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 2024?
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CBRetriever
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May 07, 2024 08:39AM
it's worth it but I loved all the Ancillary series
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Continuing my series reread, this time Ethan of Athos by Lois McMaster Bujold.My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A Vorkosigan series book without any of the Vorkosigan clan. Good story exploring new environments. See how a man raised on a planet of men learns to deal with women.
My review here
Next up, Brothers in Arms.
I will have to try the earlier books.I'm working my way through the Hugo shortlist (going to Glasgow!), currently struggling a bit with Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh. I counted 20 blurbs on the cover and first page and so far I'd say a very good debut - but the best thing since sliced bread?
I completed "The Divine Cities," series finishing with
City of Miracles. I believe each of the three books could be read as 'stand alone.' Bennett's writing improves with each book. Three, four and five stars were my ratings.
Cracking open Fascism: A History, by Roger Eatwell. It's been sitting on my shelf for two years or more, and I think it'll help me organize my thoughts better on a theory I'm starting to see taking shape. It's from the mid-90s, so without the current baggage.
Continued my Vorkosigan saga with Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster BujoldMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
See Miles go to Earth. See him get in trouble with his superiors. See him dodge assassins from three polities. See what happens next.
The setting allows more progression for secondary characters Elli Quinn and Ivan Vorpatril as well. The plot keeps moving and the setting of Earth is a good backdrop and very believable. Definitely a book that goes on the Reread Shelf.
My review here
Moving back in the chronology and reading Falling Free set in the same universe, but many years earlier.
Economondos wrote: "Continued my Vorkosigan saga with Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster BujoldMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
See Miles go to Earth. See him get in trouble with his superiors. See him dodge assassins from thr..."
It's almost as if she found her stride with Miles in this one, isn't it?
Michelle wrote: "It's almost as if she found her stride with Miles in this one, isn't it?..."Really think she did. Brothers in Arms is my favorite starting point for rereads. And once she got it the books only get better.
I finished reading The Talisman (The Talisman #1) by Stephen King and Peter Straub. It’s a fantasy with an alternate dimension Earth called the Territories that can be entered under certain circumstances. I also read Half the World (Shattered Seas #2) by Joe Abercrombie. This novel is set in the same world as the first book but features a totally different cast of characters. I am reading Half a War by Joe Abercrombie (Shattered Seas #3) and The End of All Things (Old Man’s War #6) by John Scalzi. I plan to read Royal Assassin (Book #2 of the Farseer Trilogy) by Robin Hobb next.
Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold went past at a blur. Almost didn't stop to sleep. I've read this one before, but this time it really held my attention. Reading it in 2024 makes it feel more relevant than before.My rating: 4 of 5 stars
My review here
Jumping back into the main series with Borders of Infinity.
Economondos wrote: "Jumping back into the main series with Borders of Infinity"Good one!
A Symphony of Echoes
by Jodi TaylorChronicles of St. Mary's #2. Wonderful series featuring a British take on time travel with a good deal of humor. In this one Max and the gang deal with Jack the Ripper and witness the murder of Thomas Becket. Probably best to read #1 first. I've read several of the series, I like them a lot. 4 stars.
My Just War, Gabriel Temkin (autographed!) Memoir of a (Polish) Jewish soldier in the Red Army in WW2.
I'm reading The Book of Doors on the recommendation of a coworker and so far this is exactly my vibe. About a third of the way through on audiobook and loving it.Also reading Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout. Very much enjoying his championing of doing less better and cutting out all the busywork.
I just finished Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree, and now I'm reading a non-fiction book called Putting the Fact in Fantasy, compiled by many authors and edited by Dan Koboldt.
I have started with John Dies at the End (John Dies at the End #1)
Read the English translation of Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura. Set in modern-day Tokyo, this is the story of seven junior high school "kids with issues" who find routes through mirrors in their rooms to a magical castle. They are told they have 1 year to find the Wishing Key, which will grant a single wish for the one who finds it. This sounds like a portal fantasy, but it is much more. It is a story about growing up through adolescence, about learning to make friends, dealing with rejection, finding acceptance and support, bullying, and triumph over adversity and fear. I would not call it "cozy", there is too much emotional freight, but it is a very nice, even sweet, tale. Some understanding of modern Japan, its culture and its issues, is helpful for context, although not essential. I would recommend this to those who enjoy portal fantasy, magical realism, and coming of age stories.
I liked Lonely Castle, it was almost in Book Cup mod madness.
Finished Gene Wolf's Sword of the Lictor, now on to the Citadel of the Autarch. Also started reading Connie Willis's Passage.Uh, for those of us who are also doing tracking what they read in goodreads, are any of you being double-counted for 'read'? I just moved Sword of the Lictor to 'read', and it counted it twice. I have to go to my progress on the book and delete one of the two 'read' entries.
Finished Borders of Infinity by Lois McMaster Bujold last night.My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Believe Bujold excels at the novella. Looking back at an earlier book, The Vor Game is two novellas inextricably linked - and excellent. More recently Bujold wrote the Penric and Desdemona series of novellas (also excellent). Not sure that this would be the best book for a person new to the Vorkiverse, but it is definitely required reading for anyone wanting to explore the depth of the series.
My review here
Next up on my series reread is Cetaganda.
I finished The Warrior's Apprenticeby Lois McMaster Bujold last night, and it was fantastic. I loved Cordelia and her story, but Miles is delightful in a different way. Moving on to The Mountains of Mourning next.I also recently finished Among Others by Jo Walton, which I loved in a different way. As a librarian who has always been a big reader (and who did a lot of escape reading as a child and teen), I really connected with the main character. This story was on the quieter side and moved slowly, but it wasn’t boring.
I’m also in the middle of The Best of Connie Willis: Award-Winning Stories, which I borrowed from the library for one novella and then decided to read the whole thing. Some of the stories are top notch, and others have maybe not aged as well. I think that sometimes short stories are really a reflection of / commentary on the time in which they are written, and those may not hit the same when read years later after times have changed.
I too got The Best of Connie Willis from the library to read Fire Watch! I too ended up reading pretty much ever story (I skimmed a bit on some) and returned to this week.
Rachel wrote: "I too got The Best of Connie Willis from the library to read Fire Watch! I too ended up reading pretty much ever story (I skimmed a bit on some) and returned to this week."What an amazing coincidence, Rachel! I checked it out to read "The Last of the Winnebagos." I thought "Fire Watch" was great, too, though. So far, those two plus "A Letter from the Clearys" have been my favorites, but I still have 3 1/2 more left to go.
More classics.Started reading The Count of Monte Cristo.
Smreeti wrote: "More classics.Started reading The Count of Monte Cristo."
That's excellent. I've read it a couple of times.
I just finished Penric’s Mission, the next Pen & Des novella in the series (for me). Actually, I should’ve read Penric’s Fox, but I forgot about the chronological order being better. The whole series is being removed from Audible Unlimited today, so I had limited time. It’s a bummer that they aren’t to be found anywhere else, except to purchase outright. Not even Libby!
Woke up early and finished Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold.My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Another really good space opera by Bujold. Probably should be read before one reads Ethan of Athos as it is both chronologically earlier and has a short set up for that book. Definitely recommended for series readers, but maybe not as a first book for a new reader.
My review here
Time to start Mirror Dance. Also time to clear my evenings, as soon as I get into this part of the series it becomes excessive reading at least through A Civil Campaign.
Now rereading the Sword of Shannara. After LOTR started the fantasy trend in the 70’s, the Sword of Shannara was a huge hit. If you grew up in the 70’s like I did, it was a big deal. I remember reading it the first time thinking it was a rip off of Tolkien, but I still really liked it. I’m enjoying this reread as well. If you haven’t read any Shannara books, I think some of Brooks other books in the series are even better (Druid of Shannara, and the prequel books set in today come to mind).
David wrote: "Now rereading the Sword of Shannara. After LOTR started the fantasy trend in the 70’s, the Sword of Shannara was a huge hit. If you grew up in the 70’s like I did, it was a big deal. I remember rea..."I was just discussing Shannara with another friend. I did grow up in the 70s, and I used to love Shannara. I might do a series reread soon.
David wrote: "Now rereading the Sword of Shannara. After LOTR started the fantasy trend in the 70’s, the Sword of Shannara was a huge hit. If you grew up in the 70’s like I did, it was a big deal. I remember rea..."I remember Sword of Shannara fondly. Not sure how many subsequent ones I read, but it was at least a couple. Yes, might be time to revisit these.
Starting Machado de Assis's The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas, which I can already tell is going to be very different.
Oh I love the Shannara series. My favorites would have to be Elfstones, the Heritage series, and the Voyage series.I still need to read the Defenders and the Fall series, and then I'll have read them all!
I've completed the published books of the Greenwing & Dart series finishing with
Plum Duff. Three to five stars depending on the books of which there are currently six, plus a few short stories. Goddard's FAQ suggests a possible book seven this year, but maybe ten total to complete the series. Enough background and closure in each to keep the reader current and interested. Excellent story telling.
Mercedes wrote: "Hello, I am reading La reine étranglée by Maurice Druon and The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams."I really enjoyed the Accursed Kings series. And George R.R. Martin wrote a forward for the books in English that said they were, in part, inspiration for Game of Thrones
Just finished Connie Willis's Passage. Interesting book on death, well, mostly about Near Death Experiences (NDE), like, you die, and come back to life, like when medical staff bring you back via CPR, shocks to heart, etc. And a little on the titanic!Anyhoo, now devoting 100% to finishing Gene Wolf's Citadel of the Autarch
and I know why I'm being double-counted on 'finished', where it appears I've read the same book twice. When I move my book from 'reading' to 'read', I also set the date read as well. Setting date read does the first 'books read'. then setting it from reading to read adds the 2nd 'books read'. So it looks like I read 25 books so far this year, when in fact, I've only read 24.
John Dies at the Endby David Wong (Author), Jason Pargin (Author)
My kindle copy of Song of the Mysteries safely arrived on my kindle shortly after midnight, and it's a chonker!! I'm so excited to start reading it later. It's sad in a way, though, because it's the last one of the series.
Read, slept four hours and finished Mirror Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold this morning.My rating: 5 of 5 stars
If an author has one good book, it would be a peak. So this is part of a plateau. From here out this series is pretty much all five stars.
My review here
Started up Memory right away.
CBRetriever wrote: "Mercedes wrote: "Hello, I am reading La reine étranglée by Maurice Druon and The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams."I really enjoyed the Accursed Kings series. And George R.R. Martin wrote a forwa..."
With all due respect to Martin, Druon is much better writer. Moreover, Druon had to respect History, something that Martin didn't have to do in his books. But, of course, that is just my opinion... :D
Ah- Mirror Dance and Memory really were peak for me. So deserving of acclaim and awards!
Mercedes wrote: "With all due respect to Martin, Druon is much better writer. Moreover, Druon had to respect History, something that Martin didn't have to do in his books. But, of course, that is just my opinion."true in some respects, but then I was reading an English translation and I found that, in the later books, I was looking for more fully fleshed out characters. First book was much better than Martin's
Finally finished another book. Number 11 for the year. Up until the beginning of April the number was 0. Not too bad. Anyhoo lucky book number 11 was Percy Jackson and the Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan. Gotta love Percy Jackson.
Set everything else aside to read Stephen Coote's biography of Samuel Pepys, because talk about a dude who saw a thing or two.
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