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

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by gmw

I don't often post my current reading on here, but I thought I'd mark the occasion of having completed my re-read of our Agatha Christie collection. A superb and superbly consistent writer over her career - though I must say that I feel there is more fun (more overt humour) to be had in the earlier books.

Have you read her non-fiction? My favourite is "Come, Tell Me How You Live", her account of the time she spent in Iraq on archaeological expeditions with her husband, Max Mallowan (later Sir Max) excavating Nimrud and other ancient cities. A wonderful (and extremely amusing) read. Her autobiography is also fascinating.

[gmw]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Have you read her non-fiction? My favourite is "Come, Tell Me How You Live", her account of the time she spent in Iraq on archaeological expeditions with her husband, Max Mallowan (later Sir Max) excavating Nimrud and other ancient cities. A wonderful (and extremely amusing) read. Her autobiography is also fascinating.

No, I haven't. I will see about chasing some down - especially with the emphasis on amusing. One of the things had I had forgotten since my last time through this collection was how much fun there is to be had in her earlier books. Thanks for the recommendation.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie. A comedy thriller and a recent impulse purchase.

Less comedy than expected, although there is some fun writing. An OK thriller.

Next up: Analog SFF for December 2016.

[fantasyfan]

Jane Austen wrote twelve chapters of a novel before she died. Evidently she at first thought of calling it "The Brothers" but the family decided to call it "Sanditon" since that is the primary setting of the fragment. All who love Austen's writing should read this last unfinished piece as she is still at the peak of her literary powers and one senses that we have here a potential masterpiece.

Still, there is a feeling of disappointment that it ends after those twelve chapters leaving us on the border of an undiscovered country. Hence, there have been some attempts to "complete" the story as Austen might have intended. This has been attempted with an earlier unfinished novel, "The Watsons" In that case, however, Jane simply lost interest in the book and later told one of her nieces how she had planned to complete the story. Thus, those who have completed the book (including one of the descendents of the Austen family) are on fairly firm ground as to the plot. This is not the case with "Sanditon". Any completion is going to be purely the opinion of the author.

I have just finished "A Return To Sanditon" by Anne Toledo. Her completion attempts to recreate the settings, character types, relationships and dialogue style which appear in Jane Austen's works. But she fails to generate the sharp irony that is so much a part of Jane Austen's vision of her world. Her heroine, Charlotte, is nice, gentle, and child-loving--altogether too much so! Some of the scenes don't ring true. Yes, bathing machines existed in the 18th century, but I somehow doubt that Austen would have used one as a setting for the formation of a friendship. There are characters who are thrown in without a great deal of point--Jane Austen was very adroit in making efficient use of even minor characters.

Toledo gives us a rather gentle completion that is pleasant to read but is certainly lacking the sharp edge that Jane Austen would have provided.

[BenG]

I finished Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho, a fantasy set in Regency England. I really liked this one. Goodreads indicates that this will be a series but the book is complete in itself. Two thumbs up.

Next up is Lucia in Wartime by Tom Holt, the continuing adventures of E.F. Benson's Mapp and Lucia.

[Dazrin]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

Soul Music has been good so far (duh...) should finish tomorrow then I will start Ocean of Storms by Christopher Mari.

Yup, Soul Music was very good as expected. I don't have as high of hopes for the next one, Interesting Times, since I don't care for Rincewind much.

I got about 20% into Ocean of Storms but abandoned it this morning. I didn't care for the writing style used and couldn't get past that. Instead I started Harry James Potter-Evans-Verres and the Methods of Rationality which has been on my to-be-read list for a while.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: Analog SFF for December 2016.

An average (for Analog) issue. A good read.

Next up: Asimov's SF for December 2016.

[BenG]

I finished Lucia in Wartime. Tom Holt does does right by E. F. Benson's characters and I plan to read the next in the series soon.

I've heard a lot of good things about Charlie Jane Anders' All the Birds in the Sky . I may get the audiobook for that one.

[Rev. Bob]

Originally Posted by Makeba

I am reading the Euro by Joseph Steglitz. Its quite an Interesting book, i was initially reading it for a paper but then it evolved to something more, which is quite a pleasant feeling.

What'd it become, a coin?

I'm rather between books at the moment. Most of what I've been reading lately is dire news.

[richvalle]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

Yup, Soul Music was very good as expected. I don't have as high of hopes for the next one, Interesting Times, since I don't care for Rincewind much.

I got about 20% into Ocean of Storms but abandoned it this morning. I didn't care for the writing style used and couldn't get past that. Instead I started Harry James Potter-Evans-Verres and the Methods of Rationality which has been on my to-be-read list for a while.

It's also has a lot of Cohen in it which makes it more fun.

[Dazrin]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

Instead I started Harry James Potter-Evans-Verres and the Methods of Rationality which has been on my to-be-read list for a while.

Meh. It was ok, I guess. Not going to continue past the first "book" of this.

Next up: TBD, I have 4 books on hold at the library and am first in line for 3 of them, hopefully something will come in this weekend.

[MickeyC]

Just finished The Wrong Side of Goodbye by Michael Connelly and it was a predictably very good Connelly read. Next up Friday the Rabbi Slept Late by Harry Kemelman. I know in advance this will be a very good read because of all the recos from MobileRead members who NEVER get it wrong.

[benham]

That is good news. I have it queued up and my daughter wanted to know if she needs to have read it before she comes up to visit for Thanskgiving.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

An average (for Analog) issue. A good read.

Next up: Asimov's SF for December 2016.

Also an average issue.

Next up:

Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz. Bought 14 Oct 2016, with the next seven in the series, when the series was on special offer. I'm enjoying this first volume, so it looks like it was a good buy after all.

[Loosheesh]

Originally Posted by Loosheesh

Next up are more 2011 purchases: Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer, Dead Ball by Michael Balkind, and Doubleback by Libby Fischer Hellmann.

Completed all of these^: Black Sheep was a good Heyer read, Dead Ball was meh (way too many characters, no character development, and plot going around in circles), and Doubleback was merely OK.

After these, I also completed The Talisman Ring by Georgette Heyer, which was good fun, plus I DNFed Wind to Water by David Hamershock (too sappy) and Murder in Clichy by Cara Black (to be fair, I didn't get into this far enough to say it was the book's fault, but I read enough to know I had no interest in reading more).

My next-up list has more 2011 purchases: Comes a Horseman by Robert Liparulo, The Masqueraders by Georgette Heyer, and The Pirate’s Daughter by Margaret Cezair-Thompson.