SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

Michele, I would say the science fiction in The Hidden Girl and Other Stories runs from bittersweet to tragic. The fantasy stories are more determined and triumphant.

In the past few weeks, I've read the following books & feel like I set myself up for mental & emotional gymnastics. XD
- Fall, or Dodge in Hell
- Death's End
- Musashi
- Hyperion
- The Sparrow

If you're in the mood to get yourself thinking about the morality of continuing life in digital form, spirituality, galactic species/race rights, the true path of mastery, the clash of alien cultures or read books that have some depth to them, you can read one of those in the list. LOL

These were fun to read:
- Watchers: A love story with a twist.
- The Mechanical Heart: LitRPG madness with the right mix of action, plot & character involvement.
- The Andromeda Strain: Written in 1969 but it doesn't come across as dated.
- The Last Tribe: A feel good, end of the world story. Character driven plot that pulls you along. I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it but it turned out to be a nice change of pace & written well enough to keep me interested.
- Under the Empyrean Sky: Great setup for a series by Wendig. It has his classic mix of dark & light elements. YA Dystopian
- Invisible: MC is whiny but I enjoyed how the case was developed.

ReReads Thumbs Up
- Patriot Games: Better than I remembered it being. Jack Ryan is great! Also, I'm a sucker for the love story. =)
- The Collapsing Empire & The Consuming Fire: #1 was even better on the re-read. It was cool to see how Scalzi placed each sequence & how well each part added to the overall plot. Getting ready for #3 to release.
- Storm Front & Fool Moon: The narration & writing are both a little rough in the first books but it was cool to re-spark notes on Dresden, his past and events. Butcher does an excellent job of making each detail matter.
- Space Team #1-3: I got a group of friends reading the series and they're having a great time with it. It has been interesting to note how well the author sets up a clear setting & atmosphere with a few sentences.

ReReads Meh to Boo
- Dragonflight: Parts were still very exciting because dragons! But the story came across as dated. I remember Pern very fondly in my memories and the revisit by audio has been a mixed bag experience.
- The Deed of Paksenarrion: Pretty sure I've read this book before but I couldn't tell from listening to the story. I didn't like the way details did not add up in the plot or the mysterious "chosen one" explanation that's not really an explanation.

Soo wrote: "In the past few weeks, I've read the following books & feel like I set myself up for mental & emotional gymnastics. XD
"

I'm about halfway through Hyperion. Some interesting philosophical musing within the "pilgrim" stories.

I've always wanted to read this book.

While browsing the small book section at Target, I stumbled upon 1984 in the pocket book section for only $8 bucks. Also bought The Shining and The Haunting of Hill House.

I was reading Songs and Stories from Electric Mars by PanOrheus, and have many other books lined up, but 1984 has jumped to the front of the line. So I'm spending a lot of my quarantine juggling reading both books now with writing my second book.

Catching up on a lot of back reading, and these books will help!

Eric, yup! Hyperion tackles several different topics. I'm looking forward to seeing how the series will conclude. It's been long enough since I read the first few books that I don't remember as much as I thought I would. I'm surprised the books did not leave a strong impression on me. I must not have enjoyed them as much back then.

I just finished The Little Country by Charles De Lint and I totally loved it. It's exactly the type of urban (well small town anyway) fantasy that I like. And it's most definitely not a paranormal romance type of book.

I love Charles DeLint’s brand of Urban Fantasy. I recommend it all! 😂

Soo wrote: "Eric, yup! Hyperion tackles several different topics. I'm looking forward to seeing how the series will conclude. It's been long enough since I read the first few books that I don't remember as muc..."

I think one has to mull over what one is reading in between the story lines, so to speak. Simmons' (the author) vocabulary is amazing.

Hah, I'm just now really getting back to reading. I tend to fall back on video games when I feel really stressed so that's what I've mostly been doing instead these past couple years weeks.

I finally finished up Ghost, which I'd been reading at work so I ended up having to wait for an ebook copy on Overdrive instead. It's a really great middle school book about a kid who kind of accidentally joins a running team.

Nearing the end on Dead Witch Walking, which I picked up because it's set in Cincinnati, where I live, but so far it hasn't really felt very Cincinnati. Still, it's a fun urban fantasy, and the audiobook has one of my favorite narrators, so that's a plus. I think I might give the rest of the series a try.

I'm also reading Deathless Divide, which is possibly even better than the first book. I'm in to part two now, so I expect things to really pick up now. Not that part one wasn't exciting, but it was definitely setting things up.

Also, I'm comfort reading The Hobbit, or There and Back Again on audiobook. I love this book so much. I'm planning on moving on to rereading The Lord of the Rings after I finish this, and possibly finally tackling The Silmarillion after that.

And last but not least, I just started in on my ARC of Network Effect. I am so incredibly happy to get back to Murderbot. I definitely missed this series and I'm excited to have a full length novel for it!

That's a great jump back in!! Hope this means your anxiety is a bit lower, too, Jordan <3

Jordan wrote: "And last but not least, I just started in on my ARC of Network Effect."

I'm so jealous!!!

Eric wrote: "I think one has to mull over what one is reading in between the story lines, so to speak. Simmons' (the author) vocabulary is amazing...."

I had to stop after most of the chapters and take a break to let it sink it. I was awed.

Jordan wrote: "Hah, I'm just now really getting back to reading. I tend to fall back on video games when I feel really stressed so that's what I've mostly been doing instead these past couple years weeks.

I fin..."

What does ARC mean?

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Publishers send them out to reviewers. The final copy may change before general publication.

I've been reading Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer

Allison wrote: "That's a great jump back in!! Hope this means your anxiety is a bit lower, too, Jordan <3"

It is! I found that setting a schedule for myself and making sure I spend some time outside every day has really calmed me down a lot.

It's very important to get outside. I read something recently that intuitively I should have known but never thought about. The CO2 levels are higher in your home, but they get to dissipate outside. Now, the higher the CO2 content the more sluggish you may be. So you get more energy outside. I would even suggest going for a walk, it doesn't have to be long.

Anna wrote: "Jordan wrote: "And last but not least, I just started in on my ARC of Network Effect."

I'm so jealous!!!"

Yes! I was so excited when I saw it was available for request on Netgalley! I already had it pre-ordered, but now I get to read it that much sooner!

Gabi wrote: "I had to stop after most of the chapters and take a break to let it sink it. I was awed."

I agree. I'm thinking the moderators will jump in soon and point out a previous Hyperion thread.

My "currently reading" is getting a little absurd because I haven't been able to concentrate on anything long enough to finish it. From oldest to newest:

Uprooted - BR from February I think

The Sword of Kaigen - SFFBC selection for March. Slow starter. Gonna press on and get to the good stuff, I promise!

Children of Time - (audio) Actually quite good, and I wasn't flagging out on it at all, but it got interrupted by a couple of BRs in audio

Cast in Fury - I thought a familiar, cozy series would work. Nope. Keep reading ten pages of it and wandering off.

2312 - (audio) For a BR later this month. It has cool scenery and also kinda drones on, which is working for some reason

Finna - BR. It's short, so I might finish it. Yay!

The Wandering Inn: Volume 1 - web serial (reading in ebook) - Not super polished--it feels a lot like fanfic, though it is an original story--but it is brisk and fun, and is the most successful of this list so far.

I finished Winter Rose last night. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

It was really lovely; beautiful prose and an interesting story.

Now I’m reading This Is How You Win the Time War, by Amal El Mohtar. I’ve read a lot of her poetry and really enjoy it. I’m looking forward to reading this.

Oh and I’m listening to Star Trek - Picard: The Last Best Hope, which is really enjoyable. I’m really wondering how they are going to get from where they are now to the situation they are in on the TV show.

Diane wrote: "I finished Winter Rose last night. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

It was really lovely; beautiful prose and an interesting story."

Oh, yes.

I’ve been making my way through my TBR challenge lists, and from those lists, I recently read two award-winning non-SFF novels that totally knocked me out:

Trust Exercise by Susan Choi, which won last year’s National Book Award, is a raw, vivid exploration of the fraught experiences of a group of high school theatre students, and how those experiences affect them in their adult lives. The overall response to this novel seems to have been quite divided; there are many 5-star ratings (like mine) and many 2-star ratings. I can’t stop thinking about what this book has to say about trauma and memory and vengeance and forgiveness. I highly recommend it, but for those folks who are concerned about trigger or content warnings, I think it would be important to be made aware that there is content that could be an issue for some.

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a sprawling, generous portrait of a Nigerian woman, her family, and lovers, as she makes her way to America and back again. Among its many wonderful facets are its bracingly rendered scenes depicting the complex, upsetting obstacles and issues faced by immigrants to the US and the UK. I was deeply moved many times reading this book.

I also had a lovely encounter with a comforting book, one which I had loved as a kid: The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander. (I’m in the intermittent process of making my way through a reread of the entire Chronicles of Prydain.) In these stressful times, it was meaningful to spend time with the wisdom, warmth, and good humor of Alexander’s world.

And now I’m finally getting around to a book that’s much beloved by several folks in this community: Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling. After spending a lot of emotionally intense time in the “real world” via Trust Exercise and Americanah, I’m happy to be in an invented world again.

Beth wrote: "... My "currently reading" is getting a little absurd because I haven't been able to concentrate on anything long enough to finish it. ..."

We're having the same problem here. I always have that issue to some extent but now my spouse, who almost never puts things down before finishing, is on her 5th book start this month.

Thanks for the initial take on The Wandering Inn: Volume 1. I'd seen that and was wondering how it read. I was amazed to see that the audio version is 43 hours long. Take that Wheel of Time!

I've been reading more short story collections this month to compensate for my wandering attention. Some are very dark though and I have less patience for that just now. Cat Pictures Please and Other Stories (started based on a recommendation in another thread) is, for the most part, less that way.

I finished A Prairie Cookbook: Memories and Recipes


Here are my thoughts:

Some cookbooks are just recipes, some tell you something about the food. This one isn't either of those things really. Oh it has recipes, although most likely ones that I will never make. They are done in the old style where everything is in one paragraph and sometimes you have to guess at amounts. just like Grandma used to do. LOL.

This Cookbook tells the story of a family, not in a coherent start to finish style but breaking it up into groupings like education, signing, and faith. It is a very interesting look at the Americal of the past when Farmers could really be said to be the Salt of the Earth.

I finished The Sleep of Stone which was fairytale like and a little sad but in the best way. Then I read Finna which seemed a little too short for what it was trying to accomplish. Lastly I just finished The Martian Chronicles which was good once I got into it. It's the third time I've tried to read it but was worth it in the end.

Finished Hyperion. Onto the next The Fall of Hyperion. Interesting philosophical overtones,

I finished reading Five Go to Smuggler’s Top by Enid Blyton to my son yesterday. It was good but I’ve figured out the formula already after only 2 books. You can read my review here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8...

I highly recommend listening to the Wandering Inn Vol1. That's how I was suckered into reading the rest of the webseries. I'm currently on Vol4. This one is taking me a while because it focuses on a POV that I don't care about. I'm almost done with this POV and it should move to another soon. Then my read will go faster.

Only about 25% into the Sword of Kaigen. I hear that it's worth getting pass the place I am in but I don't feel driven to focus on just reading the story so I keep doing other things where I can multi-task or actually want to cozy down with a book vs audio.

Eric, have you read The Sparrow? It was a great book. Another one that was great because of how much I ended up thinking about various topics as the story progressed.

I just finished . Now onto

I read Hyperion back in college and I remember enjoying it a lot, but I can't for the life of me remember if I read the rest of the series, I think maybe not? I recall that I read my roommate's copy and didn't have a book buying budget or a library card at the time.

Curious if I should go back and read the rest at some point although the author's views on the environment soured me a bit on the whole endeavor.

Soo wrote: "Eric, have you read The Sparrow? It was a great book. Another one that was great because of how much I ended up thinking about various topics as the story progressed."

Don't know "Sparrow," so have added it to my list. Thanks!

My review of Providence by Max Barry

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

I devoured Passage by Connie Willis. It is a typical Willis book (so everybody who has problems with her screwball, often detouring, frequently misplacing of people and equipment writing better stays away from it) in her wonderful erratic, slow paced style. I was enchanted within the first chapter and could not lay it aside. In this novel the topic is the scientific research into Near Death Experiences and Willis does this in a clear, unsentimental metaphysical way and introduces one of my most beloved characters, the nine year old Maisie who is on the brink of death due to heart failure.
I honestly lost part of my fear of death while reading the book.

Finna by Nino Cipri unfortunately was a big disappointment both in plotting and prose. The premise (portals in IKEA like department stores) was ridiculously promising, but the execution was … meh.

animated by Jo Walton's "Just City" I started to read some of Plato's works (in my I-have-to-become-a-humanist phase of teenage-dom I bought his complete works, but never got around to read more than a few dialogues of it). The ones I finished (Apologia and Symposium) are surprisingly accessible and fun to read.

With my boys I now finished the five books of Percy Jackson and the Olympians - and I have to admit we all had great fun with it. I would have never picked up this series by myself, but I'm glad I read it. Riordan's prose (even in the translation) is perfect for this age group (10-12). We laughed a lot, we learned a lot - and my boys were so fascinated by the topic that we bought Percy Jackson's Greek Gods and Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes (was the Easter present today) to go on reading about this special take on Greek mythology.

Elowen wrote: "Reading The Night Tiger and I'm really enjoying it. It has the things I enjoyed about the author's first book, The Ghost Bride"

I loved The Ghost Bride, and while I do agree that Tiger has more depth, I was a little disappointed in it. Maybe because my hopes were so high. I'll still read anything by Choo, as long as she keeps writing Malay/Chinese stories.

Gabi wrote: "I devoured Passage by Connie Willis. It is a typical Willis book (so everybody who has problems with her screwball, often detouring, frequently misplacing of people and equipment writing better stays away from it) in her wonderful erratic, slow paced style."

I completely understand why some people dislike her style, but I really enjoy it! I haven't looked yet if there is a Willis novel I've yet to read, because I'm worried I've read them all :(

Anna wrote: "I completely understand why some people dislike her style, but I really enjoy it! I haven't looked yet if there is a Willis novel I've yet to read, because I'm worried I've read them all :( ..."

I ADORE her style!
And you've read them all? I'm still on my way towards this goal … although, as you yourself say, it will be terrible to have nothing new then. In this case my Swiss Cheese Memory is perhaps to advantage. I already re-read Blackout/All Clear and had the same fun the second time, since I always keep forgetting details.

No, I don't think I've read them all! I just don't have any more Willis on my TBR, so I'll have to look to see what else is available. I started with the best and am moving backwards in time, so I'm a little worried that I've read the good stuff. But as you say, there's always rereading!

Jordan wrote: "Allison wrote: "That's a great jump back in!! Hope this means your anxiety is a bit lower, too, Jordan

It is! I found that setting a schedule for myself and making sure I spend some time outside ..."

Very glad to hear this.

I'm going back and forth much more frequently right now between books on my TBR and books I think will make me happy.

Listened to How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk which I liked quite a bit. I think this is a very good book if you're learning to speak kindly, to be supportive, and practice active listening.

Finished all the short stories in the Forward collection and very much enjoyed them for the most part.

DNFed my first Stephenson. The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. was impenetrable. It made so little sense and made so many uncomfortable leaps. I was very unimpressed.

The Left Hand of Darkness was brilliant, as anticipated!

Just finished Men at Arms which I don't think did an excellent job discussing racism, but I did love just about everything else.

Now reading City of Stairs and A Shadow in Summer.

I'm most of the way through Catfishing on CatNet and it's been enjoyable so far. Rooting for it to win the poll for next month!

I've been listening to The Left Hand of Darkness and I'm 9 chapters in, but I'm not really enjoying the experience.

I think a large part of it is that I almost always sight read books, but I got the audio this time as it was available free. I find the names blurring together so I don't always know what's happening to whom and since chapters often seem to change POV I can sometimes drift away then back and not realize it's a new chapter and that the person I'm listening to is a different narrator. I don't even know the name of the MC as I haven't seen it spelled out. I'm debating between either DNF'ing this, listening to the rest and trying to get what I can from it, or maybe buckling down and buying the kindle book to read (with the hope that I 'd enjoy it more with better comprehension ). I guess one other choice would be the 2 hour audio-book from my library that's the BBC theatrical version (heavily condensed) which might go better as it has different voice actors for the various parts.

Don’t DNF it Christopher! Get the Kindle version and eye read it. Please.

@HeyT I LOVED The Illustrated Man which contains most of the same stories as The Martian Chronicles. My tattooist friend did a series based on it, so I have is representation of Usher II on my leg for eternity. :D I'm glad you got through it, even if it took you a few goes!

@Jessalyn I've read that series a few times now and absolutely love it. Hope you're enjoying it so far!

@Gabi my nephew and I did the Percy Jackson series earlier this year and both loved it. It's well written for the kids and equally entertaining for us big kids I think. :)

Gabi wrote: "I devoured Passage by Connie Willis. It is a typical Willis book (so everybody who has problems with her screwball, often detouring, frequently misplacing of people and ..."

Oh, Gabi - if your boys enjoyed Percy Jackson, make sure to also pick up the follow-up series starting with The Lost Hero. I liked it even more than the first one!

Allison: how are you enjoying City of Stairs? I have it on my TBR but haven't gotten to it yet. The blurb sounds very unique and interesting.

I've just finished Spellslinger which was wildly entertaining fun from start to finish. I gave it 4 stars even though I loved it because I must admit it's a little tropey (but well-done tropes!) and I'm not sure the Western elements blended into the fantasy world completely seamlessly: whenever someone said "I reckon" I felt a little jarred out of the story. That said, I finished it in a single day even though it's a 400p book because it was so fun, so gripping and the magic system was so interesting. If you'd like a more Western-style coming-of-age fantasy instead of the usual Medieval world, I can recommend it. Interesting for animal lovers: there are ferocious talking squirrel cats who are simply glorious, but also a lot of animal suffering depicted.

Before that, I finished Grey Sister which was simply amazeballs from start to finish - it was flawless and I loved it so much. Very happy I started this series!

I really love Rick’s books Gabi. Next is Percy Jackson does Roman Gods I believe. There’s also Magnus Chase later on who is from the Norse God line. They really are a lot of fun.

The movies are pretty shitty though. Pity. I picked up Lightning Thief when the movie was about to come out and the trailer got me interested. Wasn’t disappointed by the book at all. Glad I started on the journey actually.

I suggest you find Bound and read it before jumping into Holy Sister Eva. It’s a gorgeous little gem that I believe adds to the final book. Holy Sister is even better than Grey Sister if you ask me and Red Sister and Grey Sister got all of the stars and more from me. His next book set on the ice, The Girl and the Stars, is due out this week.

The audio narrator for most of Le Guin's books is just okay, I think. He doesn't add the life I think to his reading that most of us prefer, but LHoD is totally something that deserves to be given another chance.

Eva, I'm really enjoying City of Stairs! It's not what I anticipated, it's more a detective story than a classic fantasy quest story, but it's very captivating.

I think after I might try the Lightning Thief. I have it but haven't gotten to it yet.

Just Finished "16 ways to defend a walked city" by K.J. Parker. I very much enjoyed it.
The Commander of the Army's Engineers it forced into a power vacuum in a city likely modeled after Constantinople, the reader gets to ride alone as the city fights for its life against long odds.

It's great to see all the love for Rick Riordan here. The second series is available in my small-town library, so we'll wait till it opens again. I've read that it is aimed at an slightly older age so let's see if my youngest still has fun with it. (My eldest already complained that books always end the same way with two people kissing each other or coming together. ;) So young and already disillusioned XD)

Gabi wrote: "It's great to see all the love for Rick Riordan here. The second series is available in my small-town library, so we'll wait till it opens again. I've read that it is aimed at an slightly older age..."

Lol, just tell your eldest that the love stories are in there because the books are meant for both boys and girls, and most girls love a good love story with their adventure. :-D

In terms of the movies: we shall not mention those atrocities. :-D

Allison wrote: "Eva, I'm really enjoying City of Stairs! It's not what I anticipated, it's more a detective story than a classic fantasy quest story, but it's very captivating."

Oh, that sounds cool, I feel like reading some sci fi and fantasy detective stories. But I hope the old gods will awaken, too, and it's going to get a bit more epic. The world sounds very unique and interesting.

Jacqueline wrote: "I suggest you find Bound and read it before jumping into Holy Sister Eva. It’s a gorgeous little gem that I believe adds to the final book..."

Ohhh, thank you so much for reminding me of Bound!! I did buy it and told myself to remember to read it in between book 2 and 3 of the series, but then totally forgot all about it until you mentioned it again. Now I won't forget. :-)

@Don: I have 16 Ways... and I'm very curious about it, it has a very unique voice for the main character. I've read the first few pages and was reminded of "what if a very clever Danny DeVito was put into a fantasy world and given the job to defend a city against a siege, and then told the story from his own perspective as an unreliable narrator" - it was very intriguing.

And with Mooncakes under my belt, I've passed my Magizoologist O.W.L.s (https://www.magicalreadathon.com/copy...) successfully (needed a book that starts with an M for herbology class) - yay! Now I just need a book with a dragon so that I can specialize in caring for and researching draconic species.