What are you Reading? July 2018 edition

[Blue]

Hye, I have a side book I'm reading on my phone for when I'm waiting somewhere without a book. "Scoundrels: Star Wars Legends" by Timothy Zahn. I've long been a fan of Zahn's work, reading his Cobra books back in the library when I was a teen. And many know his Star Wars credentials of Admiral Thrawn and Mara Jade. This is a Han Solo focused book, placed after A New Home.

It's a heist book, in a way more true to the genre then the Solo movie was (not knocking the movie). Now, I've also been a Han Solo fan for a while, back to first reading the Brian Daley trilogy when I was a kid. Well, back to A New Home in the theater, but you know what I mean.

Anyway, this puts more focus on Han's contacts and reputation to put together an Ocean's 11 type of team and heist. So far it's pretty good, but hasn't broken the threshold for great. There's a large cast, and except for Chewie and Lando (with tension!) they're all new. That makes it a bit less then perfect for an occasional book I only read maybe twice a week for a few minutes each. So having this as a side book may not be doing it justice.

But things have recently started to pick up in the book, I'll let you know how it is at the end.

 

[TwoSix]

Over the Fourth, I finished up the 9th book in Benedict Jacka's Alex Verus series (a pretty good urban fantasy in the Dresden Files vein), and Red Sister, the first book in Marc Lawrence's new series. Not as intense and grimdark as the Broken Empire trilogy, but still very good. I'm probably going to be picking up the sequel to read over vacation next week, and Bradley Beaulieu's third book in his Shattered Sands series.

 

[Blue]

Over the Fourth, I finished up the 9th book in Benedict Jacka's Alex Verus series (a pretty good urban fantasy in the Dresden Files vein)

My preorder of Marked is within reach, but I've been finishing up two other books. It's next on my list.

 

[TwoSix]

My preorder of Marked is within reach, but I've been finishing up two other books. It's next on my list.

I've liked the books that have pulled Alex deeper into mage society, and this book was very interesting in that regard. Most of the supporting players get pretty short shrift outside of Anne, though.

 

[Kaodi]

Once again I am here to chime in with the comically off topic non-fiction I have been reading. Finished reading Tom Nichol's The Death of Expertise. Actually I am reading my fist ever fanfic too, by someone who worked in the comics industry. Eric's grandma would probably not approve though. At least to our faces.

I have stuff lying around I probably *should* read, but I do not know if I will work up any more wherewithal to start it. Some books I bought new have been on the shelf for months. I have been on page 186 (or 168?) of Anne of Green Gables for years.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Knife of Dreams, the last book Robert Jordan finished before his death, is done. It’s bitter-sweet, to be sure. You can feel the author racing against his own mortality. So much happens. But after five books and 12 years of a glacial pace, it’s hard to make up for lost time.

I’m taking a quick read of August Derleth’s short story, McIlvaine’s Star, before continuing the Wheel of Time.

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

Working through China Miéville's Perdido Street Station. Quite an interesting read, industrial age fantasy.

I also have the 4th Conan Omnibus on my reading table.

AR

 

[Umbran]

This morning I finished Cathrynne Valente's "Space Opera", which to me reads a lot like Douglas Adams. I recommend reading it, but doing so in short bursts, rather than in one sitting. She has a tendency to use long, rich sentences, almost run-on, and if you aren't really focused on the text, you can start eliding over the content.

I expect I'm about to start reading Tad Williams' "The Witchwood Crown"

 

[trappedslider]

finished a YA novel titled "It's all Your fault" by Paul Rudnick (who wrote the screen play for Adam's Family Values among others) I thought it was funny. Now I'm on to another YA novel "Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe" by Shelley Coriell before I get into "The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History" by John M. Barry

 

[Blue]

Working through China Miéville's Perdido Street Station. Quite an interesting read, industrial age fantasy.

Perdido Street Station seems to be one of those books you love or hate. Or maybe love AND hate it. It was my first Mieville, and none of the others that I read have hit those same rarefied heights. Or maybe it was just in contrast of reading too many "our elves are different!" (but everything else is the same) fantasy books at the time.