What are you reading in August 2012?

[Candiss]

Please let us know what you're reading this month!

[Stuart]

Particle Horizon by Selso Xisto

[Candiss]

Stuart wrote: "Particle Horizon by Selso Xisto"

That looks interesting, Stuart. I hadn't heard of it!

I'll be finishing Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke. I will also be re-reading Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente for our discussion here.

Other than that, I'll be working my way through these in no particular order:



Railsea will probably be last up, as I'm in queue at the library. Two of the others - The Invention of Morel and The House on the Strand - are science fiction but are usually thought of as regular lit-fic, because the author is not known as a sf author (du Maurier, despite her many horror/speculative stories that inspired Hitchcock films) or is a Latin American magical realist author (aka fantasist that many people don't recognize as a fantasist. The title novella in this collection is one of the books that was featured on Lost - a weakness of mine - and it's an odd one, I hear.)

[Pickle]

i plan to work my way through a few of these, or all of them seeing as most are small/thin books.

, , , , ,

[Christine]

I just finished Daughter of Smoke and Bone and really enjoyed it; I've put in a reserve for the next book in the series. In the maentime, I've just started The Killing Moon

[Candiss]

Christine wrote: "I just finished Daughter of Smoke and Bone and really enjoyed it; I've put in a reserve for the next book in the series. In the maentime, I've just started The Killing Moon"

I'm in queue at the library for The Killing Moon and can't wait for my turn to come up. Daughter of Smoke and Bone has been on my radar since it was released, but I tend to balk at anything labeled Young Adult and/or Paranormal Romance, so I've been resisting my curiosity. I've read that it isn't formulaic or schmaltzy or immature, which keeps me considering it. What did you like about it, and do you think it has broader fantasy appeal than only for YA/PA enthusiasts?

[Christine]

Guess I don't keep track of which books are labelled YA; I'm sure I found it from someone in this group. Yes, it is a romance but not a bit "smaltzy"; I don't generally read romances. Ignore the labels and try it...

[Candiss]

Thanks, Christine. Knowing you aren't normally a romance reader, either, definitely helps tip it into my To Read pile. :)

[Christine]

I should have mentioned that there is no "romance" until the second half of the book; I was very interested in the puzzle of who Karou was/is and happy with the answer.

[Snail in Danger (Sid)]

Those curious about Daughter of Smoke and Bone might be interested to know that through 8 August it's available as a free and legal download in audio form here. (You will be able to listen to it after August 8, but that's the last day to download it.)

[Candiss]

Snail in Danger (Sid) wrote: "Those curious about Daughter of Smoke and Bone might be interested to know that through 8 August it's available as a free and legal download in audio form here. (You will be able to listen to it a..."

Awesome, Sid! That's the Hachette audio version of the book that won the Audie Award. I'll definitely be grabbing this while it's available.

[Christine]

Candiss, I'll be interested to know what you think of it; I'm not a great book critic...just love a good story

[Random]

Believe it or not I am still working my way through The Windup Girl. I'm starting to think that I'll never manage to finish a book again. :)

[Candiss]

Random wrote: "Believe it or not I am still working my way through The Windup Girl. I'm starting to think that I'll never manage to finish a book again. :)"

I hear you, Random. I'm reading through molasses, as well. Are you enjoying The Windup Girl, at least? Then you can call it "savoring," as opposed to "slow going." ;)

[Helen]

Snail in Danger (Sid) wrote: "Those curious about Daughter of Smoke and Bone might be interested to know that through 8 August it's available as a free and legal download in audio form here. (You will be able to listen to it a..."

Only in the USA though. I've been thinking of reading this too. I'm currently reading The Great Hunt. I'm still three behind in that read so might carry on with them.

[Christine]

I just finished The Killing Moon which I thoroughly enjoyed; I've put in a reserve for the next volume. I've moved on to What Dies in Summer which looks to be a "light" summer read then back to the Liaden universe with I Dare

[Kevin]

I'm in the middle of the newest R.A. Salvatore's Drizzt novel, Charon's Claw.

[Lindsey]

Now that I'm mostly done with moving... This month, I'm finishing up Stackpole's At the Queen's Command and C. S. Friedman's new Coldfire novella, Dominion. Trying to catch up with about half a dozen Honor Harrington novels, starting with War of Honor, for the group read. I'm excited to get to the newer ones I haven't actually read yet.

Going to be a bit before I read the follow up to Queen's Command... didn't realize that it's a zombie novel of sorts and it's not as complex or deep as I had hoped. And maybe, just maybe, I'll get around to finishing Ship of Destiny and The Art of War. Maybe.

[Shel, Moderator]

Just got back from a 2-week vacation where I had more time to read than I've had in a looooong time!

I read:
the whole Hunger Games trilogy
Yes, Chef: A Memoir by Marcus Samuelsson
The Man Who Knew Too Much by G.K. Chesterton
Soulless by Gail Carriger
and now I'm about 3/5 of the way through The Complete Oz.

All on the kindle. My first trip with it, and wow, it was nice not to have to agonize over how many books to lug with me versus the horrific possibility of running out of books to read on vacation.

[Kevin]

Finished Charon's Claw and now reading The Jackal of Nar, which I been wanting to read for the last five year.

[Candiss]

I ended up reading an excerpt from Light Boxes by Shane Jones and had to check it out from my library's Kindle lending program so I could read the whole thing immediately; I couldn't stop reading until I was done. It was deeply surreal and strange, symbolic and allegorical, mythic and wonderfully poetic and dark. In this it reminded me a lot of Catherynne M. Valente's early works, such as Yume No Hon: The Book of Dreams. I will be reading his new one, Daniel Fights a Hurricane later in the month.

I tried to read City and simply couldn't get into it at all. I loved Waystation, but this one didn't work for me. I'm swapping its spot for The Left Hand of Darkness, because I STILL haven't read it, and I even own a copy. At least I'm swapping a classic for a classic...

I've been getting more reading done than usual over the past week or two, so I'm also going to try to fit Storm Thief by Chris Wooding into my August line-up. I don't read much YA SFF, but this looks (and is said to be) dense, complex, not romance-centric, and original. So I'll give it a shot.

[Candiss]

Shel wrote: "All on the kindle. My first trip with it, and wow, it was nice not to have to agonize over how many books to lug with me versus the horrific possibility of running out of books to read on vacation. ..."

Ah, one of the true beauties of an e-reader! I'll always love physical books, but electronic can be so very nice for certain situations. (Every time I fire up my Kindle, I feel like a kid in a sweet shop due to the dozens of unread books just sitting there in the palm of my hand!)

[Jim]

Candiss wrote: "I tried to read City and simply couldn't get into it at all. I loved Waystation, but this one didn't work for me. I'm swapping its spot for The Left Hand of Darkness, because I STILL haven't read it, and I even own a copy. At least I'm swapping a classic for a classic."

Interesting. I thought they were both great. But it's been more than 30 years since I've read either one. I have a copy of City that I've saved for years. Guess I'll have to see if time has treated it as well as I might hope. Pretty sure I can get my hands on the Le Guin also. Nice that novels weren't usually as long then as some of today's tomes have gotten to be. I should be able to re-read them without sacrificing too much time I have reserved for newer publications.

Right now I'm working my way through The Spheres Of Heaven by the late Charles Sheffield. One of the last things he wrote before his death.

[Nick]

Candiss wrote: "...I'm swapping its spot for The Left Hand of Darkness, because I STILL haven't read it, and I even own a copy...."

I know how you feel. I'm that way about Fahrenheit 451. I am FINALLY getting around to reading it -- I hope. As a kid, I loved the movie, and I read and re-read The Martian Chronicles so much that I felt I knew Bradbury really well, and I sorta felt like I had read F-451. But, alas, I never did.

Is now the time?

[Candiss]

Nick wrote: "Candiss wrote: "...I'm swapping its spot for The Left Hand of Darkness, because I STILL haven't read it, and I even own a copy...."

I know how you feel. I'm that way about Fahrenheit 451. I am FIN..."

Fahrenheit 451 is wonderful! Horrible, tragic, thoughtful, prescient, important, and a quick read. Do it! ;)

[Kathi, Moderator & Book Lover]

I have to confess to reading nothing but the daily paper and a couple magazines over the last 2 weeks--blame the Olympics! But I'll be back soon.

[Stefan, Group Founder + Moderator (Retired)]

I have to apologize for being so quiet here lately, but life has thrown me a few curveballs lately and so my reading time and online time have become virtually nonexistent. All I've been able to read in the last month is:

- Sharps by K.J. Parker (my review)
- Some Kind Of Fairy Tale by Graham Joyce (my review)
- The Woman Who Married a Cloud: Collected Stories by Jonathan Carroll (my review)
- vN by Madeline Ashby (my review)

... and currently I'm reading At the Mouth of the River of Bees: Stories, which is the first full collection of stories by Kij Johnson (review soon on Tor.com and my own site)

[Ken]

For the last couple of months I have been having a hard time getting interested in anything I have been reading.
Couldn't finish the Dick Short Story collection, it was good I was just not interested. Read a couple more Sherlock Holmes stories but same thing. They were good but just not grabbing me

So, I see you guys are reading a Banks Culture novel so in a spirit of friendship I have started on The Player Of Games
(I have a bit of OCD and like to read series from the start so...)

[Christine]

I abandoned What Dies in Summer when I realized I wasn't reading it and had troulbe remembering what was happening in the story...and I really didn't care what happened. I've move on to The Wild Road which has drawn my interest

[Helen]

Christine wrote: "I abandoned What Dies in Summer when I realized I wasn't reading it and had troulbe remembering what was happening in the story...and I really didn't care what happened. I've move on to The Wild Ro..."
I read the Wild Road years ago and went on to it's sequel. I was about to type 'enjoyed it' but perhaps that's inappropriate given the subject matter!

[Shel, Moderator]

I'm taking a break from Oz (hubby is reading something on the kindle). I just finished Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes (which I liked, but didn't love as much as I expected to) and now I've just started Cherryh's The Faded Sun Trilogy. Only a few chapters in so far, but I love it already.

[Ken]

Man I am such a loser. I didn't even start Player of Games. Was looking around and noticed something else. So picked that one up
The Art of Strategy: A Game Theorist's Guide to Success in Business and Life

[Tracey]

Exsistance by David Brin.

[Shel, Moderator]

I finished Kesrith, the first book of The Faded Sun Trilogy, and really loved it. I'm taking a break before continuing to read Changeless, which just came in on the digital lending library and I only have for 2 weeks. I'd probably get to it before 2 weeks were up anyway, but I'd rather not push it and risk not getting to finish!

[Jolie]

Currently listening to . I really like this series. It has all the stuff I initially liked in Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series without having turned into supernatural porn. :-D

[Robert]

I'm reading A Wizard of Earthsea. I re-read The Lathe of Heaven not long ago, and figured it's about time I read this fantasy classic. I'm two chapters in and really liking it (though the plot hasn't really taken off yet).

[Robert]

Ken wrote: "....So, I see you guys are reading a Banks Culture novel so in a spirit of friendship I have started on The Player Of Games
(I have a bit of OCD and like to read series from the start so...)"

I really don't get it when people talk about the Culture novels as a "series". The characters (almost!) never turn up in more than one book, and it's never clear whether two stories are even set in the same century. I can understand that you might want to see how Banks progressed with his writing, but I've read everything by Iain M. and I only read them in order now because I have to wait for the next one to come out. I never felt like I missed anything.

How do you like The Player of Games?

I think my favorite is still Use of Weapons, but Player of Games was really good -- and maybe a good introduction for someone who's less of a "hard" science fiction fan.

[Random]

I finally got around to starting Blind Lake the other night. So far, I think its building to something fascinating.

[Ken]

Robert wrote: "I really don't get it when people talk about the Culture novels as a "series". The characters (almost!) never turn up in more than one book, and it's never clear whether two stories are even set in the same century. I can understand that you might want to see how Banks progressed with his writing, "

Oh I know, I even mentioned the slight OCD. Basically it cause I like to read book in the order it was written in. Yeah I get that most of these books are stand alone

[Ken]

The Art of Strategy wasn't what I expected, well it half was but when they started in on the math my eyes glazed over...I put it in the "will finish it later" pile.

Looking for something to clear my palette. The last couple of months have been stale. Most of the books haven't interested me.
Started on some Miles candy
Reading Komarr

[Shel, Moderator]

I finished the Faded Sun trilogy the other day - fantastic! - and am now on to Blameless, the third Parasol Protectorate book. I am loving this series. :)

[Christine]

I finished I Dare after putting aside The Wild Road; the latter I have in digital format and can read at my leisure but have to read the library books as they come in. Now I'm reading The Lost Years after starting a book about fairies which didn't draw me in (can't even come up with the name). On my shelf (from the library) are The Shadowed Sun, A Night in the Lonesome October, Blind Lake, and Gone Girl

[Jolie]

I'm doing well at the end of the month. I've blown through 2 audiobooks in record time. Finished and . Now I'm loading to the MP3 player. This one I'm pulling just out of curiosity since all the kiddies are so gaga over it and it's won some awards. Curiosity as opposed to being gung ho about the subject matter. *shrug* My life is kind of dystopian, so I don't need to read about that kind of thing for entertainment.