[July] What are you reading?

Nellisir · Jul 23, 2013

Finished Gallows Thief, which was still Quite Good, and Lost in A Good Book by Jasper Fforde, which was also good.

Tonguez · Jul 23, 2013

Dodger - Terry Pratchett. An Historic Fantasy set (literally) in Dickensian London.

Nellisir · Jul 23, 2013

And...a crappy night last night meant I read Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin. A good to really good book, nice characterization, but the villain is pretty clear after he's introduced, and I kept reading (instead of sleeping) mostly because it was well-told, not because I couldn't put it down.

Goodreads (which I never update) and Amazon both use a 5-star system, which is why I usually note books that way, but I really prefer a 10-point system. Lost in a Good Book is a good example of a straight-up 7/10 - fun and above average, but not quite an 8/10. Gallows Thief is an 8/10. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter is probably an 8/10 as well.

Not sure what I'll read next. I keep looking at Queen of Bedlam, which is something I want to take some time with. Spectacle of Corruption is a possibility - it's by David Liss, and I really enjoyed The Devil's Company. Both are set in the 1700's though, and maybe a break from that? Kinda thinking about Scandinavian crime novels again, but I've got Annika Bengtzon: Crime Reporter to watch on Netflix, so that'll probably scratch that itch. Plus I still have two Alastair Reynolds books I've been saving, and a pile of paperbacks, including two Thieves World books and The Integral Trees (which I haven't read in decades). The problem with those is that they're too easy for me to carry around and get distracted by. Hrm.

Jhaelen · Jul 24, 2013

After finishing Cradle and Crescent (an Ars Magica supplement about the Medieval Middle-East), I decided to look for a compilation of H.P. Lovecraft stories for my Kindle and found a great one It's about time I read all of them. So far I had only read a few stories over the past decades.

ghostcat · Jul 24, 2013

Jhaelen said:
After finishing Cradle and Crescent (an Ars Magica supplement about the Medieval Middle-East), I decided to look for a compilation of H.P. Lovecraft stories for my Kindle and found a great one It's about time I read all of them. So far I had only read a few stories over the past decades.

Thanks for this link Jhaelen. Having looked at the table of contents and then at my library, I can see how little Lovecraft I have actually read.

Richards · Jul 25, 2013

I'm now reading Everything's Eventual, a short story collection by Stephen King.

Johnathan

jonesy · Jul 25, 2013

I'm reading Politically Correct Bedtime Stories by James Finn Garner. It is giggle funny:

So Red Riding Hood set off with her basket through the woods. Many people believed that the forest was a foreboding and dangerous place and never set foot in it. Red Riding Hood, however, was confident enough in her own budding sexuality that such obvious Freudian imagery did not intimidate her.

On the way to grandma’s house, Red Riding Hood was accosted by a wolf who asked her what was in her basket. She repleid, “Some healthful snacks for my grandmother, who is certainly capable of taking care of herself as a mature adult."

The wolf said, “You know, my dear, it isn’t safe for a little girl to walk through these woods alone."

Red Riding Hood said, “I find your sexist remark offensive in the extreme, but I will ignore it because of your traditional status as an outcast from society, the stress of which has caused you to develop your own, entirely valid, worldview. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must be on my way."

Nellisir · Jul 26, 2013

Read The Integral Trees. On one hand, it was enjoyable. On the other, I forgot how crudely the personalities & cultures are portrayed, particularly women. Get captured by the enemy? Marry your captor, preferably within 24 hours (this happens twice).

I started Nefertiti, a mystery set in ancient Egypt, but only got a page or two into it before I got distracted by Wikipedia entries on Nefertiti, Egypt, the Hittites, Hellenistic culture, Crete, and so forth.