2019: Roundballnz ( Alex) Wanderings thru time .....

I'll be back ..... (Use your best Terminator voice :D)

Back again ....

Normally, my reading is heavily slanted toward Speculative fiction, science fiction and fantasy genre reading, with Historical, Crime & Lit in there as well .....

Read off my shelves (BOMBs) & libraries first, but I say that every year & fail miserably due to my Inner Magpie - look shiny new thing .... but last 2 years have been vast improvement on previous attempts

You won't find me in the challenges, but will pop in & chat when the moment takes me ....

75+ Books probably not as am slow reader & life gets in the way, but you never know miracles do happen, I did hit 50+ last year so my reading is coming back to life ...

Oh yeah if you haven't guessed am based down under (NZ)

In my spare time I complete Ultra marathons .... so expect the normal dips of quietness

Series I want to complete - ongoing:

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Peter Hamilton reading - challenge ?

So I have read/listened to:

Great North Road - which I loved but I don't think everyone does ???
The Void trilogy - The Dreaming Void The Temporal Void The Evolutionary Void

Commonwealth universe:
Commonwealth Saga - Pandora's Star Judas Unchained

Next:
Commonwealth universe continued: The Abyss Beyond Dreams A Night Without Stars

The Abyss Beyond Dreams - Read
A Night Without Stars -Read

Followed by:

Confederation - start A Second Chance at Eden
Then Nights dawn: The Reality Dysfunction The Neutronium Alchemist The Naked God

lastly Fallen Dragon

Sounds right ????

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Dave Hutchinson:

Europe in Autumn
Europe at Midnight
Europe in Winter
Europe at Dawn

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N.K Jemisin:

The fifth season - READ - love it !
The Obelisk Gate
The stone sky

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Then Some Ken macleod:

Corporation wars : Dissidence Insurgence Emergence

Engines of light: Cosmonaught keep , Dark light , Engine city

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Transformation Series:Neal Asher

Dark Intelligence (Transformation, #1)
War Factory (Transformation #2)
Infinity Engine (Transformation, #3)

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More to come .......

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Lets put 2018 book funk to the side eh ? Yeah I think so .....

Just read/listened to the best book! The order of time If you can get this on Audo read by Benedict Cumberbatch you are in for a treat ....

Hi Alex. Happy New Year!
Will check out The order of time.

eta: I've read all those Peter F. Hamiltons and his latest.

Happy 2019
A year full of books
A year full of friends
A year full of all your wishes realised

I look forward to keeping up with you, Alex, this year.

Welcome back!

Dropping off my star, Alex!

Happy reading in 2019, Alex!

>3 roundballnz: Add Europe at Dawn to your Dave Hutchinson challenge. It's out now.

Welcome back, Alex!

> 11 Richard, I saw the new one & last in series this week .... thanks

Welcome back Alex!

The Dave Hutchinson series is high on my to read list as well - I read the first book just after it first came out and then never picked up the sequels. Hoping to start Europe at Midnight on my commute tomorrow.

My husband likes Peter Hamilton and we have a lot of his books but they are such chunksters I find them quite intimidating. Perhaps I should start with Great North Road which I think works as a standalone.

Happy 2019, Alex!

I may have missed it - did you read Killing Commendatore yet?

So, are you stuck on a train?
Sorry- couldn't resist the dig as I heard it on the news this morning there were more train woes in Akl.

16> That was absolute chaos ..... luckily did not impact me, as i walk to work ( yes am one of those nutters)
15> Just coming back to reading after training for 50K - 2 weeks down time .... so some reading to be done
14> Have found listening to the Hamilton chunksters via audiobook works - I loved "Great North rd"

Been missing for a bit, as was expected while I trained for a 50K trail event ( see here https://www.taraweraultra.co.nz)

Yes It was challenging & hard, & stupidly hot on the day, but it was also awesome !!!

Back to some reading for 2 weeks - then more training for March event - then bit of normality till July

I will try & read your threads but realise its crazy to even try & catch up ....

Wishing you a great Sunday, Alex

Welcome back, Alex.

Welcome back, Alex. Following you on FB, that 50K experience did look awesome!

>20 jnwelch: Thanks - it was awesome !!! going to review things after next one in late March - but seriously thinking abt giving 100k a go - walking it will be a challenge, even more so than running it .....

>18 PaulCranswick: > 19 Waves back

Finally got round to spending book vouchers from last years birthday .... bought The Wall great one to get back into reading - not my usual sci-fi book drought romp ... very much worth your time.

"The Wall is set sometime in the future. The Anthropocene - described by the characters as “The Change” - is in full effect, with thousands of people fleeing countries that are either underwater or devastated by drought. They are headed for places like England where the impact of climate change is not as apparent (though resources are scarce). The English Government has given these people the dehumanizing label “The Other” and, to stop them from entering the country, has constructed a massive edifice to span the border. Each citizen over a certain age is required, Game of Thrones style, to spend two years guarding the Wall, killing any “Other” who gets within spitting distance. Our very reluctant protagonist, Joseph Kavanagh, is about to start his tour of duty. He’s not looking forward to the freezing cold, or the tedium of standing guard for twelve hours straight, the only distraction the tea lady who does her rounds twice a day, or the likely possibility that he will be required to kill an “Other” as they attempt to breach the wall."

Nice to see you back, Alex and sort of hitting the Wall

Have a great weekend.

I haven't hosted a series or an author for a while. I'd like to do so this summer, during a month when the most interested folk have the time to do at least the targeted book, which is only 200 pp. long. I'd like to expose as many people as possible to the works of James H. Schmitz, a science fiction author who wrote from the late '40s through the 1970s. He is best known for The Witches of Karres, but imho has written much better works. Here is my bookshelf.


Many of his works, especially his shorter ones, were very hard to find for quite a while, but in 2000 and 2001, Baen published almost all of his oeuvre in a collection of 6 books, seen to the right of the shelf above. The book I would like to feature is Demon Breed, also found in the Baen collection The Hub: Dangerous Territory. Schmitz is known for his kick-ass female protagonists long before they became the current ubiquitous status quo in his stories about Telzey Amberdon, Trigger Argee, and the hero of Demon Breed, Nile Etland.

See my thread for more info if interested!

Hmmm so been away a while, determined the second half of the year will be an improved reading year ( hoping to have got my balance back, .... lets see if it works)

Just finished a universe from nothing great read.

Now something a bit lighter Fallen Angel because when does Chris Brookmyre ever disappoint ?

Back to a bit of non-fiction - seems to be happy place currently : The New Zealand Wars / Nga Pakanga O Aotearoa

might try to read library reads on the side: Xeelee - redemption & Xeelee - Vengeance

Hope all is well, Alex.

Just finished the brilliant Underland .... it might be the best book I have read /listened to ... I went audiobook on this one it makes it very special.

Hi, Alex. How is the reading going?

Reading mojo slowly coming back, reading( or audio book listening) non-fiction is definitely helping ....

was going to read Xeelee - redemption & Xeelee - Vengeance but the library wants them back ... funny that

Going to go back to The Fifth season & read 'the broken earth books' all this time back to back The Obelisk gate & The stone sky

my digestive system issues have ramped up 1000 times this year, so going thru elimination of all the main 'conditions' fun times ... in meantime reading this to try & find food i can eat Feed zone portables

Hope all your reads are fabulous ..... really go listen to Underland 🤓

Wishing you all the best, Alex

Feed zone portables is a brilliant book part nerdy but with excellent recipes - must read for any athlete ( esp endurance)

Finished the moons of Barsk second in series excellent but also though provoking read much like the first was but for different reasons .......

picked up To be taught if fortunate from library looks a good read .....

as is my want currently gel into another audio book The old ways .... loved it, but then that shd not be surprising, with my love of being on foot ... "There is no road, the road is made by walking ...."

now back to To be taught if fortunate before the library beckons it back :)

To be taught if fortunate brilliant book, .......

Thank you for keeping me company in 2019 (occasionally, Alex)......onward to 2020.

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Solstice, some other tradition or none at all, this is what I wish for you!

Another resolution is to keep up in 2020 with all my friends on LT. Happy New Year!

Okay here's to ending 2019 a very random reading year ..... 2020 is here & I intend to read more consistently, rather than mindlessly goofing off on SM ( its been my guilty pleasure in 2019 cause reasons ....)