# January : What are you reading?



## delericho (Jan 3, 2013)

So, new year, new thread.

I'm currently reading through "A Blink of the Screen", a compilation of Terry Pratchett's short writings. Good stuff so far.

I'm also very slowly reading through the D&D "Rules Cyclopedia", which I finally sourced at a price I was willing to pay. It will most likely take a few months to read in full - I'm in no rush.

I'm hoping to get through five books this month: in addition to ABotS, I'm hoping to get through "Desolation Island" by Patrick O'Brian, "Master of Devils" by Dave Gross, the next Pathfinder volume, and (probably) "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" by Thomas Hardy.


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## Ebon Shar (Jan 3, 2013)

I just quit reading "The Passage" by Justin Cronin.  The first three hundred pages were great...then, wow.  I don't want to spoil it for anybody reading it, but, in my opinion, the rest of the book was a snorefest.  I wish that Cronin had just continued what he was doing as the last two-thirds of the book was not very compelling.


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## Jhaelen (Jan 4, 2013)

Having finished "Ready Player One" (which started out great and was okay altogether) I'm now reading "Firebird" by Jack McDevitt.


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## Bagpuss (Jan 4, 2013)

Just ordered Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovitch, it is the third in the Rivers of London series. Think a very British spin on the Dresden Files, although modern British, so like the modern BBC Sherlock crossed with magic and Pagan gods, and less Pulp American detective wizard.

Rivers of London is the first book in the series which I highly recommend, although I think the title was changed in the US.


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## Umbran (Jan 4, 2013)

I'm currently working on Jim Butcher's 11th "Dresden Files" book - _Turn Coat_.


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## Raunalyn (Jan 4, 2013)

I just ordered the final Wheel of Time book for my birthday. Since it's ending, might as well finish it


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## Zaukrie (Jan 5, 2013)

Superfreakonomics, likely followed by A Dance with Dragons (which I have not read yet).


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## Krug (Jan 5, 2013)

Ebon Shar said:


> I just quit reading "The Passage" by Justin Cronin.  The first three hundred pages were great...then, wow.  I don't want to spoil it for anybody reading it, but, in my opinion, the rest of the book was a snorefest.  I wish that Cronin had just continued what he was doing as the last two-thirds of the book was not very compelling.




Agreed. It's like someone else wrote the latter part of the book.

Started on *Scourge of the Betrayer* by Jeff Salyards, about a mercenary company. It's one of those brutal, gritty low-magic fantasy books and not bad so far.


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## John Q. Mayhem (Jan 5, 2013)

I'm burning through Louis L'amour stories. Just read A Meeting at Falmouth, which is amazing. The protagonist is 



Spoiler



an old Benedict Arnold!


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## Richards (Jan 5, 2013)

I finished "The Lake," by Richard Laymon.  Then I finished "Among the Missing," by Richard Laymon.  Now I'm reading "The Woods are Dark," by Richard Laymon.

Next up: "To Wake the Dead," by Richard Laymon.

Guess who got some Richard Laymon novels for Christmas?  



Spoiler



Me.



Johnathan


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## NewJeffCT (Jan 6, 2013)

Started Stephen King's Dark Tower series - not far into *The Gunslinger* right now.  Not sure how I like it, though.  It's been at least 15 years since I read anything by King, and that was his horror stuff.


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## NewJeffCT (Jan 6, 2013)

Krug said:


> Agreed. It's like someone else wrote the latter part of the book.
> 
> Started on *Scourge of the Betrayer* by Jeff Salyards, about a mercenary company. It's one of those brutal, gritty low-magic fantasy books and not bad so far.




sounds like a promising book.


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## Mark CMG (Jan 6, 2013)

It's a sad state of affairs when finding time for pleasure reading is difficult to do.  I still have Steven Pressfield's _The Virtues of War_ to finish when the time permits.  I've enjoyed what I've had time to digest so far.


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## Dioltach (Jan 7, 2013)

Bagpuss said:


> Just ordered Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovitch, it is the third in the Rivers of London series. Think a very British spin on the Dresden Files, although modern British, so like the modern BBC Sherlock crossed with magic and Pagan gods, and less Pulp American detective wizard.
> 
> Rivers of London is the first book in the series which I highly recommend, although I think the title was changed in the US.




I have to stop reading these "What are you reading" threads. I should be working, and instead I've been unable to put this book down for the past hour and a half.


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## Raunalyn (Jan 7, 2013)

NewJeffCT said:


> Started Stephen King's Dark Tower series - not far into *The Gunslinger* right now.  Not sure how I like it, though.  It's been at least 15 years since I read anything by King, and that was his horror stuff.




I really enjoyed the first 4 books of that series; it's more fantasy/sci-fi than it is horror. The last 3 books were odd for me, though. I liked them, but some of the story was very disjoined and just...weird. That's really the only way I can describe it without spoilers.


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## Bagpuss (Jan 9, 2013)

Dioltach said:


> I have to stop reading these "What are you reading" threads. I should be working, and instead I've been unable to put this book down for the past hour and a half.




Whispers Under Ground or Rivers of London?


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## Razjah (Jan 9, 2013)

This month has been really productive for my reading- I've read _Fight Club _by Chuck Palahniuk and the first Book of the South _Shadow Games_ by Glen Cook. I'm working on the next Black Company Book _Dreams of Steel_, also working on _The Hobbit _by J.R.R. Tolkien (in case someone at a D&D forum didn't know), I'm finishing _Never Unprepared: The Complete Game Master's Guide to Session Prep_ by Phil Vecchione (of the Gnome Stew Crew who wrote _Eureka _and _Masks_) in the next day or two. There are a few other books that I read a chapter or two every once in a while, but those are my focus for the month.


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## loki44 (Jan 10, 2013)

In the Garden of Beasts - Erik Larson

The same guy who wrote The Devil in the White City.  This one reads just as well. Its focus is on the poor schlep, and his family, who fell into the role as US ambassador to Germany on the eve of Hitler's ascent. Interesting angle.

Sent from my SGH-T959V using Tapatalk 2


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## Dioltach (Jan 10, 2013)

Bagpuss said:


> Whispers Under Ground or Rivers of London?




Just finished Rivers of London and Moon over Soho, and will probably start on Whispers under Ground today.

Sadly, the quality of the editing is rather poor. Some typos might be down to the conversion to epub format, but the writer's use of commas and his sentence structure leave a lot to be desired, and I've come across multiple instances of 'then' instead of 'than'. Otherwise the books are really good.


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## Bagpuss (Jan 10, 2013)

Dioltach said:


> Just finished Rivers of London and Moon over Soho, and will probably start on Whispers under Ground today.
> 
> Sadly, the quality of the editing is rather poor. Some typos might be down to the conversion to epub format, but the writer's use of commas and his sentence structure leave a lot to be desired, and I've come across multiple instances of 'then' instead of 'than'. Otherwise the books are really good.




Can't say I've noticed much/any of that in my hard copies, but it is awhile since I read the first two. If you are interested and can give an example from Moon over Soho, I'll do a comparison.


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## murfman (Jan 10, 2013)

Reading Flesh Gothic by Edward Lee. The epub I have is atrocious though, with typos everywhere. The story is pretty good though.


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## Jhaelen (Jan 11, 2013)

I'm currently reading Steven Erikson's 'Memories of Ice', third installment in the Malazan Books of the Fallen series. Things that happened in the first two books and were only hinted at or left completely unexplained are finally, slowly starting to making sense and the true scope of the narrative is starting to show. Epic stuff indeed. I suppose I'll keep reading...


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## John Q. Mayhem (Jan 11, 2013)

So I had an excellent haul at a library sale. I picked up an omnibus of the first three Vlad Taltos books, the first of MANLY WADE WELLMAN's Silver John books, the first of Zelazny's Merlin of Amber series, a couple L'Amour novels I didn't have, McCullough's _1776_, and the first volume of _The Collected Fantasies of Clark Ashton Smith_.

I also received the second omnibus of Vance's _Demon Princes_ books and _Creatures of Light and Darkness_ in the mail.

Why did I do this to myself right before starting college again? Heck if I know...

But I burned through the Taltos books and enjoyed them. Much like the Dresden Files, it really shows that they're Brust's first books, but the awesomeness shines through the little slips and hitches.

I'm now partway through MANLY WADE WELLMAN's _The Old Gods Waken_, which I'm finding not quite as enthralling as Hok the Mighty (thank God for Planet Stories!) but still pretty dang cool. It's similar to Alvin Maker in that it draws on classic American folklore that doesn't get a lot of attention.


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## Elf Witch (Jan 13, 2013)

Right now I am reading Moving Targets and other stories of Valdermar edited by Mercedes Lackey.

I like the world of Valdermar especially when other authors write in it. Lackey often irritates me with her writing style and her angst filled main characters. Her one story is in this short story collection Moving Targets is a Scooby Doo homage and I found it just to silly for words. I have read fanfic better than this.


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## Nellisir (Jan 14, 2013)

Raunalyn said:


> I really enjoyed the first 4 books of that series; it's more fantasy/sci-fi than it is horror. The last 3 books were odd for me, though. I liked them, but some of the story was very disjoined and just...weird. That's really the only way I can describe it without spoilers.




I believe the last three were written after his accident, and frankly, I think he gets very self-indulgent and should have been edited much harder.  It's still a good story, but you've got to cut through a lot of weird crap to get there.


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## Nellisir (Jan 14, 2013)

I just started _Playback_, by Raymond Chandler.  I just finished _Trouble is My Business_, also by Raymond Chandler.  Also read _The Steel Remains_ and _The Cold Commands_, by Richard K Morgan; _Space Opera_, an anthology; and _The Anvil of Stars_, by Greg Bear.

I read _Anno Dracula_ too, but that was probably in December.  Very very good, and I was surprised to see it was actually first published in the early 1990's.  Explains why the sequels have been so fast and furious.  The author was well ahead of his time on that one, I think.


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## Stumblewyk (Jan 14, 2013)

Read the new Dresden Files, _Cold Days_, and am currently about 270 pages into the final Wheel of Time, _A Memory of Light_.

_Cold Days_ was a really great addition to the Dresden Files books, and hits on just about every cylinder.  Very cool.  _A Memory of Light_ is good so far.  I like what Sanderson has done with Jordan's world and final notes, and the book is setting up nicely.  However, it's obvious that much more of this book is in Sanderson's voice than the previous two were.


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## Stumblewyk (Jan 14, 2013)

Stupid double post. Sorry.


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## Krug (Jan 15, 2013)

*Old Man's War* by John Scalzi - The whole setup of the story took a while, but am enjoying the last third of it.


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## Nellisir (Jan 15, 2013)

Krug said:


> *Old Man's War* by John Scalzi - The whole setup of the story took a while, but am enjoying the last third of it.



Have you read _The Forever War_, by Joe Haldeman?


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## Krug (Jan 15, 2013)

Nellisir said:


> Have you read _The Forever War_, by Joe Haldeman?




Yeap. Love that book.


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## Pheonix0114 (Jan 15, 2013)

I just finished Card's book The Lost Gate which was good (7/10 for Card) but felt at the end like it was all a prequel more than a lead in for a trilogy. I also reread Gaiman's Stardust for probably the fifth time since I first picked it up 6 years or so ago. And now I'm rereading Karen Miller's Kingmaker Kingbreaker set ( Innocent Mage and Awakened Mage).

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD


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## Mordikenn (Jan 16, 2013)

I love Orson Scott Card's books, I've read the Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, and Maps in a Mirror.

Currently I'm reading Stone of Tears (in the Sword of Truth series), which I'm a little on the fence about.  I know it's probably something that most people have already read, being like 10 years+ old haha.


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## Gilladian (Jan 17, 2013)

Let's see... reread the Hobbit. After seeing the movie, I had to get the real story back in my head. Movie wasn't bad, although I could have done without Radagast. But the book is one of my all-time favorites...

Read a Teen novel called "Survivor" - it was okay, about a girl who lives through a plane crash even though she's suicidal. The romance was a bit too pat, though.

Read "Pure" - SF dystopian, pretty much YA. Had some world-building issues, and one or two Huh? moments, but overall I liked it. 

Also read a YA fairytaleish story by Jodi Picoult and her teen daughter. It called "Between the Lines". Good, not great. Imaginative and had some nice things to say about family. Again, the romance was a bit too easy.

Tried to read Crown of Embers, the sequel to Girl of Fire and Thorns, which I loved. Got about 1/3 of the way in and gave up, skimmed the end. I am SO tired of first person, present tense! and the heroine seemed much flatter, less able to understand either herself or others in this novel.

Lastly, I've started Seraphina, by Rachel Hartman - another YA - this time a pure fantasy. I'm only a few pages in, but so far so good. It's about the relationship between humans and dragons. The reviews have all been positive, anyway.


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## Nellisir (Jan 17, 2013)

Finished *Playback*, read *The Last Policeman*, by Ben Winters. It's set in Concord NH, which is my hometown, and it was slightly surreal and pretty cool to see it as a backdrop.  Winters' writing vaguely reminds me of Raymond Chandler, with a good amount of description and driving around, and a slightly obsessive protagonist who doesn't understand how to stop doing his job.  I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would at first.

Trying to slow down the reading a little bit right now; I'm vaguely unsatisfied and restless, and I don't think I'm enjoying the good books as much as I should or could.  I've got another Raymond Chandler and *The Dervish House* left from Xmas, and I'm saving them until I can chill out and really enjoy them.

In the meantime, I'm punishing myself with *The Chessmen of Mars*, by Burroughs.


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## Nellisir (Jan 17, 2013)

Krug said:


> Yeap. Love that book.



I felt like *Old Man's War* was *The Forever War*, retold and not improved.  But a lot of people seem to like it, so not sure if I'm alone in that.


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## Grogg of the North (Jan 18, 2013)

I am reading Bloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore.

It's the first book dealing with Jody, Flood, The Animals, and the vampires.  I had originally read You Suck: A Love Story a while ago not realizing that it was a sequel.  So I figured it's about time I read the proper beginning.


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## Olgar Shiverstone (Jan 18, 2013)

Krug said:


> *Old Man's War* by John Scalzi - The whole setup of the story took a while, but am enjoying the last third of it.




I just picked this up to read on travel next week; I reread Forever War for this first time in about 25 years over the holidays.

Listening to A Memory of Light right now, too -- very enjoyable thus far.


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## Krug (Jan 19, 2013)

Nellisir said:


> I felt like *Old Man's War* was *The Forever War*, retold and not improved.  But a lot of people seem to like it, so not sure if I'm alone in that.




My memory of Haldeman's book is a bit hazy now, but I don't think OMW had the same pathos and brilliance and inventiveness as FW. 

Catching up on some of the articles I've downloaded to Pocket and Instapaper, and also listened to the excellent podcast from Drabblecast, *The Wreck of the Charles Dexter Ward*, which is a SF+ Lovecraft combo.


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## Nellisir (Jan 19, 2013)

Krug said:


> My memory of Haldeman's book is a bit hazy now, but I don't think OMW had the same pathos and brilliance and inventiveness as FW.



Like I said, not improved.


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## Richards (Jan 19, 2013)

I'm reading _Live Free or Die_, by John Ringo.  Earth's been conquered by an alien race, and we're trying to get out from under their yoke - and surprisingly, maple syrup is playing a big part in being able to fight back.

Johnathan


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## NewJeffCT (Jan 23, 2013)

Since the "Wheel of Time" series was just completed by Brandon Sanderson, I decided to start that series over from the beginning.  I had stopped after book 7 or 8 or somewhere when it got a bit repetitive.   I'm almost halfway through the first book "The Eye of the World"


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## Nellisir (Jan 23, 2013)

> I'm reading _Live Free or Die, by John Ringo. Earth's been conquered by an alien race, and we're trying to get out from under their yoke - and surprisingly, maple syrup is playing a big part in being able to fight back._




It wasn't stolen from Canada's national maple syrup reserve, was it?


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## the Jester (Jan 23, 2013)

Currently reading three books: _Against All Enemies_ by Tom Clancy (disappointing), _the Dragon and the Unicorn_ by err... someone who sounds maybe Icelandic?- IDHTBIFOM, can't recall his name- anyway, it's very interesting, but doesn't hold me as well as I'd hoped; and _Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre_, a collection of Lovecraft's stories (I always find wading through Lovecraft to be very slow).


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## ShogunAssassin (Jan 24, 2013)

atm im reading Game of thrones about half way through. love it cant wait to get onto the next and the next and the next ... etc


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## Richards (Jan 25, 2013)

Nellisir said:


> [/I]
> It wasn't stolen from Canada's national maple syrup reserve, was it?



You'll be pleased to hear there was no thievery involved.

Johnathan


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## Mustrum_Ridcully (Jan 25, 2013)

I am reading the Honorverse series now. I got the first 2 booksas present for Christmas, and I am now catching up. Book 12 or something like that... I haven't read this much for a long time, and I am not sure if it's the story or the fact that I also bought a Kindle Paperwhite.


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## Raunalyn (Jan 25, 2013)

Memory of Light was good, though it did seem a little rushed at the end. No spoilers, so don't worry.

I just picked up Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss because a friend highly recommended it.


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## Jhaelen (Jan 28, 2013)

Today I started reading Reamde by Neal Stephenson. Waaay too early to say anything about it yet.


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## Mark CMG (Jan 28, 2013)

Finally found the time to finish Steven Pressfield's _The Virtues of War_.  Pretty good though it loses steam toward the end.  Very good for those interested in ancient battle formations and techniques.  I'll get back into some Bernard Cornwell Saxon Chronicles soon.


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## Nellisir (Jan 29, 2013)

Broke down and started _The Dervish House_, by Ian McDonald yesterday.  Excellent book.  Loving it.


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## DM Howard (Jan 31, 2013)

Krug said:


> Started on *Scourge of the Betrayer* by Jeff Salyards, about a mercenary company. It's one of those brutal, gritty low-magic fantasy books and not bad so far.




Your description sounded like exactly what I was looking to read!  Thanks!


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## Unholy Frog (Jan 31, 2013)

I'm currently working on "The Blitzkrieg Legend" by Karl-Heinz Frieser and finding it a fascinating read.


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## Nellisir (Jan 31, 2013)

Oooo..._The Dervish House_.  It was the good. 

Reading _X-Men: Mutant Massacre_ TPB over the weekend.  This was when I first started collecting comics.  I'd read the X-Men, X-Factor, and New Mutants issues, but not Thor, Power Pack, or Daredevil.

And then...hrm.  Maybe Raymond Chandler over the weekend.


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## Jdvn1 (Feb 5, 2013)

Currently reading Ari Marmell's Conqueror's Shadow.


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## Nellisir (Feb 5, 2013)

Read _The Lady in the Lake_, by Raymond Chandler.  I think that just leaves _The Little Sister_ and _Poodle Springs_.
Currently reading _The Devil's Company_, by David Liss.  Interesting.  I would -really- like it, but it's first-person narration and the character writes a little...fanciful.  I feel like it's slowing things down just a tad.  Still a good book, though.


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