What are you reading the week of May 18th, 2014?

[getting old in mke]

_The Well of Ascension_ by Brandon Sanderson.

Book 2 of the Mistborn fantasy series. I really like the way "magic" in the series combines special abilities (burning metal to attain a particular extra function) with physics (these functions may allow special abilities, like pulling and pushing remote objects, but direction and mass are always take into account).

[Enthusiast]

1. Thanks for starting the thread. My internet connection has been out for around 24 hours.

After I scheduled a visit by a technician, the faulty connection self corrected.

I am reading John Sandford's Field of Prey. I love these Sandford novels! This one is no exception.

[scarletwoman]

2. I'm a Sandford, fan, too!

I'm on the waiting list at my local library for Field of Prey - can't wait! I've read the entire Lucas Davenport series, along with the entire Virgil Flowers series, so far - next Flowers book isn't due out until this October.

Sorry about your connection problems, glad it's fixed!

[Enthusiast]

3. Thank you.

I believe the heavy rain might have been a factor with the internet connection. Our line is underground. We are saturated.

We love the Virgil Flowers books too.

[scarletwoman]

10. The fun thing for me about Sandford is that he's a Minnesota writer.

So all the locations where his stories take place are on my home ground, so to speak.

I grew up in St. Paul, and lived in Minneapolis on and off for about 20 years. Plus, I've pretty much traveled through every region of the state over the years.

It really is an extra kick to read about and recognize streets, neighborhoods, and landscapes that I've lived in or traveled through first hand.

[Enthusiast]

13. I wondered about that.

I wondered about living in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and reading the Lucas books.

I like books that give us a regional flavor. No one is going to make a book based on my area, however—the wilds of Ohio. It is pleasant enough here. But I would trade Ohio fishing for Minnesota's and Wisconsin's in a heartbeat.

[Mz Pip]

4. The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout

I liked Her other book, "Olive Kitteridge" and this one is very good, too. There are a couple of characters I just want to slap. They are realistically annoying.

[closeupready]

5. Grave Peril, book 3 of The Dresden Files. And The Great God Pan, by Arthur Machen.

The Machen story is actually quite short, but I'm reading it in snippets before bed, lol.

[Snarkoleptic]

6. Reading an anthology by upstart horror publisher Grey Matter Press.

Here are the reviews that convinced me to buy-

"This anthology brings together two of my great loves: science fiction and horror, with some speculative fiction thrown in for good measure. This is what happens if the works of Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, H.P. Lovecraft, and Stephen King consummated and had a baby." - Alicia Banks, HORROR NEWS NETWORK

"Ominous Realities boasts a formidable array of talented writers. The diversity of voice, style and prose is extraordinary and truly has something for everyone. Ominous Realities stands on its own in terms of appeal, allure and integrity." - Dave Gammon, HORROR NEWS

Ominous Realities: The Anthology of Dark Speculative Horrors

[SheilaT]

7. This week I'm reading

In the Woods by Tana French. So far (58 pages of 429) so good.

Irish detective at age twelve went into the woods near his home with two friends. The other two have never been seen since, and he has no memory (or at least I think he has no memory) of what happened. Good writing.

[scarletwoman]

9. Oh, that's a very good book!

I read it awhile back (1-2 years ago?) and liked it so much I've made sure to read the other three books she's written so far. Now I have to wait until September for her 5th book to come out.

What's interesting about her books is that, although they're all centered around her fictional members of the Dublin Murder Squad, each book is a story focused on mainly one of them - a different one in each book. So, whoever was the main character in one book sort of fades into the background in the next book.

I admit that I have a favorite so far, her 3rd book, Faithful Place. It's a wonderfully told story that drops you straight into the lives of the Dublin underclass. She paints the scenes and characters so vividly, you feel like you've actually been living in Ireland - and picked up a Gaelic accent, to boot.

For as long as Tana French keeps writing books, I will keep reading them!

[SheilaT]

11. Nice!

I've already decided I'll read more of her novels. Glad to know you've liked them.

[scarletwoman]

12. It always makes me happy to know that someone else has read something I've read too!

[TexasProgresive]

15. OK ladies, you sold me

I admit I am a sucker for mysteries, Ireland and women authors. I'm putting aside the post apocolypse Psycotenic League for The Likeness by Tana French. I was trying for In the Woods since it was her first but Likeness was the only one in the library across the street from where I work.

[scarletwoman]

17. Does your library do inter-library loans? If they do, you could maybe get her other books that way.

In any case, I hope you enjoy The Likeness, it's very unusual and fascinating story.

[TexasProgresive]

22. Yes we have inter-library loans

Ms. French has me caught. I have to know about Lexie.

[scarletwoman]

23. :D (nt)

[japple]

14. In the Woods is a wonderful book. I listened to it on CD 2 years ago when I

was recovering from eye surgery. Thanks for reminding me about Tana French. Will have to check out her other work. Her writing is very good.

[TexasProgresive]

8. I have 2 choices available

Poul Anderson's The Psychotechnic League (1981)
T.H. White's The Once and Future King (1939)
I'm leaning to Anderson as I read Once and Future King a few years ago.

[bravenak]

16. The Game

Teen dystopian.
http://www.amazon.com/Game-Life-Terry-Schott-ebook/dp/B009U5TCKU/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1400711341&sr=1-7&keywords=Life+is+a+game


Awesome series, i'm on the last one. Waiting for Winds of Winter.

Also: Far Forward. C.F. Waller. Another dystopian teen

Sand Omnibus again. Love Hugh Howey

And-' A Handbook of German Etymology', and 'Spanish Vocabulary an etymological approach'.

Been reading alot of Rhys Bowen too.

[antiquie]

18. Thank you, just downloaded The Game.

I've been reading YA and teen SF due to the Kindle prices and have been pleasantly surprised.

Love Hugh Howey, too.

[bravenak]

19. You are going to like it.

It's meta. The YA and dystopian authors are kicking butt these days.

[antiquie]

21. I do read a lot of dystopian fiction.

Cory Doctorow is another favorite.

[scarletwoman]

20. So busy talking about other books, I didn't get around to posting about the book I'm reading now.

Shadow Country by the late Peter Matthiessen.

Haven't gotten very far into it yet. It's a strange story and incredibly dense - not to mention, nearly 900 pages long. I'm only 60 pages in, because I have to keep back-tracking - I'm having a difficult time keeping track of all the characters.

The writing is wonderful, of course, but this clearly isn't a book that one can breeze through. It's taking quite a bit of concentration. The story takes place in a section of the Everglades called Ten Thousand Islands, in the years around the Civil war up to the early 1900s. It's a completely foreign landscape to me.

I'm giving it a try, anyway.

[closeupready]

24. The Shee, Joe Donnelly - really good horror book, never published in the US though.

Scarily reminiscent of current events - the theme is some kind of story where every day people in Ireland go on killing sprees in moments of demonic possession. Trying not to think in those terms, because as a work of fiction, it's good at being creepy and interesting.