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?



My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Between my own childhood, my younger sister's, and babysitting my nieces and nephew, saw the 1977 version many times, but this is the first time I read the book. Strongly recommend it.
My review here
Taking a break from my TBR list, decided to reread the rest of the Belgariad with Queen of Sorcery by Eddings.

I'm really enjoying my current Zodiac challenge selection, Seige of Darkness by R.A. Salvatore, so far one of my favorites in the Drizzt series, and my current spooky season read, Dracula by Bram Stoker, which I haven't read unabridged. It's rekindling my love for classic lit.
I also started Donna Tartt's The Secret History, not sure if it'd appeal to me, and was immediately engrossed. And started Max Gladstone's Three Parts Dead as prep for reading his new book, Wicked Problems, and it's OK, a bit of a disorganized, overstuffed feel to it like the book equivalent of a clutter drawer. But this is one of Gladstone's early books and I'm told the writing gets better as the series progresses.
Some books I'm eying to read next:
Lone Women by Vincent LaVille
Everything You Ever Wanted by Luiza Sauma
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee (yeah, I'm the kind of huge SF who who hasn't yet read this series)

The Secret History blew my mind when I read it several decades ago!"
Ha! I just have a lot of time on my hands, and also am trying to catch up after a reading slump that lasted several years because of my vision problems (yay, audiobooks and resizeable text in ebooks).
I wish I had read The Secret History sooner. I can see how influential it has been now. I remember when it came out and the big deal people made over it, but I was a kid all into space opera, Tolkien, poetry and WWII lit at the time, so I felt it wasn't for me. I feel so late to the game on it.

Not a scifi book, more of a historical fiction. just a good story!
Now, on to Cherie Priest's Boneshaker. been on my TBR for years, it's time!

Just finished GJ Meyer's, The Tudors (begun May 22). It was a fascinating read, and I'm interested in his similar work on the Borgias.


I've loved dystopian/post-apocalypse stories since I was a kid. I grew up in the 80s so the idea of a nuclear war was a formative influence on me lol. Once in high school I convinced my classmates to vote for Alas, Babylon for a class read, and they all hated it! But it's a literary niche I keep coming back to. I loved Station Eleven, and have been meaning to read The Road ever since I saw the movie.

Very pleased you enjoyed Lavinia, Marc! You are just racing through the books, aren't you?

I've loved dystopian/post-apocalypse stories since I was a kid. I grew up in th..."
I had to read Alas, Babylon for school, no choice, but I remember loving it. And I'm sure it's contributed to my fondness for dystopian/post-apocalypse stories, too. I barely remember it though. Maybe it's time for a reread.

I've loved dystopian/post-apocalypse stories since I was a kid. I grew up in th..."
I'll have to grab Alas, Babylon.

We probably would have been friends if we went to high school together! Yeah, I barely remember it myself, I ought to reread it some day as well.

Then I'm also reading BuyMort: Grand Opening: How I Became the Accidental Warlord of Arizona. It took a little effort into it, but it's good.

I love Gobbelino

Now I'm reading Impostor Syndrome, by Mishell Baker. This finishes the trilogy which has a really interesting relationship between our world and that of the Fae. Diving back into the world, I'd forgotten how complicated all the story threads were becoming as things developed.

The Secret History blew my mind when I read it several decades ago!"
At first I thought it was The Secret History of Procopius that blew your mind, and only then did I realise that the author of that Secret History was Donna Tartt. :)

Great story! :)


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

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Good continuation of the series, and a good way to spend a couple evenings.
My review here
And next up is Magician's Gambit as well as continuing the audiobook version of The Two Towers. Speaking of which it is time to go out for some more DIY and listen to that . . .

We probably would have been friends if we went to high school together! Yeah, I barely remember it..."
I read Alas Babylon in high school too! I forget if I had to, or I picked it for a class project, or just read for fun. too many years ago! I recall loving the book at that time too
At some point, I'll have to re-read it, is it as good as I remember...

Loved that one!
I read two short works by Shirley Jackson earlier today while getting my infusion treatment--The Lottery and We Have Always Lived in a Castle and now am looking at academic analyses of Jackson's because I have questions! I will have to not let myself go too far down that rabbit hole--I have other books to finish and get to.

The Lottery is very short, and there are audio recordings of it around that are free, including several on You Tube!
Also for anyone interested in Jackson, I recommend the You Tube channel Books 'n' Cats--the creator, Dr Rosie Whitcombe, is a professor of literature and makes excellent video essays. I reread The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas by Ursula K Le Guin this afternoon after watching her video on that short story. It's been a while (a couple decades) since I read it last. Still powerful. Le Guin was a genius. Everything I've ever read by her just gets into my bones and stays there.
Tonight I hope to finish Lone Women by Victor LaValle. I think LaValle is a very good writer but I feel this isn't the best he can offer. It's still a good story, but the historical fiction side of it works much better than the horror side for me so it feels a bit uneven.

but in the meantime, reading Robert J Sawyer's the terminal experience. interesting premise, being able to detect the moment of death. his protagonist, as a student, participated in organ harvesting, and the body, declared brain dead, showed signs of pain during the surgery, which freaked him out, got him curious as to being able to detect brain function as a human dies, can he determine if the brain stops while the body still is alive. only he discovered something else... not gonna spoil!!


Five stars for book I. Four stars each for the last two.

I recently read Le Guin’s second or third book of essays, A Wave in the Mind. It was so fantastic. What doesn’t come out so much in her novels is her sense of wry humor. Just an amazing writer.


Have fun!!


So...what'd you buy?


https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/..."
Thanks, Eric, I'll check it in a minute :)


I recently read Le Guin’s second or third book of essays, A Wave in the Mind. It was so fantastic. What doesn’t come out so much in her novels is her sense of ..."
I've read some of her essays, but it was a long time ago. However, I remember that they were indeed written with a certain amount of humour.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Good storytelling. new countries, more on Garion's hero's journey.
My review here.
Continuing the series with Castle of Wizardry.


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Now that I am paying more attention and thinking about a review, I think I like this one better than Fellowship. Cued up Return of the King for my next batch of projects.
My review here

This is one of my favourite books by this author. By the way, have you read The Changeling Sea?


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ta, going to look at them today. I hope they give me a new series to read