End of month Book Check - what are reading right now!

[Hagelrat]

Scalzi's - The Androids Dream, i'm about halfway through and i'm enjoying it but finding it a slower read than most i've picked up recently.

[Starhawk]

TOLL THE HOUNDS - the newest volume of the Malazan Book of the Fallen by Stephen Erikson. Just came out this week. This series has gotten so epic and so baroque that I'm genuinely having trouble keeping up -- but at the same time, I can't stop.

NECROPOLIS - Dan Abnett. Third volume of the Gaunt's Ghosts series of Warhammer 40K game fiction. Compelling stuff for some reason.


Scalzi's - The Androids Dream, i'm about halfway through and i'm enjoying it but finding it a slower read than most i've picked up recently.

I started that book after being satisfied with Scalzi's OLD MAN'S WAR series... and got incredibly bored and put the book down early. I never used to do that, but using the library rather than paying cash makes me feel a lot more free to be discriminatory with my time.

[Baelfyre]

Dark Glory War by Michael Stackpole, I believe. It's a good read, and a good series.

[BlueNinja]

Currently I'm in the middle of reading the Black Company, #5 or #6. (whichever one switches from Croaker to Lady as narrator.)

[Chimaera]

At this point, all I'm reading is textbooks... :(

[Zayda]

I just finished Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg. I'm starting Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Oh, and I'm also reading a textbook. :)

[Harper]

I'm reading a mystery, Blood of the Wicked. It's as far as I could get from the work in progress.

[SD Anderson]

Picked up an Amazon Kindle. I think if and when I review it, it'll get numerous bad marks, but it does deliver material from Amazon to it FAST and readable.

Currently looking over the advanced sample of Vincent Bugliousi's "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder".

[Ladyfyreyes]

I'm rereading Burnt Offering by Larual K Hamilton. While I'm enjoying rereading the book it makes me very sad because is shows just how much the character has changed and not for the best. Hamilton was once an awesome writer and it sad to be reminded.

[Hagelrat]

i've put Scalzi aside for a couple of days in favour of the second Jz Parks book by Jennifer Rardin, which I am hooked on. :clap:

[Imaginos]

Reading Death Masks from Jim Butcher (Dresden series).

[Hagelrat]

there are some book here I know and love (dresden files) and some i've never hear of. Starting to think I may have to remortgage the house to catch up with all the stuff I want to read.

[Zayda]

I just finished Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys.

[Imaginos]

Finished Death Masks, starting Blood Rites, again by Jim Butcher.

[Harper]

I just got my author copy of Wolfsbane and Mistletoe--the werewolf Christmas anthology I contributed to. I can't wait to read the other stories in it and short stories are all I have time to read right now. Oh boy!

[Hagelrat]

just finished a karen chance and i'm about to launch into Devil's Labyrinth, John Saul. Choochoo reiewed it on Unbound and it sounds great so i am looking forward to it.

[Haze]

The Well of Shades by Juliet Marrilier, 3rd book in the Bridei Chronicles.

[Origen]

I just finished Altered Carbon, by Richard K. Morgan, and I am now reading Kushiel's Dart, by Jacqueline Carey.

[BattleNymph]

"The most evil women in history" by someone whose name I don't recall just at the moment.

[Zayda]

Let's see; in the last two weeks, I've finished A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle, A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, and Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.

I'm debating what I want to pick up right now.

[BlueNinja]

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, I read that not too long ago. It's sort of interesting, especially since they now have a pretty good idea of what killed him, but the arrogant stupidity of the kid still amazes me.

[Zayda]

Right now, I'm reading The God of Small Things. I just can't seem to get into it. I rarely every put down a book after beginning to read it, but I just may with this one.

[Baelfyre]

Shockwave Rider and the last Fafhrd/Grey Mouser book.

[Brother Brian]

Stick to Drawing Comics Monkey Brain - Scott Addams doing an impression of Dave Barry.

[Hagelrat]

Finally got round to reading the Eternals and it's fantastic.

[BlueNinja]

I just started the second of E.E. Smith's Lensman series.

[Imaginos]

A little ways into Dead Beat by Jim Butcher.

[Hagelrat]

finally caved to peer pressure and have started reading "Twilight". :satanlook:

[Zayda]

I just finished Eragon and am starting Eldest

[Thing One]

I am going to host Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie on a Book Group site, so I am listening to my audiobook.

The last book I read in 2008 was Kat's Poltergeist on audio.

I have a TBR pile left from 2008 that I really need to finish.

I think I will go for Children of a Dead God by Barb and JC Hendee.

Does anyone else read Sharon Lee and Steve Miller's Liadan Universe novels? They are being reprinted by Ace books!

And I think I will reread Sunshine by Robin McKinley on audio - I bought it Tuesday :)

[Harper]

I'm between books while finishing the revisions for Vanished, so I'm reading the other writers' short stories in Wolfsbane and Mistletoe.

Next I'll be on Cherie Priest's Fathom, then Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch and an ARC called Elfland.

[Baelfyre]

I just finished the Ghost/Kildar series by John Ringo, and started the Telzey books by James E. Schmidt. I had the first couple of Telzey books many years ago... but I've completely forgotten them and never knew there were four of them.

I found the story about Dr. Ti and his Toys to be particularly creepy... and enjoyable.

[BlueNinja]

I'm in the middle of the sixth book of Diane Duane's "So You Want To Be A Wizard" series. I'm curious to see how an autistic kid works as a wizard.

[Imaginos]

Finished the Dresden books I have - still have some more to pick up though. Right now I'm reading Batman: Knightfall, the novelization of the comic arc.

[Hagelrat]

Reading The Clockwork Orange for book group. It's a little odd.

[Sakutian]

Reading The Clockwork Orange for book group. It's a little odd.

Never ead the book but I watched the movie in class once, can't say I really enjoyed it and this version was supposed to be a pretty accurate portrait of the book.

I just finished Jim Butcher's Backup last night it was good, a nice taste of the Dresden universe.

[Hagelrat]

Sakutian I will let you know what I think, the movie made a big impression on me as a kid though, mixed, but big.

[Sakutian]

Sakutian I will let you know what I think, the movie made a big impression on me as a kid though, mixed, but big.

It made an impression on me too, it scared the bejeebers out of me.

[BlueNinja]

I've finished out the Lensman books, and am now into Elizabeth Moon's Vatta series, book 3. After that, I think I'm going to read more of the Garrett P. I. files - I've read the first three, and (I think) the last three, but not the ones in the middle.

[Harper]

As I'm nearing the end of the revision, I have a little time to read, so I read all the short stories in Wolfsbane and Mistletoe (I loved J.A. Konrath's and Rob Thurman's and Dana Cameron's stories the most out of the collection, but it's pretty good all the way through) and now I'm on Cherie Priest's Fathom. So very weird and freaky....

[Thing One]

Red Skys is on my TBR pile -
I guess it is time to go read Scott Lynch!

[Harper]

I'm not sure if you need to read his first book in the series, The Lies of Locke Lamora, before Red Seas, or not. I've read it and really enjoyed it, which is what got be interested in the second book, but since i haven't cracked Red Seas yet, I don't yet know. I think he's a hell of a fun writer, though. Very clever and sneaky.

[Sakutian]

They may not count but I'm tearing through the volumes of Yotsubato! at the moment and loving every moment. I can only read them at home though since I like to do the character's voices out loud and doing so in public might get me arrested. It's an excellent story though and very cute with interesting complex characters.

[Ginger Lewis]

I just finished "Evening's Empire" by David Herter. Wasn't particularly impressed, it was rather slow, and lame ending is lame. But my copy of Underground arrived yesterday so I'm reading that now :go:

[AnotherSKip]

Hmm im in the middle of :
Colorado Ghosts
Fantasy Hero (reread)
Most Evil Women in history (1/2 reread)
and the Fairy Godmother (reread)

[ImzadiDragonfly]

Last night I started Thomas Sniegoski's A kiss Before the Apocalypse. I'm enjoying it so far.

[Sakutian]

I'm reading The Sommnambulist at the moment it's sort of like a Sherlock Holmes book with an urban fantasy tweak that is pretty interesting. It's good so far and I'm hoping it keeps that up.

[Sakutian]

I finished The Sommnambulist by John Barnes tonight finally, the sole silver lining in my otherwise craptacular evening. I've had this book for a really long time so it's been hanging over my head and it just feels good to finnaly be through it. It is a real urban fantasy story with lots of interesting twists and turns to keep you interested, the characters are fun too.

[Sakutian]

Been reading Princep's Fury by Jim Butcher this week, it's pretty much the same as the rest of the series has been for me. I enjoy it but I like The Dresden Files better. Still it is interesting to see an author doing two series that are so different from one another. There are only a couple of chapters left in it so I'll probably just go ahead and finish reading it tonight.

Edit: Just finished the ending was pretty good but I'm sort of bummed with a couple of the decisions. Overall the books sort of a segway piece, every series has one. They're neccesary I guess but you can never really love them.

[Empress Che]

Hope it's okay to jump in...kinda new to this.
I just received my copy of Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs...so I'll start that tonight.
I'm just finishing up Underground....for the second time. Love this series....
After Bone Crossed, I'll start on Chalice, by Robin McKinley..another good author.

Alot of books mentioned here I have not read yet...so I've added some to my ongoing Amazon list.....

[Harper]

It's always okay to jump in here! Welcome!

[Baelfyre]

I'm reading the Kris Longknife series by Mike Shepard.

[Empress Che]

Ok, so I began Iron Crossed last night....and finished it this morning.
Kinda depressing....almost as bad as seeing the bottom of my coffee cup...{sigh}.
However, on to the next book.
Another urban fantasy series, by Carole Nelson Douglas. #1 is Dancing with Werewolves, and #2 is Brimstone Kiss. I like the first one...I am hopeful about the second.

[Harper]

Carol Nelson Douglas, yes? Delilah Street series?

She also did several historical and straight up mysteries including a series that was told from the POV of the detective's cat, Midnight Louie.

[BlueNinja]

I finished the tenth book of the Garrett P I series by Glen Cook. I know there's more, but I can't find them in a good e-book format for my Sony reader. So I moved on to re-read Tad Williams' Otherland.

[Detritus]

I'm the prologue and two chapters into Agincourt by Bernard Cromwell, which I guess would be considered a novel of historical fiction. It's pretty good so far. There are some delightfully lowbrow turns of phrase in the book, which is always a plus. I know I'm going to try to work in the phrase "You supped on the sagging tits of evil" in as many conversations as I can in the next few weeks. :grin:

[Kalzazz]

I just read Vol 1 of the Bifrost Gaurdians by Mickey Zucker Reichart

[Baelfyre]

I'm working on Exodus by Steve White and Shirley Meyer.

[Harper]

I'm currently reading The Ghost and the Haunted Mansion by Alice Kimberly (who is really Cleo Coyle). It's part of the Haunted Bookstore mystery series. Not bad, cozy mystery with a ghost who hangs out with the protagonist. So far, very little other paranormal phenomena and it's pleasant, light reading.

[Empress Che]

The Haunted Bookstore series? I"ve been looking at them on Amazon...good, light reading.
And yes, to your reply up above...the Delilah Street series.
I just finished #2...excellent. I will definitely look forward to #3.
Now...on to #6 of the Weather Warden series by Rachel Caine.

[Hagelrat]

Ten Second Staircase, A Bryant an dMay novel by Christopher Fowler, Spanky is still my fave though.

[Sakutian]

I started reading China Meiville's Perdido Street Stations and was really let down by the book. The writing is just difficult to be interested in and the characters are closed off.

[Sakutian]

I've been reading Terry Pratchett's Going Postal a little bit this week, I'm only a third of the way through it, and it's been great so far. Honestly it's just a fun book to read and I highly reccomend it. It even sort of falls in the urban fantasy realm if you count an alternate universe that has a pretty modern feel to it.

Oh wow I just realized this is a Discworld novel apprently, now I see what folks have been fussing over all these years.

[Detritus]

I haven't gotten any further into Agincourt (BTW, the author is Bernard Cornwell, not Cromwell), but I am up to Chapter 4 of Creating Unforgettable Characters by Linda Seger. This is a book I have started several times, but I never really got very far into it because I wasn't really writing much beyond developing the occasional NPC for one of my RPG campaigns. This go around is the furthest by far I've managed to get.

[BattleNymph]

I'm on the third Odd Thomas book by Dean Koonz. I don't read a lot of his stuff but I like this series quite a bit.

[BlueNinja]

Working my way through part 3 of Otherland. Tad Williams is a good author, but he tends to write OMG-super-ultra-novel-split-into-parts-so-we-can-publish-it rather than novels-all-part-of-a-series. I think if he could have published Otherland all as one novel, he would have. After that, I am going to try starting the 12 Houses series by Sharon Shinn, I got a recommendation for it.

[Mouser]

"World War I" by John Keegan
"Made In America" by Bryson
"Teach Them to Challenge Authority: Educating for Healthy Societies" by Greg Prince
"Paul of Dune" by That Punk Kid and His Useless Partner

I'm also getting ready to start rereading:

"Horace's Compromise" by Ted Sizer
"Teaching as a Subversive Activity" by Neil Postman

[Stephane]

Haven't posted on this forum yet, I think.. but the subject is fun.

What I'm reading:
Furies of Calderon - Jim Butcher (sort of stopped, I'm having a hard time getting into it)
Dies the Fires - S.M. Stirling (just started)

This will be followed by:
The Elvish Gene - Mark Barrowcliffe (My wife doesn't buy me books, and she thought I would like it. It seems to be an autobiography of a gamer geek. So I'll give it a shot).

[Sakutian]

Oh I read the Furies of Calderon, as well as the other books in the seires. How are you liking it so far? Lots of people seem to have a touhg time getting into it at first but it takes off fast if you stick with it.

[Stephane]

I'm not getting attached to the characters and the story isn't rolling fast enough to get me to want to learn more.. so I gave it a break.

I'll get back to it, but I don't give the books as much time to hook me in as I used to. I wouldn't read the LOTR nowadays. I'd get fed up after 100 pages.

[Sakutian]

I admit that even now after reading all the way to Princep's Fury there are a couple of characters I just plain don't care about. I liked Furies because it is sort of steadyily paced so it's a relaxing read but it was abit slow in some places.

[Harper]

At the moment, I'm about to start Ken Scholes's Lamentation, finally. I've been putting it down to work and now have to start over from the front I guess. My brain is saturated with my own work and I keep mixing it up with whatever I'm reading, which comes out kind of strange....

[Sakutian]

I'm reading Greywalker again, I felt like reading something with Will.

[AnotherSKip]

Furies of Calderon - Jim Butcher (sort of stopped, I'm having a hard time getting into it)

I read that title as Furries of Calderon....

[AnotherSKip]

At the moment, I'm about to start Ken Scholes's Lamentation, finally. I've been putting it down to work and now have to start over from the front I guess. My brain is saturated with my own work and I keep mixing it up with whatever I'm reading, which comes out kind of strange....

and could be really cool...


hmm sounds like what one of my animator mentors once told me.

take someone elses work for a year and trace until you can copy, copy until you can create then create original and you will have your own style.

[Sakutian]

I read that title as Furries of Calderon....

You we me a new monitor and soda now.

[AnotherSKip]

You we me a new monitor and soda now.

Uh...

*passes over a paper towel*

*puts up sign that reads drink around me at your own risk!*

[Zayda]

I'm reading Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove.

[BlueNinja]

What with moving and all, the last thing I read was the July edition of Asimov's magazine on my wife's Kindle. I might have read more, but the idiot mover packed my Sony book reader.

[Harper]

Well I have copies of the Greywalker mmp now, if you want to re-read that... :mischievous:

personally, I'm writing while reading three books (which I shouldn't do, but don't tell my editor): Street Magic by my buddy Caitlin Kittredge; Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann (a murder mystery told by sheep); and re-reading To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee.

And I have to say I read Guns of the South a few years ago and liked it considerably more than expected. I do like Mr. Turtledove a great deal, but I kind of miss the slightly insane fantasy he used to write once in a while, like Toxic Spell Dump.

[ImzadiDragonfly]

I'm reading Green by Jay Lake. It was just released last week.

[Zayda]

I just finished Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.

[Archemedes]

I am currently rereading both 'Midnight' by Dean Koontz and the second Harry Potter book. Almost finished with both. Once done I'll probably pry the Greywalked series out of my SO's hands and reread those before the next one comes out.

[Zayda]

I finished The Dark is Rising, the 2nd installment in Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising Sequence.

I'm debating what I'm going to pick up next.

[Sakutian]

I was flipping through Richelle Mead's Succubus on Top again and as an added bonus to a good book I found a hundred dollar bill inside. I think Richelle Mead or Georgiana Kincaid just might be goddesses of wealth now.

[BlueNinja]

Man, Dante's a tough read. I mean, Inferno and Purgatory were interesting, but losing Virgil seems to have lost most of my interest too. Paradise is just kinda meh.

Sak: lucky devil, you!

[Harper]

I was flipping through Richelle Mead's Succubus on Top again and as an added bonus to a good book I found a hundred dollar bill inside. I think Richelle Mead or Georgiana Kincaid just might be goddesses of wealth now.

Dude! now that's the kind of bookmark we all like!

[ScottBravesFan]

I am currently reading Every Last Drop by Charlie Huston and it is awesome. Every book I have ever read by Huston has been great. This book is the 4th book in his Joe Pitt series about a vampire PI. Really good stuff. His stand alone books are awesome as well but they are crime books not urban fantasy or sci fi.

[Zayda]

I finished Chez Moi by Agnes Desarthe, translated from the French by Adriana Hunter a couple of days ago.

I'm just about finished with The Forever War by Joe Hadelman.

[Baelfyre]

I finished The Dark is Rising, the 2nd installment in Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising Sequence.

I'm debating what I'm going to pick up next.

The Grey King. I don't remember what the official order is, but you want to read the Grey King right after The Dark is Rising. Greenwitch after that, then Silver on the Tree.

[BlueNinja]

I gave up on Dante's Paradise. Instead, I started into the three compiles put out by All Flesh Must Be Eaten, which include some seriously creepy zombie stories, and some really funny ones too.

[Zayda]

The Grey King. I don't remember what the official order is, but you want to read the Grey King right after The Dark is Rising. Greenwitch after that, then Silver on the Tree.

Bael, thanks. I know the order they go in. I was debating what to pick up next in general. I don't usually read sci-fi or fantasy books back to back. I tend to pick other genres between. And I have such a huge TBR pile that I don't know which book to dive into sometimes. :)

[Zayda]

I finished The Forever War by Joe Hadelman. It was a great read. I'm probably going to read my book clubs monthly read next, although I'm not really in the mood for it. So, I may pick up something else instead.

[BlueNinja]

I just finished the four books in the Empire of Man set by David Weber and John Ringo. Pretty good military fiction.

[Haze]

I have nearly finished the latest Lindsey Davis novel Alexandria. It's somewhat formulaic (as are the rest) and I have enjoyed reading them all but after this one I might call it a day for any new ones that are published.

[Archaelos]

Just finished Jacqueline Carey's Santa Olivia. Just started Brian Ruckley's Bloodheir, the second book in the Godless World trilogy.

[Baelfyre]

Just started Last Watch, the fourth book in the Night Watch series.

[whitetrash]

Reading A kiss before the Apocalypse by Thomas E. Sniegoski .

[Imaginos]

I am reading The Way of Shadows, the first book in the Night Angels trilogy by Brent Weeks.

[AutumnHeick]

I am currently finishing up 'Vanished'. Next, I am going to try reading a book that was recently recommended to me, 'In the Name of the Wind', by Patrick Rothfuss.

I really love the Greywalker series, any books by Sharon Shinn, Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs, Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews, Dresden Files and Codex Alera (love this one even more!) series by Jim Butcher, Nightside series by Simon Green, Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris, and the Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper.

I couldn't get through Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind, Anita Blake series after she became a nympho, or Sherrilynn Kenyon's books after 'Acheron'.

[Hagelrat]

I am reading Vanished at the moment and also Dark Time by Dakota Banks. I am not reading the next boring choice by my boring book group. :sasmokin:

[BlueNinja]

Having just finished the first four Elric of Melnibone books on the trip home, I am scratching my head and wondering how/why they ever were considered "classics" of fantasy. I'm deleting the rest of them off my e-book and switching to something else.

[ImzadiDragonfly]

I finished Vanished last week and picked up I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason. Not my usual read but my love for Perry made be read it. It's been good yet slow to keep my interest. Once I finish IDIMPM I'll go back to Jay Lake's Green.

[dirtbag]

Hmmm.. Elric and a lot of Moorcock's stuff is a little hard to get through I find the main characters kind of whiny.


But just finished the Maltese Falcon, a little Lovecraft having found a couple of stories I have not read in a long time.

Read through Greywalker and I am about 1/3 of the way through Poltergeist. The local bookstore just got the books in paperback. Enjoyed the beginning of Greywalker so much went out and bought the next 2. So far I have not been disappointed.

[Zayda]

I just finished two books:

Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms by Will Richardson

The White Tiger: A Novel by Aravind Adiga

I'm also working on two others:

Listening is an Act of Love: A Celebration of American Life from the Storycorps Project edited by David Isay

The Age of Homespun by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

[Mouser]

You're Wearing That? by Deborah Tannen (Yet another excellent book about the impact of conversational styles, and message vs meta-message.)

The First World War by John Keegan (He believes that the first and second world wars are actually the same war. Interesting how the whole thing happened because war planning required extensive preparation, and once the preparations began, they couldn't be stopped. It's like watching a train wreck in slow motion. An argument in a bar where the friends of the people having the argument are slowly reaching for their guns. Once they slap leather, it's gonna be bloody.)

Starship: Pirate by Mike Resnick (It turns out that this author has been writing in the same universe since the '70's. Funny that I don't think I've read him before. I'll need to look up his other stuff. Pretty good. This is the second in a four book series.)

[Akuma]

oh my good lord, i just finished the fourth book of Percy Jackson and the Olympians "Battle of the Labrynth" for a children's fiction the series is very progressive and i personally cant wait for the 5th book to come out in paperback so i can finally afford it lol. Rick Riordan also does adult fiction so check out his site, you will get the list of works on there. But check this out NOW! lol

[Kalzazz]

I liked Elric of Melnibone

Recently read - House of Many Ways (sequel to Howl's Moving Castle), Artemis Fowl, Artemis Fowl and the Eternity Code. Will read more stuff soon Im sure

[Haze]

I have just finished 'The Name of the Wind' by Patrick Rothfuss (http://www.patrickrothfuss.com/content/index.asp).

If you like fantasy stories and haven't read it yet, you should. I have read far too many poor fantasy books to miss the chance to rave about one that managed to keep my attention for the whole 662 pages, with twists and turns and surprises (rare indeed). The ending perfectly rounds out the beginning and I can't wait to find out what happens next. :th_dblthumb2::clap:

[whitetrash]

I'm reading winter duty by E.E Knight a book of his Vampire Earth series.

[BlueNinja]

I have started the Wild Card series edited by George R. R. Martin. I'm just starting the third book, and so far the quality of the writing is pretty awesome, and the characters memorable.

[Harper]

Cool! My friend Cherie Priest has a story coming up in the next Wild Cards antho.

[AnotherSKip]

Kat, Which series? (Card sharks, Wildcards etc...)

just kinda interested ya know, I thought they were done.

[whitetrash]

A Prncess of Landover by Terry Brooks

[Zayda]

I just finished The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne.

I'm also still working on re-reading some of the texts I'm teaching this semester. But, as it is a holiday weekend here, I'm trying to decide what to pick up next for just pleasure reading from my massive TBR pile.

[Imaginos]

Finished Brent Week's Night Angel trilogy this past Sunday. Diving back into The Screwtape Letters.

[Harper]

Kat, Which series? (Card sharks, Wildcards etc...)

just kinda interested ya know, I thought they were done.

This one is a Wild Cards book. Apparently Mr. Martin and Tor are brigin' 'em back. The new one will be called FORT FREAK and it should be out in late 2010 or early 2011. There's some info on GRRM's blog (http://grrm.livejournal.com/85174.html). (The gorgeous redhead second down the list is my friend Cherie Priest.) The new volume is based back in Manhattan's Fifth Precinct, going back to the roots of the series.

Beyond that I don't know.

[whitetrash]

I'm reading Sparten Gold by Clive Cussler and Grant blackwood it is book one of theFargo adventures.

[rse2412]

Neil Gaiman's graphic novel "Death: The Cost of Living". Short, but sweet.

Rae

[BlueNinja]

How many Wild Card books are there? I ask because I'm on #5 and I'm not sure I have any more.

[Chimaera]

How many Wild Card books are there? I ask because I'm on #5 and I'm not sure I have any more.

Well, there's the first series that has 12 or 13, IIRC (goes to check):

* Wild Cards (1987)
* Aces High (1987)
* Jokers Wild (1987)
* Aces Abroad (1988)
* Down and Dirty (1988)
* Ace in the Hole (1990)
* Dead Man's Hand (1990)
* One-Eyed Jacks (1991)
* Jokertown Shuffle (1991)
* Double Solitaire (1992) (novel)
* Dealer's Choice (1992)
* Turn of the Cards (1993) (novel)

That's the first series, published by Bantam.

Then these ones:

* Card Sharks (1993)
* Marked Cards (1994)
* Black Trump (1995)

Those were published by Baen.

Then:

* Deuces Down (2002)
* Death Draws Five (2006) (novel)

...from an outfit called iBooks.

Lastly, we have:


Inside Straight (2008)
Busted Flush (2008)
Suicide Kings (2009) (delivered)
Fort Freak (2010 or 2011)


From Tor.

EDIT -- Wikipedia is your friend. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Cards) ;)

[whitetrash]

I'm reading Dancing on the Head of a Pin A Remy Chandler Novel by Thomas E. Sniegoski.

[Mouser]

The Sword of the Lady by S.M. Stirling

I'm really enjoying this book.

It has elements that I would really like Origen to incorporate into the game, especially the stuff from Pagan and Norse mythology. I really like the way they work the conflict between Good and Evil.

[dirtbag]

Finished Poltergeist and Underground, semi-patiently waiting for Vanished to arrive.

In the mean time a little non fiction

Cruise of the Emden, exploits of a German light cruiser in WW I in the South Pacific. Accounts from both sides so a good read, the Captain was considered as sort of a heroic figure by both sides. Tended to allow ship's crews to leave their vessels and be picked up as prisoners before sinking .

Wreaking Havoc, A20 attack bombers in the South Pacific WWII, once again personal accounts so very good reading.

[Zayda]

I just finished The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Great book.

[whitetrash]

I'm reading The light of burng shadows book II of thr Iron Elves by Chris Evans.

[Baelfyre]

Rereading Emergence by David Palmer. Good stuff, truly unique writing style.

Also rereading Komarr by Bujold.

Doing extensive and varied reading on some mythology for my FTF game. The players just stumbled onto the fact that assorted characters of theirs for the last fifteen years have been part of a meta plot. Examining the correlation between how deities begin, and how they change, and what effects worshippers have on them.

For example, mythologically speaking, Pluto, Hades, Dis Pater, and Orcus are all the same entity.

[Chimaera]

Well, school's ramping up, so my fiction reading is about to take a nose-dive, but I just finished "Let The Right One In". Good book, but the film was actually better. Worth reading, but I highly recommend watching the film first, then reading the book. I'm also working my way through the second edition of "Science Fiction" by Adam Roberts, part of a series called "The New Critical Idiom". It's not bad, although I tend to find the scholarship around sci-fi and fantasy to be a pretty mixed bag. I'm currently yelling at the essay contained therein on "Dune".

[Zayda]

Well, school's ramping up, so my fiction reading is about to take a nose-dive, but I just finished "Let The Right One In". Good book, but the film was actually better. Worth reading, but I highly recommend watching the film first, then reading the book. I'm also working my way through the second edition of "Science Fiction" by Adam Roberts, part of a series called "The New Critical Idiom". It's not bad, although I tend to find the scholarship around sci-fi and fantasy to be a pretty mixed bag. I'm currently yelling at the essay contained therein on "Dune".

Out of curiosity, why are you yelling at the essay on "Dune"?]

And can you elaborate on why you recommend watching "Let the Right One In" before reading the book? The book is on my TBR pile and I was thinking about starting it this weekend, but may reconsider and watch the movie first.

[Chimaera]

Out of curiosity, why are you yelling at the essay on "Dune"?

Well, I'm a belligerent cuss and I find myself disagreeing with the analysis. Part of that is no doubt me being touchy -- "Dune" is my favourite book of all time and I regard it highly, so I can get worked up easily when discussing it (or, rather reading about and yelling back at the inert text of a book). Even little things, like the author talking about the Medieval feel of the technology when it is so clearly Renaissance. I wouldn't put too much stock in my rantings now. I'll be able to be more sober in my assessment after chilling out.

[Chimaera]

And can you elaborate on why you recommend watching "Let the Right One In" before reading the book? The book is on my TBR pile and I was thinking about starting it this weekend, but may reconsider and watch the movie first.

Ah -- the book goes into much more detail, which, in my view, compromises the narrative a little. The film is excellent, following a clear narrative mode. However, the last scene in the film makes you recontextualize the entire film, understanding it in an entirely novel way. This, to me, is its greatest strength as a horror film, a true horror film, as opposed to a simple startle-and-puncture movie. That effect would be compromised by the additional detail offered in the book. The book is well-written and good, but it isn't nearly as strong as a book as the film is in its genre. I truly think that the film, even though an adaptation of the book, is the superior work of art. I enjoyed the book a lot, but had I read it before watching the film, it would have seriously compromised that experience.

[Zayda]

Well, I'm a belligerent cuss and I find myself disagreeing with the analysis. Part of that is no doubt me being touchy -- "Dune" is my favourite book of all time and I regard it highly, so I can get worked up easily when discussing it (or, rather reading about and yelling back at the inert text of a book). Even little things, like the author talking about the Medieval feel of the technology when it is so clearly Renaissance. I wouldn't put too much stock in my rantings now. I'll be able to be more sober in my assessment after chilling out.


LOL. Chim. Thanks. :P You know, there's a small part of me that would like to see that yelling at the inert text of a book. Actually, I might use you as an example, if you don't mind.


I'm teaching this section of Comp II that our Department has labeled Academic Discourses and Disciplines. (It's the Comp II that everyone hates to teach because they don't know what to do with the class. Teaching the other Comp II's: Writing the Community or Language and Identity are much easier.)

Anyway, I'm actually working with my students on how to read an "academic" (or scholarly, if you will) book as opposed to a web-page, a novel, a textbook. So, one of the things that we are talking about is "talking back" to the text. I'm trying to get them to understand that scholarly works, whether they are books or journal articles, and the research presented therein, are conversations among scholars or people within a particular discipline/discourse community.

Oh, and sorry about that stealth edit for the question on "Let the Right One In".

[Zayda]

Ah -- the book goes into much more detail, which, in my view, compromises the narrative a little. The film is excellent, following a clear narrative mode. However, the last scene in the film makes you recontextualize the entire film, understanding it in an entirely novel way. This, to me, is its greatest strength as a horror film, a true horror film, as opposed to a simple startle-and-puncture movie. That effect would be compromised by the additional detail offered in the book. The book is well-written and good, but it isn't nearly as strong as a book as the film is in its genre. I truly think that the film, even though an adaptation of the book, is the superior work of art. I enjoyed the book a lot, but had I read it before watching the film, it would have seriously compromised that experience.


Thanks! I'll move the book down on my TBR pile and move the movie up in my Netflix que. :)

[Chimaera]

LOL. Chim. Thanks. :P You know, there's a small part of me that would like to see that yelling at the inert text of a book. Actually, I might use you as an example, if you don't mind.

Heh heh heh... No, I don't mind at all.


I'm teaching this section of Comp II that our Department has labeled Academic Discourses and Disciplines. (It's the Comp II that everyone hates to teach because they don't know what to do with the class. Teaching the other Comp II's: Writing the Community or Language and Identity are much easier.)

Anyway, I'm actually working with my students on how to read an "academic" (or scholarly, if you will) book as opposed to a web-page, a novel, a textbook. So, one of the things that we are talking about is "talking back" to the text. I'm trying to get them to understand that scholarly works, whether they are books or journal articles, and the research presented therein, are conversations among scholars or people within a particular discipline/discourse community.

Oh, and sorry about that stealth edit for the question on "Let the Right One In".

No sweat and that is an excellent approach. Engaging the text in that manner greatly facilitates both comprehension and memory, speaking from a cognitive science perspective. That kind of dynamic engagement creates far more memory traces, increases the salience of the material and it all occurs in a context (that is, an internal dialogue) that can be recreated, thus leveraging encoding specificity.

[whitetrash]

Reading Shadow Games By Glen Cook The foruth chronicle of the black company

[Detritus]

I had a quick read through Gwenhwyfar, The White Spirit by Mercedes Lackey. Not bad, though every so often the text takes on all the subtlety of an anvil at terminal velocity. One nice thing about my abrupt move up to Pasadena is that there's a bookstore within walking distance of my apartment up here. That's definitely one of the holes in my neighborhood in La Jolla.

[Zayda]

I just finished Freakenomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner.

I am currently reading The Long Walk by Stephen King (writing as Richard Bachman) and The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan.

I'm also trying to read Pigeon Feathers by John Updike because it's my next book club's selection, but I cannot get into it.

[Anthraxus]

just finished "The Book Without Words" by Avi (Audio) and "Cobra Strike!" by Timothy Zahn. Rereading Poltergeist for the Greywalker wiki.

[BlueNinja]

I read Stephen King's Dead Zone last week. I actually picked it up after watching the tv series of it this summer. I was surprised at how close they made the tv series follow the book (though there were a number of changes).

Now I'm re-reading the Lost Swords set of books. After that, I'm not sure what I'm going to read.

[Detritus]

Stuff, it is happening in the WoT series again. Like, a lot.

[Detritus]

I'm about three-quarters of the way through Lammas Night by Katherine Kurtz. It is set in WWII England, in the summer of 1940, and the premise of the book is basically, "What if Hitler's occult interests derived from the fact that he was really a powerful black magician?" The book then tells the story of how the occultists of England use their own magic to dissuade Hitler from invading England. I just hit the "ZOMG! It's Hitler!" scrying scene in the book, which while dead serious in the flow of the narrative is kind of funny when encapsulated in that manner.

[Kalzazz]

I just read Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett and was quite amused

[Zayda]

Let's see, since the last time I posted, I finished The Long Walk by Stephen King and most of Pigeon Feathers by Updike. I just could not get through all the short stories in it, and apparently no one in my book club could get through all of them either.

I also finished The Black Echo by Michael Connelly. It's the first novel in his series featuring Harry Bosch. I really enjoyed it and will probably be picking up the others in the series eventually.

I just finished The Help by Kathryn Stockett; it is the December selection for my book club, and I must say that I enjoyed it much more than I did our last selection.

I'm on the fence about what to pick up and read next, but I have plenty in Mount TBR here.

[Hagelrat]

Happy Hour of the Damned - Mark Henry. A bit gross but entertaining. :)

[Harper]

Mark is really funny, but he is definitely grotesque.

I'm currently reading an ARC of an Urban Fantasy coming from Tor in April, called BLACK BLADE BLUES. It's about a girl blacksmith who finds herself in possession of a legendary Norse sword and you know how those Norse gods were... things get really freaky really fast. Author's name is J.A. Pitts and so far it's pretty good!

[Imaginos]

I'm reading Way of the Wolf, book 1 in THE VAMPIRE EARTH series by E. E. Knight.

[Stephane]

I like that series. It's kind of a fun one.