Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy discussion

Shortest month of the year, what are you planning to squeeze into those 28 days?

Genie in a Bottle by Sarah Mlynowski

Chinese Menu: The History, Myths, and Legends Behind Your Favorite Foods by Grace Lin

Sugar and Spice by Sarah Mlynowski

Finished Fear Itself on my eReader, a ST Discovery book centered on Saru. Next up on my eReader is Indomitable by Mike Shepherd, getting close to finishing off that Kris Longknife series and all its spinoffs!

As for dead-tree books, I'm starting today on The High King by Lloyd Alexander the last book in the Prydain series. It also won the Newberry Award so it will fill a BINGO slot.

Two Peas in a Pod by Sarah Mlynowski

Seeing Red by Sarah Mlynowski

January was busy and can't remember if I shared in the last thread. But I finished Tombland by C.J. Sansom in January (final book of the Matthew Shardlake series - became a favourite series so was sad it came to an end and that the author passed away last year). It was an excellent book.

I then started King of the Bosporus by Christian Cameron which was book 4 of the Tyrant series. I just finished it this morning. Cameron delivered another epic ending in that one! Overall another great book in the series.

I am now kicking of February with book 5 Destroyer of Cities . It's been a big historical fiction year so far for me.

My Review of Death Mark. It was...a lot!

Andrea wrote: "Shortest month of the year, what are you planning to squeeze into those 28 days?"

But each of those 28 days feels like...28 days.

I'm finishing up Excalibur by Bernard Cornwell, then I'll be starting Beyond Redemption by Michael R Fletcher!

I had hoped to finish The Atlantis Plague before the end of Jan, but life got in the way - well, work mostly, but that is part of life. Anyway, I've finished it, and it fills the Atlantis slot in my Bingo - the first book in this trilogy filled the New Author slot, and the last book will fill the Complete a Trilogy slot.

It's an improvement on the first book - Riddle's writing is a lot tighter, and the book is much more overtly sci-fi than the first book, which started more as a Dan Brown style thriller. Perhaps oddly (perhaps not), this requires less suspension of disbelief than the first book. I guess knowing it's outright SF brings a different mindset.

Kyle wrote: "I'm finishing up Excalibur by Bernard Cornwell, then I'll be starting Beyond Redemption by Michael R Fletcher!"

He's one of my favorite authors. He writes some darned good stories!

I have started The Atlantis World, the final book in the Origin Mystery series.

Spill the Beans by Sarah Mlynowski

Good as Gold by Sarah Mlynowski

Mary wrote: "Good as Gold by Sarah Mlynowski"

I read Gimme a Call by her. Pretty good!

I've got a bunch of nonfiction, including You'll Shoot Your Eye Out!: Life Lessons from the Movie A Christmas Story. Also an ARC, The Big Bad Wolf.

That Christmas Story book has caught my eye several times!

I'm not reading any science fiction or fantasy at the moment, but I am on The Diezmo. Nice book.

That sounds really interesting, Michael. 👍

After several false starts on books I thought I wanted to read but just couldn't get with it, I read The Dead Cat Tail Assassins . Just what I wanted to read, for some reason. I generally steer clear of assassins books but this one! Loved it! Plus it was a novella, so that helped, I think, since my concentration is struggling.

Finished The High King, I mean I know from book 1 how the series was going to end but I definitely enjoyed the ride. This fills my Award Winner BINGO slot.

Reading the short stories in the world of Prydain next - The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander. The book is 98 pages long with 8 stories in it. So they are "short" short stories.

The Journey to the West, Revised Edition, Volume 1 by Wu Cheng'en

Finished The Foundling and Other Tales, fun to get the background of the secondary characters of the main series.

Next up is an anthology Cravings edited by Laurell K. Hamilton but this one I picked up not for the Anita Blake tale but for the MaryJanice Davidson one Dead Girls Don't Dance since this short story is the second published in the Undead series. I don't know anything of the other two authors.

Well, I was going to read the whole anthology, but I started on the Hamilton story and it was further advanced in the Anita Blake series than where I left off so I was getting a few spoilers so just jumped ahead to the one Davidson story. There was no point reading the others and just leaving the one Hamilton one so I stopped there. I'll have to find another anthology to fill the BINGO slot (and I have several so shouldn't be an issue).

Thus I was done quick and I'm ready to pick up Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon, which will be the opposite of quick (it would almost fill that 1k BINGO slot from last year).

I've been watching the TV series with my father of all people (he likes the battles and the history bits...I like those better than the romance bits myself). I read the first book a while back but didn't get time to continue until now. This will fill my Genre Blender BINGO since it has Fantasy, Romance, and Historical all smooshed into one.

I finished Salvation. I move to the second book in that series, Salvation Lost.

I read Unclean!

My Review - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I have finished The Atlantis World, which completes the Origin Mystery trilogy - and fills the Bingo slot for Completing a Trilogy. It was shaping up to be the best of the three, but the ending seemed a little deus ex machina, and I couldn't tell if the author had planned those events all along, or had written himself into a bit of a corner. Still, it was a fun series that combined sci-fi and thriller vibes.

I read Annihilation which fills in my award winner bingo slot. But honestly, I don't get why everyone thinks it was so good. For me, it was a disappointing blah 3. Oh well. It won't be the first time I haven't agreed with the crowd.

Very Good, Jeeves! by P.G. Wodehouse

The Journey to the West, Volume 2 by Wu Cheng'en

I have started American Vampire, Vol. 1. This is a graphic novel which collects the first 5 issues of the American Vampire comic (from 2010), which was co-written by Scott Snyder and Stephen King. Despite being a lifelong comics reader, this was King's first go at writing a comic series.

This could fill either the Alternate Form or Features a Vampire Bingo slot.

My review of Combat Monsters: Untold Tales of World War II edited by Henry Herz

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

Abby in Wonderland by Sarah Mlynowski

I have finished The Book of Lost Tales, Part One. It took a while to read, and cannot be described as something that can be read casually - it does require a reasonable amount of concentration. If you like Tolkien, but found The Silmarillion to be a bit dry, I wouldn't recommend this book.

Abby in Oz by Sarah Mlynowski

I read The Apothecary by Meloy, Maile (2013) Paperback which was a wonderful magical MG adventure! I loved it!

I have started The Unquiet Grave. This book could fill a number of Bingo slots - title starts with a U, features a vampire, or dark SF/F - the opening chapter is pretty disturbing, and is likely to set the tone for the book (if not for the series).

I read The Bear and the Nightingale . Perfect cold, winter's read!

Abby in Neverland by Sarah Mlynowski

Nancy wrote: "Georgann wrote: "I read The Bear and the Nightingale . Perfect cold, winter's read!"

Ooo what did you think? I’ve been recommended ..."

I, also, have seen many recommendations, and many liked it way more than I did. It filled a slot for my library's winter reading program. I 4 stars liked it. It was an easy read, but I am undecided about reading any more of the series.

Villains Are Destined to Die, Vol. 7 by SUOL

I finished reading Wind and Truth (Book #5 of the Stormlight Archive) by Brandon Sanderson. It was a great conclusion to the first five novel arc in the archive. I also finished reading A Betrayal in Winter (Book two of the Long Price Quartet) by Daniel Abraham. The magic is subtle in this series. This novel was mostly about the succession plan for a kingdom. I plan to read The Waste Lands (Book three of the Dark Tower Series) by Stephen King next.

I finished reading The Unquiet Grave. At this stage, I think it will fill the Title begins with a U Bingo slot, although it could fill a couple of other slots and may get swapped around later in the year.

Next up will be Under an Azure Sky, which (according to the blurb) features a sapphic relationship, so it could fill the Features an LGBTQ character Bingo slot.

I have also started reading The Desert Air War

I just read Kendermore! It...wasn't great. :(

My Review - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

So far in February, I've read Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros, The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin, Fireborne by Rosaria Munda, A Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan, and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I'm still looking to get another 5 in before the end of the month, and yes, I'm running out of time!

I'm hoping to finish When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill and Fire & Fate by Serena Valentino today.

My main plan for the year is to finish all 10 series that I started in 2024. I should be able to get through Kill the Beast by Serena Valention yet this month, which will finish off the Villains series. I'll probably have to read some short one-off's to get to 10 for the month.

Robert wrote: "I just read Kendermore! It...wasn't great. :(

My Review - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

This is sad to here! Tas is my favorite character, so I had high hopes for this one.

When Women Were Dragons is one of my favorites!!

Georgann wrote: "When Women Were Dragons is one of my favorites!!"

I am loving it, as well!