What Are You Reading? August 2013

annis · Post by **annis** » Sat August 17th, 2013, 2:21 am

Neil Gaiman's American Gods. First read this years ago, but am enjoying a re-read. Gaiman has expanded the story a bit since his earliest edition, too.

I believe that an HBO series of AG is in the works too, subject to Gaiman's say-so. Hope it's a goer!

JenniferLovesRoxi · Post by **JenniferLovesRoxi** » Sat August 17th, 2013, 4:33 am

I am nearly finished reading Paths of Exile by Carla Nayland.

MLE (Emily Cotton) · Post by **MLE (Emily Cotton)** » Sat August 17th, 2013, 5:14 am

[quote=""JenniferLovesRoxi""]I am nearly finished reading Paths of Exile by Carla Nayland.[/quote]
I very much enjoyed that one.

EC2 · Post by **EC2** » Sat August 17th, 2013, 9:56 am

[quote=""annis""]Neil Gaiman's American Gods. First read this years ago, but am enjoying a re-read. Gaiman has expanded the story a bit since his earliest edition, too.
[/quote]

I loved American Gods. It's on my keeper shelf, and it's one of those novels that rewards you with different layers each time you read it.
Actually all of Neil Gaiman's novels so far are on that shelf. I'm not quite so sure about The Ocean at the End of the Lane, it's a half rerun of Coraline, but I still enjoyed it.

annis · Post by **annis** » Sun August 18th, 2013, 7:46 am

Posted by EC

I'm not quite so sure about The Ocean at the End of the Lane, it's a half rerun of Coraline, but I still enjoyed it.

I loved Ocean at the End of the Lane, but I know what you mean - in some ways it did seem derivative of a number of Gaiman novels. You never know with Gaiman - he's quite capable of recycling himself as a joke on us and himself. I did think he captured the way a child sees the world brilliantly, including the sense of the otherwordly lurking right behind us, a shadow just at the edge of sight as we venture a quick, nervous look behind, the selective amnesia about things too hard to remember and the way we mythologize our own lives by adding stuff which we're convinced we experienced personally but later discover was something we read, watched or were told and never actually happened to us at all.

Currently reading more fantasy (I'm having a fantasy revival at the moment)- The City of Silk and Steel, an engaging Arabian One Thousand and One Nights-style story about a group of resourceful women who throw away the rule book and decide to live life on their own terms.

emr · Post by **emr** » Sun August 18th, 2013, 8:36 am

[quote=""annis""]
Currently reading more fantasy (I'm having a fantasy revival at the moment)- The City of Silk and Steel, an engaging Arabian One Thousand and One Nights-style story about a group of resourceful women who throw away the rule book and decide to live life on their own terms.[/quote]

Is it the same book as The Steel Seraglio? The description is almost the same. And it sounds cool hehe

Ah now I see they are combined at Goodreads

I forgot. Reading Crocodile Tears by Mark O'Sullivan

Ludmilla · Post by **Ludmilla** » Sun August 18th, 2013, 2:14 pm

I've been catching up on my SF/F TBR pile as well. Read the first 12 or so books in Bujold's Vorkosigan series earlier this year. Finally finished the last three in the series this month. Am currently in the middle of KJ Parker's historical fantasy, Sharps.

fljustice · Post by **fljustice** » Sun August 18th, 2013, 4:00 pm

In a bit of a funk, reading-wise. Trying to figure out what to read next. I might break down and read Wolf Hall or something completely frivolous.

annis · Post by **annis** » Sun August 18th, 2013, 7:09 pm

Posted by emr

Is it the same book as The Steel Seraglio? The description is almost the same. And it sounds cool hehe

I didn't realise this had an alternative title - I wonder if it's one of those annoying different UK/US title things designed to confuse us and make us accidentally buy the same book twice?

Anyway, whatever its title, I'm really enjoying it

JenniferLovesRoxi · Post by **JenniferLovesRoxi** » Sun August 18th, 2013, 7:28 pm

I finished Paths of Exile by Carla Nayland last night (well, actually about 4 o'clock this morning and I LOVED it!!!!) and just started The Cross and the Dragon by Kim Rendfeld.

I have been looking for HF novels about Charlemagne or set during his reign for ages and I finally found one. And this one looks very promising! It received great reviews on every site I visited. Anyone else here read this one?