While She Knits - Whatcha Been Reading?

[checkers65477]

I've been in a bit of a reading slump lately. How about you?

Have you read something recently that you'd like to recommend to others? Tell us about it.

Comments

[ibmiller]

Been reading a lot of comics, as usual. A mediocre effort by Greg Rucka for a Dragon Age video game tie-in called Magekiller, and a really good collection of one-shot adventures by Warren Ellis in the Secret Avengers series called "Run the Mission, Don't Get Seen, Save the World".

As I posted a bit ago, I found out that Elizabeth Moon is releasing a new book in the Vatta series called Cold Welcome in 11 days, so I've been rereading the first five books. Halfway through the second, Marque and Reprisal, after finishing the first, Trading in Danger. Highly recommended.

Read a very funny science fiction novel called Aye, Robot, by Robert Kroese, the sequel to another funny novel called Starship Grifters. Almost Pratchett-esque, though science fiction rather than fantasy.

I'm also half-dreading the new Netflix series of Anne of Green Gables (the wikipedia summaries for the episodes make it clear that it's trying way to hard to be dark and gritty), so I've been listening to the radio drama of the first book.

[ninedaysaqueen]

Applying the terms dark and gritty to Anne of Green Gables is in and of itself a contradiction. I'm very confused... 🤔

"I am in the depths of despair."

[freenarnian]

Anne of Green Gables? Dark and gritty? Say whaaat?

(My loyalty lies with Megan Follows, anyway.)

Re: "I am in the depths of despair."

[ibmiller]

My loyalty is to the 8 books :). But Megan is amazing for the first one, though the second and third drift the character away from the character I loved. Too much ridiculous fake love interest stuff.

The "dark and gritty" seems to be what happens when an EMMY WINNING WRITER wants to do a kids book.

[ninedaysaqueen]

I just finished I Woke Up Dead at the Mall. It's as good as it sounds. XD I'm reading The Martian at the moment which is also a lot of fun. It's an interesting, fresh take on the whole one man survives against all odds in the wilderness trope.

[freenarnian]

I recently finished Leigh Bardugo's Grisha trilogy, and while they weren't my favorite books ever (the story was too clichéd), her writing is entertaining (as I discovered reading her Six of Crows duology) and I appreciated the depth of her world-building. It's very multicultural compared to most fantasy settings, and I particularly liked the Russian flare in her people/place names, and in her descriptions of food and clothing, etc.

Plus, she's a fan of MWT, and I was pleased to see that nice little promo blurb she did for the new cover of King of Attolia!

I'm still halfway through Ron Chernow's Hamilton biography. In my defense, it is a Very Large book with Very Small print. But I love biographies, and this one inspired the musical that's getting so much buzz lately, so I'm invested in finishing it. (Here's hoping I can splurge on a ticket while the show's playing in Chicago...)

Aside from other less stimulating texts I'm reading for various reasons, I'm enjoying my re-read of KoA, and editing my own book (slowly but surely).

[checkers65477]

I LOVED Six of Crows and the sequel. Tell us about your own book?

[freenarnian]

I found them entertaining. :) The team dynamic of the main characters appealed to the same part of me that loves Firefly and similar stories. She handles multiple POVs pretty well, though I preferred certain characters' narration over others. (Kaz and Inej. <3)

My friend and I co-wrote a book over the course of two years, and have spent the last year or so getting feedback and giving it a good polish. We were inspired by the co-authorship of books such as Sorcery and Cecelia. It's a fantasy set in the pseudo-1930s-40s (WWII era) and borrows loosely from the Atlantis legend and Hans Christian Andersen's Little Mermaid. We're just starting the hunt for an agent!

[frosted_feather]

Good luck on finding an agent! It's so neat that several of us are writers here. I also want to start looking for an agent, but I want to get some more beta readers' feedback on my first book (a YA fantasy in the spirit of Jane Eyre).
Someday wouldn't it be nice for both of us to announce to Sounis that we have books coming out?!

[rj_anderson]

My favorite recent reads are both non-fiction, and both by the same author: Alex Soojung-Kim Pang's THE DISTRACTION ADDICTION and his newest book REST

[thnidu]

Copied!...

[frosted_feather]

This is a good reminder for me. I try to write on my own fiction weeknights and every Saturday. Somedays I spend all day writing and get nothing done. It really depends on whether I'm in a creative mind-set, which happens more when I'v had time to think freely.

[freenarnian]

I love your icon! :)

[thnidu]

I've been enjoying Zanda Myronde's posts on Patreon. (https://www.patreon.com/zandamyrande/posts)