SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

Lara Amber wrote: "My son has autism so NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity had my undivided attention...When Books Went to War: The Stories that Helped Us Win World War II was a great selection for my book group "

Wow, both of those look excellent.

My family and I went on vacation to Wisconsin, so I read (for me reread) to them Station Eleven also for my RL book group, which we all loved. Then I read to them from American Gods, again a reread for me, which I loved before, but was more indifferent to this rereading. I also read Valley Studio: More Than a Place while on vacation.

I've read City of Secrets, which I didn't care for, much and this morning finished Lowriders in Space, which was neat and am about to start Outcast, Vol. 1: A Darkness Surrounds Him. (Edit: It turns out I read this in December of last year and didn't care for it then, or remember it, so I'll return it to library unread, this time.) I plan to read Rocket Girl Volume 1: Times Squared and Mr. Splitfoot for they are all due at the library by Tuesday, or later.

Julia wrote: "I wrote "I finished Our Town by Thornton Wilder a few hours ago, now I've got a 60 page Afterword to read, maybe."

And Michelle asked: "Ah, such a classic! What did you think?"

That I need to wri...",

I love that play. which version do you want your group to perform? The movie was on TV recently. It has a different ending. One of the commentators said that Wilder approved the change for the movie, thinking it would be more acceptable to the audience. I like the original better. I'm surprised by how many people have not seen or read this.

Julia wrote: "My family and I went on vacation to Wisconsin, so I read (for me reread) to them Station Eleven also for my RL book group, which we all loved. Then I read to them from [book:America..."
A vacation to Wisconsin might inspire you to read Clifford Simak (All Flesh is Grass, Way Station, City, etc., who was born in Millville, Wisconsin, and set many of his spec fic. stories in Wisconsin and area locations.

I had a similar reaction to American Gods.

I read over half of Clive Barker's The Scarlet Gospels before returning it to the library. I was bored. I've never been bored by a Clive Barker novel or short story before, but this one just didn't capture me. Nothing seemed really scary, and I didn't care about the characters. Maybe it's just my mood lately, but my reaction to Pinhead and the other creatures in Hell was "ehh, whatever".

I started reading the wonderful, amazing stories by a local writer : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

which I'll continue between novels, or as a smaller book to take to read while waiting for appointments. I"m now enjoying https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1....

First I listened to The Waking Fire. I liked it a lot better than his last book. It looks to be an interesting series (My Review).

I also read Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, which isn't SFF, but was very book nerdy. I found it a lot of fun (My Review).

Finally in another break from SFF, I listened to The Day of the Jackal, I liked it, but didn't love it (My Review).

I thought "Mr Penumbra's 24 hour book store" was definitely fantasy because of the Magic-ie stuff.

I felt it approached fantasy at times well never actually crossing over.

Don wrote: "I thought "Mr Penumbra's 24 hour book store" was definitely fantasy because of the Magic-ie stuff."

Magical realism, maybe?

I am reading Brilliance and really enjoying it. It's sci-fi mystery.

Dina wrote: "I am reading Brilliance and really enjoying it. It's sci-fi mystery."

I see that it's marked as Book 1 of something. Can it be read standalone?

I finished Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee today. This is sort of a dense SF novel. Very interesting characters but a very involved mathematics and calendar involved universe. I was kind of swimming in the mechanics of how things worked, but I enjoyed the characters and the political intrigue.

My aunt lent me Kalifens gave by Tor Åge Bringsværd. About a quarter of the way through. Also, Siddhartha.

Faith wrote: "I just finished listening to The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury."

I really liked some of the short stories in that one. If you haven't read The Illustrated Man I'd recommend it!

I just finished Baptism of Fire. It had some really great parts in it, but overall I didn't think it was as good as the other Witcher novels.

Don wrote: "I thought "Mr Penumbra's 24 hour book store" was definitely fantasy because of the Magic-ie stuff."

I described it as 'The DaVinci Code for nerds but better written.'

The Autumn Republic by Brian McClellan. I hate it when a great series is only a trilogy. Some should be like Malazan or Discworld.

audible has "Orphan X " on sale today for 3.95. if you like Jason Bourne type stuff it is a great story and well narrated.

Yes I picked that up Don! I've heard great things!

Don wrote: "audible has "Orphan X " on sale today for 3.95. if you like Jason Bourne type stuff it is a great story and well narrated."

I read this not long ago. I didn't like it as much as I'd hoped to. I could have done without all the issues with the tenants in the building, especially the single mom and her kid. That's not what I read a book about an assassin for. If all that stuff had been cut, I'd have liked it a lot more.

Veronica, I didn't mind the building side-lines it accented the main characters attempt to do what regular people do. if you have some recommendations in the genre I would love to have a few.

Finished Ready Player One with big smile on my face. Yay Tempest! Yay Zork! Yay Pacman!

Now reading Night Pilgrims. From the 21 century to the 12th, quite the leap :)

Silvana wrote: "The Autumn Republic by Brian McClellan. I hate it when a great series is only a trilogy. Some should be like Malazan or Discworld."

He's writing a sequel trilogy.

Silvana wrote: "The Autumn Republic by Brian McClellan. I hate it when a great series is only a trilogy. Some should be like Malazan or Discworld."

What I hate even more is when an author doesn't know when to say The End. I saw Dennis Lehane speak last year and he defended ending a series of his by saying:

"It’s very hard to go too far down the road of a series because the series starts to become very artificial. It just seems like – how many cases can these guys get? How many times can they fight the fight against the heart of darkness? How many times can serial killers come to their door?"

Well said Tom! I respect that the author is telling their story. I love it when the story ends and I still want more. when the author's story ends and I'm still workings out parts and side-lines.

Just finished Kitty in the Underworld on audio, now listening to Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch.

Don wrote: "Veronica, I didn't mind the building side-lines it accented the main characters attempt to do what regular people do. if you have some recommendations in the genre I would love to have a few."

I haven't read a ton yet but I'm on the lookout for more. The most recent one that comes to mind is the first book in the Will Robie series by David Baldacci, The Innocent. Robie is a black ops government assassin who also makes a go at having a "normal" life but the outcome was a lot more interesting to me. The overall tone of the book also felt more grounded IMO, less Hollywood summer movie blockbuster-ish.

Veronica wrote: "Don wrote: "Veronica, I didn't mind the building side-lines it accented the main characters attempt to do what regular people do. if you have some recommendations in the genre I would love to have ..."

I really enjoyed that one, too.

Now I just need to get to the rest of the series. :-)

I am nearly done with a marathon session with a book that has no reviews-no author information. I got it free from Amazon this week and wow. Deserves to find a publisher who would promote it.

It's somewhat futuristic with hovercrafts and a planet devastated by an asteroid, where people live under domes. But the characters carry the story--forty young people who are lost in the wilds after a massive sandstorm and they find shelter in . . . Shangra-La (my name for their discovery.)

The Hall of the Mountain Queen

I find some real good free fantasy/sci-fi here every week:

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

I'm getting towards the climax of Joe Hill's new book, The Fireman. It's different than I expected which, in this case, is a good thing. Hill interests me. The more of his books that I read, the more I recognize his father's style in them but, and this sounds totally contradictory, I also see more of Hill's own distinct talent.

Zippergirl wrote: "I am nearly done with a marathon session with a book that has no reviews-no author information. I got it free from Amazon this week and wow..."

Is it YA? The blurb makes it sound kind of YA-y. Love the title, though.

read the pub. blurb. on "The hall of the mountain queen". it mentions uhhh... heartbreak aaand unresolved feelings so I'm out. just kidding. No I'm not. really, I'm just kidding. no, not kidding.

I finished Graveyard of the Hesperides, a historical mystery set in ancient Rome, which was quite good.

Also read Sanderson's new White Sand, Volume 1. It was pretty good, but I'm not sure how well he made the transition to graphic novel form as it felt like I kept missing things that would have been explained in a novel. Also, one bit of the world-building bugged me a bit.

Hmmm, I just finished it and there is a hint of 'unresolved feelings' but no mush. And as a mature reader, I didn't detect any YA tendencies.

The ending wrapped it all up nicely--no unresolved feelings. The science and tech were plausible and inventive.

It's better than the cover would lead you to believe.

I just started Hell Divers by Nicholas Sansbury Smith.

I'm currently reading several books but no sci-fi and fantasy. That's such a bummer.

Really, Sarah Anne?

Any book I love whatever it's genre is a gift. Says the woman currently reading Doctor Who: The Shakespeare Notebooks. If you're a Whovian and you love Shakespeare, you need to read it. It's various Doctors and companions in several plays. I don't know how well it would work if you only love Doctor Who or Shakespeare.

I like having something sci-fi or fantasy going for fun. It helps break up the more serious writing. I really need to check that Doctor Who out! That sounds great.

I finished listening to My Life Next Door to cleanse my pallet I had been reading Fantasy for too long and needed to switch it up a bit. Now, its time to get back to my regularly scheduled reading program lol.

I'm reading Behind the Throne by K.B. Wagers and I'm loving it right now. Plenty of action and this book is just a lot of fun!

Taking a break from Night Pilgrims for some Wodehouse (The Inimitable Jeeves). I needed something lighthearted after the last week or so of watching the news :P

Finished Super Powereds: Year 2 , better than the first one, and I'll pick up the 3rd one in a few months.

Finished A Choice of Treasons, really fantastic stand alone military space opera story.

Stalled out a bit on Prince of Suck but that's a bit more of a you need to be in the mood book for me so in a week or so I'll probably go on reading it again.

Stalling out on Stealing Sorcery I'm half way though this book and it hasn't hooked yet, I feel like the author needed to come up with a better idea for the plot or at least plan this one out better. I'll probably finish it since I except some pay-off at the end.

ReReading Umineko: When the Seagulls Cry now that it dropped on steam, holy cow is the new art super awful, at least there is a setting for the original art. Otherwise it's fun seeing all the little hints it's dropping and of course the extreme amount of lying though omission now that I know what's going on behind the scenes from having finished it before.

Currently reading:

I am reading all of Poul Anderson's Technic Civilization novels, novellas and short stories as compiled and republished by Hank Davis. I am currently on Captain Flandry book 5 of 7 in the series.

Poul Anderson is both a SFWA and Gandalf Fantasy Grand Master. He "began his career during the Golden Age of the genre and continued to write and remain popular into the 21st century. Anderson also authored several works of fantasy, historical novels, and a prodigious number of short stories. He received numerous awards for his writing, including seven Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards" among many other accolades. I highly recommend his works. Caveat Emptor: He has 20th century Libertarian ideas, some coming through in his works, subtly or not so. Also a lot written in the SF Golden Age, so he may seem not PC. Such things I can easily overlook, just like in Shakespeare or Chaucer. But I know it can piss some off, thus the caveat ;-)

Michele wrote: "Taking a break from Night Pilgrims for some Wodehouse (The Inimitable Jeeves). I needed something lighthearted after the last week or so of watching the news :P"

There is no bad time to reade Wodehouse. I must say, though, that much of what I hear at the conventions makes no more sense than something Bertie Wooster would say.

Tom wrote: "I must say, though, that much of what I hear at the conventions makes no more sense than something Bertie Wooster would say. "

'...your aunt has asked me to inform you that she desires you to entertain a guest this morning.’

‘A guest? What guest? I thought we were all alone at Brinkley this weekend.’

‘The guest is Mr Trump, sir. An American. He arrived with his butler in the early hours.’

‘Was that the infernal shouting that woke me at three ack-emma?’

‘Undoubtedly, sir. Mr Trump has a voice that carries.’ ...

Jeeves and a Man Called The Donald

Michele wrote: "Tom wrote: "I must say, though, that much of what I hear at the conventions makes no more sense than something Bertie Wooster would say. "

'...your aunt has asked me to inform you that she desires..."

Love it!!

Finished reading Endymion and here is my review for it, this book convinced me that entropy does exist in the universe :(.

I started to read Zoo City: Eläinten valtakunta by Lauren Beukes and Kiduttajan varjo (The Shadow of the Torturer) by Gene Wolfe. Just because I wanted to read something different for a while and my currently-reading shelf was full of "at this moment boring/hard to get into" books.

Half way through All the Birds in the SkyNot so good,still I want to know how it ends..