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

[issybird]

Originally Posted by drjd

I'm determined to read SF!!

If self-mortification is your thing, wouldn't it be nicer just to go with a hairshirt?

[Dngrsone]

Originally Posted by drjd

Next up, Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke, and this time no more ducking around! I'm determined to read SF!!

Originally Posted by issybird

If self-mortification is your thing, wouldn't it be nicer just to go with a hairshirt?

LOL... keep in mind that there is more to SF than Arthur C. Clark. It's been so long since I've Rama that I really couldn't say how it was (or the plot, for that matter). I'm betting that if you tell us what you usually read we could come up with an SF author that would fit into your preferred style.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by Dngrsone

LOL... keep in mind that there is more to SF than Arthur C. Clark. It's been so long since I've Rama that I really couldn't say how it was (or the plot, for that matter). I'm betting that if you tell us what you usually read we could come up with an SF author that would fit into your preferred style.

Co-signed, heartily! Rendezvous with Rama is just ok for me, as a big ideas book, I liked it. But plot, character, and great writing style - things I looks for in all my books, including SF - are not really features. No way would I recommend it as a 'gateway' book to SF.

Tell us what else you like, and what you like about them, and let us help! (If you want.) Do you like pacey adventure? Deep character study? Comedies of manners? Detective stories?

[KyBunnies]

Originally Posted by KyBunnies

The Downward Dog Mystery series by Tracy Weber is finished. I really enjoyed the first in this series but I did not enjoy the second or third.

Also finished the first two in The Donovan Family by Margaret Watson. This a a fast fun read. More romance than suspense or mystery.

I have not started Evil Town by John David Bethel yet. I plan on getting the book in the next week or two.

I have several ARC's that were added to my TBR list. To Love A Stranger by Colleen Coble & The Advocate's Daughter by Anthony Franze and several others I cannot find at the moment.

The following books were purchased to finish out my 2016 reading challenge:
The Safety Expert By Doug Richardson
The Romanov Stone By Robert C. Yeager
PORTRAIT OF RAGE By Cynthia H Wise
Too Dark to Sleep By Dianne Gallagher
Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans By Joanne DeMaio

I am currently reading Portrait of Rage (The Marcel Experience, #1) by Cynthia H. Wise.

This is an amazing thriller. If I can stay awake long enough today I plan on finishing it. I have about an hour left in the book and as of right now this is beyond a 5-star book to me. It is simply amazing. I highly recommend this book.

I have finished reading Cirque Masters series by Annabel Joseph. I enjoyed this series but I had a hard time believing some of the BDSM scenes. When an author takes a person who has never experienced BDSM and puts them with someone who has played in the BDSM world for years without some type of contract or easing them into playing it just does not seem real.

I also read A First Date with Death (A Love Or Money Mystery #1) by Diana Orgain. I am not sure I will read the other book in this series. The plot seemed a little far-fetched to me.

[drjd]

Originally Posted by issybird

If self-mortification is your thing, wouldn't it be nicer just to go with a hairshirt?

Originally Posted by Dngrsone

LOL... keep in mind that there is more to SF than Arthur C. Clark. It's been so long since I've Rama that I really couldn't say how it was (or the plot, for that matter). I'm betting that if you tell us what you usually read we could come up with an SF author that would fit into your preferred style.

Originally Posted by meeera

Co-signed, heartily! Rendezvous with Rama is just ok for me, as a big ideas book, I liked it. But plot, character, and great writing style - things I looks for in all my books, including SF - are not really features. No way would I recommend it as a 'gateway' book to SF.

Tell us what else you like, and what you like about them, and let us help! (If you want.) Do you like pacey adventure? Deep character study? Comedies of manners? Detective stories?

That was a case of self motivation, to be precise.

Thanks everyone for offering your kind help to me. I am usually stuck with detective stories/crime fiction/historical mysteries besides other serious reads in the subjects of Physics, Astronomy, Archaeology and numerous autobiographies/memoirs. In the fiction genre, Agatha Christie, Erle Stanley Gardner, Arthur Conan Doyle, David Baldacci, James Hadley Chase, Sidney Sheldon, James Patterson, etc., are my favorite writers.

I have read some SF in the past. To name a few authors, Issac Asimov, Greg Bear, Philip K Dick, Poul Anderson, Terry Pratchett, and Gene Wolfe come to my mind. I would certainly request your guidance to read the SF genre in a proper manner to sequentially dive in the ocean of SF. However, I was particularly interested in Rama of Arthur C Clarke this time because it is the only SF book bought in this year , and I had been boasting to read it next in this thread for few weeks, and was finding one excuse or other for not reading it . So I made a loud commitment to myself again!

[Dngrsone]

I got you, drjd. It sounds like you might like some hard-SF, as Rama is a popular example of. The book I recently reread, Bones Burnt Black by Stephen Euin Cobb is a nice newer example of this genre, and may be up your alley: it features mass-murder on a ship tumbling toward the sun. The science feels accurate without being too in-your-face, and the drama is gripping.

Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy would be hard SF, as well as Andy Wier's The Martian, which I highly recommend.I'd Also recommend Larry Niven, Greg Bear, and Isaac Asimov.


Meanwhile I finished reading Deliver Her by Patricia Perry Donovan and have begun to read The Monster of Florence, a non-fic by Douglas Preston.

My quick review of Deliver Her:

This was not the type of book I would normally pick off the shelf, and I got it under the Kindle First program.

This is very much a family drama/coming of age type story that went kind of slow for me until about halfway through the book. Once the big crisis occurs, and the main character, Alex is lost in the wilds of New Hampshire, then the story picked up and ran to a decent conclusion.

The primary characters are well-written, and the teenager vs parent drama was realistic, but some of the secondary characters were kind of flat-- if the author didn't write their POV at some time during the story, then their characterization for the most part were lacking (the shining exception is the dead Cassie, who is pretty much a main character despite her being dead during the whole book). All in all, a worthwhile read for teens and parents of teens; as long as you can get through the long setup.

[drjd]

Originally Posted by Dngrsone

I got you, drjd. It sounds like you might like some hard-SF, as Rama is a popular example of. The book I recently reread, Bones Burnt Black by Stephen Euin Cobb is a nice newer example of this genre, and may be up your alley: it features mass-murder on a ship tumbling toward the sun. The science feels accurate without being too in-your-face, and the drama is gripping.

Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy would be hard SF, as well as Andy Wier's The Martian, which I highly recommend.I'd Also recommend Larry Niven, Greg Bear, and Isaac Asimov.


Meanwhile I finished reading Deliver Her by Patricia Perry Donovan and have begun to read The Monster of Florence, a non-fic by Douglas Preston.

My quick review of Deliver Her:

Thank you very much, Dngrsone, for your suggestions of hard-SF books.

I'll definitely go for Bones Burnt Black by Stephen Euiyn Cobb and Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy. I remember having read two novels by Kim Stanley Robinson, about 10-15 years back, viz., Icehenge and Antarctica. I still have faded memories of their plots.

I'm fairly impressed with your review of Deliver Her by Patricia Perry Donovan, and I am anxious to read about the dead Cassie. I will go for it as soon the time allows me for that.

For now, I have added your recommendations in my wishlist. It's been a pleasure to meet you here.

[KyBunnies]

Originally Posted by KyBunnies

I am currently reading Portrait of Rage (The Marcel Experience, #1) by Cynthia H. Wise.

This is an amazing thriller. If I can stay awake long enough today I plan on finishing it. I have about an hour left in the book and as of right now this is beyond a 5-star book to me. It is simply amazing. I highly recommend this book.

I have finished reading Cirque Masters series by Annabel Joseph. I enjoyed this series but I had a hard time believing some of the BDSM scenes. When an author takes a person who has never experienced BDSM and puts them with someone who has played in the BDSM world for years without some type of contract or easing them into playing it just does not seem real.

I also read A First Date with Death (A Love Or Money Mystery #1) by Diana Orgain. I am not sure I will read the other book in this series. The plot seemed a little far-fetched to me.

I finished reading Portrait of Rage (The Marcel Experience, #1) by Cynthia H. Wise.

This is an amazing thriller. If I can stay awake long enough today I plan on finishing it. I have about an hour left in the book and as of right now this is beyond a 5-star book to me. It is simply amazing. I highly recommend this book.

I purchased Evil Town by John David Bethel today.

After I finished Portrait of Rage yesterday I started Too Dark To Sleep by Dianne Gallagher. I am about 36% into the book. It is good just not wowing me like Portrait of Rage. Or maybe it is because I am sick. Who knows.

[Dazrin]

Originally Posted by drjd

I'll definitely go for ... Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy. ...

In case you didn't see it, Red Mars is this month's selection for the MR Book Club. Here is the vote thread if you are interested, a discussion thread will be posted around the 20th.

My first thoughts in the spoiler since the discussion hasn't started yet.

Spoiler:

I am about 2/3 though it and is is just starting to keep my attention. Large portions of the first half were very slow and not particularly interesting for me, although many people said that the second and third books are much better than this one so it may have a good payoff.

[cromag]

Originally Posted by cromag

...
I'll be reading some short stories before deciding on my next novel.

For some reason I happened to think of "With Friends Like These..." by Alan D. Foster. I read it when it appeared in Analog and went online to see if it was available. It doesn't appear to be, but I found a reference to it appearing in Donald A. Wollheim's World's Best SF 1972. During some moves I made in the 80s I cleared out a boatload of books I got from the Science Fiction Book Club (from the 60s, 70s and 80s) -- but I was pretty sure I kept the World's Best SF anthologies.

Bottom line: I found it in the basement, dusted it off, and reread the story. I still enjoy it.

After that, I went back to Poul Anderson's Polesotechnic stories, as collected by Baen. I read David Falkayn: Star Trader, the second in the series, and really liked them. The stories do show their age, but that's more good than bad.

I'll cast around for a few more short stories -- maybe even from the basement -- and then the next big book will probably be Rise of the Terran Empire, the third in the collection.

[drjd]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

In case you didn't see it, Red Mars is this month's selection for the MR Book Club. Here is the vote thread if you are interested, a discussion thread will be posted around the 20th.

My first thoughts in the spoiler since the discussion hasn't started yet.

Spoiler:

I am about 2/3 though it and is is just starting to keep my attention. Large portions of the first half were very slow and not particularly interesting for me, although many people said that the second and third books are much better than this one so it may have a good payoff.

Ah.. I hadn't noticed it. So.. the poll is already over, and Red Mars has been selected. This seems to be a good read. I'll try to buy and read it before the discussions begin. Thanks, Dazrin, for a nice suggestion!

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Dngrsone

I'm betting that if you tell us what you usually read we could come up with an SF author that would fit into your preferred style.

Originally Posted by meeera

Tell us what else you like, and what you like about them, and let us help! (If you want.) Do you like pacey adventure? Deep character study? Comedies of manners? Detective stories?

OK, I'll bite! Your mission, should you choose to accept it:

My favorite reading is history. I like the interplay of personalities and events. I read a lot of war history in the sense of the political, economic, social and cultural aspects of war. I don't like the carnage part and military strategy in itself does nothing for me; I think at least in part because spatial imagery is not a strong point.

However, history tends to be dense and I'm not always up to it evenings during the week when I'm tired, so my reading is probably a little less than half non-fic/fic. I don't read genre fiction. There was a time when I binge-read mysteries, but I was surprised to have to acknowledge to myself a few years ago that they no longer interested me. I think I got tired of the formulas.

For fiction, I like litfic, especially from the first half of the 20th century, and especially British. I like humor, both black humor and comedies of manners, again especially British, but not limited to that in either case.

My sense of sci-fi is along the lines of, "The Qmghpt spattlefoxed the vorplotz." I'm also not at all fond of the image that has women whose space costumes cling to every curve and barely cover their keisters drape themselves helplessly on the forceful and intelligent manly men who wear something, y'know, functional and comfortable?

I suspect that if I were to like a subset of the genre, it would be sci-fi where the world bore a reasonable resemblance to the one we inhabit.

I loved Firefly! Perhaps I'm not irredeemable?

[poohbear_nc]

Originally Posted by issybird

OK, I'll bite! Your mission, should you choose to accept it:

My favorite reading is history. I like the interplay of personalities and events. I read a lot of war history in the sense of the political, economic, social and cultural aspects of war. I don't like the carnage part and military strategy in itself does nothing for me; I think at least in part because spatial imagery is not a strong point.

However, history tends to be dense and I'm not always up to it evenings during the week when I'm tired, so my reading is probably a little less than half non-fic/fic. I don't read genre fiction. There was a time when I binge-read mysteries, but I was surprised to have to acknowledge to myself a few years ago that they no longer interested me. I think I got tired of the formulas.

For fiction, I like litfic, especially from the first half of the 20th century, and especially British. I like humor, both black humor and comedies of manners, again especially British, but not limited to that in either case.

My sense of sci-fi is along the lines of, "The Qmghpt spattlefoxed the vorplotz." I'm also not at all fond of the image that has women whose space costumes cling to every curve and barely cover their keisters drape themselves helplessly on the forceful and intelligent manly men who wear something, y'know, functional and comfortable?

I suspect that if I were to like a subset of the genre, it would be sci-fi where the world bore a reasonable resemblance to the one we inhabit.

I loved Firefly! Perhaps I'm not irredeemable?

For humor: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

For history: The Years of Rice and Salt (Kim Stanley Robinson)
Queen City Jazz (Kathleen Goonan)

[KyBunnies]

Originally Posted by KyBunnies

I finished reading Portrait of Rage (The Marcel Experience, #1) by Cynthia H. Wise.

This is an amazing thriller. If I can stay awake long enough today I plan on finishing it. I have about an hour left in the book and as of right now this is beyond a 5-star book to me. It is simply amazing. I highly recommend this book.

I purchased Evil Town by John David Bethel today.

After I finished Portrait of Rage yesterday I started Too Dark To Sleep by Dianne Gallagher. I am about 36% into the book. It is good just not wowing me like Portrait of Rage. Or maybe it is because I am sick. Who knows.

I finished Too Dark To Sleep by Dianne Gallagher. This was a good book. I would give it 4.5 stars.

I started The Romanov Stone By Robert C. Yeager. I am enjoying the historical parts of the book. I hope to finish this book in the next day or so if I feel better.

[Dngrsone]

Originally Posted by issybird

OK, I'll bite! Your mission, should you choose to accept it:

My favorite reading is history. I like the interplay of personalities and events. I read a lot of war history in the sense of the political, economic, social and cultural aspects of war. I don't like the carnage part and military strategy in itself does nothing for me; I think at least in part because spatial imagery is not a strong point.

However, history tends to be dense and I'm not always up to it evenings during the week when I'm tired, so my reading is probably a little less than half non-fic/fic. I don't read genre fiction. There was a time when I binge-read mysteries, but I was surprised to have to acknowledge to myself a few years ago that they no longer interested me. I think I got tired of the formulas.

For fiction, I like litfic, especially from the first half of the 20th century, and especially British. I like humor, both black humor and comedies of manners, again especially British, but not limited to that in either case.

My sense of sci-fi is along the lines of, "The Qmghpt spattlefoxed the vorplotz." I'm also not at all fond of the image that has women whose space costumes cling to every curve and barely cover their keisters drape themselves helplessly on the forceful and intelligent manly men who wear something, y'know, functional and comfortable?

I suspect that if I were to like a subset of the genre, it would be sci-fi where the world bore a reasonable resemblance to the one we inhabit.

I loved Firefly! Perhaps I'm not irredeemable?

Okay, I am thinking that you might like some epic SF... perhaps C.S. Friedman's (didn't I mention her earlier? ) In Conquest Born, maybe Frank Herbert's Dune series, or C.J. Cherryh's Invader series. Cherryh also has a couple other series that may be of interest: Chanur, and maybe Cyteen.

On the fantasy side, try J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion, which is as much a historical text as you can get.

For the humorous side, I think someone mentioned Doug Adams, and Keith Laumer's Retief of the RDC. Also, perhaps less related, Please Don't Tell My Parents I'm a Supervillian books are downright hilarious.


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