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?
I finished Winter Lost by Patricia Briggs, the latest addition to the long Mercy Thompson urban fantasy series. I was a bit disappointed by the new book, and found it not as good as early books in the series. 3 stars from me for Winter Lost, although there are many diehard fans giving it 5 stars, so maybe it's just me.....
Hi Jan: my friend just finished up reading Winter Lost also. SHe had a lot to say about it but here is the highlight: (view spoiler)I am reading the first book in A Thousand Worlds Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee. This is pre-req for Tiger Honor by Yoon Ha LeeI selected for my Zodiac challenge. About thirty percent in, I love that there is no fear of displaying the world. Just puts it out there for us to enjoy it without a barrage of exposition. Thank you Mr. Lee.
Falling behind Marc a bit, but I also just finished A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le GuinMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
To me this is what a top-notch fantasy novel looks like. First read this in Jr High, and reread many times since then. It should surprise no one that I have a poster map of Earthsea where you see it as soon as you enter the house.
My review here
Started The Tombs of Atuan right away.
I started The Singing Hills Cycle by Nghi Vo and so far it's incredible, but the narrator for the audiobooks (Cindy Kay) is driving me up a wall with her speaking at a soft volume that dips down into a whisper where she doesn't enunciate voiced consonants consistently. I would have never believed anyone could pronounce "matriarch" without voicing the voiced m and t consonants before this.
I've generally enjoyed Cindy Kay's narrations, but of course it's all subjective!(Best and Worst Audiobooks and Narrators)
Tara wrote: "Hi Jan: my friend just finished up reading Winter Lost also. SHe had a lot to say about it but here is the highlight: [spoilers removed]"Thank you Tara. Maybe it's not just me?
Jan wrote: "I finished Winter Lost by Patricia Briggs, the latest addition to the long Mercy Thompson urban fantasy series. I was a bit disappointed by the new book, and found it not as good a..."I only gave it a three as well. It wasn't as strong as other installments and was very set up for bigger things later.
I wasn't expecting to finish as much in June as I ended up doing. Lots of travel in July, which could mean good progress, or next to none. Watch this space!Timeless by Gail Carriger (audio): this series' plots aren't all that, but my partner and I have been enjoying our time with this cast of characters in steampunk/UF Victorian England. We'll listen to the series featuring Prudence before long. (review)
St Clare's Collection 1: Books 1-3 by Enid Blyton: how I came about reading a MG series about girls in a British boarding school, written in the early 40s, is probably not worth going into. I enjoyed the little dramas among the students, and also thought I'd appreciate them more if they were more substantial. (review)
Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews: I enjoyed the first of Kate Daniels' adventures, so why this one landed with a sad thud is a mystery to me. An interesting setting squandered on a boring plot and one-note characters, including the obvious eventual male lead. (review)
Bleak House by Charles Dickens: excellent, but also exhausting. Powerful scenes and descriptions. Worthwhile for a fast reader or one with a lot of patience for what Dickens is putting down. (review)
TekWar by Ron Goulart (for William Shatner): I read this for a bad books podcast, so I knew what was coming. Occasional odd humor doesn't redeem the bland slurry that surrounds it. (placeholder review)
HeyT wrote: "Jan wrote: "I finished Winter Lost by Patricia Briggs, the latest addition to the long Mercy Thompson urban fantasy series. I was a bit disappointed by the new book, and and found it not as good a..."I only gave it a three as well. It wasn't as strong as other installments and was very set up for bigger things later."
Yep, probably true. Future showdown with Bonarata maybe?
Lindsay Fitzharris's The Facemaker, about the origins of facial reconstructive surgery on men disfigured in World War One. It was highly rated and regarded among serious professional historians.
Completed The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin before breakfast today.My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Love the whole series, but this is the book I remember between rereads. (review)
Onwards through the series with The Farthest Shore. But for now out for a day of yard cleanup.
Vidath wrote: "Have you read Eragon? ..."Yes, I have. I am in the minority that didn't like it. It seemed like Paolini took every trope and smushed them together. Gave it a 2 star rating without a review and donated the book.
Just proves that not every book is for every reader, I guess. Glad you liked it.
Read The Gospel of Loki by Joanne M. Harris. This is a re-telling of Norse myths, from creation to Ragnorak, from the point of view of Loki. The character is drawn from the original Norse Loki - nothing to do with Marvel. This is in first-person, with Loki telling the tales. He has pretty good insight into the sort of character he is, but the telling is also laced with a heavy dose of grievance against the Norse gods. It makes for a light and quick read, although Loki can become wearying at times. (I suppose that fits his character fairly well.) I think it helps to have read the myths previously. If you like myth re-tellings, Norse mythology in general, or light fantasy, I would recommend this.
I would expect a touch of unreliable narrator WRT Loki.
Economondos wrote: "Vidath wrote: "Have you read Eragon? ..."Yes, I have. I am in the minority that didn't like it. It seemed like Paolini took every trope and smushed them together. Gave it a 2 star rating without ..."
You are not alone. I frequently reminded myself that Paolini was only 15 when he wrote Eragon to keep myself motivated to complete. There was at least a fun corollary between Luke’s origin story and our acceptance or not to fate v free will.
Six of Crows by Leigh BardugoThis felt very different, in a good way, compared with Bardugo's Shadow and Bone trilogy though is set in the same universe. It’s not often that I read a high stakes international crime caper in the urban fantasy genre.
My review -- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O.
by Neal Stephenson and Nicole GallandA fascinating and sometimes amusing tale of magic, quantum physics, time travel, history, witchcraft, Walmart, the military-industrial complex and a 1000-year-old banking family. A little slow at the start while the stage is set and the players introduced but then it's an intoxicating and chaotic ride to the final 742nd page. Reading this book is a wonderful adventure -- 5 stars, highly recommended.
Mod
Allison wrote: "I'm glad you enjoyed that one, it was decidedly not for me. Have others read it?"I have. It was OK but I have had the sequel for some time and have not been tempted to read it yet. I'll probably have to put it in a challenge to make myself read it
Something about words "to the final 742nd page" puts me off for some reason.
Allison wrote: "I'm glad you enjoyed that one, it was decidedly not for me. Have others read it?"I tried it but didn't get very far. I just kinda lost interest and dnf'ed. Good to know it gets better. Maybe I'll give it another try some time.
Stephen wrote: "Something about words "to the final 742nd page" puts me off for some reason."Ha ha. Yeah Stephenson's books can be rather long.
Beginning James Loewen's Sundown Towns, which I anticipate to be grim as all hell.
Enjoyed City of Last Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky, a fairly dark - though not grimdark - fantasy of an ancient city under military occupation with both the occupiers and the erstwhile resistance quite corrupt. It's a story of flawed people making bad decisions, the consequences of which lead to worse decisions and escalating consequences. The world-building is exquisite and immersive; the characters sharply chiseled and engaging, if not likeable. Not everything works, however. The student revolutionaries made me visualize the young revolutionaries in the musical play, Les Mis. Every scene they were in, I literally heard in my head lines from the song "Do you hear the people sing." ("Will you join in our crusade/Who will be strong and stand with me?") Bounced me out of the story every time, but maybe it's just me. There is also an un-named bit character with a major impact on the plot. (I suspect that character will have a larger role in later stories in this world, but I thought it was an issue here. All in all, a good read. If you like your fantasy on the dark side, your characters flawed, and a mystery to chase, I recommend it.
Completed the Earthsea trilogy with The Farthest Shore. Rated it 4 stars. My review here.Moved straight into Tehanu.
Creed wrote: "I'm currently reading a fantasy series: "The Valley of the Dragons"" Heard good things about that series. Will you be writing a review about it when finished?
City of Last Chances sounds like it would be a gold mine of Easter eggs for history nerds.
Tara wrote: "Economondos wrote: "Vidath wrote: "Have you read Eragon? ..."Yes, I have. I am in the minority that didn't like it. It seemed like Paolini took every trope and smushed them together. Gave it a 2 ..."
fully agree
Well I started Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky and...I think I picked the wrong novel to be my first by him. He seems to be trying to do a lot here and (speaking as someone who studied philosophy at grad school and quit because I had had enough of men who think themselves much more clever than they are) I'm not impressed so far. Also started my reread of Dune. Because Dune.
CJ wrote: "Well I started Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky and...I think I picked the wrong novel to be my first by him. He seems to be trying to do a lot here and (speaking as someone who studied philosop..."++dune I have Service Model on my list to read. My friend told me it was fun/funny.
CJ wrote: "Well I started Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky and...I think I picked the wrong novel to be my first by him. He seems to be trying to do a lot here and (speaking as someone who studied philosop..."I have to get to Dune. Been on the shelf for far to long
Creed wrote: "I'll read it when I'm older and my mom can't tell me "no.""your mother told you no!!!!!!!
i read it when it was first published, my mother took me to the library and ok'd any adult book i wanted to read.
i have two degrees (physics and computers in education) and i still cant really get past the 2nd book
enders game series is the same
maybe authors write a good book and then spoil it by trying to do a series.
i normally like series but mmmmmmmm
so good luck creed, read the first book but dont forget it was written ages ago and trends in books change
Creed wrote: "I'll read it when I'm older and my mom can't tell me "no.""Actually, when my kids were minors I would check everything before approving or nixing the material: books, shows and movies. At the time they used to resent it. I didn't care if they resented it because it was my job as a mother to protect them. Now that they all have grown, they do this for their kids. I did it with games, too. My son used to be so angry that I wouldn't let him play M-rated games until he was 16. When he'd give me lip, I'd tell him that we could wait until he was 17 if he'd rather. That would halt the argument 😂 Of course he was sneaking onto those games at his bff's house, but I couldn't monitor there. Now he's in his thirties and told me that he doesn't want his sons playing them early either.
It's all perspective. Your mother cares, that's all!
I finished my re-re-re-read of the Lord of the Rings trilogy recently. Then I just finished re-reading Traitor's Blade with another group last night. I like that series. Now I'm reading the 3rd book in the Decline and Fall of the Galactic Empire series: Imperial Mercenary. These are a lot of fun!
My son and one of my daughters are huge Call of Duty fans. There's a game thread in this group, Creed- I forgot. Let me look for the link for you. Be right back...
Still working my way through Penric and Desdemona. I am halfway now and enjoying every word. I really liked the way he(they) let loose on the bad guys in this oneThe Orphans of Raspay
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I’m reading the Red Rising series. It’s great
Reading "A Clash Of Kings". I really like this series even if it has a bit more explicit sex than I am looking for. It is just an enjoyable immersion in a swords and sorcery fantasy world.
Middle of the night I woke and finished reading Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin.My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A worthy entry in the Earthsea universe. I always wonder what the characters did next after the end of a book. This answers for three main characters in the original Earthsea trilogy. The ending was a little abrupt, and not terribly surprising, but it was satisfying.
My review here
Winter Lost Patricia Briggs is back on track after a couple of average installments in the Mercy-verse.
My review -- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
oh, the Red Rising series is on my TBR.
just finishedThe Machine Dynasty Omnibus by Madeline Ashby which contains vN, iD and ReV. All three were very interesting dealing with AI characters, their interaction with Human characters and their desire to be more than they are. It's definitely gritty
ETA: for my next book I'm attempting to work my way through The Stand, another Cheysuli books, a Sianim book and a Hania Allen (author) mystery
Oh, I did finish Ursula K LeGuin's Farthest Shore. a bit darker book, it was a good book, ending a little abrupt as they worked to that final showdown. I should move into Tehanu (Dang Economondos passed me!!), and I will but in cleaning some stuff out, I found a few old Fortune magazines from 2017. I figured, I could just toss but I remembered I liked Fortune, so I'm pausing and reading them now. There was a great article on how our two major political parties are failing us, didn't pick sides, and in light of that recent presidential debate, dang, wish the recommendations would have been implemented... Again, not picking sides! can probably google fortune why politics is failing america to read for yourselves.
Anyhoo, most of the info is old, but still, kinda fun reading knowing how things turned out (like Uber and it's now ex-CEO) compared to how those old 2017 articles say. THen I'll dive back into Earthsea!!
I’ve gotten myself started on too many books at once and am floundering a bit. I’m very slowly working my way though Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny (audio) and The City & the City by China Mieville (eye-read), but I’m feeling a bit bogged down by both. They are interesting but not compelling me to read quickly.I also started Lake of Souls: The Collected Short Fiction by Ann Leckie, and I was reading it steadily but had to set it aside. The stories in the second half of the book are from the Imperial Radch universe (which I’m realizing that it has been too long since I read the original trilogy, so I’m missing something in my understanding) and The Raven Tower universe. I haven’t read Raven Tower yet, though I have it on my next to read list.
Then, I picked up Beastie Boys Book (not SFF, obviously) which is now distracting me from other reading. 😂 It’s surprisingly interesting - mostly essays written by the surviving band members about their growing up years and history as a band, interspersed with essays by others and lots of photos. Having grown up in the same era, their commentary on friendships, going to local music shows, and the love of radio and mix tapes has a lot of nostalgia for me. They also mention so much music that I have to keep stopping to look up and listen to songs. Anyway, I will make it through all of these books at some point and go back to my usual one audiobook, one eye-read, but for now I’m just accepting that this fickle reading four books thing is fine. 😄
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SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
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