April Reads

[Garett Hornwood]

I finished An Idea Whose Time Has Come yesterday, Todd S. Purdum did a wonderful job in giving an comprehensive yet very readable account of how the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was proposed, supported and opposed, and finally passed.

Today I'm starting Get in the Game by Cal Ripken, Jr., my mother gave this book as a Christmas present several years ago and I decided that if I had it on the book shelf I need to read it just in case she ever asks me about it.

Then I'll return to fantasy in the finale of The Farseer Trilogy, Assassin's Quest.

An update on my year-long readings:

The Bible: I finished 2nd Chronicles yesterday and will begin Ezra a few minutes after I post this.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare: I completed Richard II on Sunday night and it continues to be one of my favorite plays of his whether read, performed, or adapted. Yesterday I began Romeo and Juliet, I'm just going to say I'm going to endure this play again. I didn't really like it in high school and avoid on the stage and screen.

[SilentRoamer]

April will be a tough month for me as I have some major projects at work.

However I would like to re-read:

The Thousandfold Thought, by Bakker. I am also going to re-read the Aspect Emperor series but will do this closer to TUC release which might even go into next year.

I would like to read:

New reads: Dune and Assassins Apprentice as Dune seems to be required reading and I have heard good things about The Farseer Trilogy Hobb.

Continuation reads: Heirs of the Blade by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Need to finish this series as I was enjoying it. Not seen it mentioned on here and wondering the boards opinion on the Shadows of the Apt?

I think optimism may get the better of me but if I can get 2 of the above books read then I will be happy. 15 hour days and spare reading time are not good bed fellows. Interested to hear others reads for this month.

Some of you folks read an excessive amount! No matter how much I read it will never be enough.

[SkynJay]

There is a Shadows of the Apt thread that gets revived from time to time. General feel of the series seems positive. Just hate that I can only get the first four my corner of the world.

[SilentRoamer]

There is a Shadows of the Apt thread that gets revived from time to time. General feel of the series seems positive. Just hate that I can only get the first four my corner of the world.

Thanks - I think I will check out the thread but I may wait until complete. Spoilers after all!

Which part of the world are you based in?

[Luzifer's right hand]

I read Forever in the Memory of God: And Other Stories by Peadar Ó Guilín(the one and only ;) ) while traveling back from a con and enjoyed the 3 stories in it greatly.

Dilghtfulyl weird stuff as usual.

[Guinevere Seaworth]

I finished For the King's Favour by Elizabeth Chadwick. I liked it and like knowing more about the lesser known people during the Angevin dynasty, in this case Roger Bigod, the Earl of Norfolk.

I haven't read a fantasy book that blown my socks off yet, so I'm going to read an author that I like. I know Fiona McIntosh doesn't get a lot of love on this board, but I like her fantasy and historical fiction novels.

So up next is Royal Exile by Fiona McIntosh.

[Bolivar]

The Thousandfold Thought, by Bakker. I am also going to re-read the Aspect Emperor series but will do this closer to TUC release which might even go into next year.

He wrote on his blog that it's done and in the publisher's hands and will be announcing plans soon. I'm probably gonna get started on Aspect Emperor once I finish Erikson's Deadhouse Gates (which I'm about halfway through right now for April).

[TheEvilKing]

Continuing The Book of the Nuisance, I'm about two thirds through Sword of the Licker.

[Nicomo Cosca]

About to start To Green Angel Tower Part 1. I'll try to read both parts by the end of the month

[deleted01]

Still reading The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling. Enjoying it so far - her characters are always so easy to imagine and become invested in. IMHO, of course.

[scotcat]

New reads - Mentats of Dune, The Blade Itself.

Re-reads - Thief of time

(This is what I have on the table right now, but I'll mopre than likely add to this depending on how busy the Easter holidays get with all the family coming up)

[williamjm]

Continuation reads: Heirs of the Blade by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Need to finish this series as I was enjoying it. Not seen it mentioned on here and wondering the boards opinion on the Shadows of the Apt?

I like the series a lot even if the quality of the books is sometimes a bit variable, I'd say Heirs of the Blade is probably better than the books on either side of it, it may be lacking the big set-piece battles of The Air War or the wonderfully imaginative world-building of The Sea Watch but I think in terms of characterisation it was one of the best in the series.

[SkynJay]

Thanks - I think I will check out the thread but I may wait until complete. Spoilers after all!

Which part of the world are you based in?

The US publisher was PYR, who dropped the series. No new one has picked up the second half of the series.

[Spockydog]

Just finished Valour by John Gwynne, the second book in his Faithful and the Fallen series. Given how much I enjoyed the first book, I was worried that this might be a bit of a second-book-syndrome-let-down, but my fears were unfounded. I was gripped from start to finish.

Can't wait for the next one.

[mashiara]

I'm reading The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson. So far I'm liking it a lot.

I'm also reading David Sedaris' Dress your Family in Corduroy and Denim. I normally dislike reading two books at the same time but lately I decided I can read one book while at home and have a short story collection or something light I can read while waiting for the bus, and it seems to be working out for me.

[RedEyedGhost]

I finished Charles Sheffield's Cold As Ice the other day. It's a nice interplanetary sci-fi novel primarily set on Ganymede and Europa. It's a little bit dated in a few respects, but overall the tech is quite interesting. It's not as enjoyable as some of the more recent interplanetary sci-fi I've read, but it's a solid read in this subgenre.

Then I read Y: The Last Man Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughn, an apocalyptic graphic novel in which all the mammals (adult child, fetuses, and sperm) suddenly die - except one man and his monkey. It was quite good, enough that I went ahead and ordered Vol. 2-5.

Now I'm reading Dead Men's Boots by Mike Carey. After that I was going to read Honor's Knight, but I forgot that The Revolutions by Felix Gilman was coming out today, so that will be my next book.

[Ghjhero]

I'm a third of the way through House of Chains. I'm tearing through it compared to how long it's taken me to read the other Malazan books despite the criticisms I've heard about it.

[RedEyedGhost]

I'm a third of the way through House of Chains. I'm tearing through it compared to how long it's taken me to read the other Malazan books despite the criticisms I've heard about it.

I think that opening section devoted solely to Karsa Orlong was my favorite part of the 8+ Malazan books that I read.

[Ghjhero]

I think that opening section devoted solely to Karsa Orlong was my favorite part of the 8+ Malazan books that I read.

Yes it was quite intriguing. How could you not finish the series though when you were that close to the end!!!?

[Darth Richard II]

The US publisher was PYR, who dropped the series. No new one has picked up the second half of the series.

I liked the first one quite a bit but have been hesitaint to continue because of this, PYR has just been making some....questionable decisions as of late.