Beyond Reality discussion

Whoa, it's July already! Let us know what you're reading this summer - any and genres welcome on this thread!

(also - happy Canada Day to any Canadians here!)

Yeah! Canada Day! And it is lovely and sunny and I just got back from a 5 day kayaking trip to the Copeland Islands. :)

I am still reading Endymion, I will finish it soon. And then I have to figure out what I can keep and what needs to go back to the library, I'm falling behind. I keep ordering more books but I never get to the ones I already have.

Finished the final full length Ian Fleming Bond book, The Man with the Golden Gun and it was good.
I read Robert J. Sawyer's latest The Downloaded
It was very good. Only complaint is it is too short. I ripped through this one
Now, starting All the Seas of the World

I am officially on vacation!!!!!

Started my reread of the Southern Reach series to help refresh my memory for Absolution

Oh, and in case anyone is interested, there's a new Murderbot short story.
https://reactormag.com/rapport-martha...

Finished Annihilation
Will be starting Authority sometime tonight or tomorrow.

So far in July, I’ve read:
Murder on the Serpentine by Anne Perry, the last book in her Charlotte & Thomas Pitt series of historical mysteries, 7.5/10, a nice wrap up to the series.
Lt. Leary, Commanding by David Drake, book 2 in this series, 7.75/10, fast-paced military science fiction.
Legend in Green Velvet by Elizabeth Peters, 5/10. There’s a fair amount of Scottish history crammed in between frantic chases across Edinburgh & the Highlands. The plot is implausible, to say the least, and the characters were almost as ridiculous, but still, it was a fast, fun read.

Currently listening to Where the Wandering Ends by Yvette Manessis Corporon, historical fiction mostly based in Corfu, Greece, and reading The Blackhouse by Peter May, first in the next mystery series I’ll be reading over time.

I haven't updated in a while!

My recent reads:
A Most Puzzling Murder by Bianca Marais was ok - not especially well written and a plot that was too twisty, but the puzzles were a lot of fun and there were cool interactive parts where you solved a puzzle, sent the solution to an automated email address, and got back a bonus scene, so that was very cool.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye: comments on the spoiler thread :)

The Harder I Fight the More I Love You: A Memoir by Neko Case: I've always liked her music, I didn't know she had such a hard life. Well written.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry: I don't usually read pure romance novels, but I was told I'd really love this one - and I did!

Written on the Dark by Guy Gavriel Kay: His newest one, just as good as all the others! This one is alternate medieval France during the Hundred Years' War, with the story told through the POV of a tavern poet who gets swept up in larger affairs.

Mrs. Sherlock Holmes by Brad Ricca: nonfiction history/true crime that caught my eye at the library. I'd never heard of this woman and her story was interesting, if the writing was a bit dry.

The Face of a Stranger by Anne Perry: Kathi mentioned this one on the amnesia QotW thread and I was intrigued enough to request it from the library. And now I have to go read all of her other books so thanks for introducing me to a new author!

Next up is Cast in Shadow by Michelle Sagara, for our quarter 3 reading challenge!

Well, I could not get into All the Seas of the World.
I went with Dance of the Hag
It was good, but definitely a middle book in a series
Next up the Bond Ian Fleming short stories
For Your Eyes Only
Octopussy and The Living Daylights
They were pretty good.
Finally finished all the Ian Fleming Bond books

Right now reading non fiction book about the Theodsian Wall in Istanbul
To The City: Life and Death Along the Ancient Walls of Istanbul

Next up some SF

I read An Autumn War (Long Price Quartet Book #3) by Daniel Abraham. Otah Machi’s country is protected by the magic of the andat. The best Galt general learns how to take away their andat. Will Otah Machi defeat the Galts, or will they destroy him and all the cities of Khaiem? I also read Gerald's Game by Stephen King. Jessie has a problem. Her husband, Gerald, likes to play games, the ones that end up with her handcuffed to the bedpost. What happens when they are at their isolated lake house, Jessie is cuffed to the bed, and Gerald is incapacitated? I am reading Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold and Isles of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson. I plan to read Towers of Midnight (Book #13 of the Wheel of Time series) by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson next.

Finished Authority and Acceptance

My memory of those two books was pretty hazy and I am glad I reread them.

Will be starting Absolution tonight.

End of the month and I have gotten distracted between work and other things going on.

I think I'm still on the second chapter of Absolution.

I also kind of started Baking Bad for BotM in August. Also only on chapter 2 there as well.

Hoping to be able to get in some solid reading time this weekend.

I've been reading quite a bit of L.E. Modesitt Jr.; The Magic of Recluce, The Towers of the Sunset, Solar Express, & Imager.
I started the Recluce series 20ish years ago and I've had to restart, as I remember nothing. And now it is some 24 book long series, so that is going to take me a bit.

And started a couple series, I was looking for some light reading and decided on Soulless & Moon Called. Both of which I liked, surprisingly, I'm kind of hit or miss with the Urban Fantasy books.

Oh, last day of July! And I haven't really been posting in my various groups' What Are Your Reading threads this month so let me make up for that.

I reread nearly the whole Murderbot Diaries (again), inspired by the release of the latest Murderbot publication, the ART-centric short story/novelette Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy , and I reread The Parable of the Sower by the great Octavia Butler in anticipation of finally reading The Parable of Talents in August.

Some other note-worthy books I've read in July:

I read The Heart of Open Wounds by Adrian Tchaikovsky, the 2nd book in his Tyrant Philosophers series, as well as the short stories "Woodmask" and The Heart of the Reproach, both set in the same universe as that series. I enjoyed them all, but the short stories lack the kind of grim humor you find in the novels. I'm currently reading Shroud which if you like Tchaikovsky's SF more than his fantasy, you'll likely like this. For me, it's a contender for one of the best works I've read by him so far, as someone who gave Alien Clay and Saturation Zone both 5 stars.

Finally read Among Others by Jo Walton. It's one of the oldest purchases in my Audible account that I'm trying to free myself from. It wasn't quite what I expected--it really dripped of autobiographicality (is that a word?) and sometimes slavish fangirling of various authors (although I agree about Dying Inside which I badly need to reread) but it was worth the read.

This evening I'm reading Venomous Lumpsucker by Ned Beauman. Some of the black humor doesn't quite land for me but I am enjoying the detailed backstory about the titular species.

Wrapping up July:
The Blackhouse (9.5/10) and The Lewis Man (10/10) by Peter May, books 1 & 2 in his Lewis series (the stories mainly take place on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides). Beautifully written with complex, memorable characters.
Signal Moon by Kate Quinn, 8/10. I put some comments in our topic thread for the Q3 Challenge.
The Far Side of the Stars by David Drake, 8/10. Military space SF, action-packed and fun.