The Currently Reading Thread v. A Clash of Kings

[hefdaddy42]

Sherlock Holmes and the Sussex Sea-Devils by James Lovegrove

[masterthes]

Reading something a bit out of my zone with some alternate history, Once There Was a Way: What if The Beatles Stayed Together? by Bryce Zabel

[ozzy554]

Finished the Halford Autobiography. Highly recommended. He was very honest and open with it and it delves deep into his personal struggles being a closeted gay man under such a big spotlight. Happy ending but man a lot of heartbreaking stuff that I hadn't heard about before.

Currently reading Zoey Punches the Future in the Dick ( Zoey Ashe #2) by David "Jason Pargin" Wong. One of my favorite more current authors. 

[Cool Chris]

Now on Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence.

Well, that wasn't awesome.

Moving on to a rando pick I saw scrolling through my library database, based on the awesome title of Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk.

[Evermind]

Now on Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence.

Well, that wasn't awesome.

The trilogy really improves in the second book, but I can see how the first one might've been enough. I kept reading only because I bought the whole trilogy at once.

[Cool Chris]

Now on Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence.

Well, that wasn't awesome.

It really improves in the second book, but I can see how the first one might've been enough. I kept reading only because I bought the whole trilogy at once.

I read right before bed, and have been pretty zoned out at night lately due to work and kids. Staying focused can be a challenge. I was in to this book till the last 1/3 or so, but not sure if it just lost my interest or I was losing track of the plot.

[masterthes]

That Beatles book was fantastic, so far my favorite of the month

Anyway, now reading The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

[hefdaddy42]

Now on Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence.

Well, that wasn't awesome.

I tried to read that a few years ago.  Didn't make it through without giving up.

[Evermind]

Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury

Okay that was cozy and fairly great. Not much in terms of the plot but I loved the prose, very evocative and warm and overall fantastic.

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

[Evermind]

Have you read Laini Taylor's Strange the Dreamer, and the sequel Muse of Nightmares? The teen romance-y bits are a bit much near the end of the first one and the beginning of the second, but the books are so good otherwise it's pretty easy to just skim those and get back to the good stuff.

Hey SN, also just wanted to let you know I ordered both of these books in my favourite bookstore. Probably won't start reading for a couple of months though, but now it's a given I will read them in the future. I'll post my thoughts in this thread at some point.

[masterthes]

1. OFW was fair, a bit too long though

2. Ended up finally reading This is How You Lose the Time War. really enjoyed it

3. Currently rereading The Final Empire. I read it more than 5 years ago, but I didn't immediately go to WOA because a lot of the Goodreads ratings seemed so divisive. Well, I finally decide to go through with it

[Evermind]

3. Currently rereading The Final Empire. I read it more than 5 years ago, but I didn't immediately go to WOA because a lot of the Goodreads ratings seemed so divisive. Well, I finally decide to go through with it

I said it before and I'll say it again, WoA was very slow on my first read and I didn't like it as much as TFE. On rereads, WoA might be my favourite book from the series. Well, not quite, I think I still prefer TFE because of how much I enjoy it the first time, but WoA is definitely a more than worthy follow up, even if it's a very different book.

The whole trilogy is definitely good though, he ties up almost all the plot points in a very satisfying way.

[SchecterShredder]

I'm planning to pick up the new Reacher novel next week when it's released. It's the first (only?) transition book where Lee Child is handing over the series to his younger brother. I'll go in with an open mind, but I honestly don't know what to expect from this. In reading the Hitchhiker's series, I included the last book written by Eon Colfer. On the surface it almost felt like an Adams novel, but it also mostly felt like it tried too hard to be an Adams novel. I guess we'll see how Reacher comes out on the pages.

[Cool Chris]

I'm planning to pick up the new Reacher novel next week when it's released. It's the first (only?) transition book where Lee Child is handing over the series to his younger brother.

WHAT?

I knew nothing about this.

[SchecterShredder]

I'm planning to pick up the new Reacher novel next week when it's released. It's the first (only?) transition book where Lee Child is handing over the series to his younger brother.

WHAT?

I knew nothing about this.

Yeah, I stumbled on it earlier this year. Completely forgot until yesterday when I thought to myself "Self, isn't there usually a new Reacher every Fall?". Here's an interview with Child where he explains the decision a bit.

https://www.express.co.uk/celebrity-news/1348958/lee-child-andrew-jack-reacher-author-jack-reacher-novels

[hefdaddy42]

I am a little unnerved by it, as well.

[Cool Chris]

Did not realize Lee was 65 years old. Nice that he can go out on his own terms. I do not know if I care about someone else taking over the Reacher helm, but it has his blessing.

[Evermind]

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

12 chapters in and this seems like YA again, but it reads like a good YA. I'm invested and it's difficult to put this book down which is a great sign. Very interested in what happens next.

Hey SN, also just wanted to let you know I ordered both of these books in my favourite bookstore. Probably won't start reading for a couple of months though, but now it's a given I will read them in the future. I'll post my thoughts in this thread at some point.

Got both Strange the Dreamer and Muse of Nightmares from the bookstore today, along with The Trouble with Peace by Joe Abercrombie. Can't wait to delve into these in the next few months!

[masterthes]

Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

[masterthes]

Was a tad bit underwhelmed by TWOA. I'll finish up the series, but not for a bit.



Switching from fantasy to science fiction with Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers 

[hefdaddy42]

The Best of H.P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre

[masterthes]

That didn't work out for me, so instead it's The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton. I enjoyed Evelyn Hardcastle, so let's see if his follow up is as good

[SchecterShredder]

That didn't work out for me, so instead it's The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton. I enjoyed Evelyn Hardcastle, so let's see if his follow up is as good

I didn't realize you read Hardcastle. I should have assumed. I mean, you appear to read everything.

[SchecterShredder]

Having now read Wolves of the Calla 4 times, I'm surprised King didn't write the ending a little differently. SPOILERS AHEAD:

King has a penchant for twist endings, and tormenting his characters. I'm surprised he didn't have all the children in Wolves killed in the end by Cantab of the Manni. At the very beginning, Henchick proposed simply killing all the twins so the wolves went back to Thunderclap empty handed. When the time for the battle came, Roland has Cantab escort the kids to their hiding place. It would have been a classic King move to have Cantab, unbeknownst to the ka-tet, kill all the children due to lack of faith in the gunslingers to get the job done.

[masterthes]

That didn't work out for me, so instead it's The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton. I enjoyed Evelyn Hardcastle, so let's see if his follow up is as good

I didn't realize you read Hardcastle. I should have assumed. I mean, you appear to read everything.

page 52

[ozzy554]

Having now read Wolves of the Calla 4 times, I'm surprised King didn't write the ending a little differently. SPOILERS AHEAD:

King has a penchant for twist endings, and tormenting his characters. I'm surprised he didn't have all the children in Wolves killed in the end by Cantab of the Manni. At the very beginning, Henchick proposed simply killing all the twins so the wolves went back to Thunderclap empty handed. When the time for the battle came, Roland has Cantab escort the kids to their hiding place. It would have been a classic King move to have Cantab, unbeknownst to the ka-tet, kill all the children due to lack of faith in the gunslingers to get the job done.

I wonder how different the series would've been if King hadn't almost been killed in that Hit and Run. He kinda cranked the last 3 out so there wouldn't be any chance of the series being unfinished. I think he had been also thinking of retiring but he clearly changed his mind on that.

It's also why he only did a revision of the first book because he said there was so much he would change about the later books in the series.

[Kwyjibo]

Skin Game by Jim Butcher

[Kwyjibo]

Having now read Wolves of the Calla 4 times, I'm surprised King didn't write the ending a little differently. SPOILERS AHEAD:

King has a penchant for twist endings, and tormenting his characters. I'm surprised he didn't have all the children in Wolves killed in the end by Cantab of the Manni. At the very beginning, Henchick proposed simply killing all the twins so the wolves went back to Thunderclap empty handed. When the time for the battle came, Roland has Cantab escort the kids to their hiding place. It would have been a classic King move to have Cantab, unbeknownst to the ka-tet, kill all the children due to lack of faith in the gunslingers to get the job done.

This would be really dark, even for King.

And imo, Roland and his ka-tet is there to show that there's still hope, even if the world has moved on and is likely to end soon. Letting all the children die would severely contradict that.

[masterthes]

The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury. Haven't read anything by him in a while

[Kwyjibo]

Skin Game by Jim Butcher

A couple of chapters in and Dresden is already exhausted and has a broken arm, so he's not on top of his game. I really like the books but this pattern get's really really old.

[Podaar]

 Dresden might not be the series for you.

[Kwyjibo]

No, as I said, I really like the series, I just think that Butcher doesn't need to come up with the same scenario in almost every book. Harry always fights beings that are far superior to him and he has no chance to win but he always does, so there is no need to further impair him.  And it's not that I should fear for Dresden's life, of course he survives, there are at least two more books in the series.

It's like Stephen King always has a thunderstorm brewing for the big finale. It's obviously not possible to defeat evil in fair weather. 

[masterthes]

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

[masterthes]

Addie LaRue ended up being a miss for me, not because it's a bad book, I think a lot of people would like it, but it wasn't for me. Regardless, here's how my October ended up. 150 books for the year so far

October (16)
Nightmare Movies by Kim Newman 10/1 - 10/3 ***
Ghost Story by Peter Straub 10/3 - 10/6 ****
Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones 10/6 ****
Thinner by Stephen King 10/6 - 10/8 ****
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager 10/8 - 10/9 ****
The Flood by Michael McDowell 10/9 - 10/11 **
The Remaking by Clay Chapman 10/11 - 10/12 **
Psycho by Robert Bloch 10/12 ****
Middlegame by Seanan McGuire 10/12 - 10/14 *****
Once There Was a Way by Bryce Zabel 10/14 - 10/15 *****
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow 10/16 - 10/19 ***
This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Moltar and Max Gladstone 10/19 ****
The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson 10/19 - 10/22 ****
The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson 10/22 - 10/26 ***
The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton 10/27 - 10/29 ****
The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury 10/29 - 10/30 ****

[masterthes]

Time for some Nonfiction November, starting off with Apropos of Nothing by Woody Allen