SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

I think Children of Men is worth reading just four the end. Then again, it was a for star book for me until then.

I just (finally thank God) finished 1Q84. 3 stars because Murakami's obsessions with sex and body image became annoyingly neurotic.

I'm starting Flesh and Spirit now. Two not easy to please friends gave it five stars so I'm very excited and hopeful.

Good luck, Sarah!

I never read Murakami - looks like heavy stuff...

Silvana wrote: "Good luck, Sarah!

I never read Murakami - looks like heavy stuff..."

Thanks :) A lot of people love him. I loved The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle so I had a lot of enthusiasm for this one. If it had been 2/3 the length I would have liked it more. It became tedious.

Kim and Sarah Anne,

If you're not reading assigned material, why do you keep reading books you don't like?

I read about 50 pages of a book before I give up on it. I've got about 28 pages to go in Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now by Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

I'm currently reading the addicting, intoxicating Tremontaine: The Complete Season One by Ellen Kushner or start with #1 Arrivals. I'm currently reading Lies in Our Stars by Paul Witcover. These are set in the Swordspoint universe, but you don't have to have read those first. Season Two will be out in October.

I don't usually. I give a book 20%. In this case 1Q84 was a buddy read and a group challenge. And I did like the first 60%, which is why it didn't end up with 1 or 2 stars.

Julia wrote: "Kim and Sarah Anne,

If you're not reading assigned material, why do you keep reading books you don't like?"

The Well of Ascension was a group book and I feel that if I'm going to talk about it on the podcast I have to finish it.

The Big Nowhere, I just had to know who the killer was. Nothing else in the book I found captivating, but I can't leave a mystery unsolved. Especially when Wikipedia doesn't have the information.

Unnatural History, it was a short book and I wanted to see just how bad it got. It was bad.

The Children of Men, I am very close to giving it up. It's Sarah who keeps telling me to persist :P

If I give a book up it's an automatic 1 star. Why would I give a book anything higher if it's not even good enough for me to finish. If I can make it through but then still dislike it then it's going to be 2 stars.

Oh no! You're blaming Children of Men on me? I could just tell you the end! Or you could just read that and call it good. I loved it all the way through.

In September I read , ,

Finished Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father -- fascinating, but a bit less cheery than I expected. The Alcotts had quite a hard life for many years. Interesting to see the autobiographical elements in Little Women.

Then zipped through Summerlong. Lovely. Made me cry. Most of his books do.

Next up: Sustenance. Yay St. Germain!

I recently started Boy's Life. It promises to be a really great read.

I just completed the conclusion of the Red Rising Trilogy. EXCELLENT series.

I'm almost done with . Very insightful and fascinating look at the making of the original Star Trek series and films.

My review of Blood of the Cosmos by Kevin J. Anderson

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

Just finished The Obelisk Gate (not an earth-shattering five stars like the first book but still a very solid, crystallized, four stars, with some multicolor pebbles)

Starting The Hero of Ages - pleaseeeee let this be better than Well of Ascension.

Midnight Palace by Carlos Ruiz Zafon and very very soon, Crooked Kingdom!!

Terez wrote: "I just completed the conclusion of the Red Rising Trilogy. EXCELLENT series.

I'm almost done with [bookcover:The Fifty-Year Mission: The Complete, Uncensored, Una..."

Looking forward to starting book 2 in the Red Rising trilogy. Really like the first one a lot!

I just started my three millionth reread of Lightning by Dean Koontz. I first read this when I was 11 and it kicked off a lifelong love of Koontz. Nearly 30 years later and he's still my favorite author.

Sarah Anne wrote: "I just started my three millionth reread of Lightning by Dean Koontz. I first read this when I was 11 and it kicked off a lifelong love of Koontz. Nearly 30 years later a..."

Three millionth lol I have a couple of "old friends" that I think I've read three million times :)

Isn't it wonderful? I was laughing at the thought that I would have to read it over 100,000 times per year to achieve that. Still, I just love it so much. I've been laughing out loud and near tears and I'm only 100 pages in.

I finished reading The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, and really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to the second book later this month (My Review).

I also listened the rather short non-fiction book: Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life. I liked it, but didn't love it (My Review).

Finished Sustenance and Commedia della Morte, both quite good. As always, Yarbro has done her historical research and does a great job setting the scene. St. Germain is his usual urbane self, though he gets pretty beat up in both (blown up in one, stabbed in the other).

Now returning to Problem Island, which I had just started when St. Germain arrived in the mail :)

Three fourths of the way through The 5th Wave. Twisty and turny, a fast paced read. Looking forward to completing the trilogy.

Here is my review for The Emperor's Blades.

I just started the audiobook for Hell Divers but it's too early to call yet.

Just finished The Aeronaut's Windlass which was just meh to me, though it's always fun reading Butcher-isms.

Now I'm reading Clariel, to which party I'm very late. It's good to be back in such a well developed world. I can't wait to see how she goes from this girl to the monster from Lirael/Abhorsen! Garth Nix is a treasure.

Allison wrote: "Garth Nix is a treasure. "

For sure. I only discovered him a couple of years ago and was sorry it had taken me so long.

Michele wrote: "Allison wrote: "Garth Nix is a treasure. "

For sure. I only discovered him a couple of years ago and was sorry it had taken me so long."

It's okay! We can make up for lost time. Goldenhand comes out tomorrow!

Allison wrote: "Michele wrote: "Allison wrote: "Garth Nix is a treasure. "

For sure. I only discovered him a couple of years ago and was sorry it had taken me so long."

It's okay! We can make up for lost time. G..."

I confess that I still haven't read the Abhorsen books... I'm hoping to get to them next year. There's even more serious incentive now that I found out that Tim Curry does the audios :) :) :)

Sarah Anne wrote: "There's even more serious incentive now that I found out that Tim Curry does the audios :) :) :) ..."

I haven't listened to them, but a die hard fan/friend of mine says they're excellent. I hope you get to it and that we haven't hyped it too much--it's one of my all time favorite series. Welp. Now I've hyped it more...

Allison wrote: "Welp. Now I've hyped it more..."

Lol! Just a bit :)

Allison wrote: "Goldenhand comes out tomorrow!"
I didn't know that. I love the Abhorsen series. Off to Amazon!

Ellen wrote: "Allison wrote: "Goldenhand comes out tomorrow!"
I didn't know that. I love the Abhorsen series. Off to Amazon!"

High five, Ellen!

I wonder if Mr. Nix would offer me commissions...

;-)

I finsihed Redshirts and now reading Company Town.

Finished Problem Island. Awesome premise, disappointingly executed.

Now returning to Ken Liu's The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories.

I finished The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins. My review:

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

My review for The Last Stormlord by Glenda Larke

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

Melissa wrote: "I just finished the Sci-fi which I really enjoyed! ..."
I'm starting this one tomorrow as a buddy read with another group!

In September I read and and , some other UF and two comics.... and a very entertaining historial romance with smexy times...

Today I'm reading Gilliamesque: A Pre-posthumous Memoir by Terry Gilliam and The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse.

It was a slow reading month for me, but I was able to read The Lies of Locke Lamora and Doomsday Book. They are both on the group books shelf and have happily been added to my favorites list.

My favorite of last month is easily Crooked Kingdom which was just a heisty, twisty, and action-packed as the first book in the series.

I listened to Terms of Enlistment. It was good, but not great (My Review).

Finished The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories -- very impressive. Now embarking on The Elementals for a group read over on Literary Darkness.

Currently finishing Boy's Life for The Southern Literary Trail.
Halfway through Already Dead for Pulp Fiction.
Soon to start The Elementals for Literary Darkness, after which I hope to get to The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and Broken Monsters for this group.
It's going to be a busy month.

Here is my review of Raft by Stephen Baxter

Just started Fuzzy Nation, still trying to get through Authority (not as gripping as Annihilation) and loving me some White Trash Zombie Apocalypse. And listening to An Unwelcome Quest while cooking and cleaning which is an apropos title for the tasks at hand.

Rob wrote: "I listened to Terms of Enlistment. It was good, but not great (My Review)."

This is on my list, but I can't seem to get to it.

I finished The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet on audio this weekend and then Magic to the Bone. Both were just meh.

Now listening to Dune and I want to world to go away to that I have more time to listen.

I've started reading Bloodline and Fevre Dream. I'm liking Fevre Dream so far.

Kim wrote: "I've started reading Bloodline and Fevre Dream. I'm liking Fevre Dream so far."

I have a copy of that that I've wanted to check out.

Fevre Dream may be my favorite vampire book. It made me want to read about steamboats.

It's doing well in the poll and I've had it on my Kindle for a long time so I thought I might as well read it.

I loved Fevre Dream :)

Kim wrote: "It's doing well in the poll and I've had it on my Kindle for a long time so I thought I might as well read it."

Not quite well enough though. ;>(