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It's officially summer! Time for beach reads and school vacations, even if most of us aren't going anywhere right now. Let us know what you are loving right now!

I've just finished A Memory Called Empire which may be my favourite book of the year to date, and the audiobook of Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men which is also a must-read.



I'm looking forward Gideon the Ninth along with several other book club reads this month - The Soldier, Servant of the Underworld, Where the Bodies Are Buried, The Starless Sea, Black Leopard, Red Wolf and Robot Uprisings so I've got a fair bit to keep me going!

End of June: I finished I Know You Know by Gilly Macmillan, 9/10, and squeezed in The Broken Dragon by Irene Radford, 8/10, one of the better books in her Dragon Nimbus series of series.

Now I’m reading Gideon the Ninth for our BotM discussion, to be followed by The Pride of Chanur, our other BotM.

Squeaked under the wire with The Year of Less in June. This month it's Mort and One Word Kill, plus hopefully finishing A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children and Green Arrow: The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 1. I'm sure I'll get to more but I haven't picked them out yet!

Just finished Gideon the Ninth last night - very strange book, but strange in the best way! Before that I read The Snow Child, which is historical fiction/magic realism set in 1920s Alaska, and it was really lovely.

If I can dig up my copy of The Pride of Chanur I'll re-read it, but I'm not sure I still have it - can't remember if we gave it away or not in our book purge when we moved into this house. I'm planning to read The Fifth Season for another group I'm in, and I've also just got White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism on library loan, which feels like a really important read right now, so I think that's probably next.

I'm swamped with work right now so I'm making very slow progress on The Ghost Brigades (which is the May group read! time flies). But I'm enjoying the book! I'll have 5 weeks vacations starting this Thursday, can't wait for it and to start reading Gideon and The Pride of Chanur, I'm so curious about them.

July so far:
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir, 7/10, see my comments in our BotM discussion.
The Pride of Chanur by C.J. Cherryh, 10/10, again, my comments are in our BotM discussion.
Make Me by Lee Child, 8/10, another enjoyable Jack Reacher book.
The Lost Plot by Genevieve Cogman, 8/10, another enjoyable Invisible Library book.
Merlin's Mirror by Andre Norton, 9/10, an interesting version of the Arthurian legend, focusing on Merlin, with a few sci fi elements thrown in.

Next up is the last book in Irene Radford’s Dragon Nimbus collection of series, The Wandering Dragon. I might squeeze in one more book before I take on Zoe's Tale, our mid-month read in the Old Man’s War series.

I finished reading Terminal Alliance, enjoyed it and am now reading the sequel, Terminal Uprising

I finished Terminal Uprising which I enjoyed; the author has left the door open for more stories in this universe
I've just started The Vanished Birds
No books from my library right now so I'm exploring what is available from their digital collection

I finished White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism - highly recommended, but not an easy or comfortable book. Zoe's Tale is next and is a perfect escape after a difficult read. I've read the first five chapters and am enjoying so far!

I find myself in the Jaran series by Kate Elliot. Finished Jaran and just started An Earthly Crown today.

Frozen Dreams by Moe Lane

Jacki wrote: "I find myself in the Jaran series by Kate Elliot. Finished Jaran and just started An Earthly Crown today."

I have those, unread, on my shelf, so I’ll be interested in your (non-spoilery) reaction/comments.

I also have the first Jaran book waiting on my kindle!

After finishing Zoe's Tale I re-visited some old friends and re-read The Fionavar Tapestry for the zillionth time. Now I have Space Opera on eBook loan and I can't wait to start it - it looks hilarious!

Mid-July reads:
The Wandering Dragon by Irene Radford, 8/10. Definitely one of the better books in the Dragon Nimbus series of series. While there is still a bit too much whining (yes, I know some of the major characters are teenagers), the author focuses more on the action and some genuine character development. (view spoiler)[I really didn’t need yet one more villain to survive at the end, nursing a need for revenge and dominance, giving the author the option to write yet another trilogy or quartet. (hide spoiler)]
Chanur's Venture by C.J. Cherryh, 7/10. My comments are in our folder about The Pride of Chanur.
Night School by Lee Child, 10/10. Yes, one must suspend belief when reading a Jack Reacher tale, but after doing so, this story is near perfect. It takes the reader back to Reacher’s days in the Army, and he’s partnered with the highly competent Sgt. Neagley, working with the FBI, CIA, and NSA to solve a puzzle with more layers than they know. Tightly plotted, with time ticking away. More brains than brawn, for the most part.
Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi, 7/10. My comments are in the Old Man’s War series folder.

Now reading The Mortal Word by Genevieve Cogman.

Shel wrote: "Now I have Space Opera on eBook loan and I can't wait to start it - it looks hilarious!"

Shel, I recently read Space Opera and it's not for everybody, but I loved it! Hope you have a great time with it.

Finished Frozen Dreams by Moe Lane

Now on Peace Talks by Jim Butcher

Kathi wrote: "Jacki wrote: "I find myself in the Jaran series by Kate Elliot. Finished Jaran and just started An Earthly Crown today."

I have those, unread, on my shelf, so I’ll be i..."

They are fantastic! The first book in the series is 50/50 romance and science fiction but the next two books are like a space opera that is mostly planet-based. It is complex, bloody, with tangled loyalties and relationships, and intercultural faux-pas galore. I highly recommend.

Jacki wrote: "They are fantastic! The first book in the series is 50/50 romance and science fiction but the next two books are like a space opera that is mostly planet-based. It is complex, bloody, with tangled loyalties and relationships, and intercultural faux-pas galore. I highly recommend."

Sounds like a terrific series, something I would like. May have to move that up on my list of series to read. Thanks!

Recent reads:
The Mortal Word by Genevieve Cogman, book 5 in the Invisible Library series, 9/10. Plenty of intrigue, lots more interaction among the Librarians, Fae, and Dragons, and just a dash of romance. A very satisfying read. I am so glad this group got me started on this series—I am really enjoying it.

Daughter of Ireland by Juilene Osborne-McKnight, 8/10. Myth, legend, history, and fantasy blend in this novel of ancient Ireland. Strong female characters, solid background research, restrained use of mystery and magic, and timeless themes—hurtful honesty or protective silence, loyalty to tradition or openness to change—are the strengths in this story. I was especially drawn in by the locales so familiar to me from my visits to Ireland, especially County Meath, the Hill of Tara, and the Boyne Valley.

Lady of Light by Diana L. Paxson, 6/10. This is the first book in the Westria series. Obviously, the first book of a series sets the stage and opens the action, and this book does that, but not much more than that. The characters, at this point, are somewhat two-dimensional, with the exception of the king’s seneschal, Caolin, who has a bit more depth. A map would have been helpful. I have read a few other things by this author and generally enjoyed them. We’ll see how this series develops.

Now about halfway through The Kif Strike Back by C.J. Cherryh, part of her Chanur series.

Drive by commenting!

Lets see, I read the Rosewater trilogy and enjoyed it, especially the characters. Even the "bad" guys were interesting and believable.

I listened to the Audible dramatization of the Sandman comics. Specifically the first three collections (Preludes and Nocturnes, Doll's House, and Dream Country. Really excellently done. I was very impressed with the quality. While there were changes from the comics due to changes in media type (no pictures of action), it was very true to the original source.

I do so hope they continue. The next story line (Season of Mists) is one of my favorites.

I started The City We Became, which looks like its one of August's books of the month. I'll be coming back for that discussion. Don't want to say much here, but the start is actually the short story The City Born Great, but the book continues after the story ends. Talk about a great catch. Its one of those in a few minutes I am riveted.

I am still very slowly working my way through How Long 'til Black Future Month?, which is pretty normal for me adn short story collections. I think my favorite so far is "Red Dirt Witch".

I tried for a long time to get into Space Opera - I gave it more time than I ordinarily would for a book I wasn't enjoying because I have loved the other two books of Catherynne M. Valente's that I've read - but I had to give up after 11 chapters still hadn't grabbed me. She's very clever with her writing, but I think she got lost in her cleverness. I got tired of trying to follow her convoluted - but very witty - sentences. Maybe I'll try again another time, but I finally gave up and just started The Fifth Season. I've only read the prologue and am already in awe of Jemisin's worldbuilding (no surprise there, because she wowed me with the same in the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms trilogy and the Dreamblood duology).