April's Astonishing, Astounding (and Sometimes Overpowering) Adventures in Reading

[Talysia]

Re: April's Astonishing, Astounding (and Sometimes Overpowering) Adventures in Readin

So far, so good. I've only read a couple of pages so far, but I've heard good things about it.

 

[ben1xy]

Re: April's Astonishing, Astounding (and Sometimes Overpowering) Adventures in Readin

Hi everyone! I'm new here

Have recently finished Name of the Wind. I enjoyed the book immensely and can't wait for the sequel

Currently, i just started on Baker's Boy by JV Jones. This book has been sitting on my tbr pile for way too long

 

[Mark Robson]

Re: April's Astonishing, Astounding (and Sometimes Overpowering) Adventures in Readin

I've been having a reading binge this month. Can't remember the last time I managed to read 4 books in a month!

Have read: Darren Shan's Cirque du Freak - a delightfully creepy tale incorporating all the best bits of the horror genre in a well paced story for the YA market. I now understand how his writing has become so popular.

Sam Enthoven's Tim: Defender of the Earth - one of the most fun SF novels for teenagers that I've come across. It has everything you could want - genetic engineering, nanobots, a mad professor determined to take over the world ... oh, and two of the most awesome monsters you could imagine, tearing up London's most famous landmarks.

Sarah Singleton's 'Sacrifice' - A real treat for those who like dark fantasy with a historical twist. This one almost felt like a book for adults, even though the main characters were teenagers. Sarah's writing is excellent. Take a look at the review forum for my thoughts on this one.

Charlie Fletcher's 'Stone Heart' - I'd been recommended this by authors, librarians and booksellers. I now understand why. For those who enjoyed the Dr Who episode 'Blink', you have to read this! There's even a chapter in it called 'Don't Blink' and I'm betting this was written before the Dr Who episode. Fast paced action adventure doesn't begin to describe this one. Its just shy of 500 pages and I read most of it in a single sitting. I just couldn't put it down. Brilliant!

Next - The Palace of Laughter by Jon Berkeley. I'm reliably informed there's a talking tiger in this one ... that got my interest straight away.

 

[D_Davis]

Re: April's Astonishing, Astounding (and Sometimes Overpowering) Adventures in Readin

I just started Aldiss's Non-Stop.

First few chapters are quite dull, and I am having a very hard time grasping the setting.

Is the fact that this is on a space ship supposed to be some kind of surprise, perhaps something like M. Night's The Village or something?

It seems to be intentionally vague about the setting.

Normally I can just go with the flow, but Aldiss presents a very unappealing start to his adventure, and when I am not engaged I start to critique.

 

[GOLLUM]

Re: April's Astonishing, Astounding (and Sometimes Overpowering) Adventures in Readin

Hi everyone! I'm new here
Currently, i just started on Baker's Boy by JV Jones. This book has been sitting on my tbr pile for way too long

Welcome....

Baker Boys trilogy isn't bad but her current series is seriously good.

 

[murphy]

Re: April's Astonishing, Astounding (and Sometimes Overpowering) Adventures in Readin

Welcome....

Baker Boys trilogy isn't bad but her current series is seriously good.

I totally agree. And don't forget her stand-alone book, The Barbed Coil. A big improvement on the Baker Boy trilogy.


I'm just finished Anne Bishop's the Tangled Web and have started S. M. Stirling's In the Court of the Crimson Kings.

 

[j d worthington]

Re: April's Astonishing, Astounding (and Sometimes Overpowering) Adventures in Readin

I just started Aldiss's Non-Stop.

First few chapters are quite dull, and I am having a very hard time grasping the setting.

Is the fact that this is on a space ship supposed to be some kind of surprise, perhaps something like M. Night's The Village or something?

It seems to be intentionally vague about the setting.

Normally I can just go with the flow, but Aldiss presents a very unappealing start to his adventure, and when I am not engaged I start to critique.

Not to the reader, no, but to the characters, yes. And, as we are seeing things filtered through their worldview, that does make a difference. To be honest, they aren't an appealing bunch... but they're a rather realistic depiction of such a debased society; and Aldiss' wry look at humanity's tendencies is an interesting counterpoint to Heinlein's rather more romanticized view....

 

[D_Davis]

Re: April's Astonishing, Astounding (and Sometimes Overpowering) Adventures in Readin

Not to the reader, no, but to the characters, yes. And, as we are seeing things filtered through their worldview, that does make a difference. To be honest, they aren't an appealing bunch... but they're a rather realistic depiction of such a debased society; and Aldiss' wry look at humanity's tendencies is an interesting counterpoint to Heinlein's rather more romanticized view....

I tried to read more of this tonight, and I just couldn't get into it. I think I've put in enough time with it, time to pick something else.

I want to read Aldiss, I'm just not in the mood for this right now.

 

[ben1xy]

Re: April's Astonishing, Astounding (and Sometimes Overpowering) Adventures in Readin

Welcome....

Baker Boys trilogy isn't bad but her current series is seriously good.

thanks for the welcome

I have her other series on my tbr pile too.

I reckon i will start on that one after i finish this trilogy by kirkpatrick

 

[woodsman]

Re: April's Astonishing, Astounding (and Sometimes Overpowering) Adventures in Readin

Just finished Waylander and passed on to How to See Yourself as You Realy Are - HH The Dalai Lama, something a bit different at any rate.

 

[Taltos]

Re: April's Astonishing, Astounding (and Sometimes Overpowering) Adventures in Readin

Managed to finish the last book of Stroud Bartimaeus trilogy - the ending was a bit surprising, but overall I feel it took a bit too many pages to tell the story.
Now reading Stross Glasshouse - which seems to carry some promise

 

[j d worthington]

Re: April's Astonishing, Astounding (and Sometimes Overpowering) Adventures in Readin

Have started on the new edition of Ellison's Children of the Streets. It's much as I remembered it: something of a shaky collection (the last such in his non-fantasy vein; the ones following this were very strong) that varies between awkwardness and very powerful stories....

 

[Connavar]

Re: April's Astonishing, Astounding (and Sometimes Overpowering) Adventures in Readin

Have started reading Conan short story The Pool of the Black One in my Conan collection with only REH penned stories.

Enjoying every page of it. I had forgotten alittle how good REH could write. If the collection wasnt so huge and heavy i could read more than one short story at one sitting.

 

[clovis-man]

Re: April's Astonishing, Astounding (and Sometimes Overpowering) Adventures in Readin

Just finished re-reading Mission of Gravity by Hal Clement. First published in 1953, I believe my first reading of it was 40 or more years ago. I'm amazed to find that I enjoyed my second reading of it as much if not more than my first. For a 55 year old story, it holds up remarkably well.

It's part of a compilation of Clement tales of the planet Mesklin contained in the book, Heavy Planet, published in 2002.

 

[Quokka]

Re: April's Astonishing, Astounding (and Sometimes Overpowering) Adventures in Readin

What's the rest of Heavy Planet like Clovis-man? I really enjoyed Mission of Gravity but so far haven't read Star Light or the short stories.

 

[Talysia]

Re: April's Astonishing, Astounding (and Sometimes Overpowering) Adventures in Readin

I've recently been given a copy of an anthology called A Treasury of Fantasy, so I'll be going through that. I'll be starting with The Story of Sigurd, translated by Eirikr Magnusson and William Morris.

 

[Razorback]

Re: April's Astonishing, Astounding (and Sometimes Overpowering) Adventures in Readin

Recently finished Hothouse, by Brian Aldiss. This was my first by Aldiss. It’s a very imaginative take on a far-future Earth. It is incredibly imaginative, tightly constructed, and fast moving. I rate this one a 10.

 

[AE35Unit]

Re: April's Astonishing, Astounding (and Sometimes Overpowering) Adventures in Readin

Well i'm giving up on John Brunner's Squares of the City,100 pages and nothings happened so I'm gonna re read James Herbert's the Fog,possibly followed by The Survivor. Am waiting on a bookmooch member to send me Gods of Mars by ERB,i need to read it but she's disappeared!

 

[clovis-man]

Re: April's Astonishing, Astounding (and Sometimes Overpowering) Adventures in Readin

What's the rest of Heavy Planet like Clovis-man? I really enjoyed Mission of Gravity but so far haven't read Star Light or the short stories.

Heavy Planet consists of Mission of Gravity (1953) and Star Light (1970), first and foremost. Then there are two short stories: "Under" (2000) and "Lecture Demonstration" (1973). Last there is the article he wrote the same year as MOG, "Whirligig World" with a 1999 addendum.

I've only had time to read "Under" in addition to the original novel. It's pretty much an exercise in planetary physics. It takes up right where MOG leaves off with Captain Barlennan and his loyal crew. The other fiction in the book also makes use of the same scenario and characters, but I won't be getting into them until I get back from London.

I'll be taking O'Brian's The Mauritius Command with me for downtime reading.

But........................ Now we're into May.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Re: April's Astonishing, Astounding (and Sometimes Overpowering) Adventures in Readin

I'm working my way through a reread of Dorothy Sayers's mysteries. This time I'm particularly aware of how much more interesting Lord Peter becomes as the series goes on.