Finished the latest Murderbot book System Collapse by MArtha Wells. The title is somewhere between a spoiler and a pun for the book. I never thought I’d ever be SO invested in the bromance of a bot pilot and a security construct, but here we are. And I am happier than I have words to express that ART is staying in the story.
Finished Reflections on the Psalms, by C. S. Lewis, which was interesting.
Now I’m reading A Calm & Normal Heart, by Chelsea T. Hicks.
Started John Scalzi’s Starter Villian… not sure if I like it yet or not, but it has cats in it. (Sadly no kaijus tho)
Finished A Calm & Normal Heart, by Chelsea T. Hicks. The best story in it was “A Small Urge”.
Now I’m reading Mother Tongue: The Surprising History of Women’s Words, by Jenni Nuttall.
I’m looking for a book recommendation. My wife and I are going to gift each other a book for Christmas that we will each read so we can discuss it. It doesn’t have to be anything Important, but certainly worth our time. She adores Ann Patchett, character-driven stories, and generally prefers a narrative about good, redeemable people (rather than “let’s delve into all the horrible things that have happened to me that made me the broken person I am”). I do worry that anything I choose will be something she’s read, as she doesn’t keep a list outside of her brain…
I’m looking at the following, and am open to suggestions:
Castle of Water, by Dane Huckelbridge
The River, by Peter Heller
So Long See You Tomorrow, by William Maxwell
Light Perpetual, by Francis Spufford
Just finished Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett which I found readable but ultimately pointless.
Now on to (hopefully, based on the previous book in the series) cozy fantasy book Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree
Fractal Noise Christopher Paolini
A gigantic hole is discovered on an uninhabited planet and a team is sent to investigate, including the main character, a man grieving the recent death of his spouse.
Of course, the mission to the hole - which is done on foot for reasons, does not go well at all. There are accidents, conflicts, etc…
Good book
Recommended.
Finished Mother Tongue: The Surprising History of Women’s Words, by Jenni Nuttall, which was interesting. My favorite word was “lorester” or “lorestress”, both of which meant (centuries ago) a woman who was a teacher.
Now I’m reading Nebula Awards Showcase 2009: The Year’s Best SF and Fantasy, Selected by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, edited by Ellen Datlow
Finished Hemlock Island. I never did give a damn about any of the characters, and quite a few of them did get their asses killed. The writing style wasn’t great, and there was too much boring relationship drama. But it passed the time. I might give the author another chance.
Munch, I haven’t read the four books you mentioned, but given your wife’s tastes, off the top of my head I’d recommend:
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the Pulitzer Prize-winning classic about childhood and injustice in the Depression-era South.
The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith, a collection of folksy tales about Botswana’s first female detective and her varied cases.
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara, another Pulitzer winner, about the Battle of Gettysburg and the men who fought it.
A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby, a comic novel about four would-be suicides who meet on a London rooftop one night and become unlikely friends.
I recently finished the most recent Murderbot, which was good fun, and am now reading Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries, so I have nothing new to contribute to the thread!
Finished Starter Villian by John Scalzi. The book could have used some editing in the set up part but once the explosions started it was no stop from there.
Up next Paladin’s Faith from T. Kingfisher.
Finished Nebula Awards Showcase 2009: The Year’s Best SF and Fantasy, Selected by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, edited by Ellen Datlow. My favorite story was “Titanium Mike Saves the Day”, by David D. Levine.
Now I’m reading Thunderclap: A Memoir of Art and Life & Sudden Death, by Laura Cumming.
Finished Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree, which I found perhaps too cozy.
Next on my TBR read is Talonsister by Jen Williams, but the first few paragraphs are not catching my interest… I wish I had Paladin’s faith, T. Kingfisher rarely disappoints.
May be I’ll reread something, dunno.
Slay (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Book 30) by Laurell K. Hamilton. In this one she got back to the right mix of action and love life that made her earlier novels in the series so popular (IMHO).
Update: I went and got Paladin’s Faith, and I’m currently reading it, I can resist anything except temptation…
I finished listening to Slow Horses by Mick Herron. I found it to be a decent story, but there were a whole lot of sub-plots and the action jumped from one to another, and I found it hard to follow the action. Perhaps it was because I listened to only an hour a day while I was working out; had I read it in longer increments, I might have enjoyed it more.
But if and when I get the opportunity, I’ll watch the TV series.
The Kalahari Typing School for Men Alexander McCall Smith
Part of the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, but no real mystery involved. A sort of pleasant slice of life look at Botswana.
Recommended
Started today on Julia by Sandra Newman, a retelling of George Orwell’s 1984 from a different character’s point of view. Pretty interesting so far.
I finished This House by James Graham, a British political play, and the audiobook of Little, Crazy Children by James Renner, true crime about an Ohio stabbing murder. Neither particularly wowed me.
I’ve started but am now taking a break from The Burning World by Isaac Marion, a sequel to the pretty good zombie romance Warm Bodies, since it’s not really grabbing me yet, either. I’ve turned instead to the true crime history Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann, recently made into a movie by Scorsese, De Niro, DiCaprio and several other notable Slovenian Hollywood folks. The book is okay but isn’t really living up to its rave reviews for me so far.