March 2012 Reads

[Guinevere Seaworth]

All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot was an entertaining read as usual.

I feel like some science fiction next, so I picked up the e-book version of The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon from the library.

[Astra]

I'm wrapping this up too and I should write some sort of review in the next few days. Despite for some readers this is one of the best volumes and I have no problem at all with the new cast, I still put this fifth volume behind all previous three, and better only of GotM. The main reason is that the prose has been more barren than usual and there are some scenes that needed some ramp up but didn't get it.

With the whole new context added it felt too undercooked, even if all the significant structures and good bits are there.

The other bit I found to be annoying, was pages of political discussions. Some were appropriate for the story and some were not. I had a feeling I was reading Sci-Fi instead of fantasy.

I am now 1/3 through Night of Knives.

As Erikson said in the foreword, the book does retain a very similar atmosphere but....

So far, it is a bit too simple, sort of Young Adult genre. Although, maybe it is meant to be like that to better show Kiska's young and inexperienced character.

Another drawback is too many descriptions.

[Nearly Headless Ned]

The Hammer by KJ Parker.

Well written and fascinating as usual, touching on themes of revenge/justice, colonialism and family. My only gripe was that it was a little too long.

[Bellis]

The Deserter by some guy on this board. I enjoyed returning to Stopmouth and his friends, and seeing the continuation (conclusion it seemed?) of their story. This is a nice counterpart to The Inferior and the worldbuilding is unique and fascinating. Also, the ending is perfect -

but i loved Wall-E to pieces for the same reason! Plants FTW!

If I were to nitpick, I'd say that the roof world is not nearly as interesting as the surface world, and so the chase scenes tended to drag and get somewhat repetitive.

Also, if we're keeping tally, I pre-ordered this as a Kindle e-book.

[Peadar]

The Deserter by some guy on this board. I enjoyed returning to Stopmouth and his friends, and seeing the continuation (conclusion it seemed?) of their story. This is a nice counterpart to The Inferior and the worldbuilding is unique and fascinating. Also, the ending is perfect -

but i loved Wall-E to pieces for the same reason! Plants FTW!

If I were to nitpick, I'd say that the roof world is not nearly as interesting as the surface world, and so the chase scenes tended to drag and get somewhat repetitive.

Also, if we're keeping tally, I pre-ordered this as a Kindle e-book.

Thanks a lot, Bellis!

[Starkess]

I finished Catching Fire and Mockingjay. Really enjoyed them both, thought I would rank the series Hunger Games > Mockingjay > Catching Fire.

Next up: Bossypants by Tina Fey. Hopefully will be a quick read.

[Datepalm]

I gave up on Miserere (Teresa Frohock) half way through and finished the Islanders (Christopher Priest) both were rather disappointing, compared to expectations.

[Guinevere Seaworth]

I really enjoyed The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon. I found it a powerful read as the the main character who is autistic muses alot about what it means to be "normal" and other philosophical questions (such as did God do this to test me?) echoes the questions I had had growing up while dealing with my physical disability.

The re-read of Wheel of Time is ongoing and The Dragon Reborn is next.

[The Winged Wolf Bran Stark]

Finished Game of Thrones. On to A Clash of Kings.

Also doing a (slow) reading of Gardens of the Moon. Plus a re-read of Ender's Game.

If I like Speaker for the Dead, I'll probably read Xenocide and Children of the Mind. And the Shadow series. Hope my used book store gets a copy of all of them cause I really don't want to give Card any(more) of my money.

[Reposado]

Read Tishomingo Blues. Probably the best Elmore Leonard I've read. (out of 6) Pretty good time all around.

Next up I have just started Leviathan Wakes. Quickly hooked on that one.

[Serious Callers Only]

Read Daniel Keys Moran 4th book of the Continuum series - A.I. War: The Big Boost

Pretty ok. I've read that the guy is self published and so little known, but the series is fun sci-fi - you should probably read it if you can. The "scam" needs to be explained a little better - prefered "The Long Run" for that, but it was alright. And i loved that a certain someone finally decided something.

http://danielkeysmor...-big-boost.html

[Starkess]

Next up: Bossypants by Tina Fey. Hopefully will be a quick read.

Just kidding, turns out I accidentally had placed a hold on the audiobook not the ebook. Don't like audiobooks, so moving on to something else.

Not sure what, although I have a pretty long list of to-reads. Just need to decide which one tickles my fancy.

[UndergroundMan]

Just finished "Titus Alone" by Mervyn Peake, "Shadow of the Torturer" by Gene Wolfe, and "Troilus and Criseyede" by Chaucer. I absolutely loved "Shadow", but was a little bit ambivalent about Peake. Despite the awesome setting, I wasn't really too interested in any of the characters.

Now moving onto "On Stranger Tides" by Tim Powers and "Claw of the Conciliator" by Wolfe and "Guns of August" by Barbara Tuchman.

[SkynJay]

Just kidding, turns out I accidentally had placed a hold on the audiobook not the ebook. Don't like audiobooks, so moving on to something else.

Not sure what, although I have a pretty long list of to-reads. Just need to decide which one tickles my fancy.

I did that the first time I used overdrive. Why can't those damn things be separated better?

[voodooqueen126]

I have finished Lolita. Now reading Jane Bowles's "Two Serious Ladies"

[Starkess]

I did that the first time I used overdrive. Why can't those damn things be separated better?

I know! Usually I am pretty good about it, but apparently they don't even have an e-book for this one, which threw me off.

[Nearly Headless Ned]

The Last Vampire by T M Wright.

A vampire trying to survive a nuclear apocalypse, which raises the questions, is he really a vampire or just utterly insane, dying from radiation and which alter ego is the real one?

Reminds me of The Road and The Orange Eats Creeps by Grace Krillanovitch but without the lyrical style. Still excellent though.

[jdiddyesquire]

I gave up on Miserere (Teresa Frohock) half way through and finished the Islanders (Christopher Priest) both were rather disappointing, compared to expectations.

What didn't do it for you in Miserere?

[Volsungr]

If you like the Saxon books(which you better :P) Conwell's Warlord Trilogy is even better. Hell I'd put that trilogy in my top 5 of all time.

I have picked those up a couple times and looked at them, I read so much Arthurian stuff in my teens I feel a bit allergic to it these days, and when I look at the cast of characters and see guys like Lancelot who are very late additions to the mythos it turns me off a bit. I guess given how much I am liking the current series I should trust cornwall more, right now though I am enjoying the less explored setting of alfreds england and the danelaw.

[Datepalm]

What didn't do it for you in Miserere?

Emo, emo, gah, emo, shut up already about the emmmmoooooo.

Er, yeah. Also, it's really, really slow paced (I got to half way and it was still basically the initial escape-from-the-witch sequence), tonally jarring, (cheesy YA portal fantasy (colored lights!) meets religeous BDSM thing), and I completely failed to have any interest in any of the characters (except the villain) and the world-building and backstory, I guess were supposed to be dark and evocative, but all I got was pretentious and incoherent. Basically, it was boring.