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

[MickeyC]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Then I read Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin. It's the first in his Inspector Rebus series. A bit average. But I'll continue with the series because I like Edinburgh, and it's supposed to get a lot better.

Me too. I like both Edinburgh and the books. I’ve read the first two and need to catch up.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Then I read Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin. It's the first in his Inspector Rebus series. A bit average. But I'll continue with the series because I like Edinburgh, and it's supposed to get a lot better.

Originally Posted by MickeyC

Me too. I like both Edinburgh and the books. I’ve read the first two and need to catch up.

I keep meaning to check these out. I watched a little of the TV show (right up until the time Rebus turned into a hobbit) and enjoyed it. So which Rebus is most like the book character: John Hannah or Balin?

[poohbear_nc]

Originally Posted by HarryT

They get dramatically better, and the on-going character development makes this series one of my favourites. Well worth sticking with!

I agree - Knots and Crosses is the oddity in this otherwise well developed series. It's one series that did age well.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

I agree - Knots and Crosses is the oddity in this otherwise well developed series. It's one series that did age well.

I can forgive an author a not-great first book.

[gmw]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I can forgive an author a not-great first book.

Technically The Flood (1986) was his first book, but it was not part of the John Rebus series. I really didn't like that at all, I gave it a 2/5, whereas Knots and Crosses got a 3/5 from me. Thankfully he got better and better after that, although I find that Ian Rankin is one of those authors I cannot binge-read.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by gmw

... Knots and Crosses got a 3/5 from me. Thankfully he got better and better after that, although I find that Ian Rankin is one of those authors I cannot binge-read.

Yes, he gets better after Knots and Crosses, but you're definitely right about not binge reading. Just a bit too dark for that.

For my own binge reading, I've just done a binge of the Ava Lee series from Ian Hamilton. There's a new one due out early next month, and I'm definitely ready. What's not to like about a lesbian, ethnically Chinese, Canadian, forensic accountant who practices Bak Mei and can (and does) take on just about any bad guy twice her size. Totally fun, and one of my 'guilty pleasures'.

[gmw]

Originally Posted by CRussel

[...] For my own binge reading, I've just done a binge of the Ava Lee series from Ian Hamilton. There's a new one due out early next month, and I'm definitely ready. What's not to like about a lesbian, ethnically Chinese, Canadian, forensic accountant who practices Bak Mei and can (and does) take on just about any bad guy twice her size. Totally fun, and one of my 'guilty pleasures'.

I have the first one of these on my wish-list at Kobo thanks to your nomination for the book club. I'm hoping Kobo will offer a discount sometime, as I've got more than enough to keep me busy for the moment.

[gmw]

Since my last update here I've been reading mostly fairly short works (aside from Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood, that we're discussing over in the book club).

The Breath of Heaven and Other Stories by Nancy Fulda. A sampler of 3 short fantasy stories that I enjoyed very much. The eponymous The Breath of Heaven was a particular delight, with it's slightly different perspective on AIs taking over from humans. 4/5.

A Fist of Permutations in Lightning and Wildflowers by Alyssa Wong. Great title, but I found this short fantasy too deliberately stylistic; the story got lost in the flood of imagery. 2/5.

Wakulla Springs by Andy Duncan and Ellen Klages. The novella gave a few hints toward fantasy here and there, but these never amounted to anything (despite the book being classified as SF/Fantasy). It tells of three generations living around Wakulla Springs in Florida. It's a fascinating setting and I liked the characters (and Johnny Weissmuller gets a part) and the writing ... but there was no story as such. By the end I really wasn't sure what to make of it. I was never bored, but I like a bit more purpose to my books. 3/5.

The Curse of the Pharaohs by Elizabeth Peters (aka Barbara Mertz). Second Amelia Peabody. This novel was good fun but I must say that a much of the last 50 or so pages felt like filler. It still gets a 4/5 for a fun ride.

Passing Strange by Ellen Klages. I enjoy the writing style of Ellen Klages (she has written some wonderful SF short stories), so picked up this novella. The first part got me very intrigued, and then it steps back to a romance in 1940 San Francisco and I was wishing the author would make up her mind what it was about. But by the end it all wraps up very neatly into a lesbian romance with a touch of magic and some well researched historical perspective. 4/5.

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by Fbone

Next is The Glimpses of the Moon by Edmund Crispin, his last book published just before his death written over 20 years since his previous one.

Crispin, after a 20 year break, still had his excellent writing style. This comical mystery was typical of him. The plot was impossible but his wit and word play make up for it. He referenced earlier books and one time referred to himself. It took me a few chapters to get used to him writing in his then present day of 1970s. He managed to retain the charm of the 1930s placing the setting in a small village in Devon. Not his best but still hits it for me. Rated B- [4 stars].

Next is Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by gmw

Passing Strange by Ellen Klages. I enjoy the writing style of Ellen Klages (she has written some wonderful SF short stories), so picked up this novella. The first part got me very intrigued, and then it steps back to a romance in 1940 San Francisco and I was wishing the author would make up her mind what it was about. But by the end it all wraps up very neatly into a lesbian romance with a touch of magic and some well researched historical perspective. 4/5.

Perhaps the title indicates that this is a reaction to Passing by Nella Larsen, which was a recent book club selection?

Originally Posted by HarryT

A great novel and a great translation. So much better than the 1840's public domain translation that's still the one that most editions use!

Yep. When I first decided to read it several years ago, I tried the Gutenberg version on my Kindle but it was so bad I gave up and bought Buss's translation in dead tree format. Which was a big deal because the physical size of the book was daunting for my CP-impaired hands. Reading it on my Aura H2O2 has made this re-read even more pleasurable

[gmw]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Perhaps the title indicates that this is a reaction to Passing by Nella Larsen, which was a recent book club selection?

I would not be surprised if the author intended the all the connotations of the title, including the allusion to that earlier book, as these women in 1940 were indeed "passing" in a similar sense.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Now reading: F&SF Nov/Dec2018 edited by C. C. Finlay. Good so far, and when I'm finished I'll up-to-date with my subscriptions.

But since I don't have F&SF to hand, I've also started Lord of the Silent by Elizabeth Peters, the next one in her Amelia Peabody series. Splendid stuff.

[covingtoncat73]

I finished Fools and Mortals by Bernard Cornwell. It was such Shakespearean fun. The description of the be performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream the book culminates in is particularly gorgeous. Great characters and historical details. Also, there are homages to Shakespearean tropes.

I am going to Gospel of Loki now. I haven't read much yet but it is first person and the "voice" of Loki is appropriately sassy and snarky.

[Dngrsone]

Originally Posted by covingtoncat73

I am going to Gospel of Loki now. I haven't read much yet but it is first person and the "voice" of Loki is appropriately sassy and snarky.

Sounds like something I would enjoy.

Finished Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve. The premise of mobile cities is kind of shaky, but then so are the premises of other great and decent stories, and the ending went well.

Going back to Empires of the Word.

Oh, and listening to the last chapter of The Return of the King; not sure what I will listen to next, though.