What are you currently reading?

[sholloman81]

Just finished reading the Thunderstorm LE of Tim Waggoner's "Like Death", a first-time read for me. I really liked this one. I enjoyed the way the author went about setting up and exploring some of his Shadow mythos which has continued in a handful of his other novels. It was very weird and creepy. There were also some very cool extreme horror scenes that really worked well for the story and characters. My only small complaint for the book would be that the main character is a bit unlikeable; however, that aspect actually fits the plot well. Overall, I'm glad to have finally read this book and can't wait to read the sequel soon!

Am now reading the Thunderstorm LE of Bridgett Nelson's "Blossoming Decay", a first-time read and author for me. Have high hopes for this one as the story descriptions seem right up my alley.

[brlesh]

Finished up Project Hail Mary, which ultimately I ended up liking quite a bit, though there were a couple of times throughout the book where I zoned out on the story. Looking forward to seeing the movie.

Currently half way through the second novella of Windhaven by Martin & Tuttle.

Similar to the first novella; nothing groundbreaking going on, but it is a very well told & entertaining story.

B

[dannyboy121070]

I finished Luigi Musolino's A DIFFERENT DARKNESS AND OTHER ABOMINATIONS last night, which I ended up (mostly) loving, The first three stories were grouped in an unfortunate way, since they were all what I think of as "nonsense stories", where a man/woman/child takes a wrong turn or wrong exit and finds themselves in a familiar, yet different, world. (Oooohhhh!!) I've read too many of these displaced person tales, and they're all the same. There's even a story later on in the volume where an entire town finds itself displaced. Not a fan of these types of stories. Musolino has an undeniably strong writing style, though, and even the predictible stories were literate enough to keep me interested. He really shines with the two novellas that close out the collection, though. Given more time and space, he really excels at characterization. I hope Valancourt publishes more from him.

[sholloman81]

Just finished reading the Thunderstorm LE of Rebecca Rowland's "White Trash & Recycled Nightmares", a first time read and author. For me, this collection was solid but not special. You can tell that the author really knows her craft as all of the stories were put together well and were interesting; however, none of them ever rose to the truly special level for me. Some readers may also not like that the majority of the stories' endings tended to happen "off screen" requiring your imagination to fill in the blanks.

Am now reading the Thunderstorm LE of Tim Waggoner's "Like Death", a first-time read for me.

[Ben Staad]

I've stopped reading JH novels. I haven't liked any in many years.

- 20th Century Ghosts (One of my favorite collections ever)
- HSB (Very good and I liked this a lot)
- Horns (Okay and enjoyable)
- NOS4A2 (Hated it but read it)
- The Fireman (DNF)
- Strange Weather (DNF)
- Full Throttle (DNF)
- King Sorrow (Didn't purchase)

So you are not alone. I so very much want to like him but it just isn't working for me.

Ended up -- as I suggested I might earlier in this (?) thread -- DNFing KING SORROW by Joe Hill at around page 250. Just couldn't do it anymore. I can objectively see why many (most?) folks are digging this one since Hill can obviously write, but there were too many issues that ran counter to the type of story I enjoy at the moment and it became abundantly clear that that wasn't going to change, so I finally threw in the towel. Given how much I enjoy Hill's other work, I'm still really looking forward to his next release (a historical horror novel) and just calling KING SORROW a one-off disappointment (well, if one forgets about THE FIREMAN, I suppose).

Read a couple very short novellas to counter the massive tome size of Hill's book: DISPLACED PERSON by Lee Harding and THE STAR OF THE SHOW by Kealan Patrick Burke. The first -- a 1979 novella written, I believe, for the Australian YA market -- was a bit meh and certainly didn't rival Bentley Little's THE IGNORED as the final word on the theme, though it had some interesting scenes. Kealan's novella was, of course, great...each time I read him I'm reminded how his work sings.

[RonClinton]

Started CITY HALL by Bentley Little.

[brlesh]

Finished up Little Horn by Gemma Files. I liked more than I disliked in this uneven collection.

After Little Horn, I read the first novella (Storms) in Windhaven by George R. R. Martin and Lisa Tuttle. A fantasy coming-of-age story about a young girl who cannot be a flier, but falls in love with flying anyways. A rather predictable plot line, which I enjoyed nonetheless.

This morning I started Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Want to read this before the upcoming movie opens. This is the first thing I’ve ever read by Weir. I have high hopes for this one. My last couple of science fiction reads have not gone very well.

B

[RonClinton]

Ended up -- as I suggested I might earlier in this (?) thread -- DNFing KING SORROW by Joe Hill at around page 250. Just couldn't do it anymore. I can objectively see why many (most?) folks are digging this one since Hill can obviously write, but there were too many issues that ran counter to the type of story I enjoy at the moment and it became abundantly clear that that wasn't going to change, so I finally threw in the towel. Given how much I enjoy Hill's other work, I'm still really looking forward to his next release (a historical horror novel) and just calling KING SORROW a one-off disappointment (well, if one forgets about THE FIREMAN, I suppose).

Read a couple very short novellas to counter the massive tome size of Hill's book: DISPLACED PERSON by Lee Harding and THE STAR OF THE SHOW by Kealan Patrick Burke. The first -- a 1979 novella written, I believe, for the Australian YA market -- was a bit meh and certainly didn't rival Bentley Little's THE IGNORED as the final word on the theme, though it had some interesting scenes. Kealan's novella was, of course, great...each time I read him I'm reminded how his work sings.

[sholloman81]

Just finished reading the Lividian LE of Justin Cronin's "The Ferryman", a first time read for me. Absolutely loved this one! While I was able to figure out the mystery aspect of the plot fairly early, it didn't detract one iota from my enjoyment of the story. I truly loved the ideas and philosophical musings enmeshed in the plot, and pretty much all of the characters felt fully fleshed out and real to me. I also really loved the ending and how full of hope and joy it was while still tinged with the bittersweet. Totally had me in my feelings. Overall, while not as groundbreaking as The Passage, this book still totally rocked and will be one that I reread in the future for sure. Very happy to have this edition on my shelf!

Am now reading the Thunderstorm LE of Rebecca Rowland's "White Trash & Recycled Nightmares", a first time read and author for me. Hope I like it!

[brlesh]

Finished up ITCH! by Gemma Amor.

ITCH! had an interesting beginning and I liked the ending, but the story lacked the character development to carry a slow middle portion.

Next up, starting Little Horn, the latest short story collection by Gemma Files.

B

[brlesh]

I have yet to finish The Passage trilogy, so I can't speak to it as a whole. However, I have read the first book three or four times and the second book at least twice. I think The Passage is a fantastic book and feels like it while one is reading it. The second book does stumble as a middle chapter, but is much better on a reread when those pesky preconceived "way too high expectations" are out of the way. I will also add that, at least for me, the books are best read with little time between them because various characters or plot points are brought up with little help from Cronin to re-establish them, leading to a less than satisfactory experience when there is too much time between reads. This is what has stalled me out on the series every single time I've tried to tackle them. All that being said, one of my goals this year is to do a full and complete readthrough of the the whole series...or die trying!

I hold The Passage trilogy in the highest regard. For me it’s right up there with King’s The Stand and McCammon’s Swan Song.

I think all three books are great. The first tells a great story while establishing the characters for the rest of the trilogy.

The second book, IMO, is the darkest of the three. Cronin gets into some seriously heavy shit in The Twelve.

And City of Mirrors is the perfect conclusion. The third book was the only time, I won’t say I got bored, but I definitely got impatient with Zero’s backstory. But then you finish the backstory, and it’s like holy shit!, that just explained the whole story of The Passage.

The ending beyond that I thought was perfect, heart breaking in so many ways (poor Alisha, who literally went through hell in the entire trilogy), yet still ultimately hopeful.

The Passage will always be an all time favorite for me!

B

[Sock Monkey]

Well, I'd be lying if I said I didn't love The Passage more than The Twelve & City of Mirrors, but I also enjoyed the other books as well and the trilogy as a whole. My main gripe with the trilogy was always the amount of time between each book but never the quality of the writing or where the story went. I also think it didn't help that the 2nd book was the weakest of the bunch IMO. After the wait between the first book and the second, I think a lot of people had way to high of expectations and may have enjoyed the 2nd book a bit more if it had arrived sooner. But I could also be totally wrong about that!

I have yet to finish The Passage trilogy, so I can't speak to it as a whole. However, I have read the first book three or four times and the second book at least twice. I think The Passage is a fantastic book and feels like it while one is reading it. The second book does stumble as a middle chapter, but is much better on a reread when those pesky preconceived "way too high expectations" are out of the way. I will also add that, at least for me, the books are best read with little time between them because various characters or plot points are brought up with little help from Cronin to re-establish them, leading to a less than satisfactory experience when there is too much time between reads. This is what has stalled me out on the series every single time I've tried to tackle them. All that being said, one of my goals this year is to do a full and complete readthrough of the the whole series...or die trying!

[sholloman81]

Interesting...you don't hear that often. Usually folks say something along the lines of, "The first one was great and the series went downhill from there." I'm afraid I have to count myself among that crowd, which is why I sat out on THE FERRYMAN.

Well, I'd be lying if I said I didn't love The Passage more than The Twelve & City of Mirrors, but I also enjoyed the other books as well and the trilogy as a whole. My main gripe with the trilogy was always the amount of time between each book but never the quality of the writing or where the story went. I also think it didn't help that the 2nd book was the weakest of the bunch IMO. After the wait between the first book and the second, I think a lot of people had way to high of expectations and may have enjoyed the 2nd book a bit more if it had arrived sooner. But I could also be totally wrong about that!

[RonClinton]

With my love of The Passage trilogy,

Interesting...you don't hear that often. Usually folks say something along the lines of, "The first one was great and the series went downhill from there." I'm afraid I have to count myself among that crowd, which is why I sat out on THE FERRYMAN.

[sholloman81]

Just finished reading the Thunderstorm LE of Mona Kabbani's "They're Already Here", a collection of three novellas. Have never read anything by this author before and really ended up enjoying these novellas, especially the last one, For You. Each story had a really unique voice, and the plots felt very fresh, even when mixing in traditional horror elements. In terms of favorites, I would probably rank them as follows: For You, Vanilla, & The Bell Chime. Very glad to have taken a chance on this book and will be on the lookout for more from this author in the future.

Am now reading the Lividian LE of Justin Cronin's "The Ferryman", a first time read for me. With my love of The Passage trilogy, I have been trying to temper my expectations for this one. Hope I end up loving it too!