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

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by Lynx-lynx

@CRussel, I also enjoy the Phryne (pronounced Fry knee) series by Greenwood and agree generally with your comments.

Earlier this year the Aus Broadcasting Commission aired maybe half a dozen of her early Phryne novels in 1 hour telemovie format. There have been some character changes (for whatever reasons) and the wonderful Mrs Butler and her even more wonderful meals are not part of it.

The reviews were somewhat mixed, but I thoroughly enjoyed viewing them!!

I don't know if you're aware but Greenwood also writes about a contemporary sleuth in the form of the Corinna Chapman series, an inner city Melbournian baker and her Private Investigator partner.

These books deal with the Melbourne of today, as opposed to Phyrne's 1920's.

Personally, I'm a 1920's lover so they're my favourites.

Those Australian TV versions are now being shown here in British Columbia, which is how I found out about Ms. Greenwood in the first place. They're really quite good, though as you point out, Mrs. Butler is not really a character in them, and there are some other character changes. None the less, I'm enjoying the TV series and look forward to reading more of the books themselves.

I haven't tried one of the Corinna Chapman books yet, though I undoubtedly will at some point. However, Phryne is too delicious to allow myself to be distracted by anything else right now.

[Lynx-lynx]

Ahhh .... so that answers my unasked question of how you came across Greenwood!!

And yes, I also find the Fisher series 'delicious' especially some of the recipes - alcoholic drinks and food, lol!

[Dazrin]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

That was a good read, apparently I should pay more attention to the MR book club selections.

Now on to The Wheel of Time book 11, Knife of Dreams, the last one published while Robert Jordan was alive. After this it will be two books left and two months to go before the final* book is published.

*I still (somewhat) hope that the other prequels RJ had planned get published some day. At least if they live up to the quality of the Sanderson books since it seems unlikely he will be writing them at this point.

Finished the Knife of Dreams and finished my 2012 page challenge in doing so. I only have the last two Wheel of Time books to read before the end of the year, so onto book 12 The Gathering Storm with Brandon Sanderson.

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by alansplace

Well that was quick even though it moved very slowly and was quite unexciting and not at all suspenseful. I guess that was probably because of the time period (1872) in which it was written.

Now on to much more modern, faster paced and more exciting fare, Frozen Heat, the fourth Nikki Heat novel.

Frozen Heat was great, so far the best of the four Nikki Heat books!

Now I'm going to re-read James Potter And The Vault Of Destinies, the third of G. Norman Lippert's fan fiction series, in preparation for the imminent Autumn release of the fourth James Potter book, James Potter and the Morrigan Web!

[jgaiser]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Finished Cocaine Blues and went immediately on to read the next, Flying Too High. I really enjoyed both of them, and I've bought the next couple, taking advantage of Amazon's WhisperSync deal to also buy the Audible versions of them.

Cocaine Blues is currently free on Amazon and since that's a great price, I've picked it up and I'll give it a try. Thanks for the recommendation.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

And now: A Step Farther Out by Jerry Pournelle. A collection of science fact articles from the early 1970s. I might abandon this is it turns out to be too dated. I got it in a bundle four years ago. Its about time I took a look!

Well, it was quite interesting, but not enough for me to whoosh through it. It was interesting to see which extrapolations have come to pass and which have not. And there are some horrendously prescient bits. E.g., a comment about how a suicidal terrorist and a jet full if fuel is much more of a risk than a nuclear power plant: "or if you've a pash to be suicidally spectacular, try crashing a hijacked jet into the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day."

On to another by Georgette Heyer: The Masqueraders

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by alansplace

Frozen Heat was great, so far the best of the four Nikki Heat books!

Now I'm going to re-read James Potter And The Vault Of Destinies, the third of G. Norman Lippert's fan fiction series, in preparation for the imminent Autumn release of the fourth James Potter book, James Potter and the Morrigan Web!

Changed my mind when the first chapter of Dresden File #14, Cold Days was made available today! I'm gonna' re-read the next three Dresden Files books (#11, #12 & #13) right away and put off James Potter And The Vault Of Destinies till afterward.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

On to another by Georgette Heyer: The Masqueraders

Well, that was a fun romp through just-post-Jacobite England. Most enjoyable, even if the pairings in the romance were obvious from early on.

Next up: the just-released Grantville Gazette 44 edited by Paula Goodlett. Another in the series of minor stories from Eric Flint's 1632 universe.

[DrNefario]

I finished Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold a few days ago, and enjoyed it much more than Cryoburn, even though it's kind of inconsequential.

After that I got started on Blackout by Connie Willis, the first half of her 2011 Hugo Winner, which I was expecting be a long slow read, but I seem to be getting through it surprisingly quickly, and I'm having to force myself to stop when it gets too late. I've seen criticism of Willis's depiction of wartime Britain (and future Oxford, for that matter), but I don't have any problems with it. It's set in the same world as her two previous Hugo winners, Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog, where historians do practical research using time travel, and I'd say Doomsday Book, at least, should be read first.

[karinlib]

I just finished Joseph Anton, by Salman Rushdie. This was the first book I've read by him. It was slow moving, and I don't agree with his philosophy of life (atheism), but I love how he fights for the freedom of expression.

[Apache]

I just finished Infinity Hold 3. I must say I really enjoyed it. This is around the third or fourth time I have read Infinity Hold and the first time as an ebook. The sequels that are included in Infinity Hold3 were just as good as the original. I would recommend this book to any Sci Fi fan and anyone else who wants a fresh look at law and order.
I just purchased The Admirals: Nimitz, Halsey, Leahy, and King--The Five-Star Admirals Who Won the War at Sea by Walter R. Borneman. So far it is a good read.
Apache

[HomeInMyShoes]

Just finished Charles Stross's The Atrocity Archives. Great fun.

[orlok]

Finally got round to starting "In Cold Blood", the Truman Capote account of a real-life murder of a Kansas farming family. Still in the scene setting stage at the moment, and it reads well. Almost novelesque.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: the just-released Grantville Gazette 44 edited by Paula Goodlett. Another in the series of minor stories from Eric Flint's 1632 universe.

Which was a quick fun read, but a bit below average for GGs.

Next: F&SF Magazine for November/December 2012, which has just appeared in my Kindle account.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Finished Cocaine Blues and went immediately on to read the next, Flying Too High. I really enjoyed both of them, and I've bought the next couple, taking advantage of Amazon's WhisperSync deal to also buy the Audible versions of them.

The one weakness in these early books is the endings tend to be just a bit too contrived and awkward, and there are always a few more subplots going on than absolutely necessary. Somehow, these faults seem minor in the context of a thoroughly original and enjoyable character. Highly recommended.

And now just finished #3 in the series: Murder on the Ballarat Train.. Still enjoying them immensely, and also the Audible versions of the books, read by Stephanie Daniel.

This is a fun series, and excellent reads, even if you've seen the TV series based on the books. (Not yet available in the US, I fear, but showing here in British Columbia on Knowledge Network). The series, while excellent, is sufficiently different from the books to make both enjoyable.

I'm moving on to the next, Death at Victoria Dock. Probably as an Audible book, primarily, since I have Infinity Hold 3 to read...

Originally Posted by Apache

I just finished Infinity Hold 3. I must say I really enjoyed it. This is around the third or fourth time I have read Infinity Hold and the first time as an ebook. The sequels that are included in Infinity Hold3 were just as good as the original. I would recommend this book to any Sci Fi fan and anyone else who wants a fresh look at law and order.
I just purchased The Admirals: Nimitz, Halsey, Leahy, and King--The Five-Star Admirals Who Won the War at Sea by Walter R. Borneman. So far it is a good read.
Apache

I just borrowed this as an Amazon Prime book. I look forward to it, K for the recommendation.