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

[astrangerhere]

I finished the most excellent A Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym last night for the MR Literary Book Club. I would not ever have thought to pick it up off the shelf myself, but it will almost certainly be in my top ten for the year now that I've read it. I checked it out from the library, but I am likely to purchase a copy for myself now.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: Tunnel Through the Deep by Harry Harrison. I read this ages ago as "A Transatlantic Tunnel, Hurrah!". It will be interesting to se if it holds up. It might be considered, from what I remember, very early steam-punk, written before that term (or even 'cyber-punk') was coined.

And most enjoyable it was too, with an intentional melodramatic feel. 4/5

And an amusing introduction by Auberon Waugh, as it was the first bit of Science Fiction he'd ever read!

Next Up: Grantville Gazette VIII (print edition). Selected stories from Grantville Gazettes (e-versions) 31-45 inclusive. And a previously unpublished story by Eric Flint.

[Uncle Robin]

Trying to sample new flavors with Kate Clayborn's Love Lettering and learning quite a bit about calligraphy along the way. Who knows, by the time I finish it I may even grok why so many MR users obsess over ligatures. Or not.

[Uncle Robin]

Love Lettering turned out to be a salutary lesson in the benefits of experimenting. A more satisfying read than I'd expected. Now on to two reasonably long-term residents of my TBR, Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Time and Aamin Maalouf's Samarkand

[Luffy]

My 3 star review of Sugar and Vice, by Eve Calder:-

Spoiler:

For a short book, this one has a list of distracting flaws. All the bamboozlement about the Pirate George Bly were anything but. I guessed almost everything midway through.

The other, major plot mystery was impossible to guess. The revelations on this crime were a bit ho hum because the author didn't give us clues leading to the solvency of the mystery.

The first book got 4 stars from me. It was better than this successor. And I do want to keep reading this series. I like the setting. Very cozy, domestic, with a believable cast of supporting characters peopling the book.

As I live on an island, I understand the charm of this book. Kate McGuire is a not so flawed character who is flustered but never angry, hardworking but never workaholic, cultivated without being a snob.

The best thing about her is that she isn't a goody two shoes. Well, she is, but the author makes one forget that aspect of her personality. She seems like a real person. I like this series and will keep waiting for newer and newest tales.

[Camellia]

Still slowly working my way through Rhodes' The Making Of The Atomic Bomb, but in the meantime I've discovered a love of manga thanks to Humble Bundle satisfying my need of a palate-cleanser after each session with it! I'm now up to date with PTSD Radio by Masaaki Nakayama and five volumes deep with Kasane by Daruma Matsuura.

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by Fbone;4045624

Next is something I actually spent money on, [I

How Dark the World Becomes[/I] by Frank Chadwick. Bought during the Kobopocalypse.

This was very good. The action was brisk the writing sharp. A slight disappointment in the ending but otherwise I liked this. A gangster with a big heart - a real softie. There is a sequel that I added to my wish list. Rated B [4 stars].

Next another freebie, Negation Force by Anthony James.

[LDB]

Just started The President's Plane Is Missing by Robert Serling.

I just finished Missing Amanda by Duane Lindsay. It was an editing read and I really enjoyed it.

Immediately prior I read The Dead Daughter by Thomas Fincham, another editing read and another very good book.

[Uncle Robin]

Just started Foreign Bodies, an anthology on crime/mystery stories from languages other than English, compiled by Martin Edwards. The first story is by some Russian guy called Anton Chekhov.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next Up: Grantville Gazette VIII (print edition). Selected stories from Grantville Gazettes (e-versions) 31-45 inclusive. And a previously unpublished story by Eric Flint.

And this was excellent. Although that fact that I know I've read all the stories but one, and the fact that I couldn't really tell which one that was, perhaps says that the individual stories are enjoyable but not very memorable.

Then a read a recent freebie, Spellbreaker by Charlie N. Holmberg. This was a very readable fantasy romance, with a second part to come in 2021. But given that the background was supposed to be a Victorian England, the attitude to servants and other employees was really off. So an enjoyable read, but I can't give it more than 3/5.

And now I'm reading A Liaden Universe Constellation, Volume 4 by Shareon Lee and Steve Miller. And it is absolutely splendid. it'll be a very solid 5/5 once I've finished it.

[Uncle Robin]

The second book in the Foreign Bodies anthology was written by Palle Rosenkrantz, a namesake and descendant of THE Rosenkrantz - who knew that Rosenkrantz and Gyldenstierne were real people, and not just figments of Tom Stoppard's imagination?

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

And now I'm reading A Liaden Universe Constellation, Volume 4 by Shareon Lee and Steve Miller. And it is absolutely splendid. it'll be a very solid 5/5 once I've finished it.

And indeed it is.

Next up: Tombland by C J Sansom. Set in mid-1500 England, it apparently covers Kett's Rebellion, and is mostly set in Norwich!

(Tombland is the flat area in front of the cathedral close, where Norwich's market used to be until the Norman Conquest, when it was moved to be in front of the Castle.)

[Uncle Robin]

From the intro to a Maurice Leblanc story in Foreign Bodies "pit Lupin against characters with such names as Herlock Sholmes and Holmlock Shears." - I wonder what Donan Coyle thought of those stories?

[Luffy]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

From the intro to a Maurice Leblanc story in Foreign Bodies "pit Lupin against characters with such names as Herlock Sholmes and Holmlock Shears." - I wonder what Donan Coyle thought of those stories?

He was reething with sage.

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by Fbone

Next another freebie, Negation Force by Anthony James.

Readable but that's it. Weak characters. Technological inconsistencies. Sudden intelligence. Silly dialog. Nothing memorable. Rated D [2 stars]

Next hopefully something better, The Case of the Seven Whistlers by George Bellairs.