The Sword and Laser discussion

From Veronica and Tom on Patreon:

As you know, we lost a member of our community who was a voracious reader and contributed in so many ways including co-hosting the show. We shared some of our memories of Jenny on the last episode of Sword and Laser and among them was an idea from John Nevets.

The short version is, that in honor of Jenny, the June book pick will be to read and review as many books you want.

If you're looking for some ideas, you can definitely find inspiration in Jenny's extensive book list on Goodreads

Here's John's email that inspired the idea.

"I have an idea regarding a possible way the book club could memorialize Jenny’s passing. I’m by no means sure it is a good idea, I just had it, and am posting it here to start a discussion about it. When Joanna died 5 years ago Tom and Veronica chose to read one of her unread books in her Goodreads list. I thought this was a great and wholly appropriate way of remembering her. And each time I see “The Hum and Shiver” in my audible account I think of her. Jenny was such a prolific reader that this doesn’t seem quite right, and also may be a more difficult task. My suggestion instead is for one month not have a traditional book pick, but instead have each of us read as many different books as we can ( even if that is just one), and then write a Goodreads review of them. Possibly mentioning it is posted in her memory. I know many are very good about writing reviews anyway, but many of us aren’t, and I thought this would be a unique way of sharing much of what she enjoyed."

We can use this folder to discuss the books we read in Jenny's honour and also to post links to our Book reviews

and for any other Book or Baking related items in memory of Jenny.

Thanks Dave. I wasn't sure what I was going to do since this is such an unusual month.

<3

That is all.

Jenny's Goodreads Want-To-Read list has 3820 books. It looks like she began adding books early in 2009. I looked at the front and back ends of her numbered list and found a few books on my TBR pile and a couple of books recently read but not reviewed. I'll try to read and review some of the unread books and review the books I've already read.

On my TBR pile:

#70 added Jan 05 2011: The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
#3434 added Jun 30 2020: Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
#3706 added Apr 05 2021: The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
#3757 added Nov 12 2021: Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft

Recently read but didn't review:

#3417 added May 26 2020: The Black God's Drums by P. Djeli Clark
#3551 added Sep 22 2020: Finder by Suzanne Palmer

I’ve picked one I want to read from her list:
How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

I’m going to read Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad by M.T. Anderson.

As I mentioned in the episode thread, this is featured in the cover art for the episode. I think it would be nice if we could, between us, read all the books featured in the picture. Does anyone have a full list of the titles? It’s not easy to make all of them out.

Ruth wrote: "Does anyone have a full list of the titles? It’s not easy to make all of them out."

The books in the cover art are the first 30 books listed in Jenny's "Read" shelf in Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

I am going to read Senlin Ascends as it has been on my radar for years. Started out as a self published book which after many years gathered enough eyes to finally be re published by Orbit Books. There are now 4 books in the series. The current Kindle price is $ 6.99.

I am going to knock over a few of the shorter form books (novellas etc) that are on my Kindle at the start of this reading period.

I am intending to read Children of Time before the month (June) is finished.

I've read a bunch of Jenny's To Be Read list so will attempt a few review. I will finish Moon Witch, Spider King and another IRL book club as well. Then to pick another... Hmm.

It is such a shame Jenny didn't get to Tim Winton, terrific author.

For me Jenny was a GR friend since Sept 2011 and over the years we commented on a few of each others reviews. I will pick some books that are on both our TBR lists.

So sad that Jenny was taken from us at such and early age. But I'm sure she still read more books than most of us will, even if we live to 100.

So sad to hear about Jenny. I always enjoyed her interactions with the group.

I picked The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer to kick off the month. I looked at it at the bookstore the other day but opted not to buy the hardback. I'll use it for my audible pick this month instead. Gonna peruse her list to see if there's anything else that catches my fancy and go from there.

Should we all add #JennyGuyColvin to our GoodReads reviews in June as part of this? I read "The Hum and Shiver" (and sequels) due to her recommendation... makes me want to retroactively tag that one or something...

I went through her list looking for a book nominated for the Hugos she had read or planned to. I chose The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers. When I was reviewing the book on GoodReads, I was not five reviews down when I found Jenny's review here

This is a wonderful idea. Looking at her TBR list and thinking about her sudden lost, and the sadness in America right now, makes me want to cry. Just tell the people you love that you love them...and READ Books. <3 What a tribute.

Tassie Dave wrote: "Ruth wrote: "Does anyone have a full list of the titles? It’s not easy to make all of them out."

The books in the cover art are the first 30 books listed in Jenny's "Read" shelf in Goodreads

http..."
Thanks!

I now have the copy of Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield that I bought after reading Jenny’s review.

It looks beautiful, so I’m looking forward to starting it once I’ve taken care of a few of my ‘currently reading’s.

Teadragon wrote: "Should we all add #JennyGuyColvin to our GoodReads reviews in June as part of this? I read "The Hum and Shiver" (and sequels) due to her recommendation... makes me want to retroactively tag that on..."

The Hum and the Shiver was a book we read as group in memory of another member who passed, Joanna. It always makes me think of her.

To quickly get started I'm picking up one of her oldest TBRs When Gravity Fails. I'll use Goodread's comparison function to see if I can quickly filter her TBR to my own as wells as SFF.

I'll also go thru some of her non-fiction for my other bookclub and share there. Although she wasn't a member, I wouldn't be surprised if she had friends and followers there too.

I got started on this great project yesterday. Began with filtering to her sci-fi books only. I then selected a few that were highly rated by Jenny and also available in the local public library. Here’s my shortlist. And I’ll pick one today.

Golden State by Ben H Winters
Vessel by Lisa a Nichols
If, Then by Kate Hope Day

Don’t know how to make links on the mobile app so we just get the titles and authors. 😬

Looking through her list, there are some that look interesting, but I decided to read The Witness for the Dead because it's a sequel to a club book and the next book in the trilogy is coming out in June.

She also had a book that looked interesting but it's nonfiction/opinion and didn't feel right for S&L.

I've been on a slump for some time, but I think reading as much as I can this month is a great way to honor Jenny. Going through that incredible TBR I think I might try to tackle The Library at Mount Char, The Mere Wife, Flyaway & The Wolf Road. I'll also try to get back from my reviewing slump.

This week I am on holiday in sunny* Portugal, so I have picked up some appropriate reading material:

The High Mountains of Portugal by Yann Martel

The Two Hotel Francforts by David Leavitt (set in Lisbon in WW2)

and the non-fiction Conquerors: How Portugal Forged the First Global Empire




*rainy

I was reading Down Among the Sticks and Bones when this was announced. She has The Wayword Children series on her sci-fi and fantasy list so I think I will continue this series. I have most of the books from the freebies that Tor was offering.

Hey everyone. I just wanted to chime in to say I've been following this tribute and your picks and it warms my heart. I think Jenny would absolutely love that you are doing this. It's so hard to hear that she has unread picks that she will never get to enjoy, but even if she lived until she was 103, that would always be the case. In case anyone is interested, here's the link to her obituary. Thank you all for making her presence felt just a little longer. https://www.thehowzemortuary.com/obit...

Thank You once again for sharing that information Nathaniel. It was very nice to hear a bit more about Jenny's life. I'm very sorry for both you the rest of your family's loss. I lost my father at the age of 7 and while not quite the same, I've sent a friend request on here if you wish to talk about what that meant to a kid. Or not, since we do not know each other otherwise.

Truly take care.

Since Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield is the book I chose specifically for this month, I consider it my ‘official’ book of the month.

I’ve only read 2 chapters so far, but I can already see why Jenny gave this book 5 stars. The prose is gorgeous and I already feel very connected to the characters. I look forward to reading more.

Thank you for the information, Nathaniel, and thank you, Jenny, for the recommendation.

not sure how to check her list for titles but going to track the books I read this month here (that are Sword/Laser types of books) - so far I've finished Hummingbird Salamander by Jeff Vandameer, am just starting Rosebud by Paul Cornell, and will likely listen to The House in the Cerulean Sea on Audible as my next audiobook. I usually also have a physical book that I'm reading, currently it is Appendix N. : The Eldritch Roots of Dungeons and Dragons (edited by Peter Bebergal with stories by lots of authors). At my current pace of reading I'll likely read a bunch of other books this month as well, will try to remember to note them on this thread also.

Well, I thought being ambitious would be in the spirit, and our previous Peter Hamilton selection sort of put me into the mood for more, so I'm going to attempt to read the entire Void Series (which takes place in the same universe as Pandora's Star): "The Dreaming Void," "The Temporal Void," and "The Evolutionary Void." I'm sure I won't make it, they're all doorstops as well, but, I felt inspired by legend.

This is a great suggestion for paying tribute to Jenny.

From the intersection of my to-read shelf with hers, I'll try to read and review these this month (three of these are fairly short, so I'm hoping I can do them all):

When Gravity Fails by George Alec Effinger

The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate by Ted Chiang

To Be or Not To Be: A Chooseable-Path Adventure by Ryan North (currently reading)

Ten Billion Days and One Hundred Billion Nights by Ryu Mitsuse

Tainaron: Mail from Another City by Leena Krohn

So adding to my previous comment I’ve also finished Winter Tide (The Innsmouth Legacy book 1) and the graphic novel Superman Son of Kal El vol 1 The Truth both of which were excellent. Next up I’m going to reread/finish Exhalation: Stories by Ted Chiang which I’ve started in the past but somehow neglected to finish.

Doesn't look like Steven King is anywhere on Jenny's lists so my continuation of his Gunslinger series is not a direct tie to her legacy. Maybe she would enjoy the richness of the world building and a good story told round the campfire [2 in fact, a story told within another story] in The Wind Through the Keyhole, my review.

I just finished Between Two Fires & wrote my 1st review of the month in honor of Jenny.

I finished The Galaxy, and the Ground Within. You can read my review here.

Finished Exhalation by Ted Chiang. As I noted in my review one of the best collections of stories I’ve ever read and one that I think in the best possible sense will haunt me for decades to come. Truly an astonishing collection of stories (deservedly the collection holds multiple multiple award winning and many more award nominated stories. Not many collections of stories have multiple Hugo award winning stories in them - all told the stories won 8 major awards and three others had nominations for major awards some multiple awards.)

Also a reminder of how much worldbuilding can be done even in a short story or novelette. Each of the worlds of these stories is unique and different and seemingly rich and deep enough for entire novels or series of tales.

Yesterday I finished The Kaiju Preservation Society 4 stars! I wrote a review.

Started listening to the audiobook of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, another book Jenny has read and reviewed. Enjoying it so far.

I chose a book that both I and Jenny had on our TBR lists. Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn got 4 stars from me.

It is a murder mystery in a dystopian future. After a global catastrophe our investigators small corner of the world has found a new normal, kind of. Now someone has been murdered and she leads the investigation. During the investigation we get to follow her journey, both figuratively and literally. The world building was excellent, liked the woman on a journey thing, the only less successful part was that the mystery was a bit boring. My review can be read here

I recently finished The Rats 4 stars. I wrote a review.
Today I listened to another story in Heroic Hearts & started The Scavenger Door (Finder Chronicles #3)!

I will be reading a very appropriate book for my final June read: The Witchfinder's Mark which was written by my friend, Paul M Clark.

Paul died suddenly a few weeks ago just before his first book was published in Australia and New Zealand.

The book is folk horror set in Lancashire 1644 based on the witch scare that led to the Pendle witch trials.

There has been too much death over the last few years.

I’m really sorry to hear about your friend, Iain.
I’ll have to check out that book - having grown up in the area, the Pendle Witch trials are always of interest.

Really sorry about your friend Iain. As you say, there has been too much death these past few years.

Ruth (tilltab) Ashworth wrote: "I’m really sorry to hear about your friend, Iain.
I’ll have to check out that book - having grown up in the area, the Pendle Witch trials are always of interest."

Opps, i got the dates wrong. Set well after the Pendle witch trials.

Ah, no worries, still sounds good. I hope you enjoy it.

Iain wrote: "I will be reading a very appropriate book for my final June read: The Witchfinder's Mark which was written by my friend, Paul M Clark.

Paul died suddenly a few we..."

I am currently reading The Witchfinder's Mark, and I'm so sorry to hear the book is posthumously published - it's fantastic for a debut (and, being familiar with English witchcraft, very well done)

Elizabeth wrote: "Iain wrote: "I will be reading a very appropriate book for my final June read: The Witchfinder's Mark which was written by my friend, Paul M Clark.

Paul died sudd..."

Our children where in the same class in primary school. He was a very good history teacher at the local high school before moving to NZ and had lived a very packed and interesting life.

Today I started My Heart Is a Chainsaw!

Started reading two more books I’ll hopefully finish before the end of the month:
Book of Night by Holly Black
And Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo

I haven't finished my pick (The Witness for the Dead but I plan to try. This month has been insane at work.