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

[BelleZora]

I just read The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden by Jonas Jonasson and most enjoyed the very things that seemed to annoy many Goodreads reviewers. It certainly tests the reader's ability to suspend belief without hampering enjoyment. The most fantastical element was so much like a scene in Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses that I was diverted down a side path of suspecting One may actually be the Devil and that insight into the nature of good and evil, especially within the same person, would be forthcoming. But no. Probably Jonasson never read The Satanic Verses. But it was fun for a little while.

I also loved all the highly entertaining stories of actual people and events in Sweden and South Africa. After googling these events and people I discovered that the stories were true, although much duller as related on Wikipedia. One of the greatest joys of ebooks is that they open the world to us. Back when I was restricted to books offered by my local bookstore, I doubt I ever would have come across this translated Swedish novel.

Recommended if you are tolerant of fantastical elements, as well as long and rather dull center sections.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: The Time of Troubles by Harry Turtledove. My oldest bought unread ebook, from May 2005.

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Which is an omnibus of two books, The Stolen Throne and Hammer and Anvil.

It's well done, but it's just a bit too much war of empires and not enough fantasy for my liking. I doubt I'll re-read the second omnibus any time soon.

Next up: The Omega Egg by Mike Resnick et al. A round-robin novel that was created at Fictionwise. I bought it when it was still being produced chapter-by-chapter back in 2005. It's about time I read it and found out if was worth the money!

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by alansplace

Yesterday I completed my read of 1/2986 and now I'm anxiously awaiting the release of the sequel!

I've just begun reading the 2nd Veronica Mars Mystery, Mr. Kiss and Tell.

I just finished up with Mr. Kiss and Tell and found it to be an even better book than the first Veronica Mars Mystery Novel, The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line!! I sure hope they get a new contract for more of these mystery novels.

Now on to a freebie I got from Amazon not too long ago, No Game for a Dame (Maggie Sullivan Mystery #1) by M. Ruth Myers. I grabbed it up when it was free, but also because I like noir mysteries and because the PI, Maggie Sullivan is operating out of Dayton, OH, my birth city!!

Private eye Maggie Sullivan knows the streets of Depression-era Dayton, Ohio, as well as she knows an emery board. With a gin bottle in her desk, a .38 under her seat, and a great pair of legs she can hold her own against the toughest opponent. Then a routine case makes her a murder suspect and the target of a crime boss who's got friends at City Hall. Moving through a landscape where people line up at soup kitchens, Maggie draws information from sources others overlook: The waitress at the dime store lunch counter where she has breakfast; a corner newsboy; a nightclub cigarette girl in the rooming house where she lives. She shifts to a war of wits when she wants something from her shutterbug pal on the evening paper or the new cop teamed with her late father's partner. Before Maggie finds all the answers she needs, she's drugged and left in a ditch, has tea in the kitchen of a local cathouse and gambles her own life to save two others.

[Luffy]

Which Witch?
by Eva Ibbotson - 4/5

Re reading is not among my inclinations or priorities. However, I had to make an exception for Which Witch?. I read it first about 20 years ago, and I liked it so much that I didn't forget the small details for a long time. But recently I have had the urge to revisit past favorites. That's why I broke my habits and read this book again.

The author's style is ebullient and twisty. Her imagination was spot on. She knew, by instinct, what was appealing and whimsical. The book is not of the fantasy genre. The world is real. And though there are magical people in it, there are no portals to other dominions. The magical creatures and wizards and what have yous keep to themselves, mostly. They don't look for a fight, or a battlefield to settle grievances. There is little world building, which is what attracted me towards this delightful and slim and lean book. There is no bloating, no extra filler. It's rare to find a quick and memorable read. Which witch? is definitely a work that manages to combine these two ascriptions.

I managed to find one plot hole here, about the oldest witch being eligible for the contest. And I thought Arriman's volte face towards Sir Simon unlikely. He, who never showed signs of guile, manages to come up with a plan out of the blue. These are minor nitpicks. This is an under appreciated book, both by children and adults. Among all quick reads, this book has more substance than most. It has fallen into semi anonymity. But I have the feeling it will never go out of print, as there always will be people to pass on the fact that the book is a keeper.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Well, that was a pleasure! Makes me want to buy the new Boundary book from Baen. Oh, I guess that was the point! But it's going to have to wait for a Kobo coupon or next month. No $$ in this month for it.

Next up, a Georgette Heyer Regency - Arabella. Should be reliable fun.

And it was a pleasure. Not quite as many unexpected turns and twists as her usual Regency, but quite delightful none the less. Note for those who may have bought it from Amazon (or via KU) and expect WhisperSync for Voice to work. There was an issue with a recent update to the eBook, and the sync was broken. Amazon is aware, and I believe they have corrected the eBook to fix the problem. (And kudos to Audible CS, who were very good handling this.)

I also read Just One Damn Thing After Another, by Jodi Taylor. This is the first book in the Chronicles of St. Mary's series, covering the exploits of a group of time traveling historians. I got the suggestion for this book from someone here, I think, and it's been sitting in my TBR since May of last year. Well, if I figure out who it was, Karma will come your way! Really quite fun, and recommended. (There is also a WhisperSync for Voice Audible version of the book, btw, and all are priced quite reasonably.)

Next up, the second book in the Chronicles of St. Mary's series. Plus the first in the Lawrence Block Matt Scudder series: When the Sacred Ginmill Closes.

[Love.Forever.]

I just finished a novel called Monster Island: A zombie novel by David Wellington. It was pretty good, different take on the whole zombie apocalypse genre. Next book I'm planning to read is the infamous 1984 by George Orwell.

[danskmacabre]

I've sort of over-committed myself to books atm.
I Currently have on the go:

Neuromancer: Gibson
The Blade Itself: Abercrombie
The Nightside Series By GReen
Assassin's Apprentice: Hobb
The History of Middle Earth books (All 12)

I'm mostly focusing on Assassin's apprentice atm, but read the History of Middle Earth in bed at night.
I read the others when the mood takes me.

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by CRussel

.... Plus the first in the Lawrence Block Matt Scudder series: When the Sacred Ginmill Closes.

If you haven't read them before, you are about to become a Matt Scudder addict! Great series, following Matt's life as he develops into a older middle-aged man... I think it may be time for me to re-read the whole series.

Stitchawl

[Dngrsone]

Originally Posted by danskmacabre

I'm mostly focusing on Assassin's apprentice atm, but read the History of Middle Earth in bed at night.
I read the others when the mood takes me.

That the right place for reading 'em... I tried, but didn't get halfway through the first book. Maybe I'll try The Silmarillion again, now that I know what true boredom looks like.

[Rev. Bob]

Originally Posted by danskmacabre

The Nightside Series By GReen

Oh, those are quite good - especially when you add in the Drood and Ghost Finders series that take place in the same setting (and occasionally cross over).

[danskmacabre]

Originally Posted by Dngrsone

That the right place for reading 'em... I tried, but didn't get halfway through the first book. Maybe I'll try The Silmarillion again, now that I know what true boredom looks like.

I really enjoyed the Silmarillion, but I started reading it with the attitude that's it's more an encyclopedia that a novel.
I've since read it several times, but I tend to read it over a longer period of time, like a few weeks in small reading sessions that cover to cover over a short period.

The history of middle Earth books are even heavier going, but still, it's kind of interesting to see how Tolkien's work developed and yeah, reading it in bed for 30 minutes at a go is about right and it sure helps me goto sleep..

[danskmacabre]

Originally Posted by Rev. Bob

Oh, those are quite good - especially when you add in the Drood and Ghost Finders series that take place in the same setting (and occasionally cross over).

Yes, quite light and fun reading and easy to pick up again after taking a hiatus.
I've read maybe 3 or 4 of the books so far and it's been good reading.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

If you haven't read them before, you are about to become a Matt Scudder addict! Great series, following Matt's life as he develops into a older middle-aged man... I think it may be time for me to re-read the whole series.

Stitchawl

Oh, I've read them all. And I suspect the early ones are a bit dated by now. But I'm ready for another trip through them -- it's been years and years -- I started reading them when I was living in NYC.

[thinkpad]

Currently reading Conn Iggulden's, Emperor series, great historical fiction about Julius Caesar:
1. The Gates of Rome (2003)
2. The Death of Kings (2004)
3. The Field of Swords (2005)
4. The Gods of War (2006)
5. The Blood of Gods (2013)

I've finished book 1. The books seems to be better priced at amazon.uk than amazon.com, perhaps because he's a British author.

[DrNefario]

I finished Punishment by Anne Holt last night. This is the first Johanne Vik/Adam Stubø crime novel by a Norwegian lawyer and former minister of justice. I enjoyed it, but there was a bit of an annoying coincidence/deus ex machina towards the end, which seemed unnecessary.

And now I'm torn about what to read next. I have a fantasy book coming up for a book club in February, but that's still two days away, and I'm not sure I should start it yet, but that means I want something quick which is neither crime nor fantasy, and I'm struggling to make up my mind.