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

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next: Saltation by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

And excellent follow-up, bring's Theo's story right up to the point reached in the other thread of the story that's told in "I Dare".

I shall enjoy getting to the others in the series when my TBR list is a little shorter.

Next up: View from the Imperium by Jody Lynn Nye

[thinkpad]

Just finished the YA-fantasy Graceling an ok read but I didn't think the language construct made the story flow very well. Don't know what I will be reading next.

[BearMountainBooks]

Finished the second in the Alpha and Omega series by Patricia Briggs (Hunting Ground). AWESOME. Simply AWESOME.

I also finished the second in The Edge series by Ilona Andrews...did I post about that already? I think I did. Never mind.

Weirdly I thought it would be Bayou Moon by Andrews that was the better of the books (both are the second book in their respective series) but I enjoyed the Briggs one far more. Just hit all the right notes, was more original and the characters were made of awesome!

[ATDrake]

Finished Fellowship of Fear by Aaron Elkins, 1st in his Gideon Oliver, Intrepid Globe-Trotting Forensic Anthropologist series. I got this from Fictionwise for the low, low price of $1.60 during one of their previous 60% off coupon weekends and went back and bought the rest during their most recent one after having read the first half of this.

It's an older amateur sleuth series (the main plot involves said sleuth getting caught up into a suspected spy investigation) and kind of dated in parts beyond the Cold War aspects of the background. But still quite readable and fun in other parts, and some moderately clever misdirection as to to who were the actual guilty culprits.

I especially liked the little mini-lectures on philology and cranial shape as related to identifying the people who were attacking him. But then, I've always liked it when fictional academics bring their fictional academic credentials to bear on practically irrelevant aspects of "all we really need to know is these people are trying to kill you and how can we prevent them from doing so".

Medium recommend. A promising start for the first novel of what seems to have been a moderately popular series (10 books thus far republished as e-books) which hopefully gets more polished as it goes along.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by ATDrake

Finished Fellowship of Fear by Aaron Elkins, 1st in his Gideon Oliver, Intrepid Globe-Trotting Forensic Anthropologist series. I got this from Fictionwise for the low, low price of $1.60 during one of their previous 60% off coupon weekends and went back and bought the rest during their most recent one after having read the first half of this.

It's an older amateur sleuth series (the main plot involves said sleuth getting caught up into a suspected spy investigation) and kind of dated in parts beyond the Cold War aspects of the background. But still quite readable and fun in other parts, and some moderately clever misdirection as to to who were the actual guilty culprits.

I especially liked the little mini-lectures on philology and cranial shape as related to identifying the people who were attacking him. But then, I've always liked it when fictional academics bring their fictional academic credentials to bear on practically irrelevant aspects of "all we really need to know is these people are trying to kill you and how can we prevent them from doing so".

Medium recommend. A promising start for the first novel of what seems to have been a moderately popular series (10 books thus far republished as e-books) which hopefully gets more polished as it goes along.

I tried one of his books, but I don't think it was a series. Opened with someone getting shot by a poisoned dart (more complex than that statement, but yanno). I don't know why, but it didn't grab me. Maybe I wasn't in the mood for the jungle setting or poisoned darts? Dunno.

[ATDrake]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

I tried one of his books, but I don't think it was a series. Opened with someone getting shot by a poisoned dart (more complex than that statement, but yanno). I don't know why, but it didn't grab me. Maybe I wasn't in the mood for the jungle setting or poisoned darts?

Could be. I'd previously started the 1st in another one of Elkins' series, the Chris Norgren, Intrepid Globe-Trotting Medieval Art Curator amateur sleuth books, and it was kind of slow-going and not particularly compelling. I expect I'll eventually get back to it later, because I paid a good $1.60 for that, too and might as well get my money's worth.

Even though he's supposed to be an award-winner, I can see how his writing style might have that hit-or-miss quality depending on the reader. I stuck with Fellowship of Fear despite a not-particularly-grabby first few chapters because I like forensic anthropologist stuff and I'd heard that the series became quite good in later books and it paid off for me.

But if the particular elements I liked were different ones that didn't hit my appeal-marks, then I'm guessing that instead of being fun, they would have just seemed annoyingly pedantic and socially maladjusted.

And some of Oliver's personality quirks and the setting did grate on me. Ah, messed-up 80s retro sexual and political and racial dynamics… I'm so glad I never had to live through you.

[Ron.]

I just finished The Magician King

This second volume in Lev Grossman’s celebrated series picks up just after the events of its 2009 prequel The Magicians. Quentin, Eliot, Janet, and Julia are now the High Kings and Queens of Fillory, a fantastic realm not unlike Narnia, and they pass their days “deliquescing atom by atom amid a riot of luxury.” To ease his royal boredom, Quentin embarks on a quest with Julia. Despite his romantic visions of heroic feats and easy accolades, the quest goes horribly awry, and they find themselves back in the depressingly real world of Chesterton, Massachusetts. With the help of seedy underground magicians, a dragon, and a young boy named Thomas, they undertake a desperate journey back to Fillory. Grossman’s writing here is sharp and self-aware, and the characters feel like people you actually know, but cooler: they are delightfully profane and dripping with irony, they are arrogant and shallow, they are finding their way in a magically perfect world that somehow still lets them down, and they are learning to fight for the things they love. The Magician King is a triumph of (and an homage to) modern fantasy writing, and a must-read for grown-up fans of Narnia and Harry Potter. --Juliet Disparte

I thought it was really good, I liked it better then the first one and I enjoyed the first one...

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by ATDrake

Could be. I'd previously started the 1st in another one of Elkins' series, the Chris Norgren, Intrepid Globe-Trotting Medieval Art Curator amateur sleuth books, and it was kind of slow-going and not particularly compelling. I expect I'll eventually get back to it later, because I paid a good $1.60 for that, too and might as well get my money's worth.

Even though he's supposed to be an award-winner, I can see how his writing style might have that hit-or-miss quality depending on the reader. I stuck with Fellowship of Fear despite a not-particularly-grabby first few chapters because I like forensic anthropologist stuff and I'd heard that the series became quite good in later books and it paid off for me.

But if the particular elements I liked were different ones that didn't hit my appeal-marks, then I'm guessing that instead of being fun, they would have just seemed annoyingly pedantic and socially maladjusted.

And some of Oliver's personality quirks and the setting did grate on me. Ah, messed-up 80s retro sexual and political and racial dynamics… I'm so glad I never had to live through you.

That sounds about right. It wasn't the pacing, I don't think, but I had no time to be involved with the characters. I'm a pretty character-driven reader and these particular characters seemed rather rabid over getting a treasure or something from the jungle and ignored those fine warning signs...I don't remember if I read enough to get my monies worth because I can't remember what I paid!

[DiapDealer]

I finished up Carol Birch's Jamrach's Menagerie. A tale of the sea—friendship, adventure, hardship, grief, and redemption. Just beautiful. I loved it. I think I may be snagging something else from the 2011 Man Booker Prize long-list to read. More than likely Patrick deWitt's The Sisters Brothers.

[pilotbob]

I finished _All Mortal Flesh_ and Rev Furgesson and Russ Van Alstyne mystery. I'm not sure why but I really like these stories. The are cozy mysteries and move really quickly. There is a small amount of action/adventure to them as well. When I read about all the settings in upstate new york with all the cold and snow I am happy about my decision to relocate to Florida from New England those many years ago.

I have started on the next book in the series _All Mortal Flesh_.

If you like cozy's I think you should give the first in the series a try. I recommend them. If you like Christies stuff I think you will like this too. Although, I seem to like most mysteries I read... so take it with a grain of salt.

BOb

[Crusader]

I've finished Mark Lawrence's Prince of Thorns (read my review here) and loved it. It's not your average fantasy and is very dark. The protagonist is so ruthless and seemingly evil that you love him for it. I also enjoyed all the plot twists and the way the nature of the world was hinted at, before it's revealed.

[poohbear_nc]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I finished up Carol Birch's Jamrach's Menagerie. A tale of the sea—friendship, adventure, hardship, grief, and redemption. Just beautiful. I loved it. I think I may be snagging something else from the 2011 Man Booker Prize long-list to read. More than likely Patrick deWitt's The Sisters Brothers.

I too found Jamrach's Menagerie a magical read! Beautifully written - with many echoes of past writers.

[xg4bx]

currently reading The Kinshield Legacy by KC May. i friggin love this book, the characters are fantastic and Gavin is one of the most loveable heroes i've ever come across in a fantasy novel. he's like han solo but with a tad more charm.

i just have the ebook edition but i'll be sticking hardcopies of this series on my christmas list because i'm enjoying it so much.

[melmac]

Currently reading this months club book the The Chinese Maze Murders. I'm enjoying it more than I though I would, it is rather amusing and moves along fast.

[Rumpelteazer]

Yesterday I finished Layton Green's The Summoner. Although it was very well written, had an interesting setting (Zimbabwe) and and interesting topic (Juju) I wasn't wild about it. It's a good read but for me the basic storyline, without the Juju and the setting, wasn't that special.

Now I'm back to reading Caleb Carr's The Alienist.