Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading?

[MickeyC]

Just finished Midnight in Europe by Alan Furst and it was a typically good Furst read.

Next up: The Diplomat by Ethan Jones, 7th in the Thrilling Thirteen package

[CRussel]

I've been trying to read Silkworm, the second book in the Cormorant Strike series from J.K. Rowling. I liked the first, but for some reason this second one is a struggle.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by CRussel

I've been trying to read Silkworm, the second book in the Cormorant Strike series from J.K. Rowling. I liked the first, but for some reason this second one is a struggle.

I'm sorry to hear that, as I enjoyed the first one as well. Let us know if it picks up.

The first one (The Cuckoo's Calling) was a bit strange, as it seemed to start off being all about Robin and ending up being all Strike.

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by CRussel

I've been trying to read Silkworm, the second book in the Cormorant Strike series from J.K. Rowling. I liked the first, but for some reason this second one is a struggle.

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

I'm sorry to hear that, as I enjoyed the first one as well. Let us know if it picks up.

The first one (The Cuckoo's Calling) was a bit strange, as it seemed to start off being all about Robin and ending up being all Strike.

I just finished chapter 38 and am enjoying it immensely.

[PurpleStar]

I'm reading Top Secret Twenty One by Janet Evanovich. I know it's stupid, but I'm hooked.

[caleb72]

Since I last posted, I've completed a few extra novels:

Hyperion by Dan Simmons. I read this as part of the book club here and I enjoyed it quite a bit. From a plot point of view it didn't actually progress much, but the individual back-stories shared by the main characters were worth it. Ended without resolution which was a bit frustrating.

Forsaken by Andrew Van Wey. An indie read, this horror was pretty entertaining. It had a few issues, but I didn't regret reading it. The twist was, unfortunately, a little obvious for me, but if you didn't get that earlier, it's probably an interesting surprise.

Reunion by Jeff Bennington. This indie work was rather popular in 2011 when it was released. However, I found it to be a pretty resounding failure as a novel. The plot wasn't terribly well thought out, the prose was a bit amateurish, the dialogue was quite bad and the characters themselves weren't interesting enough to make up for the other flaws. Overall, I think it started with an interesting idea...and then it was all downhill.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I really enjoyed this one. I can really enjoy very sad stories, and this one was put together well. I loved the main character and found it was her perspective that made this story special. Would recommend.

Bliss by Peter Carey. This was my first Carey and his first novel. He won the Miles Franklin Literary Award when it was released and it follows Harry Joy and his fairly strange story after experiencing a heart-attack. I enjoyed the novel, but felt that I might have missed the point Carey was trying to make.

The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon. I was rather surprised by this book. I knew it had an autistic character, but I didn't realise it was going to be told from the perspective of this character and in a setting that was almost science fiction by default. You would have to change virtually nothing of the story for it to be a modern day drama minus the sci-fi. I loved the book and this is the third story I've read and really enjoyed from the perspective of an autistic character. I don't know if that says anything significant about me.

[HarryT]

Just finished "The Fata Morgana" by Leo Frankowski. Baen SF, which I bought in July 2000.

Description from Baen:

The ancient tales of European Man, carefully recorded by pious monks and hedge wizards alike, are insistent about the Western Isles. One of the tales of Doubting Thomas, the apostle, has it that he Christianized these islands and stayed there until the end of his days. The Arthurian legends clearly state that Arthur's father, Uther, came from the Western Isles.

Ancient and Medieval maps agree in showing them as being off the Western Coast of France. Lyonnesse was a part of the Western Islands, as was the City of Ys, Avalon, and the Land of Dahout.

Up until the time of the First Crusade, there are records of pilgrims visiting the Holy sites of the Western Islands. The remains of mercantile records of those days hint of trade with the islands of the west. Irish records and legends, which are generally regarded as reliable back to preChristian times, have many references to great floating islands being pushed by ocean currents and winds alike past the Emerald Isle, and sometimes becoming snagged there for a time.

The Icelandic Eddas make similar references.

Modern sailors and travelers sometimes sight great, many tiered cities near the ocean's horizon, but these people are rarely believed. It is easier for modern, technocentric man to believe in an optical illusion, the Fata Morgana.

This book is about two modern, hardheaded engineers who find the Western Islands.

Not really SF at all: I'd classify this more as the "lost civilisation" type of adventure story that was popularised by 19th century writers such as Sir Henry Rider Haggard with books like "King Solomon's Mines" and "She".

Reasonably good, but nothing special.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: F&SF, July 2014.

Which was a good mix of Fantasy and SF, but many of the stories were a bit sad/dark for my liking., so only 3/5.

Now for my last (so far) purchase of July: Lightspeed Magazine #50, July 2014.

[bfisher]

Finished Sam Kean's new book "The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons: And Other True Stories of Trauma, Madness, Affliction, and Recovery That Reveal the Surprising History of the Human Brain". Lots of anecdotes to keep the information flow interesting in a history of neuroscience.

[HarryT]

Just finished "A Pocket Full of Rye", by Agatha Christie. This was her 54th book, and was originally published in 1953.

When upper middle class businessman Rex Fortescue dies after drinking his morning tea, the police are called in to investigate. The cause of death is eventually confirmed as poisoning by taxine, an alkaloid poison obtained from the leaves or berries of the yew tree. His wife is the main suspect in the murder, until she also is murdered, after drinking tea laced with cyanide. Going on the only clue, a pocket full of rye found on the victim, Miss Marple begins investigating. Marple realises the murders are arranged according to the pattern of a childhood nursery rhyme, "Sing a Song of Sixpence."

Very good indeed. Quite an unexpected ending. Recommended.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by caleb72

The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon. I was rather surprised by this book. I knew it had an autistic character, but I didn't realise it was going to be told from the perspective of this character and in a setting that was almost science fiction by default. You would have to change virtually nothing of the story for it to be a modern day drama minus the sci-fi. I loved the book and this is the third story I've read and really enjoyed from the perspective of an autistic character. I don't know if that says anything significant about me.

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Quite an effective book, and really made me think. Plus, LMB is a superb storyteller so I was forced to think while I devoured the book cause I wanted to know what happened.

I'm sorry to hear that, as I enjoyed the first one as well. Let us know if it picks up.

The first one (The Cuckoo's Calling) was a bit strange, as it seemed to start off being all about Robin and ending up being all Strike.

I'd like it better if there were more of Robin, I think. And I'd like it a lot better if the two of them would stop miscommunicating. And I'd really like it better if the murder (and the novel it is based on) were less ridiculously gruesome.

I'll likely finish it. But it won't make me in any hurry to buy the next one.

[melmac]

Originally Posted by alansplace

I just finished chapter 38 and am enjoying it immensely.

+1 I'm listening to it on audio and posted my thoughts so far their

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by melmac

+1 I'm listening to it on audio and posted my thoughts so far their

Originally Posted by melmac

Still listening to The Silkworm but wanted to let you all know how much I'm loving it! I usually only listen to books when I'm driving or out walking but have found myself putting this one on while at home which I rarely do(only other books I've done this for are The passage and Ready Player One)

I still have no idea whodunit usually I'm pretty good at figuring these things out before the author reveals it. I'm finding that I don't particularly care who it was because the greatness of this book is not the mystery but the main characters of Strike and Robin whom I adore. Both characters are so well written I'm finding myself wanting to spend as much time with them as possible even the secondary characters who are part of this books mystery are all very well drawn.

On one hand I can't wait to get to the conclusion and find it all come together(hopeful nicely I hate out of the blue reveals) on the other hand I really don't want my time with Cormoran Strike to end

It looks like we're pretty much in agreement concerning The Silkworm. The reason I never had seen your post is that I don't read the 'listening to' thread. Actually I never read something using audio the first time through. For additional reads I may pick up the audio and listen to it, but I find that I'm much more easily distracted when reading an audio version.

[Hampshire Nanny]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

And now: Every Which Way But Dead by Kim Harrison. The third in her Rachel Morgan series. Unless things improve I won't bother with the rest. Rachel's whininess about her boyfriend troubles is irritating.

Stick with it. There are some interesting twists coming up. I finished the series earlier this year.

Originally Posted by Fbone

Another wonderful Pendergast novel.

I have 2 Pendergast novels on my Kindle. Thanks for reminding me -- I think I ought to move them closer to the top of my reading list.

Originally Posted by PurpleStar

I'm reading Top Secret Twenty One by Janet Evanovich. I know it's stupid, but I'm hooked.

Just finished this one yesterday. It features my favorite character, Randy Briggs.

Originally Posted by caleb72

The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon. I was rather surprised by this book. I knew it had an autistic character, but I didn't realise it was going to be told from the perspective of this character and in a setting that was almost science fiction by default. You would have to change virtually nothing of the story for it to be a modern day drama minus the sci-fi. I loved the book and this is the third story I've read and really enjoyed from the perspective of an autistic character. I don't know if that says anything significant about me.

One of my favorite books of all time.

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by Hampshire Nanny

Stick with it. There are some interesting twists coming up. I finished the series earlier this year...

Hmmmm...I don't think that you've quite finished it yet!