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Our reads in February 2022
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dustydigger
Posted 2022-01-31 1:37 PM (#23766)
Subject: Our reads in February 2022



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Location: UK		Another month,lots of new books to read.What are your plans for February?
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dustydigger
Posted 2022-01-31 2:36 PM (#23767 - in reply to #23766)
Subject: Re: Our reads in February 2022



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Location: UK		Dusty's TBR for February
SF/Fantasy
Roger Zelazny - Creatures of Light and Darkness
Maurice Richardson - Exploits of Engelbrecht
Clifford D Simak - Enchanted Pilgrimage
Lester Del Rey - Attack from Atlantis
Evan Hunter - Danger,Dinosaurs

the short fiction reads
Joanna Russ - When Things Changed
Isaac Asimov - The Last Question
Ted Chiang - Story of Your Life
Alfred Bester - Fondly Fahrenheit
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Weesam
Posted 2022-01-31 2:39 PM (#23768 - in reply to #23766)
Subject: Re: Our reads in February 2022



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Location: New Zealand		I can't believe we've finished January already!

I have 50 pages of books on my e-reader available to read (8 books per page). I go through the pages and pick one book off each page, and throw them into a Currently Reading shelf. Once I've finished everything on that shelf I go back to the main book pages and do it all over again. It's fun and it also means I never know what I'm going to be reading.

Right now I'm about to start Shadows by Robin McKinley. I do love a good McKinley so am looking forward to it.

Also, I will continue with my quest to re-read all the Lackey Valdemar books. I believe Arrows of the Queen is next.
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dustydigger
Posted 2022-01-31 3:44 PM (#23770 - in reply to #23766)
Subject: Re: Our reads in February 2022



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Location: UK		I choose my reads according to different threads - award winners/juveniles/stuff like Doc Smith/50s stuff from the 50s Defining Books list,and an occasional later classic book or popular stuff.
Makes for variety!
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daxxh
Posted 2022-01-31 6:40 PM (#23771 - in reply to #23770)
Subject: Re: Our reads in February 2022



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Location: Great Lakes, USA		I am reading Dead Space at the moment and doubt I will finish it this evening. I saw it on the PKD nominee list and, finding out that the main character shares my name, I had to read it. It is also a murder mystery, so I was sure I would like it. And so far, I do. I tend to pick my books like that - see them on a list or read someone's review and decide I have to read it. It leaves a lot of scrambling at the end of the year to get challenges finished. I also have lots of books I haven't read because I keep finding recommendations, keep downloading books from Kindle Unlimited, and finding random books from used bookstores.

I have The Exiled Fleet, Defekt and the latest Louise Erdrich book, The Sentence, which I am not sure qualifies for this site (there is a hint of a ghost but I am not sure if it is a main character) from the library for this month. I also plan on reading a Star Trek book and am almost half through the audio version of The Shadow Rising - Book 4 of The Wheel of Time.

I don't know if I will get all of them read this month. I may find some other random book that I just have to read NOW, or Dusty will mention a short story that I have to read or reread. 😊 I may dig out The Essential Ellison and reread more of his short stories.

Edited by daxxh 2022-01-31 6:50 PM
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dustydigger
Posted 2022-02-01 4:31 AM (#23772 - in reply to #23766)
Subject: Re: Our reads in February 2022



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Location: UK		Sorry,daxxh,for adding to your TBR with short stories. I have been fixated on novels for decades,but Jim Wallace Harris is a great resource on short stories. He collected together various lists I am following through on


Edited by dustydigger 2022-02-01 4:57 AM
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dustydigger
Posted 2022-02-01 4:53 AM (#23773 - in reply to #23766)
Subject: Re: Our reads in February 2022



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Location: UK		About mentioning titles on your TBR which are not strongly SF/F/H. I dont mind,its interesting and part of your reading,so no problem.
I have a project going to read ancient classical drama. Sometimes the greek gods are mentioned,sometimes not. And the Iliad is on WWEnds database,so plays about characters there could be discussed,though titles are not in our database. IMO
Just now I am starting Euripides Medea. Nice lady,her guy Jason got a new ladyfriend,so Medea retaliated by poisoning her,and killing her own sons to Jason out of spite.Charming.
Hmm,sounds as if the play would be right at home on a WWEnd horror list! lol.

Edited by dustydigger 2022-02-01 5:12 AM
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Weesam
Posted 2022-02-03 3:38 PM (#23784 - in reply to #23773)
Subject: Re: Our reads in February 2022



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Location: New Zealand		Well, mentioning reading that isn't genre, I am currently reading Annalee Newitz's non-fiction history book, Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age. Only into the first of the four cities so far, ?atalh?y?k in Turkey. The other four cities she looks at are Pompeii, Angkor in Cambodia, and Cahokia, by the Mississippi River.

Fascinating book. Looking forward to finding out more about Angkor, and Cahokia, which I've never heard of before.
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dustydigger
Posted 2022-02-04 4:13 PM (#23787 - in reply to #23766)
Subject: Re: Our reads in February 2022



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Location: UK		Angkor Wat looks fascinating.Back in the 70s I came across a book with wonderful photos of it.At the time little restoration had been done,because of the horrors of life under Pol Pot etc,.The whole thing was covered by jungle and vines had twined around statues,and everything looked ready to fall down.In fact the vines etc seemed to be holding the place up! Amazing to see pictures of it today,beautifully restored. Enjoy reading about those lost cities Weesam
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dustydigger
Posted 2022-02-04 4:39 PM (#23788 - in reply to #23766)
Subject: Re: Our reads in February 2022



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Location: UK		Finished Abaddon's Gate. Not really keen,I found the book a bit disjointed (because it is written by 2 authors colaborating?) There were several places which were very slow,the main characters in the first book seem to be marginalised as the series goes on,and there were lots of characters I didnt like.Some motivations of people seemed unlikely . All in all it was only a 3 star read to me and I wont be continuing with the series..
I've been reading several of the Winston juvenile series,great fun.Also reading some guilty pleasure novels from the series Brian Helsing :the World's Most Unlikely Vampire Hunter . Short light and amusing tales.
Life has been very fraught getting Mr Dusty prepared for his trip abroad. Problems and difficulties on all sides,including tonight when at the airport he had mislaid his tickets. Fortunately the staff on duty were able to take info from the QR code on his Covid vaccine form ,they went online and reprinted everything,and he finally got going. We were among the earliest people checking in,but after 15 minutes hassle the queue behind us was HUGE. Very embarrassing lol..I intend to chill out all weekend to recuperate from the stress,and I am going to relax reading light stuff just for fun till my nerves settle.
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daxxh
Posted 2022-02-04 7:03 PM (#23790 - in reply to #23788)
Subject: Re: Our reads in February 2022



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Location: Great Lakes, USA		I have been reading Phryne Fisher mysteries in addition to science fiction. I have two left. I guess I will have to find another mystery series. I have read all the Tony Hillerman and Anne Hillerman books and all Craig Johnson's Longmire books. Anne Hillerman has a new one coming out soon. I may go back and read the Dick Francis books that I haven't read yet. I am not sure I will remember which I have already read since I read those a long time ago. A friend recommended Inspector Bonaparte Mysteries so I am hunting those.

I started The Sentence and it does have a ghost. I also started The Exiled Fleet which picks up right where The Last Watched ended.

@Dusty - I was on a classical kick many years ago. I read the Illiad and The Odyessy (read parts in school, but not the whole tale) and reread Beowulf. I really like Beowulf. I found The Satyricon when I was unpacking books last summer and I had wanted to read my dad's copy of Caesar's Gallic Wars. I still want to read that one, but what little Latin I knew is almost forgotten now.

@Weesam - Cahokia is fascinating. I have read about it and recently bought Cahokia by Timothy Pauketat. It is on Mount TBR. I love reading about ancient civilizations and have the Four Lost Cities on hold from the library. Thanks for the recommendation.
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daxxh
Posted 2022-02-04 8:43 PM (#23791 - in reply to #23790)
Subject: Re: Our reads in February 2022



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Location: Great Lakes, USA		Odyssey - I actually can spell but my phone kept changing it to Other. It finally decided on whatever it wanted instead of Odyssey.
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Weesam
Posted 2022-02-04 11:29 PM (#23792 - in reply to #23791)
Subject: Re: Our reads in February 2022



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Location: New Zealand		Hey Daxxh

I'm a big fan of ancient history and civilisations as well. The older the better for me, so this one is right up my alley. Hope you enjoy it when you get it from the library.
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dustydigger
Posted 2022-02-06 11:17 AM (#23797 - in reply to #23766)
Subject: Re: Our reads in February 2022



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Location: UK		I used to read a lot of ancient classic, - Metamorphises,Golden Ass,.Lysistrata ec, Its many years since I read the Iliad,and I have it pencilled in for this year,plus the Aeneid,possibly Beowulf (50plus years since I read it) and Gawain and the Green Knight ,probably near the end of the year,once I have saturated myself with the ancient world.
In primary school the last 30 minutes of the day was quiet reading time,and in year 5 our form teacher readaloud the Odyssey in a prose translation and I loved it and have been a fan ever since
.One reason I love James Joyce's Ulysses is I have so much fun puzzling out all the Odysseus references.! lol. Read it 3 times and had barely scratched the surface.
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Lindara
Posted 2022-02-22 5:58 AM (#23853 - in reply to #23771)
Subject: Re: Our reads in February 2022



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Thanks for reminding me about The Sentence. It was one of those books I thought I'd put on my list but then I forgot about. And when I went to my library website, I saw that Louise Erdrich has also written a dystopian novel, Future Home of the Living God.
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daxxh
Posted 2022-02-23 10:38 PM (#23855 - in reply to #23853)
Subject: Re: Our reads in February 2022



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Location: Great Lakes, USA		@Lindara - I like Louise Erdrich's books. My favorite, so far, is The Painted Drum.

February Books:

Dead Space - very good. A murder mystery on an asteroid. And I love that the main character is named Hester and is nothing like Hester in The Scarlet Letter.

Remnants of Hope - a Star Wars short story that really needs an editor.

Defekt - ok. I have pictures of sentient furniture in my head now.

The Star Pit - good, but kind of sad. I love Delany.

The Shadow Rising - would have enjoyed this a lot more had the main characters acted like the adults they are instead of acting like adolescents with their boy/girl battles. I am taking a break from this series for a little while.

The Sentence - good. I like Louise Erdrich's writing and plan on reading more of her books.

Elder Race - a very entertaining story. Adrian Tchaikovsky is becoming one of my favorite authors.

The Ugly Little Boy - good story. I am not sure how I missed reading this one until now.

Tango Charlie and Foxtrot Romeo - another good story.

Termination Shock - excellent. This may be my favorite book of the year. Highly recommended.

I am currently reading Neptune by Ben Bova. So far, it is better than Uranus, which was pretty awful. We will see. I read numerous Bova books many years ago and remember liking them. Perhaps I should read the older ones and skip the recent ones.
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dustydigger
Posted 2022-02-24 2:00 PM (#23856 - in reply to #23855)
Subject: Re: Our reads in February 2022



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Location: UK		Not been tracking my reading much this month,and wifi has been dropping in and out,often being off several days. And the last 4 days it was off entirely.I read several the Winston juveniles,some ridiculous but fun fluff about theworld's unlikliest vampire hunter people discovering alien tech or spaceships.all interspersing some more substantial reads,including;

Maurice Richardson - The Exploits of Engelbrecht was totally bonkers,but I loved its weird combining of sport and fantasy. Brilliant

Mur Lafferty - Six Wakes.Enjoyed this murder in space story,like a locked room mystery in space - with clones! Cool

Neil Gaiman - Season of Mists. One of the best episodes of the Sandman series,great storyline,though I wasnt too keen on some of the artwork.

Jack Vance - The Dying Earth.I mainly read this because it was a strong influence on Gene Wolfe and his Book of the New Sun,but I quite enjoyed this series of looselyconnected tales set in our earth millions of years in the future when the sun is dying and technology has faded away and,(shades of Clarke),has become magic.Definitely an influential book

I also read some classic short stories,and am almost finished a Clifford D Simak fantasy novel .Hmm,not outstanding but does have some of the things I admire in Simak - his wonderful descriptions of the rural landscape,and his warmth and respect for humanity.I'm reading T E D Klein's Events at Poroth Farm. Southern Gothic mingling with weird fiction in a genuinely creepy way!



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