June Reading Thread

[pogopossum]

From the Merriam-Webster site.
"Series can be singular or plural without the word itself changing. Series is a count noun, describing a group of things or events usually occurring in succession, such as a television series. It is usually seen in constructions like "a series of," and like other count nouns, in these sentences the members of the group are pluralized while series itself remains singular. You can have multiple series, but the word is unchanged as series is a zero plural."

note:
Earlier I described the Gwynne books as "GridmarK'. Somehow the term has gotten stuck in my head instead of the correct usage "Grimdark." Actually I prefer my mistaken usage.

 

[Vertigo]

note:
Earlier I described the Gwynne books as "GridmarK'. Somehow the term has gotten stuck in my head instead of the correct usage "Grimdark." Actually I prefer my mistaken usage.

I spotted that and thought you'd done it deliberately - a touch of irony maybe!

 

[AE35Unit]

Finished the Dennis Wheatley book, not bad actually but a terrible ending
Ganning back to the Ian Rankin book (pronounced like hoop)

 

[Rodders]

Judge Dredd: Death Masques finished and it was pretty good. I should've read this before i read Psychogeddon. Still, that didn't interfere with my enjoyment of it. Still, could've been edited better as there were quite a few errors.

Now onto Judge Fear's Big Day Out. This looks like a horror anthology, with two of them written by Alan Grant, so it should be quite enjoyable.

 

[tachyon]

I'm having a go at Dual Memory by Sue Burke.
I'm not sure if I'll finish this, something I can't define about the writing style is irking me.

I really enjoyed her Semiosis and the sequel Interference, was thinking of picking this one up, I'll have to check the kindle preview first I guess.

 

[Danny McG]

I really enjoyed her Semiosis and the sequel Interference, was thinking of picking this one up, I'll have to check the kindle preview first I guess.

I enjoyed them as well, she tried something different with her writing style and I really couldn't get into the Dual Memory storyline.

Now I'm trying Titanium Noir by Nick Harkaway

 

[AE35Unit]

Next up, some vintage Dean Koontz, Midnight (1989)

 

[Dave]

I've picked up a few Dean Kootnz and a Stephen King that I intend to read while travelling this summer. I thought they were just the kind of easy reading to dip in and out of.

 

[Randy M.]

Just finished The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson. For me, it's reminiscent of Bradbury's stories about boys having adventures. It's a first person narrative by the adult about the summer when he was 12. It includes making friends, hanging with his uncle, biking all over his hometown of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and at least once being scared out of his wits while with his club. It's also about the trickiness of memory, and the love of family and friends. It's a good summer read.

 

[pogopossum]

After reading the latest volume in Stross' Laundry universe I needed something relaxing. (Will comment on that later. Good, but not for everyone.)
I found
Another Round at the Spaceport Bar on my shelf and realized that I had never read some of the stories - and those that I had were probably from other collections. Enjoyed the read. Clarke, Asimov, Lord Dunsany, Niven and others.
But it got me interested in tracking down vol 1, Tales From the Spaceport Bar.
Got it from the library. Again familiar authors and many familiar stories. Asimov Clarke, De Camp & Pratt, Zelazny, Lafferty, Briarton,, Spider Robinson, Niven, Budrys , Silverberg and about a dozen more. You really can't go wrong. Mostly tall tales, often involving fantasy. I generally preferred Vol 1.
George Scithers (the ed) gives a nice intro. to the genre and then tops off the book with his own contribution at the end., co-authored by Barry Longyear and John Ford.
In it he mentions at least a dozen bars, many represented in earlier stories, and takes pleasure in one liners such as "How's the weather Hal?' Answer, "Clement." Also many references to everything from Dune to the USS Enterprise. Sitting around the bar is a huge furry thing (someone actually says "Wookie that) a kid who is being instructed by a guy in a long burnoose as to the operation of some kind of laser pointer (turns out that it's good in a fight), three old space men, Arcot Wade and Morley, and a number of other recognizable figures. Yes a rollicking time is had by all.
The book is forty years old. I can only hope that you can get hold of a copy to chortle at between more serious reads.

 

[hitmouse]

I enjoyed them as well, she tried something different with her writing style and I really couldn't get into the Dual Memory storyline.

Now I'm trying Titanium Noir by Nick Harkaway

Just about to start this.

 

[pogopossum]

Read John the Balladeer by Manly Wade Wellman.
Enjoyed the stories, as I remembered having done so years ago.
They work better as stand alone pieces. I would think that readers of their first publications, primarily in
F&SF, where I first bumped into them, enjoyed their bucolic perspective on tall tales, language and traditional culture. I did find that reading them one after another was a little wearing, knowing that the evil witch man or legendary monster would show up in a few pages. There is some diversity in the plots, but as I said, the similarities made reading them one after another a bit much.
If you can get a copy, keep it around to read over time, not in a rush.

 

[BAYLOR]

Finishing up The World Inside by Robert Silverberg. A utopian society... from a certain point of view.

Great book. read it 30 years ago . , The word it portrays is not one side ever want to live in .

 

[BAYLOR]

Read John the Balladeer by Manly Wade Wellman.
Enjoyed the stories, as I remembered having done so years ago.
They work better as stand alone pieces. I would think that readers of their first publications, primarily in
F&SF, where I first bumped into them, enjoyed their bucolic perspective on tall tales, language and traditional culture. I did find that reading them one after another was a little wearing, knowing that the evil witch man or legendary monster would show up in a few pages. There is some diversity in the plots, but as I said, the similarities made reading them one after another a bit much.
If you can get a copy, keep it around to read over time, not in a rush.

Wellman is one hell of water , read those tales quite a while ago, he did contusion of John which I never got around to reading.

 

[Dave Vicks]

RICHARD DIAMOND radio plays he's a Noir PI.

And a Star Trek:Voyager drama by LA Graf.
Narrator Robert Picardo.He plays the Emergency Holograpic Doctor Program on the show.

 

[AE35Unit]

it got me interested in tracking down vol 1, Tales From the Spaceport Bar.
Got it from the library. Again familiar authors and many familiar stories. Asimov Clarke, De Camp & Pratt, Zelazny, Lafferty, Briarton,, Spider Robinson, Niven, Budrys , Silverberg and about a dozen more. You really can't go wrong. Mostly tall tales, often involving fantasy.

I think I enjoyed that collection years ago when I borrowed it from the library, have you a pic of the cover?

 

[Randy M.]

RICHARD DIAMOND radio plays he's a Noir PI.

Looked it up. I hadn't realized Richard Diamond started on radio with Dick Powell. I do recall hearing about the TV version with David Janssen, though mainly because it was Mary Tyler Moore's first series -- not that you'd know to watch it, since she played a phone operator and viewers mostly saw her legs and heard her voice, pitched lower than her normal speaking voice.

Right now reading in The Best of Richard Matheson, at least until I decide what other book to tackle next.

 

[pogopossum]

I think I enjoyed that collection years ago when I borrowed it from the library, have you a pic of the cover?

 

[alexvss]

A Canticle for Leibowitz (1960) by Walter M. Miller Jr: after nuclear armageddon, people start hunting for the “intelligent people who did it”, as well as any literate person whatsoever, so it’s up to an order of monks to maintain books and knowledge for prosperity.

It’s a very interesting dystopian novel, and a very unique one. The first scene is a little weird and not that strong--it’s something I’d point out in a critique group--, but it kicks off after that. I’m enjoying it.

 

[Danny McG]

Now I'm trying Titanium Noir by Nick Harkaway

I've finished this now, has anyone else?
I'm a bit confused over a part of the story and I need a different viewpoint in case I misinterpreted it

I don't want to elaborate here in case I spoil the book for future readers