Beyond Reality discussion

Please let us know what you're reading this month!

I'm now more than halfway through The Magicians by Lev Grossman, after which I have exciting reading plans!
Including:

The Swan Maiden by Jules Watson.
Gardens of the Moon, which I've been wanting to start for a realy long time!
The Gates of Rome by Conn Igguden.
The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks.
Some library books such as: Pocahontas by Susan Donnell, 1984 by George Orwell, The Silmarillion.

As you see, I'm obviously extremely delusional about actually finishing half of these by the end of the month, but it's always nice to have long plans for the future.

I'm also hoping to get my BookDepository order of 15 (!!!) books by the time I'm out on my one-week holiday, so I can read as much as possible.

Right now I'm reading a lovely book - Promise of the Wolves A Novel. I found it at the library sale and so far it's exceeded my expectations.

I'm finished up Cetaganda in my "catch up with the group" reread of the Vorkosigan books. I don't know that I'll get caught up by the time you're discussing Brothers in Arms but I'm getting there.

I'm also inclining towards rereading some of Sharon Lee and Steve Miller's Liaden books. I think I'm just going to enjoy some rereads this month and not stress about keeping up with new things.

I have The Golden Key by Melanie Rawn, Jennifer Roberson, & Kate Elliott all set to start, although it's been all set to start for over a week now... no time to read. Hope to start it soon, then be ready for the next Miles book by mid-month.

Well I just finished Ink and Steel by Bear and the next one Hell and Earth went to mass market paperback today so I may get that. I'm not sure what else I'll get into....probably some nonfiction once I have my grades in alongside the Angel book. I can't find my copy of Remnant Population and so may end up not rereading it with the group......

Sisimka wrote: "Right now I'm reading a lovely book - Promise of the Wolves A Novel. I found it at the library sale and so far it's exceeded my expectations."

Oh! It's such a cute book!
Kind of reminded me of The Lion King though.
I think it's the first in a trilogy.

Sarah wrote: Oh! It's such a cute book!"

It is! I finished it last night, it was such an effortless read.

Next up: I have just started in on Remnant Population which I picked up from Paper Back Swap, and I'm listening to Mystic River by Dennis Lehane which, so far, is excellent.

I finally finished The Gathering Storm. Not bad, really really could use some editing, book was padded out a bit, the Perrin and Mat stuff realy did not move the plot forward except to let us know they are still around. The rest was pretty good.
As for Sanderson's writing for Jordan. Not bad, he doesnt have the voices quite right but other than that not bad (well as I said before, an editor could of helped)

Started on a non genre book The Bishop's Man. A book written by a Canadian thats set in Canada. So far so good

Still reading FALLOUT by Derek Gunn I am quite enjoying it but wishing the vampires were more in the foreground.

Kathi wrote: "I have The Golden Key by Melanie Rawn, Jennifer Roberson, & Kate Elliott all set to start..."

Oh, I really enjoyed this book! So much that I keep hoping for some other books set in the same 'world' or continuing the stories of some of the secondary characters...

I just read In Great Waters on Monday and it was excellent! I highly recommend it.

Now I'm reading a fairy tale story collection by Gail Carson Levine, and then moving on to either Gwenhwyfar The White Spirit or Molly Fyde and the Parsona Rescue, depending on my mood at the time.

I'm also planning to read some Christmas-themed works this month, such as The Stupidest Angel A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror, Version 2.0 (for a GR group) and The Autobiography of Santa Claus (which has been on my shelf for a loooong time now.)

I love Christmas time! As a teacher, I have a couple of weeks away from work, and always look forward to cuddling up with a few great books!

Stone of Farewell
The Book of Jhereg
The Hallowed Hunt
Under the Dome A Novel
The Gathering Storm
Outlander

Love this season! Merry Christmas, everyone!

I finished reading Not Less Than Gods by Kage Baker, and would rate it a solid peripheral book in the Company series (similar to The Empress of Mars). Definitely recommended if you're into the series.

Next up, I still have Under in the Mere by Catherynne M. Valente due up for review. I'm also finally going to jump into Mark Chadbourn's Age of Misrule trilogy, which has been sitting on my TBR shelf for too long. AND I just realized there's a second Miles Vorkosigan novella set between Ethan of Athos and Brothers in Arms, so I need to get to that soon too. So many books, so little time.

I started Peter F Hamilton's 'Mindstar Rising', first in the Greg Mandel trilogy, and found it pretty ho-hum. Now halfway through a non-SF Iain Banks novel, 'Dead Air' and it's wonderful. Next, I think, James Tiptree's 'Brightness Falls from the Air'.

I'm in the middle of a fascinating book of nonfiction, Traffic Why We Drive the Way We Do. It's really interesting! When I'm done with that I am planning on finally reading Diana Gabaldon's Outlander, which I've been told by lots of friends that I need to read.

Ron wrote: "I started Peter F Hamilton's 'Mindstar Rising', first in the Greg Mandel trilogy, and found it pretty ho-hum. Now halfway through a non-SF Iain Banks novel, 'Dead Air' and it's wonderful. Next, I t..."

Brightness Falls From The Air is a personal favorite of mine, maybe my favorite in the scifi/murder mystery genre. But then, I like all Tiptree. I just finished "her" biography, James Tiptree, Jr. The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon and it was wonderful.

Besides what I'm currently reading:

Blindsight (slow going for me)
City of Jade A Novel of Mithgar

I'll be reading many great selections for various book clubs here on GoodReads, including:

To Reign in Hell
Way of Shadows

http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/...

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday. I just got back from visiting my kids in Texas and had a great time.

Ron wrote: "Next, I think, James Tiptree's 'Brightness Falls from the Air'."


Great book! I read it years and years ago. I just pulled it off my shelf, might be time for a re-read...

Stefan wrote: "I finished reading Not Less Than Gods by Kage Baker, and would rate it a solid peripheral book in the Company series (similar to The Empress of Mars). ..."

I really liked her Company series and Empress of Mars, so this is a must-get for me. Thanks for the heads-up Stefan!

What novella are you referring to? Is it one not on the comprehensive list you created for the group? I've consumed them all and would love another dose of Miles - please fill me in! = )

Aha! I'm so glad you asked, because I now realize that I did mention all the novellas, but didn't place them in the internal chronology here (http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...).

The novella I was referring to is called Borders of Infinity. Like the previous novella Labyrinth, it's placed between the novels Ethan of Athos and Brothers in Arms. It's actually included in the omnibus Miles Errant, right before Brothers in Arms. (Somewhat confusingly, there is also a BOOK called The Borders of Infinity, which includes The Mountains of Mourning, Labyrinth and Borders of Infinity itself.)

See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vorkosig...

I nearly picked up Borders of Infinity at the library, thinking it was the next in the series, only to discover it was the three novellas. I have Miles Errant on hand.

Ok, then I've read it already .
I read most of the books in the omnibus collections, which included the short stories and novellas. (I noticed the name confusion as well.)

Right now I'm primarily reading House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds.

Before the end of the month, I hope to have read at least another of his, probably Century Rain, and I'll try to finish Under the Dome A Novel, though I'm not optimistic. It's pretty dull.

Beyond that, who knows.

I finihshed a few books in November, a little late posting on those, The City & The City by China Mieville, which I found to be an enjoyble quick read. Old Man's War by John Scalzi which I also found to be a quick enjoyable read, but not quite as enjoyable as The City & the City. To Ride Hell's Chasm which I thoroughly enjoyed & will post my comments in the book discussions. And I just finished Frankenstein by Mary Shelley which I did not enjoy at all.

I'm curently listening to the audio version of The Gathering Storm by Jordan & Sanderson. I wasn't planning on reading this so soon, I was almost comtemplating rereading all of the books again first, but when I saw that my library had it on audio download & that it was actually available I decided to give it a listen. I've read all of the other books in print format, so it's a different experience to listen to an audio version. I think I'm actually enjoying the audio more so than the print.

I just started reading World's End by Mark Chadbourn yesterday. It's a dark contemporary fantasy, and so usually not something I'd enjoy, but I've really been sucked into the story so far and look forward to reading more.

Next up, probably a quick re-read of Brothers in Arms for the discussion starting next week.

I finished Under the Dome A Novel by Stephen King the other day and was pretty wowed. I've also been working on a re-read of The Hobbit Or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien and on Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom by GR author Tim Byrd. It's really enjoyable so far.

To that list, I had a sudden urge to return to the world of the Malazan. So I started Midnight Tides by Steven Erikson. It's one big bite to chew off before I get to some group reads, but sometimes those calls have to be answered...

Stefan wrote: "I just started reading World's End by Mark Chadbourn yesterday. It's a dark contemporary fantasy, and so usually not something I'd enjoy, but I've really been sucked..."

I read this some time ago, on a recommendation from another SF/F group--part of a series, as I recall. It was quite dark but I liked it and have kept my eyes open for more Chadbourn. I, however, DO usually like contemporary fantasy.

Wasn't Mark Chadbourn a member of Beyond Reality on Yahoo?

Anyway, I'm reading Infected by Scott Sigler. It's pretty good - the plotting feels pretty conventional thus far, but the horror aspect is good - I have actually had to fight nausea while reading this. Can't figure out if this is a good thing, or bad. :)

I am currently reading Eisenhorn omnibus by Dan Abnett. It is a Warhammer 40k novel. At the end of November I finished Lord Dunsany's The King of Elfland's Daughter.

I am reading some SF reality, kind of...Physics of the Impossible A Scientific Exploration of the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel

I just started reading Outlander, and I'm hooked. I wouldn't quite label it as SF/F, even though there is a time travel aspect - it's more of a historical romance, I think. Or at least, it seems so far, I'm only a few chapters in. I am liking it though! I enjoy historical fiction (Dorothy Dunnett, anyone?) so I'm looking forward to the rest of the book and its sequels.

Shel wrote: "I just started reading Outlander, and I'm hooked. I wouldn't quite label it as SF/F, even though there is a time travel aspect - it's more of a historical romance, I think. Or at lea..."

I picked this up from the library about a month ago, having read many, many good reviews of it. It's a doorstop of a book and it sat on my nightstand intimidating me with it's size until I took it back to the library. Perhaps I'll try again sometime...

Shel wrote: "I just started reading Outlander, and I'm hooked. I wouldn't quite label it as SF/F, even though there is a time travel aspect - it's more of a historical romance, I think. Or at lea..."

I think the first book in this series is the best, but I've read most of them (well, not the last couple). They are more and more historical and less "fantasy" as they progress, at least that's my memory of them. I do plan to read the ones I haven't... just don't know when.
Enjoy!

I think I'm going to have to skip The Golden Key for now since I have yet to start it and I also haven't started this month's Miles book. Too much time spent with holiday shopping, decorating, card writing, and wrapping...

I'm in the middle of reading "Rainbows end" by Vernon Vinge. This is the first cyberpunk story I have read this far without chucking it, so far it's not bad.

Sisimka wrote: "Shel wrote: "I just started reading Outlander, and I'm hooked. I wouldn't quite label it as SF/F, even though there is a time travel aspect - it's more of a historical romance, I thin..."

The thing to remember about big books is that they make good weapons. But I liked the first couple Outlander books.


I tried reading Gloriana, Or The Unfulfill'd Queen for the third time. I don't why but I can't seem to get into Moorcock, Steven Eriksonor Guy Gavriel Kay. To be fair, the Erikson I picked up wasn't the first in the series.

Right now, I'm reading Burning Shadows. I also enjoyed Diving into the Wreck. More people should read Rusch.

I think I'm going to read The Lovely Bones next.

I've just finished A Dangerous Climate. It has been a long time since I read one of this author's books. I liked it, mainly for the unusual historical era. But the plot is pretty much the same plot in all of the books, and I guess after 30 years of it, I'm getting tired.

Chris wrote: " I don't why but I can't seem to get into Moorcock, Steven Erikson or Guy Gavriel Kay."

I've read sever Moorcock books and never really got into them, either. Erikson is on my shelf but I've yet to start the Malazan books. But I LOVE G.G. Kay.

The author I really could never get into and will never even attempt again, despite raves from many other readers, is Gene Wolfe.

Starling wrote: "I've just finished A Dangerous Climate. It has been a long time since I read one of this author's books. I liked it, mainly for the unusual historical era. But the plot is pretty muc..."

I thought Climate was one of her weaker ones. Shadows, I think, is much better. You're right about the plot though.

They've bought Climate. If it is on the shelf the next time I go to the library I'll be picking it up. But I've got several books to read before that, so who knows.

I'm almost done with The Hero of Ages. It kept me up late last night, so I didn't take it to work with me for break-time reading. (I really needed to work.) Instead, I took Wireless, Charles Stross's short story collection.

I gave up on Blindsight and turned it back into the library yesterday.

Since I have a business trip with a short one hour flight (each way) today, I'm taking a couple of "small" paperbacks with me:

and

If neither of those appeal to me on the flight, I also have The Silmarillion as an audio book on my BlackBerry.

I liked The Last Colony quite a bit! I love Scalzi's writing. What I particuloarly liked though, was that this trilogy isn't like other trilogies. It's not demanding. You don't need to read any of the other books to enjoy each novel on it's own... and yet, they do complete the story.

I read "The Steel remains". I think you really have to be in the mood for this one, fortunately I was. ;)

Jon wrote: "Since I have a business trip with a short one hour flight (each way) today, I'm taking a couple of "small" paperbacks with me..."

I'll be interested is what you think the of Zettel book. I've not read anything by her but I have the Isavalta books on my shelf for someday. Might be someday soon...

Kathi wrote: "Jon wrote: "Since I have a business trip with a short one hour flight (each way) today, I'm taking a couple of "small" paperbacks with me..."

I'll be interested is what you think the of Zettel b..."

I like Zettel's work quite a lot. Both her fantasy and her SF works are outstanding. She has well developed characters and doesn't go for cookie cutter plots. Her books can keep me guessing, which speaks volumes.

Oh, sounds great, thanks!

My school is making me read Night by Elie Wiesel, but other than that I'm reading Son of Avonar by Carol Berg and I started Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor.

I started DarkShip Thieves on Saturday and can't put it down, it's just so good. I can't quite put my finger on why I'm enjoying it so much, except to say that there were no expectations - You're given very plot information on the cover and the story just paces forward, constantly enticing you to read further.

I'm gonna finish up Alastair Reynolds' Zima Blue and Other Stories today or tomorrow, and then in the last couple weeks of the year, I'll try to read David Weber's In Fury Born