Easley Library Bookworms discussion

A couple of years ago, I was introduced to the work of one of my Goodreads friends, LeAnn Neal Reilly, when she kindly offered me a review copy of her novel The Last Stratiote. Ever since then, I've been wanting to read more from this talented author; and today, I finally started on another of her books, Saint Sebastian's Head. Earlier today, I was thinking (and mistakenly stated in another group) that I'd bought copies of both that novel and her other one, The Mermaid's Pendant; but I'd actually had the latter one ordered for Easley Library's Leisure Reading collection. (I've got my eye on that one, too!)

My wife and I both finally gave up on our reading of Forging the Darksword; neither one of us was getting into it. :-( Since we only read the first six chapters, I didn't rate or review it; but I did post a short note here (www.goodreads.com/review/show/1217232393 ) to elaborate on why I didn't finish it.

In general, though, we both like fantasy; our newly-started "car book," The Gilded Chain, the first novel in Dave Duncan's King's Blades series, is in the same genre. I got a copy for Christmas back in 1998, when it was newly published, so it's high time I read it!

About six years ago, I read and reviewed the sword-and-sorcery anthology Chicks in Chainmail, and really liked it. Editor Esther Friesner has a whole series of these collections, somewhat similar to the late Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword and Sorceress anthology series, but focusing entirely on warrior women rather than sorceresses, and with more emphasis on humorous stories. Awhile back, I picked up the sequel, Did You Say Chicks?!, with an Amazon gift card. While I wait to start a common read in another group at the beginning of next month, I'm passing the time by reading in the latter collection.

I'm reading the books above in print form, as usual; but I recently started reading a book on my Kindle app as well. The only books I read that way are freebies that I have a chance to check out and see if they're worth buying in print. This particular one is Brackett Hollister: The Werewolf Pack, by my Goodreads friend Quentin Wallace (it's not currently available for free, but he offered it that way for a couple of days last month). It's strictly pulp supernatural adventure, and not a bit "high-brow," but my taste encompasses that end of the spectrum right along with the classics. :-)

The book I just started reading is another short story collection, Rejected, edited by Brian Woods; it's a free review copy that I got from my friend Andrew Seddon, who has a story of his included in it. The common thread of the stories anthologized here is that they were all previously rejected for publication in another venue, even though (in Woods' opinion), they're all good stories. His point, for the benefit of authors and readers alike, is that a rejection by one editor (or clerk, or whoever is assigned to read through --or sometimes, just slop over-- the slush pile) isn't an infallible judgment for all time on the quality of the story.

Well, I wound up putting Rejected on my "being read intermittently" shelf, as one to read in when I'm between other books. The main book I'm reading now is Doha 12, an action/adventure debut novel written by yet another of my Goodreads friends (several of them are authors), Lance Charnes. This isn't a free review copy; it's one I bought a couple of years ago, and have been laying off to read.

Recently, I was fortunate enough to win a copy of God's Daughter, by my Goodreads friend (and West Virginia author) Heather Day Gilbert, in a giveaway. Fortuitously, it arrived yesterday, when I'd just finished Doha 12 the day before and was ready for a new read! (Needless to say, I started on it right away.) It's a historical novel set in North America ca. 1000 A.D., and focusing on the Viking explorers/settlers. Heather's a Christian author who self-published her series-opener after the evangelical publishing houses rejected it --not due to its quality, which they admitted to be good, but just because they doubted if the Christian market had much demand for medieval-set historical fiction. That's a sad commentary in itself on the state of ECPA publishing and the CBA book trade, IMO.

Next month, I'll be starting a common read in another of my groups; so for now, I wanted to chose a quick read that I could finish by then. So I've started a book I got awhile back from BookMooch, Xena: The Huntress And The Sphinx, by Ru Emerson. It's a spin-off novel from the old Xena: Warrior Princess TV show, of which I was a fan. (My tastes aren't always particularly highbrow. :-) )

While returning from our recent trip to visit Barb's family, she and I started a new "car book," Stalking Ivory, the second book in the Jade del Cameron mystery series by Suzanne Arruda. We read the series opener, Mark of the Lion, last year and really liked it, so we've been looking forward to this follow-up.

I don't usually read novels on my Kindle app unless they're freebies that I'm trying out to see if they're worth buying in paper format. Currently, I'm reading one of these, the science-fiction action-adventure series opener Dakiti by Goodreads author E. J. Fisch. It was offered free in e-book format earlier this year, on the anniversary of its publication, so I took advantage of the offer.

Presently, I'm listening to "Miss Julia Meets Her Match" by Ann B. Ross as an audiobook when I walk. That same book has recently been donated to the Easley Library. It's the story of how Widow Julia Springer deals with the chaos and gossip of living in a small town. It's very cute. And possibly a bit more prescient than the author intended, due to one particular story line and certain current events. I've enjoyed it.

For my current "reading" book, I've picked up an old favorite. Oddly enough, it's kind of the male version of Miss Julia. I'm re-reading Jan Karon's "At Home in Mitford," the story of a 60 year old Episcopal Priest, Father Tim, during a time when his life is turned upside down by the addition of a giant dog who only responds to scripture, a young boy, a new neighbor, and the often crazy antics of the people in his parish. I love this feel-good series. It's perfect for cozy, rainy days in the house. Easley Library has this book in the Leisure Reading section.

I've just gotten caught up on all that everyone has been reading. This year has been slower for me and I'm way behind on my reading. Currently, I've got an audio book going - The Girl with All the Gifts which now that I'm more than 2/3 of the way through, I'm disappointed that the description isn't matching the book. So far the kid isn't manifesting any gifts. Do we have to wait until the end? This is another dystopian novel where a disease has infected a major portion of the human race and there are a few left to survive with any semblance of normalcy and are trying to find an antidote to the infection. Think Oryx and Crake meets the Body Snatchers. My hardcover read is The Funeral Dress written by Susan Greg Gilmore, an Appalachian author who will be conducting a workshop next week at Breaks Interstate Park. This is a sad book so far but very representative of the genre.

Paula, I read At Home in Mitford a few years ago (I checked it out here at Easley --actually, it's in the Christian Fiction collection), and rated it at four stars. We have the whole series here, and I plan to read all of it eventually.

I'm currently reading Cakes and Ale, by W. Somerset Maugham. That's the common read this month in one of my other groups, but I've had to start it a little late (yesterday) due to being out of town for a few days earlier this month, and having to get it from the public library.

Oh, you're right, Werner. It's in Christian Fiction. I had a different series in mind when I said Leisure Reading. Sorry! That said, the fact remains that I love this gentle series of books, and I'm very much enjoying my own return to Mitford in this re-read. I think I've read the first five or six of these books, but I know I haven't read the most recent ones. I'm looking forward to them!

Crystal, let us know if the girl ever finds her gifts. I'm curious!

Paula! I just finished it this afternoon. The title is all wrong for this book. I didn't realize that I was really reading another take on "zombies." Only the zombies are evolving and the girl is the leader in the evolutionary process. I really live under a rock. I've never read nor am I interested in zombies. These creatures are called "hungries." I guess her gifts were that she was evolving.

ROTFL. That's too funny! I hope you can find a better one for you next time. ;-)

Last week, I started reading The Strong One, self-published by David Wittlinger, in e-book format (it's not available in paperback yet, although it's intended to be eventually). This is a free review copy that I accepted from the author, who's a Goodreads friend. (I was aware of the warnings about some explicit sexual content and bad language; but I've been exposed to some of that kind of thing at times before, and I'm prepared to judge the book on its merits overall.)

While I wait for an interlibrary loan book that I'll be buddy reading with a Goodreads friend, I'm passing time by reading in The Mammoth Book of Men O'War. It's an anthology of short fiction set on warships in the heyday of the age of sail; I'd picked up a copy last summer at the Mennonite thrift store up in Harrisonburg, where I've gotten a great many book bargains over the years.

My Goodreads friend Jackie and I finally started our buddy read of The Fatal Tree, by Stephen Lawhead, early last week. This is the concluding volume of his Bright Empires series; we've read all of the previous installments together as well, so this will finish up the series.

Around the beginning of this month, my wife Barb and I started a new "car book" (just in time for our long road trip up to the Shenandoah Valley area!). We're reading Operation Chaos by the late Poul Anderson, having read (and really liked) his The High Crusade together some years ago.

Although Goodreads and Amazon treat it as a book, Fungi, Summer 2015 is actually an issue of an irregularly published print magazine, which aims to present quality short fiction, poetry, and art that explores the weird, fntastic and macabre, along with some pieces of nonfiction commentary. Most selections are new, though a few are reprinted. (The title comes from a poem by H. P. Lovecraft, "Fungi From Yuggoth.")

My friend Andrew Seddon, who has a story in this issue, gifted me with a review copy. I'm currently reading (and enjoying!) it as if it were a book.

Twenty minutes ago, I finished re-reading the first in a well-loved children's series by Lloyd Alexander called "The Book of Three." It's been so long since I've read it, I'd forgotten all the details!

Continuing in the number line, I'm also reading "The Fall of Five" by Pittacus Lore. It's one of the sequels to "I am Number Four" which was made into a movie a few years ago.

This weekend, I started reading Legends of Sleepy Hollow, a very newly-published anthology of scary tales set in the area of New York's Sleepy Hollow (made famous, of course, by the Washington Irving story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." This book is another review copy given to me by my friend Andrew Seddon, who has a story included (and whose generosity I take a lot of advantage of!).

For our anniversary, which fell over the long weekend, I gave my wife Barb a two-volume collection of 1945-49 Western stories by Les Savage, Jr., The Complete Adventures Of Senorita Scorpion Volume 1 and Complete Adventures of Senorita Scorpion, Volume 2. These were reprinted recently by Altus Press, the publishing arm of Pro Se Press that reprints worthy older pulp titles that might not be accessible to modern readers otherwise. We've started on Vol. 1 as our new "car book," and if we lkke it we'll follow it up with Vol. 2.

Yesterday, I started reading still another free review copy I recently got from my friend Andrew. This one is his SF short story collection The Deathcats of Asa'ican and Other Tales of a Space Vet. I actually beta read all or most of these stories when they were originally being written; but that's been years ago. To do them justice in a review, I felt I needed a reread, so decided to get a start on it now, while I wait for an October common read in another of my groups. (When that starts, I'll shift this one over to my "being read intermittently" shelf.)

Paula, in the light of your post above, I'm guessing that you've read I Am Number Four. What did you think of it? A lady in one of my other groups was given a copy by her sister, and feels duty-bound to start reading it soon; but she's dubious about what to expect, and fears it may be "too silly." (I've never read any of Lore's work and know nothing about it, so I don't have an opinion myself!)

Yes, I read all the regular books in that series apart from the last one, Werner. "I am Number Four" is the first in the series. You ordered the others for me on ILL, and we were unable to get the last one because it was too new. There are also several "tangential" books that I haven't read.

Basically, I liked the overall series well enough to read them all, but not well enough to buy them. I rolled my eyes at several points at what I considered to be pandering to a YA stereotype that was unnecessary (love triangles, for instance), although that was a little later in the series, actually.

If I were twelve or thirteen, I probably would have loved the series. Teenagers with special powers who came from another planet, hiding out on Earth, and charged with restoring their own society, battling the evil aliens who want to destroy them would have been perfect for me. In fact, I remember a television show I used to watch with a VERY similar premise - "The Powers of Mathew Star." I loved that show. I also loved "Escape to Witch Mountain" in both book form and (original) movie form.

These books, as a whole, form a generally decent overall story. I didn't LOVE the Lorien books as an adult, but I enjoyed them well enough. They're basically entertaining and quick reads. There are also some moments within the series that did move me to tears. Not a lot in that first book, though. In that book, I just was not familiar enough with all the characters to be emotional about them.

"I am Number Four" has a lot to accomplish. It introduces the main protagonist of the stories, begins building the backstory of their home world, and creates relationships that will grow and change throughout the rest of the books in the series.

In later books, the narrator switches from one perspective to another, making it take a couple of moments to understand who is speaking. That makes an interesting change.

I got bored with training and battle scenes throughout the series. I tended to skim over that kind of material, and in later books, there are lots of those. "Four" does bring up the concept that people can change for the better when they realize they are wrong. I liked that little message, and since it comes up again in later stories, I liked the continuity. If YA books (and adult books) would give up on love triangles for a while, I could be a very happy camper.

Again, I enjoyed them all well enough that I am still interested in reading that last book when I can find it in a library or at a yard sale. I did not enjoy it well enough to spend 10 or 15 dollars on it. Does that help? ;-)

Yes, Paula, it does; thanks!

By the way, Werner, the author is called Pittacus Lore, but it's interesting to note that that name is part of the stories. I will say no more because it might be a spoiler. ;-)

Thanks for the tip, Paula!

This month, I'm taking part in a common read of Haunted, by the late (d. 2013) British author James Herbert, in my Supernatural Fiction Readers group. (It's so short, and such a quick read, that I expect to finish it by this Friday.) Until this book won the group's poll, Herbert wasn't an author who was even on my radar; but during his lifetime, he was the best selling novelist in the U.K.

Right now, I'm filling in time while I wait for Oct. 23, when my oldest daighter Rebekah and her husband Tony will arrive from Australia for a roughly two-week visit with us; I don't expect to read much (if at all) while they're here. As usual in this type of situation, I've turned to a short story collection, which doesn't have to be read in its entirety before I need to put it aside.

This time, I'm reading the anthology Novel Ideas --Fantasy, which I picked up at one of our local dollar stores a few years ago as a remaindered copy. Published by DAW, it collects eight short stories, by major contemporary writers in the fantasy genre, that inspired one of their important novels or series (or played some other germinal role in its creation). There's a companion volume for science fiction, though I don't have a copy of that one.

Well, I decided not to continue to read Novel Ideas-Fantasy after all, for reasons I explain in a note where my review would be. It seems to consist entirely, or to a major degree, of what amount to novel excerpts (though the introductions to the stories don't identify these as such); and that's not really up my reading alley. So this is one that'll go in my BookMooch inventory!

Instead, I'm reading a story collection my wife Barb owns, the first volume of Louis L'Amour's collected Frontier Stories. She has the whole three volume set (part of a larger collection of his entire short fiction), but Goodreads apparently only has records by inividual volumes. She's historically been the family's L'Amour fan (he's her favorite writer); but I like his work, too, and may become a fan yet! :-)

While Rebekah and Tony were with us, I didn't have any time for reading; but they left this morning, so I've resumed a normal reading schedule. I've just started In the Shadow of the Conquistador, a new novel by my Canadian Goodreads friend Shane Joseph (he was kind enough to provide me with a free review copy.

I just finished A November Bride by Beth K. Vogt about an hour ago. It was a sweet Christian romance novel about friends falling in love after 17 years.

Over the weekend, I started reading Agent with a History, by Christian author Guy S. Stanton III, on my Kindle app. This is one I picked up awhile ago, when he posted in the Christian Goodreaders group that he was offering his works free on Amazon for a limited time. If I like it, I'll buy a print copy, and continue with the series. (I also have a couple of unread short e-stories on my Kindle app, Harvest of War and Hildie at the Ghost Shore, by my Goodreads friends Charles Gramlich and Paula Cappa, respectively; but I plan to work in my reading of those when I have time to review them.)

Having decided to review Willow, the novelization of the 1988 movie of the same name starring Val Kilmer, I realized that I'd forgotten a great deal of detail about the storyline, etc. (I'd read it back in the early 90s --1990, I think.) So in order to do a proper review, I'm reading it again; and over Thanksgiving break, since this is a novelization of a movie, I'm hoping to watch the film again (I have it on VHS) in order to compare the two.

Back in 2012, before this group was formed, I read and greatly liked Point of Honour, the first volume in Madeleine E. Robins' Sarah Tolerance series; Sarah's an "agent of inquiry" (private detective, in modern parlance) in Regency London --actually a slightly alternate Regency era, where Queen Charlotte is the Regent. It typically takes me awhile to follow up on series, even those I like a lot; but I'm finally reading the second installment, Petty Treason.

That sounds good, Werner! Let me know when you finish.

Will do, Paula! I'll try to remember to post a link to my review on this thread (though this isn't one of Easley Library's books).

Paula, I finished Petty Treason yesterday. My five-star review is here: www.goodreads.com/review/show/298804204 . (It also has a link to my review of the series opener, Point of Honour.)

Even among my Goodreads friends, there aren't many authors of whom I can say that I've read everything they've ever published, and hope to read everything they publish in the future; but Andrew M. Seddon is one of those. He has a story included in the newly-published speculative fiction anthology Misunderstood, and recently gifted me with a copy. So I put it to the top of my to-read pile, and started on it this weekend.

Werner, I'm always finding books after you have already reviewed them. ;-). I recently borrowed the Mercy Thompson books from the public library. I just started to add them to my GoodReads bookshelf when I discovered your very thorough review of the first book. I've just started Book 5, Silver Borne.

Glad you liked my review, Paula, and glad you're enjoying the series! The first book, Moon Called, is the only one that I've read; as you know, I really liked it, but there are so many urban fantasy series out there that I recently decided to bite the bullet and not continue with either this one or Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels series. That will allow me to concentrate on two other long-running series that I like even better: Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock books and Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. (Hey, I'm not getting any younger; and I've got nearly 400 books on my to-read shelf already!)

So many books, so little time, Werner. Urban fantasy is something I generally have to be in the mood for, but I have very much enjoyed Mercy's story. Horrible things happen to her in later books, and I'm interested in how she handles her life.

Mercy's a very likable character; she's definitely the nicest were-coyote I know! :-)

On New Year's Day, I kicked off the new year by starting a new book, The Informationist by Taylor Stevens. My Goodreads friend Seeley James praised this one warmly on his blog; so a couple of years ago, I tried the experiment of reading it in the public library in Harrisonburg, VA during my summer visits up there. That experiment wasn't a success, though; I couldn't finish it in one summer, and by the next one had forgotten too much detail to easily pick it up. Having gotten a free copy from BookMooch last year, I'm now reading it in the more continuous way the author intended! :-)

Someone recently donated Easley Library a copy of Same Kind of Different as Me. When it came up in a call number check, it was quickly apparent that the number assigned by the Library of Congress was a device of desperation. Cataloging it accurately, IMO, requires reading it (that's not true of all books, but it is of some); so I checked it out and took it home. That's probably not the best plan for picking an enjoyable read. In fact, though (and despite the fact that I'm not an avid reader of memoirs, I'm really getting into this one!

I enjoyed it, Werner. Interesting to know about the LC call number thing.

Barbara, the LC catalogers classified it with Texas local history and geography (I'm guessing with a Fort Worth ordinal number). That's hardly the real subject, though! I plan to classify it in CT, with collective biography, a classification that I think describes it much more accurately.

For the month of February, the Norah Lofts fan group I belong to here on Goodreads is doing a common read of her novel about Queen Isabella of Spain, Crown of Aloes. Since I was ready to start another book, and the discussion thread was already up, I went ahead and started on this one a bit early.