Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading? - Page 2012

gmw · 07-18-2021, 09:14 AM

Aurora Rising by Alastair Reynolds. (aka The Prefect) First of the Prefect Emergency science-fiction novels*. This read to me like a first novel (actually around the 7th). Hidden behind the info-dumps, annoying redundancies and navel-gazing was an interesting enough story, so I pushed myself to finish, but it was touch-and-go at times. But worst of all, I found the ending unsatisfying. It did finish up, just rather anticlimactically. There were some cute ideas, so I offer a feeling generous: 2/5.

* I've since read that this is apparently set in the same general location and time as the Revelation Space series, indeed I can see that at least one character of this book is directly related to the main protagonist of the first book of that series (about 11 years later). I don't think the order mattered, Aurora Rising made sure nothing was confusing by explaining the main plot points ... several times over.

pdurrant · 07-18-2021, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

And most enjoyable it was too. A good collection of crime/detection/mystery short stories.

Next up: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick.

Which was good, although showing its age in one or two clunky bits.

Then I read The Last Defender of Camelot by Roger Zelazny. Most enjoyable. Part of a Humble Bundle I bought five years ago in May 2016.

And then I read Headlong by Michael Frayn. A Kobo freebie I picked up in 2012.

A sad disappointment. An enormous amount of art history research went into the novel, and it shows. All the way through. It doesn't help that the protagonist in unlikeable, and that the ending is telegraphed and obvious from the start, as it's a 'told in retrospective' story, with no real suspense.

2/5

Next up: Another freebie, this month's Phoenix Pick: Halfway Human by Carolyn Ives Gilman

astrangerhere · 07-20-2021, 02:34 PM

I've had a bit of a pet emergency the last week or so (resulting in a 2-year old cat having eight teeth extracted - but she is doing great now!), so my reading has been lagging a bit. But I'm back on the horse now:

Listening to Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner (never listened to Mark Bramall before, but he is perfect for this title)
Reading The Turmoil (first in the Growth Trilogy) by Booth Tarkington on my ereader.

Dr. Drib · 07-20-2021, 02:48 PM

Currently Re-reading The Breast, by (in my opinion), one of the greatest writers of American literature - Philip Roth.

Dr. Drib · 07-21-2021, 06:54 AM

Finished The Breast and it was just as great the second time.

Now reading Kimonos in the Closet, by David Shumate, a literary collection of prose poems. Wonderful.

Uncle Robin · 07-21-2021, 09:46 PM

Nearly halfway through American Notes and it's as grim a read as the Dickens fiction works I have chosen to avoid. Almost the entire first half of the book is taken up by descriptions of visits to lunatic asylums, orphanages and prisons - I wonder if his wife ever said to herself "What the Dickens is this kind of holiday?!"

pdurrant · 07-22-2021, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: Another freebie, this month's Phoenix Pick: Halfway Human by Carolyn Ives Gilman

Which was very good indeed. Just missed being perfect as I felt the time involved in interstellar travel wasn't explored enough, but I accept that wasn't the focus of the book. 4/5

Next up: The Literary Devil's Dictionary by David Davis. Picked up way back in 2009.

gmw · 07-22-2021, 10:57 AM

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. A sort of mix of recent-historical and contemporary fiction. It is funny and tragic, beautiful and ugly, perfectly written and appallingly overwritten - sometimes all in the one chapter. Or so it seemed to me. The writing is highly stylized and much of the time it fits perfectly, but at others it irritated me. The early chapters made me think of John Irving, with that ability show the humour and absurdity in what seems inevitable human tragedy, but the humour faded, turning at times to farce before becoming something (intentionally?) cringeworthy. The multiple timelines slowly get more entangled, although this at least I found a convincingly portrayal of what I felt the twins going through. The ending, when it comes, offers little more than a settling but somehow unwelcome (and possibly unnecessary) clarification of the imagery built up through the book. And after that ending I am at a loss to know what I really think of the book beyond it being both awful and brilliant.

pdurrant · 07-23-2021, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: The Literary Devil's Dictionary by David Davis. Picked up way back in 2009.

It had one or two enjoyable definitions, but also included a very poor 'jokes' section. 2/5 overall. Thankfully very short.

Next up: The Dark Hand of Magic by Barbara Hambly. The third in her "Sun Wolf and Starhawk" trilogy. I really liked the first two. I expect this one to be of a similar standard. Bought from Kobo back in May 2014.

ReadingManiac · 07-24-2021, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

I've had a bit of a pet emergency the last week or so (resulting in a 2-year old cat having eight teeth extracted - but she is doing great now!), so my reading has been lagging a bit. But I'm back on the horse now:

Listening to Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner (never listened to Mark Bramall before, but he is perfect for this title)
Reading The Turmoil (first in the Growth Trilogy) by Booth Tarkington on my ereader.

Hope your kitty is better!

ReadingManiac · 07-24-2021, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

Nearly halfway through American Notes and it's as grim a read as the Dickens fiction works I have chosen to avoid. Almost the entire first half of the book is taken up by descriptions of visits to lunatic asylums, orphanages and prisons - I wonder if his wife ever said to herself "What the Dickens is this kind of holiday?!"

I read that a couple years ago just to complete having read all of Dickens. Definitely a weird one!

pdurrant · 07-24-2021, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: The Dark Hand of Magic by Barbara Hambly. The third in her "Sun Wolf and Starhawk" trilogy. I really liked the first two. I expect this one to be of a similar standard. Bought from Kobo back in May 2014.

And very good it was too. A solid 5/5 from me.

Next up: The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L. Sayers. The fifth in her Lord Peter Wimsey series, which I picked up back in December 2013

taosaur · 07-24-2021, 06:31 PM

I was genuinely sad to reach the last of the Dungeon Crawler Carl books (so far). It's my first series in the litRPG genre that I could see having mainstream appeal. Seriously, Netflix, get this guy a contract. It's the RPG Apocalypse considered as a series of themed reality TV shows. Despite the borderline satirical tone, there's more emotional and political realism to both the characters and the interstellar menagerie glimpsed in the background than in any of the other litRPG series I've read.

I moved on to some mediocre (but still adequate! OMNOMNOM) litRPG by Ryan DeBruyn, starting with his latest Starred Tower. It's the first book of a new series, and while I wasn't super impressed with it, I went ahead and checked out his earlier Ether Collapse series. Unfortunately, it seems he had to grow a lot as a writer to reach the level of mediocrity displayed in Starred Tower. The awkward sentence constructions he achieves in pursuit of the passive voice are impressive in a way (irony noted). Nevertheless, I persist in the series, because there may be a nuclear dragon. I may have a problem.

Fbone · 07-24-2021, 07:22 PM

Decided to look into more freebies littering my device.

I tried Prototype D by Jason D. Morrow. Stopped after 40 pages. Story and writing quality not fitting my needs. I'm being kind here.

Next, I finished Alien Hunter by Daniel Arenson. This book is a little funny, loads of action and very predictable. If it was longer, it would have fallen flat. Simply written. Rated D+ [2 stars].

Now I started Evil Spy School by Stuart Gibbs.

gmw · 07-25-2021, 08:39 AM

Lost by Michael Robotham. Second of the Joseph O'Loughlin mystery/thriller series, although in this book O'Loughlin plays only a supporting role to DI Ruiz. This was good, but it did seem longer than it really was. Part of that is that it packs a lot in, it keeps moving at a fairly hectic pace from the first page to the last. But despite that I found it fairly easy to put down until the last third or so. Some of the details seem somewhat dubious in retrospect but mostly it holds up well enough while reading. 3.5/5.

I'm now starting on something rather lighter than most of my recent reading with the first book in the Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins. It seems to be off to an excellent start, but maybe it's just that Boots has got me suckered like everyone else in the story.

07-20-2021, 02:34 PM	#30168
astrangerhere Professor of Law Posts: 3,754 Karma: 68428716 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Chapel Hill, NC Device: Kobo Elipsa, Kobo Libra H20, Kobo Aura One, KoboMini	I've had a bit of a pet emergency the last week or so (resulting in a 2-year old cat having eight teeth extracted - but she is doing great now!), so my reading has been lagging a bit. But I'm back on the horse now: Listening to *Angle of Repose* by Wallace Stegner (never listened to Mark Bramall before, but he is perfect for this title) Reading The Turmoil (first in the Growth Trilogy) by Booth Tarkington on my ereader.

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07-18-2021, 09:14 AM	#30166
gmw cacoethes scribendi Posts: 5,818 Karma: 137770742 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Aura One & H2Ov2, Sony PRS-650	*Aurora Rising* by Alastair Reynolds. (aka The Prefect) First of the Prefect Emergency science-fiction novels. This read to me like a first novel (actually around the 7th). Hidden behind the info-dumps, annoying redundancies and navel-gazing was an interesting enough story, so I pushed myself to finish, but it was touch-and-go at times. But worst of all, I found the ending unsatisfying. It did finish up, just rather anticlimactically. There were some cute ideas, so I offer a feeling generous: 2/5. I've since read that this is apparently set in the same general location and time as the Revelation Space series, indeed I can see that at least one character of this book is directly related to the main protagonist of the first book of that series (about 11 years later). I don't think the order mattered, Aurora Rising made sure nothing was confusing by explaining the main plot points ... several times over.

07-20-2021, 02:48 PM	#30169
Dr. Drib Grand Sorcerer Posts: 45,445 Karma: 59592133 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Peru Device: KINDLE: Oasis 3, Scribe (1st), Matcha; KOBO: Libra 2, Libra Colour	Currently Re-reading The Breast, by (in my opinion), one of the greatest writers of American literature - Philip Roth.

07-21-2021, 06:54 AM	#30170
Dr. Drib Grand Sorcerer Posts: 45,445 Karma: 59592133 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Peru Device: KINDLE: Oasis 3, Scribe (1st), Matcha; KOBO: Libra 2, Libra Colour	Finished The Breast and it was just as great the second time. Now reading Kimonos in the Closet, by David Shumate, a literary collection of prose poems. Wonderful.

07-21-2021, 09:46 PM	#30171
Uncle Robin Diligent dilettante Posts: 3,661 Karma: 52758936 Join Date: Sep 2019 Location: in my mind Device: Kobo Sage; Kobo Libra Colour	Nearly halfway through American Notes and it's as grim a read as the Dickens fiction works I have chosen to avoid. Almost the entire first half of the book is taken up by descriptions of visits to lunatic asylums, orphanages and prisons - I wonder if his wife ever said to herself "What the Dickens is this kind of holiday?!"

07-22-2021, 10:57 AM	#30173
gmw cacoethes scribendi Posts: 5,818 Karma: 137770742 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Aura One & H2Ov2, Sony PRS-650	*The God of Small Things* by Arundhati Roy. A sort of mix of recent-historical and contemporary fiction. It is funny and tragic, beautiful and ugly, perfectly written and appallingly overwritten - sometimes all in the one chapter. Or so it seemed to me. The writing is highly stylized and much of the time it fits perfectly, but at others it irritated me. The early chapters made me think of John Irving, with that ability show the humour and absurdity in what seems inevitable human tragedy, but the humour faded, turning at times to farce before becoming something (intentionally?) cringeworthy. The multiple timelines slowly get more entangled, although this at least I found a convincingly portrayal of what I felt the twins going through. The ending, when it comes, offers little more than a settling but somehow unwelcome (and possibly unnecessary) clarification of the imagery built up through the book. And after that ending I am at a loss to know what I really think of the book beyond it being both awful and brilliant.

07-24-2021, 06:31 PM	#30178
taosaur intelligent posterior Posts: 1,562 Karma: 21295618 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Ohiopolis Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2, Samsung S8, Lenovo Tab 3 Pro	I was genuinely sad to reach the last of the Dungeon Crawler Carl books (so far). It's my first series in the litRPG genre that I could see having mainstream appeal. Seriously, Netflix, get this guy a contract. It's the RPG Apocalypse considered as a series of themed reality TV shows. Despite the borderline satirical tone, there's more emotional and political realism to both the characters and the interstellar menagerie glimpsed in the background than in any of the other litRPG series I've read. I moved on to some mediocre (but still adequate! OMNOMNOM) litRPG by Ryan DeBruyn, starting with his latest Starred Tower. It's the first book of a new series, and while I wasn't super impressed with it, I went ahead and checked out his earlier Ether Collapse series. Unfortunately, it seems he had to grow a lot as a writer to reach the level of mediocrity displayed in Starred Tower. The awkward sentence constructions he achieves in pursuit of the passive voice are impressive in a way (irony noted). Nevertheless, I persist in the series, because there may be a nuclear dragon. I may have a problem.

07-24-2021, 07:22 PM	#30179
Fbone Is that a sandwich? Posts: 8,296 Karma: 101697116 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: Nook Glowlight Plus	Decided to look into more freebies littering my device. I tried Prototype D by Jason D. Morrow. Stopped after 40 pages. Story and writing quality not fitting my needs. I'm being kind here. Next, I finished Alien Hunter by Daniel Arenson. This book is a little funny, loads of action and very predictable. If it was longer, it would have fallen flat. Simply written. Rated D+ [2 stars]. Now I started Evil Spy School by Stuart Gibbs.

07-25-2021, 08:39 AM	#30180
gmw cacoethes scribendi Posts: 5,818 Karma: 137770742 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Aura One & H2Ov2, Sony PRS-650	*Lost* by Michael Robotham. Second of the Joseph O'Loughlin mystery/thriller series, although in this book O'Loughlin plays only a supporting role to DI Ruiz. This was good, but it did seem longer than it really was. Part of that is that it packs a lot in, it keeps moving at a fairly hectic pace from the first page to the last. But despite that I found it fairly easy to put down until the last third or so. Some of the details seem somewhat dubious in retrospect but mostly it holds up well enough while reading. 3.5/5. I'm now starting on something rather lighter than most of my recent reading with the first book in the Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins. It seems to be off to an excellent start, but maybe it's just that Boots has got me suckered like everyone else in the story.

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