A community for all things related to Books.
Currently reading "Lungo la corrente" ("along the stream"). It's a nonfiction book about the impact that the fading gulf stream is having on Europe, from Azores to Svalbard, in terms of climate and biodiversity. Spoiler alert: not a reassuring read.
I don't believe it exists translated.
Just finished Authority by Jeff VanderMeer. Although not quite as big a mindfuck as the first novel in the series, it was still a gloriously unnerving, tense novel, and still deeply strange. Loved it.
Just started Babylon's Ashes in the Expanse series. So far a little slow to start; but then they often seem to be. I have faith that I'll get into it when it gets going.
I'm rereading Malazan Book of the Fallen this year, but adding in some of the Bauchelain & Broach short stories and maybe a few Esslemont books too. This'll be the third go round for the first 5 books and the second reread for the last 5. It's amazing how many tiny details are planted in the first books that pay off by the end of the series. The references, foreshadowing, and thematic follow throughs are insane and I pick up more each time.
I'm in House of Chains right now.
Alternating between fiction and non-fiction, I finished N.K. Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy and I'm currently reading Memory for Forgetfulness by Mahmoud Darwish.
Absolutely adore the broken earth trilogy, it's so refreshing to have a main character who's a middle aged mother, and Jemisins prose might be my favorite of any author
The Martian
Roadside Picnic by Arkady Strugatsky. If not the original "Stalker" book, one of them. Fast fun read.
An all-time favorite, a fantastic read!
Busy week. Only managed to finish up Soviet Workers and Late Stalinism: Labour and the Restoration of the Stalinist System after World War II, which I started a bit ago.
What's next?
Not sure, to be honest. Been meaning to read A Confederacy Of Dunces, so I might get around to that. Or I might pick up some more history.
Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu.
The Xeelee Sequence by Steven Baxter.
Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons.
Three Body Problem is so good. I would highly recommend reading the 2 sequels when you finish. It only gets better after the first book!
Honestly, I'm 85% of the way through it, and the whole thing has been an absolute slog.
I'm really not getting what people see in it. For me it feels a lot like old Isaac Asimov scifi; great ideas, really cool big concept stuff, but absolutely flat characters and uninteresting prose. The main character is just a whiteboard for other characters to explain things on. Every other character is utterly forgettable apart from Ye Wenjie, who gets the bulk of the development but is, backstory aside, largely ancillary to the plot.
And the structure and plotting just kind of fall apart once you get the main reveal. Like, there's some degree of interesting mystery at first, but then it just builds to a big meeting where a bunch of random people explain the plot to each other for the benefit of the main character and the audience. And then we're very hurriedly introduced to a another antagonist so the book can have an ending.
I agree. I enjoyed it, sort of, but not enough to match the hype. It's a clunky, stumbling book that rides heavily on its core mystery.
It actually put me off reading the sequels for a long time, but I did eventually get round to it, and I'm glad I did. They're both far better reads. The second book in particular is very good; and the third is gloriously strange.
Honestly I agree with a lot of your criticisms. The first book is mostly just setting up the story for the next two. I always forget the first book is mostly a murder mystery because the other two books lean in such a different direction.
The main character doesn't really do anything for the story. It feels like the plot happens around the main character and nothing would've changed without them. Fortunately every book has a new main character and the one from the first book is never mentioned again. Personally I think the characters are much better written as the series goes on.
I am big fan of the series so I'm pretty biased when I recommend to try the second book, but if you have to force yourself to read a book then it's probably just not for you.
I'm literally still reading the first book, and I also also forgot it was a murder mystery, because the book forgot too. Like, the entire premise of the plot just withers on the vine. I know that at this point I have the answer, but characters don't even really react to this in any way. Like, you'd think the whole "scientists committing suicide" thing could have been used as a ticking clock to give more urgency to the plot, but it really just gets forgotten about by everyone involved.
Right, like the main character, who is a scientist, is just playing a videogame most of the time. And he literally sees a countdown timer that no one else sees but the urgency to save himself just doesn't exist for some reason.
Also his family are just sort of... There? Like, his interactions with his wife are some of the most pathetic shit I've ever read. She pops into existence for one scene and then just ceases to matter after that.
Actually, many of the comments here mention that it's a slog to get through. Apparently it does get better.
Good to know I'm not going crazy.
There's apparently a 4th book by a different author that was given the approval of the original author.
Yeah I read The Redemption of Time. It's a little cringey at times and reads like fanfiction you might see on AO3 but I still think it was a fun read. I would certainly not consider it to be canon though.
Full sci-fi mode, nice!
I'm very much enjoying them.
Working my way through 'The Misfits' series by Simon Brading. Excellent. A steam punk alternative to the Battle of Britain and so on. First of the series is Battle Over Britain ;-)
D&D Players Handbook
Planning to join some campaign?
No, we've been playing for some time, and I'm just catching up.
I've been lax on reading 1984 by George Orwell due to starting Epictetus: The Complete Works by Robin Waterfield. I like it so far, it's definitely a palate cleanser from the dystopian themes of '84.
I do have an anthology on poetry that I also sparingly read. I'll probably read one poem later tonight.
In the mornings I try to read the daily page from The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday but I don't always get around to it.
The Daily Stoic looks interesting, how are you liking it?
I like it for what it offers, which is a daily stoic teaching.
It's very simple but if you want something to ease your mind in an approachable way I'd recommend it.
While most people will tell you to go to the original sources, if you are interested in Stoicism, I think reading this book is a nice "ritual".
I am all for original sources, but some times you just need something bite sized to read. Will check it out.
Just finished Money: Master the Game by Tony Robbins. A friend asked me to read it knowing I can't stand the author. The advice isn't anything revelatory, if you haven't read a good bit about retirement this isn't a bad book. But he uses 25 words when 3 would do, and doesn't really talk about the people who failed so it's very much survivor or outcome biased.
I'm about to re-read First Break All the Rules and will start Half Share by Nathan Lowell. I really loved quarter share and am excited to get to book 2 in the series.
Looked up the series just to see where it goes after Half Share. Three Quarter Share didn't sound like a good name, but no, he went to Full Share and then Double Share.
Then captains share and owners share I've just learned. My brother in law recommended em.
Would love to see how you like the whole series.
I'll probably read them all but it'll take a long while. I only read one or two fiction books a month and I like to mix it up so I don't stay with the same author or genre.
Just finished up Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes and am starting up The Stranger by Albert Camus.
I have The Stranger on my bookshelf, but haven't started it yet. Would love to hear what you think about it.
Oof. Highschool flashback.
I have just started And all so quiet by Mareike Fallwickl. I'm reading the original in German, so not sure about the English translation. Anyways, I loved The Rage That Remains, it's been almost a year since I devoured it in a few sittings and I'm still thinking about this book on the regular. So I really hope And all so quiet can keep up with it.
The Earthborn trilogy by Paul Tassi. Would recommend, nothing too groundbreaking but very enjoyable.
I think my 5th time reading those books, love em.
FINALLY finished the TJ Klune sequel to House on the Cerulean Sea, whatever it was called. I've really enjoyed their other books, but this one was such pappy crap. Every single sentence was designed to tell you how special and wonderful being different is, to the point that the story was boring as shit.
A week later and I'm 500 pages into Wind and Truth by Sanderson.
Heh, when you don't even remember the name of the book.
How are you enjoying Wind and Truth?
It's good! This book is more enjoyable than the others, I think. The other books had SO MUCH to set up that it got a bit dense. Now it feels like Sanderson can just let the story play out instead of setting up stuff. It's also finally making firm, direct connections between the Cosmere planets as opposed to just hints at them.
Still reading I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle. It's still light and fluffy fun, but it's starting to feel kind of muddled. Like, I thought I was getting a story about a dragon catcher that hates his job, but that's been sidelined in favor of a story about a prince that doesn't want to rule. There's been a sprinkle of "legendary dragon? nah, that doesn't exist anymore" foreshadowing, but the plot's been very low stakes otherwise. Not sure if it's a framing issue (there's a lot of POVs) or a narrative one, but maybe it'll all come together later on.
sigh Poor dragon, getting sidelined. We won't stand for this injustice!
Recently finished a re-read of Lord of the Rings, and am working my way through The Silmarillion again now. Found them in gorgeous hardback editions that also have Tolkien’s illustrations. Ideally once I’m finished with Silmarillion I’ll start in on Tolkien’s other works that I’ve never read at all - Unfinished Tales, Morgoth’s Ring, etc.
Reading The Silmarillion can confuse anyone, so your name makes sense 😀