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What are you reading?

I've been re-reading the Ciaphas Cain series of novels based in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. A series of stories about a coward with a reputation for being a hero actually living up to his reputation, but never particularly wanting to.
 
Under Different Stars by Amy A. Bartol

Omg! I am so in love with this book! XD I really go in for strong and fun characters and interactions and this has that. Kricket is a joy to follow and once she gets captured things really pick up in the entertainment avenue.

Moon Dance is also great for similar reasons; just entertaining, relatable, and witty interactions. I love it.

Rostikov was all pomp and colour but no substance. At least none that made me want to continue, so, I dropped it. Still going strong with Devil's Apprentice and Bloody Rose. 👍
 
I'm almost done with volume 2 of Journey of a Betrayed Hero (it's only a 2 volume light novel so that's fun), and then I'll get back to trying to finish volume 1 of A Certain Magical Index. I've seen the anime (well, mostly), but a while back I got the first light novel...and haven't finished it yet.
 
So happy that folks have kept this alive.

I can not recall what I've finished since I last post, so I'll just go with what I'm currently reading. What I currently have in rotation is a bit much at the moment, but some of them I'm starting close to finish.

First up is Plague Ship by Andre Norton, the second Solar Queen book. It's a vintage sci-fi and it shows in it's simplicity, still though the book is well written and due to the over all short length of the book it never feels like its lingering too long. One thing that keeps bothering me is I still don't know what sort of spaceship the Solar Queen is, like at times I feel it is a tail lander while at others I think it may be more of standard sci-fi. Would help if they talked more about gravity, artificial or natural.

The next is Anarcho-Syndicalism: Theory and Practice by Rudolf Rocker, my first real foundational anarchist text I've read, after this I'll be reading The Conquest of Bread, but for now I've been working through this text which starts off on a historical primer for class struggle up to the falling out of anarchists and communists. I have been enjoying this work and honestly, it is the political ideology that I ascribe to.

Now we're onto a dozy of a title, The Company-State: Corporate Sovereignty and the Early Modern Foundations of the British Empire in India by Philip J. Stern. I've not gotten terribly far in this text which I picked up to learn a little about the history of mercantilism. So far it's been interesting to learn just how uncoordinated the East India Company was and just how convoluted English law could get around monopolies.

Switching gears I have Istanbul Intrigues by Barry M. Rubin which is about WWII Istanbul, which due to the neutrality Istanbul maintained was a hotbed of spies between all factions. Earlier today I read about the spy networks and some events the Balkans. A lot of ideas I can steal for my own table top games, which is one of the reasons why I bought the book in the first place.

I know, the list is getting a little long.

Next is The Fox Wars: The Mesquakie Challenge to New France by R. David Edmunds and Joseph L. Peyser. At first when I started reading it seemed like the Fox Tribe was in for a slow, if violent, decline as they were pressed by the Sioux Tribes and unsupported by their nominal ally of France. Then things took a turn and suddenly their foes are just incapable of dealing with them despite massacring them only a year before. It is an exciting book of a history I didn't know, and it's interesting to see all the Wisconsin place names.

Second to last here, almost done, is France and the American Tropics to 1700: Tropics of Discontent? by Philip B. Boucher. Not very far into this one yet either, but I've been slowly learning a little about the Carib's and their interaction with the French. Seems that France might have dealt with some of its religious troubles, see Wars of Religion, by sending non-Catholics, primarily Anabaptist, to their not quite colonies as they were often more like state sanction businesses.

Last on the list is Apocalypse Nyx which is a collection of novellas from Kameron Hurley featuring the titular Nyx from her Bel Dame Apocrypha trilogy. The writing is a little uneven compared to the trilogy; but they do explore the world more which I find interesting. Still not exactly sure how all the bug tech works; but some of it is certainly creative. I would recommend to anyone that's read the trilogy.

So that's all for now, no idea when I'll finish any of these and I'll probably start a handful of others before so and there's plenty of other books just waiting to be picked backed up; but these are what have been consistently eyes on page the previous month.
 
Apart from Star Wars? Command the Morning (Pearl Buck). A book about the A bomb, what can be wrong? Well. The highest level scientists falling for a self hating Mary Sue, perhaps? It was horrible. And the ending was awful, I wanted to pull a Starkiller on the whole setting.

After that I read Star Wars books again, mostly disappointing, Catalyst/Rogue One oddly great for a SW book. But I luv R1 and there's probably some great RP lurking there. Thrawn Treason was more than decent.

Finally finished up The Kindly Ones, still finding it too long and too edgy. I skipped stuff and it takes a lot for me to do that. Guess if you wanna read about a closeted SS then he's your man. I wanted to gag him so he stops whining. Also I see the author as his character, sorry not sorry http://www.lepetitlitteraire.fr/uploads/images/author/jonathan-littell.jpeg
 
Currently re-reading Anne Bishops "The Others" series. The world in which the series grows is so different then anything I've read before. The characters are fun and make you smile at the same time they scare the crap out of you.

If you want to immerse yourself in a different kind of world then it might be a good idea to take a look on good reads for more info.
 
Flow by Clare Littlemore

Love the strong narrative. It's entertaining and interesting...but really fecking depressing and bleak. Post-apoc/dystopia, so, that's to be expected but halfway through and so far...I don't feel like I want to continue with the series. Not that I need a bright and happy book but yeah, I prefer upward mobile story archs, and heroes you root for, not a dismal catalogue of "the world sucks now and here is how" given by a hopeless, impotent protag.

And

Storm Born by Richelle Mead

Tolerable and entertaining. Lukewarm but not bad enough to make me drop it yet.

And

Wolf Hunt by Jeff Strand

My writing partner recommended this to me and omg! I love this book and author! Holy shit! Fun and witty right from page one, doesn't let up in the clever tone. Apparently, this is a genre, horror-comedy, and I am sold, at least for this particular author. Great premise, entertaining characters that have me eagerly flipping the pages to see what happens next.

And

Sparrow by L.J. Shen

Mixed about this so far. This is one of those I picked up without digging further into what it is beforehand so...I don't know what is happening. Seems like an ordinary contemporary drama. But very dark in tone. Yet at the same time it's set up like a "billionaire romance"? I like it. Not gonna drop it yet, even though there was a lapse in logic in one part that had me yanking the reins.


Books I started but dropped recently:
Shadow Kissed by Sarah Piper
Dropped it after two chapters because so far, all it detailed was the female protag stepping in to save a girl from being hassled by a sleazy dude in an alleyway and just pages and pages of a brutal fight where she gets her ass kicked. I am sorry, I have no attachment, I don't know who you are, I don't care.

Hunted by A.D. Starrling
Again, you want to start off with this huge impactful scene when I have no attachment to the character. I stayed with it for a while but then he wanted to exposition dump for pages. Rather than work on me getting to know the character he instead wanted to tell me about the messy conflict he's in the middle of, explain his abilities, the history of those abilities, etc. And none of it was neat, all very complex, just shoveled in piles in between dialogue in a very heavy handed way. I do not know you. I do not care about this shite.

Hellhound by Rue Volley
I dropped this because we come in in the aftermath of a supernatural beast fight(we don't even get to see it, she just starts the narrative with the red head shaking slime off her gun) and it was the worst place. It could have been good, in the calm that rushes in to fill the spot where an adrenaline fueled moment was, to give us a look at the characters interacting. But the female protag is a snarky badass who comes off as more of a child with her clunky humour. And we're told the male protag is the sarcastic clever one but every line from him is dull and rigid with no charisma and no chemistry at all with the redhead. Not only that, the author gives them absolutely nothing interesting to engage about, going on for pages in an immature bickering about nicknames. You lost yer chance to hook me by throwing a flaccid noodle at me instead.

Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
Dropped it because the text and worldbuilding feels clumsy and the characters are unlikable. On one hand, you think the female protag might have an edge to her, with her being undercover and going into a seedy bar and all. But then you realize she's a loser, she cannot get anyone to work with her because she's so incompetent on her assignments. She has a note of desperation about succeeding that comes off as pathetic rather than relatable. When a colleague, a vamp femme fatale, comes to sit next to her at the bar to chat with her, you think things will get interesting but she spends the whole time fawning and hero worshipping the vamp chick, coming off even more distasteful. And the vamp chick is additionally a stiff board, too "above it all" to care about anything and thus, too bland to care about.

Jacob by Jacquelyn Frank
I should have taken it more seriously when Christine Feehan had a quote in the opening pages "One of my favourite books!" Just another "ancient race of demons/vampires/etc. who are plagued by a curse that turns them into lustful monsters when they don't have a bonded mate" bullshite.

Cursed by S.J. West
College setting Twilight basically. And set up very much like it as well. Not better written either. The point I had to put it down? When the Edward standin asks the female protag out on a date for after class and she declines because "I don't know you." What, are you 15? You just had a friendly conversation with him. You're in classes with him. How much deeper do you need to know him before you can be adult enough to spend some time alone with this guy? Guess when a great time to get to know someone is? On a date with them where you can talk outside of time constraints or a class room/work setting. But everyone, including fake-Edward, commend her for her "smart" decision and I realized the author either wrote this for a younger audience than 18 or the characters must have originally been envisioned much younger than the college-age they are. Aka not for me.
 
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Just been working my way through the Mortal Engines series. I love books where the ideas are crazy...... London on Wheels ....awesome
 
I've got a few I'm working on:
  • Dune by Frank Herbert
  • The Girl in Red by Christina Henry
  • Lost Boy by Christina Henry
  • Phantom by Susan Kay (a reread)
 
Captive by Jex Lane

Loving this so much! Not only is it sexy(male vampire gets captured by a male incubus and his band of vampire hunters) but also the world building and fantasy are intriguing. And it holds back from pulling the trigger on the smut until halfway through, which I prefer, taking time to build character and flesh out the world.

I ended up dropping both Flow and Storm Born past the halfway points. Flow is your typical YA dystopia trash where it tries to cash in on the genre craze with a semi-interesting concept yet doesn't follow through with the worldbuilding or characterization. If your main character literally has to have never had a daydream or thought deeper about the world they're in before the start of the novel because if they were truly that thoughtful then their crushing submission to this oppressive society doesn't make sense, then you have failed at worldbuilding, my friend. Storm Born is soap operatic, lukewarm crap.
 
Graveyard Blues by Reina Salt

Absolutely fantastic! A gal gets brutally murdered by this undead serial killer and accidentally gets some of his blood on her. Hours later, she digs her way out of the ground with the pallor and stench of a rotting corpse and the hunger for raw, bloody meat. And she just so happens to go stumbling through the yard of ex-homicide detective, Henry, who takes pity on her and decides to help her out. These two make a great platonic pair and the supernatural aspects are surprising and unique.

AND

Mage's Apprentice by Sean Fletcher

In the supernatural borough hidden in New York city, the non-magical Aspen is a thief and magical expert. One night she tries to pick the pocket of the wrong guy, a powerful Mage, and rather than getting punished, he has an interesting proposition for her. Great worldbuilding and Aspen is very relatable and bold.

AND

Vampire's Kiss by Ella Summers

The world is beset by supernaturals who live in open society and monsters kept at bay by a gigantic wall. Human bounty hunter, Leda, decides to join the proto military group, Legion of Angels, in order to acquire the magic and power necessary to rescue her brother who has been kidnapped by dark forces. I love strong female characters who don't take no shit/talk back to the sexually magnetic alpha male(sometimes borderline abusive) when they should probably shut up. It makes for a very interesting read.

AND

Chosen by Adam Dark

When Ben was 14, his 3 best friends became possessed by demons and killed each other. He escaped and for years has suffered from the stigma of being told he is crazy, medicated and gone to therapy. Now, in college, he goes to a frat party to pursue a girl and the demons have made their return, almost killing everybody at the party. Ben's not 14 any more and armed with half a theology degree, decides to stop hiding and become a demon hunter and protector of humanity.

So. Much. Bullshit. I dropped Bound by Faerie by W.B. McKay because of plot focus issues and tried to round out my quartet and just...kept fucking dropping them. I've almost completely lost faith in KU titles. It's almost like, if you can borrow it, it probably sucks.

Sin & Chocolate by K.F.Breene
Everything I hate about cheap romances written by inexperienced authors. They try to get you invested in a character but end up meandering for pages and pages, emphasizing unlikable qualities instead.

Mother of Shadows by Meg Anne
Mary Sue. The most beautiful, perfect gal getting trained to be an all-powerful queen, who makes the best decisions even when making a "mistake".

Sea of Darkness by Isadora Brown
If you open your novel with a fight scene then the pacing needs to match the sense of risk we feel for the character. You should refrain from slogging everything down with exposition in between over-explained maneuvers that leech the urgency from the prose. Just saying.

Shadow's Kiss by T.M. Hart
Fated to fuck with a twist. I don't like it as it is when two strangers feel uncontrollably or inexplicably drawn into each other's arms before they even have a real conversation. But this had the gal supposedly possessed by a demonic presence inside? So her "Mate" dislikes her yet seems to know she is meant for him. I dropped it because every interaction the two main characters had with anyone other than each other felt sloppy and cringe. Like any time they talk to anyone else, they're talking to cartoon characters.

Queen Takes Knights by Joely Sue Burkhart
This...is actually delicious smut, lol. Gal who's parents were killed by ghoulish monsters, spends her whole life running from the creatures only to get saved one night by two sexy vamp dudes. Apparently, she is a vampire "queen" not yet come awake and these two guys are unbonded knights. They've found her, they pledge to protect her, and then proceed to menage trois and drink and feed blood from each other. It's MFM porn. 😁 Very dark and sultry...I might return to this if ever I need a bit of...ahem, "inspiration" one night.

After Darkness Falls by May Sage
i give you about 30-50 pages to hook me into your story. The first 20 pages is not the place to summarize your character's life up to current day. Thanks, I don't care.

Chosen By Darkness by E.M. Moore
Main girl is too stupid to live and too trusting of her kidnappers. It feels like, if they haven't reasonably convinced her and yet she barely puts effort into escape, that it's a contrivance to make the plot work. Very lazy.

Wild One by Donna Augustine
Omfg. Main character gets a brutal, graphic beating in the opening scene and not only fails to adequately defend herself while simultaneously taunting her attacker like a masochistic moron but she interjects in between dialogue and current action, rambling thoughts about everything under the sun: how little she gives a fuck, explaining the character of her attacker in detail, how much she wishes he were dead, how above everything she is now and what a "wild creature" she is inside, and how much it hurts to get her ass kicked. This isn't "bold and edgy". It's really dumb.

The Turning by Linda Watkins
Innocent Puritan teen becomes the local witch's apprentice. You lost me when the adult woman manipulates the girl into fucking her Hebrew boyfriend by using an illusion and fondling her to convince her how easy it is to fall into willing sexual feelings. You want to have the "safe sex" talk with your repressed and innocent teen charge, there are less gross and less duplicitous ways to do it.
 
Just started Shadows of the Dark Crystal by J. M. Lee, which I primarily chose because the new Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance show on Netflix. Although I haven’t watched the show yet (I’ve been the original film though so I’m familiar with the world). I’m hoping the book is good, I’ve had a lot of hits and misses with my summer reading this year.
 
Pestilence by Laura Thalassa

One of my fav book series is the Bargainer series by Thalassa. I finished that one, and the Four Horsemen series was recommended for me to read next.

AND

Vampire Moon by J.R. Rain

Book two of the Vampire for Hire series. I adore this writer and the character Samantha Moon.

AND

Sire by Jex Lane

Sexy bisexual incubi and vampires with a huge plot and supernatural war, mixed with betrayals and angst and I love it. Matthew is a great, relatable character.

AND

Graverobbers Wanted: No Experience Necessary by Jeff Strand

I love this author! There is a Wolf Hunt 2 which is the sequel to his other book I read but my writing partner recommended this as well, so, giving this a try.
 
Does it have good information though?

Personally I've started two more sci-fi books. The first one is Elizabeth Moon's Trading in Danger. I've not gotten terribly far in it and the plot hasn't really started yet; but so far the writing is fun and it follows in the foot steps of older space trading themed sci-fi. Though I've yet to really enjoy the main character as she's rather privileged; but hopefully she'll prove interesting beyond the glimpses of the setting I've gotten so far.

The second one is Heirs of the Force, the first book in the Young Jedi Knight series which I read when I was younger. Came across a complete set at a second hand book store and just had to buy them all up. So far it's as good as I remember, granted I do need to account for the writing being geared for a young adult so it's a little simplistic at times; but the ideas are still standing up well even after all these years. Nostalgia has not lead me astray it seems.
 
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