@templetongate@mastodonbooks.net
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templetongate

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I read a lot of SF/F/H, watch a lot of TV & movies, then review. He/him

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templetongate, to bookstodon
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Over the past five months I've read a lot of stories, and three novels, by Adam-Troy Castro, most involving Andrea Cort. They were not written in order of the chronology of her life. I've come to the end of the available stories, and might one day rearrange the page, but that will wait for now. The link will take you to the top of the page, the first published. Other related links at the bottom of the page.

http://templetongate.net/andrea-cort-stories.htm

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templetongate, to bookstodon
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I re-read Nicola Griffith's Hild a couple of weeks ago and edited that review. I made even more edits today, then added comments about the second book, Menewood. Both get my highest of recommendation. This link is for the full page.

http://templetongate.net/hild.htm

@bookstodon

ChrisMayLA6, to bookstodon
@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us avatar

Oh, I so love it when one of my (often exercised prejudices) is offered some validation by research... this time its the boost in comprehension a reader gets from reading on paper rather than via a screen.

For years this is what I told my students (based on my own experience), to be often told it was an age thing... well looks like I was right. Hurrah!

[No doubt this will re-open the e-book vs. paper book debates in my timeline, but so be it]

@bookstodon
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/dec/15/reading-print-improves-comprehension-far-more-than-looking-at-digital-text-say-researchers

templetongate,
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@ChrisMayLA6 @bookstodon I have bought ebooks when I already have it in print, because the print is too damn small for my weary eyes.

templetongate, to bookstodon
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Switching from regular books to a graphic story. If Dragon Tooth had been a rehash of what I had already read or seen on the show I would not have been interested. But it is a new story, set in between the sixth and seventh novels. The first volume does not disappoint.

http://templetongate.net/expanse-dragontooth.htm

@bookstodon

templetongate, to bookstodon
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Apologies for the problematic title of the latest book reviewed. It is not my book, and I'm sure the author was aware of the controversy. The story is very good regardless.

http://templetongate.net/gypsy.htm

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kimlockhartga, to bookstodon
@kimlockhartga@beige.party avatar

@bookstodon Just out of curiosity, how close are you to your reading goal for the year? I need to read 12 more books to meet the goal I set for myself. 📚📚📚📚

Not everyone works the same way, of course. We've discussed before that reading goals are counterproductive for many. Having a goal really helps me, but it doesn't work for everyone. Just like reading for pleasure and reading to write a review are very different processes.

templetongate,
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@kimlockhartga @bookstodon I've rarely ever set a specific goal, just the general hope to read as much as possible. 2019 was my peak year, with 106 read, then a decline the next few years. It was only 63 last year, but should be close to 80 this year.

templetongate, to bookstodon
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This year I have read ten novels, and two collections, by Grand Master Robin McKinley. The last is also the last one to be published, ten years ago. Shadows is enjoyable, if not up to the level of my overall favorite, Sunshine.

http://templetongate.net/shadows.htm

@bookstodon

templetongate,
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@madrobin @bookstodon
Depends on the type of story you like. I started with her first novel, a re-telling of Beauty and the Beast, which was followed later by two other "Folktales." If you like urban fantasy I can recommend Sunshine, and Shadows. For more traditional fantasy, The Blue Sword, Hero and the Crown, and Deerskin.

templetongate,
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@madrobin @bookstodon
I should have also mentioned Chalice among the traditional fantasies. I use fantasticfiction.com a lot to track books and authors. Her page is:

https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/robin-mckinley/

templetongate, to bookstodon
@templetongate@mastodonbooks.net avatar

FWIW, here are my favorite SFFH books of the year, in the order I read them, not by preference:

Novels:
The Terraformers - Annalee Newitz
Furious Heaven - Kate Elliott
Lone Women - Victor LaValle
Dual Memory - Sue Burke
The Water Outlaws - S. L. Huang
Exit Ghost - Jennifer R. Donohue

Novellas:
Lost in the Moment and Found - Seanan McGuire
The Mimicking of Known Successes - Malka Older
Rose/House - Arkady Martine
Mammoths at the Gates - Premee Mohamed

#bookstodon @bookstodon

templetongate,
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@meshell @bookstodon As for the last title, Mammoths at the Gates, it is the fourth in a series called the Singing Hills Cycle.

templetongate, to bookstodon
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I've read the 11th, but hopefully not the last, Penric & Desdemona story by Lois McMaster Bujold. I would welcome more, at least another novel to wrap things up.

http://templetongate.net/penric4.htm#knot

@bookstodon

templetongate,
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@jarulf @bookstodon Which collection would that be? Penric's Labors, which has novellas 7-9, is already out. Since then it has been the novel, The Assassins of Thasalon, and the novella Knot of Shadows.

templetongate,
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@jarulf @bookstodon They are Kindle only now, but they were released in hardcover by Subterranean. Small print runs though, and while you might find used copies they won't be cheap. I assume another collection would have to wait for at least one more story.

templetongate, to bookstodon
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I review another Andrea Cort novella by Adam-Troy Castro. "Hiding Place," even though written more than 12 years ago, is as far into her life as he has gone so far. I am anxious to read the follow-up, whatever it might be, whenever he writes it.

http://templetongate.net/andrea-cort-stories.htm#hiding

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The_BookishWolf, to bookstodon
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The movie will never be better than the book. I’ll say it again for those in the back. Star picks up megaphone star “the movie will never be better than the book!“ @bookstodon @romancelandia @alttextgroup

templetongate,
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@The_BookishWolf @bookstodon @romancelandia @alttextgroup
Blade Runner is a much better movie that Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep was a book, and that is coming from a huge Philip K. Dick fan.

fictionable, to bookstodon
@fictionable@lor.sh avatar

… we've checked and it's definitely In fact, for those who celebrate, it's

So let's do it again: tell us three you've enjoyed recently and we'll see if we can come up with something else you might like.

Who knows? You might even be able to find it in a

@bookstodon

templetongate,
@templetongate@mastodonbooks.net avatar

@fictionable @bookstodon
Three books I have recently enjoyed:
The Water Outlaws, S. L. Huang
Sunshine, Robin McKinley
Exit Ghost, Jennifer R. Donohue

What have you got for me?

templetongate,
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@fictionable @bookstodon Yes, I have read that, have the ebook and the hardcover.

templetongate,
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@fictionable @bookstodon Pardon me for putting it this way, but that's a stupid question. How could I not like it? I bought the hardcover after reading the ebook.

templetongate, to bookstodon
@templetongate@mastodonbooks.net avatar

Anyone have a list or a link they could share for books coming out late 2024? September-December, SF/F/H preferred. I have ARCs through August, but I haven't seen later ones at Net Galley or Edelweiss yet.

@bookstodon

templetongate, to bookstodon
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I should cancel the Subterranean newsletter and unfollow them on all platforms. It is disheartening to know about all their books I would like to buy but will never be able to afford. Today's announcement is for a limited edition of Kim Stanley Robinson's The Ministry for the Future, the least expensive being $195. I'll have to be content with the ebook I already have.

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templetongate, to bookstodon
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The third, and at this time last Andrea Cort novel by Adam-Troy Castro, War of the Marionettes is as much a sequel to the trilogy of novellas I reviewed last month as it is for the previous novels. Well written and exciting, but also bleak and foreboding throughout. Andrea survives, but I'm not sure she is happy about that. I'll find out next month when I read "Hiding Place," as far into her life as he has written so far.

http://templetongate.net/andrea-cort-novels.htm#war

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templetongate, to bookstodon
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Second review of the day is for "A Stab of the Knife," another novella by Adam-Troy Castro that features Andrea Cort, along with characters from other stories not yet read. Several great action sequences, with probing character interactions. Too bad is it only available in a back-issue of Analog. No other print version or e-book yet.

http://templetongate.net/andrea-cort-stories.htm#stab

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templetongate, to bookstodon
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A short review for the only novel length Penric & Desdemona story, so far at least, and at this time the penultimate tale. Bujold continues to impress, and so does Penric. Recommended.

http://templetongate.net/penric4.htm

@bookstodon

templetongate, to bookstodon
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Some minor criticisms on Robin McKinley's Chalice, but overall I loved it, as I love Marisol, who becomes the Chalice the Willowlands needs.

http://templetongate.net/chalice.htm

@bookstodon

evanpeterjones, to bookstodon
@evanpeterjones@mstdn.social avatar

Dan Brown only sucks if you're more pretentious about his books than his books are, lol. They're just corny and fun little adventures and I'm convinced it's just jealous authors who drive the Dan Brown hate.

Not every book has to drive you into an existential crisis to be enjoyable.

@bookstodon

templetongate,
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@negative12dollarbill @CommonMugwort @evanpeterjones @bookstodon I refuse to be unidentified. I am the third person who has not read it, nor anything else by him, and most likely never will. Haven't seen the movies either, and definitely never will, no matter how much I like Tom Hanks and Ron Howard.

templetongate, to bookstodon
@templetongate@mastodonbooks.net avatar

The first novella in a series that has extended to six titles so far, Jennifer R. Donohue's Run With The Hunted is fast-paced and exiting. I will follow up on this, maybe soon.

http://templetongate.net/run-with-hunted.htm

@bookstodon

templetongate, to bookstodon
@templetongate@mastodonbooks.net avatar

Silvia Moreno-Garcia's The Lover is a bit of Red Riding Hood, with enough surprises to make it enjoyable and recommended. Free ebook for Prime members, $2 for others.

http://templetongate.net/the-lover.htm

@bookstodon

templetongate, to bookstodon
@templetongate@mastodonbooks.net avatar

I've never been one to worry about reading certain types of books and specific times during the year, so I'm not sure why the latest is the fourth this month that fits the spooky season. Some may disagree, but I can't think of anything more appropriate to talk about on Halloween.

http://templetongate.net/night-in-lonesome-october.htm

@bookstodon

templetongate, to bookstodon
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Don't let the fact it's a debut novel and self-published dissuade you from giving Jennifer R. Donohue's Exit Ghost a chance. A little bit of Shakespeare, a bit of magic, but plenty of real-world implications for love and friendships, grief, despair, but also hope. Highly recommended.

http://templetongate.net/exit-ghost.htm

#bookstodon @bookstodon

templetongate, to bookstodon
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I've read several stories and novels by Adam-Troy Castro lately, most dealing with Andrea Cort. Today it is three novellas that are tangential to her story, and they lead into the third novel, which I will read next month, and probably one other novella before that.

http://templetongate.net/marionettes.htm

#bookstodon @bookstodon

templetongate, to bookstodon
@templetongate@mastodonbooks.net avatar

I'll be reading two more Penric and Desdemona tales in Nov and Dec, but this month's read is The Physicians of Vilnoc, wherein our favorite sorcerer has to deal with a serious epidemic, while Nikys and their young daughter wait at home, hoping for the best. Recommended.

http://templetongate.net/penric3.htm#physicians

#bookstodon @bookstodon

kimlockhartga, to bookstodon
@kimlockhartga@beige.party avatar

@bookstodon Tomorrow (today in Australia and New Zealand) is Awareness Day. What really good novels have you read that feature older protagonists?

These come to my mind:

Remnant Population, Elizabeth Moon

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, Olga Tokarczuk

Deacon King Kong, James McBride

We Spread, Iain Reid

Old God's Time, Sebastian Barry

templetongate,
@templetongate@mastodonbooks.net avatar

@kimlockhartga @bookstodon City of Blades, the second Divine Cities book by Robert Jackson Bennett, which features Turyin Mulaghesh, an older than usual woman who had been a provincial governor and a military commander.

templetongate, to bookstodon
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The tenth Robin McKinley book I've read turns out to be my favorite. So far. Sunshine is a strong, first-person narrative about a woman who knows a bit of magic, but is it enough? Highly recommended.

http://templetongate.net/sunshine.htm

#bookstodon @bookstodon

templetongate, to bookstodon
@templetongate@mastodonbooks.net avatar

Last month I read the first of Adam-Troy Castro's Andrea Cort stories, published in 2002. They have not been written in the chronological order of her life. The most recent (2022) goes back to the beginning of her career, with the story following that published 11 years earlier.

http://templetongate.net/andrea-cort-stories.htm

#bookstodon @bookstodon

lunalein, to bookstodon
@lunalein@federatedfandom.net avatar

Book folks, what’s your most anticipated fall read?

There’s so much that’s either freshly out or coming soon that I’m excited for, I don’t know how I’m gonna keep up! I already hit the Lauren Groff and Zadie Smith, and now I’m starting on Penance by Eliza Clark, which is intense right out of the gate…

@bookstodon

templetongate,
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@lunalein @bookstodon My most anticipated book, which I probably will not be able to get to as soon as I'd like, is Menewood by Nicola Griffith.

templetongate, to bookstodon
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@DarkMatterZine @paraic @bookstodon I know my site needs work but unless you are offering your services for free please ignore it from now on.

templetongate, to bookstodon
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@DarkMatterZine @paraic @bookstodon Should be white text on a black background. That's the way it is designed, that is the way I like it, much easier for me to read than on a bright white background. I'm sorry my site isn't to your liking, you can ignore it from now on.

templetongate, to bookstodon
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@paraic @DarkMatterZine @bookstodon Thanks. I sometimes check on my phone, and sometimes get the prompt for reader mode, but not always.

hawksquill, to bookstodon
@hawksquill@writing.exchange avatar

Just started Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin. Apparently the later books of the cycle are disliked by fans. I am bewildered by that assessment. I can already tell this is an all-time favorite.

Everything from the prose to the characters feels more mature and meditative. Gender is also examined in a much more holistic and painful way. Several passages have already spoken to my soul in such a deep way that I know will remain with me for a long time

@bookstodon

templetongate,
@templetongate@mastodonbooks.net avatar

@hawksquill @bookstodon Tehanu is as far into the series I've read so far, and it is my favorite.

templetongate, to bookstodon
@templetongate@mastodonbooks.net avatar

My latest review is for the fourth novella in Nghi Vo's Singing Hills Cycle, but since I wasn't on Mastodon last year, this link covers the series to date, and there will be another one out next May. Highly recommended.

http://templetongate.net/singing-hills.htm

#bookstodon @bookstodon

templetongate,
@templetongate@mastodonbooks.net avatar

@DarkMatterZine @bookstodon You are not the first to tell me that, and I assume you are on your phone, which I rarely use for social media or any internet activity. I don't know enough to make it mobile friendly and can't afford anyone else to do it for me.

templetongate, to bookstodon
@templetongate@mastodonbooks.net avatar

Today's book review is for Adam-Troy Castro's The Third Claw of God, the second Andrea Cort novel. A locked room mystery (make that a locked space elevator carriage) in which he goes against the "show don't tell" dictum with lots and lots of dialog. Still, Andrea is a fascinating character, and the mystery is intriguing. Recommended.

http://templetongate.net/andrea-cort-novels#claw

#bookstodon @bookstodon

rabbit_fighter, to bookstodon
@rabbit_fighter@mastodon.world avatar

@bookstodon I'm looking for book recommendations for an 11yo who reads at a much more advanced level. He likes sci-fi. He has read the Hitchhiker's Guide series and loved them. I think he would enjoy some more 'hard' sci-fi as well. He needs something challenging but without subject matter that is too mature. Thanks for any help!

templetongate,
@templetongate@mastodonbooks.net avatar

@rabbit_fighter @bookstodon I'd suggest a trilogy by David Gerrold, at various times called Starsiders, or The Dingilliad. The individual titles are Jumping off the Planet, Bouncing off the Moon, and Leaping to the Stars. The Science Fiction Book Club once issued an omnibus as "The Far Side of the Sky." That and individual titles are out of print but you might find them used, or from the library, but they are also available as e-books.

templetongate,
@templetongate@mastodonbooks.net avatar

@Jennifer @aprilfollies @susanna @gregmefford @rabbit_fighter @bookstodon I was sheltered to, at least at home, but I had heard most all the cuss words on the school playground by Grade 2.

templetongate, to bookstodon
@templetongate@mastodonbooks.net avatar

Robin McKinley's Deerskin is a more mature story than the others I've read so far. I tried be vague about certain events, but I'm sure some can read between the lines. At one point I thought I might not finish, but I'm glad I continued. The latter half is much better written.

http://templetongate.net/deerskin.htm

#bookstodon @bookstodon

lunalein, to bookstodon
@lunalein@federatedfandom.net avatar

@bookstodon folks, do you listen to audiobooks? If so:

  • Do you have favorite narrators? Or the opposite? Ever started or quit listening to something because of the voice?
  • if you’re talking about a book, do you say you’ve read it?

templetongate,
@templetongate@mastodonbooks.net avatar

@lunalein @bookstodon I don't process audio only well enough to read (yes it's the same as any other way of experiencing a book) audio books, but there are a few I've enjoyed. Emma Newman for her own book Planetfall, Mary Robinette Kowal on her Calculating stars, Chiwetel Ejiofor reading Susanna Clarke's Piranesi, Simon Prebble for Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.

riggbeck, to bookstodon French
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@bookstodon

templetongate,
@templetongate@mastodonbooks.net avatar

@riggbeck @bookstodon Read a real book.
Read an e-book.
Listen to an audio book.

It's all reading, it's all the same.

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