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

[astrangerhere]

With special thanks to Pooh, I am reading the second volume of Anthony Powell's Dance to the Music of Time sequence, A Buyer's Market.

[poohbear_nc]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

With special thanks to Pooh, I am reading the second volume of Anthony Powell's Dance to the Music of Time sequence, A Buyer's Market.

I'm planning on a re-read this year ... just to wallow in the language again.

[Bookstooge]

Just started One Killer Force by Dalton Fury, book 4 in the Delta Force series.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: A random pick from my TBR: The Master of Ballantrae by Robert Louis Stevenson

Originally Posted by ReadingManiac

Oooh! That's a brilliant book! I read it years ago after the TV movie with Richard Thomas and Michael York hooked me on the story.

It was good, with an excellent villain, but I didn't much like knowing the eventual outcome right from the start (which I suspect they didn't do in the film). A lovely cameo from Alan Breck Stuart at one point.

Next up: Another random pick, The Barbed Coil by J. V. Jones. A random pick from my TBR, this is one I bought at Fictionwise back in May 2009!

[astrangerhere]

In addition to A Buyer's Market on my Kobo, i am listening to Tadhg Hynes' excellent Librivox reading of Far from the Madding Crowd.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

In addition to A Buyer's Market on my Kobo, i am listening to Tadhg Hynes' excellent Librivox reading of Far from the Madding Crowd.

I am listening to Simon Vance’s narration of another Hardy, Tess of the d’Urbervilles. It’s been decades since I read this and why something so depressing was calling to me now, I have no idea. I am loving the language and at least I’m steeled for the plot developments!

[PurpleStar]

I finished up Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh. I'll continue this series soon. Next up is One By One by Ruth Ware.

[Rev. Bob]

While catching up on a comics event I was too dubious about to purchase, I discovered that Hoopla imposes a five-borrow limit with my local library. Not five at a time, but five per month. So, if I want to check out the other Absolute Carnage tie-in volumes, I’ll have to wait until next week.

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by issybird

I am listening to Simon Vance’s narration of another Hardy, Tess of the d’Urbevilles. It’s been decades since I read this and why something so depressing was calling to me now, I have no idea. I am loving the language and at least I’m steeled for the plot developments!

Tadgh Hynes has done quite a few of Hardy's works and has a lovely Irish brogue. And, of course, Librivox has the advantage of being free and not requiring me to wait for it at the library.

I have a list of 6 Librivox readers that I check in on every few months because I know they are good.

[poohbear_nc]

Originally Posted by issybird

I am listening to Simon Vance’s narration of another Hardy, Tess of the d’Urbevilles. It’s been decades since I read this and why something so depressing was calling to me now, I have no idea. I am loving the language and at least I’m steeled for the plot developments!

It's the pandemic. Totally changed how and what I read.

In March, I read Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas -- including all those endless lists of observed species swimming past the porthole, and when done, read it again cover to cover.

Then I could only read short stories (thank you pulpmeister for the Past Master series)

Then it was the old familiar favorites - Wells, more Verne, Conan Doyle, Stevenson, etc.

Now I'm plowing through the complete works of H.P. Lovecraft ...

Hardy is next on my list, with George Eliot.

I'm unable to read anything contemporary ...

[CRussel]

I personally don't understand! The pandemic has not made me even a _little_ more inclined to read anything dark. In fact, the opposite. I find myself doing marathon re-reads of old favourites and series. For example, I'm now working my way back through the Honor Harrington books. Mostly as audio, but sometimes switching over to my Kindle. But I also started a new series, The Murderbot Diaries, by Martha Wells. I'm not sure quite why they're working for me, but they are. However, they're seriously overpriced at Amazon (>$10 for a novella of 150 pages???), so I'm having to be patient at the Library.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by CRussel

I personally don't understand! The pandemic has not made me even a _little_ more inclined to read anything dark. In fact, the opposite.

I'm the same. A side-by-side comparison of my all-time stats versus 2020 stats at The StoryGraph shows a clear preference this year for shorter and faster-paced, and for fiction over nonfiction

[Elektron]

g a l u b j a m u n lol. I'm very fond of those.
Starting the Summoner series, book 1: The Novice. Love it so far.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by Elektron

g a l u b j a m u n lol. I'm very fond of those.

The "gulab" refers to rose (rose kulfi is exquisite), but I was never a fan of gulab jamun, by far my least-liked desi sweet. Until a couple of months ago when the chef at an Odisha restaurant gave my wife and I some on the house and piping hot - I'd only ever had them cold. The difference was astonishing! It made enough of an impression for the typo in the book to leap off the page at me

[Dazrin]

Oh golly! Cold gulab jamun is not good. Piping hot gulab jamun is wonderful, night and day difference. It's amazing how much difference the temperature makes in texture and even flavor. Whoever gave you cold ones did you a real disservice.