April 2016: What Have You Been Reading?

[Allegra]

Huge Zafon fan here - although Shadow of the Wind didn't quite grab me as much as Prisoner. Can I highly recommend Marina?

I wasn't planning to read his Y.A. novels, now checked it out, looks very promising. After Angel's Game and Prisoner of Haven I'll get it. Thanks!

 

[Toby Frost]

A History of the World in Ten and a Half Chapters by Julian Barnes. This is a connection of linked short stories dealing (obliquely) with serious topics. There's a lot of humour here and Barnes writes very well. The "half", a slightly ponderous meditation on love, is probably the weakest part of the book. The collection ends with a story about a man going to Heaven that reminded me quite a lot of Iain M Banks' Culture novels. Worth a look.

 

[nixie]

Going to start Shadow Wolf, Tim Hall.

 

[SilentRoamer]

Finished Sandersons The Alloy of Law yesterday. Ill get a review up on SFFDen over the next week or so.

 

[Bugg]

Continuing with my C J Cherryh binge. Finished Downbelow Station and thought I'd read something completely different, then read the first page of Merchanter's Luck and just . . . kept going. So that's three of her books on the trot - something I don't normally do (unless it's Patrick O'Brian).

 

[Wruter]

I have recently finished--

The Martian by Andy Weir
Nexus by Ramez Naam
Firestarter by Stephen King
Martin the Warrior by Brian Jacques
Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card

All excellent, I thought. Also loads of short fiction, of which I read more than novels these days.

 

[Connavar]

I finished my second Vance novel in a row with Wyst, the last book in Alastor series. It was surprisingly strong novel for a lesser known series. A very complex, unique world, story.

I went from all time fav to finally, finally reading my first Octavia Butler novel in Kindred, i like how shockingly violent it started and the close first person POV is a nice change of pace. Cant wait to see what Butler is like.

 

[Bick]

I finished my second Vance novel in a row with Wyst, the last book in Alastor series. It was surprisingly strong novel for a lesser known series. A very complex, unique world, story.

I went from all time fav to finally, finally reading my first Octavia Butler novel in Kindred, i like how shockingly violent it started and the close first person POV is a nice change of pace. Cant wait to see what Butler is like.

Good to hear Alastor reads so well, Connavar. I read Dawn by Butler last year and was pretty impressed. Its all I've read by her, but you can tell from one novel if a writer is a genuine writer of depth and quality, and she was.

 

[Connavar]

Good to hear Alastor reads so well, Connavar. I read Dawn by Butler last year and was pretty impressed. Its all I've read by her, but you can tell from one novel if a writer is a genuine writer of depth and quality, and she was.

Bick now that i can look you straight in the eye check out my answer to your question about Alastor in Vance thread too, its a good, very good series but there are so many SF books to choose between Thats is too if you are not counting my alltime fav Vance series, fav hero/villain Cugel, his Dying Earth series that technically in the future aslo a SF because of a SF setting.

Thats why i bought Kindred, to see with one book if the writer is a real strong writer of depth, quality. Thats how i try classic,modern greats in my fav fields of literature.

 

[soulsinging]

Just finished Theft of Swords by Michael J Sullivan. It was entertaining enough, but nothing spectacular. Definitely the kind of book that's seemed lacking from the fantasy world lately in its simplicity and clear good and bad guys.

Now I'm wading back into the world of Star Wars novels with Timothy Zahn's Allegiance.

 

[Foxbat]

Currently reading Harry Harrison's Deathworld. A nice, easy read and enjoyable. Methinks I'll probably end up reading the whole trilogy

 

[Gonk the Insane]

After reading virtually nothing in the first few months of the year I've stormed through a couple already this month:

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandell
Enjoyable - beautifully written but suffered from a case of not-much-happening.

The Adventures of Sir Edric by Thaddeus White
A highly entertaining pair of comedic tales. Would heartily recommend. Written, of course, by Chrons' own @thaddeus6th

 

[Bugg]

Finished Cherryh's Merchanter's Luck, which I thoroughly enjoyed. This morning I've made a start on Conn Iggulden's first 'Wars of the Roses' book, Stormbird. Not sure why, as I haven't been particularly fond of the previous three books of his that I've read, but I got it cheap in a Kindle deal, so . . .

 

[Connavar]

Finished Cherryh's Merchanter's Luck, which I thoroughly enjoyed. This morning I've made a start on Conn Iggulden's first 'Wars of the Roses' book, Stormbird. Not sure why, as I haven't been particularly fond of the previous three books of his that I've read, but I got it cheap in a Kindle deal, so . . .

Which previous three have you read? Do you like War of the roses history, the history before Tudor era?

I love english history fiction set in those period and i have loved to bits every Conn Iggulden books i have read in Ghengis Khan/Kublai Khan series, Ceasar Rome series. But i couldnt finish Stormbird for the first time with Conn book dont expect his best writing. He is a master of making entertaining books with strong characters in military history fiction i have great affection for his type of historical fiction. But im a little biased as uni student of military history, i have read classes, real facts about his characters, his books are very accurate to real military history.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Starting The Haunting of Lake Manor Hotel (2016), edited by Nathan Hystad and Samanda R. Primeau. You may have heard of it.

 

[Bugg]

Which previous three have you read? Do you like War of the roses history, the history before Tudor era?

I love english history fiction set in those period and i have loved to bits every Conn Iggulden books i have read in Ghengis Khan/Kublai Khan series, Ceasar Rome series. But i couldnt finish Stormbird for the first time with Conn book dont expect his best writing. He is a master of making entertaining books with strong characters in military history fiction i have great affection for his type of historical fiction. But im a little biased as uni student of military history, i have read classes, real facts about his characters, his books are very accurate to real military history.

I've read the first two Conqueror books (first one was okay, second one I found a bit boring) and the first Caesar one, Gates of Rome, which was fun (but then I discovered Colleen McCullough's series, which I prefer). I'm enjoying Stormbird so far (I am very interested in the Plantagenet and Tudor eras). I know Iggulden is/was a fan of David Gemmell, and I can see the influences in his style.

 

[aThenian]

Finished reading The Affirmation by Christopher Priest which was an interesting read after a dull, dull start.

 

[Randy M.]

"The Horror at Red Hook"; "The Doom that Came to Sarnath"; "The Picture in the House"; "From Beyond" all by H.P. Lovecraft

I've been rereading these in preparation for reading Carter & Lovecraft by Jonathan Howard and The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle. I'll be starting the latter today, then I may read a few more HPL stories before diving into the Howard.


Randy M.

 

[nixie]

Gulliver's Travels, Jonathan Swift, another re-read but I was about 8 last time.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

I've been putting my reading & books read here
Ray McCarthy