What are you reading? Options

[Decrepit]

At 1647 this afternoon, chewing my last bite of Fuji apple at supper's end, I concluded a third read of Brian Jacques' Mossflower. As mentioned previously, it's a rather humorous fantasy, with small animals (acting as if they are human) as characters. Not the sort of book I go out of my way to read, but it's enjoyable in its way. This is apparently the second book in a series, Redwall preceding it. I've no recollection of reading Redwall, but find it odd that I wouldn't have. If I did, it's bound to be stashed in one of my many book boxes.

Almost failed to mention that I acquired the book The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway last week. It consists of lots of old photos of the railway, its locos and rolling stock, and so on. One disappointment is that there are no maps of the railway's routes through the years. As to the pictures, the author states that many are 'rare'. The book being published in 2000, I suspect the internet has made most of those photos readily available, if you know where to look. Still, it's good to have them collected in one place. (So far as I know, I've seen none of them before.)

One new tidbit learned from the book; apparently, what we nowadays refer to as Terriers were in their earliest years called rooters. (Terriers are what I drive in TS2021 video episodes 02a, 02b, and the upcoming 06 and 07. The first two feature A1X Terriers, the second two A1s.)

[RaderOfTheLostArk]

I've gotten sidetracked over the past week or so, but I bought the two Elder Scrolls books off of Amazon, The Infernal City and Lord of Souls. I've read the first 4 or so chapters of TIC and I like it so far. LoS is the sequel to TIC.

For those who don't know about them, they were released between the releases of, and set between the events of, Oblivion and Skyrim. Sometime early on in the 4th Era, a floating city called Umbriel is passing over the land, killing everybody who is under its path and raising them back as undead while stealing their souls to keep it powered.

It's interesting to have this series in a different form of media. I know some of the basics of the books' events, but I forgot a lot of what I read about them before.

[treydog]

Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson. This is the first book of the 10(!) volume "Malazan Book of the Fallen" series. And make no mistake- these are NOT 85 page "books" of the sort some authors have taken to releasing on Amazon. Each one is somewhere in the neighborhood of 500+ (Kindle) pages.

Beyond that, there is a multitude of characters who are fully-realized and ambiguous in a very human way (even the ones who aren't precisely "human." I find myself first rooting for and then disagreeing with many of the people who populate the books. Motivations are obscure, as can be morality (which rather depends on one's point of view, as the author makes clear).

The Malazan Empire of the series title finds itself in the dilemma of many empires- it must wage continuous wars to maintain the income to finance its continuous wars- which are necessary to give the legions something to do- preferably far from the capitol. And the gods and demi-gods decide to involve themselves, sometimes due to the actions of people who should know better.

If you are looking for ""high fantasy" with touches of humor, as well as more than a bit of darkness, I recommend this series. That said- these are not "potato chip" books- you can't just wander in and nibble a bit, then put them aside. They require an investment of time and concentration- which is a good thing.

[Decrepit]

After several false starts, I've finally settled on an initial read of Raymond Feist's At the Gates of Darkness, book two of The Demonwar Saga. I read book two some years ago, but couldn't bring myself to continue the series, knowing that more of the characters I've grown attached to over Feist's great many Midkemia novels are likely to meet their end. Enough time has passed since then that I suspect I'm now ready to face the worst.

@treydog
I'm an odd-man-out in that I disliked Gardens of the Moon so intensely when read years ago that I fully expect to never continue the series. That said, so many BookTubers are sold on it that I just might give Gardens another go at some point.

[Decrepit]

At 1338 this afternoon I concluded an initial read of Raymond Feist's At the Gates of Darkness, second and final book of his Demonwar Saga. Considering what happened in book one, I fully expected Darkness to be, well, dark and tragic. It is not. However, anticipation of tragedy, and the unfolding of events during which tragedy might well have occurred, kept the book suspenseful and entertaining. In the end, it seems primarily a setup for what is to come next series.

A glimpse of that series is provided following Darkness' close, in the form of what looks to be the opening pages of Chaoswar Saga: A Kingdom Besieged. Here Feist tricks me to thinking I witness something that, as the chapter progresses, morphs into something both unexpected and revealing. Something that convinces me that Chaoswar Saga is a must-read. I'd do so anyway, it being the last of Feist's Midkemia books. Or so I believe, book three being titled Magicians End. (No spoilers please.)

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Jun 11 2021, 08:10 PM

[treydog]

Just finished "The Gospel According to Billy the Kid" by Dennis McCarthy (brother of Cormac).

Told in first-person by "Brushy Bill" Roberts, the novel deals with the familiar (to those who grew up watching Westerns- "Chisum" and "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" especially come to mind) story of the Lincoln County War.

Compelling and lyrical, with reasonable explanations for the "what could have happened" deviations woven in with the documented events. It is not a deep study of the participants or the causes, but nevertheless works well as it is framed- a story told over drinks, some 70 years after the fact.

[Decrepit]

I neglected to mention last post that, for my next read, I settled on Bernard Cornwell's Death of Kings, book six of his Saxon Tales. I'm roughly halfway through it. Early this afternoon I ordered book seven plus the next unread Raymond Feist Midkemia novel.

On the subject of reading, I subscribe to a small number of booktube channels. All but one are the usual suspects; young readers interested primarily in fantasy. That one exception is the booktuber I consider far and away the best of the lot. An older gentleman. Extraordinarily well read. Professional book critic. Has taught literature at university level. And so on. Eccentric. Rants at time. (Which I don't mind, as I tend to agree with his stances 'most' of the time.)

I want to highlight a couple of his videos. The first is taken from a long series of videos showcasing his Penguin Classics library, his Homer episode:

(video) Steve Donoghue: Your Daily Penguin: Homer (video)


On a lighter (?) note, here's one of his "Has Steve read it?" episodes, in which other booktubers scour their shelves for books they suspect he might not have read. Here is one such episode:

(video) Has Steve Read it? Season Two - The Cozy Reading with Quaker Cats (video)

(The above is a relatively tame HSRI? episode. The episode I wanted to link contains two rants, one of which, sad to say, might be deemed too political for these forums.

[Decrepit]

At 1226 this afternoon, 16 Jun 2016, I concluded an initial read of Bernard Cornwell's Death of Kings, book seven of his Saxon Tales series. A worthy series entry. As mentioned elsewhere, book eight is on ordered. It should arrive either Saturday or Monday. In the meantime, I'll likely pass time reading one of two 'pro' wrestling books my brother lent me this past weekend.

Fourteen of the twenty-two books read thus-far this year are initial reads! I've not read so many new-to-me books in decades. My norm is closer to two to five initial reads during an entire year. I suspect I've had a few years with no initial reads.

[Acadian]

Wow, Decrepit, you are quite the voracious reader!

[Decrepit]

At 1700 this afternoon, at the tail end of supper, I concluded an initial read of Jonathan Snowden's Shooters: The Toughest Men in Professional Wrestling. I found it quite enjoyable. I'm going to hold off reading the second wrestling related book my brother lent me, and concentrate on a few books in my own initial-read TBR pile. Maybe Feist's A Kingdom Besieged. Maybe Cornwell's The Pagan Lord. Maybe something else.

Wow, Decrepit, you are quite the voracious reader!

Hardly that. A great many people wipe the floor with me, reading wise. But reading is my oldest still consistently practiced pastime, occasional reading slumps aside. I put in more hours gaming, as a general rule, but gaming is a decades newer pastime.

[Decrepit]

I settled on A Kingdom Besieged, and am over three-fourths done with it. Early this evening I ordered the remaining two Chaoswars books. (Along with more CPAP mask wipes.) I'll likely be done with Kingdom tomorrow or the day after so will need an interim read.

[treydog]

As has been my habit (which drives the Mrs. to distraction), I have been rotating between multiple books.

In no particular order:

"Star Forged" Justin Sloan. Billed as "space opera," which is a genre I enjoy (Lois McMaster Bujold and David Weber, particularly). Free on Amazon, so I gave it a try. So-so writing, with characters that MIGHT be engaging if given a chance. Suffers (for me) from trying to introduce too many folks too quickly, while also feeling the need to have action at a breakneck pace.

"Memories of Ice" Steven Erikson. Book 3 of the Malazan Book of the Fallen. This series is not everyone's cup of fantasy. While there are admirable characters, their virtues do not always insulate them from harsh fates. Requires a good bit of effort on the reader's part to keep up, but that is rewarded. No hobbits, no elves, lots of violence and chaos and darkness.

"Manufactured Witches" Michelle Rene. Downloaded the free sample and was intrigued enough to purchase the full book. Dust Bowl Texas, as told (in first person, my favorite) by a teen boy who rides a box car into a town where witches are not only believed to exist, but (apparently) placed on public display.

[Decrepit]

I finished Chaoswar: A Kingdom Besieged at 0328 this morning, appreciably sooner than anticipated. It contains several quite interesting, unexpected plot developments. All make me look forward to book two. All save one, which materializes during the book's last several pages. That development likely bodes ill for one of Midkemia original mainstays. Considering this series ends Feist's Midkemia saga, I expect the worst. This particular demise, should it come to pass, will be hard to take.

Chaoswar book two not arriving until Wed/Thu, I've begun reading The Pagan Lord, another of Bernard Cornwell's many Saxon Tales novels.

[Decrepit]

I spent much of yesterday late-afternoon & evening on a long-neglected project: Converting ancient .SAM (Ami Pro files) yearly reading logs to .ODT (LibreOfficieWriter files). It was quite a chore. I've not had a program that recognizes .SAM in ages. They thus contain tons of formatting code that must be manually removed. Unlike past attempts, I stuck to my guns and converted every remaining .SAM yearly log, deleting originals afterward.

During those conversions, I came upon a year when I read so many books it amazes me: 1993. The beginning of that year was me several months into military retirement, and less than a month in my current home. Having a small but steady retirement income, and a paid-off home and car, I decided to take the year off before seeking new employment. Ergo, I had ample time to read. Still, as slow a reader as I've always been ... but faster back then than now, and better able to concentrate for long periods of time ... I find it hard to believe I read so much. All that aside, the proof is in the pudding, as they say. Here's my 1993 reading log:

1. 1/01/93: 2319 The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. LeGuin (second reading)
2. 1/05/93: 0011 Tehana by U.K. LeGuin (second reading)
3. 1/25/93: 0039 The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks (second reading)
4. 1/27/93: 2040 The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks (second reading
5. 2/02/93: 2317 The Wishsong of Shannara by Terry Brooks (second reading)
6. 2/07/93: 2043 The Scions of Shannara by Terry Brooks (second reading)
7. 2/09/93: 1953 The Elf Queen of Shannara by Terry Brooks
8. 2/10/93: 1613 The Druid of Shannara by Terry Brooks (second reading)
9. 2/11/93: 1437 The Riddle-Master of Hed by Patricia A. McKillip (second read)
10. 2/12/93: 0844 Heir of Sea and Fire by P.A. McKillip (second reading)
11. 2/13/93: 0742 Harpist in the Wind by P.A. McKillip (second reading)
12. 2/14/93: 1737 The Initiate by Louise Cooper (second reading)
13. 2/15/93: 2222 The Outcast by L. Cooper (second reading)
14. 2/16/93: 1804 The Master by L. Cooper (second reading)
15. 2/17/93: 2220 Mirage by L. Cooper (second reading)
16. 2/19/93: 0545 The Iron Lords by Andrew J. Offutt (second reading)
17. 2/20/93: 2016 Shadows out of Hell by A.J. Offutt (second reading)
18. 2/22/93: 0947 The Lady of the Snowmist by A.J. Offutt (second reading)
19. 2/23/93: 1526 The Jewel in the Skull by Michael Moorcock (second reading)
20. 2/23/93: 2057 The Mad God’s Amulet by M. Moorcock (second reading)
21. 2/24/93: 2156 The Sword of the Dawn by M. Moorcock (second reading)
22. 2/25/93: 0936 The Runestaff by M. Moorcock (second reading)
23. 2/25/93: 2128 Count Brass by M. Moorcock (second reading)
24. 2/26/93: 0133 The Champion of Garathorm by M. Moorcock (second reading)
25. 2/26/93: 1619 The Quest for Tanelorn by M. Moorcock (secong reading)
26. 2/27/93: 2344 The Eternal Champion by M. Moorcock (second reading)
27. 3/01/93: 0707 The Silver Warrior by M. Moorcock (second reading)
28. 3/04/93: 1648 The Dragon in the Sword by M. Moorcock (second reading)
29. 3/06/93: 1937 The City in the Autumn Stars by M. Moorcock
30. 3/09/93: 2332 Elric of Melnibone by M. Moorcock (second reading)
31. 3/11/93: 0910 The Sailor on the Seas of Fate by M. Moorcock (second read)
32. 3/17/93: 0625 The Weird of the White Wolf by M. Moorcock (second reading)
33. 3/18/93: 2246 The Vanishing Tower by M. Moorcock (second reading)
34. 3/24/93: 0801 The Bane of the Black Sword by M. Moorcock (second reading)
35. 4/18/93: 1824 Storm Bringer by M. Moorcock (second reading)
36. 4/21/93: 0344 The Fortress of the Pearl by M. Moorcock (second reading)
37. 4/21/93: 1929 Elric at the End of Time by M. Moorcock (second reading)
38. 4/25/93: 1503 The Swords Trilogy by M. Moorcock (third reading)
39. 4/29/93: 2254 The Chronicles of Corum by M. Moorcock (third reading)
40. 5/02/93: 2319 An Alien Heat by M. Moorcock (second reading)
41. 5/03/93: 1993 The Hollow Lands by M. Moorcock (second reading)
42. 5/05/93: 2156 The End of All Songs by M. Moorcock (second reading)
43. 5/07/93: 2139 Legends form the End of Time by M. Moorcock
44. 5/10/93: 1152 A Messiah at the End of Time by M. Moorcock
45. 5/25/93: 1958 The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe (second reading)
46. 6/04/93: 2225 The Claw of the Conciliator by G. Wolfe (second reading)
47. 6/13/93: 2050 The Sword of the Lictor by G. Wolfe (second reading)
48. 6/18/93: 0953 The Citadel of the Autarch by G. Wolfe (second reading)
49. 6/30/93: 0903 The Urth of the New Sun by G. Wolfe (second reading)
50. 7/07/93: 2135 The Time of the Dark by Barbara Hambly (second reading)
51. 7/14/93: 0135 The Walls of Air by B. Hambly (second reading)
52. 7/15/93: 2219 The Armies of Daylight by B. Hambly (second reading)
53. 7/19/93: 0558 Sheepfarmer’s Daughter by Elizabeth Moon (second reading)
54. 7/22/93: 2253 Divided Allegiance by E. Moon (second reading)
55. 7/27/93: 0116 Oath of Gold by E. Moon (second reading)
56. 8/02/93: 2136 The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay (second reading)
57. 8/08/93: 1304 The Wandering Fire by G.G. Kay (second reading)
58. 8/18/93: 1104 The Darkest Road by G.G. Kay (second reading)
59. 8/24/93: 2044 Magician: Apprentice by Raymond E. Feist (second reading)
60. 8/26/93: 0058 Magician: Master by R.E. Feist (second reading)
61. 8/28/93: 2215 Silverthorn by R.E. Feist (second reading)
62. 9/04/93: 1521 A Darkness at Sethanon by R.E. Feist (second reading)
63. 9/06/93: 1932 Prince of the Blood by R.E. Feist
64. 9/11/93: a.m. Tales from the One Eyes Crow: The Vulgmaster by Dennis McKiernan
65. 9/21/93: 0006 Dragon Prince by Melanie Rawn
66. 10/02/93: 1610 The Star Scroll by M. Rawn
67. 10/07/93: 2129 Sun-Runners Fire by M. Rawn
68. 10/19/93: 0925 Stronghold by M. Rawn
69. 10/20/93: 2132 The Dragon Token by M. Rawn
70. 10/26/93: 0659 The Conquering Family by Thomas B. Costain (second reading)
71. 11/02/93: 0727 The Magnificent Century by T.B. Costain (second reading)
72. 11/07/93: 1923 The Three Edwards by T.B. Costain (second reading)
73. 11/11/93: 2010 The Last Plantagenets by T.B. Costain (second reading)
74. 11/21/93: 2234 The Last of the Renshai by Mickey Zucker Reichert
75. 11/30/93: 0659 The Shattered Horse by S.P. Somtow (second reading)
76. 12/03/93: 0010 Gate of Ivrel by C.J. Cherryh (second reading)
77. 12/05/93: 1926 Well of Shiuan by Cherryh (second reading)
78. 12/07/93: 0746 Fires of Azeroth by Cherryh (second reading)
79. 12/09/93: 0323 Exile’s Gate by Cherryh (second reading)
80. 12/13/93: 1405 The King’s Buccaneer by R.E. Feist
81. 12/19/93: 0153 The Sword and the Lion by Roberta Cray
82. 12/26/93: 0737 The Riddle of the Wren by Charles de Lint (second reading)
83. 12/28/93: 1921 The Western Wizard by M.Z. Reichert

(Dates/times refer to when each book was finished)

[Pseron Wyrd]

You must have graduated from Evelyn Wood's Speed Reading course with honors, Decrepit. That is seriously amazing.

[Renee]

Jeez, I thought I was a prolific reader!

I also notice the military regiment, with all those dates and times. That's a habit you must have been deep into since you were just out of the army.

Well lately I've been reading books by Janet Evanovich. She's written a whole series of books about a terrible bounty hunter named Stephanie Plum. They're just silly stories, but a lot of laughs.

[treydog]

Finished "Memories of Ice" by Steven Erikson. Now on to Book 4 "House of Chains".

Near the end of "Memories" are a number of deeply moving scenes about what it means to be... "human" seems too chauvinistic a term, but will have to suffice.

Abandoned "Star Forged" at some 70%. Despite giving it a chance, I just was unable to become engaged with the plot or the characters. Too- it feels very much like a "preface," rather than a complete novel in its own right.

Continuing "Manufactured Witches" by Michele Rene. The narrator is more than a bit annoying, but the same could be said of me, so....

[Decrepit]

At 0418 this morning, 11 Jul 2021, I concluded an initial read of Bernard Cornwell's The Pagan Lord, book seven of his Saxon Chronicles/Tales series. Another fine entry. It is, alas, the final Chronicle in my possession. Due to an unexpected large expenditure, brought about by my own stupidity/senility, I have to be careful with spending for a while, so will order no further Chronicles this month, possibly next. That's okay. I've plenty of books in my initial-read TBR pile, and of course lots of re-read material at hand.

Came across a recent YT video of Guy Gavriel Kay, giving an online lecture for the 2021 "Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature", with short Q&A at its conclusion. (Online due to C19 not allowing a live event.) As I'm sure I've mentioned before, Kay is pound-for-pound my favorite active author whose work is published as fantasy. For me, Kay at his best is rarely equalled. (My prime Kay recommendations are Lions of Al Rassan and the two-book Sarantine Mosaic.)

Kay is a fine speaker. His talk shares much in common with his writing. Well worth a watch / listen, especially for those who write as well as read. (I am most emphatically NOT among your number, much as I occasionally wish otherwise.)

(video) Guy Gavriel Kay, 'Just Enough Line: Some Thoughts on Fantasy and Literature,' Tolkien Lecture 2021 (video)

[treydog]

Went back to "The Lincoln Lawyer" after seeing the movie version. I had tried it in paperback years ago, but had trouble with the main character's extreme moral ambiguity. This time, I read more for the story.

Was good enough that I continued with (and finished) "The Brass Verdict".

Now on book 4 of Steven Erikson "House of Chains".

Still making progress with "Manufactured Witches".

[Lena Wolf]

Well, I am reading "Blood on the Moon" by Treydog! What a fantastic story, professionally written. Makes me want to go to Solstheim again... even with Miraak around.