Reading in May

[Jennifer]

I've been trying to read The Sword of Shannara for months now, but I keep reading a chapter then getting annoyed or bored and chucking it across the room. It just seems a bit formulaic: people survive when they really shouldn't, the characters are archetypal, and to be honest I really don't care what happens to them.
So does it get any better? Is it worth finishing to read the rest in the series?

 

[Ainulindale]

Came back from vaccation and fount a copy of The Crimson Sword, the author Eldon Thompson sent to me. He describes hsi work as high fantasy which is normally not my cup of tea as of late, but I'm about to read that and a review copy I got from Prime Books, Holly Phillip's Palace of Repose a collection which I read through with utter awe last night. One of the best I have read thus far this year and along with Tamar Yellin's Genizah at the House of Shepher and Kazou Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go the best books I have read released this year.

Looking forward to diving into Martha Wells works, I recently oirdered all of her books, and looking forward to Death of the Neuromancer from the recommendations it has recieved, and finally gettign to Gary Wassner's works soon.

I just finished Matt Hughes' Black Brillion as well, really enjoyed it, in the middle of a review now with that.

 

[LauraHartwell]

I second the Jasper Fforde recommendation to any Douglas Adams fans. Fforde certainly isn't an Adams clone, but they have a similiar sense of hypercreativity and silliness.

I also recently read Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro and thought it was excellent.

Right now I'm reading Foop! by Chris Genoa and enjoying it immensely. So much so that I used the image from his book cover as my avatar!

 

[sanyuja]

@ magemanda and LauraHartwell

Taking your suggestions seriously, I decided to try Jasper Fforde's books.

I have these options
1. The Eyre Affair
2. Lost in a Good Book
3. The Well of Lost Plots

Which one should I read first?

 

[LauraHartwell]

I'd start with The Eyre Affair since it's his first in the Thursday Next series.

I hope you enjoy it!

 

[pwilson]

Nah, I just got married, so kids yet. I said what I said coz that's pretty much my plan when my first arrives. Whenever that is...

Tigana gets better and better, then check out the ending that will have you mulling for sometime after you finish.

ds

Congrats direstraits! Marriage is great! Got quite a bit of reading in this weekend and you're right, Tigana just keeps getting better! Can't wait to pick up Kay's other books.

Spiceymunkey, actually I think that's great advice! My wife and I wanted to reread Order Of The Phoenix to brush up before the new one comes out so I've been reading it out loud to the family over the past few weeks. It's never too early to introduce a child to books as far as I'm concerned! Do you think it's a bad sign that he sleeps through the whole thing?

 

[sanyuja]

I'd start with The Eyre Affair since it's his first in the Thursday Next series.

I hope you enjoy it!

Thanks a ton Laura.

I will start reading 'The Eyre Affair' as soon as I can.

 

[Pulbob]

Started May on Rhapsody by Elizabeth Haydon and now im halfway through Prophecy. Good books, just for some reason tedious to read. I normally gring through a book prety quick, but these are taking me awhile. They do get better as you read and thier pretty exciting right now.

 

[rune]

I finished Poison Master by Liz Williams - couldnt really get into to be honest.

Then read Dreams Made Flesh by Anne Bishop - if you really liked the BLack Jewels series you'd love these short stories that fill in some history about some of the main characters

 

[rune]

I'm struggling through Prisoner of Ironsea Tower by Sarah Ash, hoping it gets more exciting as so far it's been pretty dull

 

[oliverez]

Well I'm sure you know what book I'd suggest...

Actually this month I'm gonna read The Pillars of The Earth (okay, so not fantasy, but I still love anything medival), and then force myself to finish the Dark Tower series regardless of the bad things I've heard about the last book.