July's Jesuitical Journeyings Through Literary Juxtapositions

[GOLLUM]

Tell us what you're reading for July....

 

[Fried Egg]

Starting this month with Alastair Reynolds' "Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days". Two novellas collected in a single volume.

 

[thaddeus6th]

Halfway through The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson.

 

[mosaix]

Jude The Obscure - Thomas Hardy.

 

[J-Sun]

This was actually June but, since I'm not posting it until July, I guess it goes here. I had another Tanith Lee failure. I read Red As Blood (or about half of it, anyway). Unlike The Storm Lord's style (which struck me as her trying so hard to be colorfully heroic that she tripped over her own feet), I liked her style in this one - it was suitable to the retold fairytales but was only slightly in a 'fairy tale voice' rather than laying it on with a trowel - but the stories themselves didn't do much for me. Probably largely my fault as I was only able to identify which tales she was riffing on and know they were different, but didn't know them well enough to appreciate the details of divergence. Anyway, I gave up on it.

So then I picked up PKD's Galactic Pot Healer and finished it but it didn't do anything for me, either. A little bit too much like too much other PKD without being as good. It wasn't bad - though he does seem to beg for the parody title of Galactic Pot-Boiler - it's just nothing I'd encourage others to read or want to re-read.

Currently a quarter through van Vogt's The House That Stood Still aka Undercover Aliens aka Mating Cry. So far, so good.

 

[D_Davis]

I really like Galactic Pot-Healer. I'd probably put it in my top 10 PKD, and definitely top-tier Dick. It's usually one of the ones I'll suggest to someone that hasn't read Dick before. I think it does a great job at encapsulating many of Dick's more important themes, while it is also one of his more humorous efforts.

 

[Connavar]

Im reading The Commodore by C.S Forrester alongside Moringstar by Gemmell.

When its strong, enjoyable reads of fav authors i have no trouble mixing two reads.

Im sad to finish Hornlbower story soon but im addicted to the historical realism of nautical story, the naval warfare in Napoleonic war.

 

[gully_foyle]

Still struggling with the first 100 pages of Accelerando by Charles Dross.

 

[HoopyFrood]

Had a friend visit and he pulled out an amazing book to lend to me. If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor. Bruce Campbell's autobiography! I've only finished the first chapter, his childhood, and it's hilarious, the funniest book I've read in forever. I keep closing it because I don't want to read it too fast and finish.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I'm still reading Lord Foul's Bane. Roughly 3/4th of the way through, with another 100 pages to go.

I am also thinking of starting another ebook on my Nook to read along with Thomas Covenant (paperback). Deciding between The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher or The Gentleman ******* Sequence by Scott Lynch.

I think I'll go with Lynch. For one, with only two books out it won't take me long to get up-to-date with the series, compared to Dresden. Also, Gentleman ******* seems quite appropriate; some would say I fit both descriptions.

But I am neither a Dresden nor a file...

 

[Pyan]

44 Scotland Street, by Alexander McCall Smith.

 

[gully_foyle]

Had a friend visit and he pulled out an amazing book to lend to me. If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor. Bruce Campbell's autobiography! I've only finished the first chapter, his childhood, and it's hilarious, the funniest book I've read in forever. I keep closing it because I don't want to read it too fast and finish.

I love Bruce Campbell, especially in the Evil Dead movies. I'll have to keep an eye out for it (or my iEye).

 

[GOLLUM]

Im sad to finish Hornlbower story soon but im addicted to the historical realism of nautical story, the naval warfare in Napoleonic war.

You should get a copy of The Oxford Book Of Sea Stories if you do nor already have it. Also I believe the Classics Of Naval Fiction series pulbished by McBooks is very good. Here is a link to their site. They specialise in historical fiction. http://www.mcbooks.com/

I enjoyed the Master and Commander novel (and film) written by Patrick O'Brien and you've probably already read Joseph Conrad's Typhoon but his collection 'Sea Stories' is excellent.

Then there's Naomi Novi's Temeraire series. I met her in 2007 at WorldCon before she received the John W Campbell award for best new author and I've got most of the books in the series. They revolve around an alternate history of the Napoleonic wars featuring an air force of dragons and their crew. They're quite fun reads including some naval battles and she's a nice lady, so I'm sure she won't mind you handing over some of your money.....

Cheers.

 

[GOLLUM]

44 Scotland Street, by Alexander McCall Smith.

I read that for one of our book clubs. McCall Smith is quite a fun writer. A bit light on for my tastes to persist with the entire series however.

 

[purple_kathryn]

Finally got round to the Ashes of Worlds last book in the Seven Suns Saga by Kevin J Anderson

Absolutely loved Empire in Black & Gold btw (Shadows of the Apt).

 

[thaddeus6th]

What's Shadow of the Apt about?

 

[biodroid]

Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. Then maybe Chamber of Secrets after that or Altered Carbon (not sure how good AC is).

 

[HoopyFrood]

I love Bruce Campbell, especially in the Evil Dead movies. I'll have to keep an eye out for it (or my iEye).

He is a legend, and the Evil Deads are the pinnacle of his awesomeness. I heartily recommend the book, and that's only after the first three chapters!

 

[murphy]

What's Shadow of the Apt about?

It's a series of books. See here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_Tchaikovsky

 

[thaddeus6th]

Sounds interesting... might have a look when I've finished Way of Kings (and A Dance With Dragons).