Book reader community.
I just finished blazing through Life of Pi in a single day today. I thought it would be obnoxious and tryhard, but it turned out to be a surprisingly interesting read and a hell of a page-turner. Gets a bit... weird... toward the end, but definitely a book I'd recommend, and one which I'll probably be thinking about for the next few weeks.
Onward to rereading Children of Dune!
I LOVE Life of Pi! It's one of my favorite books.
Currently I am reading two books. The first is; This is your brain on music by Daniel Levitins and the second is; The subtle art of not giving a fuck by MArk Manson.
The first is really nice, but requires a lot of attention of me as termnology I am unfamiliar with is used. Yet it is able to convey tons of information on every page and the subject fascinates me.
The second is really good, very easily digest able and I like the nuance it provides on how to (amongst other things) prioritize your life.
I'll be finishing the last 3 Expanse books once I get my new library card after I moved over a year ago. I made the decision to read the forward and first chapter of my copy of LOTR *eta today. Damn, does it feel like it reads differently than when I read through any of them 8+ years ago. Had a touch-and-go with reading for enjoyment for a while from having to learn different organization/local SOPs for a couple years (during which I read the middle 1/3 of the Expanse). Great to get back into it, though! For Sci-Fi folks, LeVar Burton posted an article on LinkedIn this past week of top modern SciFi. He does say it's also celebrating him being included on that list. https://theportalist-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/theportalist.com/adult-sci-fi-books?amp=1 Some mild webpage ad alert
Hell yeah! The expanse is such a long series, congratulations
Thanks! Fortunately, I find them to be a pretty easy read. The Sci-Fi explanations and concepts aren't overly technical, and just enough to really get a good feel for the setting and tech IMO. The first 2/3 were great. I'm really interested in what'll be going on in the time jump.
Currently reading Heretics of Dune. It's...very different from the first three but only as different as God Emperor of Dune was.
Oh man, I'm so jealous at you getting to read the Dune books for the first time. I'm about to start Children on my third reread, and every time I read the series I'm just as enthralled as the first time. Dune + Children is probably my second favorite novel ever written, though God Emperor is close behind them.
Am I the only one who loved Dune Messiah?
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, a fun Sci-Fi story from the author of The Martian. A little heavier on the Fi than its predecessor but still quite scientific. Next on the list is the Bobiverse.
Just started this as well.
Reading Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. I am really enjoying it. So much that when something sad unexpectedly happen I physically closed the book and said out loud 'Noooooooo'. Took a day break from it, even.
I'm reading Essex Dogs by Dan Jones. It's a historical fiction novel about a group of mercenaries who join England's invasion of France in the 1300s. It's violent, vulgar and does an excellent job highlighting the mundane parts of war: endless marching, heat, shitty food, illness, dirt/grime/stink, insects biting you endlessly. I've stayed up until 2 AM on work nights 3 times this week because I can't put it down. I was expecting to like it, and only intended for it to be a palate cleanser between Stormlight Archives books 3-4, but I absolutely love it.
I really liked The Plantagenets by him, and he was a good guest on The Tides of History podcast. He really knows his stuff about the Hundred Years War so I expect it's very realistic and accurate.
I'm currently reading Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan. It's a pretty rough experience so far; I've basically been reading it extremely slowly since it's boring af about 50% of the way so far. This is definitely the peak of the "slog" so far that other people who have read Wheel of Time mention.
Sanderson ties the ending up masterfully.
I’m reading the Passage trilogy!!! Just finished book 2
I couldn't get past the time shift in the first book. It felt like it really should have been two separate novels.
Similar to Seveneves by Neal Stephenson. I couldn't even finish that one because the first 4/5 is a masterful self-contained story and the last fifth is just a completely different setting/tone/story.
I typically don’t like time jumps but I was able to get into a good bit once I kinda understood the time line.
How is book 2? No spoilers please! I read book 1 and quite liked it. The first chapter of book 1 was so well written and evocative of emotion..
It’s really good. It’s very jumpy around for about half then gets really focused on the second half. It’s so thrilling. I was trying to find time to read as much as I could.
I read Demon Copperhead earlier this year and it took some time to get through it. Overall I enjoyed it but it does go on and on a bit. Currently reading How High We Go in the Dark. It’s kind of depressing so it’s taking some time to get through as well.
How high we go on the dark is Soo good. But that roller coaster chapter gutted me.
I'm reading Social Reproduction Theory and Perrido Street Station. I like the former a lot, but the latter is incredibly dense, not in the sense that the proses are impenetrable or the vocabulary needed to read is overwhelming, but I just can't power through the book's long winded passages to set up the world building. I hate that I have to consult the map very closely to even follow what the hell he's talking about. I read the book for a good hour or two and haven't seen anything notciable happening, because the author is taking his sweet time to meticulously describe everything, before the tension, I guess.
But eh, it's really just the matter of taste. Many people love his style of writing, and honestly I could see that, somehow. As for me, I will stick around with this book for a bit longer to see if my patience pays off.
Sorry because this turns out to be a rant.
i keep meaning to pick up Demon Copperhead. It's set in my home county. I wonder how much the author embellished and how real she kept it.
I'm currently picking my way through No Plan B. For a Reacher installment, it seems like it was slow to get rolling, and struggling to keep my attention.
I'm reading Thinner by Stephen King. It's my first King novel and I'm really enjoying it.
Just finished the people's republic of Walmart quite interesting book covering some arguments for planned economy.
Finishing up Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson. I'm on book 10, The Crippled God. It's taken almost 2 years because I had a kid in the middle of it.
I can't even begin to describe how dense and fantastic it is. I feel like it's spoiled fantasy for me. I can't imagine anyone else ever coming close. Going to take a break for a while and read something else before trying another series in that world.
I just started Reapers Gale. Can’t begin to describe how crazy the world building is.
Finally reading Dune for the first time. Enjoying it so far, about a third of the way through. I’ve been dying to watch the movie, but I’m the book-before-movie type.
Just finished the novels... I found the ending very satisfying.
I'm missing a couple of short stories in that universe.
I’m working my way through some of the more “pop” books. Sarah j maas, “beach reads”.
Honestly they’re all super easy and I finish them in 1-2 days. But I’m shocked at how “THE BEST BOOKS EVER” of this day and age are so downright terrible compared to the best books of like pre-2000s.
Has anyone else noticed that shift?
You're just comparing two different sets of books. I haven't read Sara J Maas but back in the 90s and auties we were getting crushed under an avalanche of Danielle Steele, Dean Koontz, and Dan Brown. If you want a contemporary fantasy author with a bit more gravitas read Catherynne Valente or Kazuo Ishiguro. Although they won't go down smooth as a beach read, maybe.
Robin Hobb's "Realm of the Elderlings", a high fantasy series consisting of 5 trilogies. (Currently reading the second trilogy "The Liveship Traders".) I love it.
Totally in a league of her own as an epic fantasy writer IMO!
I've been reading City of Last Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I read Children of Time a few months ago and it instantly became my new favorite book. Been blowing through his bibliography every since.
City of Last Chances is the first fantasy book of his I've read and I'm digging it so far. The prose is evocative of a stage play in places, and the world building is on point. It tells the story of an occupied city teetering on the edge of revolution.
I love books that take place over a short interval of time. The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie comes to mind. So far the entire book has taken place in a week or less and is starting to wrap up. You really get to sink your teeth into this particular moment of this particular city.
Highly recommend if it can stick the landing, but Tchaikovsky has yet to miss on that front so I'm not particularly worried.
Currently almost finished of Jade City and it's just interesting enough to keep me going. Very interesting take on a magic system being like a drug, but this one is mostly about political intrigue.
If you wanted a story about an alternate history Japan with drug-magic powered Yakuza clans, then this book is for you!
Linda Elder, Richard Paul - Critical Thinking...
I knew before I started it it's gonna be one of the most important books I will ever read in my life. After the first 12% it hasn't disappointed a bit.
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi. Bloody amazing.
That was the last book I finished, and it was solid. The "getting the gang back together" part was fun, and the latter half just picked up from there. Without getting too spoilery I think the last character from her past showing up, and the more fantastical shift from there on, really added a lot to the enjoyment factor.
I just finished Carrie by Stephen King for the first time!! It was amazing, I absolutely loved it. Cannot wait to watch the movie.
Had a long pause for a while, but back to making my way thru all of Discworld in publishing order. I'm on Monstrous Regiment at the moment and enjoying Terry Pratchett's delightful writing as always.
Chthulu Casebooks sounds fun, I've never heard of it but I enjoy Holmes and mysteries in general, will make a note to check it out!
I’m about halfway through the Malazan series. Just finished getting current on mistborn and thoroughly enjoyed it.
How is the SH and the Shadwell Shadows? I've had that series on my to-read list for a while but haven't touched them.
I went down a deep horror fantasy rabbit hole and I just came out of it. Now I am jumping back into discworld with Terry Pratchett for a while. I just finished The Fifth Elephant and I'm going to try to finish the watch series in the next couple weeks. I might sprinkle a few short stories in there for palette cleansers haha. Pratchett is always my favorite author to come back to after I do a deep dive on a different genre or author. It's like a warm blanket that makes me giggle.
Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson.
Third book in the series, bloody massive, and loving it. Damn that man can write… and write faster than I can read. 😂
I'm currently working on Children of Ash and Elm by Neil Price, an indepth dive on Vikings covering history, archeology, mythology, and so on. It's decently well reviewed and at least seems really comprehensive but I have to admit I'm having trouble getting into it and I'm mostly just grinding out 10-20 page chunks at a time before I end up dropping it to do something else.
The Case for Space by Robert Zubrin. It's really interesting and he clearly has thought a lot about how humans could live in space. The parts about the orbital mechanics of maneuvering about the Saturn system etc. can be pretty confusing though.
Code 2nd Edition - it's a huge slog even compared to Nand2Tetris, with so many chapters focussed on Electronic Engineering.
I want to get to the end though as he added new chapters for machine learning and AI, etc. (although just before the release of ChatGPT lol)