[August] What are you reading?

[MarauderX]

In the works right now --
Dawn of Decadence.
Miles Davis autobiography
Our Band Could be Your Life
catching up on the latest Dragonlance from Tracy Hickman and Marg Weis and some other fluff fantasy during lunches.

I will have to hold off for a bit, as my wedding approaches soon...

 

[Mark Chance]

Well, I got distracted again. This time by Gregg Hurwitz's Do No Harm. Good read. Suspenseful. One of the few "psycho-killer" stories I've read in which the villain (Clyde) was both reprehensible and genuinely pitiable at the same time. Other characterizations were noteworthy, especially the shady surveillance expert Ed, the main character David Spier, and, for the me, the single father cop, Dalton.

I had plans to finish The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu this weekend, but I went and left it in my classroom. Grr.

So, I guess I'll have to tackle something different this weekend. Probably start in on Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy by Matthew Scully.

 

[Decado]

I really liked "A Thief's Gamble" but could not get through "A Swordsmans Oath". I am glad to see I am not alone.

I just finished, having read it in two sittings, "In the Company of Heroes" written by retired Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael J. Durant. The book is a true account of Durant's capture after his Blackhawk Helicopter was shot down in Mogadishu. If you want to read a book about true heroism I cannot think of a better book.

I am currently reading "The Hobbit" after being unable to get into RA Salvatore's "Immortalis"

Decado

 

[nHammer]

Currenty working on The Waste Lands by Stephen King. Next up is Perdido Street Station by China Mieville.

 

[JoeGKushner]

I figured that I might as well end the month with some brain candy and devoured The Steel Throne and Wind of Honor, read one yesterday and the other one today.

Not bad and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series eventually but right now I've only got Wind of Justice to read so that's the next one.

 

[Wombat]

Okay, the books I read this month...

The four Jim Butcher Harry Dresden books -- I just found the fifth, but haven't started it yet.

The Standing Dead by Ricardo Pinto (not for the feint of heart)

The History of the Franks by Gregory of Tours (re-read, mainly taking notes)

The Three Damosels by Vera Chapman

Along with a host of single chapters in a variety of books on history, religion, folklore, and the like (plus a couple aeronautic engineering articles)

Reading is my business

 

[drnuncheon]

Most recently, I finished Cloud of Sparrows - set in Japan right after Commodore Perry's fleet opened it to the rest of the world.

I'm also reading Harry Turtledove's Colonization series, the followup to his Worldwar books. In the first series, World War II is interrupted by the arrival of an alien fleet who want to take over the earth and bring it into their empire. They were expecting opposition with chainmail and swords. The second series is set 20 years later and deals with the arrival of the colonization fleet.

Oh, and Arcana Unearthed, but that's for another board.

 

[drnuncheon]

Hmm. Is quick-reply not working or is it my browser?

Your comments here make me want to pick that back up again. I also liked The Thief's Gamble, but simply could not get into the sequel. If it really picks up later on in the book, I will have to start it again.

Like others, I bogged down in the second book as well. It's been so long that I don't remember what happened in the first one.

Green seems to alternate between unusual, original fantasy and space shoot-em-ups. He writes well in both categories, although I think his fantasies are better.

If you haven't yet, check out his Hawk & Fisher books - a little more on the Deathstalker side of things in terms of flavor, they're basically fantasy mysteries. They were collected in Guards of Haven and Swords of Haven, and there are some associated books in the same world, some with the same characters (like Down Among the Dead Men, Blue Moon Rising, and something else, also about a blue moon.)

The Anvil of the World, by Kage Baker, same.

Is this the next of the Company books? I'll have to start bugging my library.

J

 

[Justinian]

If you haven't yet, check out his Hawk & Fisher books - a little more on the Deathstalker side of things in terms of flavor, they're basically fantasy mysteries. They were collected in Guards of Haven and Swords of Haven, and there are some associated books in the same world, some with the same characters (like Down Among the Dead Men, Blue Moon Rising, and something else, also about a blue moon.)

Yeah, I went through those too in the last week or so. I think I read all of Green's published works this month. I'm missing a few that are out of print in the US, though.

Is this the next of the Company books? I'll have to start bugging my library.

Actually, Baker wrote a standalone fantasy here. It's almost a collection of short stories or novellas with a central theme. Quite good. I did read that she's contracted for a new Company book, but I don't remember the title offhand.

To wrap up August, I read The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons by Dan Brown. Both are puzzle-based thrillers with strong symbological roots. Very interesting.

I also picked up The Fifth Ring because I met the author, Mitchell Graham, at DragonCon. It's a standard fantasy on the surface, but has some intriguing depths. It'll be interesting to see where he goes with the rest of the series, with The Emerald Cave coming out in January, I think.

The four Jim Butcher Harry Dresden books -- I just found the fifth, but haven't started it yet.

I also got a chance to meet Jim Butcher at DragonCon. He's a great guy, interesting to talk to, and a gamer at that. He even used some analogies from being a DM when he was on a panel! Support gamers - check out Storm Front (the first one) - it's a great book.

 

[drnuncheon]

Yeah, I went through those too in the last week or so. I think I read all of Green's published works this month. I'm missing a few that are out of print in the US, though.

If you liked them, you could do worse than check out my Freeport story hour (see below) - the Hawk & Fisher books were one of the primary influences on the early part of my campaign.

Actually, Baker wrote a standalone fantasy here. It's almost a collection of short stories or novellas with a central theme. Quite good. I did read that she's contracted for a new Company book, but I don't remember the title offhand.

Interesting...but I want to know what he heck is going on with Mendoza!

J