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Please let us know what you're reading this month!

It is my first day of summer holidays, and I'm gleefully looking forward to books, books, and more books!

The Adventure of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle
Fathom
Dreadful Skin
Kraken
Under Heaven
The Last Unicorn
The Cost to Be Wise
Beggars in SpainWar of Honor

I'm wrapping up Masters of Fantasy today at lunch and will continue reading Fugitive Prince at a slow, methodical, intense note-taking pace. If you follow my status updates, most of them will be spoiler laden (and appropriately marked as such). I'm taking notes to better participate in the Wars of Light and Shadow series discussions both here and at the Fantasy Book Club Series group.

Then, I'll move on to The Desert Spear next only because it too is a library book (like Masters of Fantasy above) and I have a limited amount of time to peruse it.

Once I'm over the library book hurdle, I'll relax and enjoy GGK's Under Heaven.

Anything else I decide to read in July will appear in my current-month book shelf.

And to all my fellow Americans, have a safe and fun Independence Day weekend.

I just started The Dervish House by Ian McDonald last night. I'm only 20 pages in, so I can't really say anything definitive, but so far it's incredibly promising. Gorgeous prose and very interesting characters. Knowing the author, I doubt the novel will disappoint after such a strong start.

The rest of my upcoming reads can be found on my to-be-reviewed shelf: http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/...

I just started Through Violet Eyes by Stephen Woodworth. So far, my impressions are very positive. I love a good speculative mystery, and I enjoy ghost stories if they aren't just cookie-cutter supernatural pap. This series (four books at present) also promises to be urban fantasy without any pesky vampires, werewolves, or the like, so I couldn't resist. (I am not expecting high art, but the series intrigues me.)

This month, I also intend to read:
* Light by M. John Harrison (for the group read)
* Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm (getting a jump on August...plus I won it as a Firstreads give-away, so I really should get it read and reviewed)
* Coyote Blue by Christopher Moore (for a challenge in another group)
* Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (simultaneously for two challenges in other groups)
* The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare by G.K. Chesterton (also for two challenges)

If I get through those, I'll be diving back into The Scar by China Miéville. I started it a few months back yet never finished.

I am also reading bite-sized chunks of The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language by John H. McWhorter, although it is highly unlikely I will actually finish it this month. I usually have a non-fiction book going which I read in bursts.

Tough I started at June, I'm reading To Ride Hell's Chasm now. It's unlike anything I have read so far, so it'll take me some time to get used to it.

I'm in the middle of:
The Three Musketeers, by Alexandre Dumas
Wild Seed, by Octavia E. Butler

Up next:
Light, by M. John Harrison (Group read here AND in one of my groups on Shelfari -- wonder who made that happen? *wink*)
Hyperion, by Dan Simmons
Absolution Gap, by Alastair Reynolds
Pebble in the Sky, by Isaac Asimov
Tales of Nevèrÿon, by Samuel R. Delany
The Bird of the River, by Kage Baker
Bone and Jewel Creatures, by Elizabeth Bear
Auralia's Colors: The Red Strand, by Jeffrey Overstreet
The Moonstone, by Wilkie Collins
Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov

I am in total Paravian immersion.

Charles wrote: "I am in total Paravian immersion."

I'm nearly there with you. :)

I just finished reading Factoring Humanity which I quite enjoyed; the physics is sometimes a bit heavy, but the story flows without total understanding. I'm just beginning Old Man's War and am also enjoying this book, I'm delighted to see this is the beginning of a series. Now I just have to get my hands on a copy of The Curse of the Mistwraith so I can participate in that discussion

Thanks, everyone, for the good wishes on the move :) The good news is, it's the kind of house that we'll be able to stay in for the next 25-30 years if nothing major happens, so I won't have to move all those books again until we retire... :)

Charles wrote: "I am in total Paravian immersion."

::chuckle:: just can't leave Athera, can you? I'm starting over again. Rereading Curse now.

Also Sailing to Sarantium, Lord of Emperors, Queens' Play, I'm giving Gardens of the Moon a shot, the first Foreigner trilogy by Cherryh, The Cycle of Fire, and various and sundry other things on my ever expanding pile!

Christine wrote: "I just finished reading Factoring Humanity which I quite enjoyed; the physics is sometimes a bit heavy, but the story flows without total understanding. I'm not just beginning [book:..."

Oh, they're not hard to find! Both Amazon and B&N have it. Come and join us Paravia lovers!

Once I finish The Last Stormlord, I will be starting Gaslight Dogs.

My reading list would be a lot longer, and include Light, except for deadline pressure, soon to end, thank goodness!

Just finished Sense of Honor: Volume One: The Archives of Tides of War by Shawn Weaver, a FirstReads win for me. Yikes! I gave it one star. Here's my review:

As other reviewers have stated, at its heart, Sense of Honor: Volume One: The Archives of Tides of War has a good story, or at least, the ideas for a good story. And as some others have stated, the book would benefit from editing--well, not just editing but some basic proofreading.

Every single page in this book has misspellings, poor grammar and usage, atrocious punctuation, misapplication of basic capitalization rules, and incomprehensible sentence fragments. These errors mar any flow the narrative might have, destroy any dramatic tension that might be building, and distract the reader from characterizations, plot, and descriptive passages alike.

My plea to the author is this: Get an editor! Failing that, at least use the spell and grammar checkers built into many word processing software programs.

I felt like I was reading a first draft, not a finished novel.

Sandra AKA Sleo wrote: "Charles wrote: "I am in total Paravian immersion."

::chuckle:: just can't leave Athera, can you? I'm starting over again. Rereading Curse now.

Also Sailing to Sarantium, [book:Lor..."

Oh, the delights! I have just finished my 4th read of Mistwraith, and it was better than the first. Now on Ships.

Right now I'm working on The Curse of the Mistwraith, assuming I like that I'll move on to The Ships of Merior. If I have time I might also start The Other Lands by David Anthony Durham. I just finished Acacia: The War with the Mein this past month and loved it (slow start but great payoff!) so I'm really excited about that one. But for now I'm just hoping I love The Curse of the Mistwraith as much as everyone else seems to. I'm about 200 pages in right now and I like it.. But it hasn't completely hooked me yet. Here's hoping!

Dawn wrote: "Right now I'm working on The Curse of the Mistwraith, assuming I like that I'll move on to The Ships of Merior. If I have time I might also start [book:The Other Lands|607..."

Just wait. It builds. I wasn't completely hooked until over halfway through, I don't think. Sigh.

I think before I start The Curse of the Mistwraith I will read a quick mystery. I'm going to actually try to pace my reading of Janny's book to match our discussion format, so I don't want to dive in too soon.

Also getting caught up (again) on my magazines...

I've finally had the chance to start "Dune Chronicles".
I'm currently reading the first one. I'm about 25o pages right now and I love it.

I'm working on Breath and Bone which I am enjoying a lot. I do have to guiltily admit that I've been working on it for a month now. :D

Boss has promised me I'm not only going to get a full weekend, but a three day one to boot! I should be able to finish and get something else started.

ozgun wrote: "I've finally had the chance to start "Dune Chronicles".
I'm currently reading the first one. I'm about 25o pages right now and I love it."

Stop at God Emporor of Dune. I would say ChapterHouse Dune but it ends on quite the cliffhanger and Anderson and Herbert's Son DESTROY the series with the next two books

I'm trying to get through Light, I think I'm almost halfway. Unfortunately (or fortunately), I downloaded Kraken and that book is much more interesting. It has a comprehensible plot.

I'm listening to Starship: Rebel by Mike Resnick. I think it's one of those books that should be read in print. There are too many he saids and she replieds.

Sandi wrote: "I'm trying to get through Light, I think I'm almost halfway. Unfortunately (or fortunately), I downloaded Kraken and that book is much more interesting. It has a compr..."

Oh, I'm glad to know that. May skip Light.

Sandra, I'm not saying that Light is bad. It's actually beautifully written. It's just that it seems to be three alternating stories that don't seem to have a connection yet. (I'm on page 145 of 288.) Besides, I really like China Miéville, so Kraken has been a much anticipated read.

Oh. I was wondering what China Mieville was like.

Oh, they're not hard to find! Both Amazon and B&N have it. Come and join us Paravia lovers!

Sandra, what is Paravia?

The Paravians are the beings that inhabited Athera before humans came to live there. They're the mythical creatures that underpin the world in the Wars of Light and Shadow series, starting with The Curse of the Mistwraith.

Thanks Sleo...I'm now in Boulder for the weekend and am finishing up Old Man's War. I DL'd some classic SciFi from the library before leaving town but plan to read The Curse of the Mistwraith when I return home

You're welcome! Have fun in Boulder and I'm glad you're planning to read my favorite book.

I finished J.V. Jones' "Watcher of the Dead", the fourth book in her "Sword of Shadows" series. I thought it was a good read, although as in the previous book I think it might have benefited from there being a bit more plot progression.

Next up I'm reading Roger Zelazney's "Creatures of Light and Darkness".

William wrote: "I finished J.V. Jones' "Watcher of the Dead", the fourth book in her "Sword of Shadows" series. I thought it was a good read, although as in the previous book I think it might have benefited from t..."

William, Creatures of Light and Darkness is a longtime old favorite. Definitely original - Enjoy!

I finished Old Man's War which I really enjoyed (indeed I put in a reserve at the library for the sequel) and started reading Sacred Stone which I DL'd from the library before coming to Boulder for a family gathering. You really can't go wrong with Clive Cussler for vacation reading!!

I finished The Last Stormlord today and really liked it.

Having taken 10 days to read that, I whizzed through Restoring Harmony which I had from the library. It was a quick and easy read, but pretty much lacking in substance. It isn't a bad book and is okay for a light read, but if you want something you can get your teeth into, I'd say give it a miss.

I haven't decided what I'll read next. I may go on with my slow reread of Dragon Prince and I'm trying to decide when to start The Curse of the Mistwraith. Otherwise, I'll try to find something from my TBR list that I should be able to read quickly and still have time for the first part of Curse before the 15th.

Still working on The Stand, just wanted to let you all know I'm going to be connection-less until Friday so I won't be on the 'net...moving day today and the cable won't be set up until Friday. I'll be able to keep myself plenty busy unpacking though!

Hope the Americans in the group had a great Independence Day - we managed to find a few hours to celebrate in the middle of all the packing!

Good luck with the move!

Shel wrote: "Still working on The Stand, just wanted to let you all know I'm going to be connection-less until Friday so I won't be on the 'net...moving day today and the cable won't be set up unt..."

I'm waiting for The Stand to be released on Audible. I just can't bring myself to actually read it.

Kerry wrote: "I finished The Last Stormlord today and really liked it.

Having taken 10 days to read that, I whizzed through Restoring Harmony which I had from the library. It was..."

I think we're to start reading on July 15 in the series thread.

I finished The Desert Spear (my review) yesterday. A quick weekend read, even at nearly six hundred pages.

I'll continue on with Fugitive Prince while I wait for Furies of Calderon to arrive.

Started the month with Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett; much more satisfying than Nation I thought. Now into short stories by Charles Stross, Wireless, some of which are great and some of which are interesting in how they show the writer trying stuff out. Next I have GG Kay's Under Heaven, but I may slip in "Spirit" by Gwyneth Jones first. Also, "Curse of the Mistwraith".

I'm ready to start The Curse of the Mistwraith, but since I'm going to try to pace my reading to coincide with the discussion, I'm also going to start another series to intersperse with Janny's books. Something that will be quite different from her books, I think--Newton's Cannon by Greg Keyes.

I finished The Dervish House by Ian McDonald and absolutely loved it. This is one you'll see on the shortlists for the major awards next year, I'm sure. My review will be up soon, but for now it's highly recommended.

I'm now reading The Third Bear, a collection of Jeff VanderMeer's short fiction. So far, about 4 stories in, it's excellent.

I started reading Circuit of Heaven on my eReader while on vacation and was enjoying it but today got in two new library books and decided to switch. I'm now reading Cat of the Century (decidedly not SciFi/Fantasy) and gave The Ghost Brigades to my husband to read. I still don't have The Curse of the Mistwraith and think it's time to break down and buy it. I can't get The Last Stormlord from my library so may have to buy that one too. Any suggestions on the best place to get Janny's book online?

Christine.... you can buy Janny's books at Amazon.com () or Barnes and Noble (). All eight books in the series should be available.

Christine wrote: "I started reading Circuit of Heaven on my eReader while on vacation and was enjoying it but today got in two new library books and decided to switch. I'm now reading [book:Cat of the..."

Numbers one and two and three are not available in ebook format, but the rest are all available. You can buy all 5 at Waterstones.com or you can get the last four from Amazon.com. I have a Nook, and they aren't available for that, but I downloaded the Adobe Digital Reader and the ones from Waterstones can be read on it on the computer. It may be possible to convert the files so you can read them on your ereader. I did not do that, so I read the ones from Amazon by downloading their software and reading them on my computer.

I got my copy of Curse of the Mistwraith from The Book Depository. Good price and it got to New Zealand from the UK in around a week. I'm going to start it today.

I just finished The Gaslight Dogs, which was one viciously powerful book. Had me in tears at least twice.

Christine wrote: "I finished Old Man's War which I really enjoyed (indeed I put in a reserve at the library for the sequel) and started reading Sacred Stone which I DL'd from the library b..."

I just loved the whole series, Scalzi has such an engaging writing style, lots of humour and a good old fashioned tale to tell.

I'm back in business with internet access at the new house (and ooh I love my new house!). In between fits of unpacking and organizing, I've finished The Stand (and definitely understood it a lot more fully this time around!), read The Book Thief, which was absolutely devastating in the best possible way - I can't recommend it highly enough - and am now re-reading The Lord of the Rings because it's been a while and I knew it wouldn't suffer by comparison.

I've got a shipment on the way in the mail that should arrive any day now with a few new goodies, including The Curse of the Mistwraith, which I can't wait to dig into! :)

Shel wrote: "I'm back in business with internet access at the new house (and ooh I love my new house!)."

Welcome back, glad the move went OK and you are getting settled in a place you love!