SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

I started reading:


To Walk the Night by William Sloane which is the first book in the collection:


The Rim of Morning: Two Tales of Cosmic Horror by William Sloane

Just finished Fallen by Benedict Jacka. Book ten in the series and it takes Verus in a whole new direction. I really enjoyed it. Apparently we are fast approaching the end of the series :(

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

No reading being done but I did buy Highfire by Eoin Colfer and the first Witcher book over the last couple of days.

I am currently reading Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky and am equally amazed and terrified!

About halfway through Upright Women Wanted. The main character is not my favorite, but the concept is cool. Which, is actually how I feel about the other of her stuff I've read. Amazing and wonderful concept populated with characters that really leave me flat.

And almost done with my listen of The Great Hunt. I though I remembered this series fairly well, but it's interesting how my brain seems to have scrambled up the timeline.

So I have been focused on the group TBR Challenge books that I picked, but I have read a couple of books outside of that recently.

Hitler's Admirals

So it might be that I would have rated this book higher if it had been the book I thought it was when I bought it. Might be but maybe not. I thought I was getting a book that had essays on Hitler's Admirals, instead, this book is essays written by Hitler's Admirals. These Essays were written after the War when they were all in captivity. The ones gathered in this book were ones that were written by Commanders of Fleets, task groups, or Commanders of areas. Even then not all the Admirals are equally represented. Reader barely gets any time at all, maybe because he was held by the Russians.

The Essays are broken up by the Editors to show thoughts about different points in the war so that it doesn't present them whole, but does break them out into a cohesive bit of history. The book goes for a complete translation, but this does cause a slight problem in its own right. One Admiral who in German would have been written, Schnewind und Schuster which would have allowed most readers familiar with German names to understand it is one person with a name like the hyphenated British names, instead they read the Und as And, which while correct, means that there are times when you see it as two people. A fact not helped by this particular writing everything in the third person.

Still, it is a great read giving an inside view of how the Admirals viewed events after the fact. Well worth the read.

I've been listening to NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

Currently reading Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord. It's very fun with a lot of humor.

I’m reading A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gabriel Kay. I think this is my first exposure to “historical fantasy” and it’s just...brilliant. My TBR list just got a lot longer as I added many of his series/stand alone books to it.

Carolyn, we have four GGK books on the group shelf. I bet you could get a buddy read going for any of them, or wait for a bookshelf reread.

@chris thanks for letting me know about the GGK on group bookshelves. I’ll go check them out and perhaps I can find some others who’d like to do a buddy read!

Carolyn wrote: "I’m reading A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gabriel Kay. I think this is my first exposure to “historical fantasy” and it’s just...brilliant. My TBR list just got a lot longer as I added many of his s..."

I read A Brightness Long Ago a few months ago and had the same reaction.
I am wading through a brick at the moment (an enjoyable brick) so won't attempt two back-to -back but a GGK buddy read a little later in the year would appeal to me.

@esther, I’d love to do a buddy read of some GGK with you later in the year. I too have a mountain of books I need to read first for a variety of reasons. Almost finished with A Brightness Long Ago and I’m so incredibly impressed with this book and his writing style. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt like I need to read through most of an author’s previous books!

Last week I finished The Vor Game, which I really enjoyed. Probably my favorite of the series so far. I really enjoy Miles as a character far more than the others who have been the protagonist of some of the previous books.

★★★★☆ - (My Review)

I just finished Space Unicorn Blues which people seemed to love for the humor but I found it a little darker than I had originally expected. I still enjoyed the story though.

Thomas wrote: "I've just finished my sixth Horus Heresy novel as part of my larger Warhammer reading project. Descent of Angels wasn't my favourite one so far but it was still entertaining..."

I read the first Horus Heresy novel because I liked the writing of Dan Abnett in Titanicus but when I realised the secod novel wasn't written by him I stopped. I'm still wondering if I should continue.

Thomas wrote: "I think the Horus Heresy definitely has more to offer than just the first novel. Granted, there are some books which are better than others but so is the case for most series. I would hardly call m..."

Thanks for the input. I think I need to return to it.

About 1/3 of the way through The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz. It’s the first time in its 123 year history that the Arthur Conan Doyle Estate has authorized a new Sherlock Holmes novel. I’m enjoying it!

I borrowed Caliban’s war from the library and am reading it on my kindle. I really enjoyed all 4 episodes of the expanse so that made this really enjoyable reading. Unfortunately on my day off I have chores to do so lll have to wait until bedtime to read some more.


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

Carolyn wrote: "About 1/3 of the way through The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz. It’s the first time in its 123 year history that the Arthur Conan Doyle Estate has authorized a new Sherlock Holmes novel. I’m en..."

I enjoyed Horowitz' Magpie Murders and a couple of his other books are on my TBR. Good to hear this one is also good.

Just finished and enjoyed Made Things by Adrian Tchaikovsky. The man seems to be able to write in any genre. Perhaps he will try his hand at a thriller next.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I'm working on reading a novella that I was going to use for last year's Time Travel Challenge except that it was too short: The Blazing World. It's very interesting for a book written in 1666 by a woman. Unusual for that time, the author was very well educated and the book mentions telescopes, microscopes, atoms, that the earth's core is super hot, and really delves into philosophy, mathematics and other sciences.

I’m currently reading the Throne of Glass series, by Sarah J Maas. I’ve read the prequel novellas, plus books 1-5. I almost gave up on the series at book 2. I really was NOT very impressed with the first 2 books. But fans encouraged me to continue, and I’m glad I did! Book 3 was amazing, as if it had been written by an entirely different author. After book 5 I decided to take a break from the main books to read the prequel novellas - I should have read them FIRST. Would have had a much better opinion of the main character, and would have like the first 2 books much more. But I’ve loved books 3 to 5. Now I’m about to start book 6.

Atl wrote: "I borrowed Caliban’s war from the library and am reading it on my kindle. I really enjoyed all 4 episodes of the expanse so that made this really enjoyable reading. Unfortunately on my day off I ha..."

Cleaning will always be there, the book won't.

My classic readings went on with Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, which was a walk down memory lane. I was completely in love with the TV adaptation in the 80ies and dreamt of being (like) Anne. I never actually read the book. And so I was quite happy to realise that it easily keeps up with my nostalgia. A beautiful read about an intelligent, loudmouthed red-head.

We finally finished the trilogy with The Amber Spy Glass by Philip Pullman. I'm totally sorry to say that it was the single most frustrating novel I've read (so far I can remember). I know that many readers here love it to pieces and I wanted to feel the same, but all three of us (my boys are allegedly in the age group for this book) were in agreement about the rating: first one was good, the second average, the third meh.

The second (according to LMB) novel in the Vorgosikon saga Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold was a fast and nice read. Nothing out of the ordinary, but the author is simply great with characters and so it is fun to experience their stories.

I've started listening to the second WoT book The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan. Like the first one it is rather wordy and long drawn - but this has the advantage that I unproblematically can phase out, which often happens to me while listening, and join in again later without really having missed something essential :D.

I loved the Anne books as a kid. They're called the Anna books in Finnish, no idea why since Anne is also a Finnish name. I recently reread the entire series, and while I still loved the first one, the others weren't as good. The TV series will always be a comfort watch for me.

I kind of want to reread other books by LMM, but I'm slightly worried they won't hold up, so perhaps best to keep the fond memories.

Anna wrote: "I loved the Anne books as a kid. They're called the Anna books in Finnish, no idea why since Anne is also a Finnish name. I recently reread the entire series, and while I still loved the first one,..."

I can easily see that. The fun of it is the melodramatic behaviour and the out-of-age use of fancy words of the teenage girl. This, of course, isn't there anymore when she gets older. So the magic is gone.

D, I’m sorry , I don’t understand your comment.

He's saying always read the book first :D Hope you got to enjoy your book and got all your errands and chores taken care of!

Allison, thanks for translating . I have audio books for chores and errands then other activities lend themselves to reading .

Atl wrote: "Allison, thanks for translating . I have audio books for chores and errands then other activities lend themselves to reading ."

Smart!

Gabi wrote: "I've started listening to the second WoT book The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan. Like the first one it is rather wordy and long drawn - but this has the advantage that I unproblematically can phase out, which often happens to me while listening, and join in again later without really having missed something essential :D."

I haven't listened to all that many audiobooks, and at first was committed to every word, skipping back if I zoned out through even half a sentence. I've relaxed on that, especially since so many times I would skip back and find I hadn't missed much, or anything. At this point just take those zone-out parts as places I would probably be skimming if I were eye-reading the book. It will be a survival tactic whenever I come across an audiobook that's more than 30 hours long. :D

Beth wrote: "I haven't listened to all that many audiobooks, and at first was committed to every word, skipping back if I zoned out through even half a sentence. I've relaxed on that, especially since so many times I would skip back and find I hadn't missed much, or anything. At this point just take those zone-out parts as places I would probably be skimming if I were eye-reading the book. It will be a survival tactic whenever I come across an audiobook that's more than 30 hours long. :D ..."

That's a good comparison, Beth. Most probably those are the parts where I would zone out in a book as well, indeed!

Reading Rogue Protocol. While I’m enjoying Murderbot’s interactions with Miki, I really miss ART from 2nd novella!

Check out the Murderbot buddy read!

I've been reading the Dune series by Frank Herbert, currently on book #3, Children of Dune, and this series is remarkably good. It's turning out to be one of my favorite SF series.

Children of Dune

Frank Herbert

Carolyn wrote: "About 1/3 of the way through The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz. It’s the first time in its 123 year history that the Arthur Conan Doyle Estate has authorized a new Sherlock Holmes novel. I’m en..."

I read it when it first came out and immensely enjoyed it. Also read his book: Moriarty, which is a good read as well.

Just started The War of the Worlds, which is the March book for my in person book club. I started it super early because I expected to dislike it like I did with similar books like The Island of Dr. Moreau and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, but so far it's actually pretty good. I feel like his depiction of humanity's reaction to the crisis is spot on in their overconfidence and denial.

I haven't eye read a book since the Feb 5th and I'm so glad to be bringing that run to an end tonight. I managed to get through the audiobooks of A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson and The Golem and The Jinni by Helene Wecker, but all in all its been a frustrating week for failing to achieve my mini reading goals.

I haven’t been making much headway in the — 5? 6? 97? — books I’m currently reading, but I did manage to finish Spectrum 26: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, because it’s mostly purty pitchers.

My review (with art!): https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I have about 40 pages left of A Closed and Common Orbit. I’ll try and finish it before I head to the doctors this morning. Hubby is a few chapters into Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie. He told me he doesn’t quite get it. I told him that it’s hard to get into with the pronouns but stick with it.

Finally finished A Closed and Common Orbit yayyyyy Loved it. Hopefully I can pick up Record of a Spaceborn Few when I head to visit my eldest in Brisbane soonish.

Now to work out what to read next. The books I have with me (and I probably should just stick to these) are:

China Mountain Zhang by Maureen F McHugh
The Last Wish by Andrzej Saplowski
The True Bastards by Jonathan French
Leviathan Wakes by James SA Corey
Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
Vicious by VE Schwab
Storm Front by Jim Butcher
Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
Rosewater by Tade Thompson
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
The Institute by Stephen King
The World That We Knew by Alice Hoffman
Aurora Rising by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman
The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
Highfire by Eoin Colfer.

Current mental information.
Am currently in the Outback with Hubby supposedly resting for a few weeks before heading back to the Beach to resume Granpa duties. My brother in law found out yesterday that I am my father in laws Enduring Guardian and apparently, in his words, I am dead. Copped a lot of abuse and nastiness on the phone and apparently he’s getting a lawyer in to sue me and take it away. No idea why. Probably because he thinks I have signed his father into the nursing home when it wasn’t what he wanted. I filled out the forms with the help of his father who then signed them himself and has signed the contracts to go in all by himself. I have only done what my FIL wanted right from the start. Until this week that was what he wanted until his son got in his ear and carried on like an arse. I also got abused by my father in law because apparently he has his brain back and can make his own mind up. Obviously his son has decided that I am forcing him into the home. Also it was never about his brain only about his lack of mobility and his inability to actually care for himself. So now after 7 1/2 years of crap from my husbands family they have decided that they will fight me for his care when they only came to visit him once every 6-12 months. Usually 12. So needless to say I’m in rather a sad state today.

Jordan wrote: "Just started The War of the Worlds, which is the March book for my in person book club. I started it super early because I expected to dislike it like I did with similar books like The ..."

Best Version of War of the Worlds is the Album narrated by Richard Burton. Not 100% according to the book, but close and some pretty good music.

Travis wrote: "I just finished Tana Huff's Sing the Four Quarters and really loved it. A courageous, bisexual, bold, magical, mage pregnant protagonist driven by a very strong sense of doing good. M..."

I hope you read the rest of the quadrology. Is that a word? LoL
I read the series a long time ago and it's one of my favs by Tanya Huff.

Jacqueline, Judges aren't usually stupid "the truth will out".

currently rereading "Sailing to Sarantium" by Guy Gavriel Kay, a fictional reinterpretation of "Justinian, Theodora and Bellsarius' tale" with an artist in the middle.

hugs, Jacqueline. this is the story for so many people.

get your advanced directives squared away, everyone!

Ghost in the Council by Jonathan Moeller

It’s got worse. Received notice that my BIL has convinced my FIL that I’m an unfit carer and guardian so he got him to revoke it. I’m not and I could contest it but they can all go to hell. Not allowed to see him and hubby has said he’s staying away too. It feels like he died. I’m pretty upset but I’m too exhausted from it all to fight it. On the plus side I get to live with hubby again.

My mantra is “not my circus, not my monkeys”. All together now...

Jacqueline wrote: "It’s got worse. Received notice that my BIL has convinced my FIL that I’m an unfit carer and guardian so he got him to revoke it. I’m not and I could contest it but they can all go to hell. Not all..."

Family drama, amirite?

They’re adults; you can walk away with a clear conscience.