What have you been reading this April?

[Mary]

The Shortest History of England by James Hawes

[Andrea]

Finished the first Cirque du Freak book, kinda enjoyed that one. I like that the "evil" vampire is kind of this sorta sad guy who is more mean because he has to than because he's inherently so. Though he's not exactly a nice guy either since he could of let the kid get away with his crime if he'd wanted to. But then there wouldn't be 11 more book in the series right?

Back to Betsy the Vampire Queen next, book 3 Undead and Unappreciated by MaryJanice Davidson

[NekroRider]

Tonight I finished The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks. It didn't quite live up to what I was hoping for but it was still an entertaining (albeit quite dark in some places!) read. Recommend for Assassin's Creed fans and maybe Drizzt fans too! Definitely shares some similarities with some big mid/late-00s fantasy titles like Mistborn, Warbreaker, and Lies of Locke Lamora.

I've started on the next book in the trilogy, Shadow's Edge. Already quick out of the gate!

[Tony]

Another short story - What is POSAT? by Phyllis Stirling-Smith. Written in the early 50s, it's an interesting take on secret societies. Reminiscent of some of Heinlein's short stories.

[Tony]

A Little Journey by Ray Bradbury. Bradbury has some fun poking religious charlatans in this very short, and somewhat silly story. But it is Bradbury, so it was a fun read.

[Robert]

I am reading Breaking the Dark by popular author Lisa Jewell. It's fun but it was amusing watching how quickly she had to move to relocate Jessica Jones from her accustomed Manhattan to rural England. Write what you know it a good dictum but shouldn't be taken to extremes. ;)

[Andrea]

Finished Undead and Unappreciated. Light, silly, fun. Only took two days. Kind of like candy.

On to a much longer 600+ page tome, I read the first book on the free Simon Teen site so figured I'd continue the series since the library had it - A Cruel and Fated Light by Ashley Shuttleworth

[Tony]

I finished another short story - Hunt the Hunter by Kris Neville - which was building into an interesting story and then just finished, leaving the story somewhat unresolved.

I have also finished Touch. This ia another very good, and very unusual story from Claire North. I always enjoy her novels, and this also fills the Female Author slot in my Bingo.

[Kivrin]

Just finished A Case of Conscience. Another of my tries to fill in gaps in my classic sci fi reads. Didn't really enjoy this one. Very heavy on the religious/philosophical themes but not much character development. It's thought provoking, but too sad and depressing for me.

[Tony]

I have finished Masks Volume 1, which is an excellent graphic novel featuring a number of reasonably well-known, and more obscure, heroes of the pulps and Golden Age.

I have started reading Fight for Life and Death, book one of the Apocalypse Paused series. This will fill the Set in Africa Bingo slot.

[Georgann]

I just finished Spider's Wyrd . I read this for a book group I'm in at the library, and the librarian knows the author and she is coming to visit our group. I didn't care for this so I'm going to have to be careful about what I say! If it wasn't for this group, I don't think I'd've even finished it.

[Jeremy]

Ship of Magic, Valor, Conan the Fearless, Fool Moon, Tower Lord, working on Conan the Warlord, Queen Of Fire, The Stone of Iron and Omen, The Blade Itself (barely started) and hopefully starting Mad Ship and Ruin.

[Tony]

While there is a time and a place for warnings about online security, I don't think this list is the right place - and his comment really read like spam - so I deleted it.

[Tony]

I have finished Fight for Life and Death, the first book (chronologically, if not in publishing order) in the Zoo universe. Aliens attempt to terraform Earth, resulting in a patch of alien jungle in the middle of the Sahara. It's a fast-paced, fun read, and the first of over 50 books (across half-a-dozen series) set in this universe.

[Mary]

Brionne by Louis L'Amour

[Pierre]

I finished Shadow of the Hegemon - and was disappointed. The author admits himself, in the book's afterword, that it is as different from Ender's Shadow, as Speaker for the Dead was different from Ender's Game. I did not enjoy that difference and I'll not continue reading the other Shadow books.

I decided to read again Gridlinked by Neal Asher, to see whether I like it better than the first time I read it, two years ago.

[Barbara]

The Disappearance by Philip Wylie

This book was published in 1951.

The plot: One day, the world splits into two alternate 'dimensions': all the human men disappear from one; and all the human women disappear from the other.

Interesting speculative/dystopian fiction.

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

[Andrea]

Pierre wrote: "I finished Shadow of the Hegemon - and was disappointed. The author admits himself, in the book's afterword, that it is as different from Ender's Shadow, as Speaker for the Dead was dif..."

Agreed, it was good but not the same. But if you wanted to complete the Ender series you might want to jump back in maybe with Shadows in Flight and The Last Shadow since they tie back into the main Ender storyline.

[Mary]

Guns of the Timberlands by Louis L'Amour

[Georgann]

A Wizard of Earthsea: A Graphic Novel . Somebody in one of my groups recommended this and I'm so glad! The artwork was just fabulous! (I've searched our posts and can't find the mention *shrugs*) But thank you, if it was you!

[Andrea]

Georgann wrote: "A Wizard of Earthsea: A Graphic Novel . Somebody in one of my groups recommended this and I'm so glad! The artwork was ju..."

*checks library* Its not available yet but they've ordered it, added it to my ginormous list of books to borrow

[Tony]

I finished another couple of short stories - Citizen Jell by Michael Shaara and Operation Distress by Lester del Ray. Both of them were fun, and typical of a lot of the short stories from the 50s and 60s.

[Robin]

i just added the Earthsea graphic novel to my Birthday Wish List on Amazon 😊 I don't know if any of my relatives will be kind enough to get it for me, I shall have to wait and see. 🤔

[Robert]

Just started The True Bastards last night, feels good to be back on the Hog, so to speak :)

[Pierre]

Andrea wrote: "Pierre wrote: "I finished Shadow of the Hegemon - and was disappointed. (...)"

Thanks for the advice, Andrea. I place those 2 books in my want-to-read list, and I'll get back to them later.

[Robert]

OK so that's the re-read of the Prism Pentad done and dusted.

Here's my review of The Cerulean Storm -
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


Dark Sun is so much fun as a setting...

[Mary]

Dracula by Bram Stoker

[Gary]

I finished reading When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi. The moon turns to cheese and Hijinks ensues. It’s as crazy and interesting as it sounds. I am reading A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold. Miles’s latest mission is his most difficult yet. He’s in love and wants to court the next Lady Vorkosigan, but everyone conspires against him including her. I am also reading The Waste Lands (Book three of the Dark Tower Series) by Stephen King next. I plan to read The Devils by Joe Abercrombie next.

[Michelle]

Gary wrote: "I finished reading When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi. The moon turns to cheese and Hijinks ensues. It’s as crazy and interesting as it sounds. I am reading [..."

[book:A Civil Campaign|61899] is my favorite one in the series. That dinner party gives me the giggles every time I read it :)

[Georgann]

I read The Vampire Knitting Club in part for the vampire MC slot for our Bingo. Now you might think that since it says right on the book blurb that the vampire is Gran, not our MC Lucy, that I would know it didn't do the trick. You'd be wrong. I didn't figure it out until I went to add the book on GR! *eyes rolling*

[Tony]

Another couple of short stories - Syndrome Johnny by Charles Dye and Psychotennis, anyone? by Lloyd Williams. Neither was particularly good, both from the early 50s (1951 I think).

I have started Cowboys & Aliens, which will fill the Weird West slot in my Bingo.

[Andrea]

Gary wrote: "I finished reading When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi. The moon turns to cheese and Hijinks ensues. It’s as crazy and interesting as it sounds. I am reading [..."

I gotta read a book where someone turns the moon to cheese....sounds awesome. Need to use that as a BINGO slot one day, haha

[Georgann]

Tony, I really liked the Cowboys and Aliens movie!

I read The Food of the Gods The Food of the Gods for our published before 1940 Bingo slot. It was not quite the monster story I was hoping for, just made me sad, really. I also got the 1976 MGM movie from the library, loosely based on a portion of the book. It was more monster-y, but also very much more B level that I expected.