July 2020 Reading Thread

[Ian Fortytwo]

I'm currently reading The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, by Muriel Spark. I've wanted to read this for sometime, it's meant to be a classic.

 

[tonymuhs]

Right now I'm reading Peace Talks cause I've been waiting a billion years for it (but not as along as the third Kingkiller book :[) but it's funny...I've recently stumbled upon this other urban fantasy series that's goofy and comfortable reading, and I'm head over heels in love with the main character. They're called the Parasol Protectorate books, by Gail Carriger, and they're by no means sophisticated reading....but they're so much fun

 

[Parson]

jan stryvant and john van stry for instance have interessting stories. you can see harry potter has a magnificent redemption story or a never ending sucession of disasters.

I hadn't heard of either Jan or John before (Are they both Dutch authors? Their last name points me that way.). Looking at their books they don't look like anything that I would care to read all that much. Of course, to be fair, since I haven't read anything by them I probably shouldn't jump to that conclusion. As for Harry Potter, I read the first book and had no desire to read any more. It seemed like a lot of hype about a book designed for Middle Schoolers. It could not hold a candle to other books designed for middle schoolers, like Heinlein's "Have Space Suit, Will Travel."

But I think you have put your finger on the problem. I want books with real and true struggle, but whose heroes do not despair, they dig in and try harder, and you always have the feeling that in the end life's fair and good will prevail. Which is probably why I love the opening books of the Honor Harrington series so much.

 

[hitmouse]

I hadn't heard of either Jan or John before (Are they both Dutch authors? Their last name points me that way.). Looking at their books they don't look like anything that I would care to read all that much. Of course, to be fair, since I haven't read anything by them I probably shouldn't jump to that conclusion. As for Harry Potter, I read the first book and had no desire to read any more. It seemed like a lot of hype about a book designed for Middle Schoolers. It could not hold a candle to other books designed for middle schoolers, like Heinlein's "Have Space Suit, Will Travel."

But I think you have put your finger on the problem. I want books with real and true struggle, but whose heroes do not despair, they dig in and try harder, and you always have the feeling that in the end life's fair and good will prevail. Which is probably why I love the opening books of the Honor Harrington series so much.

@Parson Have you tried the Aubrey- Maturin books by Patrick O’Brien? I know we have tried recommending various things to you before, but you might really enjoy these.

 

[Parson]

I have not read Patrick O'Brien. I did see the movie "Master and Commander" and it was okay. But books are often far superior to movies so I have ordered the first one. Why must a book this old have an $8.00 Kindle price? Oh, well, that just gives it a higher bar to jump. Thanks for the advice. It does look like something I might like. I'll report back.

 

[Vince W]

I have not read Patrick O'Brien. I did see the movie "Master and Commander" and it was okay. But books are often far superior to movies so I have ordered the first one. Why must a book this old have an $8.00 Kindle price? Oh, well, that just gives it a higher bar to jump. Thanks for the advice. It does look like something I might like. I'll report back.

Be sure to join us over at the discussion thread to give your opinions.
Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey and Maturin Novels

 

[Galactic Bus Driver]

22 days and 25 more titles finished:

“Radiate,” book 3 of the Lightless series by C. A. Higgens
A good finish to a good, but not great, series centered around some very common concers over AI

“TRUEL1F3,” book 2 of the Lifelike series by Jay Kristoff
A truly satisfying conclusion to one of the best YA sci-fi romps ever. 'X-men' meets 'I robot,' if they met on the American version of the desolate plains of 'Mad Max.'

“Storm Front,” book 1 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Fool Moon,” book 2 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Grave Peril,” book 3 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Summer Knight,” book 4 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Death Masks,” book 5 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Blood Rites,” book 6 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Dead Beat,” book 7 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Proven Guilty,” book 8 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“White Night,” book 9 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Small Favor,” book 10 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Turn Coat,” book 11 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Changes,” book 12 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Ghost Story,” book 13 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Cold Days,” book 14 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Skin Game,” book 15 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Peace Talks,” book 16 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Side Jobs,” anthology 1 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Brief Cases,” Anthology 2 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
I'm really glad I did a full re-read of this series, with all the shorts from the anthologies broken out and read in correct internal timeline order. I didn't realize how many details I had forgotten. Despite the information on the author's web site claiming 23-24 books, I still think this series is winding down. Dresden's next foe is a freaking Titan for goodness sake. The latest book also felt like part one of the "Big Apocalyptic Trilogy" that the author claims will end the series. I could be reading the situation wrong, but we'll see.

“The Raven Boys,” book 1 of the Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
“The Dream Thieves,” book 2 of the Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
“The Raven Boys,” book 3 of the Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
“The Raven Boys,” book 4 of the Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
Had I known more about these books before reading them, I may not have. But, I don't regret reading them either. Paranormal mystery/urban fantasy with a bit of romance and teen angst thrown in. With all the rave reviews these books got, it ,akes me look askance at the rest of her work.

”Last First Snow,” book 4 of the Craft Sequence by Max Gladstone.
At this point, I'm finishing the series just to be done with it. It started with a great premise, but abandoned the setting and characters that initially engaged me. Book five finally sees a return to Alt Couloumb and the characters that made me love the first book, but it may be too little too late.

So, 272 titles finished so far this year and still on pace for almost 500.

The complete runnung list:

Spoiler

"Slow Bullets" by Alastair Reynolds.
"Illuminae," book 1 of The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman.
"Gemina," book 2 of The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman.
"Obsidio," book 3 of The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman.
“The Castle in the Mist,” book 1 of the Tess and Max series by Amy Ephron.
“Carnival Magic,” book 2 of the Tess and Max series by Amy Ephron.
“The Other Side of the Wall,” book 3 of the Tess and Max series by Amy Ephron,
“I Hunt Killers,” book 1 of the I Hunt Killers trrilogy by Barry Lyga.
“Game,” book 2 of the I Hunt Killers trrilogy by Barry Lyga.
“Blood of my Blood,” book 3 of the I Hunt Killers trrilogy by Barry Lyga.
"To Be Taught, If Fortunate" by Becky Chambers.
“Summerlost” by Ally Condie.
“Supermarket” by Bobby Hall.
“A Hundred Thousand Worlds” by Bob Proehl.
“The Escape Artist” by Brad Meltzer.
"Act of War," book 13 of the Scot Harvath series by Brad Thor.
"Code of Conduct," book 15 of the Scot Harvath series by Brad Thor.
"The Athens Solution," book 15.5 of the Scot Harvath series by Brad Thor.
"Foreign Agent," book 16 of the Scot Harvath series by Brad Thor.
"Use of Force," book 17 of the Scot Harvath series by Brad Thor.
"Spymaster," book 18 of the Scot Harvath series by Brad Thor.
"Backlash," book 19 of the Scot Harvath series by Brad Thor.
“Beezer” by Brandon T. Snider.
"The Black Prism," book 1 of the Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks.
"The Blinding Knife," book 2 of the Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks.
"The Broken Eye," book 3 of the Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks.
"The Blood Mirror," book 4 of the Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks.
"The Burning White," book 5 of the Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks.
“The Demon Next Door” by Bryan Burrough.
"A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World" by C. A. Fletcher.
“Lightless,” book 1 of the Lightless series by C. A. Higgens
“Supernova,” book 2 of the Lightless series by C. A. Higgens
“Radiate,” book 3 of the Lightless series by C. A. Higgens
"The Vault of Dreamers," Rosie Sinclair book 1 by Caragh O'Brien.
"Birthmarked," book 1 of the Birthmarked Trilogy by Caragh O'Brien.
"Prized," book 2 of the Birthmarked Trilogy by Caragh O'Brien.
"Promised," book 3 of the Birthmarked Trilogy by Caragh O'Brien.
“Antibodies” by Charles Stross.
"The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August" by Claire North.
"Touch" by Claire North.
“The Sudden Appearance of Hope” by Claire North.
“84K” by Claire North
"A Serpent's Tooth" book 9 of the Longmire Mysteries by Craig Johnson.
"Spirit of Steamboat," book 9.5 of the Longmire Mysteries by Craig Johnson.
"Any Other Name," book 10 of the Longmire Mysteries by Craig Johnson.
"Wait for Signs," book 10.1 of the Longmire Mysteries by Craig Johnson.
"Dry Bones," book 11 of the Longmire Mysteries by Craig Johnson.
"The Highwayman," book 11.5 of the Longmire Mysteries by Craig Johnson.
"An Obvious Fact," book 12 of the Longmire Mysteries by Craig Johnson.
"The Western Star," book 13 of the Longmire Mysteries by Craig Johnson.
"Depth of Winter," book 14 of the Longmire Mysteries by Craig Johnson.
"The Rook," book 1 of The Checquy Files by Daniel O'Malley.
"Stiletto," book 2 of The Checquy Files by Daniel O'Malley.
“Under the Bright Lights,” book 1 of the Bayou Trilogy by Daniel Woodrell.
“Muscle for the Wing,” book 2 of the Bayou Trilogy by Daniel Woodrell.
“The Ones You Do,” book 3 of the Bayou Trilogy by Daniel Woodrell.
“Long Road to Mercy,” book ! Of the Atlee Pine series by David Baldacci
"The Decoy Princess," book 1 of the Princess Contessa duology by Dawn Cook (aka Kim Harrison).
"Princess at Sea," book 2 of the Princess Contessa duology by Dawn Cook (aka Kim Harrison).
"Face It" by Debbie Harry.
"Skulduggery Pleasant," book 1 of the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy.
"Playing with Fire," book 2 of the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy.
"The Faceless Ones," book 3 of the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy.
"Dark Days," book 4 of the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy.
"Mortal Coil," book 5 of the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy.
"Death Bringer," book 6 of the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy.
"Kingdom of the Wicked," book 7 of the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy.
"Last Stand of Dead Men," book 8 of the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy.
“Bellman and Black” by Diane Setterfield.
“Old Bones,” book 1 of the Nora Kelly series by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.
“Curious Toys” by Elizabeth Hand.
"Artemis Fowl," book 1 of the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer.
"The Arctic Incident," book 2 of the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer.
"The Eternity Code," book 3 of the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer.
"The Opal Deception," book 4 of the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer.
"The Lost Colony," book 5 of the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer.
"The Time Paradox," book 6 of the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer.
"The Atlantis Complex," book 7 of the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer.
"The Last Guardian," book 8 of the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer.
"The Fowl Twins," book 1 of the Artemis Twins series by Eoin Colfer.
“The Supernaturalist” by Eoin Colfer.
“The Old Man and the Sea” by Ernest Hemmingway.
"Skinwalker," book 1 of the Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter.
"Gifted Thief," book 1 of the Highland Magic series by Helen Harper.
"Honour Bound," book 2 of the Highland Magic series by Helen Harper.
"Veiled Threat," book 3 of the Highland Magic series by Helen Harper.
"Last Wish," book 4 of the Highland Magic series by Helen Harper.
“Wishful Thinking,” book 1 of the How to Be the Best Damn Faery Godmother in the World (Or Die Trying) series by Helen Harper.
“Wish List,” book 2 of the How to Be the Best Damn Faery Godmother in the World (Or Die Trying) series by Helen Harper.
"The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide and The Seeing Stone," books 1 and 2 by Holly Black.
"The Spiderwick Chronicles: Lucinda's Secret and The Ironwood Tree," books 3 and 4 by Holly Black.
"The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Wrath of Mulgarath," book 5 by Holly Black.
“White Cat,” book 1 of the Curse Workers series by Holly Black.
“Red Glove,” book 2 of the Curse Workers series by Holly Black.
“Black Heart,” book 3 of the Curse Workers series by Holly Black.
"Casino Royale," James Bond book 1 by Ian Fleming.
"Live and Let Die," James Bond book 2 by Ian Fleming.
“The Engines of God,” book 1 of the Academy series by Jack McDevitt.
“Deepsix,” book 2 of the Academy series by Jack McDevitt.
“Chindi,” book 3 of the Academy series by Jack McDevitt.
“Omega,” book 4 of the Academy series by Jack McDevitt.
“Odyssey,” book 5 of the Academy series by Jack McDevitt.
“Cauldron,” book 6 of the Academy series by Jack McDevitt.
“Starhawk,” book 7 of the Academy series by Jack McDevitt.
“The Long Sunset,” book 8 of the Academy series by Jack McDevitt.
“A Talent for War,” book 1 of the Alex Benedict series by Jack McDevitt
“Polaris (2004),” book 2 of the Alex Benedict series by Jack McDevitt
“Seeker,” book 3 of the Alex Benedict series by Jack McDevitt
“The Devil's Eye,” book 4 of the Alex Benedict series by Jack McDevitt
“Echo,” book 5 of the Alex Benedict series by Jack McDevitt
“Firebird,” book 6 of the Alex Benedict series by Jack McDevitt
“Coming Home,” book 7 of the Alex Benedict series by Jack McDevitt
“Octavia Gone” book 8 of the Alex Benedict series by Jack McDevitt
"Die Trying," Jack Reacher book 2 by Lee Child.
"Tripwire," Jack Reacher book 3 by Lee Child.
"Running Blind," Jack Reacher book 4 by Lee Child.
"Echo Burning," Jack Reacher book 5 by Lee Child.
“Midnight Son” by James Dommek Jr.
“LIFEL1K3,” book 1 of the Lifelike series by Jay Kristoff
“DEV1AT3,” book 2 of the Lifelike series by Jay Kristoff
“TRUEL1F3,” book 2 of the Lifelike series by Jay Kristoff
"Nevernight," book 1 of The Nevernight Chronicles by Jay Kristoff.
"Godsgrave," book 2 of The Nevernight Chronicles by Jay Kristoff.
"Darkdawn," book 1 of The Nevernight Chronicles by Jay Kristoff.
“A Quiver Full of Arrows” by Jeffrey Archer
“The Monster of Elendhaven” by Jennifer Giesbrecht
“Storm Front,” book 1 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Fool Moon,” book 2 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Grave Peril,” book 3 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Summer Knight,” book 4 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Death Masks,” book 5 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Blood Rites,” book 6 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Dead Beat,” book 7 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Proven Guilty,” book 8 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“White Night,” book 9 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Small Favor,” book 10 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Turn Coat,” book 11 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Changes,” book 12 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Ghost Story,” book 13 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Cold Days,” book 14 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Skin Game,” book 15 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Peace Talks,” book 16 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Side Jobs,” anthology 1 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Brief Cases,” Anthology 2 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“Terminal Alliance,” book 1 of the Janitors of the Post-Apocalypse series by Jim C. Hines
"The Very First Damned Thing," book 0.5 of The Chronicles of St. Mary's by Jodi Taylor.
"Just one Damned Thing After Another," book 1 of The Chronicles of St. Mary's by Jodi Taylor.
“The Ruins of Gorlan,” book 1 of the Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan.
“The Burning Bridge,” book 2 of the Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan.
“The Icebound Land,” book 3 of the Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan.
“The Battle for Skandia,” book 4 of the Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan.
“The Sorcerer of the North,” book 5 of the Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan.
“The Siege of Macindaw,” book 6 of the Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan.
“Erak’s Ransom,” book 7 of the Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan.
“The Kings of Clonmel,” book 8 of the Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan.
“Halt's Peril,” book 9 of the Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan.
“The Emperor of Nihon-Ja,” book 10 of the Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan.
“The Lost Stories,” book 11 of the Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan.
“The Royal Ranger,” book 12 of the Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan.
“The Royal Ranger: The Red Fox Clan,” book 13 of the Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan.
“The Royal Ranger: Duel at Araluen,” book 14 of the Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan.
“Playing for Pizza” by John Grisham
“Calico Joe” by John Grisham
"The Confession" by John Grisham.
"The Litigators" by John Grisham.
“Witness to a Trial” by John Grisham
“The Whistler” by John Grisham
“Kid Lawyer,” book 1 of the Theodore Boone series by John Grisham.
“The Adduction,” book 2 of the Theodore Boone series by John Grisham.
“The Accused,” book 3 of the Theodore Boone series by John Grisham.
“The Activist,” book 4 of the Theodore Boone series by John Grisham.
“The Fugitive,” book 5 of the Theodore Boone series by John Grisham.
“The Scandal,” book 6 of the Theodore Boone series by John Grisham.
“The Accomplice,” book 7 of the Theodore Boone series by John Grisham.
“Carmilla” by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
“The Fullness of Time” by Kate Willhelm.
"And I Darken," book 1 of The Conqueror's Saga by Kiersten White.
"Now I Rise," book 2 of The Conqueror's Saga by Kiersten White.
"Bright We Burn," book 3 of The Conqueror's Saga by Kiersten White.
"PERfunctory afFECTION" by Kim Harrison.
“Battle Royale” by Koushun Takami
"Junk" by Les Bohem
“The Raven Boys,” book 1 of the Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
“The Dream Thieves,” book 2 of the Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
“The Raven Boys,” book 3 of the Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
“The Raven Boys,” book 4 of the Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
"The Regional Office is Under Attack" by Manuel Gonzales.
"This is How You Lose the Time War" by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone.
"Black Crow, White Snow" by Michael Livingston.
“Elric of Melnibone,” book 1 of The Elric Saga by Michael Moorcock.
“The Sailor on the Seas of Fate,” book 2 of The Elric Saga by Michael Moorcock.
"Kingdom of Needle and Bone" by Mira Grant.
"Alien: Echo" by Mira Grant.
“Astrophysics for People in a Hurry” by Neil DeGrasse Tyson.
“Rendezvous” by Nelson DeMille.
"The Deserter" by Nelson and Alex DeMille.
“Space Boy” by Orson Scott Card.
“The Firework-Maker’s Daughter” by Philip Pullman
"Thin Air" by Richard K. Morgan
"Metrophage" by Richard Kadrey
"The Hidden Oracle," book 1 of The Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan.
"Camp Half-blood Confidential" supplemental to The Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan.
"The Dark Prophecy," book 2 of The Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan.
"The Burning Maze," book 3 of The Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan.
"The Tyrant's Tomb," book 4 of The Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan.
"The Wild Heart of Stevie Nicks" by Rob Sheffield.
"Sparrow Hill Road," book 1 of the Ghost Roads series by Seanan McGuire.
"The Girl in the Green Silk Gown," book 2 of the Ghost Roads series by Seanan McGuire.
"Discount Armageddon," book 1 of the InCryptid series by Seanan McGuire.
"Midnight Blue-Light Special," book 2 of the InCryptid series by Seanan McGuire.
"Half-Off Ragnarok," book 3 of the InCryptid series by Seanan McGuire.
"Pocket Apocalypse," book 4 of the InCryptid series by Seanan McGuire.
"Chaos Choreography," book 5 of the InCryptid series by Seanan McGuire.
"Magic for Nothing," book 6 of the InCryptid series by Seanan McGuire.
"Tricks for Free," book 7 of the InCryptid series by Seanan McGuire.
"That Ain't Witchcraft," book 8 of the InCryptid series by Seanan McGuire.
"Imaginary Numbers," book 9 of the InCryptid series by Seanan McGuire.
“Every Heart a Doorway,” book 1 of the Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire.
“Down Among the Sticks and Bones,” book 2 of the Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire.
“Beneath the Sugar Sky,” book 3 of the Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire.
“In an Absent Dream,” book 4 of the Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire.
“Come Tumbling Down,” book 5 of the Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire.
"Finale," book 3 of Caraval by Stephanie Garber.
“Blockade Billy” by Stephen King.
“Pure Drivel” by Steve Martin
“Wildside” by Steven Gould
"New York Dead," book 1 of the Stone Barrington series by Stuart Woods.
"Dirt," book 2 of the Stone Barrington series by Stuart Woods.
“Stories of Your Life” by Ted Chiang
“Truckers,” book 1 of the Bromeliad Trilogy by Terry Pratchett
“Diggers,” book 2 of the Bromeliad Trilogy by Terry Pratchett
“Wings,” book 3 of the Bromeliad Trilogy by Terry Pratchett
"The Color of Magic," book 1 of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchet.
"The Light Fantastic," book 2 of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchet.
"Equal Rights," book 3 of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchet.
"Mort," book 4 of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchet.
"Sourcery," book 5 of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchet.
"Wyrd Systers," book 6 of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchet.
"Pyramids," book 7 of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchet.
"Guards, Guards," book 8 of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchet.
"Eric," book 9 of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchet.
"Moving Pictures," book 10 of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchet.
"Reaper Man," book 11 of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchet.
"Witches Abroad," book 12 of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchet.
"Small Gods," book 13 of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchet.
"Lords and Ladies," book 14 of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchet.
“Only You Can Save Mankind,” book 1 of the Johnny Maxwell series by Terry Pratchett.
“Johnny and the Dead,” book 2 of the Johnny Maxwell series by Terry Pratchett.
“Johnny and the Bomb,” book 3 of the Johnny Maxwell series by Terry Pratchett.
"The Devil's Breath," book 3 of the Dr. Thomas Silkstone series by Tessa Harris.
"The Lazarus Curse," book 4 of the Dr. Thomas Silkstone series by Tessa Harris.
"Shadow of the Raven," book 5 of the Dr. Thomas Silkstone series by Tessa Harris.
"Secrets of the Stones," book 6 of the Dr. Thomas Silkstone series by Tessa Harris.
"Rocannon's World," book 1 of the Hainish Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin.
"Planet of Exile," book 2 of the Hainish Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin.
"City of Illusions," book 3 of the Hainish Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin.
"The Left Hand of Darkness," book 4 of the Hainish Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin.
"The Dispossessed," book 5 of the Hainish Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin.
“I Shudder at Your Touch,” a horror anthology.
“The Gravedigger’s Brawl” by Abigail Roux
"Thief's Covenant," book 1 of the Widdershins Adventures by Ari Marmell.
"False Covenant," book 2 of the Widdershins Adventures by Ari Marmell.
"Lost Covenant," book 3 of the Widdershins Adventures by Ari Marmell.
"Covenant's End," book 4 of the Widdershins Adventures by Ari Marmell.
"Steampunk Banditos," book 7 of the Felix Gomes series by Mario Acevedo.
“Three Parts Dead,” book 1 of the Craft Sequence by Max Gladstone.
”Two Serpents Rise,” book 2 of the Craft Sequence by Max Gladstone.
”Full Fathom Five,” book 3 of the Craft Sequence by Max Gladstone.
”Last First Snow,” book 4 of the Craft Sequence by Max Gladstone.
"Bitches and Brawlers," book 4 of the Steampunk Red Riding Hood series by Melanie Karsak.
"Howls and Hallows," book 5 of the Steampunk Red Riding Hood series by Melanie Karsak.
“Undivided,” book 4 of the Unwind Dystology by Neal Shusterman

 

[Galactic Bus Driver]

Right now I'm reading Peace Talks cause I've been waiting a billion years for it (but not as along as the third Kingkiller book :[) but it's funny...I've recently stumbled upon this other urban fantasy series that's goofy and comfortable reading, and I'm head over heels in love with the main character. They're called the Parasol Protectorate books, by Gail Carriger, and they're by no means sophisticated reading....but they're so much fun

(my bolding)

Heh. Try waiting for the conclusion to a trilogy for 23 freaking years and counting. The Exiles series by Melanie Rawn. Book one, "The Ruins of Ambrai," 1994. Book two, "The Mageborn Traitor," 1997. Book three, "The Captal's Tower," no release date set. Rumor has it that she still hasn't started it, for "reasons" that have never really been made clear.

I've never had a dead series stay on my mind the way this one has and I hope she finishes it before I freakin' die!

I'm going to have to look into the Parasol Protectorate books. Urban fantasy, which I used to avoid, has become my go-to sub-genre lately. Especially Seanan McGuire's urban fantasy series'.

 

[HareBrain]

Finished First Light by Geoffrey Wellum, his memoir of being a young RAF fighter pilot in the first half of WWII. Surely essential reading for anyone with any interest in the subject. Conjures up the experience brilliantly, not just of combat (which occupies perhaps <5% of the text) but everything surrounding it. (It might have helped my appreciation that I spent many hours playing a WWII flight simulator about a decade ago, which taught me how hard it is just to take off cleanly.)

Plus about 1/3 through Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell. Brilliantly written, though not that gripping so far. And I know he likes to link his books together, but I was really hoping the fantasy element of Bone Clocks wouldn't intrude into this realistic one. Alas, it seems to be doing so.

 

[tobl]

I hadn't heard of either Jan or John before (Are they both Dutch authors? Their last name points me that way.). Looking at their books they don't look like anything that I would care to read all that much. Of course, to be fair, since I haven't read anything by them I probably shouldn't jump to that conclusion. As for Harry Potter, I read the first book and had no desire to read any more. It seemed like a lot of hype about a book designed for Middle Schoolers. It could not hold a candle to other books designed for middle schoolers, like Heinlein's "Have Space Suit, Will Travel."

But I think you have put your finger on the problem. I want books with real and true struggle, but whose heroes do not despair, they dig in and try harder, and you always have the feeling that in the end life's fair and good will prevail. Which is probably why I love the opening books of the Honor Harrington series so much.

you might try henry gallant series. i don't like it personally but you're a fellow heinlein fan so... there are a lot of series like that, jim butcher desdren files, anita blake series by lkh, gabriel allon by daniel silva, tao wong, john conroe

 

[Montero]

@Parson

I've just become a fan of T Kingfisher, and her latest, which I've just read, The Wizards's Guide to Defensive Baking definitely has a real struggle in it. There is debate as to whether it is middle grade, because the protagonist is 14, but I didn't find it a childish book. Despite the real dangers it is a warm hearted book with some moments of humour. Not sure how you'd rate it against Heinlein - used to love his books but gradually gone off some of them. Citizen of the Galaxy was a favourite of mine, not re-read in a few years.

 

[Vertigo]

I have not read Patrick O'Brien. I did see the movie "Master and Commander" and it was okay. But books are often far superior to movies so I have ordered the first one. Why must a book this old have an $8.00 Kindle price? Oh, well, that just gives it a higher bar to jump. Thanks for the advice. It does look like something I might like. I'll report back.

The film actually merged elements from several of the books so you'll find the first book quite different to the film, for example the first book goes nowhere near South America and the Galapagos. I'd also say it improves as the series progresses.

Re the price it's very strange that I can't even see it as being available in kindle format. Certainly it appears to be massively more expensive in America. The kindle editions in the UK are mostly between £3 and £5.

 

[Montero]

And the kindle addition may be a relatively recent release - and it isn't effort free. I've seen various accounts by authors of getting their back-lists into kindle and it can involve re-typing the entire manuscript, having scan and text recognition done with someone proofreading the result, so not cheap. I've also seen the odd kindle which was definitely text recognition generated with the odd strange bit, some arising from a blot on the page so far as I could tell.

 

[Vertigo]

And the kindle addition may be a relatively recent release - and it isn't effort free. I've seen various accounts by authors of getting their back-lists into kindle and it can involve re-typing the entire manuscript, having scan and text recognition done with someone proofreading the result, so not cheap. I've also seen the odd kindle which was definitely text recognition generated with the odd strange bit, some arising from a blot on the page so far as I could tell.

That seems unlikely for such a popular series; I got my first ebook in the series (Master and Comander) back in 2015.

 

[Danny McG]

A very similar book series by Alexander Kent (Douglas Reeman) are the Richard Bolitho books.
I've read maybe half of them over the years

 

[Montero]

That seems unlikely for such a popular series; I got my first ebook in the series (Master and Comander) back in 2015.

The first novel in Master and Commander was published in 1969. See the publication list here

Aubrey–Maturin series - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Most of those will have to be retro-ebooked.

Early than Kent and O'Brien are CS Forester's Hornblower and Showell Styles Mr Midshipman Quinn

 

[Vertigo]

The first novel in Master and Commander was published in 1969. See the publication list here

Aubrey–Maturin series - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Most of those will have to be retro-ebooked.

Yes but it's already long since been done. I have been buying them as ebooks since 2015.

 

[Montero]

I'm not getting your point. I am saying that there will have been greater than usual costs in producing the eBooks, due to having to recreate the text. Are you saying because that was done 5 years ago, that should make it cheaper?

 

[Vertigo]

I'm not getting your point. I am saying that there will have been greater than usual costs in producing the eBooks, due to having to recreate the text. Are you saying because that was done 5 years ago, that should make it cheaper?

Ah no, sorry, I was missing your point a little! However what I would still say is I've been buying them as ebooks in the UK since 2015 and throughout that time I've been paying no more than £3-£5 for them. However, @Parson seems to be facing much higher prices for them in the USA. That's what I see as odd. The ebooks have been cheap in the UK for years so I don't see why they should be so expensive over there.

 

[Hugh]

Alfred Bester "Tiger! Tiger!"
Last read @45 years ago, I thought this truly amazing when I first read it age fourteen. I'd never come across anything remotely like it and my adolescent mind promptly devoted significant time to trying to jaunte. I never succeeded.
In re-reading, I found I remembered relatively little of the action and winced when there was a rape scene early on (fortunately understated) but I still found the book remarkable, perhaps because I'm still seeing it in some way through my fourteen year old eyes.
Although I'd forgotten so much of it, these lines have always remained meaningfully engraved in my brain:
Gully Foyle is my name
And Terra is my nation.
Deep space is my dwelling place
And death's my destination.