March 2021 Reading Thread

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It's been March here in New Zealand for 15 hours now, so it's probably okay to kick this thread off.

What are all you lovely people reading this month?

I'm just about to start my 3rd (possibly 4th) reading of Philip José Farmer's To Your Scattered Bodies Go. This time I plan on reading the series of books in the Riverworld sequence, as its decades since I read The Fabulous Riverboat, The Dark Design, and The Magic Labyrinth.

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Bick said:
It's been March here in New Zealand for 15 hours now, so it's probably okay to kick this thread off.

What are all you lovely people reading this month?

I'm just about to start my 3rd (possibly 4th) reading of Philip José Farmer's To Your Scattered Bodies Go. This time I plan on reading the series of books in the Riverworld sequence, as its decades since I read The Magnificent Riverboat, The Dark Design, and The Magic Labyrinth.

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I read that one about 30 years ago.:)
 
I loved the TYSBG, and chomped my way through the sequels, which I enjoyed in my teens. In retrospect they got rather flabby.
 
Bick said:
I'm just about to start my 3rd (possibly 4th) reading of Philip José Farmer's To Your Scattered Bodies Go. This time I plan on reading the series of books in the Riverworld sequence, as its decades since I read The Fabulous Riverboat, The Dark Design, and The Magic Labyrinth.

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I'll be very interested to hear what you make of them.

I'll echo @hitmouse's comment (early twenties in my case).
hitmouse said:
I loved the TYSBG, and chomped my way through the sequels, which I enjoyed in my teens. In retrospect they got rather flabby.
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I really looked forward to those sequels at the time but never enjoyed them as much as the first. Maybe a ruthless editor could have made all the difference. Given how long it is since I've read them, I look forward to your impressions @Bick.
 
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I finished Brian Turner's Insurrection this morning and very much enjoyed it. A lean story with well crafted characters.

One of my reading goals has been to inject more female authors into my reading and i have been very much wanting to read Ann Leckie's Ancillary Justice series for a while now. 20 pages in and it's very promising.
 
so... planetside by michael mamay...
it's a kind of apocalypse now, at least so far..
it's not bad but so far i'm just kinda going along
 
tobl said:
so... planetside by michael mamay...
it's a kind of apocalypse now, at least so far..
it's not bad but so far i'm just kinda going along
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Is it part of a series?
I'm sure I read a review sometime in the last few weeks
 
Currently on the tail-end of Sanderson's Rhythm of War. Enjoying it alot, although looking forward to finishing and reading a different author (with shorter books).
 
I decided to show NK Jemisin the same courtesy I showed Brandon Sanderson and bailed on The Obelisk Gate. I just can’t do these grim, nihilistic fantasy series anymore. I actually opted to finish Maus II instead, as even that seemed less depressing.

Now I’m reading The Good Lord Bird by James McBride. I don’t usually go for historical fiction, but I have enjoyed other books by the author before and don’t know much about the events covered here (abolitionist raid on harper’s ferry). So far it’s breezy enough but nothing spectacular.
Also started Les Miserables by Hugo on my kindle.
 
Bored of the Rings. Maybe not quite as hilarious as it seemed when I first came across it at eighteen, but it still raises some laughs, especially when you can pick out the exact sentence it's spoofing. Noticeably faster paced than the original.
 
Another reread now.
The Pandora's star/Judas unchained original duology by Peter Hamilton.
(I could never get into all that Dreaming Void tripe that followed them)
 
Finished The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K LeGuin.

4/5

This is a thematically rich and tight novella, and easily the most I've enjoyed of the Hainish Cycle. I really didn't care for The Dispossessed or The Left Hand of Darkness, despite their reputation, and typically I'm much more fond of the Earthsea books. In contrast to the former two, this is much less politically charged. There's a nice balance between the fantasy and science fiction elements, and the characters are well developed. It was a good choice to bounce between three characters, all of whom have deeply contrasting outlooks on the situation.

Beautifully written, as is often the case with LeGuin, though Left Hand felt too cold and dry. This injected some much needed heart into the series.
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Now moved onto Life During Wartime by Lucius Shepherd. Barely into it, but I like how it's written so far. One of those books I picked up on a whim and don't really know much about. Scifi masterworks often catch my eye.
 
I finished The Last Days Of New Paris last night. I liked it a lot, as expected (I don't think there's anything he's written that I've disliked).

Next up is (I'm having to check the author's name because I can't remember) The Etched City by K. J. Bishop.
 
Paul_C said:
Next up is (I'm having to check the author's name because I can't remember) The Etched City by K. J. Bishop.
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I'll be interested in hearing what you think about this one, Paul. It's been on the shelf for a long time and I should pull the trigger on reading it, just haven't.

For myself, a bit past midway in The Sins of the Fathers by Ruth Rendell, a mystery. Rendell's another writer I've meant to read for years but somehow kept avoiding. I shouldn't have. I was given a brown paper bag loaded with most of her Inspector Wexford series. This is the second, and I think I might jump immediately into the next book. Excellent writing and observation of people and personalities.
 
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