SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

and there was a French TV series for the Accursed Kings:

https://www.amazon.com/Rois-Maudits-L...

@Allison your first Connie Willis! I’m so curious to see whether her work will speak to you.

Everybody cover their ears while I have to freak out for a moment.

EMMA NEWMAN IS BRILLIANT!

There, done, you can savely come back now.

I read After Atlas, Before Mars and Atlas Alone from her Planetfall-series within the last 4/5 days. You would have needed a flamethrower to get me away from those books. I understand her 'emotional outlier' characters so well and feel myself so understood in those novels.
And not only does she write some of the most authentic characters, she also packs their emotional struggles in suspenseful plots.
She's a force!

Anthony wrote: "@Allison your first Connie Willis! I’m so curious to see whether her work will speak to you."

I am very excited for the experience!

Emma Newman! <3 Planetfall! <3

Diane wrote: "Sorry for not getting back to you about Callahan’s Chronicles, Jacqueline. I’d say they’ve aged particularly well, because there’s nothing really to place it in a particular age, so it reads as rig..."

Dj wrote: "I have read a few of them and will say that they are enjoyable. Since it is about mostly about a bar crowd they don't have much of an issue with the age. Although some are set in a specific time frame..."

Thank you both! I've added it to my try before I die longlist

Gabi wrote: "Everybody cover their ears while I have to freak out for a moment.

EMMA NEWMAN IS BRILLIANT!..."

I'm glad you found a series that resonated :) I saw your comments on my feed and promptly moved it way up my tbr list.

I hope you will like them, Beige <3.

Out of sheer enthusiasm about Emma Newman I forgot the other two books I read:

My classics endeavour went on with The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. This one popped up as I was reading Anne of Green Gables and I had a vague recollection from my childhood days. The last chapter is too sugary, but the rest was a wonderful story about the power of positve thinking and nature. An all around feel good book.

Then I had Sisters of the Vast Black by Lina Rather as a BR ... and it was the first book I wanted to give a 1-star rating even though it has so many raving reviews. But the statistics showed me that I would be the only one with this rating and so I cowardly went for 2 stars. ^^'
I don't know if it was because I was reading it between two Emma Newman books, but it felt so amateurish in the execution to me.

Gabi wrote: "Everybody cover their ears while I have to freak out for a moment.

EMMA NEWMAN IS BRILLIANT!

There, done, you can savely come back now.



I read Planetfall, liked it too and will eventually go on with the series. I am tough even more curious about her fantasy series Between Two Thorns.

I'm still divided about Sisters of the Vast Black
good and bad reviews make the choice difficult.

I was reading a lot of issues of The Wicked + The Divine #1 mostly because I could not stop turning pages, Lol, even if I wasn't so thrilled about how the series ended. I wasn't so impressed about The Gilded Wolves. I can't say exactly why it was so, perhaps there was too much action?

I was also reading The Winner's Crime and this time I liked especially the end of the book, it was just way too slow paced before getting there. Even tough I will read the last book in the trilogy.

Two people have rated Vast Black 1 star! :D I was also a coward and rated it 3 stars, altho it was honestly a 2 star for me.

Gabi wrote: "Everybody cover their ears while I have to freak out for a moment.

EMMA NEWMAN IS BRILLIANT!

There, done, you can savely come back now.

I read After Atlas, [book:Before Mars|34..."

So much love for Emma Newman. Her characters are truly fantastic. Which reminds me, I still need to read Atlas Alone!

Anna wrote: "Two people have rated Vast Black 1 star! :D I was also a coward and rated it 3 stars, altho it was honestly a 2 star for me."

Oops! My bad, I took the percentage for ratings XD

I'm so curious about Emma Newman! A friend just told me today that her Split World fantasy series (Between Two Thorns etc. is one of her favorites of all time, and now you, too, Gabi - makes me really want to get either Planetfall or Between Two Thorns. :-)

I've finished The Three-Body Problem (really liked its ideas, but thought the characterization was a bit lacking) and Ninefox Gambit (read it in two sittings because I ADORED it - so so good.

Then read a part of House of Salt and Sorrows (and skimmed the rest) because I thought a YA gothic romance/dark fantasy might be good for Valentine's Day and regretted it so much. World-building incoherent and makes no sense, characters very unbelievable (would 8 sisters really squeal and dance with joy over pretty fabrics and an upcoming ball one day after their very beloved sister died from either suicide or murder??). Also: lots of "smirking" and a hero who negs the heroine. Bleh, please don't fall for the hype, guys.

Now I'm listening to Six of Crows which is much more charming and entertaining (and the world-building makes sense). Not sure what to think of one of the book's couples though, since he seems to be a straight-up nazi and I don't really understand what she sees in him. But it's not the kind of book in which you need to like all the characters - the world, story and heist seem interesting enough and there are plenty of other interesting characters. And he might suddenly grow a brain and heart - who knows!

Haven’t posted any updates in this thread for quite a while...

I’ve been meaning to catch up with some of the SFFBC club selections I’d missed last year, and did so with Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson. It’s the third book of hers I’ve read, and I find her talent to be very appealing, but overall I could tell this was her first novel; its structure creaked, and the emotional lives of her characters weren’t nearly as fully realized as in her other works. I’m still a big fan of hers, though.

I recently finished the first non-SFF book I’d read in quite some time, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong, and enjoyed many aspects of it, but also found its author to be straining a bit to make all of his poetic prose connect within the more successfully personal and intimate scenes he depicted. It’s refreshing, though, to read a story from the perspective of a Vietnamese-American, a community whose voices I hadn’t experienced before in literature.

Now I’m halfway through His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik and am finding it mildly diverting, with a sweet central relationship, but wishing it had more depth and urgency. After this book, which I should finish tonight or tomorrow at the latest, I’ll be diving into our official group reads for this month.

Anthony wrote: "Haven’t posted any updates in this thread for quite a while...

I’ve been meaning to catch up with some of the SFFBC club selections I’d missed last year, and did so with Brown Girl in the Ring"

I really enjoyed Brown Girl in the Ring when I read it last year so you've inspired me to push Skin Folk and Sister Mine higher up Mount TBR.

I haven't been here much probably because my scifi read went down so much after I was hooked on UF. I also post the scifi rom and fluff on the scifi rom group. I do like my romance still I a little more back to reading scifi this year.
I've read a bunch of the J.D. Robb though I think that is more scifi light as it is only a little in the future.

I'm buddy reading the Bobiverse trilogy with my hubby.
We Are Legion (We Are Bob)
For We Are Many
All These Worlds
which I just saw that he is going to expand on though it wraps up from what everyone says.
I'm really enjoying it, at the end of the 2nd book.
I love all the different incarnates of the Bobs, how what they do isn't always the best and they try to fix the problems that frustrate them. I would give up on humanity personally.

Last night I finished Storm Front by Jim Butcher. Really enjoyed it. A wizard gumshoe novel....just what I needed. I suppose the murders were pretty gruesome but that didn’t faze me. I love murder mystery books. And TV shows. Especially “cozy” Mysteries. The murders are pretty bad but the show/book is like a warm fuzzy blanket. The last couple of nights we’ve been watching Midsomer Murders and Death in Paradise (as well as The Witcher) because I felt like some light murder entertainment.

Also I did Crime Scene Investigation in my Forensics course at Uni where they showed us actual crime scene videos. The little old lady killed by her granddaughter and her boyfriend for her inheritance (and she wasn’t even in the will) was one thing but the man killed by his wife with a meat cleaver was quite another. I learnt never to piss off a little Chinese woman when she was holding a meat cleaver. The thing is she casually went to bed and then next morning got the kids up and got them ready and took them to school. While there was blood and husband bits everywhere. So glad that wasn’t smell-o-vision. Also we had to study a lot of actual crime scene photos. Most were pretty gruesome. Anyhoo......I have trouble watching people get their heads cut off on GoT or The Witcher or whatever but the aftermath is a complete other story. The funny thing is I’m not a fan of true crime. I have I’ll Be Gone in the Dark and to me that’s more of a horror story than anything Stephen King can write. The actual evil among us scares the bejesus out of me.

Shorts: If you're in the mood for a short, these two were great!

- The Origin of the Flow SF - A fanfic by Scalzi for his Interdependency series. You can read or listen to Scalzi for free. Link is in the story details. I liked it! It is classic Scalzi.

- Two in Torquay Drama - This popped up in my feed via Choko & I went for a looksee. It's a short radio drama/play and REALLY funny! Dry & subtle humor mixed together.

Series:

- Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher (Fantasy): Read Books 1-3
The first book is the slowest of the set because you're getting intro for characters/setting. The books have a ton of action, interesting relationship ties & sneaky conspiracies. I'm really enjoying the books and look forward to seeing how it all comes down at the end. It's nice to read a series that's finished. =)

- Promise Falls by Linwood Barclay (Mystery/Drama): Overall, Barclay creates relatable characters and it's fun following them around as they live their lives & try to work issues out. That's the author's strong point. His other super ability is to peel away layers to reveal secrets in a manner that will have you wondering how the heck did that happen or why. Unfortunately, the endings are a bit anticlimactic. I enjoyed the prequel and mini-trilogy. It looks like the author enjoys interweaving his characters in standalone & series in Promise Falls. I like that! You get different POVs in not necessarily the expected manner. It made me think Twin Peaks.

- Alex Benedict by Jack McDevitt (SF/Mystery): Completed A Talent for War #1
It was a cool intro to Alex Benedict. He's like a futuristic Indiana Jones without the fighting for his life in ruins part. McDevitt is one of those authors I've been meaning to get around to and it was fun.

- Odyssey One series by Evan Currie (SF Space Opera): KU & RL
Buddy reading this one with Iain & others. The series starts strong but the author has an uneven pacing issue. It's like all the odd # books are great and the even # books are weak transitions but you can't miss them because key things happen in each book. lol
Currently on #3

- Nick Heller series by Joseph Finder (Thriller): If you want an action packed story with a MC that you can root for, this will work well. The stories are fast paced. I really like Nick, there are strong relationship bonds, crafty bad guys and just enough character growth or layers revealed to keep me interested. I added the author to my read list and look forward to reading his other work.

Standalones:

- The Twisted Ones: UF - I recommend listening to this one on audio because I think it's a better experience that way. The narrator did a great job of being the MC. This was a fun retelling of a fae tale and mix of modern issues. The author used a cyclic storytelling formula that could make you think the words are needlessly repetitive but it's done that way to make you think you know what's happening. Sneaky. =)

Overall, I loved the quirky side characters, the coon hound and I never thought the story was scary but my bar for that is high. It does have a spooky atmosphere that fit the story well.

- The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep: UF - If you want a story about characters from stories coming to life, this is it. I could tell that the author loved the stories that are represented in the story and definitely had a lot of those literature spaz out debates about minute details. The kind I had back in high school and college. LOL

I don't think I would have enjoyed the print version as much as I did the audiobook. It was a really good tale with a large dollop of magic. Totally about brotherly love, fierce bonds, trying to be normal and facing fears/failures. Pretty darn good for a debut novel.

After what has to be 18 months or more I’ve picked up Leviathan Wakes by James SA Corey again. I remembered a ship and a cop and that’s it so I’ve had to start the damned thing again. Which is fine. I’ve decided I need to knock at least one book off my currently reading list before I start a new one and hopefully that new one will be Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers. I reserved it at the library yesterday and it should get here from the library in the neighbouring little town early next week.

I’m going to be here in the Outback a lot more permanently now that my BIL has convinced my FIL that I’m a bad carer and that I forced him into the nursing home. I’m not and I didn’t but to be honest I’m happy he’s not my problem anymore. Almost straight away my blood pressure became normal again and I have dropped one of my BP meds (doctor told me to not just me doing it). I’ve blocked all of Hubby’s family on my phone and social media and I am at peace. It’s really rather nice planning for our new start and I will finally have my own life. I haven’t had a life for nearly 8 years. This new life will of course involve making use of my many comfy chairs in different rooms catching up on my reading.

Jacqueline wrote: "After what has to be 18 months or more I’ve picked up Leviathan Wakes by James SA Corey again. I remembered a ship and a cop and that’s it so I’ve had to start the damned thing again..."

I've finished two books in this series but that was six years ago. I'm hoping that it all comes back when I start up again.

Don't forget walks with the pictured party dog.

I'm currently reading Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World. The phrase that stands out is "A man took credit for her work." The book is historical. The phrase is not.

Yeah the party dog enjoys walks on the beach and at the farm. He doesn’t enjoy walking out here in the Outback much. The road gets too hot and the grass is full of the nastiest burrs in the world, Catheads. Our backyard is free of them thankfully.

Reading A Tide of Shadows by Tom Bielawski

Soo wrote: "Shorts: If you're in the mood for a short, these two were great!

Two in Torquay is getting a lot of attention around Goodreads. I listened to the audio read by the author and Judi Dench. It was excellent. I must try the Scalzi that you mention too.

Came to the gloomy realization that I haven't finished a single "real" book this month. Hoping my brain will allow me to finish something simple, I'm reading PNR Archangel's Kiss. In audio it's true crime-ish Chase Darkness with Me: How One True-Crime Writer Started Solving Murders.

Transhuman and Subhuman: Essays on Science Fiction and Awful Truth by John C. Wright

Jacqueline wrote: "After what has to be 18 months or more I’ve picked up Leviathan Wakes by James SA Corey again. I remembered a ship and a cop and that’s it so I’ve had to start the damned thing again. Which is fine..."

If you can find it you will probably enjoy the TV show 'Shetland'. Very down to earth cop show set in the remote Shetland Isles.

we call the Goat Heads here.

I'm currently reading The Martian which is completely brilliant and then I'm going to start on The Last Wish. I want to read it before I start watching the series.

The Shetland Island have had 2 homicides in the last 50 years, I wonder what they're investigating ?

Don wrote: "The Shetland Island have had 2 homicides in the last 50 years, I wonder what they're investigating ?"

I think that's the reason Ann Cleeves said she was not going to be writing any more books set in the Shetlands. Even at one per book she did not think it was very realistic overall.

Yeah and I’m sure that Cabot Cove is a bit small for the amount of murders that happen there but we still had a ton of Murder She Wrote episodes. And the amount of murders in and around the small village of Causley in Agatha Raisin is probably pushing it a bit too lol

Jacqueline wrote: "Yeah and I’m sure that Cabot Cove is a bit small for the amount of murders that happen there but we still had a ton of Murder She Wrote episodes. And the amount of murders in and around the small v..."

I used to live near the Cotswolds and the place wouldn't be half as attractive if Midsomers Murders was anywhere close to reality.

I only just discovered Out of the Silent Planet and I loved it. I hope books two and three are as good.
My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

That was a good one. It borrowed heavily from my favorite sci fi novel, First Men in the Moon, by HG Wells.

Bruce wrote: "That was a good one. It borrowed heavily from my favorite sci fi novel, First Men in the Moon, by HG Wells."

And I haven't read that one either! So many books...…..

AndrewP wrote: "Don wrote: "The Shetland Island have had 2 homicides in the last 50 years, I wonder what they're investigating ?"

I think that's the reason Ann Cleeves said she was not going to be writing any mor..."

Weird that it always has to be murder. I’d love to see a cop show investigating petty crimes like “Oswald stole Jeremy’s bicycle”, but done in the intense Law & Order style.

Based on the British TV shows we get here in the US, it’s a wonder there’s anyone still alive in the British countryside, what with all the murders and people dropping dead of mysterious diseases.

As a for-instance, the U.K. government must be doing some gnarly experiments near Portwenn if Doc Martin is anything to go by. The number of sick folks in that sleepy little shore village is truly astounding.

I finished a brief non-fiction. Back to fantasy with a Kindle freebie. Dragonlands: Volume 1-3.

I had the wrong expectations for Doomsday Book so I'm putting that on pause until I can recenter my perceptions.

So, onward to The Sudden Appearance of Hope!

I'm back to listening to The Way of Kings after a 5 month hiatus...

lol Diane, I hope it's been on your currently reading shelf all that time, and will show that it took you 5-6 months to read! :D

Just finished the Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern and started Paris: The Novel by Edward Rutherfurd. I don't think I'm going to finish this book by the end of February like I wanted at the rate I am reading.

Littlelady913 wrote: "Just finished the Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern and started Paris: The Novel by Edward Rutherfurd. I don't think I'm going to finish this book by the end of February like I wanted at the rate I ..."

It happens, Littlelady! Did you like Starless Sea? Are you just running out of time or enthusiasm for the book?

that's what I used to like about Hill Street Blues and The Rookie is kinda like that too with some murders, but also ordinary crime. I can't think of a UK show like that right off hand.

There are some mysteries that do not revolve about murder -- generally short stories and/or for children. There are even ones that aren't about crimes, but those are even more weighed toward short and children's.

It has indeed, Anna! In fact, I just checked and I started it at least 6 months ago, and stopped listening 5 months ago. Hopefully, I finish it before a 7th month passes, or another BR comes along with its urgency!!

Well it's seven million pages long, so it's only right if it takes a person seven months to read it!

I'll be using "recenter my perceptions" in conversation, at the earliest opportunity.

Jacqueline wrote: "Yeah and I’m sure that Cabot Cove is a bit small for the amount of murders that happen there but we still had a ton of Murder She Wrote episodes. And the amount of murders in and around the small v..."

Does Cabot Cove exist? I thought it was a made-up place. Although as long as the show ran everyone in town should have been in the ground.

wasn't it a tourist town with possibly lots of new tourists every few days?

Trike wrote: "AndrewP wrote: "Don wrote: "The Shetland Island have had 2 homicides in the last 50 years, I wonder what they're investigating ?"

I think that's the reason Ann Cleeves said she was not going to be..."

I've been to Portwenn. It is a lovely place. It's actually called Port Issac.

Cabot Cove isn't real. It was filmed at Universal apparently where the shark from Jaws is.

Midsomer County is supposedly near Oxford. Lovely part of the world. It's filmed in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. I had a lovely lunch in the Six Bells the beautiful white thatched pub that they use in quite a few different episodes.

Agatha Raisin and Father Brown are set and filmed in the Cotswalds. Another nice spot. Lots of people getting knocked off around there.