What are you reading in 2024?

[Ralif Redhammer]

I finished reading Morris' The Wood Beyond the World. It had the fairytale quality that the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series at its best frequently has. The language is a bit archaic, very much a bridge between older works like Le Morte D’Arthur and the beginning of modern fantasy. It’s really clear to see the influences on Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Lewis in particular. Heck, the “Child of Adam” phrase that would pop up in Narnia is used.

Now I'm reading Robin McKinley's The Blue Sword, a book I've been meaning to get to for ages.

Finished the novella Down Among the Sticks and Bones (DAtSaB) by Seanan McGuire. Great read, and quick (I love the novella format). It had been a long time since I read Every Heart a Doorway, and I had completely forgotten the characters that were the featured characters in DAtSaB. I think that was a good thing. I'm planning to try to read more of the series before I embark on my epic Awards journey on June 1.

I have positively loved every entry in the Wayward Children series. To me it nails the feel The Magicians series was aiming for (at once loving and examining works like the Chronicles of Narnia from a post-modern perspective) but somewhat fell short.

 

[WayneLigon]

Two Tales of Vampires

Adrift by K.R. Griffiths
Whiteout by Gabriel Dylan

Both were pretty darn good. Both deal with isolation - in Whiteout. 30 teens are stranded in a ski chalet by an unexpected storm. In Adrift, an EMP cripples a cruise ship.

Then, the vampires show up.

In both books, the vampires are true monsters; slavering hairless monstrosities with mouths of ragged, jagged fangs, etc. No twinky Twilight dudes or genteel Dracula, here. In both, the beasts have shared our world for millennia. They emerge, feed, then hibernate for decades or centuries in between orgies of blood.

There are differences, to be sure; the vampires in Whiteout are almost mindless save for their 'queen', and even the slightest nick can start your transformation into one of them. In Adrift, the vampires are more like a human 'cousin', a race of beings fiercely intelligent, immune to fire, and even looking at one can drive humans into suicidal madness.

Both were pretty darn good reads. Both would also make for a pretty cool movie.

 

[Nellisir]

Love it when ENWorld decides I don't need thread updates anymore.

Anyway, I read all the Chanur books. I hadn't read them all in order one after another before, so that was actually really good. Pride is a good intro but the details get better later on and the books go from strong (IMO) to really strong. I...don't know what else I've read. Something. Been all over the place lately, literally. I've been at my gfs since December, and recently started going back to my apartment to clean and work on it and also my workshop, which means helping my dad with stuff, and it goes and goes and goes. <sigh>

I'm TRYING to address the "um I have a lot of books" issue. Forget a pile of unread books, I've got almost a room full. I've run out of space for shelves, so there are boxes. I don't want boxes. Time to start selling.

 

[Clint_L]

Love it when ENWorld decides I don't need thread updates anymore.

Anyway, I read all the Chanur books. I hadn't read them all in order one after another before, so that was actually really good. Pride is a good intro but the details get better later on and the books go from strong (IMO) to really strong. I...don't know what else I've read. Something. Been all over the place lately, literally. I've been at my gfs since December, and recently started going back to my apartment to clean and work on it and also my workshop, which means helping my dad with stuff, and it goes and goes and goes. <sigh>

I'm TRYING to address the "um I have a lot of books" issue. Forget a pile of unread books, I've got almost a room full. I've run out of space for shelves, so there are boxes. I don't want boxes. Time to start selling.

Getting a Kobo changed my life (I use a Kindle now, because it gets even deeper discounts, but same thing). I donated all those boxes of books and am never going back. I still buy physical books for graphic novels and comics, most of which I done to our school library, and I occasionally buy a physical book for gaming just because of the art, but that's it.

I save a small fortune, have a lot more space and a lot less clutter, and I'm not killing nearly as many trees.

 

[Wofano Wotanto]

Anyway, I read all the Chanur books. I hadn't read them all in order one after another before, so that was actually really good. Pride is a good intro but the details get better later on and the books go from strong (IMO) to really strong.

Concur. I've reread them a couple of times over the years and make a point of doing the whole series at once when I do so. Probably my favorite Cherryh series, although if Alliance Unbound lives up to Alliance Rising that might change yet. Lucas could have used some pointers from Cherryh and Fancher on how to tell a prequel story.

I don't want boxes.

I've been living out of boxes for almost forty years, and fully expect to wind up in one unless the scavengers get to me first or we're doing the Sylent Green thing by the time I finally drop dead.

 

[Nellisir]

Getting a Kobo changed my life (I use a Kindle now, because it gets even deeper discounts, but same thing). I donated all those boxes of books and am never going back. I still buy physical books for graphic novels and comics, most of which I done to our school library, and I occasionally buy a physical book for gaming just because of the art, but that's it.

I save a small fortune, have a lot more space and a lot less clutter, and I'm not killing nearly as many trees.

I technically have a kindle somewhere; used it for a few weeks when I went to Thailand (family stuff) because it just wasn't practical to bring enough books for me for three weeks. It was...fine.

Don't get me wrong, I love physical books, but my apartment has a finite amount of wall space (because big windows, oh no, such a burden) and while I do plan on getting creative (I have carte blanche and high ceilings) I just don't have enough shelves. And a good 50% of my shelf space is given over to "to be read" books. I pick up 90% of my books from used book sales and keeping my eyes open. And there are four large boxes I was given and I honestly intend to sell anyway, so...if I start doing that, I'll have shelf space.

I've purged comics once. Not doing that again. But I might stop buy them soon. It's ridiculous.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

Started Wicked Problems, the 2nd book in Max Gladstone's Craft Wars series. Good so far, and I'm confident it'll be a banger, just like his others

 

[Nellisir]

I've been living out of boxes for almost forty years, and fully expect to wind up in one unless the scavengers get to me first or we're doing the Sylent Green thing by the time I finally drop dead.

I've come around to the appeal of cremation. Less muss & fuss.

I tend to remember things visually, so shelves are preferable. Trying to find all my Cherryh books the other day was a nightmare, because 80% are together but that last 20%...I KNOW I have Rimrunners somewhere!

 

[Wofano Wotanto]

I've purged comics once. Not doing that again. But I might stop buy them soon. It's ridiculous.

I switched to trades decades ago, and even with those I'm selective. Don't think I've bought a floppy in fifteen years, and even that was an indie book I wasn't confident would get a collected reprint. How the blazes anyone keeps up even a modest floppy habit at ~$4 a book is beyond me, especially with stories so decompressed for trades these days.

 

[Wofano Wotanto]

I took a break from Astounding to go take a look at a 1940 Marvel Stories issue and was quite amused to find this uncommonly fine bit of period advertising:

When was the last time you thanked your comic shop for helping save America from fifth columnists and undesirable citizens while you were in picking up your picture story subscription, hmmm?