Beyond Reality discussion

I'm nearly finished with the SF/Fantasy November fantasy book, The Magic of Recluce and about halfway finished with The Hero and the Crown.

Last Friday, I checked out Against All Things Ending and I'm waiting to receive my signed and numbered copy of Towers of Midnight this week.

For the rest of November, which I hope allows me to read more than I did in October, I'll work through my current-month book shelf.

I had expected to continue reading Wheel of Time, but I've very suddenly been overcome with the desire to switch to sci-fi. It's always sudden, and will usually happen when I'm in the middle of a book. So now I'm left with the decision of whether to press on with the second WOT book, or to just abandon it temporarily.

Either way, if I do stick with sci-fi, I expect to read a bunch of Alastair Reynolds this month, and Version 43, the newest one by Philip Palmer. This is his make-or-break book for me. His first book was atrocious, but showed a tiny glimmer of potential. His second book was a LOT better, so I'm encouraged. Only problem is the story of this third book doesn't sound very interesting.

I should be finishing The Lions of al-Rassan today, which I have really enjoyed. After that I was going to try to squeeze in A Princess of Landover and maybe The Forgotten Beasts of Eld before starting Towers of Midnight.

I'm finishing The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms now.

Then I'm hoping to read a bunch of sci-fi books that were not written in English: Solaris, We, The Apex Book of World SF, and something by Jules Verne. I'm also attempting NaNoWriMo, so we'll see what happens...

I could just copy & paste my comments from the last couple months, I'm afraid...
I am trying to get caught up on the periodicals I read (I'm on July 2010) and am done with the first 4 chapter sets in The Ships of Merior. I have been really swamped with other commitments, feeling very frustrated and sad about my lack of reading time...

I just started reading Echo City by Tim Lebbon - pretty good dark fantasy so far. I'm also still working on the first Steampunk anthology, edited by the Vandermeers, in preparation for the upcoming second anthology, which I'm due to review this month.

I'm trying to finish up Dracula which I had hoped would get done before Halloween but oh well. I'm also planning to read The Drawing of the Three as soon as I finish The Lions of al-Rassan. I really hope to participate in Little, Big but I'm not sure if I will get to it.

Well I'm carrying over Dunnett's Queens' Play, and Wurts' Shadowfane in audio. I'm also planning to tackle Little, Big for this group and The Magic of Recluce and Haze for another group. The rest of my planned reads for this month are on my November shelf.

Traitor's Knot is a reread. Several are audio books. I get more read when I have one of those going in addition to a book.

In the middle of:
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, by Jared Diamond

Hope to get to, if NaNoWriMo either goes really well, or really badly:
The Castle of Crossed Destinies, by Italo Calvino
Brown Girl in the Ring, by Nalo Hopkinson
Voices by Ursula K. Le Guin
Powers by Ursula K. Le Guin
Pegasus by Robin McKinley
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells

I'll also be participating in the discussion of Little, Big, but I won't be rereading it. It took me three months to get through earlier this year, and my memory's fresh enough! ;)

Much of my reading this month will be for various Goodreads groups, starting with Little, Big to discuss with the group here.

For the Pick-a-Shelf group, I'll be reading two selections from the November shelf choice, Time Travel: Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy and The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde (which I am re-reading as a prelude to continuing on in the series.)

I also have two volumes of short stories sitting on my shelf that I'd like to get through this month - The Third Bear by Jeff VanderMeer and Vermilion Sands by J.G. Ballard, and I am still slowly nibbling through Journey by Moonlight by Antal Szerb.

That's the plan as of now, and I'll grab something else from the never-ending queue if I finish those.

Oooh, Candiss - I just finished Woman on the Edge of Time last week. It's a really interesting one - enjoy!

I think I'm going to abandon Anathem. I started it in mid-September and still have almost 200 pages to go. It never takes me that long to finish a book.

I've started reading Saturn's Children on my Nook and that's going very quickly. My current audiobook is Catching Fire. My current paper book is Blackout.

I'm starting reading Consider Phlebas today. I may try after Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone because a friend keep telling me that I should read the series but I'm not convince I will like it.

After that I will continue my reading of Steven Erikson's the Malazen book of the Fallen series with Toll the Hounds.

I am also deep in the Tales of the Fallen, reading "Midnight Tides" following straight on from "House of Chains". After this, I think I'll switch to Banks' "Transition" for a change of pace, but the rest of the Malazan books are in the TBR pile and little else seems compelling these days.

Finished:
Little, Big by John Crowley (finished in Oct. for Nov. discussion)
Saturn's Children by Charles Stross
The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. LeGuin
Fugitive Prince by Janny Wurts
The Magic of Recluce by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay

Currently reading:
Fifty Degrees Below by Kim Stanley Robinson
The Lions of al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay

TBR:
Grand Conspiracy by Janny Wurts

Finishing Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch.
Hoping to start Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie.

I just finished reading Song of the Beast and enjoyed it immensely; now I need to read more of this author. Has this group read this book as a fantasy title of the month? I'm starting on WARCHILD

I'm finishing up The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. Then I'm going to start either The Shadow Rising (Wheel of Time #4) by Robert Jordan or Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson.

Finishing up Pawn of Prophecy and then will start Towers of Midnight. Also listening to The Way of Kings when I commute.

Finished with Kushiel's Chosen, didn't like it as much as the first one (less tension I thought), but still good. I think I'm going to stop with the series after the first trilogy though.

Restarted Lovers and Beloveds, which I halted because the Kushiel books arrived in the library. Have Kushiel's Avatar lying next to my bed for late night reading.

I finished the audio versions of Shadowfane and A Thousand Splendid Suns. Gave both of them four stars. They're both very good, very different. Shadowfane a mixture of scifi and fantasy with plenty of psychological twists, and the Hosseini about the treatment of two women in Afghanistan from before the Russians attacked to after the US chased the Taliban out of Kabul. Wrenching and sad, but also hopeful.

Am hoping to finish Queens' Play this weekend. Have a dictionary app on my iphone that will make it easier to look up words I don't understand.

Sandra, do you have The Dorothy Dunnett Companion? I found it REALLY helpful. You can read and enjoy the books without it, but it gives historical background that helped me make sense of what was happening, and also translates all the little quotes and poems in other languages so I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything. The first volume covers all of the Lymond books and the first few Niccolo books, and the second volume the rest of the Niccolo series.

Shel wrote: "Sandra, do you have The Dorothy Dunnett Companion? I found it REALLY helpful. You can read and enjoy the books without it, but it gives historical background that helped me make sen..."

No, not yet, but it's in the queue for my Nook.

I put down Master and Commander. I wasn't all that impressed with the story and writing. I was about halfway through. Way to much technical ship stuff and not enough people stuff for me. Not sure if I am going to pick it up again or not.

Started on Under Heaven

Shel wrote: "Sandra, do you have The Dorothy Dunnett Companion? I found it REALLY helpful. You can read and enjoy the books without it, but it gives historical background that helped me make sen..."

Actually, I had #2 in my Nook queue. Thanks for the info. I ordered #1 in paperback as it's not available in Nookbooks.

I'm still working on my two steampunk anthologies. I've been surprised with how much diversity there actually is in what I thought was a fairly cookie-cutter sub-genre. Some great stories so far!

I just finished Son of the Shadows and have ordered the third book of this trilogy from the library. Before this book I read WARCHILD. i highly recommend both books. Now on to The Forever War

Sandra aka Sleo wrote: "Shel wrote: "Sandra, do you have The Dorothy Dunnett Companion? I found it REALLY helpful. You can read and enjoy the books without it, but it gives historical background that helpe..."

Shel, I got the companion and am deep into Disorderly Knights. I'm afeard I won't be able to stop after this one!

Christine wrote: "I just finished Son of the Shadows and have ordered the third book of this trilogy from the library. Before this book I read WARCHILD. i highly recommend both books...."

Warchild is on my list!

Sandra aka Sleo wrote: "Shel, I got the companion and am deep into Disorderly Knights. I'm afeard I won't be able to stop after this one!"

LOL! Nor should you! The next one, Pawn in Frankincense, is my FAVORITE.

Shel wrote: "Sandra aka Sleo wrote: "Shel, I got the companion and am deep into Disorderly Knights. I'm afeard I won't be able to stop after this one!"

LOL! Nor should you! The next one, Pawn in Frankincense..."

I'm sooo excited! Alas, deep rich stories like this one are so rare! Maybe WLOS and Dunnett.

I have just finished the Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson. Great books. The last one The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nestwas very exciting. What a pity Stieg Larsson died.

First half of November I made quite a bit of progress, reading and reviewing:

The Hero and the Crown
The Magic of Recluce
Blackout
All Clear
Haze

Yesterday, I started Towers of Midnight. Since that hardcover is so heavy, for my lunch time work reading, I started The Door Into Fire.

I renewed my library book that I plan to read over Thanksgiving, Against All Things Ending.

Anything else after I finish these will come from my current-month shelf.

Lucky you to have Towers of Midnight, I have 8 readers to go yet at the libary.

I finished the second steampunk anthology and am now hoping to avoid steam trains and airships in my reading for the next few weeks. They're good anthologies, but it was a bit much to read two back to back.

I just started The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin and am enjoying it so far. I also have Surface Detail by Iain M. Banks on hold at the library because I really need a science fiction fix. Space ships, not airships!

Hi all. It's been an interesting year for me! I normally read over a hundred books a year and this year I've not even read ten, I think. I've been involved in other projects!

But the reading bug has bitten me again and I just finished two really great books.

One is an old one, but good one and I was inspired to go back and read it because I enjoyed The Ruby Dice so much. I just read the beginning of the Skolian Saga, Primary Inversion and it was as good as I'd hoped it would be.

Last night I finished Havemercy and I loved it. It wasn't quite what I expected, but that sometimes turns out to be a treat, eh?

Next on my list is Saturn's Children. I usually have a hard time reading Charles Stross, but I've got it on audio, so I'll give it a go!

I have the last chapter set of The Fugitive Prince to finish this weekend, but ATM I'm taking a break from fantasy (I hope that isn't cause for dismemberment...or should that be dismembership?) However, I have Megan Whalen Turner's The Thief to read next week. Oh, and I have to order Grand Conspiracy from the library :)

Last night I finished Havemercy and I loved it. It wasn't quite what I expected, but that sometimes turns out to be a treat, eh?

It wasn't what I expected either, but I really enjoyed it. I also liked the second and have the third on my TBR list...along with two Michelle West/Sagara books!

I'm working on Little, Big, which I really should have started a month ago. I'm really enjoying it so far.

I also just started The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey by Walter Mosley, which came out last week and came up startlingly quick on my library holds queue (so I needed to get to it now so others can read it.) It's wonderfully written, very evocative and human, although I have yet to get to the sf elements. (It's something of a modern "Flowers For Algernon" theme, but instead of focusing on intelligence it focuses on Alzheimer's/dementia, with a sf-nal experimental drug that allows a patient perfect clarity and lucidity again at the cost of only allowing a few months to live. The story focuses on all the things that have happened to Ptolemy Grey's family while he's been ill and the things he puts in motion in his remaining months to try to make things better for them and leave a legacy and how he deals with both his inner and outer turmoil.) I'm expecting to see this book on some awards short-lists, even if it isn't treated specifically as a spec-fic book. I think it will see non-sf lauding all the same.

I had some time to kill yesterday and didn't have Fugitive Prince with me, so read the first few chapters of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which I've just picked up used and have somehow never read before. Will probably breeze through the rest of it today at some point and then return to Janny :)

I am reading The Scar by China Miéville

I finished The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin. Great novel.

Now I'm about to start on Surface Detail by Iain M. Banks because I really, really, REALLY need a science fiction fix after all the fantasy and steampunk I've been reading for reviews.

Stefan wrote: "I finished The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin. Great novel."

That one kept me up past my bedtime last night. I really liked it.

I finished listening to Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor. It reminded me a lot of Wild Seed. It kind of defies genre classification as it's set in a post-apocalyptic Africa where the people use remnants of old technology, including computers. They have devices that are like the iPod Touch, devices that collect water out of the air, and material coatings that keep them cool or are waterproof and warm. Yet, they also have sorcery.

I listened to We Have Always Lived in the Castle also. It's really short, so I finished it in a day. It's deliciously creepy.

I'm now listening to The Prestige and reading Odd Hours.

Sandi wrote: "I finished listening to Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor. It reminded me a lot of Wild Seed."

Well that goes on my Christmas wishlist. . . Wild Seed is one of the best books I've read all year, and I've read a lot of really fabulous stuff. :)

Phoenixfalls wrote: "Sandi wrote: "I finished listening to Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor. It reminded me a lot of Wild Seed."

Well that goes on my Christmas wishlist. . . Wild Seed is one of the best books I've re..."

I had the exact same thought! I *loved* Wild Seed.

Today I finished reading The Forever War which I missed in the 70s (too busy having children and working) and really enjoyed it. I was bothered by one tiny detail (calico cat referred to as male)and did skim over some of the tactical stuff but would highly recommend this book to anyone who has not read it. I've now started on Crossfire stepping away from SF/fantasy for a bit

Christine wrote: "Today I finished reading The Forever War which I missed in the 70s (too busy having children and working) and really enjoyed it. I was bothered by one tiny detail (calico cat referred..."

Took me a while to get around to this one too (finally read it last year), and I loved it. It's a great read.

I finished Fugitive Prince yesterday and started in on The Graveyard Book - I think this one's going to be a very quick read, then next up is Under Heaven which I'm VERY excited for - new Guy Gavriel Kay makes me happy!

Alas! I am sidetracked and deep in Dorothy Dunnett with whom few can compare!

Historical fiction is a little fantasy oriented, yes?

Sandra aka Sleo wrote: "Historical fiction is a little fantasy oriented, yes?"

There does appear to be a fairly large overlap in SF/F readers and Historical Fiction readers. . . probably because both genres focus a great deal on world-building. :)

I haven't delved into Dunnett myself yet, but I've been stockpiling her books in preparation. When I finish collecting the Lymond Chronicles I'm sure I'll be in the same boat you are!

Phoenixfalls wrote: "Sandra aka Sleo wrote: "Historical fiction is a little fantasy oriented, yes?"

There does appear to be a fairly large overlap in SF/F readers and Historical Fiction readers. . . probably because b..."

OMG, they are sooo good.