana wrote: "Finished with Blade of Dream. @Rob: I ended up giving it two stars. Pacing is glacial, almost nothing going on, and I don't like the romance plot. Not gonna continue with the last book."

Oh, bummer. It also must have come out sooner by you than here in the US. My preorder only just showed up. I'll probably do that after Sanderson's latest book, but maybe I'll take a break from fantasy in between.

[Joseph]

Finally started Jade War.

[Silvana]

Trike wrote: "Silvana wrote: "Starting Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. Female gladiators in prison. Cool prologue!"

I quite liked his short story collection Friday Black, which..."

Chain Gang is my first book of his. What's Rollerball?

[Trike]

Silvana wrote: "Chain Gang is my first book of his. What's Rollerball?"

Oh no you dint.

Jonathan.

Jonathan.

Jonathan!

Jonathan!

JOHNATHAN!
JOHNATHAN!
JOHNATHAN!

[Misti]

I started Divinity 36 earlier this week. I’m not really liking the character though. May give it a few more chapters to see if he grows on me.

[John (Taloni)]

^ I have loved Gail Carriger in the past. I don't relate to this world though. There's the usual elements of found family but overall I also found the world of pop music just unengaging. Apparently this book incorporates her love of Kpop and her musings on being a celebrity.

I didn't hate it, but when I finished I didn't have that usual Carriger afterglow. The book lacks her usual witty language. I didn't really understand the relationships, something she's done well in her Parasol Protectorate and related books. Anyway, overall it's a 3 from me when Gail's books usually rate from solid 4 to raving 5.

The sequel is out soon, not sure I'll read it.

[terpkristin]

Kindle has a summer reading challenge thing going on and one of the achievements was to read a book from prime reading. I selected something that looked like it would be a cozy mystery. It was one, which I devoured in a couple days and immediately downloaded the next one (also prime reading) and finished that in a day…so downloaded the next one. This happens fairly often to me 😂
The first book I downloaded was A Murder of Crows and the series is the Dr. Nell Ward series. Luckily for me, only 3 books are out as of now so after I finish the one I just downloaded, I’ll be good.

I also started reading Planetfall and finished Yumi and the Nightmare Painter. I really enjoyed Yumi once I got into it. There was a thing I didn’t need, my review has that listed and spoiler protected.

[Chris K.]

I finished The Road to Roswell. (view spoiler)[It was great to read a book where everything worked out in the end. (hide spoiler)]

Now I'm reading Star Trek: Discovery: Somewhere to Belong.

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

I finished the novel that started the Star Wars "Extended Universe" (known as "Star Wars Legends" in the post-Disney-acquisition era) which shares a title, and probably a lot more, with the upcoming Star Wars movie directed by Dave Filoni


Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading the fourth volume in the six-volume Old Man's War series


Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

Speaking of Heir to the Empire, I think it's worth taking a closer look at that cover (from the original publication):



So...we've got the disembodied heads of the Star Wars Trinity: Luke, Leia, and of course Han, whose expression conveys his great desire to finally be released from future Star Wars obligations. Behind them stands an older, very ripped, very unshaven David Carradine rocking a bathrobe and shooting lasers out of his fingers as he sticks the landing of some kind of futuristic disco move in dry ice fog. Three stormtroopers are doing a Charlie's Angels pose in front of an explosion flanked by - on the right - Chewbacca flouting his usual perplexed expression and - on the left - Thrawn Admiralpants who glowers in our general direction. Two tiny X-wing fighters buzz around like mosquitos with vapor trails in the background.

[John (Taloni)]

I said above that I would say more about the latest St. Mary's book and Fred the Vampire Accountant. Days later, there isn't a whole lot more I want to say. So in summary:

The Good, The Bad and the History covers mainly some future baddies that Max and Markham are working to take down. It involves other characters peripherally. Slow start with yet another book rescue, but then a slow burn to a really terrific ending. Then a bunch of epilogues to many characters from the series not otherwise mentioned in the book. Great capper if you know the series. Don't start with this one.

Fred the Vampire Accountant...they all run together but that's because it's a great premise. Meek, mild mannered involuntary vampire takes the supernatural world by storm with integrity, honesty, and fiscal prudence. The books are a series of interwoven novelettes so you're never more than 15K words from the end or start of something new. Fast paced fun. The found family grows and comes to a logical extension. I'm now done with four books and will likely read the next four.

And now...Rob Kroese's Heretic's Game has come in. It's the second book in the Cross Time Crusade trilogy. Book opens with the burning-at-the-stake of 54 Knights Templar in the 1300s. Dear Rob: I know they say to kill your darlings, but not like that! Aaah, it's a web of cross time intrigue and the historical events did indeed happen like that in all their gruesome intensity.

[Ruth]

Just started a new non-fiction book: Matrescence , all about becoming a mother. Maybe I should have read it a few years ago when my older boy was born!

As I’ve already read our August BotM, I’m also just starting to read the sequel, Hell Bent.

[Stephen]

I started The Will of the Many as I really liked his previous trilogy. and listening to Winter's Gifts the newest novella set in the USA but still part of the world of the Rivers of London series.

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

Also, I started reading


The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells

[Gary]

I finished reading Translation State by Ann Leckie. It is another novel in the Imperial Radch Series. I also read Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer. I am reading Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson. It is the third novel of four in his secret novel series. I plan to read The Dark Half by Stephen King next.

[Trike]

Cascade of finishes in the last few days,

The Archive Undying - nope. ⭐️

The White Dragon - YES ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Blood Trials - nope. ⭐️

DC: Mech - nope. ⭐️

Avengers Mech Strike - yep. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Kilgore and Co. - nope. ⭐️

Age of Iron - yep. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Age of Swords - Yes. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Oaken]

Reading The Spare Man by MRK. Its a fun mystery so far but I found the constant cocktail culture references tiresome; I'm not sure if the author is trying to show off her personal knowledge or to make the main character less likeable.

I rolled my eyes at her adverse reaction when a bartender asked if she wanted a gin or vodka martini. The vodka martini has been around a lot longer than I have. Insisting that a vodka martini isn't a martini 100 years from now would be like insisting today that vegetarians are wrong when they say "I don't eat meat" because of course they do, "meat" means any type of solid food (the usage hundreds of years ago.)