Happy Halloween and autumn leaves and all that!
Finished *Whispers Under Ground *the third in the Peter Grant urban fantasy series - I enjoyed it and will continue reading this series.
Will probably start Horns: A Novel next.
Linkto last month’s thread.
I have a biography of Edward Gorey here I thought I’d read this October.
Also I want to reread The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury.
I read **The Halloween Tree **for the first time about a year ago - I was underwhelmed and am guessing that I would have liked it much more had I read it first in my youth.
Making my way through The Wind-up Bird Chronicles by Murakami. Lined up after that are The Mongoliad:Book Two, The dirty streets of Heaven (Tad Williams), The Great North Road (Peter F Hamilton) and The Hydrogen Sonata (Ian M Banks)
Going to be starting The Hobbit for my book club. We are making selections of books we have enjoyed and think everyone should read. I believe that everyone in the club has read it, but it has been a long time for some. I was not organized enough to coordinate with Second Breakfast events, but I am making that the theme for it anyway.
It has been the most enthusiastic reaction to a book club selection ever. I am quite looking forward to it. Might have to break out my LoTR soundtracks for background music.
Encyclopaedia Britannica 1975 edition. Got it in high school always wanted to read it. When I got over my cancer a while back figured I’d start doing all the things I always wanted to do. Only read it on the plane and at lunch. Just about done with vol. 9 of 29. About 5 years to go.
I’m still reeling over the cucumber of love from the last thread!
I finished Angels Flight, by Michael Connelly. Part of his Harry Bosch detective series.
Continuing on with Connelly, I’ve started his Void Moon. It’s his next book after Angels Flight but not part of the Harry Bosch series. A woman who is on parole after doing time for burglary reenters the profession.
Finished American Fantastic Tales: terror and the uncanny from the 1940s to now. Next up, I’m continuing my slow progress through the Flashman series with Flashman and the Angel of the Lord. Then a few more volumes of short horror fiction.
This sounds pretty good. I’ve wondered before if this was something I could do. I have no sense of smell, and it seems I ought to use that talent to my advantage somehow.
I’m thinking of starting a band named Love Cucumber. Want to join?
I am reading Franklin and Eleanor: An Extraordinary Marriage. I think the people are interesting, but the writing is not working for me. At all. I’m not sure I’m going to finish it, but I don’t know what I’d pick up instead.
Just finished Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson. It’s more like a novella at fewer than 200 pages. It was a fun sword and sorcery (mostly sword) adventure story, although it lacked the humor of The High Crusade.
I don’t know what’s on deck, other than some non-fiction book for my managerial econ class that I’m forced to read. Those are always the worst.
My fiction reading lately has leaned towards the historical and the British - I finally got a hold of Dan Simmons’ The Terror again - while it certainly had its nasty and brutish moments, short it was not at 769 pages. Despite the compelling story and engaging prose, it was difficult to read - knowing that the horrible conditions and miserable ends of many of those on the doomed Franklin Expedition was not exaggerated for the sake of fiction. The supernatural element was overall, handled well - though there was a bit of an infodump of Native/Inuit folklore late in the story to explain more clearly what had been going on. While I felt the read was worthwhile and would recommend it overall to those interested in Arctic adventures and stories of endurance, I don’t think I’ll be returning to it.
I also checked out Code Name Verity from the local library, upon Delphica’s recommendation (among others). Told as a confession by a young woman who was captured by the Nazis as a British spy, we learn the story of Queenie and her friend, Maggie, another young British woman whose piloting skills make her valuable to the war effort. Their unlikely friendship spools out as Queenie, under torture, continues her confession. About two-thirds in, the narrator changes and we see just how skilled Queenie was in her work. The narrative style takes a bit of getting used to, but characters are wonderfully well-written, and the story is compelling. Note: it is perhaps a bit intense for younger YA readers (torture scenes), and it doesn’t have a happy ending. A satisfying one, but not happy. It’s gotten me interested in learning more about the brave young women of the WAAF and I’ll probably return to this story again someday.
Am currently working on Connie Willis’ Blackout - I kind of wish I’d re-read To Say Nothing of the Dog again first, as it took me a bit to get into the Oxford time travel frame of mind. This novel follows three young historians back into WWII England - Michael Davies, Merope Ward (aka Eileen) and Polly Churchill. None of their assignments go quite as planned and they find they must band together to figure out what is happening not only in their here-and-now, but also back in the Oxford of the future. Willis’ depictions of England under siege are engrossing and detailed; and her characters, as always, are both believable and a bit quirky. I’m quite enjoying this book, although things are taking a bad turn for the trio at the moment.
Started both Cosmos, by Carl Sagan (at long last) and Stolen Prey, by John Sandford. So far, they’re both winners.
If you enjoy this one, you may want to pick up the next book pretty soon. *Blackout *stops rather abruptly, and All Clear picks up without any recap. Willis had intended them to be a single book.
Went through Dodger in about two days. Awesome book. A loving tour through Dickensian London. With a Pterry ptwist.
No I’m reading Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch. It’s so-so so far. I’m just not connecting with the characters. I had put down The Swervea few of months ago when the baby was born, and I’m thinking of picking that up again.
Thanks for the heads-up - just put *All Clear * on hold at the library… may pick up something else in the meanwhile & let Blackout sit til I have them both in my hot little hands. 
I’ve finished reading Anthony Trollope’s Barchester novels and now I’m working on his Palliser novels. I’ve just started The Eustace Diamonds and after that is Phineas Redux.
I’m having an absolute Temeraire fit. Got a lot of reading done over vacation–ran through Mary Roach’s Packing For Space, couldn’t figure out what to read next so dipped into my ongoing Nero Wolfe project with Not Quite Dead Enough, and again couldn’t figure out what to read so decided it was time for another Temeraire novel (or Novel of Temeraire, if you prefer). I picked up with Tongues of Serpents. Not the most action… ok, they spend the entire damn novel flying across Australia. It did, however, keep Laurence from spending the entire book moping, and the simple fact is that it’s the characters, especially Temeraire himself and the other dragons, who keep me coming back far more than the action. So I was delighted just to spend a little more time in his company. So delighted, in fact, that I immediately ran out and bought the next one, Crucible of Gold. Much more action here, though I must admit I rather liked the idea of Temeraire, gentledragon rancher of Australia. I’m going to have to try to slow myself down a little–this is the last book out right now, and I don’t really want to see it end.
I ended up liking the series and have read them all (just finished the last one). It isn’t great literature, but I like it well enough. I thought the first one ended a little too abruptly and at least one of the bits that was a fallout of the ending has been a source of continued annoyance to me. I will continue to read the series as new ones come out.