What are you reading in January 2011?

[Kara]

Sandi wrote: "I'm now listening to The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. ..."

Hey Sandi! I'd love to know how that goes for you. I listened to Lloyd James read The Curse of Chalion, and I just loved him as a narrator. I have been considering trying The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, just because he narrates it too, and I've never read any Heinlein.

(I have Poison Study checked out from the library right now... *smile*)

[JoLene]

Read:

Reading:

On deck:

[Shel, Moderator]

I just finished Gemini and an still reeling. Sad that the series is over, but oh, so satisfying. And yep, I cried. A lot.

I think The Curse of Chalion is up next.

[Ron]

I am finally reading Kay's "Under Heaven", and just beginning "Surface Materials" by Banks, having just finished his "Transition".

[Random]

I just finished Stories of Your Life and Others.

As with all short story collections, you're bound to enjoy some more than others. My favorites, which I consider to be 5(+) star reads, are Tower of Babylon, Story of Your Life, Seventy-Two Letters, and Hell is the Absence of God.

I did find one of the main character's reaction inDivide by Zero to be annoying enough to detract from what was otherwise a fascinating concept.

I guess it is this story which makes me hesitate giving the book a full 5 star rating, but then I have to admit, no book is absolutely perfect, and some of the stories more than deserve that full rating.

So, I guess I will. This marks the fourth book since the start of 2009 which I've given 5 stars. :)

Oh, I mentioned this in our short story discussion of Understand and it really applies to the entire book. These are all excellent examples of why I love science fiction so much. Not only is there a lot of imagination, but every one of them causes you to think, to look at things from a different perspective, and you find yourself thinking back to the ideas and concepts long after you've finished.

Now its time for me to try to start Night Watch again. :)

[Mike]

I'm reading The Shadow Rising, the fourth book in the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. Kind of a long one so it will probably take me all month!

[Christine]

I just returned from a 12 day trip to New Zealand (beautiful country!!) and took along 15 library books on my Sony; I really enjoyed The Mayflower Project and have moved on to Destination Unknown. I keep finding new titles here and am having trouble keeping up with all the library books I'm getting

[Kerry]

Christine - I hope you enjoyed your visit to New Zealand. It sounds like you did.

I finished Dust yesterday (fascinating book) and today I've gone back to Grand Conspiracy. Hopefully I can start slowly catching back up to the group read.

[Sandi]

Kara wrote: "Hey Sandi! I'd love to know how that goes for you. I listened to Lloyd James read The Curse of Chalion, and I just loved him as a narrator. I have been considering trying The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, just because he narrates it too, and I've never read any Heinlein."

The narration of The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress is very good. The book itself isn't that good. I'm about 1/3 through and it's mostly exposition. It's my second Heinlein. I've read Stranger in a Strange Land twice and hated it both times. I keep hearing that it isn't a good representation of Heinlein and that The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress is his best work. I am not impressed.

[Stefan, Group Founder + Moderator (Retired)]

I just started reading God's War by Kameron Hurley yesterday, and am enjoying it. It's a dark, gritty far-future story that seems to mix fantasy and SF elements. Not a lot of exposition, so it takes a while to get your bearings, but the author's prose is strong enough to carry the book until you get there. I'm still not entirely sure whether some elements are magic-based or technology-based (or both). For a debut, this is pretty good so far (but I'm only 1/4 of the way in, so my opinion may still change).

[Mike (the Paladin)]

I wouldn't call either his (Heinlein's) best work Sandi, but then there's a lot "friction" between Heinlein readers. He was a man who wasn't afraid to express what a lot of us would see as conflicting opinions, thus different opinions as to "his best work". Personally I flat dislike Stranger in a Strange Land. This book is written by the same man who expressed the idea that humanity's only hope was to be the meanest, nastiest, most deadly life form out there. He had some Ideas that some of us (myself included) find very odd. Still he could tell a good story, it's just that not all the stories he told were.

Just my opinion, of course.

[[deleted user]]

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "Hummm, hi Sandi, I've had Magic Bites on my shelf for some time.... I can only hope I disagree with you (LOL). Don't you hate buying a book and then seeing a bad review from someone yo..."

Bite the bullet. (Oh what a horrible pun) Magic Bites is enjoyable within the UF genre. Andrews has definitely been original in how she constructs her vamp/shifter/magic universe and I found the lead character, Kate, very interesting. She is initially rather arrogant and unlikeable but that is because she has closed herself off from human connection (the reasons aren't really made clear in this book, but are fed to you through the rest of the series). She gradually begins to break out of that rather brittle shell and becomes intriguing.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

I'm always looking for a good series. If I don't actively dislike it. I'll try the next.

[Ron]

Finished "Under Heaven" last night and have started in on "Surface Details", my Xmas present to me. After that, probably Gaiman's "Graveyard Book".

[Emma]

Starting Troy: Lord of the Silver Bow by David Gemmell.
I've heard some great opinions, so I'm anxious to see how good it really is.

[Janny]

Emma wrote: "Starting Troy: Lord of the Silver Bow by David Gemmell.
I've heard some great opinions, so I'm anxious to see how good it really is."

I enjoyed Gemmel's Troy books.

[Shel, Moderator]

I just finished The Curse of Chalion and oooh, was it good. Can Bujold tell a good story or what?! Great worldbuilding, fully fleshed-out interesting characters, and a ripping good plot. 5 stars. My full review here:

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Next up I'm reading out of genre for my offline book club,
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See. I've previously read one of See's other books, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, and absolutely loved it, so I'm looking forward to it.

[Ken]

Finished Gibson's Zero History. I liked it. Gibson's work is no longer SF in any way.

Started on House Name

[Sarah]

Finished all the Harry Potters, and managed to squeeze in some other light reading.
Currently reading:


Not sure as to what's coming next. I might read the following Study books, or maybe finally get to

[Emma]

Janny wrote: "Emma wrote: "Starting Troy: Lord of the Silver Bow by David Gemmell.
I've heard some great opinions, so I'm anxious to see how good it really is."

I enjoyed Gemmel's ..."
Finished it yesterday, and loved it. Planning on reading the rest of the trilogy soon.

[Jim]

I just readThe Automatic Detective and loved it. Now I'm just starting to read Pushing Ice which will most likely take me until mid February or so.

[Paul]

Dawn wrote: "Pssst... Chris... You're talking about Fight Club... ;)"

The second rule of Fight Club is you do not talk about Fight Club. oh sorry, we've already had that; the second rule is no smoking.

[Paul]

About a quarter of the way into Night Watch and halfway through The Power of Babel, which I'm enjoying but have stalled a bit. Have just read GRRM's first two Hedge Knight novellas. I think I need something fairly high octane - I've had Richard Morgan's Black Man for ages so that might do the trick. I still haven't got Surface Detail, I was waiting for the paperback but might download from Audible. I need to get The Player of Games as I think it's the only Banks' I don't own.

I've also recently picked up Bujold's Vorkosigon saga and Kevin Anderson's Saga of the Seven Suns, so need to start those at some point.

Also a load of non-genre stuff on my immediate TBR shelf. Not sure what's jumping out at me, possibly some detective fiction (most likely Dennis Lehane) and some non-fiction.

[Bookbrow]

I'm reading Royal Assassin byRobin Hobb and then I will read the next book in the series, I would like to move onto Legend by David Gemmell for a clean January fantasy sweep.

[Shel, Moderator]

I finished Shanghai Girls pretty quickly - a good read, but didn't blow me away. I'm in the mood for a little nonfiction so now I'm picking up The Price of Everything: Solving the Mystery of Why We Pay What We Do, which I won in a FirstReads giveaway. I'll probably be back to spec fic after I finish it.

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

After 4 months (with way too much "real life" interfering with my reading), I finished The Ships of Merior. I think I'm going to read last month's BOTM, The Mote in God's Eye before diving into Warhost of Vastmark.

[Shel, Moderator]

I just finished reading The Price of Everything: Solving the Mystery of Why We Pay What We Do, a FirstReads win - found it quite interesting. Then last night I started The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms...this is going to be a quick read. I'm HOOKED. :)

[Shel, Moderator]

shortly after I posted this morning I realized I felt pretty crappy, took my temperature, had a small fever and called in sick...(I'm fine, don't worry, Tylenol took care of it)...and spent the rest of the day immersed in The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. Just finished it and can't wait to discuss it with you all!

[Random]

Shel wrote: "shortly after I posted this morning I realized I felt pretty crappy, took my temperature, had a small fever and called in sick...(I'm fine, don't worry, Tylenol took care of it)...and spent the res..."

I've been debating on that book. There are others I've been wanting to read badly and I'm just not sure that I want to start yet another series. I may consider giving it a try now though.

[Shel, Moderator]

It actually can stand alone. There are of course loose threads that will tie to the next book, but it's not the kind of book that will leave you needing the next book right away, and the story comes to a satisfactory climax such that you really won't need to read the next book at all (unless, like me, you really liked it and so you want to!).

[Random]

Shel wrote: "It actually can stand alone. There are of course loose threads that will tie to the next book, but it's not the kind of book that will leave you needing the next book right away, and the story com..."

I started it last night. I only stopped reading because I hadn't slept much the night before, last week was insanity and sleeplessness personified, yesterday was just an extension of last week, and exhaustion won out in the end.

I'm about half way through at the moment. If I don't finish this today, it will only be because I have neither a stitch of clean clothing nor clean dishes in the house (did I mention last week was insane?) and I have to get some chores done before work starts again in the morning. *sigh*

[Shel, Moderator]

LOL...kinda grabs you right from the start, doesn't it? :)

I was still mildly feverish for much of the weekend and didn't feel up to anything new, so was re-reading some old favorites, but now I'm pretty much recovered and I think it's time to plunge in to Grand Conspiracy and start trying to catch up on the Wars of Light & Shadow read!

[Random]

Shel wrote: "LOL...kinda grabs you right from the start, doesn't it? :)

I was still mildly feverish for much of the weekend and didn't feel up to anything new, so was re-reading some old favorites, but now I'm..."

Book has been finished and the second one has been purchased. I still have no clean clothes or dishes. I think McDonalds will delay the dishes issue until tomorrow. I should be able to get a load done before I have to crash for an early day tomorrow. Darks and lights in the same load....my mother would be frothing at the mouth if she knew.

Curse you Shel! :D

[Shel, Moderator]

Eh, wash 'em in cold water, they'll be fine together :p

[Mike (the Paladin)]

They make that "sheet" now sort of like a dryer sheet only you put it into the washer that's supposed to "absorb" bleeding color.

[Random]

lol, I personally don't care. My mother is one of those people, however, who gets horrified by the idea of being in an accident and not having pristine underwear.

She's also been caught ironing sheets and dishtowels. I blame her for my aversion to organization :D

[Mike (the Paladin)]

When I was "newly" married (at 18) my new young wife washed a deep burgundy scarf with my "white" underwear....you can imagine what color my underwear was "afterward"....


:)

[Sandra]

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "When I was "newly" married (at 18) my new young wife washed a deep burgundy scarf with my "white" underwear....you can imagine what color my underwear was "afterward"....


:)"

Pink??? LOL

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Ohhhh, ya.

[Random]

My mother did that to my father not long after they first married. He had pink underwear and pink socks.

He worked construction and this was back when the guys changed into their work clothes after they got to the shop. :)

To bring things slightly back on topic, I started Carol Berg's Song of the Beast at lunch today. Its another one that appears to grab you from the start.

[Sandra]

Random wrote: "My mother did that to my father not long after they first married. He had pink underwear and pink socks.

He worked construction and this was back when the guys changed into their work clothes aft..."

Love Carol Berg.

I'm reading King Hereafter with another online group. Starting Magician: Apprentice, and finishing The Death of the Necromancer

[Mike (the Paladin)]

I haven't commented in a while...I tend to list a lot of books and I'm more into Frontier America right now. A Life Wild and Perilous: Mountain Men and the Paths to the Pacific, The Journals of Patrick Gass: Member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition two books on leather working (a hobby I was into years ago and plan to pick back up) ABC's of Leatherwork and Lacing & Stitching for Leathercraft I've had Use Enough Gun : On Hunting Big Game on my currently reading pile for a while but it keeps getting upstaged. I also have a couple of library books Hondo and Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way. I expect a few more library books in, in a couple of days...so I need to get these finished!

[Ruby]

Firethorn, which I bought. Also Tarzan of the Apes from the library. Also 15 other library books this month, will spare you the list. :) Okay, I'll mention one since somebody brought it up: The Haunting of Hill House. Loved it! I also love almost all Heinlein madly. I personally have no problem with being a predatory ape, lol.