What book(s) are you currently reading or listening? 06 January
Holidays are over! Happy New Year!
I didn't get much to read over the holidays, but I finished The Black Company by Glen Cook. The story was interesting but the way it is written made it hard for me to read. Still, going to continue with the trilogy and see if second book is any better in that regard.
Currently reading Dead Beat by Jim Butcher. Loving the book. The series just keeps getting better and better.
What about you? What have you been reading or listening?
So far so good. I have the bad habit of picking up a book or series to compare/contrast with the show or movie and IMO if you enjoy Reacher, you’ll enjoy the books and vice versa.
I am slowly reading through Metro 2033 in Russian, and after more than a year I am only halfway done. 😑
I think I spend too much time in a dictionary, where I am clicking through entries when I don't understand a single word (or I am just not 100% sure about it's meaning). Also I think on few occassions I have seen few words that are completely made up (mostly non-existing word forms) by Dmitriy, because even Google Search didn't show anything up :P
Yeah, made up words can be a issue when reading in another language. I tried reading Harry Potter in Spanish and all the made-up words in that made it a bit difficult.
I have started my year-long read for this year: The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Two chapters a week will get me through it by December.
Otherwise, I am two thirds through The Rings of Saturn which is a melancholic reflection on death, remnants and legacy over the course of a walking tour of the Suffolk coast, where I live and work. I have been aware of it for ages, and it has finally hit the top of my pile. A thoughtful and easy read, though it does seem a little over-romanticised.
And I am continuing with Peter Frankopan's The Earth Transformed. This is a history of the world taking account of changes in climate and environment: both their effects on history, and human effects on them. Informative, although the detail obscures the main points at times.
Finally, I am continuing with the Doctor Who novel The Death of Art. Some well researched worldbuilding and atmosphere and an enjoyable writing style, but an overcrowded plot that gets bogged down as a result.
The Earth Transformed - this is a much longer read than I was expecting. It is certainly still interesting, but also continues to include a LOT of detail and examples that make it difficult to keep in mind the overall points that the author is making. I have read a good few 'popular histories' - which is what this ultimate is - that are clearer. I'm going to continue though.
No, it's more of a classical magic thing (but luckily not Isekai either, although I love that genre if made well). I got it recommended by a friend, who reads lots of web novels.
And even though there is definitly a big focus on him learning and getting stronger, it's actually both pretty well paced and has unique characters and a bit of politics (but not much).
And it's actually the only WN, besides Chrysalis, which I've read a decent amount.
The Robots of Dawn. I'm almost done with all things Asimov, and it's been a wonderful journey. Having done the entire Foundation arc first, it's really enjoyable going back and reading what really works out to be like ultra prequel material for the whole universe. Yes, Asimov is a little boomer in his execution, themes, motifs, and namely characters. White male dominant is frustrating, but the sci-fi is good, and eventually, some million words later, he modernizes somewhat.
My shrink, a fellow sci-fi enthusiast, pointed out something interesting. The last book he wrote, which helped to tie his whole universe together, was basically autobiographical. Really changed my perspective on Hari.
I've been collecting Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein etc for twenty years, but I have several on my bookcases that I haven't read. I should aim to crunch through them! Have you seen a suggested reading order?
I just finished The Other Wind by Ursula K Le Guin, completing my Earthsea readthrough. I loved the series and watching how her growth as a person influenced what she did with that world.
I just started New Spring by Robert Jordan, the Wheel of Time prequel. I've only read the first book of the main series so far and am a bit apprehensive of my decision to dive into such a massive series.
I just started New Spring by Robert Jordan, the Wheel of Time prequel. I’ve only read the first book of the main series so far and am a bit apprehensive of my decision to dive into such a massive series.
If you have only read one book of the main series, I would recommend to wait and read the prequel after 5-6 books. I think that's around the time when it was published too.
Yeah I was originally going to leave it for later but the next book wasn't available at the library and someone told me I should have started at the prequel so I went for it. I'm almost done with it and I have to say it's been a really enjoyable read! Hopefully I don't regret it later on
Dead Beat is sooo good (“Polka will never die”). It’s often a suggested book for someone to try out the series because it was written and published right before the SciFi TV series was coming out. So Butcher did a some work to smooth out stuff that relied on knowledge from earlier books and he made it pretty seamless.
Yes, I've been reading them all, but Not all in order. i started with Lincoln lawyer books, and Two Kinds of Truth, and then decided to read the rest of his books in order. Currently reading Desert star.
I love Connelly books. They're not perfect but they're captivating and i just enjoy reading them.
Chaos Monkeys revised edition.
It's a lot of the Silicone Valley series with a personal touch and the experiences of the author. I'm halfway trough it and I'm already thinking that will be a bit lost once I finish.
If Anyone knows of a similar topic about the same timeline story please comment and help a reader.
When I worked in a startup, there was a guy who wanted "The Left Hand of Darkness" as his designation. The company didn't do it, but I do recall watching someone online with the same designation, don't remember who or which company.
Both great books btw! How are you liking The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue? I have seen V. E. Schwab mentioned many times in these threads but haven't had a chance to read her work yet.
Hilarious! Good to see you again! I should have taken note of the poster as It Seems I like to comment on your stuff.
I have been reading a ton but took a bit of a break ( as much as I could) from social media around the holidays. The problem is I have also gone down quite a rabbit hole on Lego now ( and Alternate bricks) which roped me back into Lemmy a bit.
My kids have started playing with my old stuff from when I was a kid and it has reintroduced me into the world and all the sets.
Have you read The Expanse? I've been enjoying it, although not quite as much as Red Rising. But either way, I do like a good Space Opera
Just finished "Dead Silence" by S.A. Barnes, and loved it. Very different take on a deep-space opera.
Now finally venturing into The Expanse, loved the series and want to see what happens after it stopped, but apparently the storylines between books and series don't fully align, so I start at rock bottom, including some of the short story prequels setting the stage. Currently reading "Drive", nicknamed as The Expanse 0.1 (only got 28 pages or so).
As a fan of the game Dead Space, Dead Silence sounds great. Going to check it out.
The Expanse stopped? I was hoping to watch it after reading all the books (which I haven't even started yet). Well, I guess one less thing in my to-watch list.
They brought the series to an end (and a good one!), so you can just go ahead and watch it - I enjoyed it a lot. The books simply extend beyond that, plus they have three prequels and some fillers building the backstories of some characters. Bit of an "extended universe" vibe.
And now I'll check out Dead Space, haven't come across it yet. Thanks!
Currently reading The Phoenix Project after postponing it for months, I finally found time during Christmas. So far i’m liking it, though you need to be connected to IT to enjoy it.
If you work in IT you will love it. If you work for a company and understand IT jargon you will enjoy it. If you have no connection whatsoever with IT you won’t make the first two chapters 😅
Well, I just finished Infinite Powers: The Story of Calculus - The Language of the Universe, by Steven Strogatz. Really enjoyed it, interesting for an overview of calculus history and how it affects everyday life.
I think I'll start 2024 reading by a reread of Tolkien's lotr + silmarillion. I, of course, already read it but one it was +20 years ago and two I read a French translation at the time and I want to read the original thing.