The Sword and Laser discussion

It's October, which means Halloween is almost here. Is anyone reading some scarier books this month to celebrate? If not, what will you be reading instead?

I finished the first book in the urban fantasy Rivers of London series


Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading something creepy for October


The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

Usually save these posts for starting or finishing a book, but felt compelled to say that I am loving Nona the Ninth. About half way through just now. It's so much more approachable than the second book in the series, which I had to read twice to get straight in my head.

Is anybody else doing the 1 chapter a day read along of A Night in the Lonesome October? I have been wanting to do this for several years, finally getting to it.

I'm listening to Strangers.

AndrewP wrote: "Is anybody else doing the 1 chapter a day read along of A Night in the Lonesome October? I have been wanting to do this for several years, finally getting to it."

I am! For the fourth time

I'm listening to Shadow of the Sith.

Storm Front

Colin wrote: "Usually save these posts for starting or finishing a book, but felt compelled to say that I am loving Nona the Ninth. About half way through just now. It's so much more approachable..."

I second all of that - I am about half way through the audiobook of Nona the Ninth and the story is excellent and the storytelling quite remarkable.

It is as different from Harrow, as Harrow was from Gideon, but is hugely enjoyable all the same.

AndrewP wrote: "Is anybody else doing the 1 chapter a day read along of A Night in the Lonesome October? I have been wanting to do this for several years, finally getting to it."

I am! I just started and caught up today. Seems like fun!

Colin wrote: "Usually save these posts for starting or finishing a book, but felt compelled to say that I am loving Nona the Ninth. About half way through just now. It's so much more approachable..."

I actually started to re-read Gideon the Ninth because I felt like I might want to continue with the series. For some reason I wasn't too enthusaistic with the book because the imagery was difficult for me, but at the same time I still remember more of the book's story than with a lot of other books I read, so somehow it stuck.

Reading the new Mur Lafferty book Station Eternity which kept me up until 2am

I'm finishing The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents and then I'll probably look for something spooky.

Non-Fiction book is Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics. Only two chapters in but I'm finding it fascinating how in the internet age foreign policy is still dominated by nations geographic circumstances.

For funny picture books I've been keeping Providence back for an October read. I read some Lovecraft last year which should help me get the most out of it.

In addition to my now-traditional annual re-read of A Night in the Lonesome October, I’m also enjoying Dracula this spooky season via the Dracula Daily emails - which send you chunks of the text on the dates specified by the book’s internal chronology. After a slow burn over the summer, the story is really getting going in October, appropriately enough.

I’m also re-reading Wyrd Sisters as part of my complete Discworld read, which is another good book for October, as one of the main characters is a ghost and most of the other characters are witches.

For non-fiction, I’m reading Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea which is a fascinating glimpse into the world’s most isolated country. I’m also listening to the audiobook of Africa Is Not a Country: Notes on a Bright Continent which is a super interesting look at the history and politics of Africa and how Western perceptions of the continent are often… not very accurate.

I recently finished Babel, or the Necessity of Violence: an Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution which started out promising with an interesting translation-based magic system and dark academia vibes. I ended up disappointed with it however- the actual story was a bit predictable and the characters spent most of the time reciting lectures about the evils of colonialism. When I want to learn about the evils of colonialism I read history books, I want my novels to be more immersive and exciting.

I need to finish up the last couple of stories in Sinopticon: A Celebration of Chinese Science Fiction and then I think I’ll read The Man Who Died Twice as a bit of a palate cleanser.

Phew! Is that enough books to be reading at once do you think?

Meanwhile, I bounced off the book of the month - it’s a shame as it seems like the sort of thing I normally enjoy, but I simply didn’t find it compelling enough to continue. Never mind- I have plenty of other books to read!

Pumpkinstew wrote:

Non-Fiction book is Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics. Only two chapters in but I'm finding it fascinating how in the internet age foreign policy is still dominated by nations geographic circumstances.

."

I read this last year and then the sequel, The Power of Geography: Ten Maps That Reveal the Future of Our World earlier this year. Both fascinating books that made me feel much better informed about the world, and very easy to read and understand. I’d highly recommend to everyone who wants to understand contemporary geopolitics better.

I will third rec Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics.

In a similar vein, see also How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States.

As for me, I just finished the 4th book in the tales of Fred the Vampire Accountant, The Fangs of Freelance, yet another 5-star entry. I do these in audio because Kirby Heybourne’s narration is pitch perfect.

In the middle of Under Fortunate Stars, which is quite good so far.

Also about 1/3 through Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roach.

Ruth wrote: "In addition to my now-traditional annual re-read of A Night in the Lonesome October, I’m also enjoying Dracula this spooky season via the Dracula Daily emails - which send..."

Omg - that Dracula Daily is cool. Are there other stories like that? Clearly I missed the "box" on Dracula, but maybe something else is starting soon.

Just finished Star Wars: The Princess and the Scoundrel - I wanted to like it more, but didn't. I have struggled more with Star Wars New Canon books. Maybe cause I am terrified I will read them all and have them ripped away from me like Legends..or maybe some other reason.

Calvey wrote: "Ruth wrote: "In addition to my now-traditional annual re-read of A Night in the Lonesome October, I’m also enjoying Dracula this spooky season via the Dracula Daily emails..."

If you haven’t read A Night in the Lonesome October before (or even if you have!) I recommend doing a day-by-day read this month (you can catch up easily, the early chapters are short). It’s a tribute to the horror classics with one chapter for every day of October. There’s a readalong in the SFF group here on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I JUST finished Hench by NZW and it was SO good that I'm dying for read alikes. Hench

So far I can think of a couple that I've already read.
Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman (decent)
From the Notebooks of Dr Brain by Minister Faust

I'm looking for non-Marvel, non-DC read-alikes. Would really like help finding some non-mainstream superhero or villain stories!

Fool Moon and Grave Peril

Michelle wrote: "I JUST finished Hench by NZW and it was SO good that I'm dying for read alikes. Hench"

You’d have to be more specific about what you mean by read-alike. If you just mean Superhero Fiction, I have a whole list of those: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list... I don’t care for prose versions of comic book superheroes, so those are all non-Marvel/DC/Image/etc.

If you mean something that’s more specifically like the set-up of Hench, that’s a more involved discussion, but you could start with Sidekicks.

I just read TMNT The Last Ronin. A good and brutal story.

Ruth wrote: "If you haven’t read A Night in the Lonesome October before (or even if you have!) I recommend doing a day-by-day read this month"

So, the major libraries near me had this in audiobook only. ??? But, good news, my local library has a physical copy. With illustrations by Gahan Wilson to spice up the book I think a physical copy makes more sense. Have placed a hold and will get it in the next few days.

...and that's an example of the best of this thread! Great recs from peeps who know the material.

And on that note, for Halloween in past years I've read mostly Bradbury:

The Halloween Tree: Pretty good romp through the history of Halloween, framed as the rescue of a boy's soul. Kinda light on the weirdness that makes Bradbury great, if you ask me the book was intended for more general audiences so went light on that.

The October Country: Several chilling stories including one about a Mexican "graveyard" with the bodies left exposed. A bit dated.

Something Wicked This Way Comes: Pretty much made for Halloween. All the highlights of Bradbury's oeuvre: Carnivals, evil objects, small towns.

I'm going to read Medicine for Melancholy this October, not for any Halloween reason but because it's time I finally reread "Dark They Were And Golden-Eyed."

And...dang, I wish I could remember the title. A romp through Halloween imagery, set as the battle between good and evil, with the actors changing sides every time the battle is run. A look through my LAPL history helpeth not.

Trike wrote: "Michelle wrote: "I JUST finished Hench by NZW and it was SO good that I'm dying for read alikes. Hench"

You’d have to be more specific about what you mean by read-alike. If you jus..."

Actuall, that read alike list is wonderful! I didn't know there was so much out there!

I did find this page with other emails serialized books. I am intrigued by the Sherlock Holmes one starting in Jan.

https://bookriot.com/serialized-subst...

Trike wrote: "Michelle wrote: "I JUST finished Hench by NZW and it was SO good that I'm dying for read alikes. Hench"

You’d have to be more specific about what you mean by read-alike. If you jus..."


I thought it over, and had a look at the list, and I think that Vicious book is just the ticket. I'm doing comparative readings before I start a superhero book of my own, you see. But I'm more interested in a) supportive infrastructure required for a superhero universe, and b) villain narratives, I guess, as well as c) the strains that superheroes undergo in terms of mental health and interpersonal things. A few things on that list seemed like they'll tick the boxes, so I'll have a look at some samples and give 'em a read. Would you be interested in talking more about this?

Michelle wrote: "A few things on that list seemed like they'll tick the boxes, so I'll have a look at some samples and give 'em a read. Would you be interested in talking more about this?"

Absolutely. You can start a new thread for superhero stuff so everyone can join in or just send me a message on here. Phillip has also written some superhero books, so I’m sure he has ideas.

I just finished Nettle & Bone 4.5 stars!

I’m going to pause my read of The Silmarillion so I can read Kindred in preparation of the upcoming series on Hulu in December.

Finished with The Spear Cuts Through Water and it was quite marvelous though I'm not a fan of the ending/epilogue.

Continuing with A Deadly Education and....I am not enjoying it so far, a strong DNF candidate.

Plan to read We Shall Sing a Song Into the Deep next.

Silvana wrote: "Continuing with A Deadly Education and....I am not enjoying it so far, a strong DNF candidate."

I actually just put down the book of the month (I'll probably come back) as something I couldn't really get excited about reading just to pick up the last in that series - The Golden Enclaves. Loving it. Kind of bummed I didn't start the series over.

Seth wrote: "Silvana wrote: "Continuing with A Deadly Education and....I am not enjoying it so far, a strong DNF candidate."

I actually just put down the book of the month (I'll probably come back) as somethin..."

I normally enjoy Naomi Novik’s books but I bounced off A Deadly Education, in large part because the setting was so dreary. It’s basically Hogwarts without any of the stuff that makes it interesting or appealing. I didn’t warm to the characters either.

My audiobook pre-order of The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal has arrived, enjoying it so far. I love the concept of having a cocktail recipe at the start of each chapter.

In the midst of Nghi Vo's Siren Queen. I loved The Empress of Salt and Fortune and its sequels and tore through The Chosen and the Beautiful. This one is more along the lines of the latter; set in the Golden Age of Hollywood but a Hollywood where magic is real, the studios own you in more ways than one and you can give up more than your innocence trying to become a star. Its great.

Decided to go with something seasonal: Fritz Leiber's Conjure Wife, about witchy goings-on amongst the faculty at a small private college.

Ruth wrote: "Seth wrote: "Silvana wrote: "Continuing with A Deadly Education and....I am not enjoying it so far, a strong DNF candidate."

I actually just put down the book of the month (I'll probably come back..."

Yep, nothing really interesting. I decided to DNF it after 20%.

Oaken wrote: "In the midst of Nghi Vo's Siren Queen. I loved The Empress of Salt and Fortune and its sequels and tore through The Chosen and the Beautiful. This one is more along ..."

Noted! Will put it in my wishlist.

Joseph wrote: "Decided to go with something seasonal: Fritz Leiber's Conjure Wife, about witchy goings-on amongst the faculty at a small private college."

Nice! I've been looking around for a dead tree copy of that one. They're hard to find at a decent price. The one I really want is the combination of two of Leiber's classics: Conjure Wife and Our Lady of Darkness.

I went seasonal also with the short gothic suspense novel


The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Oaken wrote: "In the midst of Nghi Vo's Siren Queen. I loved The Empress of Salt and Fortune and its sequels and tore through The Chosen and the Beautiful. This one is more along ..."

Coincidentally I just got this one, too. Starting it later tonight.

RJ - Slayer of Trolls wrote: "Joseph wrote: "Decided to go with something seasonal: Fritz Leiber's Conjure Wife, about witchy goings-on amongst the faculty at a small private college."

Nice! I've b..."

Conjure Wife was adapted into a movie called Burn, Witch, Burn! (aka Night of the Eagle), which I recall thoroughly enjoying when I saw it some 45 years ago. The screenplay was written by Richard Matheson, so that probably helps.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/ihw5zZqjryw
Entire movie for free: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1v...

Finished Conjure Wife (which was great) and started Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, something completely different, because it's a selection for a book club I'm in.

Oaken wrote: "In the midst of Nghi Vo's Siren Queen. I loved The Empress of Salt and Fortune and its sequels and tore through The Chosen and the Beautiful. This one is more along ..."

And done. Very easy read, and I like that Vo leaned into all the beliefs about Hollywood by making them literal.

This has been such a crazy month (as was the end of September). Two of my satellites were launched so it's been non-stop work leading up to the launch in FL and non-stop work flying them since I got home. This means I didn't read much substance stuff but a lot of floof.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIgS3... (fast forward to about 46:50 to see the first of the two deployments, and 52:00 for the second - where you can see the first one in the shot too)

Books I read in FL/since:
Arsenic and Adobo
Homicide and Halo-Halo
Whiskers and Lies
Santa's Little Yelpers
Blackmail and Bibingka
and kept going in How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems

So nothing in genre but a lot of cozy mysteries. I also started The Jasmine Throne but I haven't gotten too far yet. Need to read with my eyes. Maybe when I travel next week for work.

terpkristin wrote: "This has been such a crazy month (as was the end of September). Two of my satellites were launched so it's been non-stop work leading up to the launch in FL and non-stop work flying them since I go..."

Your job is cool.

Just discovered that there is a Cowboy Bebop novel! Cowboy Bebop: A Syndicate Story: Red Planet Requiem by Sean Cummings. Apparently it's a prequel to the story told in the Netflix tv series. So I ordered a copy.

Just started The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean, a debut horror novel with an intriguing premise about a secret group of people who live off eating books. Except for a few of them, who eat brains instead.

The Last Vampire 4.5 stars!
The Babysitter Lives 4.5 stars!
Hide 4 stars!
Hungry Tales 4 stars!
I've been working on a Halloween Horror challenge while I wait for my Libby hold for The Jasmine Throne. It still says 4 weeks.

Who remembers high school English? I'm trying to recall author and title for a story I read then.

Probably Existentialist, but the pieces I can recall clearly are too general for Google to help.

* Gradual dissolution of the MC
* Many strange diary entries, getting weirder and weirder as the story goes on.
* After an absence from his clerical job he goes in to work where they've been waiting for him to come back so he can notarize a document. His part is a little bitty portion. Instead he signs in the important part, as "King of Spain."
* When he's just about fully out of it he does a diary entry "a day without a date."
* Also reads letters addressed to him. My teacher was convinced that he had written them himself. I just figured he was hallucinating. Anyhoo, letters.

So if you have even a dim recollection of title, lemme have it!