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

[issybird]

Originally Posted by PurpleStar

I finished reading The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn. An actual book

I recently read "an actual book" and my first graphic work, also. Fun Home by Alison Bechdel was a recommendation from a niece who read it for a college class and a very worthy recommendation it was. Now I'm intrigued by the graphic medium for novels and will have to explore. I realize not being aware of the groundbreaking Fun Home whose author was a MacArthur genius shows what a fogey I am!

[gmw]

Originally Posted by issybird

I recently read "an actual book" and my first graphic work, also. Fun Home by Alison Bechdel was a recommendation from a niece who read it for a college class and a very worthy recommendation it was. Now I'm intrigued by the graphic medium for novels and will have to explore. I realize not being aware of the groundbreaking Fun Home whose author was a MacArthur genius shows what a fogey I am!

I've never really warmed to graphic novels - not those in the style I associate with comic books, not even when I really like the author otherwise (eg: Neil Gaiman). But I do have some of what I call "picture books" that I find fascinating, see this thread.

ETA: Shaun Tan, the author mentioned on that thread, wrote what I consider to be the equivalent of a novel in the same picture book style. It's called The Arrival. It is quite magical.

[ReadingManiac]

What is it about this time of year that makes reading time so scarce? Still slowly making my way through The Ashes of London, but I'm enjoying it.

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by issybird

I recently read "an actual book" and my first graphic work, also. Fun Home by Alison Bechdel was a recommendation from a niece who read it for a college class and a very worthy recommendation it was. Now I'm intrigued by the graphic medium for novels and will have to explore. I realize not being aware of the groundbreaking Fun Home whose author was a MacArthur genius shows what a fogey I am!

I would say about half of our physical book collection of 1000+ are graphic novels. It is my wife's genre of choice, to be sure.

Last night, I finished Becky Chamber's A Closed and Common Orbit, which was VASTLY better than the first volume in her series. The characters were more well-developed and she did very interesting things with AI. I also didn't feel like I was reading a knockoff Firefly story. Glad I stuck with it.

[MickeyC]

Just finished the Audio Book version of The Clocks by Agatha Christie which I got based on a reco by pdurrant and, as he said, it was excellent. Thanks for that!

I was considering listening to it and reading it at the same time but the librarian told me that could cause an explosion. LOL

[CRussel]

Had to put other books aside for a moment -- Nathan Lowell released a new book in his Solar Clipper universe -- Suicide Run. This book has been in the works for a bit, and we never knew when it would actually be available, so no way to plan for it. Just jump on it when it comes. So far, a bit awkward at the start, but improving rapidly, and I like where I think it's going.

[mewmartigan]

Finished up A Call to Arms and A Call to Duty. Definitely not the end of a trilogy. Damn you Weber.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by mewmartigan

Finished up A Call to Arms and A Call to Duty. Definitely not the end of a trilogy. Damn you Weber.

And, in case you had any spare $$ floating around, the eARC of Uncompromising Honor is up on Baen.

[gmw]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

[...] Last night, I finished Becky Chamber's A Closed and Common Orbit, which was VASTLY better than the first volume in her series. The characters were more well-developed and she did very interesting things with AI. I also didn't feel like I was reading a knockoff Firefly story. Glad I stuck with it.

That is interesting to hear. I was disappointed in The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. It seemed to me to be a book of unfulfilled potential; it did indeed seem to me to be a very long way to that planet. (I described it in my review as "Star Trek meets Disneyland"; everyone was just so nice it was hard not to bring up visions of Pollyanna - although perhaps the sexual references might have been out of place.) But I did like Chambers' voice in her story telling, so I'd be willing to give her another chance (once the ebook editions come down to reasonable prices here in Aus.).

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by gmw

That is interesting to hear. I was disappointed in The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. It seemed to me to be a book of unfulfilled potential; it did indeed seem to me to be a very long way to that planet. (I described it in my review as "Star Trek meets Disneyland"; everyone was just so nice it was hard not to bring up visions of Pollyanna - although perhaps the sexual references might have been out of place.) But I did like Chambers' voice in her story telling, so I'd be willing to give her another chance (once the ebook editions come down to reasonable prices here in Aus.).

I don't know that I would have said Disneyland, but it did feel very much like a knock-off of Firefly. I get that her point was all about "Found Family," but I agree that it was too saccharine. This book, however, is much more about finding yourself and understanding what it means to be a person. I think it also helped that the cast was primarily limited to two people, instead of the 5 or 6 in the first book.

[Dngrsone]

Becky Chambers also reads the book for the audio format. Not terrible, I must say.

[latepaul]

Originally Posted by latepaul

Felt like something light next. So I have now moved on to 13 Dates by Matt Dunn, which is a romcom.

Not a fan I'm afraid. It was, erm, emotionally implausible and simplistic.

Oh well, started Eight Skilled Gentlemen which is the third and final Master Li book.

[gmw]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

I don't know that I would have said Disneyland, but it did feel very much like a knock-off of Firefly. I get that her point was all about "Found Family," but I agree that it was too saccharine. This book, however, is much more about finding yourself and understanding what it means to be a person. I think it also helped that the cast was primarily limited to two people, instead of the 5 or 6 in the first book.

I've not seen Firefly. But now that you mention it, I realise that I picked up The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet expecting a novel, but got a TV series. What I thought was the main plot (the mysterious angry planet) was just a way to link the episodes together, somewhere for them to be going and something for a big finale in the last episode. The book is well written, but not what I was expecting and that has coloured my reaction.

[Dngrsone]

Finished reading The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss. It's almost The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen with girls. Okay, but not impressive enough for me to read any further should this become a series.

Meanwhile, I have begun reading the first Reacher book, Killing Floor from the Omnibus I purchased some time ago.

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by Fbone

Next, a recent impulse buy, Prince of Fools by Mark Lawrence. My first with this author.

And my last. While this was very well written I saw the ending hundreds of pages beforehand. Or at least the parts that ended as the story continues on. Jalan's humor and self-examination along with Snorri's determination were wonderfully expressed. However, I do think the plot was weak. This is one of those books I'll quickly forget. Rated C [3 stars].

Next, a library book I did forget about, Golden Son by Pierce Brown. It's the second in the Red Rising series the first I only gave two stars. I'll give this one a try.