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Our reads in December 2023
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dustydigger
Posted 2023-11-30 12:24 PM (#28598)
Subject: Our reads in December 2023



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Location: UK		Dusty's TBR for December

Stephen Leather - Midnight
Jack Vance - Book of Dreams
Isaac Asimov - Pirates of the Asteroids
C J Cherryh - Brothers of Earth
Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol
3 short stories to finish Pick N Mix challenge

Any spare time I am just reading light fluffy urban fantasty. Light,fun,needing no brains or intellectual efforts.They are beyond me at the moment.
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daxxh
Posted 2023-11-30 9:45 PM (#28601 - in reply to #28598)
Subject: Re: Our reads in December 2023



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Location: Great Lakes, USA		December Books

The Last Outlaws - Tom Clavin
The Evolutionary Void - Peter F. Hamilton
Dying Inside - Poul Anderson
Hammered - Elizabeth Bear
Eater - Gregory Benford
Quantico - Greg Bear
More Pulp to finish the challenge

I usually read a lot over the Christmas holiday, but who knows with this crazy end of year. Hope the books don't get packed accidentally.
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dustydigger
Posted 2023-12-04 4:20 AM (#28610 - in reply to #28601)
Subject: Re: Our reads in December 2023



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Location: UK		Finished my yearly December read of A Christmas Carol.Time travel and horror elements in the book give me a good excuse to add it here.lol.Probably about my 10th read of the book,and I have watched umpteen movie versions. Dickens is so good adaptors barely need an scriptwriter,just whole chunks of both narrative and dialogue are lifted straight from the page. Good stuff,5 star stuff. :0)
Also read a couple of urban fantasy fluff stuff,and now am reading some vintage crime. The next SF book will be Jack Vance The Book of Dreams,so I can finally finish off the Demon Princes sequence.Been meaning to do that for two and a half years!
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dustydigger
Posted 2023-12-04 12:50 PM (#28611 - in reply to #28598)
Subject: Re: Our reads in December 2023



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Location: UK		I had a lovely time rereading H Beam Piper's Omnilingual,my sort of martian exploration tale.An archaeologist is fruitlessly looking for the equivalent of a Rosetta Stone to unlock the impenetrable martian language. In the end she realizes that there is one universal scientific language across the whole universe. The periodic table gives a foothold into the language.
I always enjoy linguistic themed SF. Has anyone read Janet Kagan's Hellspark? I may get to that on my 2024 reading list. Plus Vance's Languages of Pao. Possibly a reread of Babel-17? Must be 20 years since I read that!
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FungusAmongUs-
Posted 2023-12-13 6:39 PM (#28628 - in reply to #28598)
Subject: Re: Our reads in December 2023



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Location: Western US		December TBR
I thought I would finally post one of these instead of just lurking, since the holiday break gives me enough time to actually do some reading for once.

Nona the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir - Finally going to finish this one up, absolutely love the series so far!
Parable of the Talents, Octavia E. Butler - I just finished Parable of the Sower for a class, excited for the sequel.
Hell Followed With Us, Andrew Joseph White - My rare foray into the world of YA. I'll admit it's mostly because I like the cover.
The Route of Ice and Salt, Jose Luis Zarate - Just reread Dracula and I promised my professor I would give her my opinion on this (she had some problems with it, but wants another take)
Cabal, Clive Barker - Recommended by a friend, also relevant to an essay I'm planning.
At the Mountains of Madness, H.P. Lovecraft - I'm not a Lovecraft fan, but I'm taking a class next semester where I know he'll come up, and it seems like a gap in my knowledge that I haven't read this.
Prokaryote Season, Leo Fox - I'm not sure if this one counts; I know there's speculative elements, but I think it's more surrealist than anything. It's also a graphic novel.

I also have a couple of nonfiction books, namely The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels and Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez, that I'm hoping to get to.

Edited by FungusAmongUs- 2023-12-13 6:40 PM
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dustydigger
Posted 2023-12-15 11:47 AM (#28633 - in reply to #28628)
Subject: Re: Our reads in December 2023



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Location: UK		Hi Fungus,and welcome! Yep,I wish more people would stop lurking and just pop in and say hello.
Interesting list.
Only ones I've read are the Le Guin Parable titles and the Lovecraft. I really enjoy HPLs short works,I am not so keen on his longer stuff.Its not an easy task to sustain horror over a long read,its difficult to keep it tense and thrilling.
And I REALLY need to reread Dracula. I've read it several times over the decdes,but probably I havent been near it for 30 years.
I have never forgotten my very first read,where Dracula is crawling face forward down the castle walls. It struck me at the time and I've never forgotten it.
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dustydigger
Posted 2023-12-15 12:22 PM (#28634 - in reply to #28598)
Subject: Re: Our reads in December 2023



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Location: UK		Read quite a bit fluffy urban fantasy this month so far,usually in the middle of the night when I cant sleep.
Seabury Quinn's Roads,was a charming little tale about Saint Nicholas,and I read a rather bland crime story no sooner read than forgotten,and I must try to complete Jack Vance's The Book of Dreams,and Asimov's Lucky Starr and the Pirates of the Asteroids.
My main read at the moment though is T Kingsolver's Nettle and Bone. Hmmm. I find most award winners these days quite pleasant,even light reads,but whats happened to meatier work,deeper themes,or spectacular verbal pyrotechnics?
I am enjoying Nettle and Bone,but I dont think it is oscar nomination worthy. Definitely felt vibes of Naomi Noviks work?
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dustydigger
Posted 2023-12-15 12:29 PM (#28635 - in reply to #28628)
Subject: Re: Our reads in December 2023



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Location: UK		Hi Fungus,and welcome! Yep,I wish more people would stop lurking and just pop in and say hello.
Interesting list.
Only ones I've read are the Le Guin Parable titles and the Lovecraft. I really enjoy HPLs short works,I am not so keen on his longer stuff.Its not an easy task to sustain horror over a long read,its difficult to keep it tense and thrilling.
And I REALLY need to reread Dracula. I've read it several times over the decdes,but probably I havent been near it for 30 years.
I have never forgotten my very first read,where Dracula is crawling face forward down the castle walls. It struck me at the time and I've never forgotten it. 60 years ago!
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dustydigger
Posted 2023-12-31 1:39 PM (#28661 - in reply to #28635)
Subject: Re: Our reads in December 2023



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Location: UK		Hi people,may I wish all WWEnders a Happy New Year. Hope it will be a great reading year.
I only read a couple of eligible reads for the group this month,spent much time reading fluff and trash,good fun and relaxing. I read most of them in the small hours when I was unable to sleep.
I am going to continue checking in with both this group and my Pick N Mix group. When push came to shove I just enjoyed having contact with other SF/F readers - even if I despair and getting any of you to join in.
Anyone is welcome to join us,to comment on our reads,just hanging out sharing our reading experiences.
Happy New Year to all of you!
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daxxh
Posted 2023-12-31 7:00 PM (#28668 - in reply to #28598)
Subject: Re: Our reads in December 2023



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Location: Great Lakes, USA		I finally finished The Sun Destroyers. It was a decent story but the book smelled awful. It isn't as bad now and perhaps I won't notice the moldy smell when I read the other half (Ace Double)..

My favorite book for December was The Evolutionary Void. Excellent trilogy! My least favorite book was Stranger Than You Think. It seemed to be a collection of stories with the same characters that were supposed to be funny? Or weird or something. Did not like it at all. It was also part of an Ace Double with a moldy reek. I may pull the Ace Doubles and let them sit open for a while before I read the rest of them.

Yay! I am glad the Pick N Mix Challenge will be back for 2024.
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lisagarrity
Posted 2023-12-31 11:56 PM (#28673 - in reply to #28598)
Subject: Re: Our reads in December 2023



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Location: California		Hi Dusty, I'm glad that you feel up to continuing the pick n mix for 2024. I ended up reading a lot more mystery than I intended this month but there were some great anthologies read. My Favorite Science Fiction Story was the best by far--17 favorite stories picked by top writers, there was not a clunker in the book. The latest Murderbot was fun as well.

Daxxh, you may want to put your moldy smelling books in a sealed plastic bag with clean baking soda for a week or so. Using cat litter can work as well but avoid the scented kind. Best of luck!
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