What are you reading at the moment? Recommendations welcome

[RK Wallis]

Listened to The Girl Who Was Taken by Charlie Donlea in 2 days (had to finish before it wasn't free on Audible anymore), but I'd buy this. Lots of POV's including the criminal's. Nice red herrings and a written version of the TV show, Bones, without the genius personality

 

[Sedayne]

Sometimes it can take months for me to finish a novel. Sometimes years if I've read other things in between chapters as I often do. I regularly have several novels on the go at the same time, reading or listening to a few chapters of one and then another and another before returning to the one I started before all the others. I finish most of them eventually.

But occasionally I'll get hooked enough to read from start to finish in one weekend the way I used to as a teenager.

This is what I've been doing this weekend with Gliff by Ali Smith.

Unbelievably believably brilliant.

 

[LJ Beck]

I finally finished the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. I was saving the final book 7 for a big road trip that I took last week. I listened to half of it on my way down the west coast of NZ, including through a mountain pass in a torrential downpour with water pouring from the mountains down onto the road at one point. Yeah. Over debris and through flooding. And I was alone, except I had Carl and Donut and everyone with me. I felt much less alone, and probably more daring as they battled their way through the dungeon I battled my way through 90 minutes of terrifying conditions.

I loved this series. I became so unreasonably invested in the outrageous characters I deeply cared about. For a lit RPG that is no mean feat. Plus, there were a lot of political undercurrents going on, which gave the book much depth. Not to mention the times I laughed out loud with pure joy.

The 7th book left me feeling the story wasn’t done. I guess it wrapped things up but not everything and not neatly. But that’s ok. I still cried and cheered and hated to say goodbye.

 

[RK Wallis]

I finally finished the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. I was saving the final book 7 for a big road trip that I took last week. I listened to half of it on my way down the west coast of NZ, including through a mountain pass in a torrential downpour with water pouring from the mountains down onto the road at one point. Yeah. Over debris and through flooding. And I was alone, except I had Carl and Donut and everyone with me. I felt much less alone, and probably more daring as they battled their way through the dungeon I battled my way through 90 minutes of terrifying conditions.

I loved this series. I became so unreasonably invested in the outrageous characters I deeply cared about. For a lit RPG that is no mean feat. Plus, there were a lot of political undercurrents going on, which gave the book much depth. Not to mention the times I laughed out loud with pure joy.

The 7th book left me feeling the story wasn’t done. I guess it wrapped things up but not everything and not neatly. But that’s ok. I still cried and cheered and hated to say goodbye.

I've got this and you've just made me want to find the time to read it. Maybe next month

 

[LJ Beck]

I've got this and you've just made me want to find the time to read it. Maybe next month

Book 1 takes some getting used to. It’s Lit RPG and it seems kinda silly at the start, and the MC isn’t instantly likable, but if you stay with it, it bears beautiful fruit. Let me know if you like it.

 

[Sedayne]

I've recently read two new novels by two of my favourite authors: Queen Esther by John Irving and What We Can Know by Ian McEwan. I enjoyed them both very much, but I don't know if I would have gone for either if I wasn't already a fan of their work.

My review of Queen Esther goes out as a blog post on the Author Platform tomorrow.

 

[E G Logan]

I've just finished Mr Wilman's Motoring Adventure, by (surprisingly enough) Andy Wilman. It made me laugh out loud in many places.

I won't say too much about it, except that of you are a fan of Top Gear, Grand Tour, etc, you will love it. (And you probably have your own copy...)
If you have not seen some, at least, of the programmes whose backstory it relates, it is probably not going to mean much to you. I saw only a few of the early ones, and I am as far from a petrolhead as it is possible to be, but I enjoyed it.

 

[Pamela Jo]

I finally finished the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. I was saving the final book 7 for a big road trip that I took last week. I listened to half of it on my way down the west coast of NZ, including through a mountain pass in a torrential downpour with water pouring from the mountains down onto the road at one point. Yeah. Over debris and through flooding. And I was alone, except I had Carl and Donut and everyone with me. I felt much less alone, and probably more daring as they battled their way through the dungeon I battled my way through 90 minutes of terrifying conditions.

I loved this series. I became so unreasonably invested in the outrageous characters I deeply cared about. For a lit RPG that is no mean feat. Plus, there were a lot of political undercurrents going on, which gave the book much depth. Not to mention the times I laughed out loud with pure joy.

The 7th book left me feeling the story wasn’t done. I guess it wrapped things up but not everything and not neatly. But that’s ok. I still cried and cheered and hated to say goodbye.

I've got this and you've just made me want to find the time to read it. Maybe next month

If you have Audible it's one of those you can "read" while doing something else-except writing of course. I can so see Lyse driving thru that very dramatic storm with an evolved cat and a doofus turned dungeon fighter. I didnt make it to 7, used my credits for something else and planning to switch to Audibles Swedish competitor Audiobook, but if you just need to immerse yourself in a different world for awhile... It's also interesting as a new way to monetise writing. Like this: . Take a video of your cat. Write dialog. You tube channel...

 

[RK Wallis]

I’ve started Dungeon Crawler Carl. Too funny! Is it just me? I swear the beginning reminds me of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy , just a bit: the announcement.

 

[Pamela Jo]

I’ve started Dungeon Crawler Carl. Too funny! Is it just me? I swear the beginning reminds me of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy , just a bit: the announcement.

AH RK, there is a hardcore fan club on Litopia. Headed by Lyse.

 

[LJ Beck]

AH RK, there is a hardcore fan club on Litopia. Headed by Lyse.

True! Although I think @Nikky Lee is also a fan. Between her's and another friend's recommend, I picked them up. Rachel, if you're finding it funny already... just you wait.

 

[RK Wallis]

I'm pretty impressed. My youngest son didn't have as much reading as a youngster that my older 2 had, so he's never been a huge reader but Dungeon Crawler Carl is the first book he's finished since he was 10 years old. And he finished 2/3rds in 4-5 days he's bought the second book already.

 

[LJ Beck]

I'm pretty impressed. My youngest son didn't have as much reading as a youngster that my older 2 had, so he's never been a huge reader but Dungeon Crawler Carl is the first book he's finished since he was 10 years old. And he finished 2/3rds in 4-5 days he's bought the second book already.

That's so awesome!

 

[RK Wallis]

I’ve started Dungeon Crawler Carl. Too funny! Is it just me? I swear the beginning reminds me of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy , just a bit: the announcement.

Finished What a ride! Bits of Hunger Games in here too...I like his influences.

 

[SilverWrites]

Reading the latest installment of the Books of Babel by Josiah Bancroft. What a wordsmith! He's really good at keeping his fiction novel readers guessing.

 

[Aethalope]

I'm re-reading Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier, and I am finding it a great example of a protagonist who is incredibly constrained, meaning she has little room to make the choices and decisions that would drive the plot.

It would be so easy to have her be purely reactive, but the author does a great job of making her agents. Griet's whole life is dictated by others, yet her inner life remains her own and she makes maximum use of what little space she is granted.

Definitely worth a read to see how she does it!

 

[wrightstuff]

I recently finished two books in first person limited, by 'difficult' narrators. I'm late to the party with both books, as I am still working my way through a long (and growing) back-list from when I was not reading much.

The first, Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner, was a real struggle to finish. I'm still not sure whether the author is a genius who has captured an obsessive protagonist, or possibly the worst writer to be published this century. I'd have to read more of Kushner's novels to find out whether this is her voice, or developed for the protagonist, and I am not motivated to do so! Everyone and Everything was overdescribed - and an infurating number explained by two or three tortured similies. There were a number of clever moments, completely spoiled by being immediately explained, often two or three times over, and the reader being instructed in an incredibly heavy-handed way, what it meant. I'm probably in a tiny minority, but it absolutely embodies the writing I least admire and enjoy...

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Nick Haddon has the most frustrating, annoying and self-absorbed first-person narrator I have ever read. It's a brilliant evocation of a distinctive voice, and a technical and stylistic tour de force. The book is utterly absorbing and infuriating in equal measures. Reading this was exquisite torture and deeply rewarding. If posible, I strongly recommend you read with no preconceptions or plot knowledge (as I did), if at all possible.

As palate-cleanser, I read Richard Osman's latest. So much fun!

I'm currently reading A Gentleman in Mocow and The Book Thief. I'm finding both a delight.