Books read in 2015

[rolanni]

20. The Making of a Marchioness, Frances Hodgson Burnett
19.  A Little Princess, Frances Hodgson Burnett
18. Geekomancy, Michael R. Underwood
17.  The Perfect Rake, Anne Gracie
16.  The Martian, Andy Weir
15.  Blaze of Memory, Nalini Singh
14. Tracker, C.J. Cherryh (read out loud with Steve)
13.  Chanur's Legacy, C.J. Cherryh (re-read, read out loud with Steve)
12.  Chanur's Homecoming, C.J. Cherryh  (re-read, read out loud with Steve)
11.  The Kif Strike Back, C.J. Cherryh (re-read, read out loud with Steve)
10.  Why Kings Confess, C.S. Harris
9.  Chanur's Venture, C.J. Cherryh (re-read, read out loud with Steve) (Note:  the publisher's note at the end of the book states that the next-in-series is Chanur's Revenge. This is false. The next-in-series is The Kif Strike Back.)
8.  Angels' Blood, Nalini Singh (read out loud with Steve)
7.  The Pride of Chanur, C.J. Cherryh (re-read, read out loud with Steve)
6.  What Darkness Brings, C.S. Harris
5. When Maidens Mourn, C.S. Harris
4.  Where Shadows Dance, C.S. Harris
3.  What Remains of Heaven, C.S. Harris
2.  Where Serpents Sleep, C.S. Harris
1.  When Gods Die, C.S. Harris

Comments

Books read in 2015

[ann sharp (from livejournal.com)]

Hope #21 is THE METHODS OF LADY WALDERHURST.

Re: Books read in 2015

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

To the best of my knowledge, the book I read includes The Methods. . .

[tentaclenews.livejournal.com]

Wow, looks like you reread a lot of C.J. Cherryh. I have always been intrigued by her work but hesitant to pick one up. Are they pretty easy to get into? Are they pretty dense and thought provoking? Or more action oriented. Sadly I dont have as much time and focus for the deeper SF i used to read, but I am trying to diversify the types of authors I read. Any recommendations?
Also how did you find The Martian? I thought the attention to detail in the science was great but Whatney kinda came off as an annoying jerk.

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Easiest first: I did not particularly like The Martian, though I've certainly read worse books. I was reconciled to Mark's voice as Mark's voice -- he's a geek in a bad spot, and he's channeling every bad movie/tv show about heroic geeks ever filmed. OK, fine. *yawn*

But then, we switched to NASA, and every other character had the SAME voice. Since I like books that have characters in them, and characterization is not that hard to do, I gave the writer minus points for being lazy. The Mars part of the adventure and the trials of our intrepid geek weren't enough to push the book over into "brilliant," for me. I found the story only slightly above pedestrian. But, that's me. Readers who don't like characters cluttering up their science adventure probably like it fine.

The very first CJ Cherryh book I read was Hunter of Worlds, in 1977. I finished it, and immediately flipped to the front and started reading again. Those who complain that we're throwing them into the deep end of the pool without a life jacket with the Liaden Universe(R) have obviously never read Cherryh. She starts the story, and she expects you to keep up. I, personally, love that approach (see Liaden Universe(R), above). We are, after all, reading a science fiction story, usually including aliens, there's no reason at all to expect that we'll understand everything -- or even anything. She's written extensively; some books are more thinky than others, but not one of them holds your hand. I tend to prefer her science fiction to her fantasy.

Cherryh is GALAXIES better than Weir; the worst book of hers I ever read is far better than The Martian.

Bibliography here: http://www.cherryh.com/www/bio.htm

CJ Cherryh

[rosemary jones (from livejournal.com)]

If you're interested in CJ's goings-on she has a blog at www.cherryh.com/WaveWithoutAShore/ . This is a just-about-daily conversation with fans. There are links at the top to discussions on various of her worlds; they are clearly marked as spoilers.

Like our hostess, I much prefer her SF to her fantasy.

[tentaclenews.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the quick response. You certainly havr me intrigued. Do you have a definite recommendation of where to start? Just dive in? Or is there one book you love that would get me hooked for the others?

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

My Number One Favorite Cherryh book is Cuckoo's Egg. It's a standalone; it tosses you right into an alien culture and a fraught situation that is driving the actors, but which is never spelled out. It'll give you a good taste for what she does.

Or, you could do worse than start with Hunter of Worlds, also a standalone.

Cherryh

[tentaclenews.livejournal.com]

My library actually has a copy of Cuckoo's Egg, so I think I will start there. I'll see if I can track down Hunter of Worlds by other means. Thanks again for the reqs.

Re: Cherryh

[susan beaty (from livejournal.com)]

I agree that Cuckoo's Egg is an excellent introduction to C. J. Cherryh.

Cherryh

[catherine ives (from livejournal.com)]

One of the absolute best. For sure.