What we're reading in August...

[tangaloomababe]

Just about to start Brian Stableford's The Empire of Fear.

 

[Addy]

Just finished Dune Messiah. To sum it up: mind-blowing.

Now I'm onto Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere.

 

[j d worthington]

I read Brackett's Sea-Kings of Mars from the Fantasy Masterworks series earlier in the year, and as a result I tracked down more of her books. A greatly under-rated author.

Agreed. It's nice to see Leigh's name like this again...

Finished Science and Destabilization in the Modern American Gothic -- while I don't agree with some of his premises, it was an interesting book, and had some neat things to think about.

I'll be moving on to New England's Gothic Literature: History and Folklore of the Supernatural From the Seventeenth through the Twentieth Centuries, by Faye Ringel.

Am a little more than halfway through Wylder's Hand (got my reading time cut down a bit earlier this week, or I'd have finished this one by now); more controlled and carefully structured than The House by the Churchyard, the hints of the supernatural (whether real or not) are more carefully woven into the book as a whole, giving the entire thing the air of both the observable and the spiritual realm permeating each other and more felt than seen; and more balanced between the humor and the mystery/suspense elements as well....

 

[Thadlerian]

I've had difficulty settling on anything for the last couple of days so I went to the local second-hand book stall yesterday & picked up the first thing that caught my eye - Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair it is.

Fforde's Thursay Next series is a true gem which recieves far less attention than it deserves. Fforde is a well of ingenuity, his books are crammed full of weird and brilliant concepts. Myself, I'm reading the fifth installment of this series, The First Among Sequels.

 

[Mark Robson]

So lots of checking back with the beginning and an unsatisfied feeling that the plot was far-fetched for far-fetchedness' sake. Anyone else read this?

Mary

Not read it, Mary, but eyed it up in the shops several times. I'm not sure that I'll get around to it after your analysis, as I'm not sure that I'm up to that level of thinking right now, but the cover is ... well it's ... I don't know really. I guess there's something about it that's attractive, because I always find my eyes are drawn to it on the shelves so it must be cleverly designed. It's certainly a great title.

Just started 'The Willow Man' by Sue Purkiss.

 

[aubi11]

im am reading a book called 'magic or madness'

 

[Lenny]

Just started The McAtrix Derided by the Robertski Brothers (alos known as A. R. R. R. Roberts of Soddit fame, and Adam Roberts of other fame).

A very good prelude/prologue at the start. You know how you get spam e-mails -- "Hot Hot Hot Girls Want You Now!", "80% of Women Say They Like it Bigger. Become One of The Big Group!"? The main character is getting spam phone calls. Genius!

 

[Ian Whates]

I read Brackett's Sea-Kings of Mars from the Fantasy Masterworks series earlier in the year, and as a result I tracked down more of her books. A greatly under-rated author.

I've read a couple of Hughes' Archonate novels - in places they struck me as a little too consciously Vancian.

If you can find them, Ian, track down her Skaith books: The Ginger Star, The Hounds of Skaith and The Reavers of Skaith. Great fun!

Know what you mean regarding Hughes. I read a couple of his related short stories a while back (notably one in Post Scripts 6) and they were brilliant: deliciously Vance-like whilst being original and thoroughly entertaining, but at novel-length it is beginning to seem a little bit strained in places (though still entertaining), which is a pity.

 

[iansales]

I have the first two Skaith books, and I'm keeping my eye open for the the third. Actually, you can see which ones I have here.

 

[Urien]

Just finished HP 7.

Next JPOD by Douglas Coupland

 

[Culhwch]

Just started Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill. A few chapters in, not too bad so far...

 

[brent.bennett]

I Just finished Harry Potter Year 7. Now I'm starting on the Word and Void Series by Terry Goodkind. After that I'll read the Genesis of Shannara by him as well. Then I guess I'll Start on J.R.R. Tolkien

 

[brent.bennett]

Excuse me. Terry Brooks

 

[GOLLUM]

Just started Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill. A few chapters in, not too bad so far...

Read it but wasn't that impressed. I thought it meandered a bit too much. I'll be interested in your thoughts on this one mate....

 

[murphy]

Doing a reread of 1633 by Eric Flint and David Weber. Not great literature, but it is a lot of fun and an enjoyable book, as is the whole series.

 

[Frozeninja]

Just started reading Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea Quartet.

 

[Donna Scott]

Ah - I'm also going to read a Le Guin one maybe next, maybe not - just got a copy of The Disposessed from Amazon... mind you, they seem to have lost a couple of books off my order, mmmm.

At the mo, I am reading The Female Man. I shall probably finish that today (I am going to read now as I have no blinds yet and at this time of day I can't see my PC monitor too well). It's... erm, not your straight kind of narrative.

Next up, a couple of Write Fantastic authors - I have Chaz Brenchley's Bridge of Dreams and Deborah J Miller's Swarmthief's Dance.

 

[BloodNguts]

Just started reading Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea Quartet.

I found the first couple leguin books enjoyable. They have a definite flavor to them. I'm starting Gardens of the Moon and listening to one of the Callahan books and it is actually making me laugh. Not many books have made me laugh more than once except for Pratchett and Straus's Bartimaeus. It is a good month. Just finished the first Elric book also. Thanks for the recommendations people. I wouldn't have found these books otherwise.

 

[littlemissattitude]

Currently reading The Ritual Bath by Faye Kellerman. Re-reading, actually. Not sf/fantasy, but mystery, and it's like going back and visiting an old friend.

 

[Lacedaemonian]

I am currently deliberating over whether to read Bernard Cornwell's Saxon series, or start reading R. Scott Bakker's Prince of nothing series.

Tough choices.