The three ‘W’s are what are you reading now, what have you recently finished reading, and what are you going to read next, and you can find this week’s post at the host’s blog here if you want to check out other posts.

What are you currently reading?

A few books at a time, as ever! First of all, my current non-fiction read is Max Adams’ The King in the North. Ostensibly about Oswald of Northumbria, it’s a little wider ranging than that, covering the whole context of Oswald’s life — so much of it occurs before he’s born or after his death. I found myself totally bored by a similar sort of book recently, but this one works; something in the prose style keeps it moving. It helps that it’s very clearly referenced, too; I have fewer questions about the validity of some of the claims. (Though I do think a lot of imagination is at work here, too, Adams is much clearer about when things are his opinion.)

In fiction, I’m reading Hekla’s Children, by James Brogden, which came very highly recommended. Personally, I’m finding it a bit predictable? I’m also partway through Alexandra Rowland’s A Conspiracy of Truths, and honestly would probably be further along with it if it were chaptered instead of one long exhausting narrative with only breaks between paragraphs instead of fresh chapters. And finally, I picked up Gideon the Ninth somewhat by accident (I was curious to read the first couple of pages, but ended up reading 50). I’m very curious about this one; it’s so hyped, and yet people have been saying they’ve struggled with it.

What have you recently finished reading?

I think the most recent thing was The Body in the Dumb River, by George Bellairs. It’s not a hugely original or surprising piece of Golden Age detective fiction, but it’s satisfyingly of its type. I find that most of the British Library Crime Classics are like that — solid enough, but not something to knock you over with stunning originality.

What will you be reading next?

As ever, who knows? I have picked what my next random pick from my shelves will be: I’m going to reread Banewreaker, by Jacqueline Carey. Technically, I’ve read it before, which would make it ineligible, but it’s on my list of unread books because I bought it in paperback after originally reading it in ebook. So there.

What are you currently reading?

The three ‘W’s are what are you reading now, what have you recently finished reading, and what are you going to read next, and you can find this week’s post at the host’s blog here if you want to check out other posts.

What are you currently reading?

I have a small informal project now for reading my unread books: each week I go to the next shelf and pick up an unread book from it that appeals to me, and either read it or put it in my bag to go to charity. This week was the start of that project, in the As in my fantasy/SF section, and the book choice was Heraclix and Pomp, by Forrest Agguire. So far it’s not really working for me; it’s readable enough, but there’s a sort of “and then this happened, and then this happened, and then the other thing happened” quality to the prose which is annoying, and I’m just… not that thrilled?

What have you recently finished reading?

I juuuust finished up my reread of Ancillary Justice, earlier today! I care more about the world and characters each time I read it. This time I particularly enjoyed the way Seivarden — in all her flawed and unpleasant glory — becomes so necessary to the narration and so dear to me. She might not be one of Breq’s favourites, but somehow you come to love her anyway. Perhaps partly because she has begun to learn and begun to try.

What will you be reading next?

No idea! I’ve not written a reading list for this month, and I think I’ll give that a break for a while. I was failing a bit too much at it, and chafing at it too. I’d like to finish rereading Ann Leckie’s books, including Provenance, and I have Dreadful Company to reread, too.

What are you currently reading?

The three ‘W’s are what are you reading now, what have you recently finished reading, and what are you going to read next, and you can find this week’s post at the host’s blog here if you want to check out other posts.

What are you currently reading?

I’ve tucked into a reread of Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw, since the third book is coming out in September, and I felt the need for a bit of pure joy. As always, I am greatly entertained by the fact that it treats the idea of a doctor for supernatural creatures seriously; I am delighted by the ghoul on antidepressants and the demon with COPD and… yeah.

I’m also still reading The Gendered Brain, by Gina Rippon. I think Cordelia Fine’s similar book was more readable, somehow, because this one just isn’t sticking in my brain; I had to restart it after a couple of weeks where I’d put it down, because I couldn’t remember the thread of the argument.

What have you recently finished reading?

Mmm, what have I recently finished reading? I think the most recent was possibly Turning Darkness into Light, which was wonderful; it may also have been the novella A Little Light Mischief, by Cat Sebastian, which was fun and cute.

I also ditched Townsend’s The Aztecs for somehow managing to be entirely boring, despite talking about a civilisation that is fascinating to me.

What will you be reading next?

I’m not sure. I’m feeling the need for a bit of whim, particularly as we just tidied and that involved a fair amount of rearranging my shelves, thus making me very aware there are books I want to read or reread that I’ve wanted to read or reread for weeks, months, and sometimes years. Whoops. I do think I’ll get to Angel Mage soon, in proper thanks for having been given a proof copy; I’m also intending to get to the next book in the Kate Daniels series soon.

What are you currently reading?

The three ‘W’s are what are you reading now, what have you recently finished reading, and what are you going to read next, and you can find this week’s post at the host’s blog here if you want to check out other posts.

What are you currently reading?

I’m partway through the same Daisy Dalrymple book as last week! That’s surprisingly slow for me and this series; maybe it’s already time for another short break before I pick up the next book. It’s not that I don’t enjoy Daisy in a cosy sort of way, but still… it is getting frightfully predictable.

I’m also paging through the Good Omens script book, which I picked up today.

What have you recently finished reading?

I think the last thing I finished was Joanne Harris’ The Blue Salt Road, which is a selkie story. Fairytale-like narration, but some surprising stuff under the hood at times. And lovely illustrations! It was worth finally picking it up, for sure.

What will you be reading next?

Well, my preorder of Turning Darkness into Light is here, so even if I was holding off because I prefer to read this series in dead tree rather than ebook (I couldn’t say why, I guess it’s all part of the experience), now I have no excuse! Time to dig in. Possibly during the trip to Dublin…?

Which, again, if anyone is going to Worldcon, lemme know! Let’s maybe meet up!

And, as always, what are you reading?

The three ‘W’s are what are you reading now, what have you recently finished reading, and what are you going to read next, and you can find this week’s post at the host’s blog here if you want to check out other posts.

What are you currently reading?

I picked up Carola Dunn’s Die Laughing today; it’s the next in the Daisy Dalrymple series, and while it’s not particularly fresh and new (even within the series), it’s good to just sit and let the book take it away. They’re always absorbing, even if they’re not super new.

I’m also partway through Within the Sanctuary of Wings, which I should give some more attention to!

What have you recently finished reading?

I just finished The Warrior Queen, by Joanna Arman. Ostensibly it’s about King Alfred’s daughter, Æthelflæd, but in practice it’s mostly about the menfolk around her. I know that’s the hazard with women in history, but it was really heavily waited toward discussing Alfred, or Æthelflæd’s husband, or her brother. The two-ish chapters discussing her in her own right are pretty interesting, but… meh. Also, the book is badly edited and just all round a bit suspect.

What will you be reading next?

Something from my August TBR, most likely, but what I couldn’t say! I might hurry up and get to The Fated Sky before my wife does…

What are you currently reading?

The three ‘W’s are what are you reading now, what have you recently finished reading, and what are you going to read next, and you can find this week’s post at the host’s blog here if you want to check out other posts.

What are you currently reading?

I’m most of the way through Too Like the Lightning, by Ada Palmer, and it’s still not really working for me. It’s one of those where I feel like the payoff is constantly just one more revelation out of reach, and now I’m really close to the end, so I will be finishing it, but… I find myself thinking that this book was not for me, probably.

I have got a couple of other books on the go, including the rather lighter Her Royal Spyness, which promises to be one of those fluffy mysteries I can nom in a day or two.

What have you recently finished reading? 

I think the last thing I finished was Greg Egan’s Perihelion Summer, which didn’t impress me very much. I found it flat and lacking in characters who I could possibly care about.

I’ve way slowed down my reading speed the last week, with all the stress, so there’s not much else since my last WWW check-in!

What will you be reading next?

Working on the Lady Trent books and then the new book which I got as an ARC! Other that that, who knows? It’s a big world full of all the tastiest books, but I’m not sure what I’ll be in the mood for, so I’m not over-committing!

What are you currently reading?

Hey everyone. Just to update, I don’t know how much I’ll be dropping by other people’s posts or replying to stuff. I know I only just got caught up properly, but Breakfast Bun is really, really ill — enough that we don’t know if he’ll pull through, and in a really distressing way as well. I’m going to try and keep up with everything, because it helps to be busy — but I know that if I don’t, everyone who matters will understand. Please think good thoughts for Breakfast.

That said, back to the usual content! The three ‘W’s are what are you reading now, what have you recently finished reading, and what are you going to read next, and you can find this week’s post at the host’s blog here if you want to check out other posts.

What are you currently reading?

Nominally, I’m reading Too Like the Lightning, by Ada Palmer, but it’s kind of slow going because I feel like I’m lacking some background, or maybe am just not smart enough? And I don’t think I like the gender stuff at all, though I think it’s all about the narrator and showing us that mindset.

I’m now mostly reading The Gendered Brain (Gina Rippon), because science is comforting, and In the Labyrinth of Drakes, because it’s familiar and lovely.

What have you recently finished reading?

Uhhh, you know, I’m not sure. It’s been a few days. Apparently it was Late Eclipses, the fourth Toby Daye book, which is mostly entertaining but wildly annoying in that it feels like Toby spends the entire book being hit repeatedly with the stupid stick.

What will you be reading next?

Within the Sanctuary of Wings, most likely, and then the new book. This world is all I want right now, something familiar and already solidly beloved. Maybe some Ann Leckie, or Vivian Shaw, for variety.

What are you currently reading?

The three ‘W’s are what are you reading now, what have you recently finished reading, and what are you going to read next, and you can find this week’s post at the host’s blog here if you want to check out other posts.

What are you currently reading?

The Cruel Prince, by Holly Black, which… I’m quite tempted to ditch, actually, because it is not striking me as particularly fresh or original, and I’m honestly dragging through it at 50 pages a day, merely for obligation’s sake. I’m told it does pick up and become quite surprising, but I’m not sure I’m interested.

I’m also reading Late Eclipses, by Seanan McGuire. Which is probably a bad combo with The Cruel Prince, since the October Daye books are a long-running adult fantasy series with Fae and The Cruel Prince is a first-of-a-series young adult with Fae. Plus, Late Eclipses is a reread, so has the benefit of being familiar — though honestly, I’ve forgotten a lot of the details.

What have you recently finished reading?

I just finished Darwin Comes To Town, by Menno Schilthuizen. It was really fascinating — I love studies into natural selection in an urban environment, and there are some fascinating stories here. I wanted to eat it right up, though I ended up taking a few days over it.

What will you be reading next?

Don’t know! Probably The Fated Sky, by Mary Robinette Kowal, as that’s on my July TBR and probably a nice quick read after the way I’m struggling with The Cruel Prince.

What are you currently reading?

The three ‘W’s are what are you reading now, what have you recently finished reading, and what are you going to read next, and you can find this week’s post at the host’s blog here if you want to check out other posts.

What are you currently reading?

I’m tearing through books right now, so that question is a bit of a toughie. Technically, I’ve just started on Dread Nation, by Justina Ireland, so we’ll say it’s that one. I’m a little nonplussed as to why black girls specifically would be used to fight zombies — the notion of black people in general being used to fight zombies in this time period because their lives are considered worthless is quite obvious, but the school for black girls specifically… why? Hopefully that will somewhat get explained, because right now it feels odd.

What have you recently finished reading?

I just finished rereading Magic Strikes, which is mostly just a lot of fun. Partially because it’s a reread and I knew what the stakes were and how things turn out, sure, but also because the relationship between Kate and Curran sparkles. I’m not sure yet whether I’m going to start counting these books as romance as well, now Kate and Curran’s courtship is really off the ground. Really, it feels… not incidental, because it is key to their characters and to later events, but it doesn’t feel more like romance than any of the other genre books I read. I feel like the paranormal romance stamp got applied to this series because they eventually get together, and it just can’t shake it.

Still, I gotta decide soon when I made its motif for my blanket. Any thoughts, folks?

What will you be reading next?

Most likely it will be something from my July TBR, which I have been tearing through. I think either The Cruel Prince or The Fated Sky are likely to be up next, because I’d like to keep up my book-a-day streak, and I think I can finish those in a day each. Record of a Spaceborn Few, possibly.

But mostly, as always, we’ll see where my fancy takes me.

What are you currently reading?