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

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by Apache

I just finished the four books in David Aaronovitch's Peter Grant Series. I thought the were a very good read and especially loved the character's and the humor.
Apache

I agree. This was a series that surprised me, since I didn't expect much. But it turned out to be exemplary. Also, for those who enjoy audio books, the Audible versions are excellently read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith.

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by alansplace

I read a couple of pages and found myself not quite ready to read Mr. Mercedes so I've postponed it.

Instead I started reading my freebie for August in the:

program. The one I chose for August was the fantasy The Paper Magician (The Paper Magician Series) by Charlie N. Holmberg.

Well I'm changing again by shoving The Paper Magician onto the back burner with Mr. Mercedes and starting another book, Outlander (Outlander #1) by Diana Gabaldon in response to:

[ucfgrad93]

I am currently reading The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914 by David McCullough on my Kindle.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by alansplace

Well I'm changing again by shoving The Paper Magician onto the back burner with Mr. Mercedes and starting another book, Outlander (Outlander #1) by Diana Gabaldon.

I'll be interested to hear what you think of it. I've only read the first four of them, and only as audio books, but I did enjoy them. A bit more BDSM than I would prefer, but one can fast forward through it. I'm very interested to see how well the series follows the books.

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by CRussel

I'll be interested to hear what you think of it. I've only read the first four of them, and only as audio books, but I did enjoy them. A bit more BDSM than I would prefer, but one can fast forward through it. I'm very interested to see how well the series follows the books.

I've only read part 1 (12%) of the first book and so far have experienced no occurrences of BDSM! So far it's keeping my interest quite well. Of course I've not yet seen any of the episodes of the new STARZ series, as episode 1 premieres this weekend. More later.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

a loaned paperback: Don't Panic by Neil Gaiman (2002 edition), about Douglas Adams and The HitchHikers' Guide to the Galaxy.

Wonderful. Fascinating account of the making of the various incarnations of H2G2. A must for any fan of the series, but not, as far as I know, available as an ebook.

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next: Space by Stephen Baxter.

Fantastic vision, but I never really cared much about any particular character. Spotting the divergent point from the scenario in Time was fun. (Although, of course, the universes are vastly different than that one incident.)

I did like the explanation of the Fermi paradox, although if that was the explanation, I think we'd be seeing more than we actually do at the moment.

Next up: Beyond the Doors of Death by Robert Silverberg and Damien Broderick. A slightly updated novella by Robert Silverberg, and a sequel by Damien Broderick.

[GypsyJon]

Under The Red Sea Sun.

History of the guy who salvaged the sunken Italian ships in Massawa harbor during WWII. Really good read.

[Dazrin]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

Started Ready Player One this morning and it has hooked my already.

Excellent book! I don't have nearly the knowledge to get all of his references, but those I did were great. I really loved playing D&D and video games (although most of mine were late 80s instead of earlier 80s) and this was really a great nostalgic read with a good story in the middle of it.

Next is Assassin's Quest, book 3 of the Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb. I started reading these in the late 90s and never finished this book. I am very much looking forward to it after re-reading the first two.

[MickeyC]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

Excellent book! I don't have nearly the knowledge to get all of his references, but those I did were great. I really loved playing D&D and video games (although most of mine were late 80s instead of earlier 80s) and this was really a great nostalgic read with a good story in the middle of it.

I'm about halfway through and also very much enjoying it!

[ccowie]

Just finished The Dark Vineyard, the second Chief Bruno book. I loved it! The settings provide a great reader escape, the food descriptions are great, the characters are great, the story is tight and book length is perfect for a one or two day read.

[Synamon]

Summer is half over, so time to update my reads:

Originally Posted by Synamon

I'm halfway through the seventh in Deborah Crombie's Kincaid/James British police mystery series and still enjoying this series very much.

The latest Bruno, Chief of Police novel, Children of Men by Martin Walker, has been released so that's next up and it's time to mix in some non-fiction so I'll start listening to The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee shortly.

I've now read up to and including #15 of the Kincaid/James mysteries. Very enjoyable British mysteries with recurring characters.

The latest Bruno was a bit slow getting out of the gate, but still interesting and well written.

The Emperor of All Maladies was excellent. It's a blend of science and history which is fascinating, although I did tune out with the heavy terminology during the discussion of current research near the end of the book.

Carrying on my usual summer experiment of reading new authors I tried Cornelia Read's A Field of Darkness. Not as gripping a thriller as I'd hoped, so I won't read more by her.

Another an author new to me was Adrian Magson with Death at the Clos du Lac. I liked the detective, but the story was a bit far-fetched.

I listened to Julian Barnes' The Sense of an Ending. The past is malleable in this short literary novel that peels back the layers of memory.

I had previously read and enjoyed The Redbreast, so I thought I'd read Jo Nesbo's first Harry Hole novel The Bat. It's set in Australia and there were info dumps that took me out of the story, which wasn't that compelling in the first place.

Another new author read was Borrowed Time by Robert Goddard. The mystery was revealed slowly and the author kept you guessing whether the narrator was reliable. I'll probably read more by Goddard.

I eagerly consumed The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith/J.K. Rowling. It started slowly, but that's how a spider's web starts and Rowling spun out a good mystery. Robin wasn't as front and center this time, the main voice was Strike's; he's plenty interesting so I hope there will be more.

I listened to The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton. I preferred Age of Innocence which I listened to last year.

I tried out Nicci French, reading Blue Monday. It was an okay thriller, but I didn't really warm to the main character - a moody psychiatrist.

I snagged The Martian from the library, as others here have raved - it's a fun ride. My husband enjoyed it even more than I did, since he's a scifi fan.

I listened to a stand alone by Adrian McKinty read by Gerald Doyle (my current voice crush) called Hidden River. In this one the protagonist is a police officer who is a heroin addict by choice and tries to escape The Troubles in Ireland by doing some detecting work in America.

My second Steven Galloway read this year was Finnie Walsh, a coming of age tale set in Canada, inevitably centered on hockey. Really charming and it evoked fond memories of John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany, one of my favourite books.

I snuck in an Agatha Christie, Appointment With Death. Set in Jordan, Poirot doesn't make an appearance until the end, so not my favourite, but still entertaining.

I gave Louise Penny one more chance, #7 in her Three Pines series, A Trick of the Light. There was too much self-pitying and moralizing for me to enjoy it, I give up on her. Such a shame, the first couple of books were great.

My find of the year so far is Elly Griffiths's Ruth Galloway mystery series. Over the past month I read 4 of these. Great cast of characters and setting.

I'm currently gagging on the last of Deborah Harkness' witches and vampires trilogy, The Book of Life. My husband liked these and I listened to the first two with him in the car on long trips, but fantasy historical romance or whatever this is doesn't appeal to me. Unfortunately I have to know how this stupid thing ends, there better be a resolution.

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by CRussel

I'll be interested to hear what you think of it. I've only read the first four of them, and only as audio books, but I did enjoy them. A bit more BDSM than I would prefer, but one can fast forward through it. I'm very interested to see how well the series follows the books.

Originally Posted by alansplace

I've only read part 1 (12%) of the first book and so far have experienced no occurrences of BDSM! So far it's keeping my interest quite well. Of course I've not yet seen any of the episodes of the new STARZ series, as episode 1 premieres this weekend. More later.

Published on Oct 21, 2013

Executive Producer Ronald D. Moore and Novelist Diana Gabaldon talk about STARZ series Outlander at the New York Comic Con 2013

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: Beyond the Doors of Death by Robert Silverberg and Damien Broderick. A slightly updated novella by Robert Silverberg, and a sequel by Damien Broderick.

Disappointing. I wasn't fond of the Silverberg story, which has far too many unanswered questions. But equally I didn't like the answers that Damien Broderick comes up with in a sequel, nor do I think that his story matches the original very well, as I don't see how one of the main events in the original would have happened given the way things are depicted in the second.

Next up: The Dragon Lord by David Drake. His take on the Arthurian Legends it seems.

[Stitchawl]

Half way through "The Skin Collector" by Jeffery Deaver, and if anything, this one is as full of the twists and turns for which Deaver is so famous! Lincoln Rhyme is at the top of his game, out-manoeuvring and out-thinking the killer before he can complete several of planned operations! It's the page-turner thriller I expect when I pick up a book by this author!


Stitchawl

[sl42]

27% Into "Existence", by David Brin.