What Else Are You Reading in 2024? Showing 1,301-1,350 of 1,523

[Faith]

My review of Nether Station by Kevin J. Anderson

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

[Brett]

A copy of Hawk Recon, a Vietnam War memoir by a guy named Osgood, had been calling my name, so I put everything else on hold to blow through it. It's brutal, gruesome (he was a medic), and insightful.

[Kaia]

Leonie wrote: "I've just read The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher. Loved it! And if you like cats, then this could be a book for you."

Thanks for the recommendation, Leonie! I've been wondering about adding this one to my TBR, but the fact that it has cats has me on board for giving it a try. 😺

[Kaia]

CJ wrote: "In better news, I really liked Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice. Rice had a very good idea of the story he wanted to write, didn't overreach and put in the work to realize the very polished novel. I would recommend it for readers who liked Station Eleven."

I might have to move this one up on my TBR list after your recommendation, CJ!

Also, Rachel, thanks for the tip that the audiobook (and the sequel) is good - I'm always looking for good books to listen to, as I regularly listen during my commute and while doing chores.

[Kaia]

I'm currently reading Hild by Nicola Griffith and absolutely loving it. The audiobook narrator also adds a lot to the story. I'm curious about it being tagged as fantasy, though, as it seems like there isn't anything magical so far - mostly historical fiction of Britain in the 600s.

I just finished eye-reading Provenance by Ann Leckie, which was the last book set in the Imperial Radch universe that I had left to read. I liked it pretty well - not as much as the Ancillary Justice trilogy or Translation State. It's quieter and more of a mystery with a bit of heist-story and political intrigue thrown in. I liked the main character.

Now, on to my re-read of The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K Le Guin, which is my favorite of the Earthsea series.

[CBRetriever]

Kaia wrote: "I'm currently reading Hild by Nicola Griffith and absolutely loving it. The audiobook narrator also adds a lot to the story. I'm curious about it being tagged as fantasy, though, as..."

I think it's just fantasy because she's a seer

[Julia]

Just started Cold, Cold Bones by Cathy Reichs..

[Jabotikaba]

I started reading The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborti. It seemed to be a pretty good book.

Kaia wrote: "Alexandra wrote: "Currently reading: The Dead Cat Tail Assassins. The world is fascinating, the ideas are cool, but the execution is so-so. It's a pity, I loved the Djinn books. It might get better..."

People praise this book. I think I will read it one day. By the way, I have already read a book by this author and I liked it very much.

Kaia wrote: "Mai wrote: "Finished Legends & Lattes. Author Travis Baldree delivers a light-hearted story that brought me smiles. An overwhelming desire to consume coffee and pastries accompanied my reading. Coi..."

Great books! Recommend them to everyone.

Michelle wrote: "Mai wrote: "Jhereg.This one reminds me of Mission Impossible only it lives in Fantasyland. A quick and fun read."

That series gives me the giggles!"

Me too.

Ambereyes wrote: "I finished to read Chimeras of Estmer. Although it's a long book, I read it practically in one day. There is a lot of humor in this book, and the unexpected plot twists, and some of the characters ..."

Read this book over the summer. Great book, but the author should have split it into three parts and made it a trilogy. And the plot of Kemlilin and his pirates could have been developed.
However, it is still an interesting book.

[Brett]

Frank Dikötter's, How To Be A Dictator is next (it's due back soon), anout cults of personality.

[Raucous]

That reminds me that I've got a copy of On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century that I've been meaning to read.

[Leonie]

Kaia wrote: "Leonie wrote: "I've just read The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher. Loved it! And if you like cats, then this could be a book for you."

Thanks for the recommendat..."

I went straight on and read the second book The Olympian Affair, and really enjoyed that one too.

A quote from some of the dialogue between human and cat for you, Kaia: (contains no spoilers but just in case you don't want to read it I've put it behind spoiler tags)

(view spoiler)[ Human: I merely suggest that perhaps the fates of a quarter of a million human beings and more than 150 tribes of cats - may be more important than your pride.

Cat: I am not sure I follow you (hide spoiler)]

[Brett]

On Tyranny is outstanding.

[Jen]

Jabotikaba wrote: "I started reading The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborti. It seemed to be a pretty good book.

Kaia wrote: "Alexandra wrote: "Currently reading: The Dead Cat Tail Assassins. The w..."

I really want to start reading John Gwynne!

[Kaia]

Leonie wrote: "A quote from some of the dialogue between human and cat for you, Kaia: (contains no spoilers but just in case you don't want to read it I've put it behind spoiler tags)"

Thanks, Leonie!

[SFFBC, Ancillary Mod]

Don't forget to vote!

[Brett]

Starting Black Sun, by Rebecca Roanhorse, for Indigenous People's Month (it was that or Mean Spirit.)

[Melanie, the neutral party]

The fantasy poll is currently a tie.

[CJ]

Brett wrote: "Starting Black Sun, by Rebecca Roanhorse, for Indigenous People's Month (it was that or Mean Spirit.)"


I loved that one. I'm planning on reading the second book in the series this month after I've finished some of my current reads.

[Jabotikaba]

CJ wrote: "Brett wrote: "Starting Black Sun, by Rebecca Roanhorse, for Indigenous People's Month (it was that or Mean Spirit.)"


I loved that one. I'm planning on reading the second book in the series this m..."

Great book and great writer.

[Kirsten]

I've been listening to the graphic audio adaptation of A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

[Esther]

I am reading The Book Eaters .At about 25% I agreed with several of the meh reviews but as I get further in there is some insightful and subtle writing.

[Walter]

I'm deep into The Dragon Reborn right now, and let's just say... my pillow and I are starting to grow apart. I keep telling myself, 'One more chapter,' but apparently, Rand and company have taken that as a personal challenge! If anyone has any advice on how to actually put this book down, I'm all ears—though preferably before the dark circles under my eyes start resembling trollocs.

[CJ]

Yesterday I reread Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and read The City in Glass by Nghi Vo. Conrad is an old fav of mine, and while I've been impressed with Vo's Singing Hills cycle, I was rather disappointed in this new book. I also read the graphic novel adaptation of Octavia Butler's Kindred. It was pretty good--I prefer the novel to the graphic novel but I like that the graphic novel exists for people who find that format more accessible.

In bed last night, I started a reread of James Tipree Jr./Alice Bradley Sheldon's The Girl Who Was Plugged In but dozed off. Will need to finish that today. I'm reading it from the excellent SF anthology The Future is Female! Vol. 2-- I highly recommend both volumes.

Oh also I renewed my long expired library card at the Houston Public Library to access their digital catalog and kind went wild with putting titles on hold. But I came away with a few audiobooks I hope to get through/start today:

This Town Sleeps by Dennis E. Staples - a murder mystery set on an Ojibwe reservation, reading for Native American Heritage Month.

The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer - a queer YA SF novel that I've heard really good things about

Dreamsnake by Vonda N. MacIntyre-- 1979 Hugo winner post-apocalyptic SF classic I've never read before

(BTW, if you live anywhere in Texas, you can sign up for a Houston Public Library card for free with proper Texas-issued ID. For non-Texas resident, I think there's a fee to sign up. Just know it's a big library serving the US' 4th biggest city and so you will have contend with queues for some items--for one title, I'm #22 in queue although most of my holds are quite shorter than that lol)

[CBRetriever]

I think the Philadelphia or Pittsburgh Library is open to any one in the US

[Julia]

Just started Children of Ruin

[Michelle]

Walter wrote: "I'm deep into The Dragon Reborn right now, and let's just say... my pillow and I are starting to grow apart. I keep telling myself, 'One more chapter,' but apparently, Rand and company have taken t..."

That is a good one.

[Kaia]

CJ wrote: "Yesterday I reread Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and read The City in Glass by Nghi Vo. Conrad is an old fav of mine, and while I've been impressed with Vo's Singi..."

I liked the audiobook of Dreamsnake - the story was more interesting than I expected. Silly fact - I listened to last winter during a particularly snowy time here, so I also associate it with shoveling snow in the dark, early morning (which is funny because most of the story is set in a desert area).

[a.g.e. montagner]

Following a pause of nearly two months, I am now reading The Bird King, which turns out to be the pageturner I needed to kick back my reading schedule into action.
I nominated the book months ago in another group, and somehow it won the poll.

On the sideline, I'm also keeping up the Beowulf protocol.

[Walter]

Julia wrote: "Just started Children of Ruin "
Oh, you’re in for a treat with Children of Ruin! I read it a few years ago, and it still sticks with me. Get ready for a whole new appreciation (and maybe mild suspicion?) of octopuses! 🐙 Enjoy the wild, mind-bending ride—and be prepared for some serious 'what if?' moments!

[Walter]

Michelle wrote: "Walter wrote: "I'm deep into The Dragon Reborn right now, and let's just say... my pillow and I are starting to grow apart. I keep telling myself, 'One more chapter,' but apparently, Rand and compa..."
Ehr yes..
My wife insists that reading in bed is just my favorite way to court insomnia—one incredible book at a time.. I guess?

[Richard]

I've reviewed the top-flight fantasy/SF hybrid Sleeping Worlds Have No Memory by Yaroslav Barsukov, which got 4.75* of five from me, here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Kaia]

a.g.e. montagner wrote: "Following a pause of nearly two months, I am now reading The Bird King, which turns out to be the pageturner I needed to kick back my reading schedule into action.
I nominated the ..."

I loved The Bird King! I’m glad you’re enjoying it, a.g.e.

[DivaDiane]

Why the long pause, Ale?

[Michelle]

Walter wrote: "Michelle wrote: "Walter wrote: "I'm deep into The Dragon Reborn right now, and let's just say... my pillow and I are starting to grow apart. I keep telling myself, 'One more chapter,' but apparentl..."

Reading keeps me awake a lot, too, unless the book's a total bust. I call it the "just one more page trap" :)

[a.g.e. montagner]

Each year I'm assigned to a different school, sometimes two at a time, and the first weeks are always taken up with bureaucracy and getting up to speed.

The result is that usually there are the books I read in August, and those I read in late October.

Thanks Kaia for the feedbacks!
I really loved Wilson's Ms. Marvel and I was looking forward to exploring her novels. It's been a pleasure to discover that she writes beautiful prose.

[CJ]

As a recently retired teacher, I get that. I used to teach special ed, often at multiple campuses each semester, and the start of a new semester was always pure chaos. Retiring due to my cancer was not great for many obvious reasons, but it certainly freed up my schedule for reading!

[Economondos]

Just finished up a reread of Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Can see why it is a classic of SF. but it just didn't hold my interest. Deliberately provocative for a 1960 audience.

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

Found something by Pratchett that I hadn't read, A Blink of the Screen: Collected Shorter Fiction. Some short stories might be a good way to snap me out of my current funk.

[Charlton]

Just started One-Eyed Jacks by George R.R. Martin.

[Alexandra]

Yesterday I finished The Book That Wouldn’t Burn. I enjoyed it a lot! Nice characters, excellent writing, an infinite library, lots of bookish Easter eggs.

My review is here ;)

[Mai]

CJ wrote: "Yesterday I reread Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and read The City in Glass by Nghi Vo. Conrad is an old fav of mine, and while I've been impressed with Vo's Singi..."

I've read and reread Dreamsnake at least 3 times. An enjoyable old classic.

[Mai]

Eyes of the Void. A lot less fun than the first book in the series. This one had a duller plot, fewer interesting characters, less witty banter, less cohesive flow. Not moving on to the next one.

[CBRetriever]

Mai wrote: "Eyes of the Void. A lot less fun than the first book in the series. This one had a duller plot, fewer interesting characters, less witty banter, less cohesive flow. Not moving on to..."

third book is pretty good

[Rachel]

Yeah there’s a little bit of middle book syndrome.

[CJ]

Mai wrote: "I've read and reread Dreamsnake at least 3 times. An enjoyable old classic."

I'm enjoying it a lot, and will probably finish it tonight. There's a lot in it that is quite forward-thinking for when it was written and its thoughtful feminine perspective that's not afraid to explore themes like compassion and healing is great. I knew a bit about McIntyre before reading this, but one thing I didn't know was how she was a total horse girl, lol.

Kaia wrote: "I liked the audiobook of Dreamsnake - the story was more interesting than I expected.."

I'm listening to the audiobook on Libby along with the ebook which is currently available through KindleUnlimited. It's an older audiobook, clearly a digitization of an analog recording. But I like the narrator Anna Fields (her real name was Kate Fleming) and was sad to learn she passed away in 2006.

[Jabotikaba]

Kaia wrote: "CJ wrote: "Yesterday I reread Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and read The City in Glass by Nghi Vo. Conrad is an old fav of mine, and while I've been impressed with..."

I read some of her books in the Singing Hills cycle last year. They were well written, but their characters and plots didn't impress me very much.
Well, at least those books have cute domesticated mammoths in them.

[Brett]

Started Michael Harriot's, Black AF History: the Un-whitewashed Story of America. Because D.L. Hughley's, How Not To Get Shot wasn't angry enough. This is gonna be fun!

[Daniel]

I'm reading Transcendence by Mauldin, second book in the Foundry series. A good narrative, but I find myself skipping over stuff that doesn't advance it. I think Elmore Leonard has a rule about leaving out stuff people tend to skip over. Or maybe I'm just too old for that stuff.

And I just bought Ancillary Justice, which I've been meaning to read for a few years now.

[CJ]

Restarting Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse. I lost access to the audiobook due to Everand's recent changes (I've since unsubbed) and had to wait until I an Audible credit to buy it.

Also was thrilled to find the Houston Public Library has the now-unavailable ebook of Trouble and Her Friends by Melissa Scott that I wanted for my cyberpunk/biopunk reading project and have started that. So far it's great.

[Jabotikaba]

Finished reading Book of a Thousand Days.
My review is here

[Richard]

Terrific novel in R.B. Lemberg's Birdverse, a dense fantasy storyverse I love: Yoke of Stars Yoke of Stars...almost five stars!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...