What Else Are You Reading in 2024? Showing 251-300 of 1,529

[Colin]

Finished What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher. This is a short, cozy horror set in a fictional East European country in the late nineteenth century. It follows in time, and has some of the main characters from, What Moves the Dead, but unlike the first book, it is not a reimagining of an old tale. It is very cozy, and the horror is rather mild. The writing is excellent, and the characters are engaging. An enjoyable, quick read, more of a snack than a full meal.

[Brett]

Picked up The Bandeitantes, Richard M. Morse (Ed). Ordered a copy of The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas, and knowing a little bit about the history might make that more enjoyable.

[Brett]

ETA: BandeiRantes

[Economondos]

This morning sleep wouldn't come and I finished Knight by Timothy Zahn

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The first half was a lot of set-up for the second (and probably the next book). As such it dragged in places. However, the second half got back up to speed moving the plot forward with building tension and rising stakes for the protagonist (the stakes for humanity were already high).

May have to revisit this review after the final book. It could easily go up, not likely it would drop.


View all my reviews

[Phrynne]

Firewalkers is another fun read from Adrian Tchaikovsky. Earth is burning up and only the rich are escaping. Throw a rogue AI into the mix and see what you get.
My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Stephen]

sounds good

[Economondos]

OK, the To Read sheld now has more than 30" of books across it. And I am running low on Gaylord book tape (generally buy used). Also, Antigonus has told me she wants a break from entering data into the book database (she keeps lots of data for each of the 1,000+ book in the house). No more purchases until half these have been read and reviewed.

[Nicky]

Colin wrote: "Finished What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher. This is a short, cozy horror set in a fictional East European country in the late nineteenth century. It follows in time, and has so..."

I read that one last Sunday, it didn't really meet my expectations. I wrote a full review on it which you can find here if you're interested; but in short, I found the story rather vanilla in comparison of what Kingfisher is usually capable of. I expected more. I gave it 3,5 stars in the end

I'm currently reading A Master of Djinn which is... fun, filled with action, and interesting from an arabic cultural point of view; but so far, it's nothing entirely unique or ground-breaking yet.

[Rick]

Nicky wrote: "I'm currently reading A Master of Djinn which is... fun, filled with action, and interesting from an arabic cultural point of view; but so far, it's nothing entirely unique or ground-breaking yet.
..."

Have you read his Djinn universe novellas? I actually liked those more (I liked Master... fine)

[Nicky]

no, I haven't read anything else beside Master of Djinn of this author. If the book ends up being a 4* rating or more I'll definitely check out more of their work, but I also have *a lot* more books on my shelf that I'm super stoked about, so i gotta do some prioritizing too 😜

[Amos]

I have been reading most of Sanderson's stuff, ACOTAR, and Gardens of the Moon (Malazan)

[Dj]

Quite possibly the best cookbook I will read all year. There are a few books that work this combination into the work. The story has cooking in it and the recipes for what is made are included. That is what this book does. The fact that the chef is an Orc and the setting is almost pure fantasy is different but only in a sense. An amazing fun read and the recipes look like they would turn out some good food. Well except for the Tomato Sandwich, I generally dislike Tomato's, not the flavor, but the texture.

Cleaver's Edge

[Economondos]

Finished Queen by Timothy Zahn last night.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Zahn closes up a really good alien abduction trilogy. The main character has a real arc and the ending left me wanting more adventures in this universe. A satisfying read and the trilogy goes to my Reread in the Future shelf, earning a permanent place next to many other works by Zahn.

My review here

[Brett]

Lathe of Heaven was okay. Beginning John Milas's The Militia House.

[Alexandra]

I finished City of Blades, the second book of The Divine Cities trilogy. It was quite amazing, and probably better than the first book (which I also gave five stars to!). A very dark ride...

My review is here ;)

[Michelle]

I finished the new historical fiction Empire book (#14) by Anthony Riches last night Clash of Legions. Deals with the Year of Five Emperors in AD 193, specifically Severus and Niger for those also interested in ancient Rome.

I'm about 2/3 of the way through the last, (so far!), in the SF Admiral series by Sean Danker: Clear Sky. I hope he's busy writing the next one.

My library loan for the hold I placed in November on Uhtred's Feast: Inside the World of The Last Kingdom finally came in yesterday, so I'm also reading that. I'm really really glad I didn't live back then. I'd hate to have to roast a pig's head, or even worse, peel a pig's tongue!

[CBRetriever]

Michelle wrote: "I'd hate to have to roast a pig's head, or even worse, peel a pig's tongue! "

reminds me of when I went to the Foire des Antiquites & Jambon near Paris. It was a huge Antique Fair with lots of hams. I went to one stand where lots of people were in line and ordered what the guy before me had ordered because it looked good. Then I looked down the counter and saw all these roast suckling pig heads... When I got the two plates I ordered, I saw a row of white pebbly things and about died. Fortunately, it was the backbone and not teeth, but it scared me. Very delicious though: roast suckling pig with veggies and potatoes.

and to keep on topic, I finished Animal Farm by George Orwell which on second read (I'd read it back in junior high school, didn't surprise me that much. The ending seemed really telegraphed ahead of time

[Michelle]

CBRetriever wrote: "Michelle wrote: "I'd hate to have to roast a pig's head, or even worse, peel a pig's tongue! "

reminds me of when I went to the Foire des Antiquites & Jambon near Paris. It was a huge Antique Fair..."

Lol! Great story :)

[Phrynne]

My review of The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher . Horror fantasy - scary, imaginative and funny all at the same time. A great read!

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

[Charlton]

Just finished Promise of the Witch King and now reading Road of the Patriarch. The 2nd and 3rd of R.A. Salvatore Sellswords Trilogy.

[Economondos]

This morning, finished Penric’s Mission by Lois McMaster Bujold

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It gets harder to write reviews that don't give away the events of the book. Let it suffice to say that we learn more about the priest, his demon, and the world they inhabit. The pacing is good - no lags and the introspective parts are so engrossing they move at the speed of thought.

Needless to say this on goes on my Reread in the Future shelf. Now on to Mira’s Last Dance.


My review here

[Kaia]

Economondos wrote: "This morning, finished Penric’s Mission by Lois McMaster Bujold
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
It gets harder to write reviews that don't give away the events of the book. Let it suffice to say that we le..."

Economodos, I just finished Penric's Mission last night! I think it was my favorite of the series so far. I'm starting Mira’s Last Dance today. My library only has the series through the next book (Prisoner of Limnos), though. I think I know what my saved Audible credits are going to be spent on. :-)

[Economondos]

Finished Mira’s Last Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold around 5AM.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Direct continuation of Penric's Mission. This was a great look at a different part of Cedonian society. I like Mira when she takes over from the dominant personality of Des.

My review here

[Kirsten]

I've been listening to The Starter Ex by Mia Sosa and hoping to finish up reading Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor today.

[Stephen]

I'm still going on The Art of Destiny - follow up to The Art of Prophecy by Wesley Chu.
Really enjoying it a lot. Will review when I get the chance ...

[Gary]

I finished reading The Martians by Kim Stanley Robinson. It contains a series of short stories set in his Mars Trilogy universe. Some of the stories were great. My favorites were the untold stories of Maya and Coyote. I also liked the stories featuring Eileen Monday and Roger Clayborne. I remember reading the original Green Mars Novella in Issac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine about them. I am reading Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold. This is a Miles Vorkosigan story, and it is a game changer. I plan to read The Waste Lands (Dark Tower #3) by Stephen King next.

[Faith]

My review of The Misfit Soldier by Michael Mammay

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

[Stephen]

Faith wrote: "My review of The Misfit Soldier by Michael Mammay

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

I read another of this authors books and liked it - most especially the battle scenes

[Economondos]

Completed Penric’s Fox by Lois McMaster Bujold last night.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Strongly recommend the book, but read it after Penric and the Shaman and before Penric’s Mission. This works much better with a chronological reading order than publication.

The brevity with which she draws out the setting and characters is what makes these novellas excellent. I could see the forest and felt the intensity of the princess-archdivine even though neither get a lot of pages.


My review here

And straight into The Prisoner of Limnos.

[Anna]

Have you found our Penric thread yet? :)

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

[Economondos]

Anna wrote: "Have you found our Penric thread yet? :)
Ummm . . . I have now.

Thanx

[Michelle]

I just finished Uhtred's Feast: Inside the World of The Last Kingdom. It was surprisingly interesting! I mean, I would have read this just for the Uhtred short stories, but the various dishes, ingredients and cooking methods were good sections.

[Michelle]

Oh and P.S.- This book costs waaay too much for what it is. I advise a library loan; that's what I did.

[Economondos]

Finished The Prisoner of Limnos by Lois McMaster Bujold this morning.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another excellent entry in the Penric series. This goes straight to the Reread in the Future shelf.

The newly introduced characters are done very well. Maybe Desdemona the demon sums it up best:
"One gives you the shirt off his back, mused Des, and the other offers to help you bury bodies. I do believe you have made some new friends, Pen!"

My review here

[Economondos]

Now out of Penric books, so the next choice is between Admiral by Danker (never read) or The Hobbit - 50th Anniversary Edition (reread).

[Beth]

Not an impressive monthly wrap-up this time around: a reread, and a YA that's about 200 pages long.

Cold Magic by Kate Elliott: this is the reread, my third time through. I love this world and the characters, and kind of wish the author weren't so fond of info-dumps and chase scenes. (review)

The Boredom of Haruhi Suzumiya by Nagaru Tanigawa: this is the last of three volumes of this light novel series that I bought several years ago. A couple of these short stories show some potential for deeper characterization of one of the so-far one-note cast members. A little too late, and these weren't in my demographic in the first place, so it's easy to let it go here. (review)

[Kim]

I’m currently reading A Bright Heart by Kate Chenli. I picked it up because I love reincarnation stories in graphic novels and wanted to see if that love of the trope would transfer over. I’m only 50 pages but I’ve really enjoyed the set up so far.

If this book goes more into the political intrigue side of things while still having great character development I can see myself enjoying it immensely. There’s a lot of questions already about when characters started to change for the worse in the past life of the main character that I’m curious to see play out.

[Phrynne]

Like Economondos I am working my way through the Penric series. I finished Penric's Mission and loved how talented he has become. The introduction of a romantic interest was unexpected but fun.
My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Faith]

My review of The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

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

[Colin]

I struggled to finish Shanghai Immortal by A.Y. Chao. I hadn't expected it to go that way. The premise sounded great: a re-telling of Chinese mythology set in pre-WWII Shanghai, with the city mirrored between the mortal world and Hell, and with a protagonist, Jing, who is half-Hulijing (a fox-spirit) and half-vampire. The problem is that Jing comes across as the standard petulant teenager of so many cookie-cutter YA stories. Since this is first-person POV and she is the narrator, the whole book is infused with this, to me, worn out YA feel. YMMV, of course, and if you will enjoy the Chinese mythology and like YA, or are okay with it, this book may be a good pick. It didn't work well for me.

[Alexandra]

I finished Under Fortunate Stars yesterday. This book is very Star Trek and I thought it would be very entertaining. Unfortunately, the characters were really badly written and I grew more and more annoyed as I read.

My review is here ;)

[Economondos]

Finished up Admiral by Sean Danker last night.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was uneven with some really nice high points, but they were scattered across some good, but not great, writing. The characters did get developed, but pretty late in a story with only four people. The surprise reveal at the end was no surprise.

Doubt this one gets reread. It isn't an automatic placement on the Donate Shelf, but if I need space it would go there.

My review here

Now reading The Hobbit - 50th Anniversary Edition. The forward by Tolkein's son was excellent, and Bilbo has just woken up to a kitchen full of dirty dishes. Not sure why I waited so long between rereads.

[a.g.e. montagner]

General update for 2024 so far.

Reread the delightful Bluets by Maggie Nelson for an online book club on nonfiction.

Heavy dose of speculative fiction, with The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula Le Guin and the entire Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin as part of this group's reread schedule.

Several graphic novels:
the new (at the time) Conan the Barbarian book by Jason Aaron, Mahmud Asrar and Matt Wilson;
La saga di Grimr, historical fiction set in Iceland which won at Angouleme festival;
the superlative Beowulf by Santiago Garcia and David Rubín;
and the final, unfinished work by master Jiro Taniguchi: La foresta millenaria (deluxe edition).

Currently reading Mom & Me & Mom, Maya Angelou's final memoir, soon to be followed by Álvaro Enrigue's Tu sueño imperios han sido.

[Brett]

Finished Militia House. Found it more about creepiness and dread than overt horror - not necessarily a criticism. Veterans might get more out of it.

Beginning Good Omens, Gaimen & Pratchett.

[Kaia]

After finishing all of the Penric and Desdemona books available through my library and the books of the month for February, I'm going back to work on some of my challenges for this year.

I'm currently reading A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge, which I find really intriguing so far (as part of my Zodiac Challenge to read Hugo winners from the different years).

I'm also partway through Illuminations by T Kingfisher and Alphabet of Thorn by Patricia McKillip (which are both on my TBR cleanup challenge). Illuminations is okay, but I'm not enjoying it as much as others by T Kingfisher. Alphabet of Thorn is my first book by McKillip. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet.

[Meredith]

Oooh, I really enjoyed Alphabet of Thorn. Looking forward to your thoughts on that. It was my first McKillip too, and this reminds me I've been intending to read more of her work.

[Kim]

Kaia wrote: "After finishing all of the Penric and Desdemona books available through my library and the books of the month for February, I'm going back to work on some of my challenges for this year.

I'm curr..."

I just finished the first Penric and Desdemona book. It was enjoyable, Penric is so sweet

[Kaia]

Meredith wrote: "Oooh, I really enjoyed Alphabet of Thorn. Looking forward to your thoughts on that. It was my first McKillip too, and this reminds me I've been intending to read more of her work."

Thanks, Meredith! Her writing style is really different from what I've been reading recently, so it's taking me a bit to get into it, but the story is interesting so far.

[Kaia]

Kim wrote: "I just finished the first Penric and Desdemona book. It was enjoyable, Penric is so sweet"

Kim, I have really been enjoying this series, and the characters only become more developed and interesting as you continue. I'm sad that my library doesn't have all of the books. I was listening to the audiobooks, so now I need to save up some Audible credits in order to binge the next batch. :-)

[Anna]

A good chunk of the Penric books are included in Audible Plus.

Periodic reminder that we have a thread for all things Penric :)

Series: Penric and Desdemona by Lois McMaster Bujold ("Penric's Demon"