What are you reading [Jun 2017]?

Blue · Jun 26, 2017

So, like two years ago I gave my youngest the first book in Edding's Belgariad. She had liked LLoyd Alexander's Taran books so I figured it was worth a try. We found it recently when moving furniture and I grabbed it when wanting a light read.

i remember enjoying those way back when, but reading it now felt like it was YA. There was no subtly to anything, it was all writ large. And the characters are sure Mary Sues, though that is at least partly by convention.

But I was struck by how pedestrian the writing was as well. I enjoy the polish of Patrick Rothfuss or the descriptiveness of N.K. Jemisin. There was no wordplay, or writing-as-craft.

It's a really quick read so I'll stick it out, but if I finish all five is a different story. This worries me for his Starhawk series, I've had RPG characters in different genres inspired but how he acts as well as knightly orders in my homebrew settings. But now I'm a bit concerned that my best memories of those books are only kept if I don't pick them up again.

Which won't stop me, just saying.

Ralif Redhammer · Jun 26, 2017

Finished Flashing Swords #2. Pretty good stuff, save for the last Brak the Barbarian tale. That one really epitomized the lowest of the Conan wannabee trend.

Now I’m reading Cinder: The Lunar Chronicles Book 1. So far, it’s decent, though I fear some of the later plot points are already too predictably set up in the opening. Hopefully I’m wrong there…

Jhaelen · Jun 29, 2017

I've finished reading 'The Prestige' by Christopher Priest. While I enjoyed it a lot, I wished I hadn't seen the movie before. I kept wondering how much I would have guessed about what was really going on hadn't I already known. It's also been interesting to see where the movie deviates from the novel, especially regarding the 'Prestige materials'.

Next up is 'Bold as Love' by Gwyneth Jones.

Ralif Redhammer · Jun 29, 2017

Finished Cinder quickly. It was a fun read, but I think was held back by too-early too-heavy foreshadowing. I mean, it’s cyberpunk retelling of Cinderella, so some beats are expected, but still, some of the pages should’ve come with spoiler warnings.

Now I’m starting up Sanderson’s Bands of Mourning. Looking forward to seeing how the second Mistborn trilogy ends.

Blue · Jun 29, 2017

Ralif Redhammer said:
Now I’m starting up Sanderson’s Bands of Mourning. Looking forward to seeing how the second Mistborn trilogy ends.

I'd be very interested in your thoughts of that. I've only read the first Mistborn trilogy. It was quite good, and I'm amazed how many details at the end seemed entirely planned since page one of the first book and how he tied them together, but I'm not one of the people raving about the series. So I've held off picking up other Mistborn books since.

Richards · Jun 30, 2017

I finished Dean Koontz's The Face and moved on to Stephen King's Joyland, a ghost story and coming-of-age story taking place in an amusement park. It was really good - which is likely why I managed to finish it up in one day. (Well, that and I had a lot of free time on my hands yesterday.)

Next up, I'm back to Dean Koontz with The City.

Johnathan