The Sword and Laser discussion

Currently reading The Cage of Zeus by Sayuri Ueda, about a space station full of genetically engineered hermaphrodites who've been targeted by religious fanatics.

Also working my way through the Fate／Zero novels by Gen Urobuchi in preparation for the anime. This is really great if you've ever wanted to know who'd win a battle between Alexander the Great, King Arthur, Hasan-i-Sabbah, Gilles de Rais, and Gilgamesh.

I just started Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and so far its really good. I am only about 20 pages in though.

I just started Shock Value: How a Few Eccentric Outsiders Gave Us Nightmares, Conquered Hollywood, and Invented Modern Horror and am enjoying it a great deal. It is very appropriate for October and will serve as a good supplement for all my horror movie watching this month.

I'm almost through with Death Masks on audible. I'll finish Reamde: A Novel to keep up with the book club. I'm plodding through the first part of The Windup Girl on audible and should finish this month. I might read John Dies at the End before the movie comes out. Thinking of reading Spin if I get the time to.

Readin' On Basilisk Station mentioned on Security Now from the Twit folks. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed since my currently-reading list has grown to 8 books including the books I'm reading for classes.

This month is for The Tears of the Sun, Reamde, and Robert B. Parker's Killing the Blues...if all goes well.

I started The Stand. It'll probably take me a long time to finish it.

Halfway through The Magicians and enjoying it quite a bit. Also still plowing through Reamde.

Also picked up The Children of the Sky whichh I hope is a worthy sequel...

Kris wrote: "Also picked up The Children of the Sky whichh I hope is a worthy sequel..."

Hey, B&N says 10/11...

Tamahome wrote: "Kris wrote: "Also picked up The Children of the Sky whichh I hope is a worthy sequel..."

Hey, B&N says 10/11..."

Okay, Okay pre-ordered it but it is still October...

I finished Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter which was enjoyable but not quite what I expected. I had thought there would be some humor in the story but it was told as a factual account based on his journals.

I am unsure what I will read next. Right now I am debating between The Hum and the Shiver and Cast in Ruin.

I just finished Daemon and now I think I am going to move right into Freedom (TM) . Otherwise I am making my way through Reamde for the book club. I also have been reading a lot of Michio Kaku's work. He is a physicist and a great futurist. If you are into sci-fi, he has some fascinating insights into the technology of the future.

Almost done with Wizard and Glass on Audible and then onto Wolves of the Calla. Still working on A Clash of Kings.

Working my way through Storm of Swords.

I just finished All Families are Psychotic by Douglas Coupland. It was entertaining but not one of his better efforts.

I finished Cast in Ruin and The Hum and the Shiver.

Cast in Ruins was a good continuation of the series.

The Hum and Shiver was excellent, a much more subtle story than most urban fantasy novels in a very real world.

Working my way through Bitter Seeds , A Dance With Dragons, and soon I will start Surface Detail.

I'm continuing my Elizabeth Bear binge with The Chains That You Refuse and still ticking away with Blood and Iron.

I also sped through Cory Doctorow's new essay collection Context yesterday and was a little bit disappointed with it.

Recently started The Dreaming Void on audiobook, about half through and enjoying it so far. I expect to continue on with the other two in the trilogy, seeing that the third just came out in August. That will probably take me through the rest of the month. Also picking my way through The Dervish House on Kindle when I have the chance to sit and read fiction.

Well, after what felt like entirely too long, I finally finished Stand on Zanzibar and quite enjoyed it (review). Now that all the craziness at work is done, I'm hoping to have more time to read in general.

I drove up to my parents' house yesterday and started listening to The Night Circus. I'm only about an hour in, but so far I think it has promise. I like the writing style, though it's hard to divorce myself from Harry Potter since Jim Dale is doing the narration.

I'm not sure what I'll read next (in parallel with The Night Circus). I've got a few shorter books on my Kindle I could read, or I could jump in with Reamde. I'm afraid of doing the latter, though, since I'm getting a late start, I don't want to still be reading it when the next book pick comes up. Hmm, decisions, decisions.

Finished Tom Merritt's United Moon Colonies a couple days ago before tackling the current club picks. Tom's book is a good one, a nice SF thriller.

I just finished The Hunger Games. It was an enjoyable read, but it made me hungry.

Dobie wrote: "I just finished The Hunger Games. It was an enjoyable read, but it made me hungry."

I reading that now.

I finished The Night Circus just now and cannot recommend it highly enough, especially in audiobook form.

Later tonight I'm going to start reading Reamde (I'm hoping it goes quickly so that I can catch up to the group!).

I also just realized that the 4th (and final) book in the Inheritance Cycle, Inheritance, is coming out early next month so I figured I'd re-listen to the other books in the series, starting with Eragon. If memory serves, the books (especially Eragon) are pretty cliched, but I feel like Paolini may get a little better as he gets older...

Verver Vinge's The Children of the Sky is in my bookstore:

I'm just about finished with The Habitation of the Blessed, which I've been listening to for a week or so. I've dipped into Brave New Worlds: Dystopian Stories and really enjoy reading one before bed (yay dystopia!). I have A Fire Upon the Deep calling my name, since I wanted to read it before The Children of the Sky, and I'll probably abandon Reamde for a bit to go there.

Seriously, I need someone to tell me Reamde gets better....

I am reading The Kingdom of Gods and I am really loving it. Outside the genres, I am reading Oliver Twist

Been a little lax in my reading of late. It took me a while to slug through David Weber's, How Firm a Foundation and now I'm working through Kevin Mitnick's Ghost in the Wires.

I've been sick in bed for three days.
A Dead Man in Deptford by Anthony Burgess (probably best know for A Clockwork Orange) has been my consolation. It's an imagined account of the last years of Christopher Marlowe's regrettably short life and it's absolutely fantastic.
I'm not sure if I've ever read prose so beautiful.

Kate wrote: "I've been sick in bed for three days.
A Dead Man in Deptford by Anthony Burgess (probably best know for A Clockwork Orange) has been my consolation. It's an imagined account of the last years of Christopher Marlowe's regrettably short life and it's absolutely fantastic.
I'm not sure if I've ever read prose so beautiful. "

I hope you're starting to feel better! I really enjoyed Earthly Powers by Burgess, so different from A Clockwork Orange (and largely autobiographical, from what I understand).

Jenny wrote: "
I hope you're starting to feel better! I really enjoyed Earthly Powers by Burgess, so different from A Clockwork Orange (and largely autobiographical, from what I understand). "

Thanks. I'm on the mend, at least I think I am and I have to go to work tomorrow either way, so positive thoughts.

I'm definitely keen to read more Burgess after this so I may give Earthly Powers a look.

Kate wrote: "Jenny wrote: "
I hope you're starting to feel better! I really enjoyed Earthly Powers by Burgess, so different from A Clockwork Orange (and largely autobiographical, from what I understand). "

Tha..."

You should give Nineteen Eighty-Five a try.

Das Labyrinth der träumenden Bücher of course. It's been too long a while that Walter Moers has come up with a Zamonia novel. It's a sequel to The City of Dreaming Books, the best one from the series. And it's said to be a part one of two, so hopefully the next one is around the corner.

I just finished The Rift Walker which was decent, not as good as the first book but still an enjoyable read.

I'm reading The Passage The Passage. It's a bit heavy to carry round in my bag but worth it.

Reading Patient Zero by Jonathon Maberry, special ops team against terrorist zombies. Despite the massive infodump 1/3 of the way through, it moves along pretty well. Maberry is a writer for Marvel comics, so there are a lot of geek asides.

Well, I was saving an Audible credit for The Children of the Sky, but it turns out to be a two credit book, so I ended up having to get the Kindle edition.

Got my copy of The Cold Commands today.
I'm looking forward to getting stuck in.

I'm happily reading Jack McDevitt's latest, Firebird!

Sporadic Reviews wrote: "I'm happily reading Jack McDevitt's latest, Firebird!"

A new Alex Benedict story is always welcome!! Added it to my to read list already.

Sporadic Reviews wrote: "I'm happily reading Jack McDevitt's latest, Firebird!"

Is it November 1st already?

Judas Unchained. I read Pandora's Star last month and despite some slow parts I liked it enough to read the next one. Apparently the Void trilogy is even better though.

Tamahome wrote: "Is it November 1st already?"

I got an advance copy to review.

Kris wrote: A new Alex Benedict story is always welcome!! Added it to my to read list already."

I agree! And so far this one is better than the last, Echo

Sporadic Reviews wrote: "Tamahome wrote: "Is it November 1st already?"

I got an advance copy to review.

Kris wrote: A new Alex Benedict story is always welcome!! Added it to my to read list already."

I agree! And so fa..."

Good to hear I liked Echo quite a bit. It really did some good character evolution.

Finished The Children of the Sky and now I'm reading Snuff. Working my way though The Cloud Roads in between the others.

I'd be reading: Legacy of Kings too if it was out on kindle yet.

Trike wrote: "Reading Patient Zero by Jonathon Maberry, special ops team against terrorist zombies. Despite the massive infodump 1/3 of the way through, it moves along pretty well. Maberry is a writer for Marvel..."

Patient Zero sounds a bit like Monster Hunter International but they fight many monsters, not just zombies.

Patrick wrote: "Finished The Children of the Sky and now I'm reading Snuff. Working my way though The Cloud Roads in between the others.

I'd be reading: [book:Legacy..."

How was Children of the Sky?

Tamahome wrote: "How was Children of the Sky?"

I enjoyed it. The plot flows pretty logically out of the events from A Fire Upon the Deep. It keeps up the political intrigue of the Tine world plot line from that novel. I think my major issue is that at the end. While the major plot line is concluded there are a few unresolved issues that left me a little dissatisfied. I hope there will be another novel that wraps them up.

Trike wrote: "Reading Patient Zero by Jonathon Maberry, special ops team against terrorist zombies. Despite the massive infodump 1/3 of the way through, it moves along pretty well. Maberry is a writer for Marvel..."

Listened to that and The Dragon Factory from Audible. Both were great. Very fast paced, action packed, humorous, and lots of fun geek references(like you said).