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

[drjd]

Originally Posted by drjd

Now I have started The Sunset Club, a fiction by Khushwant Singh.

Finished The Sunset Club. A tale of three members of the Sunset Club and friends for over forty years, now in their eighties, who meet each day at the sunset hour and sit together on a bench in the garden, exchanging their views on each passing day, talking about everything from politics, religion, love, lust and sex – not exactly in the same order. Khushwant Singh sketches his characters with utmost precision, right from their physiognomy, idiosyncrasies and fantasies of old age, thereby making The Sunset Club a very interesting read. Rated five star.

Now taking up Chase Baker And The Golden Condor by Vincent Zandri, second book of Chase Baker series, another cozy mystery.

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by Fbone

Next is another library book, Sharp by Alex Hughes, his second in the Mindspace series. I wasn't excited about the first book so I'll try this one to see if the series improves otherwise I'll drop it. Again, easy when there is no monetary cost involved.

I enjoyed this a little more than the first book as the author spent fewer pages on the flaws of the main character. Can a person be too flawed? Still too much introspection for my tastes, though, and several times I shouted for Adam to man-up. Too weak and emotional. The ending was only so-so. It seemed there were major plot holes throughout but, perhaps, I missed something. Not sure if there is enough to keep me interested in the series, probably not. Rated C- [3 stars].

Next is a self-published freebie I picked up somewhere, On Silver Wings by Evan Currie. One thing I noticed is that the count pages plugin tells me it's 214 pages but Amazon says 264 and my Kobo 271.

[Gazella]

The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: The Mages Wars by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon. (The Gryphon books.)

And I very much enjoyed the re-read. The three novels in the omnibus are very much stand-alone books, no cliff-hangers at the end of a novel, although they do feature the same characters (mostly).

Next up: Asimov's SF July/August 2017 edited by Sheila Williams

(I've cancelled my subscription to this at Amazon. But not because I don't want the magazine. I'm now buying individual issues at Amazon when they become available, because that's actually cheaper.)

[kansaskyle]

I finished Leviathan Wakes last night, and gave it four stars. I thought it was a great read, even if it was a really long space opera at 583 words!

It looks like there are six more books in the series, and I plan to continue.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by kansaskyle

I finished Leviathan Wakes last night, and gave it four stars. I thought it was a great read, even if it was a really long space opera at 583 words!

Sounds like a short short story to me

Enjoy the rest of the series! I thought it got better with the second/third/fourth books.

[Rev. Bob]

Originally Posted by Luffy

I'm reading Every Which Way But Dead (The Hollows, #3), it's leaning a bit towards Urban Fantasy Romance, and that shouldn't bother me. But there was one or two pretty stupid facts about the book. But I'm reading it because it's averaging 3 stars. Plus the series is done, so that's another motivator.

Well, a prequel came out in February, The Turn, so there could be more books forthcoming. Haven't heard either way. (And I'm waiting for the price to drop when the paperback hits in October.)

[Luffy]

Originally Posted by Rev. Bob

Well, a prequel came out in February, The Turn, so there could be more books forthcoming. Haven't heard either way. (And I'm waiting for the price to drop when the paperback hits in October.)

I didn't know that, but I don't usually read in-between prequels/sequels anyway. You must be a fan of the series.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

And I very much enjoyed the re-read. The three novels in the omnibus are very much stand-alone books, no cliff-hangers at the end of a novel, although they do feature the same characters (mostly).

Interestingly, that omnibus is simply not available yet in North America. However, it's quite reasonably priced at Amazon UK, so I think I'll take a quick trip.

[Rev. Bob]

Originally Posted by Luffy

I didn't know that, but I don't usually read in-between prequels/sequels anyway. You must be a fan of the series.

Well, considering I've read 'em all - except that new one - and still remember picking the first one up back in my pre-ebook days...

The series does get romancy as it progresses, but there's always a big dose of action with high stakes to accompany it. I found it very well done, overall. If you like it, you might also try C.E. Murphy's "Walker Papers" (also complete, starts with Urban Shaman) and Jennifer Estep's "Elemental Assassin" series (sixteen volumes and counting, plus novellas, starts with Spider's Bite). The first is about a cop who is suddenly endowed with powers related to her Native American heritage, and the second deals with a magic-using assassin who can't retire in peace. Both are set in modern-day America, but with EA, the fact that magic (and magical beings, like vampires and giants) exists is general knowledge.

In fact, Estep's done several good series that mix a dose of romance in with some form of supernatural abilities. "Mythos Academy" (aka "the Frost books") is a completed YA series set at a school, and "Bigtime" is superhero romance. A neat touch is that she puts Easter eggs in across the series, although they're not really a shared universe. Bigtime fashion designer Fiona Fine is name-checked in the EA books as a prestigious designer, and the Mythos teens make frequent runs to the Pork Pit, the BBQ joint run by the heroine in the EA books.

For something completely different, if you want light and funny paranormal romance, try Dakota Cassidy's "Accidentals" series. Each embraces the same unlikely trope - that someone becomes a paranormal being through an insanely unlikely accident, upon which their "creator" must show them the ropes and they fall for each other - but the fun is in the telling. I think she's up to fifteen or sixteen books now, starting with The Accidental Werewolf.

[Luffy]

Originally Posted by Rev. Bob

Well, considering I've read 'em all - except that new one - and still remember picking the first one up back in my pre-ebook days...

The series does get romancy as it progresses, but there's always a big dose of action with high stakes to accompany it. I found it very well done, overall. If you like it, you might also try C.E. Murphy's "Walker Papers" (also complete, starts with Urban Shaman) and Jennifer Estep's "Elemental Assassin" series (sixteen volumes and counting, plus novellas, starts with Spider's Bite). The first is about a cop who is suddenly endowed with powers related to her Native American heritage, and the second deals with a magic-using assassin who can't retire in peace. Both are set in modern-day America, but with EA, the fact that magic (and magical beings, like vampires and giants) exists is general knowledge.

In fact, Estep's done several good series that mix a dose of romance in with some form of supernatural abilities. "Mythos Academy" (aka "the Frost books") is a completed YA series set at a school, and "Bigtime" is superhero romance. A neat touch is that she puts Easter eggs in across the series, although they're not really a shared universe. Bigtime fashion designer Fiona Fine is name-checked in the EA books as a prestigious designer, and the Mythos teens make frequent runs to the Pork Pit, the BBQ joint run by the heroine in the EA books.

For something completely different, if you want light and funny paranormal romance, try Dakota Cassidy's "Accidentals" series. Each embraces the same unlikely trope - that someone becomes a paranormal being through an insanely unlikely accident, upon which their "creator" must show them the ropes and they fall for each other - but the fun is in the telling. I think she's up to fifteen or sixteen books now, starting with The Accidental Werewolf.

It seems you're very passionate about the genre, Rev. Bob. Thanks for the recommendations. I'm sure you put quite some thought into them. I don't know what I'll read in the following weeks, but you might have influenced me. For the better.

[Rev. Bob]

Originally Posted by Luffy

It seems you're very passionate about the genre, Rev. Bob. Thanks for the recommendations. I'm sure you put quite some thought into them. I don't know what I'll read in the following weeks, but you might have influenced me. For the better.

I've probably read more UF/PNR (the line blurs) than anything else over the last few years. Graphic novels have edged it out in recent months, but there are other reasons for that shift.

Anyway, that post just scratches the surface; feel free to browse my Goodreads library for more. I've got dedicated lists from 2012 forward of what I read during each year, because I joined the site in summer 2011. Of course, if you want more detailed recs, just ask and give me a sense of what you like. I can probably find something...

[Dngrsone]

Finished Trail of Dead, got better at the end. Now reading The Art of Invisibility by Kevin Mitnick and Robert Vamosi.

...because I am not paranoid enough, I'm reading about lack of privacy on the intarwebs.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by kansaskyle

I finished Leviathan Wakes last night, and gave it four stars. I thought it was a great read, even if it was a really long space opera at 583 words!

It looks like there are six more books in the series, and I plan to continue.

The word count from the Count Pages plugin says Leviathan Wakes is 168211 words and 463 ADE (ePub) pages long.

[kansaskyle]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The word count from the Count Pages plugin says Leviathan Wakes is 168211 words and 463 ADE (ePub) pages long.

/shrug I went with the page count I saw on the Amazon Kindle page