SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
What Else Are You Reading?
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What Else Are You Reading in 2025?
I have nine books nominally on "currently reading," some of which are holdovers from a three-month bad brain period where I started a lot of books but didn't finish hardly any. Now is a good-ish brain period, so these are the books I'm actually making progress with:This Alien Shore - paperback
Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her - ebook
Burning Chrome - paper. reading a short story in between finished books. almost halfway done. this will go on hold for a bit when I read Neuromancer for VBC
The Courtiers: Splendor and Intrigue in the Georgian Court at Kensington Palace - audiobook for quiet times at work (frequent, at the moment)
Our Mutual Friend - audiobook, listening in the car with my partner
The rest I'll get to once I'm done with something else.
Beth, I know those periods well! I still have a backlog of reviews that may honestly never be written at this point from my last one. Glad you are doing/feeling better now. :)
I've been reading a lot so far this year (I'm working on books 32 & 33 right now), but haven't really been keeping up with these kinds of threads, so here's the SF/F I've read:Womb City by Tlotlo Tsemaase (SF)
The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo (Fantasy/horror)
A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher (TK) (Fantasy/horror)
The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown (SF/horror)
Nettle & Bone by TK (fantasy)
Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor (SF)
The Unmothers by Leslie Anderson (Fantasy/folk horror)
Swordheart by TK (fantasy/romance)
And I'm currently reading Slade House by David Mitchell (fantasy/horror)
Becky, I see your T. Kingfisher streak! XD
Anna wrote: "Becky, I see your T. Kingfisher streak! XD"Right?? I'm on a roll and loving it. :D
I read House with Good Bones for myself, and then read Nettle & Bone for a friend who was iffy on how dark it may be, and we both ended up really liking it, and then she asked if I wanted to read Swordheart with her too, and I was like sure! I ended up liking it, but she didn't (to both of our surprise lol).
I think I'm hooked!
I think another Swordheart reread is in my (very) near future ^_^
I quite enjoyed the audiobook, Anna. I wasn’t sure about the reader at first, but the way she read Sarkis sold me!
Becky wrote: "I quite enjoyed the audiobook, Anna. I wasn’t sure about the reader at first, but the way she read Sarkis sold me!"I've heard many people say the same! I had already eye-read the book twice when the audiobook came out, so for me it was very jarring, but I've now listened to it multiple times, so I've gotten used to it :D
I also read several books at a time due to varying formats and varying types of books:I just finished!
A Thousand Recipes for Revenge, by Beth Cato (audio Fantasy) - great!
Women & Diabetes : Life Planning for Health and Wellness (non-fiction)
Star*Line 48.1 (SFFH poetry)
Larque on the Wing by Nancy Springer (ebook Fantasy) - fantastic!
Now I’m reading a Jo Nesbø murder mystery ebook. On-topic books I’m currently reading:
The Space Between Worlds (audio) Buddy read here in SFFBC!
Multiverse: An International Anthology of Science Fiction Poetry
The Feminine Future: Early Science Fiction by Women Writers(print paperback)
Fool's Errand (print hardcover reread)
I've completed The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door
. A university for magic. Snobbery between "betters" and a commoner. A dryad with an axe to grind. A stand alone tale. Three stars.
Some relatively recent reads I enjoyed,The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, P Djeli Clark. This is definitely dark but also inventive and has a lot of humor as well.
Dragonshadow. This is the second book in a trilogy and it felt like it, setting lots of stuff up for the finale. The first book (Heartstone) was clearly rooted in Pride & Prejudice, but this one had to go its own way storewide. There were a lot of new creatures and magical beings introduced which was fun.
The Ten Percent Thief. Set in an imaginative, dystopic future and told in a set of connected chapters following different people in the society. Very creative story and the structure really worked for me.
The Box in the Woods and Nine Liars.This catches me up on the Truly Devious series. I really enjoy these twisty cold-case murder stories and the teen characters who investigate them. I was happy to learn there will be a least a couple more in the series.
Started reading Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, the only SFF book on my February TBR that I didn't get to. I loved the other 2 books by Ishiguro I've read, and this is very similar in style. Will be starting The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson for my Books by the Dozen challenge, Cymbeline by Shakespeare as part of my reading through all of Shakespeare's plays project, and Un monstre est là, derrière la porte by Gaëlle Belém as part of my reading through various literary prize long/shortlists (the English translation is longlisted for the International Booker prize and shortlisted for the UK Republic of Consciousness prize, but the only copy at my libraries is the French edition so I'm reading that).
Just finished Bookshops & Bonedust to much enjoyment. A fresh take on high fantasy. And in my view, in a refreshingly slow pace...
Anna wrote: "I think another Swordheart reread is in my (very) near future ^_^"I am currently rereading the Saint of Steel series and plan to reread Swordheart afterward. :-)
Stayed in bed overlong to finish up Battle Ground by Jim ButcherMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
If I want a continuous battle scene book there are plenty by Ringo or Flint on my shelves. 3.25 out of 5.0 - it was a 3.0 but the included short story elevated it.
My review here
Next read is Side Jobs, a compilation of Dresden Files short stories. That should take the taste of Battle Ground out of my mouth.
Economondos wrote: "Stayed in bed overlong to finish up Battle Ground by Jim ButcherMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
If I want a continuous battle scene book there are plenty by Ringo or Flint on my shelves. 3.25 out of 5.0 -..."
I really enjoyed Side Jobs
I'm just beginning The Fort by Bernard Cornwell, an historical fiction book about the American Revolution.
This last week, I finished: (1) Starfish by Peter Watts, which was a compelling, albeit confusing read. Not in a rush to continue with the trilogy but I will probably go back to it eventually, as there were far too many unanswered questions.
(2) The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant by Drew Hayes. Found it mostly uninteresting and unadventurous. Didn’t really connect with it until the last story. Much preferred his 5-Minute Sherlock books.
(3) Titan’s Son by Rhett C. Bruno. Book 2 of the Children of Titan series. A cross between The Company Wars and The Expanse. Think Belter revolution and the rise of a cult leader. I found this a much more engrossing read than the first book even if it was a bit rushed and somewhat questionable in places.
Read When Among Crows by Veronica Roth. This is a short book and quick read about a mysterious and deadly quest. Set mostly in Chicago, it is chock full of monsters and other beings from Slavic (esp. Polish) folklore that have taken up residence in Chicago. The story moves fast, but it is pretty thin as though the purpose of the plot is to showcase all these mythical beings. Worth the read if you enjoy folklore fantasies.
Reading Circe by Madeline Miller and I know it's popular but, eh. It's rather heavy handed and obvious. Not bad, not quite a slog, but so far, it's not living up to the hype.Also started and quickly DNF'd The Great When by Alan Moore. I waited forever for that library loan, but 2 chapters in, I was completely unengaged and rather put-off by Moore's writing. All those words and it felt like he couldn't really establish any characters or mood or anything. Not for me, clearly.
CJ wrote: "Reading Circe by Madeline Miller and I know it's popular but, eh. It's rather heavy handed and obvious. Not bad, not quite a slog, but so far, it's not living up to the hype." We have a book club at work, and this month's selection is Miller's Song of the Achilles. I just can't bring myself to pick it up and seeing your comment above it is not filling me with hope either.
Sheska wrote: "CJ wrote: "Reading Circe by Madeline Miller and I know it's popular but, eh. It's rather heavy handed and obvious. Not bad, not quite a slog, but so far, it's not living up to the h..."I thought Circe was OK and I'm going to be starting Song of Achilles sometime soon
CBRetriever wrote: "I thought Circe was OK and I'm going to be starting Song of Achilles sometime soon" Cool. It'd be interesting to compare notes.
I really enjoyed Song of Achilles. Haven’t read Circe though.
Enjoyed Side Jobs by Jim ButcherMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
A collection of short stories that satisfies my need for a quick dip into the Dresden Files.
My review here
Finishing my series reread with Brief Cases. Then it is over to the TBR shelf for something completely different. Maybe some sci-fi or Japanese mythology. They are staring at me. Waiting.
Ozsaur wrote: "A Drop of Corruption - I'm loving it! It's every bit as good as The Tainted Cup"I am so glad to hear this, Ozsaur! Tainted Cup was one of my favorite reads last year, and I eagerly await my library obtaining a copy of A Drop of Corruption so I can read it.
Kaia wrote: "Ozsaur wrote: "A Drop of Corruption - I'm loving it! It's every bit as good as The Tainted Cup"I am so glad to hear this, Ozsaur! Tainted Cup was one of my favor..."
The Tainted Cup was also a favorite of mine in 2024! Looking forward to spending more time with Din and Anna.
Reading two series at the moment: one is the Redwall series by Brian Jacques. I'm reading it chronologically as best as I can with what I have at the moment, although any books I don't have I am borrowing from my local library. I haven't done this since I was a kid when I was reading the books and watching the show. I am currently on "Lord Brocktree" but I've read "Mossflower," "Mariel of Redwall," "The Bellmaker," "Salamandastron," "Redwall," and "Mattimeo." The other series is Dragonlance. It's a bit more sporadic, as I read whatever I can get. I'm currently on "Tales from the War of Souls: The Search for Magic."
But I've got a long list of recently acquired books to read.
Samuel wrote: "Reading two series at the moment: one is the Redwall series by Brian Jacques. I'm reading it chronologically as best as I can with what I have at the moment, although any books I don't have I am bo..."I haven't read the Redwall series in 30 years, but just seeing the title made me feel good. Time to go find it at a library.
I love Redwall too. I reread the first one last year. :) Now I need to reads the whole series, lol.
Just finished Brief Cases, a Dresden Files short story collection. 4/75/5. These are the better short stories all in one place. And that completes my rereread of the series. No time for more review, gotta go work on some house projects.Now starting a digital version of Neuromancer.
So much for my resolve not to start multiple books at once. In addition to Neuromancer (digital) and Wizard's First Rule (audio), I plucked my paperback copy of S.M. Sitrling's Island in the Sea of Time off the shelf. This is not like me.
Is this your first time reading Neuromancer?
Economondos wrote: "So much for my resolve not to start multiple books at once. In addition to Neuromancer (digital) and Wizard's First Rule (audio), I plucked my paperback copy of S.M. Sit..."I tend to do this when I'm distracted by a lot of things in real life
Read Starglass by Phoebe North. This is a story set on a generation starship - one of many launched by an Earth facing annihilation by an asteroid - that is nearing the end of its 500-year journey. The society on the ship has devolved to an oligarchic dystopia. What is different in this story is that the ship was launched by a group looking to preserve Jewish culture and its passengers are predominantly Jewish. That culture has also gone through a dystopian twist with the religion all but gone. An important point to keep in mind is that the book is listed for ages 12 and up and I would say its target audience is really in the 12 - 14 range. Some things in the book don't work well. With that age range, I would not expect true hard sf, but more care in presenting the science and engineering would have been good. For example, (view spoiler) There are too many character actions and technical aspects whose purpose seems only to move the plot as desired. The twist at the ending - a set up for a next book - did not work at all for me. Overall, I can recommend for the target age group and for folks with kids in that range who like a science fiction story they can read together.
Sheska wrote: "Is this your first time reading Neuromancer?"No, I have read it at least twice previously. Donated my physical copy during the great purge a couple years ago. Still have a digital copy, though.
Michelle wrote: "I tend to do this when I'm distracted by a lot of things in real life."That tracks. My attention is really splintered right now.
Economondos wrote: "Sheska wrote: "Is this your first time reading Neuromancer?"No, I have read it at least twice previously. Donated my physical copy during the great purge a couple years ago. Still have a digital ..."
this is my first time though
Economondos wrote: "this is my first time though" How are you finding it so far? It took me a good few attempts to get into that book but once committed it was a much easier going.
I've also started Miller's "The Song of Achilles" for this coming Thursday's book club at work.
Mod
Just finished it. Can't wait for the book club discussion. It's gonna be interesting to compare my experience of it with that of others. I certainly wasn't its target audience but I already disagree with at least one colleague’s criticisms of its mythology, the rest I'm not a big fan of.
SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
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The Mongrel Mage by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
Neuromancer by William Gibson
Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Killing Moon by Jo Nesbø
The Study of Fire by Maria V. Snyder
for later this month
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Semiosis by Sue Burke