What Else Are You Reading? - July 2012

[Stephan]

Currently reading The Pillars of the Earth, which I'm absolutely loving! On the side I've started with Heart-Shaped Box, which is pretty good.

Planning on starting Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings, Part One, also keen on reading anything by China Miéville. Any suggestions?

[Keidy]

@Tamahome: I JUST got that comic! Isn't it great?! I got it totally by impulse and totally expecting it to be the worst thing I ever read and it turned out to be AWESOME! XD

Right now I'm currently reading The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan and loving it. I know, I know, it's an independent reader book but what can I say? I love kid adventure stories and this writer is deals with Greek and Roman gods and mannerisms. Gold! ^_^v

[Alfredo]

Finished The Red House: A Novel, I liked it more than most reviewers it seems. I am reading Year Zero, so far, very good.

[Erick]

Tamahome wrote: "Eat sushi correctly or die!

"

Bourdain's the man! Buying that now, thanks for the reminder!

[Sandi]

I'm listening to A Discovery of Witches. I read an ARC when it first came out and really enjoyed it. I generally don't read romance novels, or paranormal romance, but I thought this was a really smart one. I'm enjoying it as much in audio as I did in print. The sequel just came out, so I'll probably listen to that one soon.

My next listen will most likely be Firebird by Jack McDevitt. These books are really better in audio.

[Keith]

Funny that once lemming come sup as a topic on the podcast, I am going to end up lemming my second book ever. I will get back to it at some point, but The Bookman just is not clicking with me, so I am putting it on pause and moving on to MultiReal.

[Jlawrence, S&L Moderator]

Working through The Making of the Atomic Bomb -- fascinating stuff, but sometimes takes me a while to parse the explanations of the various experiments (my issue, not Rhodes - he's a very good, clear writer, it's just the stuff he's trying to describe is, well, rocket science). The book's doing a great job of delving into the scientists' personalities and the social currents of the time, as well as the science.

Just started Neverness. Picked it up after hearing it's strongly The Book of the New Sun influenced. Seems good so far - I can see the Wolfe influence already, but it also seems to be going down its own path, which is good.

Both books are on my to-read-in-2012 list, which I'm behind on. *Less sleeping, more reading*

[terpkristin]

Literally just finished Leviathan Wakes and feel no compunction to continue to Caliban's War.
Rob ably going to start listening to The Stand in earnest and reading Rise of Endymion on Kindle. Lots of travel coming up Monday and Tuesday, so we'll see how much I get done.

[kvon]

Stephan wrote ...keen on reading anything by China Miéville. Any suggestions?

Stephan, there's a thread here for Mieville suggestions. There are several different opinions.

Jlawrence, I've never read Zindell, I would love to know what you think of it.

[Igor]

David Sven wrote: "Igor wrote: "Gardens of the Moon, since yesterday :-)"

I'm not sure whether to envy or pity you. If you are having a hard time with it, try sticking with it till at least a third of the way or hal..."

I found it very interesting and you're right about getting used to authors writing style. I wouldn't say it's hard to read, it's just different then your usual epic fantasy book and precisely the reason why I'm loving it so far.
Also, as soon as I find myself thinking about what will happen to the certain character or how some situation will resolve, while not reading, it's a pretty much good sign I'm enjoying the book :-)

[Chris]

Just finished Leviathan Wakes and I feel every compunction to start reading Caliban's War! In fact, I've already started.

@Igor - Stick with GotM. It's actually one of the more confusing of the entire series. I'm on The Crippled God and glad I stuck with the series. Incredibly depressed, but glad. Erikson is astounding with characters. Long books, but really worth the read.

Also started Geekomancy. Fun so far.

[Igor]

@Chris
I intend to for sure. I'm halfway through GotM and can't wait to get back to it ;-)

[Tim]

Still trying to finish Tigana in ebook. I love it, but I didn't start it until June 22, and it never seems to end. Also in the middle of the deadtree version of Robert Silverberg's "Lord Valentine's Castle", which is quite good, and 2/3's of the way thru the audiobook of Leviathan Wakes, which is amazing. I'll definitely be following it up with the sequel, when I get another Audible credit. May do "John Dies at the End" in audio while waiting for a credit. And I'll probably be starting Deadhouse Gates (Malazan book 2) when I finish Tigana.

[Kevin]

I picked up Among Others at the library yesterday, which I did not know they even had. Its one of those books that there is a lot of talk about it. Also going to read the second Halo novel: Halo: The Flood. Then lastly, the last book in the City of Ember series, The Diamond of Darkhold.

[Stuart]

I am reading The Man From U.N.D.E.A.D. - The Curious Case Of The Kidnapped Chemist by Darren Humphries

[Kim]

I've started reading Empire State for a break from the rather slow The Silent Tower.

[Aloha]

I started The Book of Mu: Essential Writings on Zen's Most Important Koan. Sounds really intriguing. I'd like to start going through the Koans, and MU is a great place to start. Over 1/3 into The Savage Detectives. Interesting Latin American writers references. It's not quite grabbing me yet, but I like literature in which I'm not sure which way it's going. Some books give you a gestalt before you finish the first chapter. I prefer books that won't allow you to do that. And still enjoying Leonardo Da Vinci: The Anatomy of Man: Drawings from the Collection of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, looking at a picture before sleeping, and dreaming of the internal organs of man.

[David Sven]

Finished the audio book of Harry Potter 5 Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix. Love these books.

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

Moved on now to the next audio book in the series Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince

[Don]

Just finished Leviathan Wakes and started Year Zero on Audible. Reading The Warlord of Mars and Public Parts: How Sharing in the Digital Age is Revolutionizing Life, Business, and Society on Kindle.

[Jonathon]

Despite my planning, I had a craving for the walking dead and ended up picking up World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War Only read about 5% of it, but liking it so far.

[Kate]

Ack, half way through the month and I haven't finished any book yet.

However, I am hoping to break this losing streak. I just got the hardcover edition on The Coldest War, having successfully resisted the urge to get the audio edition for the last 6 months or so because I really wanted to read this one, because I felt like the german accents the narrator did interfered with my perception of Bitter Seeds. 50 pages in it's awesome and I'm glad I waited.

[Ctgt]

Just finished The Devil You Know and really enjoyed it. Starting Alpha and Rapture with Absolute Zero Cool, Assassin's Apprentice and Blood Reaver waiting in the wings.

[Carrie]

Just started

[Alfredo]

Finished Year Zero, I am going to read some of the stories in Burning Chrome now.

[Jenny]

I'm reading My Life As a White Trash Zombie. It's a fun, light read. It's good for a short break between books 2 & 3 of 1Q84. 1Q84 is a remarkable book but it's heavy so I need a palette cleanser for a day or two. I am determined to finish it!

[AndrewP]

Still working my way through The Way of Kings which is proving to be a stark contrast to Tigana. For something completely different I am reading The Eagle Has Landed. Then yesterday, I picked up Stardust and couldn't put it down :)

[Joe Informatico]

Just finished The Name of the Wind. It was good, but doesn't remotely live up to all its hype.

Currently in the middle of Before They Are Hanged and The Darkness That Comes Before as part of my further education in the "new" epic fantasy.

Also working my way through the Tales of the Dying Earth: The Dying Earth/The Eyes of the Overworld/Cugel's Saga/Rhialto the Marvellous, classic stories I never got around to until now.

And one work of non-fiction, The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires.

[William]

After hearing the interview I had to give Feed by Mira Grant a shot.

[Jlawrence, S&L Moderator]

kvon wrote: "Jlawrence, I've never read Zindell, I would love to know what you think of it. "

Neverness is quite good so far, but I'm only a tenth of the way through. Space pilots are mathematicians who must plot abstract paths through the complex folds of the space-time 'manifold' in real-time to jump from star to star, and the young protagonist pilot foolishly pledges to map part of an enigmatic and vast cosmic brain that uses moon-sized nodes of organic circuitry to do its distributed thinking. The city where the pilots are trained (on an ice-bound planet), the protagonist's friends, the various guilds in the city are well-drawn. And that's just the beginning...

[David Sven]

Jlawrence wrote: "kvon wrote: "Jlawrence, I've never read Zindell, I would love to know what you think of it. "

Neverness is quite good so far, but I'm only a tenth of the way through. Space pilots are mathematici..."

They need a dose of Melange like the Dune guild pilots use.

[Joseph]

Finished Shadow and went straight into Pattern, both by K.J. Parker.

[Dan]

It is with some melancholy that I am reading the last of the Artemis Fowl series, #8 The Last Guardian. I know it is YA, but I’ve read them all and I really like the world and characters that Eoin Colfer created. I am excited to read yet another Artemis adventure but sad that it will be the last.
The Last Guardian

[Sam]

So I paused A Game of Thrones again. This time to listen to The Wise Man's Fear and to read The Long Earth.

Only thing I feel kinda off/weird about the The Long Earth is that there are a bunch of only tangentially related stories going. What I'm thinking of as the "main" story has been put on hold several times for snippets of other things. It's not bad, in fact I think it's a good look at what might happen if we had cheap travel to alternate dimensional Earths.

[David Sven]

Just finished Ian Esslemont's 4th Malazan book Orb Sceptre Throne. And thats it for the Malazan Universe until either Steven Erikson or Ian Esslemont write some more.

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

I've never read Ender's Game so I think I'll start on that.

[Aaron]

The man in the high castle by Philip k Dick. Looking forward to it!

[David(LA,CA)]

Finished The Dragon's Path last night. I liked it better than Leviathan Wakes. Starting in on Geekomancy tonight.

[Brandi]

Sam wrote: "So I paused A Game of Thrones again. This time to listen to The Wise Man's Fear and to read The Long Earth.

Only thing I feel kinda off/weird about the The Long Earth is that there are a bunch of..."

I agree with you, Sam, about Pratchett and Baxter's The Long Earth. It is slow going for me, as I am only halfway through the book after more than a week. I stopped it briefly to read Ian Tregillis's Bitter Seeds, which I zoomed through by comparison.

I feel like The Long Earth is a slow, understated sci-fi treatment, kind of tempered Pratchett fare. I haven't read Stephen Baxter before, so I am not sure if the slowdown of story pace is characteristic of his work or if its just a by-product of the collaboration.

[Rick]

Brandi - I've not read The Long Earth, but Baxter is slow, detailed SF for the most part. I don't find him boring, but if you're not being involved in the world he's spinning I imagine it would be

[Francis x]

I currently reading the book,'A Deepness in the Sky' by vernor vinge along with the audio-book(at the same time) that I brought from barnes & noble. On the page 270 of 775.

[Tamahome]

Shoeless Joe (Field of Dreams). If you build it, he will come. I've never read a book with so many metaphors. :) S&L's next fantasy pick?

[Tamahome]

Kevin Costner should have done the audiobook.

I wanted Cronley's Screwballs (Major League) too but it's out of print.

[Jane]

Ive put Leviathans wake on hold while I finish kushiels dart that was last months vaginal fantasy pick lol then I will return to Leviathans wake :)

[Tassie Dave, S&L Historian]

I am reading Red Seas Under Red Skies. I think I may like this more than The Lies of Locke Lamora

Aaron wrote: "The man in the high castle by Philip k Dick. Looking forward to it!"

I'm saving that one until Tom eventually picks it.
It may be his September dictatorial pick, it is one of his favourite sci-fi books :-)

[Alfredo]

Kill Decision enough said, see you later.

[Igor]

Started Deadhouse Gates right after Gardens of the Moon and since I love it, probably will continue with the series :-)

[Christine]

I am currently reading The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

[Christine]

Hope wrote: "I'm currently reading The Hero of Ages which os the final book in the Mistborn Trilogy Boxed Setwhich is by Brandon Sanderson. THese are some of the best books I have read in a long time."

I really want to read the Mistborn Trilogy... I have heard so many great things about it! Just wondering if I can fit it in to my reading schedule =)

[Igor]

Christine wrote: "I really want to read the Mistborn Trilogy... I have heard so many great things about it! Just wondering if I can fit it in to my reading schedule =) "

Just drop everything you read and go for Mistborn. You will read it in a blink of an eye and long for more!
I read it few weeks ago on kindle and already considering to get hardcovers for re-read :-D

[Christine]

Igor wrote: "Christine wrote: "I really want to read the Mistborn Trilogy... I have heard so many great things about it! Just wondering if I can fit it in to my reading schedule =) "

Just drop everything you r..."
I just may have to start reading it tomm. than on my nook... seems like everyone has pretty much convinced me lol...

[Ctgt]

Just starting A Dance with Dragons