The Sword and Laser discussion

What's on your reading agenda this month?

I'm currently reading The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens. I'm trying a reading challenge this year (as if my pile of books to read wasn't impressive enough) and one task was to read a book published posthumously. Apparently this one fits the category. While it started slow, it's now starting to draw me in so why do I have to be at work when I could be reading instead?

After that I'll probably grab The Calculating Stars.

Forgot it's February so I reposted the message.

Finished with Swordspoint and while I was not too disappointed with the complete lack of fantasy in it, the characters were flat and the dialogue repetitive.

Starting two other female authored books The Calculating Stars (high expectation) and The Warrior's Apprentice (low expectation since I don't like Shards of Honor).

Other books in my often-changing agenda this month:
Monstress, Vol. 2: The Blood
The Black Company (reread)
Beren and Lúthien
The Gods Themselves
Tigana

I started with The Dragon's Path in January, and have yet to finish it. It started out very slow for me and I had a hard time getting in to it.

Yesterday, I started reading Clockwork Boys, which seems like a fun read.

I'm also listening to Head On (the version narrated by Wil Wheaton). I started listening to Head On pretty much as soon as I had finished Lock In, which I had so much fun reading. One of my goals this year is to listen to more audiobooks, so I feel like I'm off to a good start.

Jasmine wrote: "I'm also listening to Head On (the version narrated by Wil Wheaton). I started listening to Head On pretty much as soon as I had finished Lock In, which I had so much fun reading."

Wil Wheaton seems to get all the love when it comes to these books, but I really enjoyed the versions narrated by Amber Benson. Fun books either way though. I hope he does more of them.

So I just finished up Only Human, the final volume in the Themis Files trilogy. Overall, it's been an enjoyable series - although I did think that the format (mission logs, journal entries, recorded interviews, etc.) was stretched to its limit by this stage. It worked well in the first book, but seemed a little forced by the end.

In its place, I'm going to start The Burning Page. I said I'd give the Invisible Library series one more chance to impress. It comes so close to being really good, and this popped up in a 99p deal on Amazon a while back and I couldn't resist.

Jasmine wrote: "I started with The Dragon's Path in January, and have yet to finish it. It started out very slow for me and I had a hard time getting in to it.

Yesterday, I started reading [book:Cl..."

I've heard a lot of people saying that Amber Benson does a great job narrating both of the books, and some people prefer her versions to Wheatons. I actually thought about listening to Benson's version of Head on, but ended up with Wheaton anyway. I hope he writes more as well!

I am reading The Magicians and so far, I am in book love.

Just started Ninefox Gambit and should have a hold on The Calculating Stars come up very soon.

Finished up the sequel to Ninefox Gambit, Raven Strategem. It continues the style of the first. Individual scenes make sense but overall it doesn't have much of a plot. The whole thing comes together at the end and there's a good two-book payoff. The Calendrical thing remains unexplained so there's a lot of strangeness. Political intrigue galore with plenty of backstabbing among the Hexarchs, including at least one with a death wish for the Empire they represent. I'm intrigued enough to move on to the third.

With a dearth of books to read right now i went to my pocket "wish list" library item, Alastair Reynolds' Century Rain. It's a depressing mess of a book. Opens in gritty, grimy 1959 Paris, then moves to a dystopic future where Earth is dead. Er...yay? It's better than having nothing to read, but I wonder sometimes where the promise of the guy who wrote Revelation Space is. If the 3rd book in the NG series comes in off library hold I may put Century Rain down while I read that.

Colin wrote: "Jasmine wrote: "I'm also listening to Head On (the version narrated by Wil Wheaton). I started listening to Head On pretty much as soon as I had finished Lock In, which I had so much fun reading."
..."
I really enjoyed both these audio books, and also Redshirts, again by Scalzi and read by Wil Wheaton.

I haven’t tried the Amber Benson versions but I am intrigued by how they might differ - having two versions of the audio book is a clever way of adapting a book with an ungendered protagonist.

Still reading Les Misérables which is taking me aaages. The story bits are good but boy does ol’Victor like banging on about the battle of Waterloo, King Louis Phillippe, the origins of slang, and many other tangential topics.

Listening to the audio book of The Favourite: The Life of Sarah Churchill and the History Behind the Major Motion Picture - I was interested to learn more about her and Queen Anne after watching the film The Favourite.

And finally, I’m reading the YA fantasy book Spark which tbh is kind of standard fare but it’s readable enough.

I only managed 2 books in January but I’m trying a different kind of challenge this year where I’m aiming to read more of a range of books rather than sheer number.

Silvana wrote: "The Warrior's Apprentice (low expectation since I don't like Shards of Honor).."

FWIW, I liked Warrior's Apprentice a lot, and didn't really care for Shards of Honor much either..

Dara wrote: "I am reading The Magicians and so far, I am in book love."

I can't remember - did you read that with S&L?

As for me, I'm reading. Mostly technical documents at work. ;) I'm listening to The Calculating Stars and while I'm enjoying it, so far, it's been really predictable, which is a slight downer. I have other thoughts but will save that until I'm done. I'm also reading Ninefox Gambit with my eyes at night when I'm not spent. After a slow start, I'm somehow slightly into it.

I just finished The Poppy War. I really enjoyed it. It starts out with notes of a "coming of age" type story, but the second half of the book really takes a dark turn as it deals with some pretty heavy themes. Certain parts of the book should definitely come with trigger warnings. But, overall, it was done really well.

TK - I did not read it with the group. I think it was the first or second pick when I joined. I skipped it because I read elsewhere that Quentin was unbearable. So far, I don’t find him to be that way. Maybe I relate to him too much so I’m not seeing that.

Related: does that make me unbearable?! Oh no...

I am on the 3rd book of the Prince of Nothing series, The Thousandfold Thought: The Prince of Nothing, Book Three. It is a "Dude Series," as the gender balance is more 1970s then the 2000s. Despite that problematic issue, all the other things are off the charts. Arabic world, political and religious intrigues resulting in loads of gore and violence in the Malazan vein.
Oathbringer is on going. This months BOM, plus a few novellas to offset the time this tome takes.
As for Quentin, most of my S&L OC group found him to be too whiney but I found him to be a perfect literary representation of a Millennial college student.

Finished with The Calculating Stars. Liked it, a very happy book compared with my usual SF.

Starting Monstress vol 2. Let's hope this one has better storytelling than the first.

I'm finishing up Season of Storms by Andrzej Sapkowski in audio, after which I'll start this month's pick The Calculating Stars.

In print I finished the second book in the Dark Arts series, The Iron Codex by David Mack this weekend. The first book was set in WWII with demon-wielding magicians. This is now the Cold War, so less war and more intrigue, spies, and atomic bombs. I also read The Lady Astronaut of Mars over lunch one day last week.

Currently I'm reading Oblivion by Andy Blinston. The protagonist has amnesia so there's a lot that's unclear about what's truly going on, although at 2/3 though the book I have some thoughts....

Just started They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us and absolutely love it. Read the first four essays on Chance the Rapper, Bruce Springstein, Carly Rae Jepsen and the Prince superbowl performance (unintentionally timely). Highly recommend regardless of anyone's interest in any specific artists mentioned in the essays.

Having read TCS just a few months ago, I'll be skipping the group read this time around. But, I'm sticking with the space theme. I just started Record of a Spaceborn Few, the third Wayfarers book.

just finished listening to Son of the Black Sword for the second time. Loved it. I am three quarters of the way finished with Wrath of Empire. It has been an excellent read so far. I am starting Maliceon audio.

Finished with Monstress, Vol. 2: The Blood - liking it better than the first, can't wait to read the next volume.

Starting Beren and Lúthien and was amused with the earlier story draft.

Silvana wrote: "Finished with Monstress, Vol. 2: The Blood - liking it better than the first, can't wait to read the next volume."

I thought part 2 was better, too, although I did really like the first one.

Part 3 is equally good. My non-spoiler review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Currently reading Woken Furies and I have planns for Calamity, An Unkindness of Ghosts and try to finish Odysseus Ascendant.

Trike wrote: "Silvana wrote: "Finished with Monstress, Vol. 2: The Blood - liking it better than the first, can't wait to read the next volume."

I thought part 2 was better, too, although I did ..."

Nice review...but wait...there will be a fourth book? I thought vol 3 was the last *scratches head*

Finished Bird Box. Made it a priority since there is going to be a screening of the movie with Josh Malerman happening in my area this month. I thought the book was great and tore through it. Perfect change of pace from the sci-fi and essay collections.

Silvana wrote: "Nice review...but wait...there will be a fourth book? I thought vol 3 was the last *scratches head*"

I’m sure there will be. The story is nowhere near a resolution.

Edit: yes, issue 19 came out on 1/23 and 20 comes out on 2/20, so they’ll probably do a Vol. 4 next January.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Half-Minute Horrors by Susan Rich

Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb. For the second time in audio.

Trike wrote: "Silvana wrote: "Nice review...but wait...there will be a fourth book? I thought vol 3 was the last *scratches head*"

I’m sure there will be. The story is nowhere near a resolution.

Edit: yes, iss..."

Thanks! Sheesh, I thought I could score one in my finished-series challenge with it.....

Finished up Century Rain which actually turned out fairly decent. Up from my initial estimation of about 2.5 stars to 3.5. Once the book was past the onerous setup it became a fairly decent alternate-Earth thriller. Could have been 4 stars but some of the plot points were ridiculously set up and the ending could have been better. Still, I was pleasantly surprised by the second half of the book.

Last night, I finished The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World which was fun. I'm sure it's meant for intermediate readers (sometimes it's hard to tell age range when purchasing ebooks), but I did find a text exchange in the book between Squirrel Girl and Tony Stark HI-larious. I really would've loved this book had I read it when I was 12.

I think I'll read Dodger next.

Scott wrote: " I just started Record of a Spaceborn Few, the third ..."

I finished it yesterday. Probably my least favorite of the three, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. It started kind of slow but picked up later on.

Now I'm reading Chapelwood by Cherie Priest. So far, I'm see a lot of thematic similarities with Lovecraft Country. (Racist secret society "lodge" trying to raise eldritch horrors, etc.)

I am charging through The Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman. I would be lying if I said they were the best books I've ever read, but I am extremely busy with work at the moment and they are precisely the type of fun, silly stories that I want to be reading right now.

Just started The Disasters, so far it’s kind of a YA Leviathan Wakes. Small crew of nobodies are thrown together while away from their station when it’s attacked and they find themselves on the run. I’ll just have to see if this version of spread-out humanity has a fraught history with various factions.

Continuing in Alliance/Union, I finished Downbelow Station and started Alliance Space (Company Wars #2).

SF: Reading Catseye by Andre Norton, with my broken eyes, which is difficult, but I’m enjoying it so far.

Fantasy: Listening to The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks, which I’m not really digging, and man is it long.

Art: Reading The Art of Avengers: Infinity War which is gorgeous but super difficult. I’m using a really bright flashlight to illuminate the text.

Finished with Beren and Lúthien. Liked it alot, but I think the book is only for hardcore fans, since it is full of notes, and drafts, notes on drafts, and alternate versions. Huan FTW.

Starting another book for my diversity challenge (trans character): Annex.

Silvana wrote: "Finished with Beren and Lúthien. Liked it alot, but I think the book is only for hardcore fans, since it is full of notes, and drafts, notes on drafts, and alternate versions. Huan ..."

Like they didn’t finish the actual story or they included a “making of” section?

Immediately upon finishing The Calculating Stars, I bought, downloaded, and started The Fated Sky. I finished that this morning and am going to have to dig into my queue to see what I want to listen to next.

With my eyeballs, I'm still reading Ninefox Gambit, which I am still intrigued by, even if it's not going nearly as quickly as TCS and TFS did. :)

I know that another book in a series I've read will come out later this month. It's a mystery-thriller type book, a beach book...for February.

terpkristin wrote: "a beach book...for February."

That can work. Depends on either your location (Hawaii, Southern Hemisphere), or your constitution (member of the Polar Bear Club, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coney...).

Trike wrote: "Silvana wrote: "Finished with Beren and Lúthien. Liked it alot, but I think the book is only for hardcore fans, since it is full of notes, and drafts, notes on drafts, and alternate..."

Both. The 'drafts' were bits and pieces (also in poetry format), sometimes an expansion, sometimes alternate versions, plus the process to get to the story finally published in The Silmarillion. I still enjoyed it (there were some amusing scenes), but could understand why some people struggled with it. It's more or less similar to the 12 volume series The History of Middle-earth.

Last week I finished listening to On the Shoulders of Titans. I enjoyed it in the end, but I struggled with the book a bit, especially early on. I'll still continue on with the series, and may pick up the prequel book once it's available in audio. - ★★★½☆ - (My Review)

I recently fell into to reading the Good Intentions series by Elliott Kay, the first one being Good Intentions.

Its an urban fantasy series involving angels, demons, vampires, etc and is heavy on poly romantic relationships amongst the protagonists. It has some graphic sex scenes so I probably wouldn't it to all. In a way it reminds me of certainly paranormal romance series that have graphic sex, just that its with a male main protagonists rather than a female.

Only read the first two books so far, but I have been enjoying em.

Finished Ninefox Gambit. Normally I don't continue series right away but I feel like I need to get going on this one while it's fresh or it'll be a headache.

After that I started and finished Milk and Honey. I thought it was beautiful and some of the poems really hit. A lot of the criticisms of this book seem to be "beautiful language but not poetry? Just someone hitting spacebar a lot?" Personally it didn't bother me and I got through this in one sitting while never feeling like I was reading it just to read it. Genuinely got sucked in (its the shortest 200 pages possible with a lot of 3 line poems) and put down the whole thing. Adding The Sun and Her Flowers to my list of poetry TBR.

Just finished Wrath of Empire. It was fantastic! If you haven't read Brian McClellan yet and are looking for something new in fantasy, give his books a try! Currently listening to Malice by John Gwynne and reading Skyward by Brandon Sanderson.

Just finished Riley Parra Season 1: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Currently reading:
Genre:
Strange Dogs (expanse 6.5)
The Calculating Stars
All that Outer Space Allows

Non-Genre:
Skipped Parts

Comics:
Deadly Class Hardcover #1

A bunch of cookbooks and QT5 Python Gui Programming

Thanks to the prolonged flu I managed to speed through Annex- I loved it, a great SF (although it's YA) with engaging characters and story. Some cool aliens too. I will nominate it for the Lodestar Award. Also finished with The Warrior's Apprentice and suffice to say I am not going to continue with the series, Hugo winner or not. I'd like Bujold's fantasy works better.

Starting a new novella from Anthony Ryan Many Are the Dead: A Raven's Shadow Novella, and since it's on sale today, Monstress, Vol. 3: Haven *wheee

Jonathan wrote: "Just finished Wrath of Empire. It was fantastic! If you haven't read Brian McClellan yet and are looking for something new in fantasy, give his books a try! "

I wish more people read his books.

I actually read the book pick this month! And it was a Laser to boot, I don't think I've read a Laser pick before. I paused Guy Gavriel Kay's A Song for Arbonne to read The Calculating Stars, and so I've picked that back up. I started it on audio but too many similar names confused me, so I'm reading on kindle now. Interesting, since I've done a few of his books on audio in the past and had no problem.

My current listen is Skyward, which I thought I didn't like because it was a bit too YA for me, until it picked up halfway through and I remembered I'm reading Brandon Sanderson and I feel that way about all his books.

My current non-fiction read is The Devil: In Tudor and Stuart England because in theory I will finish this thesis one day.

I finished The Magicians yesterday and really liked it. My review.

I also read Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You by Lin-Manuel Miranda. It's a cute coffee table book.

Now reading The Magician King.