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 second that recommendation


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. 😺

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.

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.

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

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.


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)

Kaia wrote: "Alexandra wrote: "Currently reading: The Dead Cat Tail Assassins. The w..."
I really want to start reading John Gwynne!

Thanks, Leonie!


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.

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




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)

That is a good one.

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).

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.


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!

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?


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

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

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

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.


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.

My review is here ;)

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


third book is pretty good

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.

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.
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I loved Moon of the Crusted Snow and we had a great discussion on VBC of the book. Not sure if the level of posted-discussion (in the threads) was equal or not, but you should check that out. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel. Good to hear good things about it.