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What are you reading in June 2010?
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Stefan, Group Founder + Moderator (Retired)
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Jun 01, 2010 09:48AM
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My most anticipated read for this month is GGK's Under Heaven. Actually, I get to read two of his books this month for book club reads. See my current-month shelf for other anticipated June reads. http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/...
Summer is almost upon us; only 20 days until the Summer Solstice.
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When I finish it'll most likely be back to SF or fantasy, not sure what though. Maybe a re-read, because it's that time of year when I'm generally too stressed out do do any actual thinking (3 weeks left of school and my students are totally off the wall!).
I was terribly unproductive last month, which means this month's list is going to look ridiculous, even using the "covers" option instead of just plugging in the titles. Still. . .Currently reading:
(I'm like 60 pages from the end! Should be done in a day or two!)Up next:
I just finished Arsenic and Old Lace (for a challenge in another group). I am currently reading Soulless by Gail Carriger for yet another challenge (Actually, it counts for two challenges in two different groups.) and re-reading Bridge of Birds: A Novel of an Ancient China That Never Was for the discussion here.My queue beyond that is fairly set in stone, as I am working on a long-term challenge and the books-of-the-month for two groups. Hence:
Palimpsest - Catherynne M. Valente (for a group read)
Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang - Kate Wilhelm (won through GR First Reads and want to review very soon)
Arkfall - Nebula Nominee 2009 - Carolyn Ives Gilman (novella)
Great Work of Time - Charles Dickens (novella)
Light - M. John Harrison (for next month's discussion here, but I wanted to read it anyhow)
If I get through those:
The Hell Screens - Alvin Lu (If not, it will be first up next month.)
Just finished The Lathe of Heaven and have started a reread of The Left Hand of Darkness and hopefully will get to The Wind's Twelve Quarters befor ethe end of the month. In keeping with the '70's sci-fi theme, I'm glad the Kate Wilhelm Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang is up for a read in this group soon.I'm having a little trouble finding a copy of Light, but also in the more recent sci-fi pile is Jo Walton's Farthing which I've been meaning to get to for ages, on recommendations from this group.
Warchild by Karin LowacheeAgent of Change by Sharon Lee once it arrives.
The Ships of Merior by Janny Wurts
Charnel Prince by Greg Keyes
As usual, I have too many books going at once. I'm reading Forever Odd by Dean Koontz, The Moonlit Earth by Christopher Rice, and A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge. I'm listening to The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett. I think I downloaded it within a week of the Audible release because I liked The Warded Man so much.
I'm currently reading Above the Snowline by Steph Swainston. It is reasonably good so far, although the plot has been a bit unexciting so far.
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Right now I'm working through the magazines that piled up, and writing a few reviews that are due. After that it's on to Wings of Fire, an anthology of stories about dragons, and Grand Conspiracy, the next book in Janny Wurts' series.
Just finished "Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell", which was excellent although the style was occasionally a bit precious. Starting a book of Stephen Donaldson's short stories, "Reave the Just", starts off very well although the author seems to be working through some issues. On the horizon is "Under Heaven" by GG Kay, which I cleverly gave as a present to a neighbour so he can lend it to me.
Currently reading No Blade of Grass by John Christopher and The British Invasion by Barry Miles. The last is a look back at the British Rock and Roll invasion of the US.
I am reading Twilight by Stephenie Meyer for my offline book club. Only one member has read it previously and she liked it...
I just finished reading House Rules by Jodi Picoult and enjoyed it although I do not think it is her best work; at the beginning I felt like I was being lectured on Asperberger's syndrome. After watching the final episode of The TV program Flashforward, I decided to read the book and have just started it.
Right now I'm reading Horns by Joe Hill. I'm really enjoying it and am near the end. In fact, I like it better than his previous book, Heart-Shaped Box.After that I have The Anubis Gates, 2666, Liar, Jurassic Park, and The Unincorporated Man lined up and ready to go. June is going to be a good month.
My library reserve list that just arrived:City of Illusions,Planet of Exile,Rocannon's World,The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Briar King,The Charnel Prince by Greg Keyes
Well that sucks, Lost a book. Going Postal has gone postal, he he. Not funny though, Third time I have lost a book. grrrrStarted reading Kushiel's Justice
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Sunshine's one of my favorite books. . . I'm always glad to hear someone else has discovered it! Have you read any of McKinley's other novels?
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I just got a Nook with a $50 gift card. (It's B&N's new promotion.) My first download is going to be The Passage by Justin Cronin.
About halfway through Sarah Zettel's first novel, "Reclamation". I think it's my favourite of hers so far.
I'm way behind here! I started Janny Wurts Wars of Light and Shadow in late May and on June 1, finished Grand Conspiracy, then Peril's Gate, Traitor's Knot, and the last one to date - Stormed Fortress. Once I started, I couldn't stop reading! These books are fabulous! I reluctantly moved on to On the Grind, and Magic Bleeds, both light weight reads, which I needed after the intensity of Light and Shadows.I'm currently reading David Burton's The Second Coming for the FBC, Wurts' To Ride Hell's Chasm, and A River in the Sky.
I decided to skip the reads for this month, as I already have too many in my pile to read. Next I plan to read Jerusalem Fire, Gardens of the Moon, Queens' Play, Foreigner by CJ Cherryh who I've never read, The Cycle of Fire, and The Deed of Paksenarrion. Oh yes, and Guy Gavriel Kay's Sailing to Sarantium duo, Tigana, and Under Heaven. I figure that should keep me busy for a while!
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I have a FirstReads win up next but have to read a few past issues of magazines that are piling up...
After reading a review here, I picked up Grass and find it very interesting; I've just started but can see there will be problems with the Terran ambassador's family and the local fauna.
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I've just started (as in about a page) rereading Melanie Rawn's Dragon Prince. I was a bit astounded to see that the copyright date was 1985. I bought this when it was published. That was 25 years ago! I can still remember buying it and reading it. Goodness but that makes me feel old.
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Now I'm on to Dragonfly in Amber. I liked Outlander very much, but it wasn't quite a book that I couldn't put down - I'm actually hoping for the same thing with book 2, because I am so busy this week that I can't really deal with a book that I can't put down, or I won't get anything done. One more week of school and then I can relax!
I really enjoyed the first couple Outlander books, but when the story moved to the "New World", the author got so bogged down in the minutiae of life that I quit the series
Reading lots and lots of Lovecraft this summer; currently inside At the Mountains of Madness. Also finishing Tanith Lee's The Secret Books of Paradys and anxiously awaiting a shipment with some used Jerry Pournelle military sci fi novels in it that I don't already have, plus a short story collection I haven't read by Caitlin R. Kiernan (who is a goddess), who turned me on to Lovecraft (although I've apparently been digging on people who were also heavily influenced by him for years without knowing it - like Tanith Lee!) Couldn't wait till the Pournelle books get here for some military sci fi as a break from the Gothic, so I'm rereading Elizabeth Bear's Jenny Casey trilogy (Hammered, Scardown, and Worldwired). Does anyone else think she is one of those who can ONLY write sci fi OR fantasy but not both? I checked a fantasy of hers out of the library and more or less disliked everything about it, but this sci fi trilogy rocks me. I've reread it probably ten times already since it came out a few years ago. I think her dark view of things is better suited to dystopian futurism than Faerie.
BIG Sunshine fan here, by the way, and also a huge fan of The Deed of Paksenarrion. Now there's a woman who can write both military science fiction AND fantasy!!!
Christine wrote: "I really enjoyed the first couple Outlander books, but when the story moved to the "New World", the author got so bogged down in the minutiae of life that I quit the series"I had a bit of a tough time getting through Outlander, and have never read any sequels.
Ruby: I take it the Elizabeth Bear fantasy novel you read was Blood and Iron?If so, you should give her fantasy another shot. I ended up loving Blood & Iron, but it was by no means Bear's best work -- so dense with allusion (most of which I didn't get) that it wasn't at all approachable, and while I loved the way all the moving parts came together in the end, I was totally lost (and a bit bored) through probably the first 80% of the novel.
Try the novella collection New Amsterdam instead -- it's a steampunk alternate history collection set in a turn-of-the-century America that never broke away from England, but what makes it work is her two protagonists, a vampire private detective and a forensic sorceress Detective Crown Investigator who solve murders involving magic. It's smart and the world-building all happens out of the corner of your eye and it's the perfect antidote to all that mediocre supernatural noir floating around at the moment. :)
Mod
I've only read a few things by Tanith Lee Tales from the Flat Earth: The Lords of Darkness and Tales from the Flat Earth: Night's Daughter: Delirium's Mistress; Night's Sorceries and didn't care for her style or the books, to be honest. I read them many, many years ago but it was enough to turn me off to her as an author. What do you like about her?
Everything, pretty much. Her stuff verges on horror and perverse erotica, so if you don't care for the Gothic, you wouldn't like most of her books. My mother would not probably want to read the Paradys books (at the far end of the spectrum) but she has so far loved Lee's YA novels - the "Claidi" series (Wolf Tower, Wolf Star, Wolf Queen and Wolf Wing) and the "Unicorn" trilogy (Black Unicorn, Gold Unicorn, Red Unicorn). I love Night's Sorceries, and some of my other favorites include Volkhavaar, A Heroine of the World, Tamastara (short stories), and the science fiction Birthgrave trilogy (The Birthgrave, Vazkor Son of Vazkor, Quest for the White Witch).
Phoenixfalls wrote: "Ruby: I take it the Elizabeth Bear fantasy novel you read was Blood and Iron?Yes, it was! I got all the allusions, I just did not like the way it came together in the end, with the Fae, Dark Fae, Human, Devils, etc. reduced to an international political dispute. I felt like they turned into China, America, Canada, etc. from the Jenny Casey books! Also I did not like even one character, which for me will not do, and I did not expect considering the uniformly wonderful characters in the "Hammered" books. It felt like the author was unable ultimately to suspend her own disbelief in magic and create realistic magical people.
New Amsterdam sounds like lots of fun from your description. I will definitely check it out. I do like subtlety in evidence of world-building and I am an Anglophile.
Mod
Thanks for your reply. I actually like a lot of "Gothic" books but for some reason, Lee just didn't click with me. I may have to give her another try in the future.
Finished my wild ride with Kay and the Ninth Driver with Lord of Emperors (my review). Now I'm returning to finish, in the next hour or so, another book club read: The Second ComingAfter that, not sure what's next. I should read another Kay book, Under Heaven, but after reading Brooke's review, I may want to separate myself from the Sarantine Mosaic a bit before tackling a similar version in Asia. I've got a couple of anthologies to rush through, on short loan from the library so that could do the trick.
Kathi wrote: "Ruby wrote: "Everything, pretty much. Her stuff verges on horror and perverse erotica, so if you don't care for the Gothic, you wouldn't like most of her books. My mother would not probably want to..."I think Tanith Lee has a very Victorian-inspired style, something that harkens to Yeats or Lord Dunsany. "Mythopoetics" might be a good word to describe her stuff. Sometimes such things are overdone, and Lee's longer works can get a little longwinded -- but I found her through her short stories, such as "The Gorgon" and "Magritte"s Secret Agent" which combine a modernist sensibility with a retelling of stories of mythic "monsters." Those are still two of my favorite short stories (found in
The Gorgon and Other Beastly Tales).
I, like most reviewers I've read, found her werewolf novel Heart Beast to be sub-par. Somewhere I read that it had one of the most ridiculous seduction scenes ever penned. I don't remember that specifically (read 20 yrs ago) but from what I do remember, it sounds very possible.
I've never delved into her sci-fi, but I've heard it is heavy on mythic reference also.
This month has been really active both at work and at home, fence built, deck to be sanded etc. I have enjoyed my reading time as a break during this activity. I am enjoying Grass by Sheri S. Tepper the book is deep and rich and defies a quick read as I find myself pondering elements of the story and the writing which is uniformly very good. I got a whole pile of books so who knows what's next, I think I need some space opera.
Bookbrow wrote: "This month has been really active both at work and at home, fence built, deck to be sanded etc. I have enjoyed my reading time as a break during this activity. I am enjoying Grass by..."You mnay want to add Raising the Stones and Sideshow to your list as they complete a loose trilogy begun in Grass.
I too am enjoying Grass; now I guess I have to pick up these next two books as well (plus the BOMs and new series, I have more than enough reading)
Reading now for pleasure: I'm half done with Deathstalker Coda by Simon R. Green--the last in the Deathstalker series. Big, fun, weird, wild space opera.And at the same time, just yesterday read the first story in an old Clark Ashton Smith anthology The Abominations of Yondo, which I've had sitting on my shelf for years. Inside, I see it once belonged by fellow TSR employee Dave Sutherland and was picked up by Peter Archer in 1997. I must have come into possession of it when he left Wizards. I love a book with pedigree.
Reading for work: Currently making an editing pas through The Sentinels (Stone of Tymora 3) by R.A. & Geno Salvatore, having just finished the edit of Gauntlgrym by R.A. Salvatore. Also reading the first draft of the Gamma World novel Red Sails in the Fallout by Paul Kidd!
I'm currently reading Feed by Mira Grant. I was a bit dubious about it as I really am not a zombie fan, but this is working really well for me.I'm also doing a slow reread of an old favourite, Dragon Prince by Melanie Rawn. I've only read three chapters so far, but I'm enjoying getting reintroduced to some old friends.
I finished The Second Coming (my review) yesterday morning before driving an hour to my grandmother's funeral. Not the best type of book to read right before attending such a function. :)Since I can't renew an Interlibrary Loan, I'll have to quickly finish The Solaris Book of New Fantasy so I can return it Monday. If I get that anthology done today (and I hope to), my next book club read is The Last Stormlord.
So glad I have a lazy Saturday to spend indoors where it's cool. Outside, in Kansas for the next several days, it will be highly humid and in the mid to upper 90s. Yuck! And it's not even officially summer yet!
Nick wrote: "Kathi wrote: "Ruby wrote: "Everything, pretty much. Her stuff verges on horror and perverse erotica, so if you don't care for the Gothic, you wouldn't like most of her books. My mother would not pr..."I somewhat like Heart Beast because it is a werewolf version of Wuthering Heights. I also never found Lee's novels as good as her short stories or novellas.
I finished Swainston's "Above The Snowline". I thought it was a good read, a bit more straightforward than the previous Fourlands books but still had an interesting plot, at one point it did threaten to turn into a snowy version of "Avatar" but Swainston is obviously more cynical than James Cameron so it doesn't have such a neat ending. After that I read George R.R. Martin's short story "The Mystery Knight". It is nice to return briefly to the A Song of Ice and Fire world for the first time in years. It was a good story, out of the three "Dunk and Egg" stories I'd say it was better than the second one, although maybe not quite as good as the first. It did add some interesting background to the series and introduced a few new interesting characters.
Now I'm reading "Watcher of the Dead" by J.V. Jones. Haven't read enough to really offer an opinion so far, hopefully it will be better paced than the previous book in the series which I thought was a bit too slow-moving.
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