What else are you reading - August 2024

[Seth]

Jonathan wrote: "Just started Beware of Chicken. It is funny and a lot different from the normal stuff I read. Not sure yet how I feel about it, but continuing through."

Well, it's not like anything I'd read either, but I used to love the Harvest Moon games, so maybe I'll try it. Haven't had a new start in Stardew Valley recently either, so maybe I should just play instead of read... Hard to decide.

[Stephen]

I am reading Carl's Doomsday Scenario, the second book in this fun series.

[[deleted user]]

Just finished Annie Bot. It was fantastic. I love a robot book where the robots are more humane than the people.

[AndrewP]

Currently reading The Hydrogen Sonata by Iain M Banks. I have been holding off on this one because it's the only Culture novel I haven't read. Once I am finished that will be it :(

[Clyde]

AndrewP wrote: "Currently reading The Hydrogen Sonata by Iain M Banks. I have been holding off on this one because it's the only Culture novel I haven't read. Once I am finished that will be it :("

Same here. Already bought and resting in my TBR pile. … After that, no more … 😕

[Ruth]

Well I was reading A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland on my kindle but I was struggling to get into it. As soon as the September book was announced I set it aside so I could get stuck in to Some Desperate Glory. A shame as I liked the concept of the book but it just wasn’t executed in a compelling way.

[Phil]

Just finished The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal.
I really wanted and expected to love this book because I loved some of this authors previous novels and this one seemed to promise to be a SF take on the Thin Man movies I watched with my mom many years ago.
While it did have a rich, sophisticated couple on their honeymoon on a space cruise ship and they were involved in solving an onboard murder, it didn't live up to my expectations.
The main problem was the main character. She was a cross between Elon Musk and a stereotypical "Karen" who used her money and lawyer and fame to solve most of her problems. She also used a service dog, who apparently was the cutest thing in the universe, to distract people and chronic back pain which didn't add anything to the story since she had an implant to turn off the pain when she needed to.
The writing was fine but didn't have the whimsy and humor I expected and the solution to the mystery was (view spoiler)[ out of the blue and somewhat abrupt. (hide spoiler)]
Oh well, maybe next time.

Next is The Mechanical by Ian Tregillis.

[Ruth]

I had fairly similar thoughts on The Spare Man although I slightly disagree with your assessment of the protagonist’s chronic pain- as a chronic pain sufferer myself I found it made her significantly more relatable. Also, there was a part where the pain suppressive implant gets turned off, so it did have some more general relevance.

[Clyde]

Phil wrote: "Just finished The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal.
I really wanted and expected to love this book because I loved some of this authors previous novels and this one seemed to prom..."

Agreed. Not one of her better efforts IMHO. (Oh well … you cannot always get a hit. Sometimes you strike out.)

[Seth]

Read Nicked which is historical but with weird stuff (miracles, a dude with a dog's head, etc.) folded in. Really wry and pleasantly weird.

[Trike]

Phil wrote: "Just finished The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal.
I really wanted and expected to love this book because I loved some of this authors previous novels and this one seemed to prom..."

This book was so terrible I refuse to believe it was written by Kowal. It’s so disjointed and ridiculous that I’d believe it if you told me it was concocted by version 0.9 of ChatGPT.

The main character is basically Walking Rich White Privilege, aka Space Karen, who breaks the law on the regular and gets miffed when the authorities try to stop her from screwing things up. Imagine one of Kardashian girls inserting themselves into a murder investigation and getting all huffy about being told to,stop. That’s basically this book.

It’s hard to believe this was created by the same author who gave us the superb Lady Astronaut series. Baffling.

[Chris K.]

Yeah, I agree with the general sentiments about The Spare Man.

I've started the next in the Discworld series, The Light Fantastic. Fun so far.

I'm listening to the latest Bujold, Penric and the Bandit.

I finished The Dead Cat Tail Assassins. I really liked it. I'm glad S & L introduced me to this author.

I finished listening to Sanctuary. A good entry into the series featuring a minor character.

[John (Taloni)]

Finished Killing Time, the latest Time Police book which is a spinoff of the St. Mary's time travel series. Pretty hilarious through most of it. Situation comedy in interpersonal relationships along with slapstick as the Time Police chase a runaway Dieselpunk train through several eras.

I say "most of" because the book takes a very serious turn at the 80% mark. I would have been fine with Jodi Taylor doing just one book that was light hearted all the way through. Let's just say that mental health treatment in the 1840s is exposed in all its ignominy.

The book ends on a thoroughly hilarious vignette involving an unlikely romance, and then proceeds to a teaser for the next book.

I always enjoy these and was only sorry I finished it so fast. There's more coming by the end of the year. But I still want more, More, MORE!

[Clyde]

Finished Task Force Hogan: The World War II Tank Battalion That Spearheaded the Liberation of Europe. Very well written. Recommended for those interested in armored combat during WW2.
Started James S.A. Corey's latest book -- The Mercy of Gods. Off to a great start. I think they have another winner.

[Stephen]

I picked up the next in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook,

[John (Taloni)]

^ Addictive, aren't they?

[Jonathan]

Listening again to Prince of Fools. One of my favorite series in audio.

[Seth]

Clyde wrote: "Started James S.A. Corey's latest book -- The Mercy of Gods. Off to a great start. I think they have another winner."

I actually just started this too. I'm kinda bummed that I'm 60 pages in and haven't even caught up with the plot description on the back of the book. I really feel like it could have started quicker. I'll stick with it, certainly, since the Expanse was so good.

[Oaken]

Managed to listen to Malka Older’s “The Imposition of unnecessary obstacles” on a long car trip. Liked the first one, enjoyed this one as well. Sherlock Holmes in space. Yeah, the science still doesn’t make a lot of sense. But the vibe!!!!

[Oaken]

Speaking of that series, would love to see a tv series based on it with Emma D’Arcy (Rhaenyra in HotD) as Mossa.

[Clyde]

Seth wrote: "...I actually just started this too. I'm kinda bummed that I'm 60 pages in and haven't even caught up with the plot description on the back of the book. I really feel like it could have started quicker. I'll stick with it, certainly, since the Expanse was so good."

Yup. I was also doing a bit of head scratching early on. WTF? Just some character introductions and a bit of world building!? But then … all hell breaks loose.
IIRC, The Expanse also started kinda slowly. I reckon they are laying the groundwork for something huge. We shall see.

[Steve]

I've just finished H.M.S. Surprise and felt it was the strongest of the series so far. This was a perfect combination of nautical, martial and personal.

In the background I've also got the Mistborn series trundling away on audiobook (currently on The Well of Ascension).

Now onto the BoTM...

[Trike]

Paused the other books I was reading and have turned instead to Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky on audio, read by him (and doing an excellent job), as well as The End of Ordinary by Edward Ashton in print. I thoroughly enjoyed Mickey 7 and its sequel, and this has a similar type of humor.

This is going to be my lightest book-reading month this year. Just not into it lately, but both of these books are light and fun, which helps.

[John (Taloni)]

^ Dude, it's late summer in New Hampshire. I'd probably be spending less time reading too. You got dogs, beautiful landscape, long warm nights, enjoy!

[Trike]

When you put it that way….

[Misti]

I've been listening to the Percy Jackson books from the library (currently on The Last Olympian). I'm enjoying the stories themselves but the narrator is just bad. I know he's reading for a younger audience but I think if I were a kid, I'd still think he was bad. Unfortunately, the audiobooks are the only option available through Libby at my library.