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What are you reading in October 2014?
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Candiss
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Oct 01, 2014 09:40AM

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Now reading The Complete Stories, Vol 1, Isaac Asimov. Planning to read and have already checked out from the library, The English Assassin and Foucault's Pendulum. If I finish all that, on my Kindle I have The Snowflake Effect: How the Self-Esteem Movement Ruined a Generation, The Earl of Brass, and Long Time Passing.



I also will be reading A Fire Upon the Deep this month for next month's discussion.
I've read both of this month's books of the month and enjoyed both. I won't be re-visiting the Valente, although she's one of my favorite authors. (I'm more a fan of her adult titles than her ya.) But I'll be skimming Annihilation a second time for the discussion, as there's a lot to talk about with this book and I need a refresher.

I do hope to fit in Annihilation although I'm not sure that will be a good fit for me. I've tried some Jeff VanderMeer in the past and just couldn't get into it. I don't think he's a bad writer...just not "meshing with my particular tastes."

Michael - Annihilation feels different to me than other VanderMeer works I've sampled. The "weird" qualities of this book lay in the world itself, not the writing style. Whereas some of his other stuff has an almost surrealist tint, this is more firmly science fiction...just the world and goings-on are strange and full of questions.
It's also short and moves very quickly. Much of his other work is long, involved chunksters.
(I'm trying not to spoil anything by being vague.)
I just finished The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making for the discussion a few nights ago. Have been very tired and stressed out lately so haven't picked up another book yet and not sure what it's going to be - probably a re-read so I don't have to think too hard!

I already read Annihilation, so plan to join in on that discussion.
I just finished Leviathan Wakes, and plan to readDoomsday Book, Paladin of Souls, Nova, and Imago this month.

I've read/listened to that one 3 times. One of my favorites, a great example of accessible science history.
This month I've just finished Big Little Lies, which was excellent. Now I'm trying to finish Searching for Meaning: Idealism, Bright Minds, Disillusionment, and Hope (a book on Giftedness and existential depression) and American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic, neither of which is quite what I had hoped.
Assuming I can slog through all that non-fiction, I'll probably indulge in some sff after.
I'm reading The Magician's Apprentice and, thanks to the previous posts, will be pulling out A Fire Upon the Deep to read later this month.



I finished The Complete Stories, Vol 1, Isaac Asimov, and added a review. Next up: The English Assassin.
I just finished Prince of Fools by Mark Lawrence, which I loved and have now started Troy: Lord of the Silver Bow by David Gemmell. I also plan on reading the second book in Conn Iggulden's Wars of the Roses series and Fool's Assassin by Robin Hobb And I plan on finishing Academ's Fury by Jim Butcher, the second book in the Codex Alera series. Well, might be a bit ambitious... and my TBR changes quite rapidly anyway sometimes. Well, let's see...

If you ever find Vol. 2 in hardcover hold on to it for dear life. They're incredibly difficult to find in good condition. I've heard rumors of a Vol. 3 but never seen a listing for it.
To be truthful, I barely completed Volume 1. Great stories in their day, but too dated now. Added to my reading list: Going Green, by Christina McMullen.

I am now reading The Giver by Lois Lowry. Somehow, I missed reading this one back in my school days, so I figured I should squeeze it in.


I already read Annihilation, so plan to join in on that discussion.
I just finished [..."
FP is also a favorite of mine, though I haven't read it in quite some time. ...and there are parts of it, I must admit, I did not read closely on the first go through. Which will make the re-read all that more fun (whenever I get around to it.)


Not as good and the previous Malazan boooks but still
very good. About 200 pages left
Not sure whats on deck next.

Matt - If you like the premise of World War Z but can't seem to get into it, I (who admittedly doesn't generally enjoy audiobooks) highly recommend trying the audio format. It's a full cast dramatization with awesome voice actors, such as Mark Hamill, Jeri Ryan, Simon Pegg, Henry Rollins, Denise Crosby, Alan Alda, F. Murray Abraham, Rene Auberjonois and a bunch more. (The author, Max Brooks, plays the narrator.) It's like a really well done radio play. (One reviewer for Strange Horizons compared it favorably to Wells' War of the Worlds broadcast.)
(There's a regular version which is abridged and a full unabridged version. The unabridged is best.)
Finished The Magician's Apprentice, 6/10, just not cohesive enough.
Next up is out of genre, The Terminal Man. Then A Fire Upon the Deep, which will probably lead me to the other books in that series, A Deepness in the Sky and The Children of the Sky.
Next up is out of genre, The Terminal Man. Then A Fire Upon the Deep, which will probably lead me to the other books in that series, A Deepness in the Sky and The Children of the Sky.

Fantastic, I'm going to give that a shot. Thanks, Candiss!

A Child Called "It", The 5th Wave, Red Rising, Shelter, The Blackhouse






Well, I'm about 175 pages into A Fire Upon the Deep and I can tell I haven't read space opera in a while. My brain is adjusting!
I love that book, Kathi :) It'll definitely make you stretch your brain at first but once you figure out the rules it'll all come together!
I just finished a marathon re-read of Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar books and now I'm reading some short stories.
I just finished a marathon re-read of Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar books and now I'm reading some short stories.



I hope you like it. Be sure to check out the second novel in the series A Deepness in the Sky. Its my favorite.
And my TBR did change! Surprise! ;-) Am now currently reading Winter of the World by Ken Follett and hope to start The Edge of Eternity (the last book in the trilogy) directly afterwards. Let's see...
Mekki wrote: "I hope you like it. Be sure to check ou..."
Loved it, 9/10. Taking an out of genre break and then will return to Vinge to read A Deepness in the Sky and later, Children of the Sky.
Loved it, 9/10. Taking an out of genre break and then will return to Vinge to read A Deepness in the Sky and later, Children of the Sky.
I finished the Steampunk II: Steampunk Reloaded anthology (found the quality uneven - loved some of the stories, was bored by others) and am now on more short stories, Wonders of the Invisible World by Patricia McKillip.

Waiting on my library shelf are The Bone Clocks, Lies We Tell Ourselves, The Farm, and The Magician's Land

Currently, I'm reading Banner of the Damned by Sherwood Smith, which is very much about the court intrigue so far, and Weaveworld by Clive Barker. I've just barely started that one, but I'm very much looking forward to reading it.

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Books mentioned in this topic
Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth (other topics)A Deepness in the Sky (other topics)
Red Rising (other topics)
The Magician's Land (other topics)
Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Sherwood Smith (other topics)Arthur C. Clarke (other topics)
Clive Barker (other topics)
Django Wexler (other topics)
Lois Lowry (other topics)
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