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What are we reading in November 2020?
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dustydigger
Posted 2020-10-31 7:22 PM (#22573)
Subject: What are we reading in November 2020?



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Dusty's TBR for November
Cherie Priest - Boneshaker
Robert Silverberg - Dying Inside
John Varley - The Persistence of Vision
Thomas Watson - Seth'aim Prosh
Eric Frank Russell - Men,Martians and Machines
Larry Niven - Flight of the Horse
E E Doc Smith - Skylark Three
----------------
from other genres
Kate DiCamillo - Because of Winn-Dixie
Iris Johansen - Blind Alley
Kay Hooper - Fear the Dark
Patricia Cornwell - Postmortem
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spoltz
Posted 2020-11-01 7:15 AM (#22578 - in reply to #22573)
Subject: RE: What are we reading in November 2020?



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I'm reading Sue Burke's Semiosis, my book club's November selection. I'm thoroughly enjoying it. Next up will be Tolkien's The History of Middle Earth vol. 9, Morgoth's Ring. This is the book I've been waiting for from the library. It's still not back, so I ended up buying it. After that, I'm not sure yet, but I'm going to read something else, then vol. 10 of Tolkien's HoME series, The War of the Jewels. The HoME books are slow reads, with all their footnotes, but I find them a fascinating look into the development of Tolkien's mythology.

I hope everyone is doing okay. Covid made it into our computer lab at work last week, with one confirmed case. I got tested just in case and turned out negative.
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daxxh
Posted 2020-11-01 10:16 AM (#22579 - in reply to #22578)
Subject: Re: What are we reading in November 2020?



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I am almost finished with The Jungle Book and have started Mirror Dance. I want to finish some of the challenges that have only one book left so I will try to read The Continuous Katherine Mortenhoe and White Mare, Red Stallion. Then maybe Take Me to Your Chief and Blood Music.
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dustydigger
Posted 2020-11-09 4:08 PM (#22613 - in reply to #22573)
Subject: Re: What are we reading in November 2020?



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Relieved to have finished Silverberg's Dying Inside. Lots of vivid scenes and great writing, but the unlikable protagonist meant I didnt connect with him and so had little sympathy with his problems. I find the whole subgenre of middle aged men with midlife crises one of my least favourite genres,so this one was a bit of a chore.
Hey,but it appears on at least 7 of my WWEnd lists,so its nice to tick it off so many boxes at once. lol.
Much more to my taste was Clifford D Simak's Hugo winner novelette The Big Front Yard Its tolerant humane protagonist had lots in common with the hero of Way Station,and I really enjoyed it.Definitely time for another full length Simak!
For now I am mostly reading non genre books,though I am plodding steadily through Doc Smith's rather odd Skylark Three and Larry Niven's lightly amusing Flight of the Horse

Edited by dustydigger 2020-11-09 4:13 PM
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dustydigger
Posted 2020-11-15 5:32 AM (#22632 - in reply to #22573)
Subject: Re: What are we reading in November 2020?



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Sorry but I just didnt take to John Varley's Hugo and Nebula novella winner for 1979 Persistence of Vision Lots of sex and would be deep and portentous hippie themes. I found suspension of disbelief almost impossible.Almost every page I would be asking myself ''But surely...?'' of gaping plot problems And too often scenes that were supposed to be solemn and important just made me giggle. Or shudder, as when the 47 yr old protagonist is sleeping with a 13 year old girl.
No wonder the next generation were so into cyberpunk etc! lol.They were jut glad to get away from this nonsense.
Still plodding through Skylark Three
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daxxh
Posted 2020-11-22 11:03 PM (#22658 - in reply to #22632)
Subject: Re: What are we reading in November 2020?



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Finished Mirror Dance and read Borders of Infinity. Liked them both. I have not read this series in order and as I read more of the books, I think it would have helped with some of the plotlines if I had. I may actually finish the Bujold Challenge before the end of the year.
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dustydigger
Posted 2020-11-23 9:11 AM (#22659 - in reply to #22658)
Subject: Re: What are we reading in November 2020?



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Eric Frank Russell's Men,Martians and Machines was a bright and breezy fun romp. The Marathon space vessel(,almost two decades before Star Trek), is sent out to explore a bunch of planets which initially seem empty and innocuous,but soon prove to be extremely dangerous.Amusing.
Now I have about 100 pages left of Thomas Watson's Setha'im Prosh, Larry Niven's Flight of the Horse,Boneshaker ,and Paul Melko's Singularity's Ring left on my TBR for the year,soI will just about manage to scrape through before year's end.In previous years I read between 100-140 books on the spec fic genres,I will probably barely manage 65 for this year......sigh.........
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spoltz
Posted 2020-11-27 2:59 PM (#22660 - in reply to #22659)
Subject: Re: What are we reading in November 2020?



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Semiosis was an awesome book. It was my book club's November selection. Next, I read Morgoth's Ring, which was actually vol 10, not 9, of the History of Middle Earth series. Then I read The Postman by David Brin. I watched the movie right after finishing it, and the movie was pretty lousy. It really made me appreciate the book.

Now I've just finished The War of the Jewels, which is vol 11, not 10, of the History of Middle Earth series. These two HoME books were companion pieces showing the development of the stories in the Silmarillion after the publication of The Lord of the Rings. It really shows why Tolkien never published The Silmarillion in his lifetime. The stories were constantly evolving, and Tolkien's obsession with details really derailed him.

Next up is Wool by Hugh Howey. It's the December selection for book club. I don't know if I'll finish it before this month is up, so I'll probably let you know how it was in the December thread.
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spoltz
Posted 2020-11-27 2:59 PM (#22661 - in reply to #22659)
Subject: Re: What are we reading in November 2020?



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Posts: 370
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Location: Beaverton, Oregon, USA
Semiosis was an awesome book. It was my book club's November selection. Next, I read Morgoth's Ring, which was actually vol 10, not 9, of the History of Middle Earth series. Then I read The Postman by David Brin. I watched the movie right after finishing it, and the movie was pretty lousy. It really made me appreciate the book.

Now I've just finished The War of the Jewels, which is vol 11, not 10, of the History of Middle Earth series. These two HoME books were companion pieces showing the development of the stories in the Silmarillion after the publication of The Lord of the Rings. It really shows why Tolkien never published The Silmarillion in his lifetime. The stories were constantly evolving, and Tolkien's obsession with details really derailed him.

Next up is Wool by Hugh Howey. It's the December selection for book club. I don't know if I'll finish it before this month is up, so I'll probably let you know how it was in the December thread.
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spoltz
Posted 2020-11-27 3:00 PM (#22662 - in reply to #22573)
Subject: Re: What are we reading in November 2020?



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Location: Beaverton, Oregon, USA
Oops, sorry, I clicked Submit twice...
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dustydigger
Posted 2020-11-30 9:48 AM (#22666 - in reply to #22662)
Subject: Re: What are we reading in November 2020?



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Finished Thomas Watson's Setha'im Prosh,the final chapter of his War of the Second Iteration saga. Lots of battles against an implacable enemy,and Watson stresses the sadness and grief of actually winning a war with huge losses.I enjoyed this series a lot.It is an indie series,so frustratingly I have been unable to add it to my reading challenges on WWEnd.
Now reading Paul Melko's 2008 Locus First Nivel winner Singularity's Ring.and a H Beam Piper novel,The Four Day Planet.

Edited by dustydigger 2020-11-30 9:52 AM
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daxxh
Posted 2020-11-30 10:31 AM (#22667 - in reply to #22666)
Subject: Re: What are we reading in November 2020?



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I just finished Take Us to Your Chief - a collection of short stories centered around Native culture in Ontario. These stories were really good. Drew Hayden Taylor is a good writer.

@dusty - I have Thomas Watson's first book, The Luck of the Han'anga downloaded on my Kindle. I keep putting it off because I can't use it for challenges and I am a bit behind. I wish there was a way to get some of the indie work into the database. Some of the indie work that I have read is awful, but some is quite good.

I am starting Cetaganda, another Miles Vorkosigan book. Only 3 more in the series left after that one.
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