Beyond Reality discussion

Happy spring! Where I am, it suddenly got green all at once and the flowers are blooming. What's keeping you entertained right now? Any and all genres welcome in this topic!

Fairy Tales of Frank Stockton
Some are very clever, almost in a sort of The Phantom Tollbooth way, some are just odd and dated.

Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter — Then, Now, and Forever - not my specific interest but I do like how John McWhorter writes about other linguistic topics.

I'm about to start When Life Gives You Mangos, a middle grade book which my 4th grader just finished and loved so much she insisted I read it.

I'll have to look for it - kids' rec's rock!

Finished Freefall

OMG I adore the Jeraptha, especially the ECO (Ethics Compliance Office). The ship names are great.
Parole Violation
Out on Bail
Plausible Deniability
Will Do Sketchy Things
We Were Never Here
It Was Like That When We Got Here
I'm As Shocked As You Are
I'm Aching To Give Somebody A Beat-Down And Today Is Your Lucky Day

Will be starting Critical Mass sometime this weekend.

The Fiancee Chosen by the Ring, Vol. 6 by Jyun Hayase

My Happy Marriage - Tome 5 by Akumi Agitogi

I'm reading Order of Swans - unfortunately, not one of Jude Deveraux's best.

I’ve been traveling but did manage to finish Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell (6/10) and True Evil by Greg Iles (8.25/10). One left for tomorrow’s flight: These Toxic Things by Rachel Howzell Hall.

Storm-Dragon by Dave Freer

Just finished an Eight Doctor Who book
Vanishing Point by Stephen Cole
Not bad, as with TV tie in stuff generic and fluffy but ok
Took me a bit of time to get though it. Been watching the NHL playoffs


Just watched a movie, The King, about Henry V
Realised I have a book about one of the battles, Agincourt
Reading Agincourt: The King, The Campaign, The Battle

This week I picked up The Midnight Library and A Thousand Splendid Suns from the bookstore.

Finished Critical Mass last night and started Brushfire

Also grabbed When the Moon Hits Your Eye for next month's SF read.

Shel wrote: "I'm about to start When Life Gives You Mangos, a middle grade book which my 4th grader just finished and loved so much she insisted I read it."

Tell her thank you for the recommendation; it was a good book. And if she has more rec's, I'd be interested!

Whelp. That did not take any time
I started Agincourt but wasnt into it. Spent the better part of the week reading 10 pages
After a long vetting process I started
Wilderness of Mirrors: Intrigue, Deception, and the Secrets that Destroyed Two of the Cold War's Most Important Agents
So far so good.

I did finish These Toxic Things by Rachel Howzell Hall before we got home from our trip and rated it 6.5/10.

I returned to the Charlotte & Thomas Pitt historical mysteries and read Midnight at Marble Arch by Anne Perry, 7.5/10.

Currently reading Traitors' Gate by Kate Elliott, the last book in her Crossroads fantasy trilogy, and listening to Slow Burner by Laura Lippman.

I'm apparently a full-fledged Tchaikovsky enjoyer now. Recently read Saturation Point and finished Children of Time and loved both. Now reading City of Last Chances. I am not a grimdark fantasy fan, honestly, but I guess this qualifies as grimdark? It doesn't feel tiring like other grimdark novels I've tried before. I appreciate Tchaikovsky using dashes of light humorous and clever prose to make it feel not so heavy, and for the most parts, seems to avoid the more annoying character tropes of the grimdark subgenre. It's not a fast read, being dense in worldbuilding and characters, but it's very interesting and seems very well thought-out.

CJ wrote: "I'm apparently a full-fledged Tchaikovsky enjoyer now."

I hope to read more by him as well, since I really liked the Children of Time trilogy and the Shadows of the Apt series. So far the only “miss” for me was Cage of Souls (the first book by him that I read and almost the last!). It was so dreary & depressing, but I have to admit it stuck with me.

My first book by Tchaikovsky was Service Model and I did not care for it. But everything else I've read by him since I've really enjoyed a lot. He puts out books like a fiend, so I am sure not everything he writes will appeal to me. I haven't read Cage of Souls yet, but good to know it's on the depressing side so I can be mentally prepared for it when I do get to it.

When I joined this group, you all were well into the Shadows of the Apt series so I didn't try to join in, but I hope to get to that series now that my library has gotten all the books.

Tchaikovsky has become a favorite of mine over the past few years! I haven't read all of his work yet, but like Kathi, I also found Cage of Souls a little too bleak for me. I've loved all of the rest though.

I'm currently about halfway through When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb. I'm really enjoying it so far - it's grounded in Jewish mysticism.

I really enjoyed Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers. I'd prefer to let the work stand for itself, usually, but it is enlightening to get to know how these brothers enriched each other's lives by creating such art... and enriched our lives, too!

Finished Brushfire

Will be starting Breakaway sometime tonight or tomorrow.

I finished Traitors' Gate by Kate Elliott, 9/10. This book wraps up Elliott’s Crossroads Trilogy, and while I have a few quibbles, overall it was excellent.
What I liked: complex characters who kept evolving (leading to some surprises!), a balance of action & calm (reflection, domesticity, humor, plotting), several interrelated plot lines and a well-developed world. The characters were mostly realistic, with blurred lines between “good guys” and “bad guys” and mixed motivations for most of them.
What bothered me: I would have liked more information/interaction with the races other than Humans: Firelings, Delvings, Wildlings, Lendings, Merlings, Dragonlings, & Demons. We see a bit of the Firelings, Lendlings, & Wildlings and glimpses of the Delvings, and I admit, the books were already pretty long without adding anything, but my curiosity was certainly piqued!
I also would have liked a fuller picture of the people who were corrupted Guardians beyond Night & Lord Radas. We do see some more details of Yordenas & Brevard, but I wanted more on how they were corrupted. And of course, what happens at the end? (view spoiler)[Four cloaks are united with Guardians (Marit, Joss, Kirit, & Jothinin, with Jothinin being a longtime Guardian, then Marit, Kirit, and Joss as the newbie). But the other 5 cloaks are free to find new Guardians… and I so wanted to know who was chosen , etc. (hide spoiler)]
I’ve read that Black Wolves was meant to start a new trilogy set in the same world, but after the first book came out, the publisher cancelled the rest. I would have definitely read those!
I recommend this series whole-heartedly, but it is not a fast read.

I also finished Slow Burner by Laura Lippman, 8/10. Totally fooled me. Quick story, effectively told using texts & first person narrative.

We are getting ready for more traveling, so I’m not sure I’m going to tackle a novel right now—might just do audio short stories while I walk. But we’ll see.

I finished When the Angels Left the Old Country and it was a beautiful book, 5 stars.

I just picked up The Blanket Cats from the library, so I think I'll be starting that one next.

I've been reading Emily Henry's latest Great Big Beautiful Life and listening to A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

Just finished The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Ariwaka. Heartwarming popular Japanese lit.

I started a long overdue reread of Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock. It's been about 30 years since I first read it and I had worried it would not have any appeal to me now, but I was wrong. I'm rather enjoying it. It definitely has Old School vibes, and is digging up plenty nostalgia, but it's also quite well-written (despite being a "fix-up" novel) and deliciously ambitious.

I hope to finish that, as well as City of Bones by Martha Wells today. City of Bones is Wells' second published novel, and it's decent but it definitely feels like an early work. Plenty of action, but lacking a bit in depth and pacing.

I finished reading A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold. Miles’s latest mission is his most difficult yet. He’s in love and wants to court the next Lady Vorkosigan, but everyone conspires against him, including her. I am reading The Waste Lands (Book three of the Dark Tower Series) by Stephen King. Roland continues his journey to the Dark Tower. We learn more about his universe, but I’m not loving it so far. I am also reading The Devils by Joe Abercrombie. A dangerous mismatched group is sent on an impossible mission by the Pope in this alternate world fantasy. It’s fun and crazy for sure. I’m planning to read An Autumn War (Long Price Quartet Book #3) by Daniel Abraham next.

Gary wrote: "I’m planning to read An Autumn War (Long Price Quartet Book #3) by Daniel Abraham next."

How did you like the first 2 books in that series? It doesn’t seem to get much attention from fantasy readers.

Kathi wrote: "Gary wrote: "I’m planning to read An Autumn War (Long Price Quartet Book #3) by Daniel Abraham next."

How did you like the first 2 books in that series? It doesn’t seem to get much attention from ..."

This is an AMAZING series! It's completely under-read in my opinion.

The Hanging Stones by Manly Wade Wellman

The Lost and the Lurking by Manly Wade Wellman

Finished Breakaway

I had planned to take a break here, but wow, what a cliff hanger.

Will be starting Fallout in the morning.

Well, I managed to sneak in two more Charlotte & Thomas Pitt historical mysteries before I started packing: Death on Blackheath, 8.25/10, and The Angel Court Affair, 6/10. The first was another layered mystery from Anne Perry, with apparent murders & mutilations, real or feigned love affairs, definite deceptions, and treason all in the mix. No one character dominated—everyone had a hand in figuring things out: Thomas & Charlotte, Stoker, Narraway, Aunt Vespasia, & Emily. The second was a bit disjointed, despite being shorter. It seemed as though Pitt & Narraway missed some obvious areas of investigation and Charlotte was relegated to a bystander role. The author seemed inclined to spend a lot of ink on religious/spiritual rumination. Not one of the better ones in this series.

I listened to The Gift by Alison Gaylin, 6.5/10. A well-crafted story, a tad predictable but still good—kept my interest during my walks. The double meaning of the title was a nice touch.

I’m currently listening to Snowflakes by Ruth Ware.

Babylon White by Kit Sun Cheah

When I travel, I take paperbacks my husband has already read so I can leave them wherever I am when I finish them. First up, for tomorrow & Wednesday (flying to Norway via Amsterdam), The Mask by Dean Koontz.

A few days ago I started The Spear Cuts Through Water, which finally came in from the library, but I am having a hard time getting into it and I'm setting it aside. I'd like to try again some other time, because I think the main reason I'm struggling is that this time of year is so busy that I'm not finding a lot of time to read, and it seems to be a book that you need to completely immerse yourself in.

I think I need to go into re-reading mode for the next few weeks until school is out for the summer.