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

[hannah]

I'm reading City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett, I like it this far.

[MickeyC]

Just finished Memory Man by David Balducci and it was a real page turner! If you like Balducci's books, put this one on your list!

[HarryT]

Just finished "Thrice Bound" by Roberta Gellis, which I bought from Baen sometime around 2001. A truly excellent fantasy novel, set in the same universe as her previous book, "Bull God", in which the gods of ancient Olympus are people with magical gifts and powers. I enjoyed "Bull God", but "Thrice Bound" is even better.

Baen description:

Hekate's father is the most powerful mage in Ka'anan, so when he commands her to murder the queen of Byblos and marry the king, she must obey or flee. When she learns from the seer Dionysos, whom she had bound herself to protect when he was an infant, that her father has summoned an otherworldly being to bespell her, she flees to the Caves of the Dead. There her father's magic is powerless.

But the Caves are barred by a spell of terror and revulsion. Enraged by her agony, Hekate swears she will punish her father - and is twice bound.

Before despair destroys her, Kabeiros rescues her by breaking the terrible spell, but Hekate cannot remain in the Caves. Unsatisfied, her bindings will kill her, and she must learn new magic far from her father's influence to loose them. Yet when she learns that Kabeiros cannot accompany her because he changes into a black dog if he leaves the Caves, Hekate swears to free him from his curse - and is thrice bound.

[Dr. Drib]

Currently reading "Basil," by Wilkie Collins, an author whose works I love to read.

I have the "Complete Works of Wilkie Collins," put out by Delphi Classics.

[bfisher]

Currently reading "Dark Star" by Alan Furst, the second novel in his Night Soldiers series. I read "Night Soldiers" a while ago, and have had "Dark Star" on my TBR for some time. No continuity from "Night Soldiers", other than the clandestine world of the 1930s; fascinated by his portrayal of the atmosphere of Europe in the pre-WW2 era.

[pilotbob]

I'm reading ...
Soldiers! A Chronicle from the 31st century (Part One) by John Dumas based on Harry's recommendation.

It it's an ok story so far... but is moving a bit slow for my tastes. Some parts are really good, and others seem to drag a bit. And there are a lot of characters with long names to try to keep track of.

[Hermit77]

I'm reading Peter May books at the moment, all set in the Hebradies, eg: the black house, the Lewis man. At the moment I've started his books based on Canada, Entry Island, good old fashion murder & mystery.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Finished! Loved it, even though I thought the ending a bit weak. OTOH, he'd already taken 1600+ pages, it was more than time to stop.

Next up, a quick re-read of Dragon Ship by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, getting ready for Dragon in Exile which releases tomorrow. And on the audio book front, reading Pride of Chanur, first in an old series by C.J. Cherryh. I'm pretty sure I read these many years ago, but it's been long enough that I'm not remembering much.

Finished Dragon Ship and Dragon in Exile. Dragon Ship was a known and loved quantity, and Dragon in Exile I had originally read as an eARC, but this was the released version. I enjoyed it just as much as I'd expected to, which puts it right up there as another gem in my all time favourite series.

Still reading and listening to Pride of Chanur, though I'll likely finish it today. Meanwhile, the first book in the Dresden Files, Storm Front, came my way from the Library and I read that. Not sure what I think. It's well written, and the plot certainly moves right along. But I really don't think the series is going to be my cup of tea.

[Synamon]

Originally Posted by Hermit77

I'm reading Peter May books at the moment, all set in the Hebradies, eg: the black house, the Lewis man. At the moment I've started his books based on Canada, Entry Island, good old fashion murder & mystery.

I got all excited until I found that Entry Island isn't available in Canada until Sept. 15th. The Lewis trilogy is very good, I enjoyed the first and third books more than the second.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: The Golden Bowl by Henry James.

Abandoned after 50 pages. And I abandoned his The Wings of the Dove after 30 pages. His prose style and story telling just aren't to my taste at all.

Well, I've read enough from 1901-1910 to make up my mind, so I'll take a break with something a bit more recent:

The Handsome Man's De Luxe Café, the fifteenth in the No.1 Ladies' Detectve Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith, published in 2014!

[gmw]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

Currently reading "Basil," by Wilkie Collins, an author whose works I love to read.

I have the "Complete Works of Wilkie Collins," put out by Delphi Classics.

I've only read two of Wilkie Collins' books so far, The Woman in White and The Moonstone, but I thoroughly enjoyed both of those. Are they all that good?

[Strether]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Finished Dragon Ship and Dragon in Exile. Dragon Ship was a known and loved quantity, and Dragon in Exile I had originally read as an eARC, but this was the released version. I enjoyed it just as much as I'd expected to, which puts it right up there as another gem in my all time favourite series.

Any differences between the eARC and the released version of Dragon in Exile?

Jim

[CRussel]

I'm sure there are differences, but I didn't do a side by side comparison, and I've read enough other books in the three months since then that I can't be sure. The usual situation with eARCs is that they're essentially the same but with fewer typos, and the occasional cleanup of a sloppy sentence or five. Very rare for there to be major differences.

[Dngrsone]

Originally Posted by Dngrsone

... now reading A Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark by Harry Connolly. I bought this book because someone told Connolly that you can't sell a book with an octogenarian woman as the main character/hero. So far, so good; it's well-written, the characters are rounded out, and I expect good things before the end.

That should be sextegenarian... However one spells the word.

I liked this book, though urban fiction isn't my usual genre. A few errors in the e-text; but all around enjoyable.

Time for some non-fic, I think.

[bfisher]

I recently finished "Foxglove Summer" by Ben Aaronovitch (Rivers of London), and aside from the deus ex machina ending, found it at least as good as the earlier books - no mean feat at number 5. My problem right now is that I would like more of the same, without waiting a year or two for the next Peter Grant instalment. Any suggestions for something in a similar vein?