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

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

And now: The Forge of God by Greg Bear. I also bought this one back in 2011. It's a bit cinematic at the moment, but I expect it'll improve.

Well, it remained more cinematic than I liked. But interesting.

Next I read Dragons at Crumbling Castle by Terry Pratchett. Early short works for children from when he was a journalist. Great fun. I especially liked the page jokes in the first story. My 100th book of the year.

Then I read An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire, the third in her October Daye series, and very good it was too.

And now: Vossoff and Nimmitz by Adam Troy-Castro.

[Chapter5]

Hi everyone! I'm a long time lurker but registered only recently. I'd like to thank you all, especially people active in this thread for awesome book recommendations.

I've just finished reading "Cancelled In Red" by Hugh Pentecost, it was a really good read. I've already bought the next 3 books in Inspector Luke Bradley series. What struck me as atypical in this one is that it seems Bradley is more of a sidekick to the main character rather than actually being the main character. I just think it's a nice take on detective novels. The book reminded me of a very good movie titled Nine Queens.

Currently reading "The Key to Rebecca" by Ken Follett - very nice spy novel, although there a some parts that some people may find a bit offensive...

Also started re-reading "The Black Company" by Glen Cook - I have read it two times already. Last time was about 5 years ago. The reason why I like it is because it reminds me of a very dark fantasy game called Myth published in the 90s. I don't think anybody here knows this game but I really encourage everyone to check out the soundtrack

I also have "Cinema Speculation" by Quentin Tarantino waiting in the queue. Couldn't resist, it was on sale a couple of days ago.

[John F]

Originally Posted by HLS

I love king but I was so bored I stopped reading. The whole book is in the last 2 chapters. lol Thats all you need to read

Spoiler:

If you are going to skip, I would say the 4th chapter from the end (July 30, 2021, 100 pages) is the one to read. It has the most suspense.

And if you are going to skip most of the book, you might as well read the cliff notes, or skip the last chapter.

After reading the whole thing, I enjoyed it.

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by John F

After reading the whole thing, I enjoyed it.

So did I, a lot!

[Tarana]

Currently reading Omnibus 1 of Captain Lacey Mysteries by Ashley Gardner. Good plots, I'm enjoying them. Includes the books The Hanover Square Affair, A Regimental Murder, The Glass House (reading this one) plus two short stories. Captain Lacey, an injured officer from the Peninsula and Spanish wars, lives in London and gets embroiled into solving mysteries. I would classify this as historical cozy.

[mlewis78]

I am reading We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter, historical fiction about a Jewish family from Poland during WWII. It's on my kindle and was on sale when I bought it.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

And now: Vossoff and Nimmitz by Adam Troy-Castro.

Which was amusing. Genius Villain and buffoonish sidekick in space.

Next up: A freebie, Clerical Errors by D. M. Greenwood. I'm reading this because the omnibus of the series is on offer. Perhaps not a great reason!

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: A freebie, Clerical Errors by D. M. Greenwood. I'm reading this because the omnibus of the series is on offer. Perhaps not a great reason!

At least I didn't get the omnibus. It's OK, but far too many coincidences. And I didn't like any of the characters particularly either.

Next up: The House of Styx by Derek Künsken. The author of the Quantum Magician series which I enjoyed. I believe this is the first book in a related series.

[drofgnal]

I just finished the Black Staff and The Measure of Magic from the Shannara Series. Next up is The Armor of Light, the 5th book of Ken Follet's Kingsbridge series. It comes out tomorrow. I had preordered it a few months ago.

Still reading Premrose's book on the history of mathematical thought and physics, and also had started The Holy Bible, but in chronological order, which isn't the same as it was arranged.

[Chapter5]

Finished "The Key to Rebecca". It's a good read although I wish there would be more details on the fascinating subject of cryptography. Other than that, cool, short book with a well constructed plot.

Started reading "Edgar Allan Poe: Complete Tales & Poems", it's cheap as chips on Amazon and one can never read too much Poe.

[fantasyfan]

Science Fiction +

“In Ascension” by Martin MacInnes was the lone science fiction novel that reached the Booker Prize Long List for 2023. It is a remarkable challenging work and not a typical example of the genre.

Science fiction is sometimes thought as idea-oriented with less focus on characterisation. The typical literary worlds created tend to focus on scientific problems which generate extrapolation and experimentation. Causation is clearly defined and the characters exist within these constraints. This is especially true with “Hard” science fiction and Space Opera but character depth isn’t a major focus in many works in the genre.

“In Ascension” is certainly science fiction. The main character, Leigh, is a brilliant scientist with an obsession with her field. She is involved with a problem that must be solved scientifically; she works in a scientific environment; and the book is set in an ambiguous future in which climate change is a major factor. Further she is part of a program focused on interplanetary exploration in a spaceship.There are also, deftly presented, those expository sections so common in science fiction.

What makes this novel stand out in its genre is the brilliant intense character development. Leigh is the main narrative voice in the book. We get a great deal of her back story and relationships with her parents and sister. These—especially with her parents—have a crucial bearing on the kind of person she becomes. She has some astonishing visions and insights brilliantly described which are unforgettable and which do have a powerful bearing on her progress through the novel and on the philosophical undercurrent which reaches a brilliant conclusion. Helena, the younger sister, is a secondary narrator and her vision is as important as Leigh’s particularly in the final section. Even the side characters are not stereotypes and have definite personalities with significant narrative functions.
All this give the novel an astonishing reality—a narrative world with characters who are as interesting as the ideas the author explores.

I recommend it to all readers. It’s one of the best new science fiction books I have read.

[John F]

Originally Posted by fantasyfan

Science Fiction +

“In Ascension” by Martin MacInnes was the lone science fiction novel that reached the Booker Prize Long List for 2023. It is a remarkable challenging work and not a typical example of the genre.

Science fiction is sometimes thought as idea-oriented with less focus on characterisation. The typical literary worlds created tend to focus on scientific problems which generate extrapolation and experimentation. Causation is clearly defined and the characters exist within these constraints. This is especially true with “Hard” science fiction and Space Opera but character depth isn’t a major focus in many works in the genre.

“In Ascension” is certainly science fiction. The main character, Leigh, is a brilliant scientist with an obsession with her field. She is involved with a problem that must be solved scientifically; she works in a scientific environment; and the book is set in an ambiguous future in which climate change is a major factor. Further she is part of a program focused on interplanetary exploration in a spaceship.There are also, deftly presented, those expository sections so common in science fiction.

What makes this novel stand out in its genre is the brilliant intense character development. Leigh is there main narrative voice in the book. We get a great deal of her back story and relationships with her parents and sister. These—especially with her parents—have a crucial bearing on the kind of person she becomes. She has some astonishing visions and insights brilliantly described which are unforgettable and which do have a powerful bearing on her progress through the novel and on the philosophical undercurrent which reaches a brilliant conclusion. Helena, the younger sister, is a secondary narrator and her vision is as important as Leigh’s particularly in the final section. Even the side characters are not stereotypes and have definite personalities with significant narrative functions.
All this give the novel an astonishing reality—a narrative world with characters who are as interesting as the ideas the author explores.

I recommend it to all readers. It’s one of the best new science fiction books I have read.

And not available as an ebook in the U.S.? Oh well, maybe someday.

[HLS]

I am reading Stephen King's Misery. Great book but hard to read for Anne is bat shit crazy LOL Its hard to stomach all that crazy in one character lol I am tempted to skip to where he is rescued.

[John F]

I'm going to take a shot in the dark. Looking at new arrivals at my library, a title caught my interest: The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport. It was the Jinn in the title that hooked me. Normally I hear about a book from somewhere (here, TV, a magazine, ...) and will look into it. This one will be a complete shot in the dark.

I will read it when it becomes available at the library.

[gmw]

Originally Posted by HLS

I am reading Stephen King's Misery. Great book but hard to read for Anne is bat shit crazy LOL Its hard to stomach all that crazy in one character lol I am tempted to skip to where he is rescued.

One of the few books of King's that I considered horror ... and I'm not really a fan of horror so this isn't a favourite.