The Sword and Laser discussion

Ok ok I know this is early but the February pick just does not inspire me. It also looks like it might not be very easy for everyone to get so I'm thinking maybe some of us can get a renegade alternate pick going. What say you?

I think you should really give it a chance. It was a great read.

How the heck do you guys know what the February pick is? I can't find it anywhere!

Sophie wrote: "How the heck do you guys know what the February pick is? I can't find it anywhere!"

There are usually a few good places you can find it. It's a bit of crapshoot as to which is updated first:

1) The S&L website Calendar page

If you look down the list you'll usually see something like:

February 1, 2013

Sword and Laser Book Club Video Kick-off Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart

for something that has been announced, and then

March 1, 2013

Sword and Laser Book Club Video Kick-off

for something that hasn't been

2) The group bookshelf here on good reads. This also feeds the "upcoming books" at the top of the group home page.

In this case you'll see that while the calendar lists Bridge of Birds: A Novel of an Ancient China That Never Was, but it hasn't been added to the shelf yet.

Yeah, I usually check the bookshelf but it's a 50/50 chance of it actually being updated beforehand. Thanks!

We just got a release of Ever After. UF/MA. Unfortunately (:D) I finished it already, so can't do it in Feb.

I was hoping Frost Burned would come out in time, but release date is March. Bummer.

So for Feb I will be reading the monthly pick, plus The Ghost Brigades, and then either Nocturnal or Blood Skies, maybe both if I have the time.

Regarding how we know about Feb pick... I guess most people heard about it on the Youtube videocast (January wrap-up), where they mentioned it.

I just started Ghost Brigades, but since OMW only took a few days to read I will need something else. I was thinking maybe some classic sword or laser, an old favorite that I haven't touched in15 plus years. Maybe something like T.H. Whites The Once and Future King or something by Juels Vern.

I'm on a space opera kick right now, trying to dig into newer examples of the genre to see where it is right now. So after Bridge of Birds I'll be trying to finish Consider Phlebas, then maybe Pandora's Star and A Confederation of Valor. Also, might be going to a talk with Brandon Sanderson so I'm hoping to read Mistborn: The Final Empire by then.

Joe, have you read the Ringworld series? What about Summertide (and the rest of the series)?

Currently I'm starting Anna Dressed in Bloodit seems similar to Supernatural, not sure what I'll read after it though.

I snagged the ebook of the current pick. Figured for 10$ getting all three was a pretty good deal (with no shipping) and almost every review I've seen makes it sound like you won't want to stop with the first book anyway. I'm also working on Memory of Light, so that'll probably be my February.

I'm up for an alternate pick. How about Red Country by Joe Abercrombie
I'll be reading that anyway. Once I finish The Heroes

I've read about 80% of Bridge of Birds and I'm still waiting for it to grab me. I'll finish it but it will have to finish amazingly to rate more than 2 stars :-? It may be great but it's just not for me.

I'm probably skipping February as well because I've got too big a back log of dead tree and e-books to read as is without adding yet more books to the list.

Currently reading Third Shift - Pactby Hugh Howey on e-book and World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie Warby Max Brooksin dead tree form.

I just got started on Daniel Abraham's The Dragon's Path. I had heard of him through reading Leviathan Wakes and now I am hooked. I have a few other fantasy reads that are waiting for me as well. I just need to find a scifi book to provide a little contrast.

Ryne wrote: "Currently I'm starting Anna Dressed in Bloodit seems similar to Supernatural, not sure what I'll read after it though."

I really liked that one. Can't wait to get my hands on the sequel

Rodrigo wrote: "Joe, have you read the Ringworld series? What about Summertide (and the rest of the series)?"

I'm ashamed to admit I haven't read any Niven yet, and I've had a copy of Ringworld for a few years now. And thanks for reminding me about Sheffield. I think I heard about him some years ago but had totally forgotten. On the list he goes!

I'm reading An Instance of the Fingerpost and I quite enjoying it. It is historical murder mystery with political elements set during the Restoration. A professor at Oxford is murdered. Who killed him? The books presents multiple versions of the event from different (and quite unreliable) narrarators.

I'm also working on my re-read of Wheel of Time and am currently a couple hundred pages through The Shadow Rising. I will likely set this aside to read Bridge of Birds which I started the other day (on page 22).

Right now I'm reading the 4th Dark Tower book, Wizard and glass, and Calibans War, until I can get my hands on Bridge of Birds.

Sadly reading a bunch of scientific articles doesn't count for GoodReads :P. I'm trying to finish The Webs of Varok, but is taking me a long time to do so.

Still reading Caliban's War. Enjoying it so far but want to finish so I can start Bridge of Birds.

Finishing up The Great Hunt audiobook. Started reading Bridge of Birds: A Novel of an Ancient China That Never Was as part of the The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox omnibus (had to buy to get the Kindle version).

I will be skipping this month's pick. I read it a couple of years ago and wasn't impressed enough to re-read it.

I'm listening to the new Flavia de Luce mystery by Alan Bradley, Speaking from Among the Bones. It's one series that I will always do in audio format because the narrator does such a great job with the material.

I'm halfway through Flood by Stephen Baxter. It's going to disappear from my Nook on the 5th and I'm not interested enough to spend the entire weekend reading, so it looks like I won't finish it. I'm also reading John Dies at the End by David Wong. Weird, very weird.

Ever After by Kim Harrison.

I just wrapped up Bridge of Birds and thoroughly enjoyed it. I just started reading a copy of Interview with the Vampire which a friend loaned me 2 years ago. So far it's a slow start (I think the way it's written is turning me off to it). I'm also still reading Shadow of the Giant.

i had a successful library crawl today, so here's what my february looks like:

Divergent by Veronica Roth
A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (i'm a month late with vaginal fantasy's january pick)

also on tap are Stardust and (finally!) Timeless. i'll second timothy's excitement for Etiquette & Espionage, although i think i'll have to put it off till march.

I am, yet again, juggling way too many books for my own good.
I'm participating in the Worlds Without End Women of Genre Fiction Challenge this year (you should check it out, it's fun!) and my February book pick for that is Margo Lanagan's amazing and disturbing Tender Morsels.

Other than that I'm reading:
Havemercy by Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett
Wolves of the Calla by Stephen King (still)
Blackout by Connie Willis
Under the Poppy by Kathe Koja
Oh and I just started Across the Universe by Beth Revis - because I am my little sister's book recommendation machine and I suspect she will like this one. Gotta see if it's actually any good first. :)

Lemmed Janny Wurts' The Curse of the Mistwraith at 35%
My review http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Starting on Bridge of Birds

started reading Patrick Rothfuss - the Wise Man's fear Kingkiller Chronicle, Book 2. Plus also reading Analog Science fiction and Fact(April 2013).

Finished Wool Omnibus
My Review http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

I think I might continue on with the Miles Vorkosigan saga as my lunch time read The Vor Game

I'm reading too many books at once but I just started Dauntless and The Many-Coloured Land.

I'll be skipping this month's read too. With the huge backlog of TBR I have plus required school reading I really don't feel like I can take on too much more. So I'll be continuing A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin and then on to A Feast For Crows. :]

I finished Bridge of Birds already, so I'm reading the Bill, the Galactic Hero series by Harry Harrison. I love a good comic sci-fi/fantasy book.

Finished The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury for SFF Audio, and have jumped into Infidel by Kameron Hurley.... Oh the smells, she writes so you experience it too, good or bad. ;)

I am currently reading Mistborn: The Final Empire and Wool Omnibus. I'm also listening to Lord of Chaos. I usually don't juggle this many books at the same time, but I thought I'd challenge myself a bit more.

Finished Caliban's War (really loved it. Thought it was better than Leviathan Wakes) and now on to Bridge of Birds: A Novel of an Ancient China That Never Was.

This month's reading list:

The Princess Bride, for book club.
Railsea
Cinder
The Warded Man

Since it's the last month before I enter SF Site's 2012 reader choice list, I will be trying to find any great 2012 releases I missed in the last year.

And if I have time, continuing to plow through the Malazan series, next up is Midnight Tides

I am reading and , which I hope I will finish before the author's guide to Trudi Canavan come around. I probably will since they are on light reading. Overall, I been wanting to read them ever since I finished about a year and a half ago.

Gun Machine just made it onto my iPad. That and Bridge of Birds might be all I read this month. Or not...

I'm working through METAtropolis: The Dawn of Uncivilization while I wait for this month's pick to show up in my mailbox. Thoroughly enjoying it.

I have so many books on my TBR list I have no idea what I'll read next. Might try to get my hands on some Jack Kerouac. Haven't read any of his stuff in years. Or I might try and tackle The City and the City again.

Linguana wrote: "Havemercy by Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett"

Excellent book! I hope you enjoy it.

Joe wrote: "Linguana wrote: "Havemercy by Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett"

Excellent book! I hope you enjoy it."

It's really good so far. Different from what I expected but I'm having fun.

Across the Universe was really bad, btw. My sister owes me chocolate for making my way through this just so she won't have to. :)

I'm reading Unquenchable Fireas part of my quest to read each SF Masterwork book.

Also on the shelf for this month are:

The Alchemist of Souls

The Turkish Gambit

A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

and maybe The Gunslinger by Stephen King if I have time. I really want to be caught up with Ice and Fire befire I watch this season of Game of Thrones.

For my main dead tree read I just finished Chainfire and am now on book 3# of David Weber's Safehold series By Heresies Distressed.

Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds

Just finished A Blight of Mages and started 2312 on Audible. Reading the The Human Division serials on Kindle as well as Ice Forged

Just finished Beautiful Creatures yesterday. Still working my through A Memory of Light

Finished my review is 3.5 stars

Now reading
This is a book I read back in my University days about 8 years ago. I've been wanting to re-read it for a while and taking a break from science fiction for a book or two seemed to give me the opportunity to do so.

currently reading The Shining with a view to read Drawing of the Dark and possibly re-read an Arthur C Clarke classic.

Finished up Bridge of Birds: A Novel of an Ancient China That Never Was and I've already started into the next book of the series, The Story of the Stone. Partly because I had to buy the collected series to read Birds on Nook, partly because I think if I didn't continue while I was already acclimated to the style I'd have to ramp up again later, but mostly because Birds was really good.