books books books

[krissy]

what're you reading?

i recently finished the broken earth trilogy by nk jemisin and it was great. def read the fifth season if you can.

now going through the inconvenient indian by thomas king

[Fynn]

Finishing The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. I highly recommend it. It’s a clsssic around here and honestly it’s a must-read for all creatives out there. Gonna read Tehanu by Ursula LeGuinn next since I’ve wanted so long to get back into Earthsea!

[krissy]

i have the master + marg waiting for me in my list... sooon i will get to it

[WarZidane]

I haven't really been reading lately but the most recent things I was reading were the Shadow & Bone trilogy by Leigh Bardugo, and Skyward by Brandon Sanderson.

I dunno when I'll get back to them, as my reading moods kind of come and go in largely uninterrupted binge sessions, but I do know that in November I'll be blowing through Rhythm of War, also by Brandon Sanderson.

[Rocket Edge]

Currently reading an Autobiography by Eamon Dunphy - an Irish ex footballer turned pundit.

I finished 'The Tattooist of Auschwitz' some months ago and thought it was a fascinating book. I booked a ticket to attend a talk with the author about it and her upcoming book, but then Covid hit. Would definitely recommend.

[ham]

Reading a YA novel called Percy Jackson and I'm on the 2nd book.

Pretty into YA novels but I read a lot of different types of books.

[Spuuky]

I read the Broken Earth trilogy and it was fine but I was just a little disappointed in it for reasons I could not say. I have too many book recommendations to even list, but ultimately the best thing I have read in the past decade is the Three Body Problem and its two sequels.

Right now I am trying to read The Calculating Stars but it has it me right at the downswing in my reading cycle where I am going through the inevitable stretch where I instantly lose interest in whatever I'm reading no matter what it is.

[qwertysaur]

A textbook for lesson planning. :p

[krissy]

I read the Broken Earth trilogy and it was fine but I was just a little disappointed in it for reasons I could not say. I have too many book recommendations to even list, but ultimately the best thing I have read in the past decade is the Three Body Problem and its two sequels.



haha, that's the reverse for me! i LOVED the first book of the three body problem, and had a profound disappointment in the next two books outside of the cool sci-fi stuff. the cultural stuff and preachyness got too much for me. i finished and enjoyed most of the contents, but the first book was the best one for me. though, i wonder if it's because of translation; i went through them in polish. and to be fair, the first book of the broken earth was the best for me too. the next two had a huge shift in mood and speed. it's really hard to follow up an amazing first book in sci-fi/fantasy in general i think.

[Spuuky]

I could not say about the Polish; the book has very "Chinese" prose even in English, in the English translations, and it's pretty interesting.

You should read A Memory Called Empire.

[Lone Wolf Leonhart]

I've slowly been making my way through the new Twilight book.

77262

[Judge Mandolore Shepard]

One book I have been reading again is June 6th 1944, The Voices of D-Day​ by Gerald Astor

[Chemical]

In between some more heavier things I've been enjoying:

Peter Grant series by Ben Aaronovitch.
Key words: London, Urban Fantasy, Mystery, Paranormal, Magic and Mythology, Wizardry, Detective
Book #1/10: Rivers of London

The Magicians trilogy by Lev Grossman
Key Words: Magic, Urban Fantasy, Adventure, Aging, Adulting, Excess, Anticlimax
Book #1/3: The Magicians

[Iceglow]

In between some more heavier things I've been enjoying:

Peter Grant series by Ben Aaronovitch.
Key words: London, Urban Fantasy, Mystery, Paranormal, Magic and Mythology, Wizardry, Detective
Book #1/10: Rivers of London


The Rivers of London series (or the Peter Grant series as they are now referred to as) are great. However, the number of comic books and graphic novels that tie in to the main story is too high atm. I get that they sell but when I'm already reading a 6 or 7 book series I don't want to have to buy 15 or 16 graphic novels at the same price of the full books and whilst they're meant to "not negatively impact" the story for those who read the books there's too many references within the main books to these events to not negatively impact on the enjoyment for those of us who haven't read them.

I have Kindle Unlimited so tend to read a lot from there. Here are some of my highlights:

The Kings Watch series by Mark Hayden - starting with the 13th witch it's a similar set up to Rivers Of London series in that it is a modern day setting involving magic and a government run "policing" program hidden from outsiders, except the police are military and there's a fair bit more adult perspective.

The Omega Force Series - Joshua Dazelle (also the Scout Fleet series which ties in to the same universe) A military writer, Joshua's Omega Force series will never win a pullitzer prize but if you like a good action packed book to kill time with this is good fun.

The Black Fleet Series - Joshua Dazelle, separate from the above series takes place in a different universe setting. This is more standard military writing in a sci-fi setting. The first trilogy is brilliant, the second is ok. The third I'm just starting out on but I don't know if it's going to hold the same pull. I prefer Omega Force to this but once I start a series it's hard not to read all of them.

I listened to the audio book of the Artemis story which has come out from the author of The Martian. Whilst I loved The Martian I found Artemis to be boring.

[krissy]

finished Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
huge shout out to old school sci-fi short stories i thought
it was pretty good, looking forward to the sequels
altho felt very rushed but i guess that's because of the size of it (it's very small)

[Example]

Got this in the mail today

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[krissy]

going thru Braiding Sweetgrass (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braiding_Sweetgrass). Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by robin wall kimmerer and it's great highly reccomend it, especially if you can get the audiobook read by the author, she's a great storyteller. also it's long! multiple times i thought i was near the end but wasn't even half done. really interesting and important content. i don't often re-read books but this one might be a re-read.

[Miriel]

I just finished The Secret Life of Addie LaRue which I read in just under 2 days. It was a nice delightful and easy read that got me past a book slump. I'm starting Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell and I love it already.

[Judge Mandolore Shepard]

One book I am currently reading is one of the books in the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. The book I am reading is Question Quest​.

[Del Murder]

I'm reading Gone with the Wind and it's taking forever. It's actually a good read. Full of racism, but not in a vile way, more of a 'this is the way these people were' way. Also it is written in a way that it is quite enjoyable to see the bad things happening to the racist Confederates. I will probably need to read about 10 books by non-white authors to make up for this later though.

[Freya]

Brandon Sanderson's Way of Kings currently. It's massive and I'm very busy so it's slow going

[Nile Parker]

I start reading Ulysses by Irish writer James Joyce. I tried to read this modernist novel several times already, but the maximum reached the third chapter. This time I want to read to the end, no matter how long it takes me. Quite a difficult book, but I'm sure many people will like it. In addition, I read critical articles now and reviews on the problem of human trafficking. On https://studyhippo.com/essay-examples/human-trafficking/ I found some very constructive articles about human trafficking. The slave trade is a transatlantic trade model dating back to the middle of the 18th century and unfortunately this practice still exists today.

[Badr Boodai]

I start reading Ulysses by Irish writer James Joyce. I tried to read this (https://convert.io/) modernist novel several times already, but the maximum reached the third chapter. This time I want to read to the end, no matter how long it takes me.
It is a very interesting book in terms of its style but a really boring one in terms of its plot :) hope this time you will finish it because I didn't manage to do that.

[Mr Gashtacular]

I have been reading a lot of Cesar Aira, an Argentinian writer who will probably end up with a Nobel prize some day (no one has heard of him, but he writes incredibly). Recommended. Start with the short story "Ghosts" if you're interested.

Speaking of Nobel prizes, I am currently reading Blindness, by Saramago. It's about an epidemic of blindness (no trout) and is rather beautifully written for something so bleak. It's also fairly timely reading given the current pandemic.

[Quindiana Jones]

I just finished a load of books and am currently reading Rumi's selected works.

[Del Murder]

I just started the Wheel of Time series. I'll let you know how I like it when I finish in 5 years. Good so far!

[Freya]

I just convinced Shaibana to read A Court of Thorns and Roses with me. It was... okay. Ron Moore will be able to make it better come the TV show.

[Depression Moon]

Just finished The Shadow of Kyoshi yesterday. The Kyoshi novels are damn good books. Kyoshi had a rough ass life and all before she was 18. When is the next book? It's been a while.

[Mr Gashtacular]

I've been reading more and more lately, due to a great bookshop opening near my house and the dude there being just really into books - contagious.

The Dangers of Smoking in Bed, by Mariana Enriquez
A collection of horror short stories. As with all collections, there are weak ones and strong ones. The weak ones aren't bad and the strong ones are excellent. There are some genuine scares here, and I would say not for the faint of heart. Part of my effort to read more female authors, and a strong entry at that. I'll be honest, I bought this because the cover was cool - but it was a wise choice.

Kitchen, by Banana Yoshimoto.
My first Banana. It was fine. There's a theme in Japanese literature where not a whole lot of stuff happens but it is still written beautifully and you can't put it down, this is a good example. Ultimately for me it was an alright romantic novel, nothing wrong with it - I just don't know that I would read it again. However, there is (refreshingly for a book from the 80s) a strong trans character that isn't just played for laughs or treated cruelly.

One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel García Márquez
Which I kept seeing mentioned on reddit as being one of the best books ever. I was worried because reddit is full of really stupid people and weird fandom types, but it turned out to be a very good book. I found it a bit of a slog in the middle stretches, but perseverance was well worth it. A great book about solitude, ambition, time, repetition and a bunch of other stuff.

Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson
My first Jackson, and it's about time. I was actually recommended "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" but it wasn't in the shop. I'm only a couple chapters in, so watch this space. I'm already seeing a lot of the tension I'm told Jackson is known for, and I'm also seeing some stuff that I think have become tropes in horror lit and movies. So far I haven't been able to put it down!

[theundeadhero]

Del, did you ever get far into the Wheel of Time books? I'm guessing you were wanting to finish it before the show came out. It's probably my favorite series but I haven't had the time to watch the shows yet, and I'm honestly kinda afraid to.

I've recently started listening to the Way of Kings series while at work and it's alright so far. Makes a great background distraction during repetitive work.

[Del Murder]

I only finished the first one. Hard to find time to read these days. I did watch the show and I’m sure I got spoiled for several later events given they are compacting it, but it hasn’t bothered me. I find the characterization of the non Rand characters in the show is much better than the first book.

[theundeadhero]

I can see that. Those characters develop over time, but for the show it makes sense to have them be more at the begining. Mat in particular doesn't have much in the first few books, but by book four becomes my favorite.

[Badr Boodai]

I've been reading more and more lately, due to a great bookshop opening near my house and the dude there being just really into books - contagious.

The Dangers of Smoking in Bed, by Mariana Enriquez
A collection of horror short stories. As with all collections, there are weak ones and strong ones. The weak ones aren't bad and the strong ones are excellent. There are some genuine scares here, and I would say not for the faint of heart. Part of my effort to read more female authors, and a strong entry at that. I'll be honest, I bought this because the cover was cool - but it was a wise choice.

Kitchen, by Banana Yoshimoto.
My first Banana. It was fine. There's a theme in Japanese literature where not a whole lot of stuff happens but it is still written beautifully and you can't put it down, this is a good example. Ultimately for me it was an alright romantic novel, nothing wrong with it - I just don't know that I would read it again. However, there is (refreshingly for a book from the 80s) a strong trans character that isn't just played for laughs or treated cruelly.

One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel García Márquez
Which I kept seeing mentioned on reddit as being one of the best books ever. I was worried because reddit is full of really stupid people and weird fandom types, but it turned out to be a very good book. I found it a bit of a slog in the middle stretches, but perseverance was well worth it. A great book about solitude, ambition, time, repetition and a bunch of other stuff.

Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson
My first Jackson, and it's about time. I was actually recommended "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" but it wasn't in the shop so I ordered it on Aliexpress. This (https://alitools.io/en) tool helped to get it at a good price. I'm only a couple chapters in, so watch this space. I'm already seeing a lot of the tension I'm told Jackson is known for, and I'm also seeing some stuff that I think have become tropes in horror lit and movies. So far I haven't been able to put it down!
100 Years in Solitude is one of the best books I have ever read in my whole life. Incredible plot! Umberto Eco is also incredible! Highly recommend all his books :cool:

[Del Murder]

I just read Ulysses and although I don't regret doing it, it was the most difficult thing I ever read. A genius piece of work, but not at all fun to read!

I am now finishing up the Expanse series since the last book just came out.

[Freya]

I just finished the third Mistborn book, ending the Era 1. I enjoyed it. Started reading this popular one "From Blood and Ash" by Jennifer L. Armentrout. It's not very good. Very info dumpy but I'm already half way through so meh, guess I'll finish it.

[Del Murder]

I thought the Mistborn trilogy was fantastic but the third book was the weakest. Always difficult to end something that becomes so grand, but I hoped for something different. What did you think?

[Example]

Finally read the short story in the FF7R World Preview book. It's pretty interesting stuff, to say the least.

I'm not a fan of how the shinra trooper main character - and the plot in general - was written out of the overarching story, I was hoping it would tie into the next part of the remake but I guess not. Oh well.

[Mr Gashtacular]

I've been reading more and more lately, due to a great bookshop opening near my house and the dude there being just really into books - contagious. The Dangers of Smoking in Bed, by Mariana Enriquez A collection of horror short stories. As with all collections, there are weak ones and strong ones. The weak ones aren't bad and the strong ones are excellent. There are some genuine scares here, and I would say not for the faint of heart. Part of my effort to read more female authors, and a strong entry at that. I'll be honest, I bought this because the cover was cool - but it was a wise choice. Kitchen, by Banana Yoshimoto. My first Banana. It was fine. There's a theme in Japanese literature where not a whole lot of stuff happens but it is still written beautifully and you can't put it down, this is a good example. Ultimately for me it was an alright romantic novel, nothing wrong with it - I just don't know that I would read it again. However, there is (refreshingly for a book from the 80s) a strong trans character that isn't just played for laughs or treated cruelly. One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel García Márquez Which I kept seeing mentioned on reddit as being one of the best books ever. I was worried because reddit is full of really stupid people and weird fandom types, but it turned out to be a very good book. I found it a bit of a slog in the middle stretches, but perseverance was well worth it. A great book about solitude, ambition, time, repetition and a bunch of other stuff. Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson My first Jackson, and it's about time. I was actually recommended "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" but it wasn't in the shop so I ordered it on Aliexpress. This (https://alitools.io/en) tool helped to get it at a good price. I'm only a couple chapters in, so watch this space. I'm already seeing a lot of the tension I'm told Jackson is known for, and I'm also seeing some stuff that I think have become tropes in horror lit and movies. So far I haven't been able to put it down! 100 Years in Solitude is one of the best books I have ever read in my whole life. Incredible plot! Umberto Eco is also incredible! Highly recommend all his books :cool: why did this mf edit my quote to include an ad lmao. anyway, i have exhausted the english translations of cesar aira books and now i am at a loss.