What are you reading in May?

[Eridanis]

I'm currently about 80% done with LETTERS OF JRR TOLKIEN, edited by Carpenter. It's like reading the Cliff's Notes for the Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales. I love it.

In the post from the UK as we speak is a used copy of GARDENS OF THE MOON by Erikson that I got on eBay for about 3 pounds. Even with postage, it's cheaper than ordering it from amazon.ca.

 

[WayneLigon]

I just started a Thieves World novel called Sanctuary (Lynn Abbey). I didn't really know where to start reading in this world, so that's what happened to be on the shelf at the bookstore.

It's a good beginning if you cannot start at the first book. It's the first book in the new series and starts out ten years or so after the last series ended. Lots of backstory gets explained, and you don't have to have read the previous books to enjoy it. The second book is a series of short stories where we are introduced to new characters, old friends and interesting situations.

This Site should help with any questions and give you the sequence of the first 12 books.

 

[Cloakmaster]

I just started "The Fires of Heaven", book #5 in the Wheel of Time series. After getting throught the first 80+ pages in the first book (The Eye of the World) I have been hooked and have read nothing else (except my Forgotten Realms supplements of course).

 

[Gizzard]

I just wrapped up a really cool sci-fi book called Kiln People, by David Brin.

For reference, five of the books nominated for the Hugo this year are:

Kiln People - David Brin
The Years of Rice and Salt - KS Robinson
The Scar - China Mieville
Bones of the Earth - Michael Swanwick
Coraline - Neil Gaiman

I expect all of them to be at least good, hopefully one or two will be great. I'm behind on my reading, so I can't give any more recommendation other than to say over 600 people voted in the "Best Novel" category, so there's some consensus to the Top 5.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Blood Money by C.L. Werner a WFRP novel, should be wrapping it up in a few more sittings. It is okay.

Then I will start on either...

The Briar King by Keys
or
Talon of the Silver Hawk by Raymond Feist

Have not decided which to go with but I normally Feist are quick enjoyable reads for me so it may be first.

 

[Michael Tree]

I'm a couple hundred pages from finishing Blue Mars, the third book in Kim Stanley Robinson's excellent hard-SF Mars trilogy.

After I'm finished it... I don't know. I won't know what I'm in the mood for until I finish it. The books I have and am considering are:
- Tigana, by Guy Gavriel Kay
- Rashomon, by Ryunosuke Akutagawa
- A biography of Benjamin Franklin
- A Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin
- Maribou Stork Nightmares, by Irvine Welsh

Though I'll probably end up not reading any of those, but getting something else I'm more in the mood for.

 

[theburningman]

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson. Loving it.

 

[Thorntangle]

April: Perdido Street Station - dazzling

Just finished: Neverwhere - pretty good, liked American Gods more

At bat: Metaplanetary - superduper astounding

On deck: A Game of Thrones

 

[emergent]

After sucessfuly defending my comprehensive exams (yeah me!) last week, I picked up McSweeny's Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales . It's a book of pulp-ish short stories by contemporary writers including Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, Michael Crichton, Elmore Leonard, and Nick Hornby. All of the stories are new. It's edited by Michael Chabon, the same guy who wrote The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay a great novel about the golden age of comics. The stories in McSweeny's are good so far.

Oh, and it also has some illustrations by Howard Chaykin, for all you comic lovers out there.

 

[Enforcer]

Well, last month I was reading the Hunt for Red October. Now I'm reading Red Storm Rising (also Clancy). Now that I'm done with college, however, I'll have a lot more time to read.