Book a Week 2022 - BW17: Happy Birthday Larry Niven

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday! In honor of science fiction author, Larry Niven, who is celebrating his 84th birthday on April 30th, read one of his books.  He's written over 400 stories since he published his first book in 1964, alone and in collaboration with Jerry Pournelle, Steven Barnes, and Gregory Benford.  I discovered Niven back in the 70's and enjoyed reading His Ringworld series, along with many of his other books, including The Mote in God's Eye.  He is currently working with Jerry Pournelle on Burning Mountain, the sequel to Burning City and Burning Tower.

Larry Niven Wiki/fandom

Fifty years of Larry Niven's Ringworld

Amazon’s Ringworld Moves Forward with Game of Thrones Director

21 Books That Changed Science Fiction And Fantasy Forever

The 17 Most Influential Science-Fiction Books of All Time

 

“They do not use lasers, they do not use radio, they do not use hyperwave. What are they using for communication? Telepathy? Written messages? Big mirrors?"

 "Parrots," Louis suggested. He got up to join them at the door to the control room. "Huge parrots, specially bred for their oversized lungs. They're too big to fly. They just sit on hilltops and scream at each other.”

― Larry Niven, Ringworld

 

Which brings us to our A to Z and Back again - Our letter and word of the week are S and Space

 

Link to book week 16

Visit  52 Books in 52 Weeks where you can find all the information on the annual, mini and perpetual challenges.

[Robin M]

I’m still in the midst of two long reads:  Middlemarch and The Way of Kings  by Brandon Sanderson. Taking a break to read Reliquary, the 2^nd book in the Pendergast series by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.   James and I are halfway through our audiobook of Godzilla versus Kong.  Debating whether I want to reread Ringworld or Mote in God’s Eye. Choices, choices. 😊   

We watched The Batman with Robert Pattinson.  Three hour movie full of twists and turns and drama. So very good. And I thought he couldn't act. Because, you know, Twilight. I was wrong. 

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Hello all ~

It seems I pop in and out of this group (more out than in) more than I thought I would. I am still reading and enjoy learning about your reading updates via Goodreads.

I have read (or listened to) 23 books so far this year.  I'm making headway on my Reading Bingo card and depleting my TBR stack. I forgot to cancel my free trial at Amazon for Kindle Unlimited and was charged for one month so that ruined my no spend reading challenge.

Keep reading!

[mumto2]

Thank you for the thread.   I read Ringworld last year and really enjoyed it.

I decided to finish my Ruth Fielding girl detective book and found it to be very like Nancy Drew (same ghost writer) but this earlier version was apparently very much sold by mail order so the book was very clear which book in the series each past event the story mentioned  happened in.  As a series reader I am incredibly grateful that tradition has ended as I found it irritating by the end of the book.   Ruth Fielding On Cliff Island had lots of quick action and character development in two sentences with very clear cut character traits. Continuous action.  Overall  a story was delivered that 10 yo me would have enjoyed if I had been reading the book.  I found Ruth adoptive parents beyond irritating so am grateful I did not start with the first book in the series.  If I was going to read most the ranch on sounds like the place to start.  Since I know from my research that the series ages Ruth until she is married with a baby I may go and download the last book just to see who she marries and how it ends. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4029495-ruth-fielding-on-cliff-island-or-the-old-hunter-s-treasure-box

[Mothersweets]

Hi everyone! I finished a re-listen of Desolation Island by Patrick O'Brian last week. I've been slowly going through the series again (maybe my third? fourth? time) and am enjoying it so much. I love an author who you can read and re-read and still find new meanings in their work. 

I also started A Dream of Death by Connie Berry. It is the first in a series and I'm a few chapters in but it is promising so far!

[Kareni]

I recently finished two books.

I enjoyed The Firstborn: A Regency Romance by Quenby Olson (but I preferred her newer book better). Unlike Miss Percy's Pocket Guide (to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons) this book had no dragons.

"Can they put aside their differences for the sake of an innocent child?

Sophia has sacrificed everything for her younger sister, Lucy. She has removed them from the only home they ever knew, taken on the care of Lucy's illegitimate son, George, and even assumed the role of a widow and mother in order to erase all hint of scandal from the boy's birth. But rumor continues to follow them like the darkest of clouds, and Sophia must adapt to her new existence as a false widow with no prospects beyond the doors of her small cottage.

Lord Haughton will stop at nothing to prevent the slightest whiff of disgrace from tainting his family's name. When he learns of his younger brother's latest indiscretion-one that leaves a bastard child in his wake-Haughton rushes across the country to offer the boy's mother a comfortable living in exchange for her silence about the child's true parentage. But he arrives only to have his generous offer thrown back in his face by Sophia Brixton, a sharp-tongued and sharper-witted woman who proceeds to toss him out of her house. But just because he is banished from her home does not mean he is so easily banished from her life."

**

I also reread with pleasure Blood Money: An Alice Worth Novella by Lisa Edmonds. This is a prequel to a series I enjoy.

"After an epidemic of attacks by newly risen vampires terrorizes the city, authorities pressure Charles Vaughan and the Vampire Court to determine who is responsible. Complicating matters, a local businessman hires infamous bounty hunter Jack Justice to find and execute the rogues after his sister is attacked. Justice and his entourage turn the city and the investigation into a three-ring circus of media attention, vamp-hunter groupies, and self-appointed “deputy” vamp hunters.

When mage symbology is found on a captured rogue vamp, Charles enlists the help of veteran mage private investigator Mark Dunlap to figure out what involvement mages have in the attacks. Dunlap brings in his newly hired MPI-in-training Alice Worth to help unravel the mystery.

In two hundred years, Charles has never met anyone quite like Alice. Minutes after meeting him for the first time, she threatens to burn down Vampire Court headquarters. By the end of the night, Charles is sure of two things: Alice is not who or what she seems, and someday she will be his...if she doesn't get herself killed first."

Regards,

Kareni

[Jenny in Florida]

I scooted through Cover Story, which I had just started when I posted in last week's thread. It was . . . fine. The epistolary conceit (a combination of emails, Slack messages and journal entries) doesn't work especially well in audio format, granted, but I also felt like there were just not enough twists and turns or surprises until the very last few moments. It read like a clever short story that had been artificially stretched to novel length.

I've recently started Bright Ruined Things by Samantha Cohoe. It's a YA novel, loosely retelling The Tempest with what seems to be a vaguely Roaring 20s/alternate history vibe. I downloaded it because it came up in my library holds, but I think I'm probably ready for another non-fiction something after this one.

I am still  . . . still . . . also theoretically reading:

• Atlas of the Heart, Brené Brown (Still sitting on my bedside table, where it prompts guilt every time I walk past it.)

And recently finished:

• I Was Better Last Night: A Memoir, Harvey Fierstein
• The American Heiress, Daisy Goodwin (Enjoyed this one, although I felt like it ended somewhat abruptly.)
• Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli: The Epic Story of the Making of The Godfather, Mark Seal (Enjoyed this one very much. It has prompted my husband and me to finally get around to watching Godfather 1 and 2 so that I can regale him with "fun facts.")
• The Secret History of Home Economics: How Trailblazing Women Harnessed the Power of Home and Changed the Way We Live, Danielle Dreilinger
• The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper, Hallie Rubenhold

[Storygirl]

I have just finished two young adult novels, which were a nice counterpoint to the darker books I read last week.

For my alphabetical challenge: X -- The Poet X by Elizabeth Acedvedo. A National Book Award winner. This story in verse was both fast and satisfying. Fifteen-year-old Xiomara is so different from her family (extremely religious mother and emotionally absent father, both immigrants from the Dominican Republic), long-time best friend, and twin brother that she doesn't feel understood. The constant comments she gets from boys and men about her well-developed body add to her discontent. She pours her feelings into poetry and eventually makes new friends at school, including a first (secret) boyfriend and the other members of a poetry club led by a sympathetic teacher. Though spare, the text perfectly captures the inner life of this creative teen.

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer. 5 stars for this YA fantasy reimagining of Beauty and the Beast. Modern-day Harper is pulled into the parallel world of Emberfall in an attempt to help break the curse that turns Crown Prince Rhen into a beast over and over again. Strong-willed Harper is so different from the other girls that Commander Grey had previously brought to his master that her interactions at the castle and in the community bring changes to the lives of all involved. There are two more in this series, and I hope I love them as much as this one, when I manage to read them. The audio production was very well done.

[Kareni]

Currently FREE for Kindle readers ~

Into the Labyrinth: Mage Errant Book 1 by John Bierce

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07J675X2C

I Was a Teenage Weredeer (The Bright Falls Mysteries Book 1) by C.T. Phipps

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075TTN2FN?ref_=dbs_m_mng_wat_calw_tkin_0&storeType=ebooks

Yellowstone Heart Song (Yellowstone Romance Book 1) by Peggy L Henderson

The Rebel (Looking to Score Book 1) by Kendall Ryan

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08KJH5PT9?notRedirectToSDP=1&ref_=dbs_mng_calw_0&storeType=ebooks

LGBT: Fake it 'til You Make Out (Love & Luck Book 1) by Isla Olsen

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084KR4MLB?ref_=dbs_m_mng_wat_calw_tkin_0&storeType=ebooks
Regards,
Kareni

[Storygirl]

I'm also working on a few books that I'm reading bit by bit.

I'm reading Don Quixote in 10 minute segments daily and, after three plus months of reading, have finally reached the second half (originally published as a sequel but now part two). I would enjoy this a lot more if the prose were not so bloated and meandering. Being concise is not Cervantes' super power!

I'm reading about 150 pages a week of The Stand by Stephen King. Also long-winded! I'm thinking of biting the bullet and just reading straight through instead of parceling this one out, but since King is not my favorite, I've chosen so far to do my daily allotment, then switch to more preferred reading. I'm getting tired of it, though, and want to be done, so I may just race through.

Why would I read two books that I don't really enjoy very much? They are on my 100 great books scratch off poster, and I want to scratch them off!

A third slow read is Catcher in the Rye. DS17 is reading this for English class, so I thought I'd read along (a re-read, but then I'll also scratch it off of the poster). I don't want to get too far ahead, so that I can know what he's been reading and talk about it with him a little bit, so I'll get through it a few chapters per week. DS is not a fan of me helping with his schoolwork (public school), so our chats will be minor. DS receives intervention for English at school, and I mostly leave it to the teachers at this point.

[Katy]

I was also going to suggest Ghosts. I liked it quickly but DH said it took him 3 episodes to love. He thinks he was just too tired initially. 

[mumto2]

I just finished a golden age mystery by Dorothy Fielding called Mystery at the Rectory for last week’s R.  Who Dorothy Fielding was is apparently a mystery https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/a-fielding/ but she wrote several mysteries featuring Detective Pointer of Scotland Yard.  The Rectory Mystery was a bit disjointed at times with some big leaps but overall pleasant.  I never suspected the murderer so that was a plus.  I also own a cheap collected works of Dorothy Fielding and will at some point try some more of her/his? books.

[Lady Florida.]

I haven't done much reading because I've been playing with a new lens I bought for my DSLR camera. When not taking photos I've been reading tips and watching photography videos. 

I did however finish a short-ish audio book.  The Far Land is ostensibly about the descendants of the ship The Bounty but is really part travelogue, part history, part historical fiction, and part memoir. Yeah, all that. There's a fair amount of speculation about the lives of the mutineers and their wives, which the author claims is consistent with Tahitian oral storytelling tradition. It was interesting enough. A solid 3 stars.

 

On 4/24/2022 at 3:37 AM, Robin M said:

 and The Way of Kings  by Brandon Sanderson. 

I keep wondering if dh will like The Way of Kings. For some reason I thought Sanderson writes sci-fi but looking at the book blurbs they seem more like fantasy. Which category would you put this one in? I know where it's placed officially but am wondering if it's a kind of cross between the two genres.

[Robin M]

4 hours ago, Lady Florida. said:

I keep wondering if dh will like The Way of Kings. For some reason I thought Sanderson writes sci-fi but looking at the book blurbs they seem more like fantasy. Which category would you put this one in? I know where it's placed officially but am wondering if it's a kind of cross between the two genres.

It's definitely an epic fantasy.  

[Lady Florida.]

Thanks Robin. He's not a fan of fantasy so I won't recommend it to him then.

[Kareni]

Two more books finished.

I enjoyed The Wizard's Butler by Nathan Lowell; as you might surmise from the title, this was fantasy and specifically slice of life fantasy. It was a fun mellow read.

""He thinks he's a wizard," they said.

For five grand a month and a million dollar chaser, Roger Mulligan didn't care how crazy the old geezer was. All he had to do was keep Joseph Perry Shackleford alive and keep him from squandering the estate for a year.

They didn't tell him about the pixies."

**

I also reread with pleasure Half Share (Trader's Tales from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper Book 2) by Nathan Lowell. This was by the same author as the above but was slice of life space opera.

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

And I finished two more books.

Reread with pleasure Full Share (Trader's Tales from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper Book 3) by Nathan Lowell.

**

Also enjoyed rereading Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid.

Regards,

Kareni

[Laurel-in-CA]

I've been tied up this week with a public safety biometrics conference I am attending with the guys I work with. I started with them in 2020 just as the lockdown started and this is the first time we've gotten to meet in person. So that was fun, and my ds's company redid their web site so he came to take proper pix of all of us for the web site. An excuse to get new clothes for me!! And for the guys, they were all finding out how their suits fit post-pandemic. Not well, is the answer.

I just started The Good Wife of Bath by Karen Brooks and am enjoying it so far. A bit earthy and bawdy but it improved after the first chapter or two. Purported to be the "real story" behind Chaucer's Canterbury Tale of the same name, and he does appear as a character in the story.

Just finished a couple of alternate history/fantasy novels by Chloe Neill. The heroine, Kit Brightling, is a foundling who has become a ship's captain in the alternate world Anglish navy, who has an Alignment that allows her to direct currents in the English Channel. The Anglish are fighting someone named Gerard who is an alternate Napoleon sort of character. The two titles are The Bright and Breaking Sea and A Swift and Savage Tide. I would happily read the next one to find out if Kit actually marries the Viscount she professes to despise at first but learns to appreciate. The author's also written some vampire fiction set in Chicago, I understand, but in general I avoid vampire stuff so somebody else can tell me if they've tried those and what they think.

I think my next book will flip back to mystery as I have several of those in my library checkout list.

[mumto2]

@Laurel-in-CAI haven’t read the sea faring series but have read the first few Chloe Neil vampire books several years ago and have always intended to return to the series.  Perhaps the fact I never seem to even though my library owns them all speaks volumes.🤷‍♀️  I remember the first one as being quite good and not being quite as enthusiastic about the books that came after.  

[Robin M]

On 4/25/2022 at 8:32 PM, Lady Florida. said:

Thanks Robin. He's not a fan of fantasy so I won't recommend it to him then.

Has he read anything by Kim Stanley Robinson? He's definitely science fiction.  And Robert Charles Wilson Spin series is really good as well. 

[Storygirl]

I've finished four audio books over the last couple of days.

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim features the murder trial of a woman accused of setting a fire at a hyperbaric oxygen treatment center, which killed a woman and an autistic child. Lots of twists in this story, and though I can't say that they surprised me, they kept me reading to find out what would happen next. There is a LOT about the stress of parenting kids with autism in this story, which may be hard for some to read. Some of the main characters are Korean immigrants (as was the author), so that is another theme.

Plus three selections from my scratch-off 100 best books poster:

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I was actually not a big fan of this book as a child, but it's a charming re-read.

The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. Okay, despite being a lit major who used to read classics for fun even as a teenager, I did not like this one. It was just hard to read, due to the stream-of-consciousness narration  -- which also mingled current action with memories of the past -- from multiple narrators. I appreciate it as a work of art. That's the best I can say. Oh, and I got to scratch it off my poster, so yay!

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. The slow narration by Jeremy Irons clocks in at just four hours, so by reading it at double speed, I was able to finish this one in just two hours. When a shepherd decides to seek a worldly treasure, he receives guidance from two wise men and finds additional, inner treasures that he didn't anticipate. A satisfying fable with philosophical and spiritual lessons (but very few female characters).

I'm also working my way through several print books and am making slower progress, since I have to divide my reading time among them. I have a giant stack of library books that I want to devour, so I'm hoping to finish one of them in the next day or so.

[Kareni]

I've recently finished two more books.

I enjoyed Dark Class (Class 5 Series) by Michelle Diener which is a new book in a favorite science fiction romance series. This series is best read in order.

Note: the first book in the series is currently FREE: Dark Horse (Class 5 Series Book 1) by Michelle Diener

**

I also enjoyed the fantasy The Necromancer's Light (Radiance Book 1) by Tavia Lark. (Adult content)

"He’ll die without touch.
As a necromancer, Shae loses a little more of himself every time he uses his magic. Always cold, always touch-starved, the only thing that helps is human contact. But that’s hard to come by when those same dark powers scare everyone away from him. Nobody likes a necromancer.

Especially a paladin of the Radiant Order.
Arthur’s still bitter and broken after his last lover stabbed him in the back, and the last thing he needs is another brush with evil. When he agrees to escort the wandering necromancer north, he’s just doing a public service.

But he never expected Shae to be so clingy. Or distractingly attractive.

Shae has never felt an aura as warm and safe as Arthur’s. He craves the man’s touch—and more. But everyone he’s ever known has left him, and it’s just a matter of time before Arthur leaves him too.

Assuming the soul-stealing monsters don’t kill them first."

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

I finished my last Jane Harper this afternoon and did not care for The Lost Man at all.https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/556546.Jane_Harper   It was just plain old depressing and not nearly as interesting as her other books.  I started my Jane Harper extravaganza by reading and loving The Survivors last year so have now read them all.  So one of my reading goals for 2022 is complete.  Btw,  Survivors was the best of the bunch imo.😉

[Kareni]

3 hours ago, mumto2 said:

I finished my last Jane Harper this afternoon and did not care for The Lost Man at all. ....😉

I enjoyed the author's first two books but did not get far in The Lost Man before I put it aside. I may have to try The Survivors at some point.

Regards,

Kareni

[Lady Florida.]

On 4/28/2022 at 10:28 PM, Robin M said:

Has he read anything by Kim Stanley Robinson? He's definitely science fiction.  And Robert Charles Wilson Spin series is really good as well. 

Thanks Robin. I'll let him know about those. Now that he's retired and has more time to read he's been trying to find books/authors he'll enjoy. He's currently on the final book of the original Dune series. He read the first one years ago but never read the others.

12 hours ago, mumto2 said:

I finished my last Jane Harper this afternoon and did not care for The Lost Man at all.https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/556546.Jane_Harper   It was just plain old depressing and not nearly as interesting as her other books.  I started my Jane Harper extravaganza by reading and loving The Survivors last year so have now read them all.  So one of my reading goals for 2022 is complete.  Btw,  Survivors was the best of the bunch imo.😉

 

9 hours ago, Kareni said:

I enjoyed the author's first two books but did not get far in The Lost Man before I put it aside. I may have to try The Survivors at some point.

Regards,

Kareni

This is good to know. The first and only Jane Harper novel I tried to read was The Lost Man. I didn't get far before giving up and thinking she's not an author for me. I might try something else now.

[Robin M]

Week 18 is live