Beyond Reality discussion

Let us know what books you are reading this month (February 2020). And tell us a little about them and what you think.

I am reading The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden, because I loved The Bear and the Nightingale so much I had to grab the second book from the library right away! Just posted my thoughts to the spoiler thread.

The Ball and the Cross by G.K. Chesterton

I am reading the green mike by Stephen king. At first I didn’t like it because I thought an innocent man was killed. That part was kind of brushed over so I’ll guess I’ll find out later. I like the humor it and the history as well.


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

Shel wrote: "I am reading The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden, because I loved The Bear and the Nightingale so much I had to grab the second book from the ..."

Please post back here with your thoughts, Shel!

I am finishing up The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World which I absolutely love and highly recommend if you're a nature-lover and like well-written, educational but accessible nonfiction.

I've started Gone Girl (I know I'm late to the party on this one) and The Collapsing Empire--both are very addictive, and I find myself devouring one of them any spare moment I have.

Since I'll probably be finished with those soon, I've queued up the last of Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy, The Stone Sky, which I've been holding off on because I really want to savor it and also don't want it to end. :( But I'm extremely excited to get started.

It's shaping up to be a good reading month!

Finished the Marîd Audran series with The Exile Kiss. The first two were pretty good. The last one, not so much. It actually felt like the author couldn't figure out how to extend the main story and so kind of pasted a second one in for the first half of the book. The two parts had almost nothing to do with one another.

I've had it forever, so I tried starting WWW: Wake. I am underwhelmed. Because it deals with very current technology, it feels dated really quick. Though that part doesn't really bother me, I just find it amusing. :). What does are the technical errors. I'm not sure if its author ignorance, which I wouldn't blame. But at the same time he has some bits which are very technical, very detailed, and correct. So I suspect he simplified bits that weren't important for the average person. And I admit, in this arena, I am not the average person. And it means I do a lot of grinding my teeth.

Even without that, I don't think it will hold my attention to continue with any of the other books in the series, though I will go a head and finish this one.

After this, The Bear and the Nightingale

Still working on Something Deeply Hidden: Quantum Worlds and the Emergence of Spacetime. Not exactly a fast read. :

After that, I'm planning on The Rim of Morning: Two Tales of Cosmic Horror, though I don't know if I will have time to squeeze it in this month with everything else I have going on. I will give it a try though. :)

I finished The White Road by Lynn Flewelling, 7/10. The first 3 books in this series (Nightrunner) were wonderful, but the 4th book and this one were a bit of a letdown. Still good, but not quite as good. I am hoping the series finishes strong with the final 2 books.

Now reading Excession for our February discussion.

The Last Human by Lee Bacon

Kari wrote: "Please post back here with your thoughts, Shel!

I finished The Girl in the Tower and loved it - maybe even more than the first. I missed the forest setting, because this one takes place almost entirely in Moscow, but I loved the way that the story unfolded and how the characters developed along the way. Have requested book three from the library :)

In the meantime, I'm back to the Pierce Brown trilogy with the second volume Golden Son. I'm not very far into it yet. I have How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse lined up next - this one looks like a LOT of fun, it's a re-imagining of the Sleeping Beauty tale in a science fiction setting. Then Assassin's Fate will be after that. I can't wait to read it and at the same time I don't want the series to end!

Shel wrote: "Kari wrote: "Please post back here with your thoughts, Shel!

I finished The Girl in the Tower and loved it - maybe even more than the first. I missed the forest setting, because th..."

That's good to know! I need to push it up in my to-read list, apparently, although I will miss the forest setting a bit too. Thanks for your thoughts!

Working through Excession and getting into it more and more. Hope to get a chunk read over the next couple days while I spend time in airports and airplanes, but then I will slack off, no doubt, during my actual vacation.

I have Assassin's Fate downloaded onto my iPad; if I finish Excession, that will be next up to read in airports and airplanes on my way home later this month.

I finished Golden Son, which ended on quite the cliffhanger! I've rated both books of this trilogy so far 4 stars, but really the 4 is an average...in both volumes there were parts of the book that either dragged or seemed totally predictable, that I'd rate 3 stars, but there were also some profoundly moving moments and unexpected twists that would be 5 stars on their own. Have to request the last book from the library!

I'm planning to start How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse tonight.

Finished The Bear and the Nightingale.

Started The Rim of Morning: Two Tales of Cosmic Horror and Agent to the Stars as a palette cleaner. :)

I’m reading Aliens: Bug Hunt, and if you don’t mind continuity issues with the franchise, it’s a really good read.

I read the Bear and the nightingale and reviewed it, I wasn’t that impressed. It was well written and a good story but not my kind of thing.

I also read and reviewed gone girl, that book was horrible! 😂 not because it was poorly written but because it was so uncomfortable. I tried to reread it and couldn’t do it.

Currently I’m reading calibans war by james sa corey. I don’t necessarily like how the chapters are broken down by characters but I like the overall story. Avasrala is so much more annoying in the book then she is in the adaptation. Her chapters are a bit of an irritation.

I picking up Lois McMaster Bujold to go back to a guaranteed win. However, I'm reading Ethan D'athos because the premise sounded so interesting. Basically it's about a guy named Ethan from a planet of all men (they genetically alter the fetuses so they are boys) and their religion says that women are evil and subjugate men's wills.
In any case, this sheltered man with an odd cultural background heads to a diverse space station and has to face his greatest fear: females.
So far it's pretty interesting but very light in tone; it makes me think that Bujold wrote this story just for fun.

Hmm, you may not like THE EXPANSE books if you think Avasarala is more annoying in the books than on the show.

Avasarala is one of my favorite characters from that series.

Finished Agent to the Stars last night and it was exactly what I needed with the bad taste in my mouth after reading The Vear and the Nightingale.

Haven't decided what I starting in audio next. Might be Probability Moon but I haven't decided yet.

MadProfessah wrote: "Hmm, you may not like THE EXPANSE books if you think Avasarala is more annoying in the books than on the show."

Jacki wrote: "I picking up Lois McMaster Bujold to go back to a guaranteed win. However, I'm reading Ethan D'athos because the premise sounded so interesting. Basically it's about a guy named Ethan..."

lol, i'm already on the 2nd book, just because I find a character irritating doesn't mean i'm not going to like the books. I can deal. She's not that bad.

Random wrote: "Avasarala is one of my favorite characters from that series.

Finished Agent to the Stars last night and it was exactly what I needed with the bad taste in my mouth after reading The V..."

I like her, but I don't like politics hahaha.

Since last month's post, I've read:

Britt-Marie Was Here - Great characters, just the right balance of snark and schmaltz.

Alice I Have Been - a bit of a disappointment, probably because of the difficulty of turning the available evidence into a narrative.

What Made Maddy Run: The Secret Struggles and Tragic Death of an All-American Teen - I read it in conjunction with an author event and never would have heard of it otherwise - very thought-provoking.

The Secret Adversary - Very enjoyable and light Agatha Christie.

The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups - I read it for an online group, another one I never would have heard of otherwise, but also very thought-provoking.

Lexicon - Great premise, but the plot had too many holes and the characters were too inconsistent.

The Paper Magician - Very Ghibli-esque, so it was fun to read - but I was hoping for a central revelation that did not violate the Bechdel test.

The Color of Magic - Enjoyable, but it didn't draw me in the way everyone said it would - I don't feel compelled to continue the series.

Currently Reading:
Imager - Fun and fast-paced, but the Italian-ish language is distracting.

Currently Listening to:
Maybe Someday - I was reading this in print and enjoying it when my Libby loan ran out, so I switched to audio, which is not as enjoyable for this one. It's an interesting premise, but I might need to wait for a readable copy to come back up.

Ghost in the Council by Jonathan Moeller

I finished How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse last night. I liked, but didn't love it - it was a fun premise and I found Rory a very engaging character, but I couldn't read more than a few chapters at a time without getting bored - it wasn't the kind of can't-put-it-down book that I can get lost in. It was fun, though, and when the sequel is published I'll certainly take it out of the library.

I have three books that are all the final book in their series/trilogy lined up and can't decide which to start with first! David is currently reading The Winter of the Witch so I'll wait for him to finish that one, but then I have both Assassin's Fate and Morning Star. I think I'll probably do Morning Star first; it will be a faster read, and also I'm putting off the Robin Hobb because I don't want the series to end!

Megan wrote: "The Color of Magic - Enjoyable, but it didn't draw me in the way everyone said it would - I don't feel compelled to continue the series."

For Discworld, if you end up feeling more open to continuing at some point, I'd recommend skimming through the blurbs for the first books of the various "sub-series" (Witches, Watch, Death, etc.) and see if any of them appeals to you, rather than moving on to The Light Fantastic. The first couple of Rincewinds are not a good representation of the series as a whole.

I agree with Beth! My first introduction was one of the later books, which I loved, and then I was disappointed when I read Color of Magic.

I finally finished Shadow of Night after abandoning it for a trip to Latvia; it was much too big to lug along. Many thanks to the author for a very nice synopsis of the first book; I found this one to be a slow read (I kept finding other things to do). Guess ", ot into the minute details of the 1590s Europe. I'm guessing the third book will be about them looking for those missing three pages-I really don't care, and will not bother to read it.
I next read The Darkest Road to finish that trilogy; again the author provided a synopsis of what went before. This book captured my attention, but I was so frequently lost by references to mythology that I did end up skimming parts of the book. I don't think I will read another book by this author.
I started The Future of Another Timeline and abandoned it after two chapters; it just didn't grab me
Feeling pretty negative now, I'm about to start Limited Wish and hope this book will be the one (another synopsis)

Company of Strangers by Melissa McShane

Shatterday Discovered Harlan Ellison this year, and really loving his collections of short stories.He has a...lets say different approach to stories than other sf stories which I read recently.The introductions to the stories are almost as interesting as the stories themselves.

My SFF Feb reads in the first half were:

Spin by Robert Charles Wilson: A dystopian end-of-the-world novel which was surprisingly good. A successful mix of character writing and wonderful crazy SF ideas.

The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman, which was prose-wise unfortunately not at all what I was expecting according to all the hype around it. All the more frustrating because of that.

All Worlds are Real: Short Fictions by Susan Palwick, a high quality short fiction collection that is on this year's short list for the Philip K. Dick award. Not one bummer story.

The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi … well … yes … I can cross it off my list now. But being enthusiastic about a book is something completely different.

Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold - as always lovely character writing. The story itself is a mixture of military SF and soap opera, so not exactly my cup of tea, but I nevertheless loved accompanying the characters on their journey.

After Atlas by Emma Newman - a big YES! This is the kind of story I want to read. A deep understanding of the emotional outliers of society, a sure prose in bringing their innermost across and a story so suspenseful that I had to read it in one sitting.

The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan, a nice listening aside while doing household chores, but has a long way to go to meet the genius of the Stormlight Archives.

Oh, After Atlas sounds really good! I'll give Planetfall a try soon.

Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Shel wrote: "I agree with Beth! My first introduction was one of the later books, which I loved, and then I was disappointed when I read Color of Magic."

I am in the (maybe) minority who really enjoyed the Rincewind books. I love all the Discworld books, really, but I find Rincewind delightful.

Kathi wrote: "Shel wrote: "I agree with Beth! My first introduction was one of the later books, which I loved, and then I was disappointed when I read Color of Magic."

I am in the (maybe) minority who really en..."

It's not so much that they are better or worse as that they are definitely different. The satiric aspect is much heavier -- not to mention that they satirize the genres of the time.

Even the later Rincewinds are not like the first two.

I really need to get to the Emma Newman books. The romance element has been the source of my hesitation.

I am currently reading THE POPPY WAR by RF Kuang. I’m at 40% when suddenly it has gotten VERY supernatural, which is almost never a good sign IMHO. I love the central character Rin and the secondary characters vas well as the setting at a military school.

The political plots and geographic and historical backdrops seem needlessly complex but I’m willing to give the benefit of the doubt there.



Still

MadProfessah wrote: "I really need to get to the Emma Newman books. The romance element has been the source of my hesitation.
..."

Hmm ... There is no romance in After Atlas ...

MadProfessah wrote: "...I am currently reading THE POPPY WAR by RF Kuang. I’m at 40% when suddenly it has gotten VERY supernatural, which is almost never a good sign IMHO...."

I thought the same thing! Finished Part 1 (39%) & was thinking: suddenly I'm reading a THEOLOGY book???!!! (I wasn't brave enough to continue....) I look forward to your thoughts on the rest of the book!

So far, February has been busy. I finished: The One, Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World, The Book of Candlelight, This Tender Land, The Foundling, Jonah - Die Lehrjahre, Jonah - Der Aufstieg. currently reading Der Kastanienmann: Thriller and Sushi for Beginners

I stayed up way too late last night finishing Morning Star. Some of the battle scenes dragged for me (I'm not really a huge fan of military SF in general) but the ending was a bit of a roller coaster in the very best way - I loved the way it ended! I see that the author has written another trilogy with the same characters set about ten years later, but I don't think I will pick it up; I don't want to mess with such a perfect ending point :) I rated all three books of the trilogy 4 stars, but for all three I'm thinking of that rating as the average between some parts that were 3 stars and some passages that were worth 5. The first book had been a gift and I'm glad because I probably would not have picked it up otherwise!

I'm already about 100 pages into Assassin's Fate now. I love school vacation week!

Transhuman and Subhuman: Essays on Science Fiction and Awful Truth by John C. Wright

Shel wrote: "I stayed up way too late last night finishing Morning Star. Some of the battle scenes dragged for me (I'm not really a huge fan of military SF in general) but the ending was a bit o..."
I really enjoyed the first books, but ended up abandoning this one early on. The obvious military/battle scenes did not appeal to me (I liked the others tho)

I just finished Limited Wish which I enjoyed despite being intermittently confused; I've ordered he next book from my library
I have just started Here and Now and Then which I like already; another time travel book, but in this one, an agent gets stuck in the past and starts a new life before being "rescued" 18 years too late

I finished Assassin's Fate the other day and holy cow, what a perfect ending to an amazing series. I strongly encourage anyone who's been on the fence about reading such a monster series to take the plunge. Our discussion threads will remain open indefinitely!

I needed to "clear my palate", so to speak, because any other fantasy would suffer by comparison, so I am reading Michelle Obama's Becoming, and I'll leave the politics out of this conversation and just say that I'm finding it quite inspiring. Next up will be The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern for another group - I loved her earlier book The Night Circus so am looking forward to this one!

Non-fiction is an excellent thing to read after overwhelming fiction. (Particularly a series.)

Mary wrote: "Non-fiction is an excellent thing to read after overwhelming fiction. (Particularly a series.)"

I've been reading more & more nonfiction as I age. I think there are only so many plots that fiction can do, so many 'new' stories aren't. However nonfiction, especially the sciences, seem to come up with something new daily. A lot I was taught in the 70s has been completely overturned or taken to such interesting heights that I never expected to see. It's fascinating. Truly seems 'beyond reality' to me.

Shel wrote: "I am reading Michelle Obama's Becoming, and I'll leave the politics out of this conversation and just say that I'm finding it quite inspiring."

I felt like she was sitting down and talking to me—a very accessible style. And I learned a lot about her, separate from her life as First Lady. I rarely read nonfiction but I really enjoyed that book.

Also, when you are young, there is a tremendous backlog of stuff that you can read from history. After a time, that slows down -- there's still stuff, but you have to dig -- and the current day is obviously less plentiful.

Mary wrote: "Non-fiction is an excellent thing to read after overwhelming fiction. (Particularly a series.)"

Agreed! I am a big fan of nonfiction - I love memoirs, popular science, and random quirky nonfiction books. I don't quite alternate - I read more fiction than nonfiction, in general - but I do read quite a bit.

I found that as I get older I too like to toss some non fiction into the mix, though I still tend to avoid biography and memoirs (a few exceptions). Sadly I am usually underwhelmed by a person once I know more about them and I just end up feeling disappointed.
Science is usually my favorite. But given the area of my education and the field I work in, this is pretty unsurprising. And, like Jim said, there is always something new emerging all the time.

Life decided to step in with a big old boot and kill my reading pace. I've barely had the ability to listen to audiobooks let alone the text ones I'm currently on as well. Hopefully things will calm down again in the next week or two.

The joys of software development. Brief periods of abject boredom followed by raging frantic insanity.

I did finally start Probability Moon and I'm a little over half way. So far its been interesting. I'll wait to see how I feel once I finish before I decide on whether or not I will read the rest of the series.

Still working on The Rim of Morning: Two Tales of Cosmic Horror. I think I've managed to read a chapter over the last week or so. Yeah, that bad.

I just finished THE POPPY WAR. I gave it 4 stars for effort but that’s rounded up from 3.5 stars. I’m never a huge fan of the supernatural (just seems like a huge cop out). The only fantasy that has pulled it off recently for me is Robert Jackson Bennett‘s DIVINE CITIES trilogy, abd even that it wasn’t until book 2 that I really got into it.

I’m still collecting my thoughts on THE POPPY WAR but my main reaction is that it’s so emotionally heavy and depressing while simultaneously falling into (somewhat) typical power fantasies where the MC is “the chosen one”.


one” although it’s sorta cool the MC in this situation is an