What are you reading in Q3 of 2024?

[Kathi, There’s no such thing as too many books!]

Let us know what books you’ve been reading during this third quarter of the year (July, August, September). What have you really enjoyed? What books were more of a miss than an hit?

All genres welcome here.

[Kathi, There’s no such thing as too many books!]

My July reads:
Print or ebooks—
Exhalation by Ted Chiang, 7/10. Let me start by saying I am generally not a fan of short stories. They are too much like reading a random chapter from the middle of a book or watching a random episode from a long-running TV series. If they are well-done, I usually am left wanting more. If they are not, I am left confused and disappointed. Having said that, Ted Chiang has specialized in short form speculative fiction and the stories in this collection vary greatly in subject, style, and, IMO, effectiveness, but they are all thought-provoking. My favorites were “The Truth of Fact, The Truth of Feeling”, “Omphalos”, and “Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom”. Least favorites were ‘What’s Expected of Us” and “Dacey’s Patent Automatic Nanny”.
Traitor's Blade by Sebastien de Castell, 7.5/10, comments in our group discussion thread about this book.
Bedford Square by Anne Perry, 8/10. A slow burn mystery that starts with a murder but mostly involves a rash of odd blackmails.
The Celtic Heart by Kathryn Marie Cocquyt, 4/10. I love stories of the ancient Celts & had high hopes for this one, but I was disappointed. The descriptions of village life, clothing, customs, hierarchy, & battle were well done & rang true. I can appreciate characters who are conflicted, portrayed in shades of gray, but these characters were just a mess. Highly principled one moment, lying & conniving the next, then back again, often with no apparent reason for the sudden changes of heart. None of them were very likable. And I don’t mind sex scenes if they make sense within the story, but the ones in this book got to be too much & actually detracted from the story.
Salute the Dark by Adrian Tchaikovsky, 10/10. Complex, intriguing, heart-breaking…The author explores the savagery, heroism, horror, and tragedy of war; the bonds of friendship, fellowship, and shared experiences; the power of tradition, of fear, of ambition, and of honor and love. It’s all here. Well-written, although I could do with less detail of battles and duels. The ending feels like a pause for breath in this 10-book series. It will be interesting to see where the story goes next!
The Maker of Universes by Philip José Farmer, 4/10. I expected this book to feel dated (published 1965), and it did, but it also felt more like fantasy than sci fi for huge chunks of the story. I never felt connected to any of the characters. There were too many plot developments that just seemed convenient (or contrived) rather than developing naturally out of the narrative. I guess the author laid some groundwork for the big reveal in the final chapter, but it still felt like it came out of left field. I am trying to read some “classics” in the genre, so I am going to keep going with this series and see if my opinion changes with later books.

Audiobooks—
The Broken Doll Series by Jeffery Deaver, which contains The Pain Hunter, Dodge, Execution Day and Sixty-One Seconds, overall 7.5/10. Lots of wonderful twists, but a bit of an ambiguous ending. The doctor was my favorite character.

So far in August I’ve started an audiobook but have mostly been reading magazines while I watch Olympics.

[Kathi, There’s no such thing as too many books!]

August books (print or ebooks):
Half Moon Street by Anne Perry, 7/10. A LOT of commentary on censorship/freedom of expression, and a few revelations about some of the continuing characters in this series. But, as always, impeccable historical research underpinning the narrative, fascinating characters, & a complex mystery, which almost took a backseat to some of the other themes.
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks, 6/10. This book was originally published in 1970; the edition I read was last revised in 1985, nearly 40 years ago. Neurology, psychiatry, and education have all changed dramatically in that time. The case studies recounted by famed neurologist Oliver Sacks are unusual, fascinating, and heartbreaking, but they are also emphatically historical accounts, reflecting thinking and practices that are, in many cases, outdated. Dr. Sacks is not afraid to express some frustration with the shortcomings of “modern” medicine, and he willingly contemplates the mysteries of the human brain and mind. At times a bit too clinical and/or philosophical for my taste, the narratives did always bring out the humanity of the patients/clients.
Knight's Shadow by Sebastien de Castell, 9/10. My comments are in the folder for our discussion of this series.
Gifts by Ursula K. Le Guin, 9/10. A coming-of-age story complicated by mysterious “gifts” and clan politics. As in her Earthsea books, Le Guin explores deep themes under the guise of a seemingly simple and straightforward story.
The Scarab Path by Adrian Tchaikovsky, 10/10. Tchaikovsky’s world-building in the Shadows of the Apt series has been imaginative, to say the least, and that continues in the 5th book of the series as most of the plot unwinds far from the Lowlands, the Wasp Empire, and even the Spiderlands. The desert of the Nem and the city of Khanaphes bring new challenges, new mysteries, and new characters to interface with some continuing characters from the first 4 books. Tchaikovsky’s characters are never one or two dimensional, but always well-developed, wonderfully imperfect specimens of their kinden. They make difficult, maddening, and bittersweet choices as they grow and evolve. The plots are layered, nestled and twisted together, complex but always comprehensible. And as the characters themselves adapt and evolve, so do their respective kinden and societies, not always in expected ways. I’m looking forward to continuing the journey!

Audiobooks:
Mrs. Wickham by Sarah Page, 6.5/10. The author captured the flavor of the period and the main characters were well written.
Ankle Snatcher by Grady Hendrix, 6/10. Horror is really not my thing & yet I wanted to know more (which is a common feeling for me with short stories).
Pigeon Tony's Last Stand by Lisa Scottoline, Unknown Caller by Lisa Unger, Trouble by Janelle Brown, and Kill Night by Victor Methos, all part of Amazon’s “We Could Be Heroes” short story/novella collection. 7, 8, 5.5, & 7 respectively on a 10 point scale. Of the 4, Unknown Caller and Kill Night were the best.

[Kathi, There’s no such thing as too many books!]

September books (so far):
I read:
Fast Track by John DeDakis, 8.5/10. This is an emotional ride, for both the main character and the reader; an excellent first novel with only a couple bothersome plot points. It’s a mystery, with a window into the world of journalism, a hefty dose of politics (the typical governmental kind as well as church politics), and big helping of family and personal secrets. The details really ground the story in time and place, giving it atmosphere and authenticity. The author spent several years in my hometown & I initially chose it because of that connection. A very satisfying story.
The Gates of Creation by Philip José Farmer, 5.5/10, A rather dated science fiction/fantasy/speculative fiction book (1966), this second book in the World of Tiers series is a pretty straightforward quest to save a damsel in distress and wreak vengeance on her kidnapper by a band of family members who basically hate each other. The author is credited with originating many of the tropes we take for granted in speculative fiction. It was a quick read but I found I didn’t much care what happened to any of the main characters, much less the secondary characters who inhabit the various worlds. However, I will likely continue with the series since I have the books on my shelf & some people consider them classics in the genre.
Voices by Ursula K. Le Guin, 10/10. This is a deceptively simple book; on its surface, it’s a coming-of-age story in an occupies, oppressed land. But woven into and throughout the story are much more sophisticated themes of censorship, freedom of religion & the nature of belief, and repression & rebellion with just enough magic & mystery to cast a spell on the reader. I found this more engaging & hopeful than the first book in the Annals of the Western Shore, and I’m looking forward to book 3.
The Hydrogen Sonata by Iain M. Banks, 10/10. I think this may be one of my favorite, if not my absolute favorite, Culture book—exactly because it featured the Ships and their Minds and Avatars so prominently. (I loved learning the Mistake Not…’s full name!) I felt great satisfaction when Vyr played the entire Hydrogen Sonata at the end, and then left the elevenstring behind. Banstegeyn was just slimy (more so than the eel-like Liseiden). I would have liked to have learned more of the Ronte. I thought maybe Banks had known he was dying of cancer when he wrote this, since the whole backdrop of the story was the Subliming of the Gzilt (you know, leaving the Real and entering the higher realms of existence) and since there was more focus on the Ships/Minds than some of the Culture books, but apparently not. I will miss being able to visit this universe.

I listened to:
The Mosquito by B.A. Paris, 6.5/10. A bit of a surprise ending, & another story where things would be resolved so much more easily & quickly if people would just communicate, but then, there would be almost no story & certainly no surprise ending. This was fine for listening to while I exercised; glad it was free through Amazon Prime.
The Pram by Joe Hill, 3/10. This was just an icky story. A little communication between husband & wife and maybe some grief counseling for both…
These Cold Strangers by J.T. Ellison, 7/10. A bit predictable in some places, but still, a excellent story.

[Kathi, There’s no such thing as too many books!]

I wrapped up September with the September installment or our Greatcoats series, Saint's Blood by Sebastien de Castell, 9.5/10. My comments are in our group discussion topic thread.
I also read A Private Cosmos by Philip José Farmer, 6/10. The main story is a rather breathless chase around the tiered world created by one of the Lords & now belonging to Wolff/Jadawin, & the home of the hero of this story, Kickaha (a transported Earthling). He is beset by enemies on every side, some who are inhabitants of this world & others who are invaders. This is 60’s pulp scifi; I’m reading this series as a dive into the classic past of the genre.
And I finished Powers by Ursula K. Le Guin, 8.5/10. This story was absorbing, a little slow in parts, with a cast of interesting characters. Gavir’s journey to learn the truths about himself, his world, & his powers is the plot of the book; the reader experiences & learns only what he does, & so some things remain unknown & unexplained, which kind of bothered me.. Seeing everything from only Gavir’s perspective gives the reader a sense of intimacy with him but, unfortunately, that also means there is always a distance between the reader & the other characters. The author does a masterful job of creating the various settings in the story. They are almost like characters themselves. I highly recommend all 3 books of the Annals of the Western Shore. While they are sometimes listed as YA, I found them engaging and thought-provoking.
I listened to The Heart of a Mother by Julie Clark, 6/10. The ending was a bit of a surprise to me but was fitting for the story.