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What are you reading in August 2010?
Mod
Shel -- Have a good trip! And I hope you enjoy the Cherryh; that trilogy is probably my favorite of all her work.Edit: Well look at that! I have Cherryh and Dunnett on my stack for this month too! ;)
I'm currently in the middle of:Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov
The Curse of the Mistwraith, by Janny Wurts
Tales of Nevèrÿon, by Samuel R. Delany
I hope to also read this month:
Mod
I'm still reading The Gaslight Dogs and The Stress of Her Regard. I am listening to Faithful Place by Tana French.
Phoenixfalls wrote: "I'm currently in the middle of:Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov
The Curse of the Mistwraith, by Janny Wurts
Tales of Nevèrÿon, by [auth..."
I'll be curious to see what you think of Dunnett's Johnson Johnson mystery - did you know she actually did paint portraits?
Janny wrote: "I'll be curious to see what you think of Dunnett's Johnson Johnson mystery - did you know she actually did paint portraits?"I did not. . . and as this will be my first foray into her work I have no idea why that's relevant. Looking forward to finding out though! ;)
Phoenixfalls wrote: "Janny wrote: "I'll be curious to see what you think of Dunnett's Johnson Johnson mystery - did you know she actually did paint portraits?"I did not. . . and as this will be my first foray into he..."
Her lead character, for this series of mysteries, is a very fascinatingly drawn, internationally renowned portrait painter. These mysteries are very VERY different than her historical works.
Janny wrote: "Her lead character, for this series of mysteries, is a very fascinatingly drawn, internationally renowned portrait painter. These mysteries are very VERY different than her historical works."I see. For some reason, I thought he was a spy. ;)
I have The Game of Kings on my TBR stack too, but likely won't get to it until next year, as it doesn't qualify for any of the challenges I'm taking part in.
Phoenixfalls wrote: "Janny wrote: "Her lead character, for this series of mysteries, is a very fascinatingly drawn, internationally renowned portrait painter. These mysteries are very VERY different than her historical..."So you'll see. :)
Mod
Haven't read any of her mysteries as it's generally not my favorite genre, but as you know I've loved her historical pieces; should I branch out? :)
I'm still reading The Curse of the Mistwraith and The Passage turned up for me at the library yesterday. I'm not quite sure how I'm going to manage two such big books at once, but I'm going to give it a go.
I'm finishing up 61 Hours(hard to stop when you get within 50 pages of the end) and will then return to CotMW. I have two library books on the shelf (Shattered& The Irresistible Henry House) plus one more on my eReader
I've been working on two books for the group here, Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang, I'm about two-thirds of the way finished, and The Curse of the Mistwraith, I've only just started chapter three, so a little behind in the discussion. I also just started listening to the audio of Kraken today.
First on my list will be Under Cover of Darkness so that I can read "The Sundering Star", the short story that Janny pointed out as being connected with the Wars of Light and Shadow series.Then it's on to Cherryh's Foreigner. I've read and liked a lot of her other series, but somehow missed this one, so I'm really looking forward to it.
Have a great trip to Europe, Shel! Where are you going? If you end up, by chance, in Hanover, Germany, send me a PM! :-)
Stuart wrote: "I am readingArchangel by Sharon Shinn"I really enjoyed Archangel. What do you think of it so far?
I started The Gaslight Dogs this morning during my work commute. I'm also re-reading (in depth with notes) The Curse of the Mistwraith for a group discussion. The rest of my reads for this month can be found on my current-month shelf.
Mod
We are going to London to visit family there and then to Italy for 2 weeks :)
And, I'm excited because I just received in the mail my latest FirstReads win, The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise: A Novel, which takes place in the Tower of London, so I'm bumping one of the Dunnetts off of my carry-on and bringing that along instead. I love reading books that take place in a spot that I'm visiting!
Hope you have a great trip, Shel! Sounds wonderful. I just got back from Indiana to visit family. It was flat and hot, but it was nice to see family!I'm rereading Wars of Light and Shadow -- am up to Fugitive Prince and am savoring the books this time through. I'm also reading the 2nd Foreigner trilogy starting with Precursor and am finding this series fine! Also addictive, lol. After that I have some group reads, Mistborn: The Final Empire and The Name of the Wind. I have Faithful Place and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Next high on my list, as well as The Lions of al-Rassan and a whole pile of books on the table beside my reading chair.
Mod
Then I AM going to get back to The Curse of the Mistwraith. I'm starting Chapter 4 so I'm a bit behind.
I have slowed to a stop on The Curse of the Mistwraith, not from any problem with the book, which I have really been enjoying, but because my ME/CFS has really come crashing down on me and I don't have the energy or brainpower to give the book as it deserves. I really hope to be able to pick it back up again soon and catch up (I'm in the last pages of the first chapter set for this week - would that be X?) and that I won't get too far behind.Instead I'm reading The Passage, which is way too long and could have done with some condensing. But the plot is interesting enough to keep me going and as the book plods its way along, I'm actually able to plod along with it. I'm not finding the writing as brilliant as it could be, but the story is strangely compelling and one than I like - even if it is probably several 1000s of words to long.
Plodding is good right now and I certainly couldn't plod with one of Janny's books.
Kerry wrote: "I have slowed to a stop on The Curse of the Mistwraith, not from any problem with the book, which I have really been enjoying, but because my ME/CFS has really come crashing down on me..."Oy, I listened to The Passage and thought it would NEVER end! It was okay, but I certainly don't plan to read more in that series!
Hope you get to feeling better soon!
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Stefan wrote: "Oops - I take it back. I need to read The Last Page by Anthony Huso first. Looks very promising. After that, definitely The Way of Kings!"I forgot! I got this one as a First Reads! How 'bout them apples? I'm excited!
Mod
The Anthony Huso book looked really interesting based on the publisher's description, and I'm very eager to get started on it.
Stefan wrote: "Neat! I never end up winning those First Reads, but I guess it's only fair with all the ARC's I already get. The Anthony Huso book looked really interesting based on the publisher's description..."
I never win anything! And you do get all those free books :). Last Page sounds complicated.
I've just given up on The Passage. It started out with promise but totally fizzled out for me at the halway point. I couldn't face reading that much more of the book.I'm hoping my brain is up to going back to The Curse of the Mistwraith which I know will be much more rewarding.
For lighter reading, I've got an urban fantasy/paranoral romance in the background if I need it, Eileen Wilks' Night Season.
Kerry wrote: "I've just given up on The Passage. It started out with promise but totally fizzled out for me at the halway point. I couldn't face reading that much more of the book.I'm hoping m..."
I toldya it wasn't any good, lol. And every now and then a girl needs a little sexy fluff to round things out, eh?
Sandra, I totally agree with you on both counts!
Susan wrote: "First on my list will be Under Cover of Darkness so that I can read "The Sundering Star", the short story that Janny pointed out as being connected with the Wars of Light and Shadow s..."I just read the first three Foreigner's and loved them. They're addictive.
And every now and then a girl needs a little sexy fluff to round things out, eh?LOL! Definitely :)
I'm currently reading The Curse of the Mistwraith and also Lynn Flewelling's second Nightrunner book Stalking Darkness.
Just finished Iain Banks' "Transition" (about 3 o'clock this morning, as it happens), and still reading "Darwin's Dangerous Idea" by Dan Dennett. Listening to Robin Hobb's "Forest Mage" audiobook.Next up for the month are choices from the following selection
Dan Simmons "Hyerion"
Sheri Tepper "Raising the Stones"
Dean Koontz "The Taking" (never read him but my girlfriend is a fan)
Charles Stross "The Fuller Memorandum"
Italo Calvino "If On a Winter's Night a Traveler"
Ken Macleod "The Night Sessions"
Dennis Lehane "The Given Day"
Salman Rushdie "The Moor's Last Sigh"
George Pelecanos "Shame the Devil"
or whatever else catches my eye....
so many books, so little time!
Stefan wrote: "Finally getting started on my ARC of The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. Ye gods, this thing is 1000 pages, and only book 1 of a projected 10 book series! It's go..."Ye gods indeed, 10 books, 1000 pages each. I have been dreaming of the good old days where you good find a stand alone or Trilogy to read.
Almost finished Pandora's Star and I have a couple of days to decide what to read next as I am heading out of town for a couple of days
Leaning towards Janny's book though.
Mod
I finished The Gaslight Dogs Friday afternoon and am still mulling it over. To lighten my mood for the weekend, I picked up another Victorian era (actually Late Victorian/Edwardian Era or WWI to be precise) novel, The Beekeeper's Apprentice. I've been remiss in not keeping up with the re-read on The Curse of the Mistwraith though.
I've been reading The Curse of the Mistwraith (about a third of the way through now). The comments over at the Mistwraith thread keep me going, as it's more enjoyable to read with people than to read alone. In genre, I recently finished The Misenchanted Sword which I really liked; and I am at present reading Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow (a YA novel based on a Norse myth). I still have Bridge of Birds: A Novel of an Ancient China That Never Was by my reading chair, and I expect to get to it sooner rather than later. Same thing for A Million Open Doors, Helliconia Summer, Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron and Darwinia: A Novel of a Very Different Twentieth Century.
Finished Grand Conspiracy which ends on a high note; on to my reread of Peril's Gate. Finished The Dark Horse audio book and am two hours into The English Patient. Wanted to see if I enjoyed the book as much as I loved the movie, which was so visually beautiful it was good even with the sound off. Haven't picked Precursor up in a while, but am getting back to it.
Finished The Ships of Merior, started Warhost of Vastmark. After that I think I might take a break from the Wars of Light and Shadow series and try something different for a little bit (if I'm able to stop that is). I was thinking Kushiel's Dart or The Other Lands.
I'm still reading The Curse of the Mistwraith and loving it. I've passed the point where I stopped the first time I tried and while I can see why I stopped, the person I am now is ready to keep going and settle in for the long ride. I've finished the group of chapters for this week, but I don't think I can pause now and will probably keep going to the end.Wanting a couple of "lighter" books to take a break with, I started The Story of a Return and Event. The latter seems to be written in typical, conspiracy/techno-thriller overblown style, but so far is amusing and I'm just skimming my way through as a total palate changer from Curse.
I put The Curse of the Mistwraith down for a week or so while I read a couple "lighter" library books; sometimes I find myself tiring of trying to understand what is happening in this book. That said, I've picked it up again and am now reading the chapter titled "Artifacts". Guess I wouldn't feel so much like I'm slogging through this book if it weren't so dense (half the time I have no idea what the characters are discussing...and it seems important that I do)
Well finished up Pandora's Star and ended up on a bit of a cliffhanger...literally. Started in on The City & The City
Mod
Managing to keep up with the group read of The Curse of the Mistwraith and enjoying it.Finished a quick re-read of Fahrenheit 451, one beautifully written book.
Got Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang lined up for a re-read, but have first just dipped into an on-line read of Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre at Book View Cafe, seems really interesting, might just carry on with that. Then I can carry out my promise to myself to read The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi, just bought it today from B&N.
Oh and when I've got time I still need to get around to reading Light by M. John Harrison.
A bit over ambitious for someone who still moves his lips when reading difficult words, but one can dream can't they.
Stefan wrote: "Finally getting started on my ARC of The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. Ye gods, this thing is 1000 pages, and only book 1 of a projected 10 book series! It's go..."I guess it is fitting that he is finishing the Jordan - Wheel of Time series as that is 12 or 13 books and counting. That said I heard he was good.
Books this month
The Cross-Time Engineer by Leo A. Frankowski remarkably sexist series yet very engaging at the same time. (4 book series)
Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon
and I have just started The Short Victorious War by David Weber, ah holidays.
I finished The Beekeeper's Apprentice (my review) on the commute home last night. I started The Mystery of Grace last night, but fell asleep after the second page (my fault, not de Lint's). I'm very remiss in re-reading Curse of the Mistwraith this week thanks to three days of training (and no lunch) at work.
Mod
Finished Still Alice and found it very powerful and sad without being melodramatic. I think it will be interesting to talk about it with my dad after he reads it (he has mild Alzheimer's disease and this novel is about a woman with early-onset Alzehimer's, written from her perspective).
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Beyond Reality
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Still reading Janny's To Ride Hell's Chasm. As discussed elsewhere here, it's going slow, but for all the right reasons. Once I'm finished with that, hopefully before the end of August, I'll start on Lavinia by Ursula LeGuin. Or maybe Voices, also UKL. Well something by her anyway.