What Are You Reading Right Now?

Finally got back to my reading this week. Last night I finished “White Jenna” by Jane Yolen, the second Great Alta book. I quite liked it, as it was a good conclusion to the story set up in the first book, “Sister Light, Sister Dark.” I enjoyed the contrast between the actual story the historical/mythic asides. The plot really raced along.
 
Hi Guys,

I read this book probably in the 90s, written by an American reporter whereby a European guy (can't remember if Polish or Hungarian or similar) had lost one arm but took pictures with his camera and rumour spread (because of the pictures) that he had been visited by aliens, a very simple man, he could now even talk many 'human' languages taught by the aliens although only being a simple farmer. Lots of reporters descended on his homestead but he could not offer them anything only accommodation if they also worked on his farm too to work their keep. An American journalist who was well known for debunking alien encounters (weather balloons etc) went to do the same and was previously very sceptical but was eventually converted. Basically the farmer one time disappeared from his study in the middle of the day and hours later came out of the forest despite the impossibility of being able to do so being surrounded by so many people working on his house. They would have seen something. Most important in the book that was the farmer gave this American reporter a piece of metal like tin foil, that when you screwed it up into a ball in your hand it actually opened up flat, on its own and produced a seamless piece of thin metal as though it had never been screwed up. The reporter sent it to a lab somewhere in the US but it disappeared, after tests which he informs 'had substances unknown to this planet' the US Government turned up and confiscated it...

Does anyone know the title and author of this book please, I really would like to read it again and obtain a copy :)

Tony!!
 
Currently reading The Last Dance by Martin Shoemaker. Oddly it caught my attention because of some of the negative reviews of it, that the science of it is explained in detail since the timeline is supposed to be the near plausible future. A few chapters in and I'm still reading so that's a good sign.

Amazon.com: The Last Dance (The Near-Earth Mysteries Book 1) eBook : Shoemaker, Martin L.: Kindle Store

The Last Dance (The Near-Earth Mysteries Book 1) - Kindle edition by Shoemaker, Martin L.. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading The Last Dance (The Near-Earth Mysteries Book 1).
www.amazon.com

julirew said:
I'm reading Samuel R. Delany's Dahlgren. Weird, post-apocalyptic, but goes with the strange times we're living through
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The phrase "Weird, post-apocalyptic" is one way of getting my attention! :D The Kindle version is not much cheaper than the paperback so for this one I'll use the 'free sample' option first to check it out.

Amazon.com: Dhalgren eBook : Delany, Samuel R., Gibson, William: Books

Buy Dhalgren: Read Books Reviews - Amazon.com
www.amazon.com

RobertLCollins said:
Finally got back to my reading this week. Last night I finished “White Jenna” by Jane Yolen, the second Great Alta book. I quite liked it, as it was a good conclusion to the story set up in the first book, “Sister Light, Sister Dark.” I enjoyed the contrast between the actual story the historical/mythic asides. The plot really raced along.
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I haven't read any fantasy lately so this trilogy may be in order. (y)

The Great Alta Saga: Sister Light, Sister Dark; White Jenna; and The One-Armed Queen - Kindle edition by Yolen, Jane. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

The Great Alta Saga: Sister Light, Sister Dark; White Jenna; and The One-Armed Queen - Kindle edition by Yolen, Jane. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading The Great Alta Saga: Sister Light, Sister Dark; White Jenna; and The One-Armed Queen.
www.amazon.com
 
jdmorrisn said:
Most important in the book that was the farmer gave this American reporter a piece of metal like tin foil, that when you screwed it up into a ball in your hand it actually opened up flat, on its own and produced a seamless piece of thin metal as though it had never been screwed up.
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I'm not familiar with the title you're looking for but this part about the foil is the classic description of the Roswell debris. Any connection?
 
I finished the third book in the Great Alta series, “The One-Armed Queen,” a few days ago. It wasn’t as strong as the first two books. It had some very good scenes, but I still don’t think the first chapters of the novel quite linked up right with the rest of the story. It might have helped to be a little longer. Still a worthwhile series to read.
 
Yesterday I finished “Imprudence” by Gail Carriger, the second Custard Protocol book. Another fun read! A little more action and romance this time, and more about the world.
 
Yesterday I finished The Sinister Mystery of the Mesmerizing Girl by Theodora Goss, the third book in her Athena Club trilogy. I really enjoyed the book! The characters were as interesting as they had been. The plot moved along quite quickly. There were even some new references to Victorian fiction. It was such a fun read.
 
Yesterday I finished Competence by Gail Carriger, the third Custard Protocol book. What a delightful read! It had laugh-out-loud moments and good character bits. It also ramped up the cast diversity. I plan to start on the fourth book soon.
 
I'm reading The Design of Design by computer scientist Fred Brooks (a book about the design process), a collection of essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson (older book, marvelous "old book" smell!), and finishing the last of my A. C. Clarke collection, The Lion of Comarre and Against the Fall of Night.
 
Last night I finished book 4 of Gail Carriger’s Custard Protocol series, Reticence. Quite witty and great fun! There was world-building right up to the end. It featured a rather awkward romance between Victorian geeks. Also got into the head of one of the Custard’s crew. Also action and a wedding full of cameos to start the book.
 
Over the weekend I finished Becoming Superman, the memoir of J. Michael Straczynski, the creator of Babylon 5. It’s a tough book to read but completely worthwhile. He endured poverty and abuse growing up. He found his way out through comics and SF&F literature. He’s been a journalist, a TV writer & producer, a comic writer, & a novelist. In the end it’s an inspiring story.
 
Went through the Doctor Aphra titles on Amazon Prime; it's a popular character with some Star Wars fans but, other than the story lines involving Vader, I didn't find the character that appealing.
At the moment I'm switching gears and catching up some back reading like Black Nowhere by Reece Hirsch. Black Nowhere is interesting so far for its portrayal of the coder antagonist (as a code monkey works involving tech geeks tend to catch my attention).
 
RobertLCollins said:
Last night I finished book 4 of Gail Carriger’s Custard Protocol series, Reticence. Quite witty and great fun! There was world-building right up to the end. It featured a rather awkward romance between Victorian geeks. Also got into the head of one of the Custard’s crew. Also action and a wedding full of cameos to start the book.
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Is the series oriented more towards the sci-fi side or 'romance novel' side?
 
Kevin said:
Is the series oriented more towards the sci-fi side or 'romance novel' side?
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It’s a little of both. There’s a romance aspect to the first series, “The Parasol Protectorate,” mainly in the first book, but the series is more adventure than romance. There’s a little romance in the second series, “The Finishing School,” but as it’s more YA than the other two series, the romance doesn’t really come up until the last book. The third series, ”The Custard Protocol,” has much more romance than the other two, but there’s still plenty of action.

Gail is a romance fan, but much more of a SF/F fan. She builds out the world of the Parasol-verse in a strong way. She also has a good sense of humor, which is one of the delights of reading her books.

If you want to try, start with Soulless, the first PP book. If you like it carry on. If not, that’s fine as well.

By the way, though chronologically it’s Finishing-Parasol-Custard, you can read them in publishing order too. You won’t be lost.
 
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