Quick Meme: What Are You Reading and How Are You Liking It?
By John DeNardo |
Tuesday, October 7th, 2008 at
10:48 am
It’s time for a quick meme, because hey, a quickie is better than nothing.
Q: What book are you currently reading? Is it good so far?
I’m reading The Living Dead, the zombie anthology edited by John Joseph Adams and I’m liking it so far. But man, this thing is huge. 34 stories! It’s gonna take me a while to finsih this one. I find that anthologies take longer to read than books of the same length because there is that initial story ramp-up time as you get into each author’s writing style and into the groove of the story.
Anyway, that’s my answer.
You?
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I just started J.M. Coetzee’s Disgrace, which is good so far, but I’m only about 25 pages in. The last SF book I read was two books back, Glen Cook’s Passage at Arms. I found that a little tough to get into but very good once I did.
Two SFnal reads going just now: Life by Gwyneth Jones, a re-read that I am thoroughly enjoying; and The Iron Lance by Stephen R. Lawhead, which I got in a 50-cent bag of books at the local Salvation Army. Not particularly enamored, but not repulsed either.
Just finished reading Stars Down Under by Sandra Macdonald, which was an outstanding sequel and possibly even better than the first in the series, Outback Stars. Started Empress by Karen Miller last night and it is pretty good so far, but I think I liked her previous books better, Innocent Mage and Awakened Mage, which were my favorite fantasies of this year (so far).
I’m a third of the way through Mike Carey’s The Devil You Know, and loving it so far.
The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov. I read it about 15 years ago, almost in one sitting, and it’s time for another go.
I’m reading THE RIVER OF DANCING GODS by Jack L. Chalker. Probably the 3rd or 4th time I’ve read it since first discovering it when I was a teenager so, obviously, I must like it.
I’m reading Margaret Atwood’s THE HANDMAID’S TALE, and Craig Gidney’s soon-to-be published story collection SEA, SWALLOW ME. The Atwood is a library book, so I’m trying to get through it quickly, but it’s not a speed reading book; very dense, very heavy stuff. The Gidney I’m just blazing through and I’m quite happy with it. It’s coming out from Lethe Press soonish.
Reading “Deadhouse Gates” by Steven Erikson and just started “The Graveyard Book” by Neil Gaiman. Hopelessly behind w/Erikson but wasn’t able to resist Gaiman once I got it in my hands.
I’m almost finished reading The Savage Humanists, edited by Fiona Kelleghan, and I’m absolutely loving it. It’s one of the best anthologies I’ve read.
Just finished Down & Out In The Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow – a quick read, very enjoyable. Currently reading The Old Man and the Sea (brilliant) and re-reading Warrior Politics by Robert Kaplan, which is interesting if mostly wrongheaded IMO.
“Brother Odd” by Dean Koontz. I am loving it, but I love (almost) every Dean’s book, so that is no news.
I got my hands on the entire published Odd Series for iPhone, so I am scaring myself on my way to/from work, on the bus.
Polity Agent by Neal Asher. Liking it more than Brass Man.
I just started “The Temporal Void,” the second book in Peter Hamilton’s “The Dreaming Void” trilogy. Only a few pages in, and already with the explosions. I’m spending most of my time trying to remember all the characters, though.
Just finished “Incandescence” by Greg Egan–one of the best physics stories ever!
The Founding Omnibus of the first three Gaunt’s Ghosts novels. I’m liking it quite a bit.
Three books at the moment: “Anathem” – incredible, but I occasionally wonder if I’m smart enough to be reading it…, also “Steel Beach” by John Varley, for when I need a break from Anathem – it’s a great Heinlein-inspired postsingular romp, and “The Time Traveller’s” Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, as an audiobook when I’m in the car, which is not only a great read, but it’s a great listen; an extremely well-produced audiobook.
When I finish Anathem, it’s on to “Multireal”, by David Louis Edelman.
I’m reading The Year’s Best Fantasy : 2008 edited by Rich Horton. I have about 4 or 5 stories to go to finish it. Only story I’ve read so far that I would put in such an anthology is The Cambist and Lord Iron. That story is quite excellent. A couple are not bad. The others ?… must have been better ones out there. If not, fantasy short fiction is in a bad state.
Now I’m reading Bester’s The Demolished Man, it is good sometimes, but mostly I just want it to end…
My life project is to read as many Hugo and Nebula novels that I can get my greedy paws on.
I will never get to the eighties, I keep finding older titles, and I want to read them somewhat chronologically…
I’m neurotic that way.
John Klima – I just finished The Handmaid’s Tale, disturbing, heavy and good.
/m
Most of my reading this year has not been science fiction, but a fair bit of historical fiction: the sea tales of Patrick O’Brian.
I am reading Anathem, and though slow in the beginning I am really begining to enjoy it. And I am rereading Pirate Sun, it is just a fun ride, and after that will probally go back and reread the Virga books from the begining.
I am reading K.A. Bedford’s Time Machines Repaired While U Wait. The book is a lot better than the title would suggest. The premise is not only is time travel common place, it’s treated like any other vacation spot. The equipment is cheap enough that one can often find good deals on time machines on Ebay. But the book doesn’t rest on one plot device but manages to pull off suspense mystery and intrigue. I am liking it despite myself!
I just finished Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin, and now I’m jonesing to read Virgil’s Aeneid; I’m going to order the new Fagles translation from Amazon when payday rolls around.
I started David Gerrold’s The Man Who Folded Himself yesterday because Karen Burnham told me it might be relevant to my ICFA 2009 proposal, which is due at the end of October.
I’m still trying to read The Wanderer’s Tale by David Bilsborough, but it’s an almighty struggle. Why did this book get a single good review? Is it supposed to be funny or what? It seems awful so far. I’m going to keep going because I’m pretty much constitutionally incapable of giving up on a book once I’ve started it, but if I was ever going to throw a book across the room, this would be it.
I’ve started both Skinny Dipping in the Lake of the Dead by Alan DeNiro and The Essential Bordertown, edited by Terri Windling and Delia Sherman for short fiction fixes, but I’m concentrating on Best American Fantasy, which has some pretty weird stuff in it.
Also still working on Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino, Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson, The Gist Hunter & Other Stories by Matthew Hughes, A Gentle Madness by Nicholas Basbanes, The Brains of Rats by Michael Blumlein, The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction, edited by Edward James and Farah Mendlesohn, and The Child Garden by Geoff Ryman. I also have Jose Saramago’s Blindness to hand to read before seeing the movie, though given the reviews I suspect I actually won’t see the movie. Oh, and I have to read The Grin of the Dark by Ramsey Campbell by 10/12 because it’s due back at the library then, and The Dark Side by Jane Mayer by 10/27 for the same reason.
Why, yes, I am more or less insane. Why do you ask?
I’m re-reading The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. It’s just a good the second time around. Next up is a re-read of Grass by Shari Tepper, which I loved. Somewhere along the road, I lost my copy. Amazon to the rescue!
Just started Paul of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson, and so far I love it. I think Frank Herbert would approve of it.
Just finished one of the Rogue Angel books… don’t even remember what it was called… set in Siberia. Mad Scientist from the COld War creating “supersoldier cannibals”…
Not bad. But not nearly as good as some of the earlier books in the series. A little hint here and there of new things she might be able to do with the sword… and tossing Galin in at the ends was just silly.
I’m right in the middle of George R. R. Martin’s Dreamsongs Volume I. A bit of a slow go because, as others have mentioned, with an anothology you’re shifting gears with every new tale. But it’s great to be able to read some of his older SF and to watch the evolution of his style. Apart from the stories, I’m also enjoying Martin’s autobiographical sections at the beginning of each section.
About 30% through Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie. Started a touch slow, but the pace is picking up – as is the killing. Very good.
I’m currently reading 2 books. That’s probably why I’m not making much progress on either of them. I am partially into Latro in the Mist by Gene Wolfe, and Null-A Continuum by John C. Wright. Both are excellent but dense and require 100% attention to read. Oh and for some reason, I’m playing video games more and reading less over the past few months (probably because there are so many cool game out!)
I’m about to start Bujold’s Sharing Knife series–all four of them, courtesy of EOS Books.
I’m in the middle of Mike Arnzen’s flash fiction collection, 100 Jolts. Great stuff. Inventive. Mischevious. Fun.
JGS – I just finished Down and Out as well. A fun, fast read for sure.
Currently I’m reading The Wreck of the River of Stars by Michael Flynn. It was a Campbell Memorial Award nominee in 2004. It’s started off a bit slow as we get to know the characters and the River of Stars (ship’s name). I like the author’s style and I can feel that it’s about to get moving. Too early to tell if I’m going to love it or just like it.
I’ve got Thirteen staring at me from the shelf begging to be read so i guess that’s next.
D
Reading Use of Weapons by Iain Banks and enjoying it. Will probably start After Dark by Haruki Murakami next.
“The Sparrow” by Mary Doria Russell. I had heard great things and the subject matter interested me, but 140 pages in and it’s still slow going. Not sure if that’s the author’s fault or my recent difficulty getting into much of anything.
I’m halfway through Pirate Sun by Karl Shroeder, and lovin’ it. But it’s slow going with the Sox in the post-season and the world falling apart and so much news on TV that has to be watched.
It is once again the time of the LARGE books. I’m reading and loving Anathem by Neal Stephenson (almost 1,000 pages), just finished long anthology The Living Dead (that John nee J. J. is reading) and have Peter Hamilton’s 1,225 page The Reality Dysfunction staring me in the face.
Anathem is quite excellent. I devoured his Baroque Cycle monstrosity, and this is making me want to re-read (dare I say it) Cryptonomicon (though I will have to retrieve a copy as my loaned out was hath dissappeared).
The Last Theorem by Arthur Clarke and Frederik Pohl
I stopped reading after a third of the book.
It drags on slowly, things happen out of nowhere which don’t even matter to the rest of the story. I’m very disappointed.
Now I just want to have some fun with Larklight by Philip Reeve.
I’m currently reading Dirty Money, the new Parker novel by Richard Stark (aka Donald Westlake), which is a nasty crime thriller that moves very quickly and already has a lot of twists and turns. It’s neither SF nor fantasy, though.
Before that, I read Neil Gaiman’s new novel The Graveyard Book, which is wonderful. Next is probably something non-fictional.
Almost finished with ‘An evil Guest” by Gene Wolfe. Part SF, part horror, part crime noir. A fun quick read. Getting ready to tackle Anathem next
Right now I’m about 10 percent through Perdido Street Station by China Mieville. So far, it hasn’t grabbed me, depsite the fact that the book comes highly recommended. I feel like I’m reading Michael Chabon with about triple the genre quotient, but I haven’t yet grapsed a driving plot or compelling character that makes me want to just plow through the remaining 400 pages. I guess I just don’t enjoy luxuriating in lavish prose as much as I should.
Wil Wheaton joins the meme party. Lots of responses, too!
I’m at the very beginning of AN EVIL GUEST by Gene Wolfe. So far so good.
I am reading AN EVIL GUEST by the great Gene Wolfe. It is eerie and subtle and wonderful, like everything the master writes.
The man is a genius. He can convey with a nicely turned phrase, or even a correctly chosen single word, as much nuance and emotion as lesser authors require fat books to convey. And I should know, I am a lesser author and I write fat books.
It’s just starting to cool off in Arizona, so after a long light-fiction binge I’m reading some nonfiction: The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein, which sheds some light on current events.
That fiction binge got me through Neil Gaiman’s Fragile Things collection, and the first four volumes of Stephen King’s Dark Tower books (maybe not so light; I needed a break).
Fred K., about 40 posts upstairs: I’m a huge fan of Patrick O’Brian’s novels. He’s becoming quite an influence on the genre: see Walter Jon Williams’ wonderful Dread Empire Falls trilogy and Naomi Novik’s Temeraire novels.
I’m reading Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book, of which I had the distinct pleasure to hear Himself read part of chapter seven in Santa Monica this week. So cool.
Currently I’m about a third ways through Life During Wartime by Lusius Shepard. So far it is a really troublesome and disturbing book, but also quite good.
I’m reading The Smile of a Ghost by Phil Rickman, which is about a female vicar who is also a Deliverance Minister (Exorcist). This isn’t a get behind me Satan with spitting posed people. It works on the edge so you’re never sure if it actually something paranormal or something psychological. I’ve loved all the books in this series and this one is no different. The other plus point is it set a view miles from where I grew up.
I’m reading ”The Temporal Void,” the second book in Peter Hamilton’s Void trilogy. The first book was a fantastic ride of a sci-fi fantasy mixture, and this book looks to be another thrill ride. Peter is never disapointing.
I’m reading Octavia Butler’s “Parable of the Sower,” at last; the apocalyptic scenario seems especially fittng in these economically grim times. I love it and I fear it.
I’m also reading an interesting nonfiction book, “Do Gentlemen Really Prefer Blondes? — the science behind sex, love, and attraction” by Jena Pincott. It covers the subconscious biology behind sexual attraction.
reading moving book called god’s warrior’s vs satan’s ???? a friend who know’s this new author mariano restaino jr say’s he’s for real. this book is better than sex, i’m talking sex with brad pitt, or angela or both.
It involves a whole host of secondary characters from the other novels (Caul Shivers, Practical Vitari, Nicomo Cosca), which is way better than reusing characters from the First Law trilogy. I much, much prefer he continue to write stuff in the same universe and use bit players as the main characters for new books. BSC is less of a cliché storm than the First Law books (obviously, since TFL was meant as a pisstake of the LotR plot) and is basically set in 16th century Italy, so I greatly enjoyed it.
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