Beyond Reality discussion

Please let us know what you are reading - or planning to read - this month. All genres are welcome here!

I finishedThe Tiger and the Wolf which I enjoyed and recommend. Now I'm also enjoying Adrift

Just picked up a stack from the library:

The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi (Sci Fi)
Among Others by Jo Walton (Fantasy)
Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali
Another Love: A Novel by Erzsébet Galgóczi

Taking a little break from epic novels while reading a few stories in Science Fiction of the 30s Simple and refreshing.

One thing that is great about this Labor Day Weekend is that I get to get up early and zip through what to me was a page-turner: Endymion by Dan Simmons.

Endymion is # 3 in the Hyperion Cantos. I read the first two eons ago. Hyperion is one of my favorite novels of any genre -- period. But The Fall of Hyperion did not continue the pilgrimage tales format of its predecessor, and took the story in what I felt was a strange direction. Endymion brings back a lot of the original ideas, and I could not read each page fast enough!

Thank heavens for Kathi, a great new moderator who can give me the time to relax into this long awaited read!

Kings and Wizards by Phil Foglio and Kaja Foglio

Nick wrote: "One thing that is great about this Labor Day Weekend is that I get to get up early and zip through what to me was a page-turner: Endymion by Dan Simmons.

So now you have The Rise of Endymion ahead of you now? One of my favorite endings EVER. I hope you love it! I love all four of those books to pieces. They're all very different from one another but soooo good.

I start a new school year with a new group of 8th graders on Tuesday, so I've been too crazed to start a new book on my own lately. I may pick up some short stories. I'm still getting a little fix because I am reading the Upside-Down Magic series with my 7-year-old and really enjoying it - it's kind of like Harry Potter lite, for kids who are a little too young for the real thing. We're halfway through the third book and he's completely enthralled! He's a little behind his peers with his own reading skills, but he LOVES being read to, so I'm sure it will come with time!

Reading The Dragons - Douglas Niles.

Last night I finished The Gray House by Mariam Petrosyan, a book translated from either Russian or Armenian. 7/10. Extremely long, with vivid characters (whose names sometimes change without notice), a maybe-sentient house, a touch of fantasy and a large dose of bizarreness. Too many unanswered questions for me to give it a higher rating, but the vivid writing/translation and the characters will stay with me a long time.

Next up is Declare for our group read, then Soul of the Fire for a different group read.

I'm in the middle of:
Binti trilogy,
An Unkindness of Ghosts,
The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter

will read later in Sept (for other bookclubs):
Trail of Lightning,
Red Clocks

About 2/3 done with my re-read of Royal Assassin for the group read. I may move on to Assassin's Quest immediately afterwards but likely towards the end of the month.

In the mean time, I plan to finish Inkdeath and Debt of Honor, neither of which have been terribly enthralling thus far. I'm also supposed to tackle Boy Erased: A Memoir for my new book club.

It's likely I'll launch into Thrawn: Alliances at some point for an easy win. Also hoping to get to La Belle Sauvage.

I am finishing up a YA paranormal series I started awhile back, reading book 3: Strange and Ever After. Also, I've finally started The Handmaid's Tale which I'd planned to read last month. I will be reading Assassin's Quest this month as well for the group read.

I just finished Wrong Way Home, and am still listening to The Marrying of Chani Kaufman, I'm reading Als das Leben unsere Träume fand (an ARC), Gespräche auf einem absurden Planeten, and will soon start reading
Land im Sturm

Shel wrote: " I am reading the Upside-Down Magic series with my 7-year-old and really enjoying it - it's kind of like Harry Potter lite, for kids who are a little too young for the real thing. We're halfway through the third book and he's completely enthralled! He's a little behind his peers with his own reading skills, but he LOVES being read to, so I'm sure it will come with time!."

A love of stories can be a major motivator in working on reading skills. I can remember wanting to read so bad so I didn't have to depend on others to read them for me.

My free time this weekend was filled with reading white papers and tech specs, taking notes, and fiddling with a bunch of math. Does that count?

I finished Adrift which I greatly enjoyed and recommend. Now I'm readingCrooked Kingdom

Random wrote: "A love of stories can be a major motivator in working on reading skills. I can remember wanting to read so bad so I didn't have to depend on others to read them for me."

Fingers crossed!

I started Late Eclipses the other day and I think I'm liking it even more than the first three Toby Daye books, which I loved! After I finish I'm probably going back to Realms of the Elderlings with Assassin's Quest.

Mage Fall by Jonathan Moeller

I finished Crooked Kingdom a couple days ago and highly recommend it!! This duology might be a good read for the group. I then moved on to Artificial Condition, which I also enjoyed (ready to read all the Murderbot books!!). Now I'm reading Down Among the Sticks and Bones

Currently reading Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett. Interesting worldbuilding.

Kathi wrote: "Last night I finished The Gray House by Mariam Petrosyan, a book translated from either Russian or Armenian. 7/10. Extremely long, with vivid characters (whose name..."

I'll be reading this in November. Kind of intimidated with the length and weirdness but I am really curious.

Silvana wrote: "I'll be reading this in November. Kind of intimidated with the length and weirdness but I am really curious."
I am very glad I read it. The imagery is very powerful. I will be interested to know what you think in a couple months. Are you reading it for a group?

I enjoyed Down Among the Sticks and Bones and have moved on to Sky in the Deep

Oooh is love to hear how FOUNDRYSIDE is. I haven’t decided whether to get it in hardcover or kindle yet or wait for library..,

I finally finished Soul of the Fire, part of the Sword of Truth series and one of my favorites so far—less graphic sexual sadism and torture, slightly more mature main characters, and the return of a favorite character from an earlier book. And I know authors have to create situations to fit their plots, but I wish characters who are allies would just tell each other honest and complete information for a change!

Ready to start Assassin's Quest for our group series read! I am attending a conference next week, so I am hoping to read a lot in the airport and on the plane since I won’t have time to read during the conference.

I finished Assassin's Quest the other day and now I am reading We Are Going to Be Lucky: A World War II Love Story in Letters -- which is by my amazing mother-in-law! It's an edited and annotated collection of the letters written between her parents, my husband's grandparents, when her father was deployed during WWII. I'm finding it totally fascinating as an intimate portrait of what life was like back then - both the life of a soldier in basic training (I haven't gotten to the part of the book where he goes off to combat) and the life of the wife left behind. I think I'd really enjoy it even if it weren't for the personal connection - but my children are named for these people so of course that makes it extra special! Anyway, not genre, but if you have an interest in history check it out - helping my MIL spread the word :)

Shel wrote: "I finished Assassin's Quest the other day and now I am reading We Are Going to Be Lucky: A World War II Love Story in Letters -- which is by my amazing mother-in-law..."

Sounds like a wonderful read!

Creating Characters: How to Build Story People by Dwight V. Swain

I just finished Way Station which I enjoyed; it aged well. Now on to One of Us

Little Red Rodent Hood by Ursula Vernon

Good to know about Way station - I picked it up used recently in my read-the-Hugo’s quest

I just finished One of Us which I enjoyed and am now starting The Calculating Stars

Christine wrote: "I just finished One of Us which I enjoyed and am now starting The Calculating Stars"

Omg I loved The Calculating Stars. I just finished (& also loved) the sequel The Fated Sky. I enjoy that character so much. :-)