SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

I finished a couple of days ago She Came From Beyond!: A Novel by Nadine Darling. I borrowed it from the library for its clever title and cover. It's okay.

I'm currently reading P.S. Be Eleven by Rita Williams-Garcia. It's a very good mg novel set in the 70's in Brooklyn. It's also the second book in the series and I intended to read them in order. Oh well.

I finished Sharp Ends, which I really enjoyed, and then I read three more Discworld novels. The series seems to be growing on me, and I particularly enjoyed Wyrd Sisters. My reviews:
Sharp Ends
Mort
Sourcery
Wyrd Sisters

I’m now taking another Discworld break. I just started The Sheep Look Up by John Brunner.

I finished Joe Hill's latest The Fireman. It is listed as horror but I think it leans much more to dystopian. Anyway it is great!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I'm reading a netgalley preview version of the best short stories of Alastair Reynolds called "Beyond the Aquila Rift." It's improperly formatted though so it's a bit hard to keep track of where stories begin and end. However, generally the stories are very interesting and very creative.

I am reading A Discovery of Witches, Blood Trade, Ghosts & Echoes

This year I have been mostly reading:

1. Road To Shandara (2 stars)
2. Defender (3 stars)
3. Avenger (3 stars)
4. Hidden (3 stars)
5. Dangerous Women (4 stars)
6. The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble's Braids (5 stars - I recommend this book. I'm still catching my breath!)
7. Shades of Smoke (3 stars)

So all in all, quite a lot of indie books. I'm looking forward to going back to some of my more staple authors later this year, and in particular, have two Mark Lawrence lined up on the bookshelf.

And I'm just about to finish Half the World, which started slow but has got better with the reading.

I finished The Burning Land. Another enjoyable read (My Review).

I just started the audio of The Eyre Affair. It's my third read but the first time on audio. I love this book and I couldn't resist a reread when it won the polls for next month.

Sarah Anne wrote: "I just started the audio of The Eyre Affair. It's my third read but the first time on audio. I love this book and I couldn't resist a reread when it won the polls for next month."

That reminds me I have that on my list, I may look into that one next myself.

It's absolutely fabulous :)

This one was really good. The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Currently reading The Aeronaut's Windlass for Hugo voting.

Wrapping up my revisit to the Potterverse with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

I just finished Nexus and The Fold, along with A Pair of Blue Eyes, which has the scene that is the origin of the term "cliffhanger."

Now I'm working slowly through The Wings of the Dove and I'm starting Daemon.

I recently started reading Beginning Operations which is a collection of James White's old Sector General stories about a multi-species hospital that serves a galactic organization. These stories are front the 60s and 70s so I'm surprised I never read any of these stories before.

Michael wrote: "I recently started reading Beginning Operations which is a collection of James White's old Sector General stories about a multi-species hospital that serves a galactic organization. These stories a..."

I have a couple of those books in my re-read collection. First read them years ago and still enjoy going back occasionally.

Half the World done! Great book.

Time to move onto Ship of Magic - one of those books I really should have read sooner. Reading this as part of the Sci-Fi and Fantasy group 2016 book club, and have just found out that it's a bit of a monster...

I'm reading Power, by Native American writer Linda Hogan. It isn't exactly fantasy, or is it? It's one of those literary novels that's close to fantasy. It's about a Native American girl in Florida who watches a woman who feels compelled to kill a panther. The panther is a god to her.

Currently reading Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon and Max Brooks's World War Z. :-)

I just finished Hunted by Kevin Hearne This is such a good series!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Carol wrote: "a woman who feels compelled to kill a panther. The panther is a god to her.."

Interesting. If it's a god, I wonder why does she want to kill it?

I'm finally finally finally starting Blindsight!!!

This months' highlights...
1. I just finished Dune by Frank Herbert. It was an epic sci-fantasy read. Sci-fi because it involved spaceships and technological weapons; fantasy because the plot was an epic coming-of-age-and-fulfilling-the-prophecy kind. This is one of those classics that really merits it's fame!

2. For a lighter read, I also recently finished Disenchanted by Robert Kroese. The main character dies, but because a a cursed sword, can't pass into the after life. It was delightfully witty.

3. My YA read this month was Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. It is an interesting setting (real world plus some magic) with a unique thematic connection to the Holocaust. It reminded me a lot of the original X-Men story line, in a good way.

Up next: I have already started His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik. I LOVE dragon tales, and though I am not far into the book, it is not disappointing at all.

Melanie wrote: "Up next: I have already started His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik.."

I read this series some years ago and enjoyed it very much.

My May reading included City of Bones (3), Starship Troopers (3), Hyperion (4), and His Majesty's Dragon (4).

I am currently reading The Library at Mount Char and Oryx and Crake.

I just finished The Devil You Know. It was really good. For me it felt like an episode of Scooby Doo but with real ghosts and demons. It was a very well written, entertaining mystery/paranormal book.

Sterling wrote: "I just finished The Devil You Know. It was really good. For me it felt like an episode of Scooby Doo but with real ghosts and demons. It was a very well written, entertaining mystery/..."

That's one of my favorite series!

Currently reading A Storm of Swords by George R R Martin and Ubik by Philip K Dick. Also The Giver by Lois Lowry - I'm reading this along with my daughter's 7th grade English class.

I liked "the devil you know" but book two was a dud for me. the author definitely shows bit of brilliance.

Starting the Percy Jackson series just because I need something super light in between my nonfiction reading and there was a Kindle sale yesterday.

Don wrote: "I liked "the devil you know" but book two was a dud for me. the author definitely shows bit of brilliance."

It's the same author who wrote The Girl with All the Gifts, he just got a bit more polished down the road.

Sarah Anne wrote: "Don wrote: "I liked "the devil you know" but book two was a dud for me. the author definitely shows bit of brilliance."

It's the same author who wrote The Girl with All the Gifts, ..."
Wow I had no idea he wrote The Girl with All the Gifts. I have had that on my TBR for a really long time. I may need to move it up the list now.

Here is my review of Gap into madness.

I've decided to sneak in a reread of The Face by Dean Koontz. I haven't read it in years and I've been wanting to.

I finished my audio reread of The Shadow Rising. I liked it more on a reread than I seemed to originally, but that first 20% is tough. Probably too tough if I didn't know it got better/enjoyed the later parts so much (My Review).

"Sarah Anne wrote: "It's the same author who wrote The Girl with All the Gifts."

Sterling wrong: "Wow I had no idea he wrote The Girl with All the Gifts."

It's always fun when you find out the same author wrote two very different books. Here are a couple of other "Who knew??" pairings:

The Bridge Over the River Kwai and Planet of the Apes, both by Pierre Boulle.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and all the James Bond books, both by Ian Fleming.

The screenplay for 'The Fly' and 'Shogun' both by James Clavell :)

I read Seveneves for the Hugo reading. It's certainly an intellectual tour de force, but I had several issues with it so it won't be the top Hugo pick for me. My first Stephenson, though it won't be my last. However, I may not be in a hurry to pick up another one by him right now.

Michele wrote: ""Sarah Anne wrote: "It's the same author who wrote The Girl with All the Gifts."

Sterling wrong: "Wow I had no idea he wrote The Girl with All the Gifts."

It's always fun when you..."

That is incredibly fascinating!

Michele wrote: ""Sarah Anne wrote: "It's the same author who wrote The Girl with All the Gifts."

Sterling wrong: "Wow I had no idea he wrote The Girl with All the Gifts."

It's always fun when you find out the same author wrote two very different books."

What about David Benioff? Not only is he at the helm of the Game of Thrones but he also wrote City of Thieves.

Lord my list is massive....*deep breath*


That's just what's on my night stand table. I haven't even gotten to the books on my shelf yet.

Does any one else wish they could freeze time?

AndrewP wrote: "The screenplay for 'The Fly' and 'Shogun' both by James Clavell :)"

No way!!! XD

Kieran wrote: "The Grace of Kings..."

I read Ken Liu's short story "Paper Menagerie" (won the Hugo, Nebula AND World Fantasy Awards; available online here) and cried like a baby. I didn't know he had started writing novels.

I think he's the translator of Three Body Problem, too, isn't he?

Sarah Anne wrote: "I think he's the translator of Three Body Problem, too, isn't he?"

Yes. And the 3rd bil book in that series too I believe my

Last night I finished LaRose by Louise Erdrich. Mostly it takes place in the recent past, in the early days of the Iraq war, which is important to some characters, but because it's Louise Erdrich it's also about these character's families, going back several generations. This is one of those Louise Erdrich books that has magical realism elements; I like those best.


Next up is These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901 by Nancy E. Turner for my RL book club next week.

Julia wrote: "Last night I finished LaRose by Louise Erdrich. Mostly it takes place in the recent past, in the early days of the Iraq war, which is important to some characters, but..."

I love her but I hadn't heard of this one. Thanks :)

Sarah Anne,

I think it came out this month, so you're not far behind. You're welcome.

The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump by Harry Turtledove.

Just started it last night.

I just finished listening to Ubik by Philip K. Dick. What a crazy mind that man had. I loved the book and the narrator was also excellent.