February 2022 Reading Thread

[Dan Jones]

An eclectic mix at the moment; I've started Wuthering Heights, because of course. I'm also reading Swords and Deviltry by Fritz Leiber, and I'm about a quarter of the way through an ARC copy of Stephen Cox's Our Child Of Two Worlds, the sequel to Our Child Of the Stars.

 

[saulfan]

Just finished 'Time and The Gods' by Lord Dunsany.

Although not my usual fare, it was very enjoyable; it is a collection of loosely related fantastical creation mythologies

In places the writing is exquisite. It is something I will return to. Some of the 'episodes' are only a page or a couple of pages long, so it lends itself easily to dipping in to.

 

[tachyon]

I'm in a slump! I've started and put down about 7 books in the past week. A bit frustrating, I'm looking for other ways to pass the time for now.

I went back to one of the 7 and finished it - slump over?

The Shattered Skies by John Birmingham, sequel to The Cruel Stars. Far future SF space opera (no aliens).

I had some of the same problem with this sequel as I did with the first book, a lot of jumps between different POV characters gives the book a bit of a disarticulated feel until the plot arcs start to coalesce, and just like the first book the buildup is worth the effort as he really nails the climax and conclusion. Good stuff.

I picked up Terminal Alliance by Jim C Hines - Aliens rescue humans after a zombie apocalypse (??) seems to be light humorous deep space SF. The human sanitation workers on an alien ship have to save the day after the alien crew is wiped out (not spoilers this was the from the blurb on the "back cover" of the ebook.)

 

[Fiberglass Cyborg]

Accidentally read "Ship of Magic" by Robin Hobb in a day.

 

[Danny McG]

I picked up Terminal Alliance by Jim C Hines

I've read the first 2 in the series, I'm looking forward to the final part of the trilogy this summer

 

[soulsinging]

Based on your review, I purchased 'Not One Of Us' as an e-book from Amazon UK, at the very reasonable price of £1.00 and finished it in 2 sittings.

My verdict? A well-written and thoroughly enjoyable crime/thriller. Unlike some reviewers on Amazon, I thought the structure of the book worked well. The two protagonists were well-drawn. A couple of plot-points stretched credulity a little and I did guess the culprit fairly early. However, this did not detract from my overall enjoyment. As you observed, the - unexpected - epilogue was outstanding. Four and a half stars from me.

I jumped on the bandwagon and bought this for my Kindle too. Sounds intriguing!

 

[Dave Vicks]

Up next Jordan B. Peterson ,and Ellie Kemper.

 

[The Big Peat]

I read GGK's A Song for Arbonne yesterday. Stayed up to 5am to finish it.

Now pushing through Lloyd Alexander's The Black Cauldron with mixed enthusiasm.

 

[HareBrain]

I read GGK's A Song for Arbonne yesterday. Stayed up to 5am to finish it.

Now pushing through Lloyd Alexander's The Black Cauldron with mixed enthusiasm.

I'd have thought after staying up till 5 that would apply to anything.

 

[Foxbat]

I’m still working my way through book one of The Pandora Sequence (The Jesus Incident) and, to be honest, I’m struggling.

I’ve read a load of great reviews of this book, many insisting that it’s worth persevering with it but all that’s going through my head right now is when will this end?

I must be missing something

 

[hitmouse]

Finished A Feast of Snakes by Harry Crews. Very good, quite brutal story of small town rural rednecks being generally unpleasant.

 

[The Big Peat]

I'd have thought after staying up till 5 that would apply to anything.

Hah! A valid point.

But it's still a push and that's because if someone pushed Taran down a flight of stairs and had a difference character replace him, I would not be mad. To give the spirit of his most annoying speech

"You tricked us! You knew we were going to steal from you and you didn't warn us about your security system! It's all your fault that my attempt to steal has got us in trouble".

 

[OuttaInc]

Just finished Ted Chiang's Story of Your Life which was unlike anything I'd ever read. Several days later, it's still with me. I thought it was masterful storytelling.

From the nonfiction shelf, I'm halfway through What a Fish Knows, by Jonathan Balcombe, which I'm reading to gain some insight into what consciousness might be like for other species.

 

[KGeo777]

Just finished the novelization of DR. TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS by John Burke. A quick read but it had some minor embellishments to the movie.



The five men looked at each other fearfully. Then they turned, sensing the presence of someone else.

At the barrier where the ticket collector should have been was a figure in black. It looked familiar.

“Dr. Schreck?” said Franklyn Marsh uneasily.

There was no reply. The men huddled together. Then the figure raised an arm and beckoned them to approach. The long fingers were those of Dr. Schreck, yet fined away even further. The whole stance was Schreck’s . . . but he had not yet shown his face.

The five men did not move.

Then the black figure raised its head commandingly. It was a thing of bleached bone—and the face was that of a death’s head.

Now the five men knew there was no way back. The station was bleak and friendless. There would be no trains for them to catch from here; no way of leaving this place. For them there was now only one route.

 

[tachyon]

I finished Terminal Alliance by Jim C Hines, it delivered what was promised on the packaging. Satisfying lightweight humorous deep space SF. I'll pick up the sequel next time I'm in a SF mood.

Next up I'm re-reading Stiletto by Daniel O'Malley, sequel to The Rook, an urban fantasy about a secret government organization of superpowered individuals protecting England from the supernatural and superpowered.

I've heard that a third book in the series is coming out soon so getting prepared. I think I'm quite familiar enough with the events of The Rook,as already I re-read it when Stiletto came out, so not going to rehash that this time.

 

[Bick]

I've just started Wolf Hall, the Booker Prize-winning historical novel by Hilary Mantel.

 

[pogopossum]

I've just started Wolf Hall, the Booker Prize-winning historical novel by Hilary Mantel.

Also read Bring Up the Bodies (2012.) The last book in the trilogy is The Mirror and the Light (2020) The BBC, PBS in the US, broadcast Bring up - - - w. Mark Rylance as Cromwell. You can not do better for acting in a historical drama.

 

[Bick]

Thanks pogo, interesting info.

 

[Danny McG]

I've heard that a third book in the series is coming out soon so getting prepared. I think I'm quite familiar enough with the events of The Rook,as already I re-read it when Stiletto came out, so not going to rehash that this time.

Allegedly it's out in October.

"Blitz" (working title was Take Flight)

 

[The Judge]

I've just started Wolf Hall, the Booker Prize-winning historical novel by Hilary Mantel.

I loved Wolf Hall -- cleverly put together and brilliantly written, though one stylistic trick took a bit of getting used to, and it does help if one has a working knowledge of Henry's reign and people and the various social, religious and international concerns. Bring up the Bodies was also good, but for me The Mirror and the Light was a this-author-is-now-too-famous/popular-for-an-editor-to-edit and the result was a book that was far too long and far too self-indulgent, and I gave up well before the end and handed it over to a charity stall. But the good news is, for anyone coming new to the history, it's really easy to find out how it ended and what happened to everyone!