April Reading Thread

[davos]

Currently rereading Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson. One of those books I've read before and I am sure I will come back to again at some point. I have a huge pile of unread material just waiting for me but I've been intending a re-read of this series for sometime. It was what I was in the mood for so I picked up it despite all the new reading I'm looking forward to. Shouldn't take to long then I will jump back into fresh material (will hold off on rereading the next in the Mars series for a few months probably).

[Yrael]

Yrael,

what's the english translation of that title?

As saint777 mentioned, it's The Shadow of the Wind.

I may have to bump The Shadow of the Wind to the top of my read pile.

Yup. Definitely.

I've been working on this book on and off for a while now. I've been really loving it. There's something about it, the language, the characters, the way the story unfolds that is truly magical. It's actually kind of nice that I really have to take it slow and savor each sentence, because my spanish is so weak.

I'm actually not reading it in Spanish, but in French (I thought most people would recognize the Spanish title better than the French one); but still the language is extraordinary, which makes me believe that the Spanish version must be at least 10 times better. You're lucky you can read the Spanish and appreciate it. (Unfortunatly, reading Spanish is for me more tedious than enjoyable.)

--I agree with what you said: there's something about it, a charm, an innocence. I really hope the rest of the book will be as good as the chapters I've read so far.

[caillean]

Quite a few here lately:

I'm currently finishing the final book in the Emperor series by Conn Iggulden. I've gone through all four of them in the past three weeks. Series of books nominally about Julius Caesar ... although the author is not much constrained by historical facts. It's really almost alternative history. But I'm enjoying it as a fun, light read. (As four books in three weeks clearly illustrates.)

Recently finished a biography of Catherine DeMedici that was my random historical biography of the month.

The last book I finished was last night's Kurt Vonnegut book Bluebeard. A friend of mine is madly into Vonnegut, and he's been passing along Vonnegut books to me. If you've only read Slaughterhouse V then you have no idea what Vonnegut's about. Check out Breakfast of Champions from Half Price Books for a mad, enjoyable read.

[Jerec]

Currently reading three books, which is absolutely insane for me. Thankfully they're different enough. The Nameless Day (Sara Douglass) is an alternate past/fantasy from the Dark Ages or somesuch. I'm not enjoying it as much as her other novels, and I'm not sure if I'll press on with it. But chapters are short, and fairly easy to plough through.

Dreamsongs, the collection of short stories by George R. R. Martin. It's 1000+ pages long, and I've read maybe 250 pages worth of it (hard to tell 'cause I jump around a bit). Some of the stories are brilliant (Sandkings, A Song for Lya, Second Kind of Loneliness, With Morning Comes Mistfall), and some not so brilliant. I've only borrowed this one from the library, and I doubt I can read it all on a 4 week loan. So I'm just gonna read what I can, return it, and then check it out again at a later date. I can't just sit and read 1000 pages of short stories without breaking it up a bit.

Also, I've been reading the Planet Simpsons book, which is non-fiction. I've been reading it at the TAFE library, and at the library I work at when I get time after my shift. Both places have a copy, and I'm not gonna borrow either. It's the book I read when I'm at either of those two places. I'm 200+ pages into it. I've been reading it since late last year, and I'm in no particular hurry to finish it. An interesting read, though it does go on a few tangents. And the writer obviously loves to throw his huge vocabulary around.

[Multaniette]

The Shadow of the Wind is definitely one of the most amazing novels I read last year, and one of the very few I liked enough to buy. (I read it in english)

Finished The Blood Knight by Greg Keyes. Awesome installment, the ensemble cast in this series is amazing, can't wait for the next book.

7.5/10

[saint777]

Finished The Wheelman. Loved it. Gritty, wild, and fun. This would make a kick ass movie. I loved Saugherty. Everything he said had me rolling.

I bounced The Road. I may read this someday but I'm just not in the mood for this one. I found it alternately compelling and boring. The part that made me stop reading this one was when the father goes into a mansion around halfway into the book for food and the kid keeps whining that he's scared and wanted to leave even though this was one place where food was definitely stashed. At this point I lost all sympathy for the child. I also find the lack of quotation marks annoying.

Now reading:

Crystal Rain by Tobias Buckell: About fifty pages in and I love the setting. Kind of a Caribbean/Central/South American feel. The only negative is the way the people talk except the main character. They talk like mongoloids.

The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril by Paul Malmont: This looks awesome. Just read the prologue. A novel about the Pulps.

[Werthead]

Felt a bit guilty about bouncing the Gollancz freebie, so revered my previous decision and started reading Keeping It Real by Justina Robson. About 50 pages in and I do have to say I have never read a book that so encapsulates the feeling of, "Meh." Indeed, the novel is 'Mehness' in tangible form. It may improve but the heroine is an OTT whiny emo sub-Goth motorcycle-riding cyborg chick who's bodyguard to an elf rock star. If Robert Rankin had this premise he'd turn it into genius, but Robson just doesn't make it as ludicrously whimsical as the story demands.

I will read on, in hope of improvement,

[The Wolf Maid]

I'm reading Jane Austen's classic, Pride and Prejudice. Finishing GRRM's Dreamsongs and still loving it.

[Scuba Steve]

I just Finished The Towers of Sunset by L. E. Modesitt Jr and Elantris by Brian Sanderson and I greatly enjoyed both of them. Right now I'm going through Harrowing the Dragon by Patricia McKillip and Good Omensby Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.

[Stubby]

Still in thriller mode.

Daniel Silva has written a pretty good series about a Mossad assassin. The first one, The Kill Artist, introduces the character (Gabriel Allon) and gives us a top rate back story. The second book has a great premise that I haven't seen used elsewhere in thrillers. I'm on to #3 now, The Confessor.

Lady Stubby has convinced me to read the series of stuff by Jennifer Fallon after she told me that the author appears to have been taking notes from GRRM's style. Given that rather good analysis I will have a bunch of stuff that may get me through to my birthday at the end of the month when I expect to get some more vouchers/cash.

Edited for typos.

[Multaniette]

I am reading Alison Croggon's The Gift, Tom Lloyd's Stormcaller, Alan Campbell's Scar Night and Richard Matheson's Somewhere In Time. Oh, and Ivan Turgenev's Fathers and Sons as well Marie Brennan's Warrior and Witch. I guess I am having a bit of a trouble finishing books at the moment. The Matheson is by far the best of the lot and I hope to finish it today. Stormcaller started off better than I expected, Scar Night is just boring, it's difficult to get in the mode for Turgenev and Brennan's stuff is badly written pulp - which is still about a hundred times more flowing and natural than Alison Croggon's The Gift - that book is extremely disappointing.

I also finished The Dreaming Jewels by Theodore Sturgeon in one sitting. It was accompanied by my first continuous listening of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. Sturgeon explores humanity in a manner not many authors are capable of, and his writing is so rich, so warm, so easy on the eye and no natural that it's difficult to delve into other authors after reading him. (only richard matheson comes close to him in that regard, of all the aforementioned writers) The concept behind the story took my breath away and made me think really hard, and for some reason it reminded me of Philip K. Dick's mainstream novels set on the West Coast of USA.

Carnies for the win.

9/10

(Dark Side of the Moon - 9/10 as well)

[King of the North]

Just finished "Next" by Michael Crichton, it was great, I'd say his best since Jurassic Park. Also "Exile", the latest in the Star Wars novel universe. Jacen Solo is a bad man, and I like it. Not sure what's next, but I did just pick up a history of the War of the Roses.

[Frosty]

Mult sounds yummy thx for the tip.

King of the N. - thx for the Next tip.

Davos -

I am stuck at about disc 14 on Red Mars, but give it a firm 9.5

April must be my vampire month for myself:

Stoker's - Dracula the long original one & Salem's Lot by Stephen King

[Arbor Gold]

Noah Gordon's The Physician.

I read that one several years ago, and I enjoyed it. Not great writing, but an entertaining story nonetheless. What kept me reading was the setting - I totally enjoyed the the history of medicine during that time period.

If I may make a suggestion...proceed with caution if tempted to delve into the followup books. The second book (Shaman)is alright - takes place in the US in the civil war era. Not really my bag, but might be enjoyable if you are into that type of thing.

The third book (Matters of Choice) takes place during the present day (or thereabouts) and is complete garbage.

[Ilroy]

I just finished reading The Lies of Locke Lamora, after it being so highly recommended in this forum. It lived up to the hype, leaving me eagerly anticipating the sequel. I thoroughly enjoyed the characterisation in the novel; the witty characters reminded me of Tehol Beddict and Bugg in Erikson's Midnight Tides.

Speaking of Erikson, I finally found the time to start reading The Bonehunters. It just having been released in paperback for £6 is fantastic value for money. By the time I finish it, Esslemont's Night of Knives should be out; hopefully making for an interesting addition to the the Malazan Book of the Fallen. With Reaper's Gale out in May, the next two months should make for an intriguing period of reading.

[Turinqui-Calima]

Read GRRM's The Ice Dragon today and then went to the library and picked up Pride of Carthage by David Anthony Durham because I saw it in a thread title here.

Am in line for Gardens of the Moon by Erikson and A farewell to arms by Hemingway at the library.

[Derfel27]

I recently finished The Wheelman which I felt had a disappointing ending and I'm now reading Winterbirth by Brian Ruckley. When I'm finished it's either The Blood Knight by Greg Keyes or The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.

[Calibandar]

So now I've got The Dreaming Jewels as well as More than Human to read by Sturgeon. That book sounded really interesting on Amazon as well.

As for me, I'm starting either Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday or Before they are hanged by Joe Abercrombie.

[The Red Wolf]

I just finished Storm Front the first book of the Dresden files. Its a pretty quick easy read that was entertaining and different enough from the episode of the TV series that adapted this book to be enjoyable.

I have now started on The Burning Stone the 3rd book in the Crown of Stars. Its as good as the other 2 but I'm not sure I am going to take the series though all 7 books.

[The Wolf Maid]

Stoker's - Dracula the long original one & Salem's Lot by Stephen King

Did you get the annotated one? I heard there was one like that.