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

[Dngrsone]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

I don't think that cyberpunk is my genre, I really want to enjoy it but I have not loved the two pillars of the genre that I have read (this and Snow Crash). These are supposed to be 2 of the best cyberpunk books* out there but neither one worked for me.

That said, I did really like Ready Player One, which shows up on some other lists and I think is a good fit, and I have liked many books by some of the top "cyberpunk" authors like Neal Stephenson (Cryptonomicon/Seven Eves), Charles Stross (Laundry books), and China Mieville (Kraken), and I enjoyed Boneshaker but that is not cyberpunk so I am not sure why it is on this list.

Next up: The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu, book 2 in the Three-Body Problem/Remembrance of Earth's Past series.

*Source: http://bestsciencefictionbooks.com/b...ooks.php#crowd

I haven't read Ready Player One yet, but I hear it's good. I really did enjoy Boneshaker, though that is Steampunk rather than Cyberpunk. If you want to read more Steampunk type literature, then try The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker, The Zelda Pryce series by Joseph Robert Lewis, and Viola Carr's Electric Empire books.

I have Three Body Problem in my TBR, I should bump it up.

There is one cyberpunk novel I'd recommend, and that is Fancy Free by Pam Uphoff. It is not nearly as dark as the genre usually ends up.

[ATDrake]

Finished another two books which I've been reading on and off for the past week or two. I Remember You by Icelandic author Yrsa Sigurðardóttir was another one of her standalone supernatural suspense thrillers. Or rather, her stealth psychological suspense thrillers semi-disguised as supernatural thrillers with paranormal elements sometimes obfuscating some very mundane explanations for apparently murderous ghostly vengeance.

Anyway, this was a mildly complex story with two intertwining storylines—one following a psychiatrist assisting with a mysterious school vandalism case which may have had roots in the distant past, the other featuring a married couple and their recently widowed friend trying to DIY renovate a summer cottage in an isolated area in order to sell and alleviate their financial difficulties after the Icelandic credit crunch—both of whom become haunted by strange occurrences that may be prompted by some unsolved disappearances in the area. (Let that be a lesson to you: it's usually not a good idea to move into and make changes to a possible murder house, even if it is selling really cheap because the last owner abruptly left the world or you can live in it for free as part of a perk of your job.)

Paranormal thrillers aren't really my sort of thing, so I appreciated that there were some perfectly human means and motives for some of the stuff going on, as well as the supernatural side. And otherwise the author did build up the tension nicely in a contrasting manner, with one set of parties trying to find a rational explanation before giving in and going along with what they thought the ghostly presence wanted, whereas the other moved from skepticism to fear to a delusional state of denial, each showing different ways of coming to realize the truth of the matter. A decent read, if not as personally engaging as her Thóra Guðmundsdóttir series of more conventional mysteries.

The Greenland Breach by French author Bernard Besson was one of those espionage action technothrillers with an ecological twist, set ten minutes into the future where Greenland has finally gained its independence from Denmark but is breaking up in other ways due to climate change causing accelerated natural disaster with catastrophic local and eventually global effects as well as an economic scramble from other nations to exploit newly-exposed rare earth resources. It turned out to be the 1st novel in a series starring retired half-American French special agent John Spencer Larivière, who has set up a private security consulting firm with his French-Cambodian partner Victoire (also retired from the intelligence services) and their genius assistant Luc, who cheerfully uses his bisexual attractiveness skills and ability to cross-dress for bonus undercover info gathering.

I bought this on impulse when the English-language publisher Le French Book was offering it on sale, partly because I like to support affordable translated works, and because I've also an interest in Arctic-related subjects. Probably a lingering cultural heritage effect of the search for the Northwest Passage, which is pretty much one of the main reasons Canada even exists today.

Incidentally, this is the second futuristic novel by a non-Canadian author I've read in as many months which posits that one of Canada's government agencies will soon become a highly skilled, ruthless, and deadly competent internationally feared force, which normally I would laugh at, but OTOH the author's Wikipedia page does say that he's a respected international security expert with a specialty in economic intelligence. So maybe he secretly knows stuff about some nefarious master plan behind CSIS' tendency to lose classified documents while attending hockey games and in phone booths.

In any case, even though it was a slow start which took me a while to get into, I liked this more than I was expecting to. For some reason I usually find action/suspense thrillers kind of boring (too much seemingly gratuitous manufactured drama and hair-raising death-defying moments and last-minute revelation of double-dealing backstabbing betrayal, I suspect, and this one was no exception in that regard). But the combination of engaging personalities and activities for two out of the three leads (alas, not the one who's the star of the series) as well as a setting that I'm interested in, with some nice nods to the local culture instead of just using it as an exotic backdrop for all the corporate/international espionage stuff, helped boost my enjoyment of this.

Although I have to admit I'm kind of mildly disappointed what with all the leads being presented as sexy, liberated open-minded people who all liked and respected and held each other in high regard and thought that the others were very attractive indeed and all lived together in the same specially-reserved apartment building cum office/spy gadget stash (I want their touchscreen video wall), they didn't end up having a friendly threesome for one of their obligatory quota of action thriller sex scenes. Eh, maybe next book, which I'm somewhat more interested in having a look at now, if some of the stuff about how global economics and the international power balance is permanently changed as a result of the climactic (and climatic) fallout gets followed up in the as-yet untranslated further installments.

[cromag]

Originally Posted by cromag

...
I've already started my next read: The Unquiet Bones (Hugh De Singleton’s Chronicles Book 1), by Mel Starr. Set in 14th century England, the protagonist is a young surgeon who sets up as a surgeon and bailiff at the village of Bampton.

The author is a retired history teacher. If he's made any mistakes in the setting, etc, I haven't found them ... yet. It's well written and I'm enjoying it so far.

I finished the first three books in The Chronicles of Hugh de Singleton, Surgeon:

The Unquiet Bones
A Corpse at St. Andrew's Chapel
A Trail of Ink

I liked all three of them. The characters are distinct and consistent, the stories are imaginative and well written, and the plots are logical and reasonably complex. The setting is 14th century Britain. As I mentioned, I'm not an expert on the time or location, but it rings true.

I look forward to reading more but, honestly, I can't afford it just yet. I must have picked these up on sale -- they're currently about $10 each at Amazon (US) and $15 each at Kobo (although they may be couponable at Kobo). Those prices are way out of my league!



And, I've just started The Busty Ballbreaker: The Hot Dog Detective (A Denver Detective Cozy Mystery) by Mathiya Adams -- the second in the series. They're described as "cozy" but I found the first one to be a bit "harder edged" than the typical "cozy."

I liked the first one a lot, and this one has started out pretty good, too.

[drjd]

Originally Posted by drjd

Instead, I have started Making Pure Corn Whiskey: A Professional Guide for Amateur and Micro Distillers by Ian Smiley. A non fiction, and the name suggests me there is something interesting in the book. Bought in 2010 and never tried to read it.

Just finished Making Pure Corn Whiskey: A Professional Guide for Amateur and Micro Distillers by Ian Smiley. An interesting read about making distilled spirits at home is as satisfying and rewarding as any hobby for those who live in countries where it is legal to do so. Homebrewers and winemakers would find it particularly interesting because it is a logical extension to their present hobbies.

I would remember the book more for its account of history of Scotch-Irish immigration to America along with their tradition of of whiskey making and free trading, during 18th century.

Next up, The Sanctuary by Raymond Khoury, a thriller which I partly read an year back and did not finish.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: Shadow of Victory by David Weber. Bought today!

Well, about the first 2/3rds cover events we already know about, but from different perspectives. I didn't like the very first scenes where we're introduced to some new characters

Spoiler:

only to have them killed off for some cheap pathos moments later.

But overall it was OK, and I will still be buying the next ones in the series.

Then I bought and read Penric's Mission by Lois McMaster Bujold.

Excellent. A splendid novella in her Five Gods universe, featuring the wonderful Penric and Desdemona. But read the first two (Penric's Demon and Penric and the Shaman FIRST!

I highly recommend anything by Lois McMaster Bujold. I've read all her books, and I've at worst liked them. Most of them I've loved.

Next up: Grantville Gazette #68.

[Dngrsone]

Finished Q-Ships and Their Story by E. Keble Chatterton. Written in 1922 but apparently only published recently this year, it is a rather British telling a of British innovation during the first World War: the Q-ship (the Germans called them trap-ships) were boats of various classes and weights re-purposed to lure in and attack german U-boats.

The duty itself was quite arduous-- days, weeks, months of cruising the waterways, hoping to spot a periscope. When finally a torpedo track was seen or a 4.1 inch gun was fired in your direction, then act in ways to get that submarine to close in so your own 4 inch gun and six-pounders could do some damage.

In some cases, the Q-ship would intentionally take a torpedo, in order to convince the submarine commander she was definitely not what she was: a decoy, a sub-hunter, the end of many a sub-surface sailor's career.

This is definitely not a book for everyone to read. As I went through, I could hear the very English voice of a Colonial aristocrat droning on and on about stuff that happened during the big war. with gads of nautical terms thrown in that only a dedicated yachtsman would actually understand. Seriously, the only reason I held on is because I was a sailor who studied mostly WWII naval campaigns.

At any rate, I am going through The Three-Body Problem by Xixin Liu.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Well, about the first 2/3rds cover events we already know about, but from different perspectives. I didn't like the very first scenes where we're introduced to some new characters

Spoiler:

only to have them killed off for some cheap pathos moments later.

But overall it was OK, and I will still be buying the next ones in the series.

Then I bought and read Penric's Mission by Lois McMaster Bujold.

Excellent. A splendid novella in her Five Gods universe, featuring the wonderful Penric and Desdemona. But read the first two (Penric's Demon and Penric and the Shaman FIRST!

I highly recommend anything by Lois McMaster Bujold. I've read all her books, and I've at worst liked them. Most of them I've loved.

Next up: Grantville Gazette #68.

Agree completely about both Bujold and the Harrington series. Bujold I always enjoy. And somehow, I keep reading Weber even when he annoys me. I do rather wish he could write a bit shorter.

Thanks for the mention of Penric -- I'd missed that there was a new one.

Currently reading The Hanging Tree, #6 in the outstanding Peter Grant series from Ben Aaronovitch. I had to take a trip to the UK to get it, but couldn't stand waiting until January.

[orlok]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Currently reading The Hanging Tree, #6 in the outstanding Peter Grant series from Ben Aaronovitch. I had to take a trip to the UK to get it, but couldn't stand waiting until January.

Shirley you jest?

[Apache]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Currently reading The Hanging Tree, #6 in the outstanding Peter Grant series from Ben Aaronovitch. I had to take a trip to the UK to get it, but couldn't stand waiting until January.

I also took a trip to the UK to get this book. I have not started reading it yet because I am currently hooked on the Inspector Chen Mysteries by Qiu Xiaolong. I am currently on book four and plan to read theam all before starting The Hanging Tree.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/q/qiu-xiaolong/
Apache

[Loosheesh]

Originally Posted by Loosheesh

Everything on my new next-up list is from 2011 purchases: Real Life & Liars by Kristina Riggle, Hemlock Lake by Carolyn J Rose and, because I'm presently on a Janet King binge and wanted to read a mystery/thriller set in Australia, I also put Sleight Malice by Vicki Tyley on the list.

I read quite a bit since my last post: two more Irene Hannons (Never Say Goodbye and Crossroads); three books by Anna Katharine Green (That Affair Next Door, Lost Man's Lane and The Circular Study, all 'starring' Amelia Butterworth, a delightful sidekick to the main detective, Ebenezer Gryce); two books by Bonnie Blythe (How Sweet It Is and Texas Whirlwind), and I dnfed one by her - Milagro for Miranda.

As for my actual list, I completed Hemlock Lake, which was OK, and Sleight Malice, which I found tedious. I dnfed Real Life & Liars; I wasn't in the mood for a family drama, and this one is told from multiple perspectives, one of which is third person present tense ... um, just no.

Yesterday, I also put aside Whispers of the Heart (writing too hokey for me), and I completely deleted 7 paid books by Rebecca Forster I was no longer remotely interested in reading.

Still on a kick to finish up my 2011 paid fiction ebooks (only 31 to go! ) and all of those mentioned above (except for the ones by Anna Katharine Green) were bought then. Also, I'm getting more aggressive with books I just can't get into by the first or second chapter, and marking them as DNF.

I'm already well into my current next-up list: Artistic License by Julie Hyzy, The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer, and That Sleep of Death by Richard King. Again, these are all 2011 purchases.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by orlok

Shirley you jest?

No, and don't call me Shirley.

Originally Posted by Apache

I also took a trip to the UK to get this book. I have not started reading it yet because I am currently hooked on the Inspector Chen Mysteries by Qiu Xiaolong. I am currently on book four and plan to read theam all before starting The Hanging Tree.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/q/qiu-xiaolong/
Apache

Great, just what I need. Another series to get buried in!

I also did a quick read of the latest Penric novella from Lois McMaster Bujold. Another excellent Penric book.

But that's all done, and now I'm thoroughly started on The Hanging Tree. While I'm also listening to the Boundary series from Ryk E. Spoor and Eric Flint. Just finished the 4th, and used my last credit for the 5th.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by CRussel

But that's all done, and now I'm thoroughly started on The Hanging Tree.

I probably won't be making a special trip to get this book, but I'm glad to see it's finally out somewhere. The wait between #5 and #6 was getting troublesome (only because of the publication frequency I was accustomed to with the first 5 installments). Hopefully it won't be a trend. I love these books.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I probably won't be making a special trip to get this book, but I'm glad to see it's finally out somewhere. The wait between #5 and #6 was getting troublesome (only because of the publication frequency I was accustomed to with the first 5 installments). Hopefully it won't be a trend. I love these books.

I hope it isn't a trend. I think he got all caught up in the graphical novel things, which interest me not at all. I know he took a fair amount of heat in the twitterverse from folks waiting impatiently for this one.

I'll be buying the Audible version in January, assuming it is read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith again.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by CRussel

I'll be buying the Audible version in January, assuming it is read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith again.

I'm sorry, but "Kobna" is not a name .

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by CRussel

I'll be buying the Audible version in January, assuming it is read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith again.

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'm sorry, but "Kobna" is not a name .

https://www.goodreads.com/author/sho...oldbrook_Smith