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The holiday season is starting. What are you reading in November 2020?

Sinister Magic by Lindsay Buroker

I'm about half way through Irreplaceable: The Fight to Save Our Wild Places, and have a few group reads lined up:


Blood Music by Greg Bear

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

The Riddle-Master of Hed by Patricia A. McKillip

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

I decided to re-read A Night in the Lonesome October and appropriately finished it on Halloween eve :)

I've just started The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep and have Piranesi lined up next - a little early for our December discussion but my library loan came in earlier than I expected!

A night in the Lonesome October is such an enjoyable read. And Snuff is an excellent narrator. Why didn't I think of it in time for Halloween. :)

Finally finished Auberon on my way home last night. It made me realize how much I have forgotten about the The Churn and Tiamat's Wrath.

I am very much looking forward to Leviathan Falls

Starting Survivor Song today . . . maybe. I honestly have no attention span today. It may end up waiting until tomorrow, as long as my hangover isn't too bad. :D

Oh and literally just bought This Virtual Night. Yippie!

I'm in the middle of The Secret Commonwealth and at 65% done I'm not sure what to think of it. I do know that, unlike the first book in this new trilogy, I should have reread the His Dark Materials trilogy before I tackled this one.

Also up this month are finishing Wyrd Sisters and Ethics 101 and devouring This Virtual Night (sequel to C.S. Friedman's This Alien Shore) and Rhythm of War.

Well ok, things went completely not according to plan.

First off, the decision to start reading Survivor Song at this time and place turned out not to be a very good decision. Funny really given I devoured Bird Box

Then, well I have basically watched about 120 hours of news over the last week. In the very brief moments I was not watching news, I was listening to A Night in the Lonesome October because Shel reminded me of it and its enjoyable to read. Note the lack of sleep.

Shel, did you catch that the event only happens on Oct 31st if there is a full moon? And this year we had a full moon on Oct 31st. :D

Anyway, now I am going news cold turkey and decided that I would join in on The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep

Like Random, I have not been reading as much lately—watching news as well, and, in my case, football. But I did mange to finish one book, From Potter's Field by Patricia Cornwell, 9/10, and now I’m about 75% done with The Winner by David Baldacci—my first book by him. He’s one of the authors my husband enjoys, so I thought I’d give him a try. Very detailed in his writing, and an interesting plot.

Random wrote: "Shel, did you catch that the event only happens on Oct 31st if there is a full moon? And this year we had a full moon on Oct 31st. :D."

I sure did! Made for a highly appropriate moment for a re-read :)

I'm still plugging away at The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep and am about a third of the way through. I seem to be having a hard time concentrating on reading right now, and this is a book that makes you pay attention! (mild spoiler - (view spoiler)[I'm enjoying the five Mr. Darcys quite a lot! (hide spoiler)])

It's early yet, and like everyone else, last week I was a bit distracted...but so far this month I've read...

The Engines of God - enjoyable if not groundbreaking.

Dear Edward - not SF/F, good writing style but many plot holes.

Yellow Crocus - not SF/F, decent writing but would only recommend to a very young and sheltered reader learning about slavery for the first time.

A Town Divided by Christmas - not SF/F, cute, short, hallmark-movie type story.

Currently reading: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, which is starting to grow on me about 1/3 of the way through.

I finished A Reaper at the Gates (cliff hanger ending), and have ordered the next book from my library. Now I'm reading The Doors of Eden

I finally finished The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep - it suddenly grabbed me about halfway through and I finished it more quickly than I thought I would given my slow start. Then yesterday I picked up Piranesi because my library loan came in early, and read it in one day - it was gorgeously written and I can't wait to hear what you all think of it next month. It's VERY different from her previous book Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell but equally wonderful!

Not sure what's next - I'll see what strikes my fancy when I sit down to read later.

Hm, an indulgent hodgepodge so far. I've definitely been prioritizing reading for comfort.

Until My Feet Bleed and My Heart Aches - Yuri on Ice fanfiction - wordy, but also my beloved AU headcanon

Of Bright Stars and Burning Hearts - more YOI AU fanfiction

Fence, Vol. 4: Rivals - graphic novel, not a ton of new character interaction in this one though. Middle volume syndrome. :/

The Empress of Salt and Fortune The tone of the historical-fantasy stayed true to its Chinese inspiration. Alas, I wasn't really in the mood for this mood-piece.

Proper English Some good old-fashioned historical country-house mystery and romance. I'm not traditionally a mystery reader, but the genre snuck up on me, and it turns out murder-mysteries are surprisingly comfort-reads?

Bryony and Roses I really enjoyed this Beauty and the Beast retelling. Comfy cozy. ^_^

The Raven and the Reindeer The Snow Queen retelling. Currently reading. Planning on making my way through more T. Kingfisher feel-good fantasy.

I finished The Winner by David Baldacci, 8/10. Rather convoluted and very detailed, as well as somewhat far-fetched, but once the reader buys into it, the story is engrossing and satisfying. LuAnn is a more-than-plucky, surprisingly likable heroine, and Jackson is a bit-too-perfect mastermind, but the supporting characters of Charlie and Riggs are solid and help the story hang together. I will likely read more by this author.

Then I read Home by Nnedi Okorafor, book 2 of the Binti trilogy, 10/10. Clearly not the end of this story, but still, so well-written, so engrossing, so fantastic and yet believable.

Latest book was another Kay Scarpetta mystery, Cause of Death by Patricia Cornwell. These are quick reads and Scarpetta is growing on me.

Now I’m reading The Riddle-Master of Hed for our series discussion. Grateful for a map and a list of people & places.

Finished Noble House. Not bad. Little bit to much going on and some plots just faded away without any resolution.
Good though, I could not put it down.

Started Homeland
sequel to Little Brother.

I just finished The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow, and I really enjoyed it. Many of the same themes as our recent read The Power, but a much more gripping story because of the complex main characters, three sisters. In this book, the struggle to assert women's power is associated with witchcraft and suffrage.

Leviathan Wakes

Just finished The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep and enjoyed it a lot.

Getting a head start on Piranesi, though I don't expect to get much done this weekend.

On the plus side, I get to spend the entire holiday season not forced to be with friends, family, or coworkers).

[Queue up a full chorus on angels singing "Hallelujah" while fireworks blast in wonderous glory in the sky.]

I suspect I am going to have lots of time next weekend, unless the husband distracts me with other things. Or he might ignore me.
(yes, the exciting life of two introverts with no one around to make them be social)

I was feeling uninspired while trying to decide what to read next, so I started browsing the back catalog of random books I'd downloaded on my kindle and ended up ripping through Opium and Absinthe in two days. It's historical fiction, but it has a bit of a fantastic flavor as it's loosely inspired by Dracula. It was a free kindle first book and I'm so glad because I probably would never have picked it up otherwise; I really loved it!

After The Riddle-Master of Hed by Patricia A. McKillip, 8/10, (comments in our series discussion), I picked up Songmaster by Orson Scott Card, 10/10.
A rather fantasy-feeling science fiction novel, one of Orson Scott Card’s early books which grew out of a short story/novelette called Mikal’s Songbird. Like Ender's Game (probably one of Card’s best known books), Songmaster focuses on a youngster, Ansset, whose extraordinary talent is shaped and perhaps exploited by the adults around him. The reader follows this boy’s journey through adulthood and shares his joys, betrayals, losses, and lessons. An absorbing story with a fascinating lead character, a strong supporting cast, and an interesting version of a future Earth as part of a galactic empire.

I know some readers/reviewers thought there were themes of homophobia and pedophilia; I thought the focus on Ansset’s physical beauty just emphasized his special uniquenesss, and the character who acted on his abusive impulses was appropriately punished. I did not think the gay relationships in the story were portrayed negatively; Ansett’s excruciating pain from his sexual encounter with Josif would have been the same if he had been with a woman since that was a side effect of the drugs that delayed his puberty. There also was criticism of female characters being rather flat stereotypes; I did not find that to be true.

Overall, I thought the book was very effective in exploring the ways we influence others, the lies and truths we tell ourselves and others, the rewards and costs of love and loyalty, and the meaning of home.

And then I finished up Nnedi Okorafor’s Binti trilogy with The Night Masquerade, 9/10. SPOILER ALERT
A joy to read, yet somehow I was left a little dissatisfied, or maybe just unsatisfied because of a few storylines that kind of just petered out. The Khoush-Medusa conflict is a key trigger to several important plot developments, and yet, in the end, we are left with an Oomza Uni committee that is going to study and discuss it. Similarly, even Binti felt some let-down that the powerful call to Saturn’s rings was for no greater purpose than a Yelp review of Oomza Uni.

But these drawback shrink to negligible size when one considers the characters that people Binti’s universe—Okwu, Mwinyi, Third Fish and New Fish, grandmother Ariya, even Dele. And the author evokes the desert, the Himba village, Oomza Uni, and space with such vivid and lyrical descriptions that these places truly come alive and are characters in themselves. But Binti is the heart and soul of this story—the whole trilogy is the story of her changes and her blossoming ability to grow into and adapt to those changes.

Random wrote: "(yes, the exciting life of two introverts with no one around to make them be social)"

That sounds so restful. I am an introvert trapped in a house with my raging extrovert husband. Actually, I think he is starting to feel less trapped, I believe. At least he's not bitching about it so much anymore.

Piranesi was so great. Hope to read The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep this month, but have several others to get through first. Other books recently read have fled from my brain because I am trying to recall them.

I'm really looking forward to Lost in a Good Book, a reread of a book I loved 15 or so years ago. Right now, I am reading The Loot, which is not SF or F, unlike Craig Schaefer's usual books. It's ok. Also, I am starting Stars Uncharted, a book by an author I have DNF'ed before, S.K. Dunstall, so we shall see how I do.

I want to thank all of you for your discussions of what you are reading. I expect to find several great books there.

I've been reading The Reality Dysfunction by Peter F. Hamilton

So I finished Piranesi earlier than I though. Wow, I really am very impressed with this book.

Its making it difficult to choose my next one as I feel that whatever I choose will suffer in comparison.

Looking forward to the discussion in December.