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?
Brett wrote: "@Dj - giving him the benefit of the doubt as it's a 30 year old book. Everyone was rushing to pounce on the 50th anniversary of D-Day."Don't he has a book on the Battle of the Bulge where he does the same thing by using quotes straight up. I found it so confusing that I wasn't even sure where the battles he was talking about were taking place.
@Dj, he has a book about the Bulge, that much I know. I read the D-Day book before I went and spent any money. TBH even MacDonald's book Time For Trumpets has that same issue; it's tough to find a good single volume chronological account of the battle (Peter Caddick-Adams' Snow and Steel is huge but excellent).I'm starting on Rowland White's Mosquito. It looks like it's more focused on one wing over Denmark than its general history and development, but I'll take it.
Colin wrote: "Finished reading The Light of the Midnight Stars by Rena Rossner. This is not an easy book to read - it has an emotional impact that has both peaks and cumulative effect. The main s..."Thanks for the rec! Just added to my list. I liked another book by the author The Sisters of the Winter Wood
I finished the last two books in the Sandman Slim series. I enjoyed this series and am sad I don’t have more to look forward to. I like how the series ended.Also just finished listening to Starter Villain, this books was just pure fun, part of the fun is the narration by Will Wheaton. Will definitely relisten to it in the future.
Another listen I finished recently was Sword Catcher. I liked but didn’t love it, it fits well under the high fantasy genre.
Happy new year of reading everyone!
Ann wrote: "I finished the last two books in the Sandman Slim series. I enjoyed this series and am sad I don’t have more to look forward to. I like how the series ended.:..."
Loved that series. If you want something from him that feels similar, try Butcher Bird. Darker but also quite good is the Eric Carter series from Stephen Blackmoore of which Dead Things is the first.
Ann wrote: "Colin wrote: "Finished reading The Light of the Midnight Stars by Rena Rossner. This is not an easy book to read - it has an emotional impact that has both peaks and cumulative effe..."I hope you enjoy the read. I will try The Sisters of the Winter Wood. I think these are her only two books to date.
Brett wrote: "@Dj, he has a book about the Bulge, that much I know. I read the D-Day book before I went and spent any money. TBH even MacDonald's book Time For Trumpets has that same issue; it's tough to find a ..."I enjoy Time for Trumpets, but I think the best single volume for the Battle of the Bulge is the US Military History of World War II: Battle of the Blugem by Hugh Cole. If you get the Big Green Wall Version, even as a free PDF from the Military History Command it has some of the best maps you will ever see.
I hope you enjoy it. The Mosquito is a pretty fun aircraft.
Just finished Necromancer Nine by Sheri S. TepperMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Definitely read King's Blood Four first. This book needs the background from the prior novel.
Good, standard fantasy fare. Nice twist near the end with the origin of the magicians.
I read this one on its own due to a problem with an online used book seller. Wanted Necromancer by Gordon Dickson, the writeup was for that, but the picture was Tepper's book. Took a risk and they had the picture right.
Now a complete change of pace. Reading The Wee Free Men by Pratchett. Just need something light and fun while snow and ice keep us inside.
Just finished Spaceman of Bohemia. Unfortunately, it wasn't my kind of book at all. The writing is pretentious, tedious, and the ramblings go on and on and on. The sci-fi plot is ridiculous.My review is here ;)
I just finished up Semiosis and enjoyed it immensely. I would have given it 4.5 stars but I don't know how to do that. I have a great love a plants and any book with sentient plants is going to grab my attention. The science in the book is solid too. Looking forward to the next book in the series Interference. I did a review thingy of Semiosis but don't know how to create a fancy looking link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...Moving on to By Sheri S. Tepper Grass (Bantam Spectra Book) Paperback
I just finished SerpentineSerpentine by Laurel K. Hamilton. I usually find the Anita Blake series a strong read for me. Character interplay, tangled relationships, strong emotions, and adventure are never lacking in her books. Of course, there is also usually a significant amount of blood, violence, and mature content.I enjoyed the complex character interplay here and liked seeing some infrequent characters get more coverage. I wished the serpent-people had gotten more attention. It felt like they were introduced strongly but then hit the back burner till the last few chapters.
Rick wrote: "reading the new Penric, Demon Daughter by Bujold. It is, unsurprisingly, quite good."I enjoyed Ancillary Justice too. The world building was great.
Cheryl L wrote: "I just finished up Semiosis and enjoyed it immensely. I would have given it 4.5 stars but I don't know how to do that. I have a great love a plants and any book with sentient plants..."I really liked Grass, Cheryl. I hope you like it! Tepper’s The Gate to Women's Country is also really good (if you haven’t read it).
Kaia wrote: "Tepper’s The Gate to Women's Country is also really good (if you haven’t read it)."I have been looking for books like this with "unconventional" gender roles so I'm very interested in this!
Cheryl L wrote: "Kaia wrote: "Tepper’s The Gate to Women's Country is also really good (if you haven’t read it)."I have been looking for books like this with "unconventional" gender roles so I'm very interested i..."
The Gate to Women’s Country was a group book of the month in 2022, and we had a great discussion about it. If you end up reading it, I highly recommend checking out the discussion thread (and adding to it, if you’d like). (There is also a discussion thread for Grass, but the group read that one before I joined.)
Ellwyn wrote: "Rick wrote: "reading the new Penric, Demon Daughter by Bujold. It is, unsurprisingly, quite good."I enjoyed Ancillary Justice too. The world building was great."
AJ was great. One of my fave SF books of the last few years
Just completed a great one: The Wee Free Men by Terry PratchettMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is just an amazing book for kids of all ages. Tiffany is the kid I wish I was. In this book she learns lessons that we all should. Do what is right, even when it won't be enjoyable. Speak for those who have no voice. Live up to the person you want to be.
And yet the book is not dour. It is filled with humor, interesting people, danger, and triumph.
I have read this book many times, and will continue to do so. On to A Hat Full of Sky.
Economondos wrote: "Just completed a great one: The Wee Free Men by Terry PratchettMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is just an amazing book for kids of all ages. Tiffany is the kid I wish I was. In this book she learns l..."
Awesome. I will be looking forward to this on my crawl through discworld.
If you are enjoying discworld it is really likely you will enjoy these. It is nice to see a neighbor who is also a WW2 buff (I am in Vancouver, WA). I still have the Italian WW2 navy in 1:2400 scale models from my wargaming days.
Michelle wrote: "I finished my first book of 2024, Rachel Neumeier's The Year's Midnight. She couldn't write a lousy book if she tried!"OK I'm going to try this one. As a university student, I studied the John Donne poem the book's title taken is from. I still love that dark and intense poem, so the title attracts me immediately. But I've enjoyed the books of hers I've already read, so I'm in :)
Jan wrote: "Michelle wrote: "I finished my first book of 2024, Rachel Neumeier's The Year's Midnight. She couldn't write a lousy book if she tried!"OK I'm going to try this one. As a universi..."
Oh good- hopefully you'll like it, Jan!
Economondos wrote: "If you are enjoying discworld it is really likely you will enjoy these. It is nice to see a neighbor who is also a WW2 buff (I am in Vancouver, WA). I still have the Italian WW2 navy in 1:2400 sc..."
That is kind of cool, but I no longer live in Portland. I had a stroke and was living alone so when I got an offer I took it. I now live in my Mom's basement in Minnesota. Guess I will have to start playing DandD again. LOL.
As for Discworld. I have been reading them in order. Love the Witches and Death but I am a bit hung up with the Prymid one at the moment.
DJ, thank goodness that you could stay there! That's awesome. Just let us all know when the next round of D&D begins so that we're not late! I'll bring the pizza :)
I've got soda and chips. Just have to visit some of the innumerable cousins in MN to come see you.
Mod
Glad you're safe and sound, DJ!
I'm reading two chonkers right now. I've got City of Golden Shadow, and I don't know right now where it's all going, and I've got Pandora's Star, which I also don't think I understand XD
They're both fun though!
Allison wrote: "I've got City of Golden Shadow, and I don't know right now where it's all going"that's an interesting series. When I first tried book one I didn't like it, but then the series went on sale in Kindle version and I really got into it. I liked the Bushman character and the teacher.
Michelle wrote: "Marc wrote: "a non-scifi book, just finished Jennifer Ackerman's Genius of Birds. Not too technical, but an enlightening set of chapters on bird's intelligence, which she admitted is kinda tough to..."Actually, I am not really a bird watcher, at least not yet. I was curious about the book, it was on my xmas wishlist from 2022, I had briefly lost the book I was reading, and just picked it up and started to read it. I then found that lost book, finished it, then figured, I started it, I'll read it too! I totally get what makes bird watching fascinating now. I knew some birds were smarter than the dodo, can solve problems, but it was a great book! I highly recommend it!!
Also, finished Naomi Novik's Uprooted, I totally get why she won the Nebula and Locus awards, it was a great read! I usually don't read fantasy, but whoa! she is a great writer, I earlier read Spinning Silver, so I'm definitely gonna check out her other books!Now, on to Charlie Jane Ander's All the Birds In the Sky. No clue what it's about, and I'm about to find out!
Mod
Cheryl L wrote: "Moving on to By Sheri S. Tepper Grass (Bantam Spectra Book) Paperback"I really liked this one too. For me, her best book. I didn't enjoy Gate To Women's Country as much, although it had some very interesting and thought-provoking ideas.
I've started the year off by reading some less traditional-style historical romances - all 4 stars :)Scandal of the Year by Laura Lee Guhrke. Edwardian period; heroine is divorced.
Slowly Fell: A Tale of Love and Thumbscrews by Jayne Fresina. Fresh and original story. Some supernatural elements but ultimately can be explained by natural causes.
The Other Guy's Bride by Connie Brockway. Another Edwardian. Set in Egypt. A fun adventure in the style of Indiana Jones.
Current reads: Sci-fi
A reread of Jack McDevitt's Chindi. Enjoyable all over again.
Aphelion by Merry Ravenell. Conclusion to a series that started off fun but is now dragging a bit. Maybe should have been 3 books not 4? Wolf shifters in space. Sounds ridiculous, but it works better than you'd think LOL.
Have also just started Michelle's rec The Year's Midnight by Rachel Neumeier. Liking it so far :)
I just finished Admiral, and it was really good. Four enigmatic characters are trapped on a hostile planet and have to fight to survive. I enjoyed the heck out of it! I had never heard of this author before. I'm about to grab the sequel.
Charlton wrote: "John wrote: "Charlton wrote: "Just started readingServant of the Shard byR.A. Salvatore. The story of Artemis Entreri,Jarlaxle and the Crystal Shard."Excellent books..."
Yes they are I've got other's that are good as well a couple of which have female mains that are good.
Michelle wrote: "DJ, thank goodness that you could stay there! That's awesome. Just let us all know when the next round of D&D begins so that we're not late! I'll bring the pizza :)"I will do that.
Allison wrote: "I keep jokingly thinking we should have a group rpg night! Maybe I'lll start a thread...I have a couple games we could run online...Glad you're safe and sound, DJ!
I'm reading two chonkers right..."
Hmm why is it when you say group session what comes to mind is Vox Machina?
Skim reading Chindi which reminds me of why I don't like the Hutch series. It's oddly anachronistic (mid-century US in the 23rd century) and the style is slow and discursive. As each member of the expedition is about to board we get pages and pages describing them and their background. And Hutch herself is oddly without agency and really does not come across as some highly competent pilot despite what we're repeatedly told. When I have Vita Nostra waiting for me, this is likely a DNF.
Cracking open Gerald Horne's Dawning of the Apocalypse, the third of his settler-colonialism and slavery trilogy. This one tackles their origins in the 16th century.
Rick wrote: "Skim reading Chindi which reminds me of why I don't like the Hutch series. It's oddly anachronistic (mid-century US in the 23rd century) and the style is slow and discursive. As each ..."Sorry you're not enjoying this one Rick. Yeah I get that about the anachronistic feel, but I don't mind the discursive writing style. For me, Hutch is drawn sufficiently well to draw me in to the story, and I enjoy getting carried along by the adventure.
Hope you enjoy Vita Nostra.
Jan wrote: "Sorry you're not enjoying this one Rick. Yeah I get that about the anachronistic feel, but I don't mind the discursive writing style. For me, Hutch is drawn sufficiently well to draw me in to the story, and I enjoy getting carried along by the adventure...."I like his Alex Benedict books mostly (they've tailed off, though) but the Hutch series, even though I've read most of them, has always felt just a bit off to me. It's just a few things that persist in it that are pet peeves. Ah well, this was a library book so nothing but a little time lost.
Jan wrote: "I've started the year off by reading some less traditional-style historical romances - all 4 stars :)Scandal of the Year by Laura Lee Guhrke. Edwardian period; heroine is divorced.
..."
Jack McDevitt was one of my dad's favorite authors! Insisted I read him.
Just completed A Hat Full of Sky by Terry PratchettMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Is Tiffany Aching at age 11 as fun to read about as she was at age 9? Absolutely!
Adding new characters (friends?), a fearsome monster and a new location builds on The Wee Free Men adding depth and breadth. It even adds depth to the character of Granny Weatherwax, a difficult feat.
This is another read and reread book. It is biennial for me.
Now reading Wintersmith. But a change of pace arrived yesterday, Timeline of the Bible which we purchased as we watch the Useful Charts streams on YouTube. The foldouts are amazing.
Economondos wrote: "Just completed A Hat Full of Sky by Terry PratchettMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Is Tiffany Aching at age 11 as fun to read about as she was at age 9? Absolutely! Adding new characters (friends?), a fea..."
I love the Tiffany Aching series!
OK, I need some help. A friend tells me I recommended a book series in the 90s and wants to find it. This is either a spy or sci-fi novel. "A very long time ago you recommended a series of books I believe the protagonist was a spy but more importantly could understand languages down to the dialect from which it could be spoken. The main character in an early chapter he is talking to someone and pinpoints the exact regional dialect and starts speaking in it."
Does this ring a bell with anyone? I have been searching the web all day and can't figure out what I would have recommended. Thanx.
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Allison wrote: "Economondos, start a thread in the Recs and Lost Books folder so it doesn't get lost in the thread here!"I started the thread. Thanx for the advice.
finished my 3rd book, All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders, a great book! clash of magic vs science in the middle of climate disaster, a very quick and enjoyable read!reading Pat Murphy's The Falling woman plus some history, James Romm Arrian's The Landmark Arrian: The Campaigns of Alexander
I just finished Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law for a work thing and the subject was fascinating (animal-human conflict) but I did not enjoy the author's attempt at humor or adding color to the narrative.
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SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
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Excellent books By Salvatore..."
Completely agree with you, I started with Homeland and continued for 13 books stopping shy of the Sellswords trilogy. Then I took a break from Salvatore for a while. Did find Sanderson though.