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What are you Reading Now?

teacup

Auror
Just finished Joe Abercrombie's Half A War (Shattered Sea book 3) - I saw most of what happened coming, but still absolutely loved it. Now I have to wait for his Sharp Ends collection to come out in paperback :c
Going to start Kameron Hurley's God's War next. Loved her Worldbreaker Saga books, so if this series is even half as good I'll be happy.
 
C

Chessie

Guest
Joe Abercrombie <3

Okay so Mercedes Lackey is possibly one of my new favorites. Now I'm moving on to Lisa Blackwood: Ishtar's Blade.
 

Steerpike

Felis amatus
Moderator
Picked up a copy of Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf with photographs throughout the text. Also, military SF novel called Starstrike by W. Michael Gear. Premise seems to be that aliens come to earth in 1990 and conscript U.S., Russian, and Israeli soldiers and ship them off through space to go fight for them somewhere. So far, it's pretty good.
 

Mythopoet

Auror
Well, I finished Tokyo Babylon manga and am considering whether or not to continue on to the sequel series X/1999 even though it's unfinished.

I also finished Rilla of Ingleside reread. In some ways, the book is the most interesting of the Anne of Green Gables books because it gives a close look at an important period of history like the others don't. Rilla is was written only a couple years after WWI by someone who lived through it from a Canadian perspective which is extremely fascinating. The POV is a girl whose brothers and sweetheart fight in the war from very early on and it provides an in depth and historically accurate look at how Canadian people felt about the war while it was going on. It is just fascinating to read how they vilify "the Kaiser" as pretty much being the epitome of evil and seem to think they are fighting this war primarily to rid the world of the evil of expansionism. At the end, they believe that they have won and have changed the world for the better. It's almost heartbreaking because none of them know what's in store. It's dramatic irony of the sort only real life can provide since this book was published long before WWII. Honestly, I think it is worth a read for anyone interested in that period of history.

I am still slowly working my way through LOTR. I want to take my time and savor it so I am reading it in little spurts in between other things, highlighting heavily and thinking about the story from a more experienced perspective. (I've read a lot of classic fantasy since my last read of LOTR.) I'm really enjoying it.
 

AJ Stevens

Minstrel
I'm on a Malazan re-read, which I'm thoroughly enjoying. Currently nearing the end of Midnight Tides, which was a bit of a slog for the first half of the book, but the second half is picking up the pace.

I'm also reading Melissa McPhail's Cephrael's Hand in situations where I only have my phone on me. Quite a lot going on at the start of that book, but it's gradually settling down.
 

Russ

Istar
So on my vacation I read Dwarves by Heitz and thought it was very good, classic epic fantasy. Will definately be reading the rest of the series.

My only two disappointments lay in myself, for my German not being good enough to read it in the original version, and in the translation. I found the translation contained too many modern or pop culture words that threw the book out of whack. "Ditto" particularly comes to mind. I do know enough German to have a very strong feeling this book would have been much more powerful and moving in the original language.
 

Mythopoet

Auror
I've been reading The Green Pearl, the second of the Lyonesse Triology by Jack Vance. I'm about 60% through and enjoying it immensely. Jack Vance has such a great and distinctive writing voice.
 

Incanus

Auror
Oh, yeah--the Lyonesse books are great, though I still like The Dying Earth books a little more. Thank goodness for Jack Vance!
 
C

Chessie

Guest
Can't beat that Morrell guy...
His sex scenes are something else lol. I certainly wasn't expecting that level of heat in a fantasy novel.

I started a Caribbean Mystery last night. Oh, hello Agatha Christie. We meet again. :D As a sidenote, I joined a fanclub of hers on Goodreads so now I have a group to discuss her mysteries with. Yay!
 

Russ

Istar
His sex scenes are something else lol. I certainly wasn't expecting that level of heat in a fantasy novel.

I started a Caribbean Mystery last night. Oh, hello Agatha Christie. We meet again. :D As a sidenote, I joined a fanclub of hers on Goodreads so now I have a group to discuss her mysteries with. Yay!

I wonder if we just had an example of oblique dialogue? :)

I was talking about David Morrell, author of First Blood.
 
C

Chessie

Guest
Aye, and I was talking about Abercrombie. Hey, at least it was an easier way to work our obliques, eh?
 

Mythopoet

Auror
Oh, yeah--the Lyonesse books are great, though I still like The Dying Earth books a little more. Thank goodness for Jack Vance!

The Dying Earth is certainly more remarkable, particularly for its uniqueness and the sheer brilliance of its worldbuilding. Though I find Lyonesse more enjoyable to read on a story level. I cannot quite manage to care about anyone in The Dying Earth. It is a marvel, but the fatalism infecting the stories makes me feel more like a detached observer than someone immersed in the story. It is interesting in that both The Dying Earth and Lyonesse take place in a setting that will soon perish (we are informed as much at the beginning of the first Lyonesse book and off course The Dying Earth is dying) but Lyonesse does not wallow in the same fatalism. As the story focuses more and more on the efforts of Aillas, who is a wonderful character, it compels a hopeful view for the future. I know at some point all the good that Aillas has done so far must collapse, but my heart doesn't want to believe it. I am invested in him and his plans for the future despite myself.
 

Mythopoet

Auror
Well, I finished The Green Pearl a while ago and moved on to Madouc, but I'm sick of rebellious young princesses who just want to do nothing but what they want to do. When will this trope die? So Madouc isn't appealing to me.

I read and finished "Crooked House" by Agatha Christie, which was quite good.

And I've started rereading Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell which I really love.
 

Russ

Istar
Just finished my friend's latest book the 14th Colony. I really think it is his best novel yet and gives me hope that my future novels will be better than my current one!

If you are a fan of historical thrillers I highly recommend it on a number of levels. If you are a fan of Cotton Malone I assume you already own it.
 
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