What Else Are You Reading - September 2011 Edition

[Been]

Wow, that really didn't take long. Finished reading Ready Player One already. Absolutely loved it. It's taking all my willpower to not spend the next few weeks on an 80s binge, playing Swordquest while listening to Rush.

I don't really want to jump into another MMORPG themed story straight away, so I'm going to read Rendezvous With Rama first.

[Derek]

Really enjoyed The Conquest Trilogy by Jack Ludlow, all three books are on Audible for about $10 each. if you like Bernard Cornwell you'll like these.

If you like Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, check-out Harry Connolly's Twenty Palaces Series. only 3 books so far. only complaint I have about the series is that the books are sequels to a 1st book that never got published, so you're missing the initial adventure that started everything, but you get enough background in the other books to figure out what happened. hopefully he'll put out that 1st book sometime.

[Ken]

I was intrigued by Robert J. Sawyer's plug for his book Hominids, so I just finished that and am on to Humans. I'll take a break for the current S+L picks, but I'll probably finish up the trilogy with Hybrids as these are pretty enjoyable.

[Boots]

Ken wrote: "I was intrigued by Robert J. Sawyer's plug for his book Hominids, so I just finished that and am on to Humans. I'll take a break for the current S+L picks, but I'll probably finish up the trilogy ..."

I wanted to read that one because it won a Hugo.

[Ken]

Hominids is also a quick read and is reasonably plausible as far as these things go anyway. The Neanderthals are interesting and provide some comic relief as well. This is in contrast to Darnton's NYT Bestseller (for some reason) Neanderthal, which has one of the dumbest plots I've ever read.

[Boots]

Maybe I'll check it out, after the current S&L picks.

[Tamahome]

-- hard sf alien encounter with pulpy characters. Would make an excellent future S&L pick.

[Philip]

Almost done with The Elves of Cintra, my second Terry Brooks book after being recommended by Boots. Good world building, characters, and an interesting take on how his fantasy world develops. Pretty cool stuff.

[Nevan]

I'm sixty pages through Cryptonomicon, and I honestly can't remember the last time that I was this excited by someone's style — it was probably Douglas Adams six years ago.

[Brandon]

I just finished Snow Crash which was blown very enjoyable. It wasn't perfect and in the middle of it I thought it might not live up to expectations. By the end though I really enjoyed it and would recommend it.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

I'm 2/3 through Rainbows End and zipped through On Canaan's Side. At work I'm slogging through some books on music and copyright, as well as a few volumes of African short stories for a class I'm helping out with. I put all my piles of books away that I bought on a used bookstore binge, and I think I might dig into some of the obscure Jeanette Winterson that I was able to find. I love her!

[Tamahome]

Kind of meandering with the apocalypse with Stirling's Dies the Fire (blessed be!), or maybe I'll read The Stand (1500 pages!).

[Pupsi]

September for me has just been about the Dark Tower series. Books 4-7 in September. I am finally on the last book. I think I am going to need some nice quick reads as a bit a a fresher once I finish this series.

[Jenny]

I'm listening to Neverwhere (my first Gaiman), reading Heart of Darkness on Kindle, and I've started Flashforward. I knew it was different from the show, but wow is it different. I'm really enjoying it so far.

[terpkristin]

Jenny wrote: "I'm 2/3 through Rainbows End..."

I wish I could read as quickly as you seem to! Or maybe that I had as much time as you seem to.

I was hoping Rainbows End would eventually be a S&L pick, but I'm guessing that it's less likely it will be now that so many seem to have read it. Guess it's another to add to my "to read" list.

For myself, right now when I'm not working I'm sleeping, trying to get to sleep, or going to PT. Should be another week of insanity and then maybe I can get back to more normal reading habits. I'm still only about halfway through Stand on Zanzibar. Making more progress through The Drawing of the Three because I'm listening to that but still not as much progress as I'd like. Oh well.

[Sean]

We definitely need to do some Vinge, but I think his space operas would be better picks. Giant spiders, sentient ferns, and an antivirus program that can destroy whole civilizations -- what's not to love.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

terpkristin wrote: "terpkristin | 591 comments Jenny wrote: "I'm 2/3 through Rainbows End..."

I wish I could read as quickly as you seem to! Or maybe that I had as much time as you seem to.

I was hoping Rainbows End would eventually be a S&L pick, but I'm guessing that it's less likely it will be now that so many seem to have read it. Guess it's another to add to my "to read" list."

Honestly, I'm not loving it. I'm curious about Sean's sentient ferns though. Also, I had the day off Friday so I read a lot. :)

[Tamahome]

You'll like it better after hearing Eric Rabkin explain it on Sffaudio.

[Tamahome]

By the way, I'm on page 200 of Dhalgren. Only 600 more to go!

[Ed]

Tamahome wrote: "By the way, I'm on page 200 of Dhalgren. Only 600 more to go!"

Oh, cool. I'm curious as to what you'll think of it when you're done!

[Tamahome]

Ahem. It might take a while. But I tend to update reviews as I go:

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

[Brandon]

I just finished The Windup Girl which was very good. I had this on my to read list for a while after seeing all the positive press it was receiving. It is not something I would normally read as the premise very different than my usual science fiction book.

I was glad I read it and while it was good it is certainly not for everyone.

[Amy]

September's tally was 10 books and 3 graphic novels/manga:

The Winter Sea
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Last Gleaming
Zoo City
Hellbent
Raising Stony Mayhall
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 1
Codename: Sailor V, Volume 1
The Kingdom on the Waves
Ship Breaker
Pandemonium
Goliath
The Night Circus
Neverwhere
and I'm currently working on The Immorality Engine, but between being busy and having a terrible, cotton-headed cold right now, I doubt I'll finish it within September.

Quality-wise, it was a pretty good month. A lot of 4-star books for me. Raising Stony Mayhall and The Night Circus were the real standouts for me though, and both got 5 stars.

Biggest disappointment was The Kingdom of the Waves. I quite enjoyed volume one and this second half was just 500 pages of being trapped in a boat/on an island and people dying of smallpox.

Sailor Moon was my first true anime, and I was 8 when it premiered in North America. It's remained one of my favourite TV shows ever, and so I claim absolute bias on the manga re-release. :)

[Kate]

Well, my Elizabeth Bear kick has evolved into a mission to read everything she's ever published. I finished Hell and Earth during the week and have moved on to Blood and Iron, which I actually got about 50 pages into about a year and a half ago and then abandoned because I couldn't get into it. I think reading the Promethean Age books in chronological rather than publication order is working out better.

[Been]

Just finished up Rendezvous with Rama. Good light read with some very interesting concepts in it. Absolutely loved the ending too.

I think I'm going to try Fuzzy Nation next.

[Rikki]

Okay, I just finished First Lord's Fury by Jim Butcher (really enjoyed that series and especially Kate Reading's performance). Also finished The Case of the Velvet Claws by Erle Stanley Gardner.

On the currently reading front.

One Salt Sea by Seanan McGuire
Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong
The Case of the Sulky Girl by Erle Stanley Gardner (on a Perry Mason kick).
The Camelot Papers by Peter David
Cast in Shadow by Michelle Sagara

[AJ]

Nevan wrote: "I'm sixty pages through Cryptonomicon, and I honestly can't remember the last time that I was this excited by someone's style — it was probably Douglas Adams six years ago."

Nice! I felt the same way when I read it. I became an instant fan of Neal Stephenson within the first few pages.

[AJ]

Tamahome wrote: "Ahem. It might take a while. But I tend to update reviews as I go:

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

Ooh, good (and frank) reviews. I've been curious about Dhalgren for a while now. It sounds like I will have to make a massive mental commitment for this one.

[Tamahome]

AJ wrote: "Tamahome wrote: "Ahem. It might take a while. But I tend to update reviews as I go:

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

Ooh, good (and frank) reviews. I've been curious about Dhalgre..."

It's kind of like the novelization of a season of Big Brother.

[Esther]

Tamahome wrote: "....kind of like the novelization of a season of Big Brother. ..."

Oh dear! That bad?

[terpkristin]

I finished The Drawing of the Three while sitting here waiting for testing to resume. It seems obvious that the Dark Tower series, or maybe all of King's fiction, is not for me. I really can't see the hype.

I'm still working through Stand on Zanzibar. I may get some more of that read today, but I'm guessing that the "bulk" of any reading on that I'm going to do will be Sunday after I re-sync my sleep schedule (stupid work!) and maybe Thursday/Friday when I take off work.

[Been]

Just finished Fuzzy Nation (7 full books read in September, I'm on fire!). Great easy read, definitely agree with everyone about it's movie-like quality. I think it's time to begin Reamde: A Novel.

[Tina]

Reading The Swarm because it looked like a sci-fi thrillers similar to Michael Crichton-type books. But I'm about 3/4 through it and I'm not sure what I think about it yet.