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Looks like I haven't posted by July reads yet!

Itsy Bitsy Spider by Kate Toms: I read this with my 3-year-old niece, who wandered off halfway through. However, I finished it on my own. Itsy Bitsy is a dumbass, because it turns out the solution to being washed out, (view spoiler)[the trick was to walk OVER the waterspout, not up INSIDE it. (hide spoiler)].

Saga, Vol. 7 by Brian K. Vaughan: The latest Saga collection. In case you have it on you, do NOT read this (or probably any others) in public: (view spoiler)[there's a giant penis on page 4. (hide spoiler)] I started reading this on the Metro like an idiot, and then put it away for later, haha. Great story, though, and I'm excited to see where it goes next--I think volume 8 comes out in January.

Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 129 edited by Neil Clarke. The June issue (I fell behind). I think "My Dear, Like the Sky and Stars and Sun" by Julia K. Patt and I guess "An Account of the Sky Whales" by A Que were the standouts.

The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin, translated by Ken Liu: I read this as part of my overall "Ken Liu Project" where I try to read a Ken Liu-written or -translated story per day (obviously the novels take me longer to get through) before he comes for Capclave in October. The structure of this novel was slightly odd in my mind, but I found it engrossing. I look forward to reading the sequels when they come up in my Project timeline.

Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 130 edited by Neil Clarke. The July issue (I caught up). "The Bridgegroom" by Bo Balder was excellent; "Travelers" by Rich Larson is probably how the movie Passengers should've gone.

Asimov's Science Fiction, July/August 2017 edited by Sheila Williams. I thought "How Sere Picked Up Her Laundry" by Alexander Jablokov was really great--a mystery set in a alien cosmopolitan city where humans are just one of many. I'd like to see a full novel on this.

Vanguard by Jack Campbell. The first of the Genesis Fleet, a prequel series to the Lost Fleet series. I thought this was good--it felt more like the Lost Stars fleet a bit, especially as the focus is on multiple characters (one of which is a Black Jack ancestor). There are some slight easter eggs in here, and I *think* non-Lost Fleet readers could get into it, but I'd honestly recommend reading Lost Fleet and going from there first, but this isn't a bad entry point.

The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu. The next in my "Ken Liu Project." This ended up being a really fun book for me to read, though there's really very little magic in it--it felt more like an historical novel with some real gods involved (though not so over the top like Homer's Iliad and Odyssey are). The characters were really great, and if you like reading about revolutions this is a pretty good one to sink into.

It is unfortunate that those older sections get buried so far they are not obvious on the website. I'm not sure I have a better solution, just noting it as a reminder to myself and others.

I have occasionally gone digging in them when I've read a book later, that I know the club has read earlier. But mostly only to read, not to post. I sometimes like to see opinions of others, but more often it's to look up if someone noticed something obscure I did, or something that confused me, and was wondering if someone knew the answer.

The old discussion sections are sorted by read order. You can browse them by going here: /topic/list_...

That link comes from clicking on the "all" link on the group main page.

Unfortunately Good Reads seems to have a hard limit of displaying 100 folders (while apparently allowing more than 100). The issue with this is that new folders are added to the end of the list and it's impossible to sort them to the top like I do each month for new books when it doesn't show up on the list.

I had to resort to consolidating folders by years for the first few years of the club. Next year I'll consolidate the folders for 2012.

There isn't really a great way to handle it that I've thought of, but I'm open to suggestions.

Orbital - not quite as fast-paced as the first one, but it's a good fit for this second story.

Race for the Iron Throne: Political and Historical Analysis of "A Game of Thrones" - can't remember if I mentioned this before, but I'm enjoying the heck out of it.

Still working on ODY-C, Meathead's book, Python For Kids, and Don Quixote.

John (Taloni) wrote: "I would be interested in your reactions as you go, if you feel like posting them here. Or if this isn't the right thread, a separate one."

I'm about 10% in so far and I'm enjoying the story. I'll probably be digging into the Sparrow's folder there but I'll also be posting in my book updates as well.

I'm about 130 pages into Elantris and it's slow going. I sure hope it picks up soon, because there are 500-some pages to go.

I've been dipping into Eclipse Phase: After The Fall, short stories about transhumanism and I finally hit a string of entertaining ones. I had just about given up on this collection.

The one thing I'm reading that's very entertaining is "17776", an online multimedia story about the future of football. The title refers to the year it takes place, and it's a lot of fun so far. The gist is that somewhere around 2025 we unlocked the secret of immortality, so for the next 15,000 years we've become somewhat stagnant as a culture. One of the ways humanity entertains itself is by playing outrageously bizarre versions of football. They've done a nice job balancing the silly with the profound, taking the notion that ordinary people who want to be immortal yet have no idea how to occupy an afternoon to its logical conclusion. I have no idea where I am in relation to the end, which sort of underscores the entire concept.

Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner. Interesting mix of the visionary and the hideously dated. The cut-up structure was good but really slowed the novel's pace. ★★★☆�.

The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian by Robert Howard. Wasn't a fan. Here's my review. ★★☆☆�.

All Systems Red by Martha Wells. Picked up this novella since it was getting a lot of positive hype. Thought it was okay but nothing special. ★★★☆�.

Looking forward to a lot of stuff coming out soon. The Five Daughters of the Moon drops today, The Strange Bird: A Borne Story August 1st, The Stone Sky August 15th. Somewhere in there I'll need to find time to read The Gunslinger and the new Wayward Children novella.

Trike wrote: "I'm about 130 pages into Elantris and it's slow going. I sure hope it picks up soon, because there are 500-some pages to go.

I've been dipping into [book:Eclipse Phase: After The Fall..."

Nope. Elantris is a very slow burn. While I liked it, it was way slower than Warbreaker.

Finished Orbital -> review: /review/show...

Started: The Lives of Tao

Eric wrote: "Finished Orbital -> review: /review/show...

Started: The Lives of Tao"

I really enjoyed the Tao books.

Rob wrote: "Eric wrote: "Finished Orbital -> review: /review/show...

Started: The Lives of Tao"

I really enjoyed the Tao books."

That's good to hear. I enjoy your intro the podcast. :)

Since my last post I've read:

Sandman Slim - perfectly snarky uf. Loved it.
Deathless - gorgeous re-imagined fairy tale.
Old Man's War - interesting concept. I've retitled it "Elder's Game by Nicholas Sparks" in my head.
Frankenstein - Spookier than I anticipated!
Written in Red - the cutest book about self harm I've ever read.
Fahrenheit 451 - tinfoil hat back on. Favorite books added to bug out bag.
The Obelisk Gate - I want Nora to tell me every story.
A Wizard of Earthsea - Can't believe I didn't read this when I was a kid. Fixing ASAP.
The Metamorphosis - what a strange person!
Too Like the Lightning - I can't recommend this book. You just need to read it so we can discuss it. Can't stop thinking about it!
A Wrinkle in Time - reread for a group. It was just as okay as I remember.

About to finish Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? which took me awhile to get into, but now I'm invested!

Then onto Kill the Dead, Hounded and Seven Surrenders because of all the books I've read this year, Sandman Slim and Too Like the Lightning are the only two I need to read to know what happens next more than I need to read all the other books I said I'd read. And Hounded is in there because it was shorter than another book I said I'd read this year, so I can mostly stay on track even with my second book detours.

Allison, are you missing a word in your line about TLTL? You sound like you hate it, but then you apparently don't? :)

David wrote: "Allison, are you missing a word in your line about TLTL? You sound like you hate it, but then you apparently don't? :)"

Ha! I love it. But I can't recommend it. It's got so much going on that I have no idea who the audience is. You should read the preview. If you are interested and don't mind the writing style, you should know by the 25% mark if you're going to enjoy it or not. It's bizarre, messed up, brilliant writing.

Just finished Artful by Peter David. This is essentially The Artful Dodger and Vampyres in the same vein (Ha) as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
It's a fun, quick read written in a pseudo-Dickensian style. Obviously it's a little better if you're at least familiar with the story of Oliver Twist.
Starting Beren and Lúthien.

Oh, I read TLTL earlier this year and thought it was great. I think the audience is anyone open to new things, whether it's Palmer's world or 18th century philosophy, haha.

I just recommend TLTL to everyone and then cut off all contact with the ones that didn't like it.

Brendan wrote: "I just recommend TLTL to everyone and then cut off all contact with the ones that didn't like it."

lmao!

David wrote: "Oh, I read TLTL earlier this year and thought it was great. I think the audience is anyone open to new things, whether it's Palmer's world or 18th century philosophy, haha."

haha! Maybe I should. But it's got so many (view spoiler)[really upsetting concepts in it about really horrific things (hide spoiler)] that I have a hard time being like "yes, definitely go read this."

Have both of you read Seven Surrenders already? If not, sounds like there may be a thread starting for it maybe in the next week?

True, you're right--I read your review, so I definitely see that. I don't know why those aspects didn't bother me--my reaction was more "holy shit wtf, I gotta keep reading" than "ugh this is bs, f this shit" ¯\_(�)_/¯

Allison wrote: "Have both of you read Seven Surrenders already? If not, sounds like there may be a thread starting for it maybe in the next week?"

Yep, one of the few sequels i've given a 5/5.

Brendan wrote: "Allison wrote: "Have both of you read Seven Surrenders already? If not, sounds like there may be a thread starting for it maybe in the next week?"

Yep, one of the few sequels i've given a 5/5."

Awesome. I'm really pumped to read it. I'll check your review after (I want to go in as blind as possible!) :-)

Brendan wrote: "I just recommend TLTL to everyone and then cut off all contact with the ones that didn't like it."

Seems like a terribly cut and dry way to look at things.

Geoff wrote: "Seems like a terribly cut and dry way to look at things."

It was a joke, friend.

David wrote: "True, you're right--I read your review, so I definitely see that. I don't know why those aspects didn't bother me--my reaction was more "holy shit wtf, I gotta keep reading" than "ugh this is bs, f..."

Haha! That's basically how I read it, too. And then I turned to other bookish friends and was like "wow this book! You should...actually you'd hate it! But I really want you to read it anyways!"

Allison wrote: "Since my last post I've read:
Fahrenheit 451 - tinfoil hat back on. Favorite books added to bug out bag."

Just in time for the from HBO films, starring , and Sofia Boutella.

Louie wrote: "Allison wrote: "Since my last post I've read:
Fahrenheit 451 - tinfoil hat back on. Favorite books added to bug out bag."

Just in time for the new movie adaptation from HBO films, star..."

Huh! I don't know how I feel about that. Most of the "meat" of it is psychological. Or at least philosophical.

I finished Luna: New Moon and it was kind of amazing. Here is my review

We totally need an Ian McDonald sci-fi pick sometime. Make it happen, Tom!

Next time can you put the title link rather than cover link? I don't know how they look to anyone else, but to me the photos are nearly microscopic, so I can't read them. My pinky fingernail is larger.

Currently listening to The World Walker. It's been on my tablet for a while. It's not what I thought it would be. A cool mix of magic and aliens. It's a bit like X-files and has a "raspy whisperer" bad guy.

Because I loved The Brotherhood of the Wheel, I went looking for more by Belcher. Started the Golgotha series: The Six-Gun Tarot. It has a really great base on American history and spooky Western frontier town. Story is a mix of different genres and I'm enjoying it. It's not as well written as BotW but it has very engaging characters and a haunting, dirty setting.

For those who like illustrations and animations, go look at the Kindle version of Off to Be the Wizard. The illustrations are animated! Which makes the kid in me happy. It's on Kindle Unlimited as a Read & Listen. The MC annoys the crap out of me so I aim to speed read the ebook. That way I can look at the cool pix while sticking my tongue out at the MC who is currently a brat.

Jessica wrote: "I finished New Moon..."

I absolutely loved that book, the sequel came out earlier this year and it is also fantastic

Very slowly working my way through Storm of Swords but enjoying it and Leviathan Wakes which is really good so far

I've been reading Dragons at Crumbling Castle by Terry Pratchett. It contains some stories for kids he wrote as a teenager working for a local paper. The LA public library had it on their splash page when I logged in and I said "what the heck."

It's always been a crapshoot for me to read early works by authors I like. More often than not it's a collection of mostly dross with the occasional inspired story. Not this one. Pratchett shows humor and insight along with a strong sense of story. As a teenager!

My most recent listens:

Towers of Midnight - ★★★★� - (My Review)

Run Program - ★★★½☆ - (My Review)

I'm longing for something good to read, actually. I've been trying to read the Hugo award nominees, but with the exception of A Close and Common Orbit, none of them are gripping me...

Started reading The Last Gunfight: The Real Story of the Shootout at the O.K. Corral--And How It Changed The American West before all the club reads begin next month.

Hrm.... what have I read since last time? I think this is it:

Europe in Autumn and Europe at Midnight - semi-near future spy thrillers set in a fracturing, post-EU Europe which has Something Wrong.

The Delirium Brief by Charlie Stross, a return to form in a series that I was afraid was tending toward parody.

The Punch Escrow a teleportation misadventure.

Dead Things - it's not always fun being a necromancer, you know.

Next up, Borne I think and finishing Phantom Pains

I also whipped through a collection of science essays done by an Italian physicist. Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli. I've read a bunch of similar works, mostly by Hawking, that are well presented but not fun. Rovelli is a blast. Instead of the usual terse, logical explanations that science books use, Rovelli shows a joyful love of science and a sense of fun that works well even in translation. His explanation of the theory of tiny, discrete units of space and time looping together in a chain to create the universe was mind blowing. Just plain fabulous reading.

This was another LA Public Library suggestion. They really seem to know their stuff.

I read that Rovelli too - it's a lot of fun.

Scott wrote: "Jessica wrote: "I finished New Moon..."

I absolutely loved that book, the sequel came out earlier this year and it is also fantastic"

I've got the sequel coming from the library soon :)

For July I read
Lord of Shadows
The Rise of Io
Sins of Empire
Snapshot
Pilot X
She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders
Long Black Veil

and I'm currently working on
Imprudence
and The Gunslinger

I enjoyed all of them. This year has been a really great book year so far!

I am mid-read on Children of Time and I never thought I would be interested in spiders. Thoughtful, intelligent spiders. The book does not intend to scare the reader, there are not any jump scares. Super interesting.

Aftermath: Life Debt.

Starting Hawkwood and the Kings

Just starting my first China Miéville book: Kraken. I'm up to chapter six and still clueless as to what is going on. But with 76 more chapters to go, there's still a possibility of finding out. Can't wait to figure it out.