August 2014 reads

[Starkess]

I'm still reading King of the Crags. It's worse than the first one. But I do want to find more about the eponymous king, plus dragons, so on I read. This book has a whole lunatic-raving-religious nut plotline that is irksome, in addition to many of the same problems of the first book (all the characters suck, all the humans suck, all the dragons suck).

I went to the bookstore the other day and saw The Traitor's Wife on sale. I picked it up because I enjoy the occasional historical fiction and, honestly, it had the kind of cover that belongs on a book I would like.

[Queen of Whores]

After over a month of reading it, I've finally finished Jane Eyre. I found it be an absolutely wonderful and pleasant book, and I loved every page in it. My complaints - and I only have a few - are vastly outweighed by how great the rest is. I found Jane to be far too much of a vanilla character; she was so morally pure and perfect it got kind of irritating, seeing as how almost every other character has at least some small shade of grey to them. I also didn't like how completely perfectly happy the ending was. It felt a little too easy, for lack of a better word. Every single tiny problem was resolved, and everyone lived happy ever after. I guess I've been reading and watching too much bleak and dark stories to like this ending. Other than those two points though, I found the book to be excellent, and I'm glad I've read it.

Starting tomorrow I'll start reading On The Road, another book I bought at the same time as Jane Eyre. This one is considerably shorter and more modern, so I think I'll get through it a lot quicker. I'm also looking forward to reading a story with some good 'ol sex and drugs in it. The complete innocent purity of Jane Eyre drained me :Lol:

[polishgenius]

I'm reading Ilario, by Mary Gentle. So far, I'm getting a very Guy Gavriel Kay vibe from the characters and the way the plot is developing...

Of course, I like Kay, so this is no bad thing.

[deleted01]

Currently reading The Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley, an advance copy so I can review it for Lovereading.co.uk. It's very good so far, review to follow in a few days I imagine.

Waiting for the arrival of Ruin & Rising by Leigh Bardugo. Hoping I can read it before Worldcon. The next book in the Dagger & the Coin series by Daniel Abraham comes out in 2 days, which I'm really keen for. So many amazing books to read!

[The Wolves]

After over a month of reading it, I've finally finished Jane Eyre. I found it be an absolutely wonderful and pleasant book, and I loved every page in it. My complaints - and I only have a few - are vastly outweighed by how great the rest is. I found Jane to be far too much of a vanilla character; she was so morally pure and perfect it got kind of irritating, seeing as how almost every other character has at least some small shade of grey to them. I also didn't like how completely perfectly happy the ending was. It felt a little too easy, for lack of a better word. Every single tiny problem was resolved, and everyone lived happy ever after. I guess I've been reading and watching too much bleak and dark stories to like this ending. Other than those two points though, I found the book to be excellent, and I'm glad I've read it.

I love love LOVE Jane Eyre it's such a great book and she's a strong character. I'm glad you liked it.

I'm reading Great Expectations still I haven't had time to read much and July put me behind so I'm hoping I can finish it this week because I bought a bundle of books about a female sleuth, it's the whole series for about 4 dollars and I'm excited to start those.

[Garett Hornwood]

I read Chalion about a decade ago in my teens and it left a lasting impression on me as a very original and creative book. I remember at the time reading a lot of "heroic" fantasy and this novel really disabused some of my beliefs in what constitued a great main character.

Think I will add Paladin of Souls to my TBR pile.

Paladin of Souls is also good in that regard, there aren't many epic fantasies where the protagonist is a middle-aged woman. Both the Chalion books I've read (I've not read the third one in that world) had very good characterisation.

I was lucky enough to find all three at my local used book store last year though I wasn't able to read the first two until now, I'll be reading the third starting at the end of this week. I agree about the great characterization, but what I also found interesting is the theological system/reality of the world which is amazingly constructed.

---

I finished Infinity Gauntlet yesterday, the story in the collection is really good but without a back story as to how Thanos acquired the Gems to create the Gauntlet there is a big hole in the overall narrative that a first time reader like myself notices.

I'm returning to Discworld in Mort, I've been looking forward to the DEATH stories since I've started collecting the series (via my local used book store).

Year-long readings update:

The Bible: Through 1st Corinthians

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare: Through Othello, Act I.

[Nicomo Cosca]

Finished The Dragon's Path, Book 1 in The Dagger and The Coin by Daniel Abraham. All in all it was a good enough book, the first half in particular I thought was a little bit difficult to get through, but the second half just got better and better until the end. I must admit that I'm slightly dissapointed with the "lore" from the world. I mean, Abraham gives you 13 races of humanity but none of them are explored in a way that gives you an idea of their culture or anything. I love the concept but not so much the execution. I like the concept of having economics and banking as a focus of the story, and I hope Abraham involves it more with the main plot as the series goes on. Overall a good enough book, but I can't help but feel just a tad bit dissapointed with this one. The second half made up for it, and both the prologue and epilogue were fantastic.

3.5/5

[Guinevere Seaworth]

I'm getting slightly annoyed by the slow pace of the Jaran series by Kate Elliott and the third book, His Conquering Sword. The rebellion has just started and this was mentioned very early in book one!

Hopefully the final volume of the series picks it up, The Law of Becoming.

[RedEyedGhost]

I finished the board's own Peadar Ó Guilín's The Volunteer last Sunday. It was excellent. I loved the new POV characters - Whistlenose was extremely interesting and Wallbreaker's view of himself in his head was so wonderfully contradictory his actions as viewed by the other characters. Great trilogy, highly recommended.

Since then I've been slowly reading Shõgun by James Clavell. I'm about one quarter through, and it's every bit as good as I thought it would be. The only thing that I don't like is how the POV flits from character to character, and I'm definitely adjusting to that at this point.

[Lyanna Stark]

After over a month of reading it, I've finally finished Jane Eyre. I found it be an absolutely wonderful and pleasant book, and I loved every page in it. My complaints - and I only have a few - are vastly outweighed by how great the rest is. I found Jane to be far too much of a vanilla character; she was so morally pure and perfect it got kind of irritating, seeing as how almost every other character has at least some small shade of grey to them. I also didn't like how completely perfectly happy the ending was. It felt a little too easy, for lack of a better word. Every single tiny problem was resolved, and everyone lived happy ever after. I guess I've been reading and watching too much bleak and dark stories to like this ending. Other than those two points though, I found the book to be excellent, and I'm glad I've read it.

Oooh, I love Jane Eyre too. :) I dunno, totally perfect? Rochester is blind and disabled for the rest of his life so perhaps not all roses? :P

Posted elsewhere but finished "Leviathan Wakes", "Caliban's War" and "Abaddon's Gate" by James SA Corey (aka Daniel Abraham och Long Price Quartet) and wow I cannot articulate how great these novels are or how much I should have read them before. I honestly didn't think I'd have another "why on God's green planet did I not pick up these before?" moment after McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan saga, but really, now I feel MsMcMaster is almost pushed off the throne of "best read of the year".

While all of them are fabulous, I think I prefer "Leviathan Wakes" by a small margin. While the other two are a perfect lovechild of the best parts of Star Wars/Alistair Reynolds/Mass Effect/the Vorkosigan saga, which in itself is pretty smashing, "Leviathan Wakes" adds a healthy dose of Lovecraftian horror and Alien-like mythos. Some of the aestetichs are just pure Giger.

If I gush more I might feel slightly vomitous. :lol: The husband person took pity on me/got fed up with the gushing and ordered Cibola Burn at least, bless his heart.

Anyway, since they were so great I am now at a complete loss regarding what to read. I have some stuff waiting, but it's really scraping the bottom of the barrel. Splurged on some cheap Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance titles in the Kindle shop but I dunno. Perhaps time for more Miles Vorkosigan.

Luke, how are you doing with the Vorkosigan novels? Have you overtaken me yet? :p

[Queen of Whores]

Oooh, I love Jane Eyre too. :) I dunno, totally perfect? Rochester is blind and disabled for the rest of his life so perhaps not all roses? :P

Oh I definitely would have agreed with this except for Brontë whipping out a last minute Deus ex Machina and having Rochester's sight return in one eye. Still, I'm not too bothered by it. The journey to the end was absolutely amazing, so I'm not too concerned with a slightly underwhelming ending.

[polishgenius]

Next on your list should be The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde.

[Queen of Whores]

Next on your list should be The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde.

Is this some sort of continuation of the story?

[polishgenius]

Is this some sort of continuation of the story?

No, it's a fantasy-literary comedy in which, among many, many other things going on, the heroine can jump into books and therefore gets herself involved in the plot of Jayne Eyre.

It, and the whole Thursday Next series, is very good fun.

[Jo498]

I unfortunately happened to read "The Eyre Affair" before Jane Eyre, which is something one probably should not do.

Admittedly, I was disappointed by the subsequent volume of "Thursday Next", so I did not read any further.

But it is certainly worth a try.

[lessthanluke]

Oooh, I love Jane Eyre too. :) I dunno, totally perfect? Rochester is blind and disabled for the rest of his life so perhaps not all roses? :P

Posted elsewhere but finished "Leviathan Wakes", "Caliban's War" and "Abaddon's Gate" by James SA Corey (aka Daniel Abraham och Long Price Quartet) and wow I cannot articulate how great these novels are or how much I should have read them before. I honestly didn't think I'd have another "why on God's green planet did I not pick up these before?" moment after McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan saga, but really, now I feel MsMcMaster is almost pushed off the throne of "best read of the year".

While all of them are fabulous, I think I prefer "Leviathan Wakes" by a small margin. While the other two are a perfect lovechild of the best parts of Star Wars/Alistair Reynolds/Mass Effect/the Vorkosigan saga, which in itself is pretty smashing, "Leviathan Wakes" adds a healthy dose of Lovecraftian horror and Alien-like mythos. Some of the aestetichs are just pure Giger.

If I gush more I might feel slightly vomitous. :lol: The husband person took pity on me/got fed up with the gushing and ordered Cibola Burn at least, bless his heart.

Anyway, since they were so great I am now at a complete loss regarding what to read. I have some stuff waiting, but it's really scraping the bottom of the barrel. Splurged on some cheap Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance titles in the Kindle shop but I dunno. Perhaps time for more Miles Vorkosigan.

Luke, how are you doing with the Vorkosigan novels? Have you overtaken me yet? :p

I have not! The next two books have arrived but I'm in the middle of a book(ringworld) so I'll probably start them next week :)

[Nicomo Cosca]

Started Half a King and just finished part 1. OMG I'm loving this book! It's so exciting and Abercrombie quickly makes me love or hate each and one of his characters. Amazing stuff here, looking forward to keep reading it.

[Peadar]

I finished the board's own Peadar Ó Guilín's The Volunteer last Sunday. It was excellent. I loved the new POV characters - Whistlenose was extremely interesting and Wallbreaker's view of himself in his head was so wonderfully contradictory his actions as viewed by the other characters. Great trilogy, highly recommended.

Since then I've been slowly reading Shõgun by James Clavell. I'm about one quarter through, and it's every bit as good as I thought it would be. The only thing that I don't like is how the POV flits from character to character, and I'm definitely adjusting to that at this point.

Thanks a lot, REG! Very happy you read it before Shogun :ninja:

[Lyanna Stark]

Leviathan Wakes is on my hit list so let me know how it goes.

Fall picks up right where Hyperion leaves off in both the story and the quality of writing.

Leviathan Wakes is superb. Hope you like it. :)

I have not! The next two books have arrived but I'm in the middle of a book(ringworld) so I'll probably start them next week :)

Well, I just got Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches' Guide to Romance Novels so I have a similar issue. :lol: Have been eyeing up Mirror Dance as well though and may be able to blast through it before the Con. Maybe.

[HexMachina]

Finished When the Devil Holds the Candle by Karin Fossum. I've not read the Inspector Sejer series in the correct order, because the first one I found (Black Seconds) was in a bargain bookshop for 50p (the price tag alone drew me in...:) )and, quite naturally, it was right in the middle of the series. Still, it made perfect sense to me, and I enjoyed it a lot. So I've gone back and I'm slowly working my way through them all when the mood takes me. This is the 4th book, and I liked it the most out of those I read, although He Who Fears the Wolf comes a close second. Some various spoilers about the book

I found myself with little sympathy for either Andreas or Zipp, despite the prolonged suffering of Andreas. Admittedly, Andreas did have a few redeemable qualities and felt slightly sorry for him towards the end. It was a very gruesome and painful way for him to die. Zipp was very unlikeable to me though. I felt very sorry for Irma, and was greatly upset when she committed suicide.