November 2015: What Are You Reading?

[Foxbat]

Decided it was time to make a dent in my Ticketyboo pile and started Hobgoblin Night. I've only read a few chapters so far but enjoying it

 

[Pedro Del Mar]

Authority by Jeff Vandermeer, part 2 of the Southern Reach trilogy

 

[Bugg]

I finished Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress last night, then I had a real struggle to decide what to read next. After picking up and putting back about half a dozen books I narrowed it down to Sharon Penman's Lionheart and Bernard Corwell's first Sharpe novel, Sharpe's Tiger. Decided on the latter but I'm still quite torn.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Not strictly sff but I've just read Jessie Burton's The Minaturist (although there is a supernatural element.)

It's set in Denmark during the time of the sugar importers and what not, and the pov character, Nella, is joining her new husband, a successful importer. But when she gets there, nothing is as it seems, and things become more dangerous when a minaturist begins to populate a new doll's house she has been bought as a wedding present...

I really enjoyed the characterisation in this. Two of the characters, Marin and Johannes Brandt (Nella's husband) are quite closed off at first and it can be hard to make that likeable, but it's carried off. Also, the pov is strict so we only know what Nella does which keeps the book on the micro level I like.

Anyone into historical fiction would enjoy this and, whilst not strictly a romance, there are heartstrings to be pulled. @Teresa Edgerton comes to mind as someone who'd enjoy it.

 

[ratsy]

Jo, I did buy this for my wife, but it remains unread. I may buy her too many books for her reading speed sometimes...Like everyone should be a weirdo and read 4 books a month like me or something

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Jo, I did buy this for my wife, but it remains unread. I may buy her too many books for her reading speed sometimes...Like everyone should be a weirdo and read 4 books a month like me or something

To be fair, I didn't know if I would like it, as I'm not that into historical and it did take a bit of getting into, but well worth the effort. It'll stay with me, this one. It might even - horror - go into my re-reading pile.

 

[Vince W]

I finished Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress last night, then I had a real struggle to decide what to read next. After picking up and putting back about half a dozen books I narrowed it down to Sharon Penman's Lionheart and Bernard Corwell's first Sharpe novel, Sharpe's Tiger. Decided on the latter but I'm still quite torn.

Best say goodbye to your loved ones for a while. When I started on Sharpe I read them one after the other until I read the entire series. None of Cornwell's other series grabbed me as much, the the Grail trilogy is pretty much Sharpe in the 100 Years war.

 

[Extollager]

Eugene Vodolazkin's Laurus, which I'm thinking maybe should be nominated for a Mythopoeic Society award, though I'm not all that far into it.

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/eugene-vodolazkin/laurus/

 

[Bugg]

Best say goodbye to your loved ones for a while. When I started on Sharpe I read them one after the other until I read the entire series. None of Cornwell's other series grabbed me as much, the the Grail trilogy is pretty much Sharpe in the 100 Years war.

The Grail Trilogy was the only series I've read of his so far that I wasn't so keen on. I'm enjoying Sharpe so far, though!

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

I am about to start the anthology Year's Best SF 14, edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer (2009). Watch for reviews in the short story thread.

 

[hitmouse]

I have just finished Ancillary Mercy, by Ann Leckie, the third in the Imperial Radch series.
I thought the first book in the trilogy was terrific (others clearly disagree.) The second was good, but not in the same league as no. 1. Ancillary Mercy finishes up the trilogy very nicely, and has one of the most interesting and funny non-human intelligences I have come across, possibly since Iain M Banks Minds.

 

[Helen Oghenegweke]

Hi everyone, I'm pretty new to the site (since yesterday in fact)

I've been reading In the Wind (Out of the Box series two) By Robert J Crane.

It's action packed and fast paced, based on super humans.

 

[ratsy]

I finished the new Star Wars book Aftermath by Chuck Wendig yesterday. It was okay. Felt it missed out by not having characters we know well.

I also returned to The Heir to the North by @chopper aka Steven Poore. I read the last 60% today, and loved it. I can't wait to read the follow up. Good job Chopper!

 

[biodroid]

The King Beyond the Gate - David Gemmell, Loving it so far, I forgot how good and entertaining his books were.

 

[Bugg]

Just finished Sharpe's Tiger during my lunch break. Really enjoyable. Time will tell whether I like the series as much as his Warlord and Warrior Chronicles

Currently trying to decide what to read next.

 

[Vince W]

Just finished Sharpe's Tiger during my lunch break. Really enjoyable. Time will tell whether I like the series as much as his Warlord and Warrior Chronicles

Currently trying to decide what to read next.

Sharpe's Tiger is not one of the best. You seem to be reading them in chronological order and not the order of publication. I did the same, but I think I would recommend reading them in order of publication because the first few are excellent and really develop Sharpe well.

 

[ratsy]

I am reading Warrior : Book Two of the Legacy Fleet Trilogy by Nick Webb. It has the same feeling as Constitution and it keeps me turning the electronic pages quickly. 40% done already.

 

[Vertigo]

I've been too busy to really write up my thoughts on my recent reading so only a couple of comments this time for all bar Lord Jim.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman - beautiful prose, in a very Victorian style fairy tale.
The Ice Owl by Carolyn Ives Gilman - A disappointing short story/novella that read more like an extract from a full novel.
Equoid by Charles Stross - Another brilliant, short, instalment in Stross’s quite marvellous Laundry series that turns the popular view of unicorns on its head, presenting instead something that comes closer to the monsters of “Alien” than faerie princesses riding white, horned stallions. All of which is appropriate to a series that (openly) borrows from, pays tribute to and, at the same time, fondly mocks the fantasies of H P Lovecraft.
The Island of Dr Moreau by H G Wells - Excellent short novel set at the turn of the last century that questions the ethics of the 'modern' scientists of the day and that still holds relevance now when considering the ethical issues posed by genetics in particular.
Century Raid by Alastair Reynolds - Century Rain manages to be a science fiction, alternate history, crime noir novel all at the same time which is really quite an achievement. Though not Reynolds best work it still provides an intriguing, page turning story.
Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad - Not an easy light read by any means but excellent all the same. More here.
Invincible by Jack Campbell - Another worthy volume in Campbell's Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier series. Light enjoyable page turner.

 

[Bugg]

Sharpe's Tiger is not one of the best. You seem to be reading them in chronological order and not the order of publication. I did the same, but I think I would recommend reading them in order of publication because the first few are excellent and really develop Sharpe well.

I've had several people on various forums and elsewhere giving me different advice about the reading order. I'm going with a friend's recommendation: the first three chronologically, then skip to Sharpe's Rifles and continue chronologically from there. It's a fairly moot point, anyway, as I won't be reading them in quick succession.


And nothing like starting another series as well: next up for me is Jack Campbell's Dauntless.

 

[Gonk the Insane]

So far this month:
The Night Has a Thousand Eyes by Cornell Woolrich
Jennifer Government by Max Barry
Osama by Lavie Tidhar
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (one of the greatest novels I've read for a very long time)
The Guns of Avalon by Roger Zelazny
Knight's Shadow by Sebastian de Castell
Warheart by Terry Goodkind

Partway through Robert E. Howard's Conan chronicles, but taking a break to read Toby Frost's Space Captain Smith