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

[Bookstooge]

Just finished up Chesterton's A Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare.
I really enjoyed this 20 years ago when I first read it but since then I've pretty much stopped enjoying allegory. And Chesterton's writing itself is beginning to grate on me

[issybird]

I’ve DNFed ten books in the last month and another is going to be added today; that’s also not counting the several books I dipped into and decided not to pursue.

That’s a whole lot of wasted reading time; I need to start picking better.

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by issybird

I’ve DNFed ten books in the last month and another is going to be added today; that’s also not counting the several books I dipped into and decided not to pursue.

That’s a whole lot of wasted reading time; I need to start picking better.

That is a ROUGH month. I feel like you did some fall cleaning on your TBR, but that many is just unsatisfactory on numerous levels. Hope September is better for you!

[issybird]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

That is a ROUGH month. I feel like you did some fall cleaning on your TBR, but that many is just unsatisfactory on numerous levels. Hope September is better for you!

Thanks! It was rather unsettling when I realized how very bad things had got, but I do feel better having jettisoned so much dead wood. Still, what was going wrong there? I’m scrambling for explanations so I don’t do it again.

[CRussel]

I just returned 3 KindleUnlimited books that I read a page or two and there was just no way they could have worked themselves around to something I could enjoy. Annoying, because all were recommended by people who are usually reliable. Sigh. One CLEARLY hadn't been edited at all. one was grade level one, and the other was just bleh!

So, I'm going back to re-read a series I haven't re-read before, but that I think will stand up to it -- David Weber's Safehold series. At least I know what I'm getting!

[Bookstooge]

Read Dead Silence yesterday. It started out absolutely perfect, like a book version of Event Horizon, and then it took a downturn and then the ending was a romance. So, so, SO wrong.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by CRussel

that I read a page or two and there was just no way

Oh, how I envy that “page or two”! A couple of pages + KU = minimal loss.

At least with the ten or so books I’ve abandoned recently (after hours and hours and hours wasted), most, not all, were library borrows. It’s the Audible book that stings most.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by issybird

Oh, how I envy that “page or two”! A couple of pages + KU = minimal loss.

At least with the ten or so books I’ve abandoned recently (after hours and hours and hours wasted), most, not all, were library borrows. It’s the Audible book that stings most.

One advantage of being in a bit of a reading funk is that my tolerance for crap is lower than normal. I'd almost certainly have read at least half of those books before abandoning in the past, thus actually rewarding the authors for the excrement they 'published'. So you're right, minimal loss, other than the annoyance.

Over the years, I don't think I've returned more than 2 or 3 Audible books. And never because the author failed (though some I probably should have). Always because the narrator failed. One I remember was a Georgette Heyer '30s mystery, and the narrator was absolutely AWFUL. A complete monotone as she raced through it. Was like listening to a really annoying drone. Another was a long running favourite series where a change in narrator resulted in egregious changes in pronunciation. Was just too painful to listen to.

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by Fbone

Next, another library book, The Thorn of Dentonhill by Marshall Ryan Maresca.

This was enjoyable but not outstanding or special in any way. Main character was too stupid at times. Frustrating too. Not much happened in a 350-page book and only 11 more books in the series! The salty language did produce a chuckle from me. Rated C [3 stars].

Next Spy School British Invasion by Stuart Gibbs. It looks like I'll be visiting Britain in this one.

[Bookstooge]

Just reviewed The Shadow Laughs today. These Shadow stories are really entertaining so far.

[gmw]

It must be the season for it, I have two DNFs in my recent reading.

The Secret Runners of New York by Matthew Reilly. A young-adult dystopian fantasy. It's been a while since I've read anything from Reilly and I'd forgotten how much he writes for the screen, that combined with his attempt to write a first person perspective of a teenager with mental health issues, in a posh school with lots of other stereotypical teenage girls - was enough to make me cringe. I gave up after 10% (40 pages). ( I didn't even make it to the end of the world, and I'd been so looking forward to that. )

Starplex by Robert J. Sawyer. The science-fiction aspect of this story was intriguing and well done, but the sideline into character psychology, not to mention the visitor from the future, all felt somewhat strained and unnecessary to me. Still, it was an easy read and I liked how it came out. 3/5.

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. First book of the All Souls Trilogy - a paranormal romance tale. I pushed myself to 100 pages because I didn't know what else to pick up, but when I realised that the most interesting thing so far was a yoga class with witches, daemons and vampires - and it really wasn't that interesting - I realised it was time to give up; it's obviously not for me. ( I've since read that the first book ends on a cliff-hanger anyway, so I'm glad I didn't push further. )


But now I have to work out what's next...

[Uncle Robin]

1/4 through China Miéville's The City and the City. I absolutely loved Embassytown, and am enjoying this one, but it's much harder work. Happily his delight in the mechanics and meaning of language is still very much integral to the story, the passages where he lets him loose to go into a deep dive into linguistics are beautiful and very engaging. It will take quite a while to finish this one though, that's for sure.

[ReadingManiac]

Originally Posted by Bookstooge

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

I can see the appeal.

My head is exploding, I've found too many good Fantasy series and deciding what to read is mind-boggling. I'm a multiple reader but try to keep to different genres so there's no confusion.

I may have to give up real life and huddle into my reading chair for a few weeks.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

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

A great romp.

Next up: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. Hmm....

[Bookstooge]

Originally Posted by ReadingManiac

I can see the appeal.

My head is exploding, I've found too many good Fantasy series and deciding what to read is mind-boggling. I'm a multiple reader but try to keep to different genres so there's no confusion.

I may have to give up real life and huddle into my reading chair for a few weeks.

I've often thought that if I won the lottery I could retire for a year and just read. Then deal with it. But so far, not a win in sight