What book(s) are you reading in 2020?

[Rothgo]

Just finished Nick Sagen's Idlewild. Quite a fun simple read: felt a bit like an intro to the next rather than a stand-alone book, which was slightly surprising but not an issue: it did have enough of an end in its own rightch

[zlogdan]

I have been in a kind of a reader's block because I am/was in an OCD crisis so I stopped reading for a while. Not even reading my beloved comics.
As I feel better, I continue with a partial reader's block though. I have finished the third book of the trilogy The Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne by Brian Staveley ( which is incredible, it is modern non-derivative fantasy in an Indian/Asian/middle eastern world replete of great characters. I recommend this strongly ) but now I am trying to read two books:

Someone wicked this way comes, by Bradbury, but I am not enjoying it massively as his short stories. But I am insisting.
Blood, by Mike. This seems like a very fascinating book, but very experimental and hard to focus. Yesterday I started enjoying it better.

Thank God, I am reading comics again.

I was trying Scribd for a month where I found Greg Bear's Eon trilogy, but although the concept is fascinating, the book was too hard sci-fi for me. I am more into the new wave and space opera side of the genre and of course, I like a good science in my books, however, I rather enjoy reading about physics than reading a fiction book that tries to encompass physics to the plot. Of course, Mike has done it, but in a more literary and better way.

So, I read the summary of Greg Bear's book Eon on Wikipedia and I feel as if it had been better than going through it.

[white wolf's son]

I have been reading more about the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion and Scottish history of that period . My ancestors are MacLeods from Lairg in Sutherland , a few years ago I took the whole Chaos Crew back , for once the weather was lovely and they learned more about where we came from . The Jacobite books differ , it depends on the author's standpoint ( Jacobite/Government ) however Culloden The Last Clan Battle by the archaelogist Tony Pollard is really interesting and his research unearthed new information about the battle . The Stuart's Last Secret by Peter Pininski is another of interest , the author turns out to be the direct descendant of Prince Charles Edward Stuart , living in Poland , though he makes no new claims the British throne !! I have been reading books on the Vietnam War written by ARVN veterans and journalists which gave me a new inisght into that time , Surviving The Vietnam War is a harrowing book by Duong Phuc and Vu ThanThuy , dteailing what happened to them during and after the war . I read all of Anne McCaffrey's Dragon books and I know her son Todd has carried on with the series , I see her daughter GiGi has now published a Pern novel , Dragon Code , I'll maybe give it a try while I am still confined to La Hellcienda barracks !!

[white wolf's son]

I just read Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin. I absolutely loved it. Character driven fantasy and not about war. I wish there were more books like that.

I read all the Earthsea books , they were amazing , one of my Chaos Twins now has them

[dasNdanger]

I have a book backlog. I thought I would be reading more with the quarantine/shelter in place thing going on here in the US, but I'm busier than ever taking care of chores, which seem to have multiplied 100 fold since the shutdown.

Books to read (in no particular order, kinda):

Ghosts of Karnak - George Mann (started)
Ghosts of Empire - George Mann
The Driver's Wife - S. K. Keogh (This is written by a good friend of mine, who started with the Jack Mallory pirate trilogy, fell in love with Charleston, SC, and from there this book was born.)
Crooked River - Preston and Child (A Special Agent Pendergast novel)
Old Bones - Preston and Child

[sandy]

Currently reading Robert Fagle's translation of the The Odyssey. It really zings along.

Coming to think of it - if anyone gets sniffy about the fantasy genre - tell them the Iliad, the Odyssey and even Milton's Paradise Lost are all fantasy stories.

[Jack Of Shadows]

I've been reading a bunch of Brian Lumley from my last thrift store haul that I managed to get right before the microscopic menace shut everything down. Oh how I miss treasure hunting at thrift stores for books. The good news around here is a bunch of them will be reopening on the 18th. There will be restrictions (mask wearing, only so many people allowed in at a time, etc...), but it will feel good rummaging through the shelves once again.

[sandy]

Finished Circe by Madeline Miller
Well written and interesting: mainly a character piece as the name might suggest.
Don't know if I would recommend it: would depend on who asked.

Yes, I've been reading Circe too. Not quite finished it yet - but it's been an enjoyable read. It's kind of what you'd get if you crossed Greek Myths & Legends with a celebrity gossip magazine.

The story itself has been very well crafted. There are very few very long words which makes it an easier read than many of the (sometimes) dry translations of Greek Myths & Legends. I'm to saying this to denigrate the book - or the author -just that the book has been written to appeal to anyone, and it does breathe a new life into the old tales - with a new perspective to boot. Certainly you get to see Odysseus in a new light.

It would probably make a good book to introduce teenagers to Greek Myths and Legends.

[Rothgo]

Finished Circe by Madeline Miller
Well written and interesting: mainly a character piece as the name might suggest.
Don't know if I would recommend it: would depend on who asked.

[Pietro_Mercurios]

I need some solace in these shit times. My Moorcock collection is in Norfolk so I’ve reverted to the book that started my love for all this gubbins; The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

I do have a number of Maigret books on the way, and a James L Swanson book about the hunt for Lincoln’s assassin, John Wilkes Booth.

[Kymba334]

Again, Dangerous Visions 1&2 Edited by Harlan Ellison.

Brought out of box storage just now and it's been six years or so that circumstances in my life at the time forced me to move my whole book collection into storage.
Practically the pride of my collection, i bought them 1st hand in 1977.

From memory a few of my favorite tales are : The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin , When it Changed by Joanna Russ,
Ching Witch! by Ross Rocklynne and

With The Bentfin Boomer Boys on Little Old New Alabama by Richard Lupoff.

[EverKing]

Haven't been able to pick up "Happy Hour in Hell" yet (Book 2 of Williams's "Bobby Dollar" series) but I did breeze through volume 2 of Rothfuss's "Kingkiller Chronicles," "A Wise Man's Fear" a couple weeks back. It was more of the same: a fantasist's character wish-fulfillment. Something that a teen invented when playing D&D to explain the 'Ultimate PC!' On the other hand, apart from the story's central character, the writing is actually rather decent with a few good turns-of-phrase and a visually rich tapestry in the world. It is just a shame that the main character is such a disappointing personality.

[zlogdan]

I’ve just realised I’ve made a huge tactical error as London prepares to lock itself down. I’m in West London and my entire Moorcock collection is in Norfolk.

Bugger!

Yikes. Can I give you a piece o advice? Amazon kindle fire tablet costs around 45 dollars and it has the performance of a middle-level tablet. If you don't have one and if you can afford it I would recommend it. If you already have one, ebooks and comics can be read on there too. Mike's e-books are very affordable.

I have a fire tablet I bought 1 year ago which allowed me to read many many comics bought from Comixology. There is a subscription you can even have to read comics paying a monthly fee but I prefer to wait for Comixology to have their 80% discount promos which happen every week.

I also have an old 2017 Motorola Smartphone where, believe it or not, I read comics in there as well. I have developed a technique :-). I read all my books on my smartphone too.

Reasons for doing it:

- ebooks are easily more affordable ( most things I want to read will never be published in Brazil )
- ebooks allow me to easily consult a dictionary ( Non-native English speaker myself )
- ebooks come fast
- space

I still buy real books and comics when I can afford them. Nothing compares to the real deal.

[Pietro_Mercurios]

I’ve just realised I’ve made a huge tactical error as London prepares to lock itself down. I’m in West London and my entire Moorcock collection is in Norfolk.

Bugger!

[zlogdan]

Although I read two books this year ( Shadow of the torturer-reread, Beyond Lies The Wub vol1 of P.K Dick best short stories ) and reread Sandman "Season of Mists" I am in a middle of a reader's block. I have tried to read many books but it has not worked until now. I will continue to reread Book Of The New Sun, The Claw Of The Conciliator because these 4 books are my current favorite books so it is easier to help me to read again. Yesterday I started reading comics again, Sweet Tooth omnibus vol2 and I was reading it with full pleasure.