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

[Luffy]

Originally Posted by PurpleStar

Well I'm hooked after two chapters! Great so far.

I'm glad for you then. I myself remember the book getting quite a high rating on goodreads.

[PurpleStar]

Originally Posted by Luffy

I'm glad for you then. I myself remember the book getting quite a high rating on goodreads.

Yes it has a pretty high rating. It’s my first Baldacci book. Hoping for a faced past thriller.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

It is fascinating. I'm astonished at how fully formed the story is even in the very first manuscript pages.

I'm still reading The History of The Hobbit. It's very detailed, but the cross-references in the footnotes aren't linked, which is a shame.

[DiapDealer]

I recently finished up Linda Nagata's Nanotech Succession series. And though I wasn't as thrilled with the last two installments as I was with the first two, they were still quite good overall. These were her very first novels; and while it's easy to see how the first in the series won her a Locus award for Best First Novel, it's also easy to see--having read some her more recent works--that she's only gotten better. I mainly read this older series because her latest book, Edges (the first book of the Inverted Frontier series), is being billed as "a new entry point into the classic story world of Linda Nagata's The Nanotech Succession" and I didn't desire it to be "a new entry point" for me. I have to have it all or nothing.

So while I look forward to starting her latest work, I'm first going to do a little palate cleansing via K.J. Parker's latest release: Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City.

A siege is approaching, and the city has little time to prepare. The people have no food and no weapons, and the enemy has sworn to slaughter them all.

To save the city will take a miracle, but what it has is Orhan. A colonel of engineers, Orhan has far more experience with bridge-building than battles, is a cheat and a liar, and has a serious problem with authority. He is, in other words, perfect for the job.

Should be fun. It's my first K.J. Parker book since his real identity--Tom Holt--was revealed (a secret that was kept for seventeen years!).

[Dngrsone]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I'm still reading The History of The Hobbit. It's very detailed, but the cross-references in the footnotes aren't linked, which is a shame.

I have Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" by Corey Olson, which I enjoyed quite a bit.

Just finished The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig, which had a good ending, I thought.

Starting Ani Difranco's No Walls and the Recurring Dream; two chapters in and I am not certain how long I will continue.

[Fbone]

I abandoned Prador Moon by Neal Asher. I just couldn't get into this. A techno AI humanoid spacecraft was too much for me. Augmented humans and virtual visions added to my confusion. Perhaps, my brain isn't developed enough to handle Asher's books. This was my second attempt at an Asher book.

Next, The Silence of Stones by Jeri Westerson.

[Rumpelteazer]

I've just finished The Secret Diaries by Elly Griffiths. I really enjoyed this mystery with a ghost story link.

I like Griffiths Ruth Galloway series, but had yet to read any of her other books. She's got one more stand alone book and another series. Those have definitely moved up on my TBR list.

[ZGottlieb]

I'm finishing up Godeena by Stejepan Varesevac-Corbets

Godeena is a high tech cyber "Dirty Dozen" story full of action and adventure in space across several planets with a B story interwoven. The technology is well described, the action nonstop, characters interesting, and overall the story keeps the reader turning pages.

While I'm enjoying reading the book, it has flaws because the writer is not a native English speaker. There are speed bumps from oddly worded phrases and editorial issues that caused me to stop and reread a few times.

The book is a kindle unlimited and worth a try especially is you like the dirty dozen story where a bunch of losers grow up and come together in space for the impossible mission.

[CRussel]

Just downloaded to my Kindle is the latest Ava Lee novel from Ian Hamilton, The Mountain Master of Sha Tin. Everything else on my list now gets to wait!

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I'm still reading The History of The Hobbit. It's very detailed, but the cross-references in the footnotes aren't linked, which is a shame.

I'm still reading The History of the Hobbit, and I'm now through the text of the first couple of editions, and into the (new to me) proposed rewrite of 1960, which luckily never happened, as to my mind it's not as good as the original, although some bits did make it into the 1966 revision.

Fascinating stuff. But it's a long book!

[ReadingManiac]

Just been reading an anthology called Witch Lit edited by Laura Perry. It had two authors I recognise in it and proceeds support Books for Africa, so I figured I'd take a chance for .99. Some stories are better than others (I won't mention the poetry) but the good ones are well worth the price.

[Rumpelteazer]

I finished The Last Widow by Karin Slaughter this afternoon. It's the latest in the Will Trent series. The action started right away and didn't let up until the end. One of my favourite books, if not the favourite, of the year so far.

[Dngrsone]

Finished Almost Interesting by David Spade. Guy uses too many commas, and I'm not certain whether all the misogyny is part of his shtick or he actually thinks that way. If the latter, then that's probably the primary reason why he's still single.

Anyway, some insight into his and Farley's relationship, another glimpse into the SNL scene, nothing much more.

Moving on to The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I'm still reading The History of the Hobbit, and I'm now through the text of the first couple of editions, and into the (new to me) proposed rewrite of 1960, which luckily never happened, as to my mind it's not as good as the original, although some bits did make it into the 1966 revision.

Fascinating stuff. But it's a long book!

I finished! And very good it was too, with fascinating insights into the composition and later updates to The Hobbit.

As a quick and fun read after just a long book, I read Artemis Fowl and the Last Guardian. Good stuff, although I feel the consequences of the events depicted were downplayed.

Next up: Asimov's Sf Magazine for July/August 2019.

[Rumpelteazer]

Contest by Matthew Reilly.
After reading the synopsis it seemed like this book would be a fairly standard thriller. It didn't mention it featured

Spoiler:

aliens

If I had known that before starting I probably would have skipped this book. It was a fun, and very quick, read.

Synopsis:

The New York State Library looms as a silent sanctuary of knowledge: a hundred-year-old labyrinth of towering bookcases, narrow aisles, and spiral staircases. But for Dr Stephen Swain and his eight-year-old daughter Holly it is a place of nightmare. Because, for just one night, this historic building is to become the venue for a horrifying contest, a contest in which Swain must compete, whether he likes it or not.

The rules of the challenge are simple: seven contestants will enter, but only one will leave. With his daughter in his arms, Stephen Swain is plunged into a terrifying fight for survival. The stakes are high, the odds are brutal. He can choose to run, to hide, or to fight - but if he wants to live, he needs to win. For, in this particular contest, unless you leave as victor, you do not leave at all.