What are you currently reading?

About to start A Song for the End of the World by Mia Dalia.

Another novella length piece from her, after reading Alakazam earlier this year.

B

Posted by: @brlesh

↑

About to start A Song for the End of the World by Mia Dalia.

Another novella length piece from her, after reading Alakazam earlier this year.

B

Finished up A Song for the End of the World by Mia Dalia. 

It didn’t go in the direction I thought it would.  Overall, a quick, enjoyable read.

After ASFTEOTW, I read Soft Flotsam Tender Jetsam by Clay McLeod Chapman.  For the most part, I haven’t cared for what I’ve read by Chapman, but SFTJ blew me away.  About a (mostly) dead-beat father grieving for the daughter he lost in the Brandywine Campground floods.

Not a lot goes on in this short story, just a man grieving in his own way for a lost child.

Up next, back to Best New Horror, Vol. 1, from Black Crow Books, an anthology of all original horror stories, that three stories in, as been pretty good so far.

B

Reading THE BOOK OF THE BEAST trilogy by Robert Stallman. Centipede announced a month or so ago that they were reprinting it, and so since I’d never heard of it, I thought I’d give it a read. I’m about halfway through the first volume and am enjoying it very much.

Posted by: @ronclinton

↑

Reading THE BOOK OF THE BEAST trilogy by Robert Stallman. Centipede announced a month or so ago that they were reprinting it, and so since I’d never heard of it, I thought I’d give it a read. I’m about halfway through the first volume and am enjoying it very much.

This is good to hear. I'd like to know your thoughts once completed. I, too, have never heard of these books, but since Centipede is doing them, I'm rather intrigued.

I have recently restarted The Passage by Justin Cronin and am heck bent on getting through the trilogy, which I have so far failed multiple times in achieving. For those keeping track, this is my fourth time reading the first book in the trilogy. I was hoping to get through all three books before I return to school in a few weeks to begin my graduate program, but it looks like I'll be lucky if I get all the way through the first and partway through the second. 

I've heard rumors there might be new limited editions of the trilogy forthcoming, so I'm heck bent on getting through it this time in order to make an informed decision if and when the trilogy is announced. 

Posted by: @sock_monkey

↑

I have recently restarted The Passage by Justin Cronin and am heck bent on getting through the trilogy, which I have so far failed multiple times in achieving.

For what it's worth, you might see if you like the trilogy better if you listen to the audio book versions instead... I had trouble reading The Hobbit & the Lord of the Rings books but enjoyed them immensely when I listened to them instead...  

Posted by: @rmquist

↑

Posted by: @sock_monkey

↑

I have recently restarted The Passage by Justin Cronin and am heck bent on getting through the trilogy, which I have so far failed multiple times in achieving.

For what it's worth, you might see if you like the trilogy better if you listen to the audio book versions instead... I had trouble reading The Hobbit & the Lord of the Rings books but enjoyed them immensely when I listened to them instead...  

I actually really enjoy the books, but I have the darnedest time finishing series. I always start strong, but somewhere along the way, I just fall off. Sometimes I can just pick up where I left off, even if there is a long gap between readings. For example, I didn't need to brush up on Ender's Game to enjoy Speaker for the Dead. However, there are just so many characters and threads throughout Cronin's series that I feel like I'm scrambling to get caught up after a gap in time between starting the next book.

I decided that this I wouldn't take a break between books, so hopefully I'll make it through. It's going to be slow going once school starts. One class alone has ten or eleven books assigned.

@sock_monkey Good luck! Hope you make it through the series this time.

Posted by: @sock_monkey

↑

It's going to be slow going once school starts. One class alone has ten or eleven books assigned

Good luck with your classes! Hopefully you'll be able to find some time to read for enjoyment during the semester 

Posted by: @dannyboy121070

↑

@sock_monkey Good luck! Hope you make it through the series this time.

Thanks! I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I'm afraid if I don't complete it this time, I never will.

Posted by: @rmquist

↑

Posted by: @sock_monkey

↑

It's going to be slow going once school starts. One class alone has ten or eleven books assigned

Good luck with your classes! Hopefully you'll be able to find some time to read for enjoyment during the semester 

Thanks! I'm going to try to carve out a little bit of time each day for pleasure reading. It's easy when you're doing so much assigned reading, most of which usually isn't anything I'd ever choose to read on my own, to lose sight of the fun of reading. I'm hoping to counterbalance this a bit more than I did during my undergrad years.

Posted by: @ronclinton

↑

Reading THE BOOK OF THE BEAST trilogy by Robert Stallman. Centipede announced a month or so ago that they were reprinting it, and so since I’d never heard of it, I thought I’d give it a read. I’m about halfway through the first volume and am enjoying it very much.

I finished the first volume of the trilogy and enjoyed it...there are a few issues, mostly to do with POV and segmented/fractured storylines, but they could also be written off as deliberate choices rather than debut-author weaknesses, and I could see that argument being made. I'd give it a 7.5/10, and am looking forward to the next/second volume. Interestingly, it's not SF as originally marketed, and it's barely horror (though it has a few scenes that would qualify), even though its protagonist is a monster/creature...it's almost more of a literary coming-of-age saga with a strong theme of what-does-it-mean-to-be-human with all genre flourishes being largely secondary. Reminds me a bit of BLIND VOICES by Tom Reamy in its quasi-literary approach to the fantastic...interesting that that book, too, was a debut work by an author who died before (or shortly after) publication.

I'll report back on the second volume...we'll see if it remains a strong narrative, or like too many series, tends to trail off as the story wears on.

Up next, back to Best New Horror, Vol. 1, from Black Crow Books, an anthology of all original horror stories, that three stories in, as been pretty good so far.

B

Finished up Best New Horror, which after a promising beginning, kind of petered out after the first few stories.

After Best New Horror, I started Professor Challenger: Island of Terror by William Meikle.  

This is a reread for me, and such a fun story.

Velociraptors run amok in the fog shrouded moors of England!

B

Posted by: @sock_monkey

↑

I have recently restarted The Passage by Justin Cronin and am heck bent on getting through the trilogy, which I have so far failed multiple times in achieving. For those keeping track, this is my fourth time reading the first book in the trilogy. I was hoping to get through all three books before I return to school in a few weeks to begin my graduate program, but it looks like I'll be lucky if I get all the way through the first and partway through the second. 

I've heard rumors there might be new limited editions of the trilogy forthcoming, so I'm heck bent on getting through it this time in order to make an informed decision if and when the trilogy is announced. 

Good luck on finishing the trilogy.

I know that a lot of people kind of bash the later books in the trilogy, but for my money, I thought all three were great.

Cronin is just an incredible story teller.

Hoping to read The Ferryman this fall.

You definitely have me intrigued about a new limited edition for the trilogy.

B 

Posted by: @brlesh

↑

Posted by: @sock_monkey

↑

I have recently restarted The Passage by Justin Cronin and am heck bent on getting through the trilogy, which I have so far failed multiple times in achieving. For those keeping track, this is my fourth time reading the first book in the trilogy. I was hoping to get through all three books before I return to school in a few weeks to begin my graduate program, but it looks like I'll be lucky if I get all the way through the first and partway through the second. 

I've heard rumors there might be new limited editions of the trilogy forthcoming, so I'm heck bent on getting through it this time in order to make an informed decision if and when the trilogy is announced. 

Good luck on finishing the trilogy.

I know that a lot of people kind of bash the later books in the trilogy, but for my money, I thought all three were great.

Cronin is just an incredible story teller.

Hoping to read The Ferryman this fall.

You definitely have me intrigued about a new limited edition for the trilogy.

B 

 

Thanks. Like I said previously, I'm really committed to it this time. I agree that Cronin can really weave a narrative. Since I'm on my fourth (!) read of the first book, this time around I can really appreciate the craft the construction. I really want to know how many drafts he took each book of the trilogy through because it's really intricately plotted. 

The first time I read The Twelve I was a little disappointed. However, the second time I read it, I liked it a lot. I'm wondering what I'll think on my third read. 🙂 

I have Lividian's edition of The Ferryman on my shelf. I have yet to read it, but it sure is pretty!