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

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

I've moved on to:

• Book 6 in Anthony Powell's roman-fleuve A Dance to the Music of Time, The Kindly Ones on my Kobo.
• I'll probably get a few more volumes of Fables in before I pick up another novel or novella in paper.
• Finally, I'm about 2/3 through the Anna Karenina audiobook.

It seems I haven't posted in here in a while. Since my last I've finished all of the above.

• I am about 3/4 through the most excellent Selected Letters of Willa Cather, which I am reading in DTB.
  
• I've am now up to Book 10 in Anthony Powell's roman-fleuve A Dance to the Music of Time, Books Do Furnish a Room on my Kobo.
  
• I'm listening to Edith' Wharton's Custom of the Country.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

I've finished Siren Queen (4 out of 5 - she said in the acknowledgements that it was originally 3 novellas and maybe it should have stayed that way, but I loved the atmosphere).

I just finished it and this is essentially my reaction with the same rating. The setting was inspired and inventive and I love that she didn’t clobber us with explanations; it was a fully realized world in which it was up to the reader to get up to speed. But ideally there would have been more of a plot arc. Two-thirds of the way through, not knowing about the novellas but obviously responding to the structure, I wondered when the story was going to go somewhere. It came across as a lot of setup without much of a payoff.

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by issybird

I just finished it and this is essentially my reaction with the same rating. The setting was inspired and inventive and I love that she didn’t clobber us with explanations; it was a fully realized world in which it was up to the reader to get up to speed. But ideally there would have been more of a plot arc. Two-thirds of the way through, not knowing about the novellas but obviously responding to the structure, I wondered when the story was going to go somewhere. It came across as a lot of setup without much of a payoff.

I think her Singing Hills Cycle novellas are excellent. It seems to be that is her gift, which is a rare one.

Having said that, The Chosen and the Beautiful, which was published first but written after Siren Queen was very strong as a novel and did not suffer the same issues.

[Darqref]

Originally Posted by Bookstooge

I've read Jumper, Reflex and Griffin's Story (which is a full novel). I was not happy with how Grif's Story ended so I stopped paying attention.

Stephen Gould got a movie deal, for which the movie people changed the story that he had written in Jumper. He wrote Griffin's story to match the movie, then went back to his original story line.

Impulse moves the story to his daughter, while facing similar opponents and events. She's been home-schooled, now wants to go to a public high school.

Exo takes the daughter into space.

I think they are all good. and the same opinion on most everything he's written. Like most authors, he just doesn't write fiction fast enough.

[Uncle Robin]

75% through Ellery Queen's Calamity Town and for the first half it was easily the best of the his I've tried so far (setting the bar SUPER low). But the trial is tedious, interminably long, and the "phonetic" speech irritating. More than that though, I can't believe that someone could be subpoena'd, and sworn in to testify, under a false name. Would not swearing under oath that you are someone you're not be a crime in itself? That the character of Ellery Queen would have no ethical qualms about swearing to a lie in court is inclining me to drop the book.

[Uncle Robin]

3/5 at the Storygraph for "Calamity Town" for the bright, enjoyable 1st half. That's 4 Queens started for 1 DNF, and scores of 2/5, 3/5 and 3.75/5 for the others. The character is still a smarmy git, & it seems he's quite happy to lie under oath, so I'm calling it quits on Queen.

[Little.Egret]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

75% through Ellery Queen's Calamity Town and for the first half it was easily the best of the his I've tried so far .... More than that though, I can't believe that someone could be subpoena'd, and sworn in to testify, under a false name. Would not swearing under oath that you are someone you're not be a crime in itself? That the character of Ellery Queen would have no ethical qualms about swearing to a lie in court is inclining me to drop the book.

It depends, seeing as using a false name isn't illegal and perjury requires relevant lies. Suppose you had been in witness protection for years or were an undercover agent?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perjury

[fantasyfan]

I am now reading Deadly Dreams by Andre Norton. It is a good anthology of her books dealing with the themes of “constructed” dreams by individuals who can link up to a client and cause them to experience the dream sequences they create. Norton plays with the idea that these “dream” worlds could actually be alternate universes.

[Bookstooge]

Just finished Conan the Bold, another conan pastiche by john maddox roberts. I have been pleasantly surprised with how well these stories have held my attention. I don't think I've rolled my eyes more than once twice during the whole time I've read 4 or 5 of these.

[ReadingManiac]

Originally Posted by Bookstooge

I've read Jumper, Reflex and Griffin's Story (which is a full novel). I was not happy with how Grif's Story ended so I stopped paying attention.

But those numbers are quite handleable. Hopefully you can knock them down in a month...

They're going to have to wait. I've hit a rich vein of awesome Fantasy and plan to go through first in series for about 20 of them before deciding how far to go in each individual series.

I finished Jumper and for the most part enjoyed it.

Just started the first book of the Ravenglass Chronicles by Jon Cronshaw, 21 books! Very well-written and goes through the Tarot.

[ReadingManiac]

Originally Posted by Darqref

Stephen Gould got a movie deal, for which the movie people changed the story that he had written in Jumper. He wrote Griffin's story to match the movie, then went back to his original story line.

Impulse moves the story to his daughter, while facing similar opponents and events. She's been home-schooled, now wants to go to a public high school.

Exo takes the daughter into space.

I think they are all good. and the same opinion on most everything he's written. Like most authors, he just doesn't write fiction fast enough.

Thanks for that. Now I get the order sequence. And why the movie was so different.

[ReadingManiac]

Originally Posted by Bookstooge

Just finished Conan the Bold, another conan pastiche by john maddox roberts. I have been pleasantly surprised with how well these stories have held my attention. I don't think I've rolled my eyes more than once twice during the whole time I've read 4 or 5 of these.

Best Barbarian story I ever read was actually a biography, Alaric the Goth by Marcel Brion. It's out of print but many libraries have it.

[Bookstooge]

Originally Posted by ReadingManiac

Best Barbarian story I ever read was actually a biography, Alaric the Goth by Marcel Brion. It's out of print but many libraries have it.

Somehow I doubt it has elder gods mucking around though, and I love me some elder god mucking in my barbarian stories

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Now I'm reading Dead Lagoon by Michael Dibdin. The fourth in his Aurelio Zen series.

Zen is a brilliant idiot.

Next up was A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P. Djèlí Clark. A freebie from Tor.com. The story before A Master of Djinn, and I recommend reading it first if you can.

Next up: Royal Flash by George MacDonald Fraser. The second in his memoirs of Flashman, which is currently only £0.99 at Amazon UK!

[acprinter]

I let Calibre pick a random book. It selected A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute. I gave it 4 stars.

I am now reading Final Frontier by Diane Carey, a Star Trek Book. It's OK so far.

Does anyone have any recommendations for reading order in Star Trek books? I try to go by Goodreads suggestions.