April 2018 reading thread

[aThenian]

Speaking of mysteries, just finished Indemnity Only by Sara Paretsky. It has some first novel issues -- perhaps trying to cram a bit too much into one novel, some awkward interplay between the main character and lover -- but Paretsky can write, plot intelligently, and offer up believable characters. I look forward to reading a few more in the series.

I love the earlier Paretskys. They have a fantastic sense of place (Chicago, its various neighbourhoods) and are often very funny as well as tackling some serious issues. VI Warshawkski was genuinely groundbreaking and there is a fantastic cast of supporting characters - I especially love Murray, Lottie and Mr Contreraras. The later books get much darker though, and a lot of the lightness of character and humour seems to be lost, but I guess it's a matter of taste as they still have a big following.

I've just read Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel. I can't understand all the rave reviews. A dystopian novel, with an interesting premise, but a lot of the book is about the rather empty lives of the characters before the collapse (being a famous Hollywood actor can be a shallow unsatisfying existence apparently, who would have guessed?) while the dystopian world didn't make sense to me.

 

[Parson]

Just finished listening to Bones Don't Lie by Melinda Leigh. Another of her fine mystery/romance books. This one much to my pleasure was heavy on mystery and a very good one it was indeed, and light on romance, which is a major plus for me. An added benefit was it's emphasis on how "family" (written large) is both necessary and foundational.

 

[anno]

I am about to start The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate -- Discoveries from a Secret World (2015) by Peter Wohlleben, translated from the German by Jane Billinghurst. It was recommended to me by my better half, which means it's scientific rather than mystical.

Great book, well written (translated) as a person who works with trees and has taught in the subject it’s well worth reading!

 

[kythe]

I've been trying to work my way through "A Scanner Darkly" by Philip K. Dick, but I can't get into it because I find it boring. I have enjoyed several of his short stories, but the pacing of this novel is too slow.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

I've been trying to work my way through "A Scanner Darkly" by Philip K. Dick, but I can't get into it because I find it boring. I have enjoyed several of his short stories, but the pacing of this novel is too slow.

Interesting. I found this to be one of his strongest later novels. Well, to each her own.

 

[soulsinging]

Finished off Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth after a few months and absolutely loved it. I think anyone that's enjoyed an epic or two (whether it was GRRM-like sff, Dickensian classic, or mainstream bestsellers like Shogun, Lonesome Dove or the Godfather) would really enjoy sinking their teeth into this one. Larger than life characters, plots and schemes galore, set piece battles, frustrated romances... it was a blast. I wouldn't put much stock in it as history and it does have some truly awful sex scenes, but overall it was a lot of fun.

Now I'm following up that heavyweight with Treasure Island by RLS... one I've actually never read but feel like I've known my whole life...

 

[Vince W]

Rolling on with Rumpole and the Age of Miracles by John Mortimer. These stories are like pork-scratchings. You gobble them up, wonder where they went, and keep digging at the bottom for more.

 

[Bick]

Rolling on with Rumpole and the Age of Miracles by John Mortimer. These stories are like pork-scratchings. You gobble them up, wonder where they went, and keep digging at the bottom for more.

Indeed. I’ve read many Rumpole’s, they are quite excellent.

 

[Extollager]

I've been trying to work my way through "A Scanner Darkly" by Philip K. Dick, but I can't get into it because I find it boring. I have enjoyed several of his short stories, but the pacing of this novel is too slow.

That's one of a small group of sf novels I've found to be emotionally moving. I read the end of the novel and then PKD's roll call, and am nearly moved to tears.

 

[Anthoney]

I am rereading S. M. Stirling's, Island in a Sea of Time trilogy. It's a historical fiction/alternate history series similar to the 1632 novels.

 

[dask]

I've been trying to work my way through "A Scanner Darkly" by Philip K. Dick, but I can't get into it because I find it boring. I have enjoyed several of his short stories, but the pacing of this novel is too slow.

Didn't enjoy it too much myself. Read it right after I finished Neal Stephenson's exceptional Snow Crash and struck me as rather unimaginative, not unlike the rough draft to a first novel.

 

[Danny McG]

Rolling on with Rumpole and the Age of Miracles by John Mortimer. These stories are like pork-scratchings. You gobble them up, wonder where they went, and keep digging at the bottom for more.

I've very recently got half a dozen of these as ebooks.
Do I need to arrange them for reading in publication order or are they "stand alone-ish"?

 

[Rodders]

Star Wars: Last Shot.

Pretty cool double sided dust jacket.

 

[Bick]

I've very recently got half a dozen of these as ebooks.
Do I need to arrange them for reading in publication order or are they "stand alone-ish"?

You can read them in any order really; I did. That said, they do refer to past cases and occurances, with an overall story arc for the other cast members, so if you have them all, I’d recommend you go through in order if possible.

 

[Vince W]

What Bick said.

 

[williamjm]

I finished Wages of Sin by Zoe Sumra. The murder mystery plot did get quite complicated at times with lots of people with different hidden agendas, but I thought it all came together neatly at the end.

I'm now about to start The Hyena and the Hawk by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I enjoyed the previous two books in the trilogy, so hopefully this will be a good conclusion.

 

[Parson]

Just finished reading Nathan Hystad's "The Event." Cracking good read. I loved his innovative first contact scenario. I've never read one quite like it. The personal relationships in the book are all believable and the story is plausible. If you can tolerate some hand wave'em when it comes to physics you'll love this book a lot. --- I've now started Jasper T. Scott's S.F. story Broken Worlds: The Awakening. Reads like a cracker jack of a book so far.

 

[Danny McG]

as a person who works with trees

Are you a branch manager?


Edit: Sorry but I had to get that in before the Bear did

 

[Danny McG]

I'm now reading this one

Alien creatures lay eggs, infect humanity, survivors live in caves and worship the aliens

Xeno (or Earth has been found) by D.F. Jones

 

[vanye]

The long Way to a small angry Planet by Becky Chambers was indeed just as good as the first impression. Great storytelling, very personable characters - really a "feelgood comfort book". Something seldom found in SF. Loved it and already have the follow-up on my list.

Now already into the thick of the third book of Jeff Salyards' Bloodsounder's Arc, Chains of the Heretic. It continues the story right where the second book ended and even keeps up the pace. I'll tell y'all all about it, but now I must hurry back to the story ...