March Reading Thread

[Pyan]

Pies and Prejudice: In search of the North by Stuart Maconie

What did you think of this, Danny?

 

[Danny McG]

What did you think of this, Danny?

A bit dated but I quite enjoyed it, I have some quibbles with his definition of the North! I thought it was going to be a basic travelogue but he had some interesting snippets of history about the various destinations.

I'm trying to get the companion book about North night life, however I have a feeling there'll be a lot about Newcastle girls in very skimpy dresses in Arctic weather.

 

[Guttersnipe]

The Incredible Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson

 

[Pyan]

I'm trying to get the companion book about North night life, however I have a feeling there'll be a lot about Newcastle girls in very skimpy dresses in Arctic weather.

That would be "The Pie At Night". There's the obligatory references to the legendary toughness of 'Toon lasses, but he does go further afield and deeper than that. I'd recommend it - you can get it from Amazon, of course...

 

[Ian Fortytwo]

I'm currently reading Airhead, by Emily Maitlis. A brilliant light hearted read about how to report the news and all that goes on in the background. She has interviewed many big names, including Donald Trump, Simon Cowell, Bill Clinton, the Dalai Lama, and Emma Thompson.

 

[tegeus-Cromis]

A bit dated but I quite enjoyed it, I have some quibbles with his definition of the North! I thought it was going to be a basic travelogue but he had some interesting snippets of history about the various destinations.

I'm trying to get the companion book about North night life, however I have a feeling there'll be a lot about Newcastle girls in very skimpy dresses in Arctic weather.

Will you forgive that this conversation reminds me, as an outsider, of this?

 

[williamjm]

Not sure what's next. I'll have to dig through my TBR list to see what looks good. Maybe the Craft Sequence?

If that's the Max Gladstone series you're considering it is one that I have enjoyed it a lot, it does bring some fresh ideas to epic fantasy.

 

[Galactic Bus Driver]

If that's the Max Gladstone series you're considering it is one that I have enjoyed it a lot, it does bring some fresh ideas to epic fantasy.

I started it on my Kobo, so it'll take a bit longer to finish than most others I "read," but yes, it is Max Gladstone and I am enjoying it so far. For some reason, I was expecting sci-fi, but it's such a good twist on traditional fantasy that I am in no way disappointed.

I also went back to the Trials of Apollo and am very glad I did. All the self-centeredness of Apollo in the first three books comes to a head in the fourth and Apollo gets humbled, big time. I never should have doubted Riordan.

Once done with that one, I moved on to the second InCryptid books. Another series that will be added to my "read it so many times I've lost count" list.

 

[Ray Zdybrow]

Started "The Memory Police" by Yoko Ogawa. But still struggling with "Elysium Fire" by Alastair Reynolds... an Xmas present, so I have to finish. It's slooow

 

[Paul_C]

Just finished The Gameshouse, very enjoyable

I'm probably going to start The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley next.

 

[Ian Fortytwo]

I'm reading Beyond The Thirty-nine Steps, by Ursula Buchan. An interesting read.

 

[biodroid]

Going to start Red Metal by Mark Greaney. He was writing books under the Tom Clancy franchise and has now branched out write his books. Red Metal is the Red Storm Rising for the modern age.

 

[Danny McG]

Going to start Red Metal by Mark Greaney. He was writing books under the Tom Clancy franchise and has now branched out write his books. Red Metal is the Red Storm Rising for the modern age.

I've read a few of his Gray Man books but I wasn't aware of Red Metal, cheers, I'm going to get it asap

 

[M. S. Ari]

I'm reading viking sagas. It is a bunch of medival memoirs of Vikings specially the people who discover Iceland and greenland.

 

[williamjm]

I read Ben Aaronvitch's False Value. I've always enjoyed the Rivers of London stories and this was no exception. After the series tied up some long-standing plot threads in the previous book this is a relatively stand-alone novel although the ending does set up some potential plots for future books. Most of the book focuses on an investigation into a company set up by a secretive Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur who has set up his new business in London (which may be secretly using some potentially dangerous magic as part of its technology stack). Aaronvitch always likes throwing in lots of references and this time there are lot of references to Science Fiction (the entrepreneur having an obsession with naming things after The Hitch-Hikers Guide To The Galaxy) and board games, as well as Peter's usual observations about London. The central mystery is interesting, and some extra complexity is added by a rival group trying to investigate the same mystery who don't trust Peter and The Folly to investigate properly. Peter is always a fun narrator and he does get some character development here as he is starting to take on more responsibility both in his professional and personal lives. For most of the book the stakes perhaps don't seem quite as high (or as personal) as in some other books, so it's perhaps not the most compelling of the books in the series but it is still a very entertaining book to read.

Next up I think I'll read Arkady Martine's A Memory Called Empire, which I've heard several good things about.

 

[hitmouse]

I read Ben Aaronvitch's False Value. I've always enjoyed the Rivers of London stories and this was no exception. After the series tied up some long-standing plot threads in the previous book this is a relatively stand-alone novel although the ending does set up some potential plots for future books. Most of the book focuses on an investigation into a company set up by a secretive Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur who has set up his new business in London (which may be secretly using some potentially dangerous magic as part of its technology stack). Aaronvitch always likes throwing in lots of references and this time there are lot of references to Science Fiction (the entrepreneur having an obsession with naming things after The Hitch-Hikers Guide To The Galaxy) and board games, as well as Peter's usual observations about London. The central mystery is interesting, and some extra complexity is added by a rival group trying to investigate the same mystery who don't trust Peter and The Folly to investigate properly. Peter is always a fun narrator and he does get some character development here as he is starting to take on more responsibility both in his professional and personal lives. For most of the book the stakes perhaps don't seem quite as high (or as personal) as in some other books, so it's perhaps not the most compelling of the books in the series but it is still a very entertaining book to read.

Next up I think I'll read Arkady Martine's A Memory Called Empire, which I've heard several good things about.

I enjoyed the new Aaronovitch.

 

[Bick]

I finished Between the Strokes of Night by Charles Sheffield. Very good, as its reputation would suggest. Some great new ideas here and its also well written. I love the invention of S-Space - great stuff. Highly recommended if you like thoughtful yet pacy SF that spans the galaxy.

I'm now moving on to Merchanter's Luck, by C. J. Cherryh. Like the book I've just finished, this is another well regarded SF novel from one of the greats that I've not actually read before. Many books fall into this category, and I'm going to try and make a small dent in that particular pile over the next few months.

 

[AndrewT]

I'm still working on The Long Price Quartet by Daniel Abraham. I'm just finishing book two. It is without a doubt the best-written fantasy I have read since Tolkien. Book one was a little slower and took a bit to get into but I really liked it. And book two is blowing me away. Just can't put the thing down. GRRM was obviously sincere in his praise of this. He liked book three the best so I am looking forward to that tomorrow. Fellow fantasy aficionados, you must give these a go.

 

[Matteo]

Have been reading, and listening to, this:

 

[HareBrain]

I've spent most of my reading time the last few months beta-reading Chronners' books (and very good they were too), but I also found time to get through The Big Goodbye by Sam Wasson, about the writing and making of the film Chinatown. It's had excellent reviews but I didn't warm to his jerky style, which made it a struggle to keep track of everything and who was who in the ever-growing list of personalities. Nevertheless, an interesting exploration of a creative process (and the clash of different people's creative priorities) at the tail-end of Hollywood's second golden age.