Marion: At this writing, I’ve almost finished Kira Jane Buxton’s novel Hollow Kingdom, about a tame crow and a bloodhound who try to save humanity after a strange zombie apocalypse sweeps Seattle, Washington. The crow, named S.T, is our narrator. I took a break to read Cocaine Blues, one of Kerry Greenwood’s sprightly 1920s Austrailian murder mysteries featuring Phryne Fisher. Next up, Mazes of Power by Juliete Wade. I’m really eager to start that one!
Sandy: Moi? I am currently still suffering with the after effects of a concussion from around six weeks back, and that has effectively cut my reading time into less than half. If I read 20 pages a day now without starting to get a headache, I’m lucky. But hey, six weeks ago, I was lucky to read two whole paragraphs, so things ARE getting better, but slowly. Still, I am currently in the middle of my new book, another great offering from Armchair Fiction’s Lost World – Lost Race series. The book is 1928’s The World of the Giant Ants, by A. Hyatt Verrill, and it really is a gripping page-turner so far. I hope to report back on this one as soon as my aching head permits. Stay tuned….
Skye: I am the kind of reader who often has a few books on the go at once. I have criteria, like no two books can be too similar (so I don’t risk conflating events), but generally I just like having a few options to sink into when I go to read. This habit recently got me into a bit of a tight spot, as I collected my books from around the house to do a Konmari of them and found that I was reading not 3, not 7, but a full dozen across formats. If you’re thinking, ‘yeah, that’s too many’ then I couldn’t agree more. So, I’ve set myself a bit of an ultimatum: I must finish those 12 books I have in various states of ‘read’ before I get to start any new ones. I’m already on my way, as I finished off Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey, Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, and Saga: Compendium One (volumes 1 through 9 collected) by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples – all of which have made for a fantastic beginning to my reading year.
Tadiana: Since my last Sunday Status update three weeks ago, I’ve read A Longer Fall by Charlaine Harris (which Jana and I reviewed; we had a tremendously interesting email discussion in the process); Interference by Sue Burke, the second book in her Semiosis SF series; The Alchemist’s Shadow, a middle grade fantasy that’s the second book in Gregory Funaro’s WATCH HOLLOW series; and How to Stop Time by Matt Haig, about a subspecies of extraordinarily long-lived humans hiding amongst the rest of us. With How to Stop Time, I started out very intrigued by the plot but ended up agreeing with Bill’s comments in his review. In my recent non-SF/F reading, I’ve explored one of the old MISS SILVER murder mysteries by Patricia Wentworth, The Clock Strikes Twelve, and reread The Quiet Gentleman by Georgette Heyer, just for fun. I’m currently dividing my reading time between The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (jury’s still out on that one), My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier, and Patricia Briggs’ upcoming MERCY THOMPSON book, Smoke Bitten, which thrilled me by unexpectedly showing up on my doorstep a couple of days ago.
Terry: I didn’t get much reading done this week because I’m apparently fighting off a case of the flu — or a cold — or I’m just stressed out, who knows? I finished Six Months, Three Days, Five Others by Charlie Jane Anders, which makes me want to read everything she ever wrote. And I dove into The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons, which I seem to be enjoying a bit more than Bill did.
Skye, I’m glad someone else suffers from my “too many books at once” affliction. May you have better luck with finishing everything you’ve started than I’ve had.
Sincerely,
Terry
Currently the reader of 14 books
Thank you Terry! I must admit after knocking those first three out I’ve slowed down somewhat, but still making progress. Good luck to you too with your pile!
I’ve always got more than one book on the go but I rarely get above 4. Sometimes I do put one down due to content or not being in the mood and read something else but either that means I’ll never get back to it and I’ll give up on it or I just get right back to it once I’ve finished whatever drew me away.