March 2019: Reading Thread

[nixie]

Spring has sprung, the days grow longer. Not that we notice, our heads are in books, paper and e-readers or we're here looking for our next read.

I'm currently reading Diana Pharaoh Francis, Path of Honor.

 

[soulsinging]

I abandoned Revelation Space. It was my second attempt and I got roughly halfway, but just sputtered out. I find Reynolds' world and ideas fascinating and loved the Galactic North short story collection, but something here just didn't click. It seemed to take deliberately long to progress, and I got incredibly annoyed at characters discovering new critical information right before a chapter end and when that thread is resumed the revelation is STILL kept from the reader... I guess in an attempt to build suspense and maintain mystery? I struck out on Peter Hamilton as well, and am thinking I may just be losing my ability to show patience with extended multi-volume SFF.

As an antidote to that, I decided to give Poul Anderson a try, someone I somehow had never read before and wasn't really aware of until the last month or so (I knew the name, but had him mixed up with Paul Kearney for some reason). I started Three Hearts and Three Lions which I thought was truly awful, borderline fan fiction wish fulfillment. So I switched over to The Broken Sword, which I am loving. It's a really fascinating contrast to its more famous contemporaries, and I might say is almost more influential, particularly when you consider how popular grimdark has become.

 

[Rodders]

Toby Frost’s Pincers Of Death.

I finished James S. A. Corey’s Babylon’s Ashes last night. It was pretty good, but I found the ending to be a real disappointment. Almost a cop out. Strange not to have Miller in it. I’ll leave is a couple of books before I go to the next volume in the series.

 

[Ian Fortytwo]

I finished Doors Open, by Ian Rankin, it was a cracking read in the end. Even though I had read three times before the ending still surprised me. It is strange how you cannot remember parts of the book from the past. My current read is one from the book group I attend, If Beale Street Could Talk, by James Baldwin, set in Harlem, in the era of Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles. It is a book that I would not normally read, however it challenges your perspective of racism. The narrator is Tish, nineteen and pregnant, the father of her child, Fonny is in prison accused of rape. Anyway it is a compelling read.

 

[picklematrix]

Dragons of Winter night is an entertaining read. I'll probably go straight on to Spring Dawning once I finish it. It has echoes of Terry Brooks' Shanarra series in the prose, story and characters. Im certain Weiss and Hickman are deeply influenced by Brooks.

 

[kythe]

I'm working through Dune by Frank Herbert. As famous as it is, I've never read Dune before. I remember seeing the movie as a child, and I found it boring and didn't understand the story. The book starts off heavy, not immediately explaining the new places and words. But once I got through the first couple of chapters it really became an interesting, complex world.

 

[tobl]

I'm working through Dune by Frank Herbert. As famous as it is, I've never read Dune before. I remember seeing the movie as a child, and I found it boring and didn't understand the story. The book starts off heavy, not immediately explaining the new places and words. But once I got through the first couple of chapters it really became an interesting, complex world.

it's quite a good book. the continuations are so so, but the first it's interesting

 

[Paul_C]

I'm currently enjoying Vurt - Jeff Noon.

I was amused to discover that my first impression was wrong (I thought it was going to be rubbish), along with the setting (I thought it was the US, it's the UK) and the gender of the narrator (it turned out to be a he, not a she as I'd thought).

Now I've settled in I'm having fun, fingers crossed it continues like that to the end.

 

[Extollager]

I'm halfway through Prescott's History of the Conquest of Mexico, a 1922 2-volkume set illustrated by Keith Henderson.

I'm also halfway through Simak's Way Station (a rereading). I've just started Walter de la Mare's Behold, This Dreamer!

 

[Parson]

@Cat's Cradle said "Thanks Parson! Just picked up Yellow Crocus. "

Parson smiles.... I think you will like it a lot.

 

[Danny McG]

Invasion by Eric L Harry.
Oldie but goodie!
China encroaching on the USA beaches at various points until evacuation inland occurs, then the Long March to the rapidly fortified Washington.
All the while frantic diplomatic negotiations are taking place...will the battles go nuclear?

 

[Cat's Cradle]

@Parson, I will report back after I'm done. Might be a few weeks, as there are a few books I'm committed to in the queue, but I'll let you know what I think. I'm reading a fair bit of historical fiction myself these days, and this sounds really good.

 

[hitmouse]

I'm currently enjoying Vurt - Jeff Noon.

I was amused to discover that my first impression was wrong (I thought it was going to be rubbish), along with the setting (I thought it was the US, it's the UK) and the gender of the narrator (it turned out to be a he, not a she as I'd thought).

Now I've settled in I'm having fun, fingers crossed it continues like that to the end.

Top book once you get your head round the style. The sequels are also very good.

 

[Brian G Turner]

Finally finished David Olusoga's Black and British: A Forgotten History. It took a while to get into, and it is long, but at the end of the day it's a fantastic book. Definitely recommended for anyone with any interest in British social history.

 

[Ian Fortytwo]

This is my next read and I'm really looking forward to it. By the way I haven't got this cover.

 

[benwerd]

I'm about to start Olivia Butler's The Parable of the Sower. I discovered Kindred last month and was mesmerized: it's a lightning bolt of a book. I've heard great things about this one too.

 

[Spade]

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. I really enjoyed the first two thirds of this book, but it just fell apart near the end. Too many characters that never get fleshed out and a tidy ending that was pretty silly. I am still interested in reading some more of the series because it was overall a fun read.

 

[Parson]

I'm about to start Olivia Butler's The Parable of the Sower. I discovered Kindred last month and was mesmerized: it's a lightning bolt of a book. I've heard great things about this one too.

Haven't read this particular book (but it is on my radar). What I have read of Olivia Butler's work makes me think that she deserves to be a lot more famous than she is.

 

[Randy M.]

Like so many writers, I am slow getting to her novels (especially in series) but Octavia Butler's short work is terrific. If you can, get hold of the small volume, Bloodchild and Other Stories. The title novella alone is worth the price, and the other stories are added value, plus a couple of essays of interest. It's a shame she wrote so little short fiction because what she wrote is excellent.

Randy M.

 

[Brian G Turner]

Like so many writers, I am slow getting to her novels (especially in series) but Octavia Butler's short work is terrific. If you can, get hold of the small volume, Bloodchild and Other Stories. The title novella alone is worth the price, and the other stories are added value, plus a couple of essays of interest. It's a shame she wrote so little short fiction because what she wrote is excellent.

Just found that Bloodchild is currently free on Amazon UK - grab it while you can, folks! Bloodchild: The Hugo, Locus and Nebula award-winning novella eBook: Octavia E. Butler: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store