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What are you reading? (March 2017)
- Thread starter Maklershed
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Maklershed
Member
Finished The Drowning Pool. A marked increase in quality from The Moving Target. Looking forward to delving deeper into the Lew Archer series. For now though I need a change of pace so I'm going with The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
One of us! One of us! I love my paperwhite. Use it almost every day. Its such a game changer for reading.
EDIT: Huh, just got a notification that Michael Chrichton has a new book coming out in May. Dude is like the Tupac of the book world.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
One of us! One of us! I love my paperwhite. Use it almost every day. Its such a game changer for reading.
EDIT: Huh, just got a notification that Michael Chrichton has a new book coming out in May. Dude is like the Tupac of the book world.
TwntyOneTwlv
Member
I finished listening to Red Seas Under Red Skies yesterday.
It was.. ok. The audiobook was wonderful. This was my first time listening to a fiction book in audio form, and I really enjoyed it. I liked the way that the narrator could give all the characters their own voices. The actual book itself though was just ok. After how amazing Lies of Locke Lamora was, Red Seas feels like a bit of a letdown. I feel like I'm still nursing that whiplash from the sudden introduction of the pirate plot.
Pirates are fine and all, but don't promise me more adventures of Locke and Jean conning people before filling your whole book with sailing minutia.
It was.. ok. The audiobook was wonderful. This was my first time listening to a fiction book in audio form, and I really enjoyed it. I liked the way that the narrator could give all the characters their own voices. The actual book itself though was just ok. After how amazing Lies of Locke Lamora was, Red Seas feels like a bit of a letdown. I feel like I'm still nursing that whiplash from the sudden introduction of the pirate plot.
Pirates are fine and all, but don't promise me more adventures of Locke and Jean conning people before filling your whole book with sailing minutia.
Just started 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson. Nothing much seems to be happening at the moment but I actually like that and it's really good so far, I'm loving all the detailed descriptions of how people live on Mercury and the terraria. But those are the things I like KSR for; I'm not especially looking forward to when the plot kicks in.
Currently reading the second book in Vernor Vinge's Zone of Thought Trilogy - A Deepness In The Sky.
Pretty good so far but it has A LOT to live up to following A Fire Upon The Deep, one of the best Sci Fi books I've read.
Please post what you think of it when you're done! I thought A Fire Upon The Deep was really great (though I thought the ending let it down a very little) but I haven't read the second book yet.
Jag
Member
PassiveObserver
Member
Finished this yesterday. Look at that beautiful 70s af cover:
I wanted to read this since my college days, but finally got around to it and I'm not enjoying these PoMo classics as much as I thought I would. Still was good fun flipping from footnote to footnote, using 3 bookmarks to get through this knotty beast.
I wanted to read this since my college days, but finally got around to it and I'm not enjoying these PoMo classics as much as I thought I would. Still was good fun flipping from footnote to footnote, using 3 bookmarks to get through this knotty beast.
Anna Karenina may be one of his most famous works, but Tolstoy explores the plight of he working class in his later works. It might be good to read a little about his own personal philosophy as well. It might give some insight into why he writes the way he does.
I'm speaking because I am reading Resurrection, a book he wrote later on in his life. This book explores the imbalance between wealthy landowners and the peasants that depended on them. I find this book to be quite good, and I like Tolstoy's style in general.
I'd forgot I had this pre ordered till I read my email this morning saying it was available for me to download.
Can't wait ! Just need to finish Conjuring of Light first.
TwntyOneTwlv
Member
I read Lost City of Z a few weeks ago. I really enjoyed it. Learned a lot about the Amazon and early 20th century exploration. And there's a movie coming out this month too.
Mossybrew
Member
I'd agree with that, I'm not sure why I hear so many people recommend this book. It's a decent time waster but ultimately bland and forgettable.
Mackenzie 92
Member
Just finished Penric's Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold. I really enjoyed it. As soon as I finished I popped over to amazon and bought the other three novellas.
I'm currently reading The Camp of Saints, an incredibly racist book Steve Bannon loves, because I'm a masochist. I'm only three chapters in, but woo, it's racist, viewed through the lens of nationalism (ie: Euro-style racism). Also, the lead character just shot an angry hippie who was cheering about the demise of western civilization. The writing is not very good.
I'm currently reading The Camp of Saints, an incredibly racist book Steve Bannon loves, because I'm a masochist. I'm only three chapters in, but woo, it's racist, viewed through the lens of nationalism (ie: Euro-style racism). Also, the lead character just shot an angry hippie who was cheering about the demise of western civilization. The writing is not very good.
Oh hey, I remember reading the first Powder Mage book and enjoying it. IIRC it had some pretty neat mysteries, though I can't recall whether or not they were answered by the end of the first book. Are the rest of the books worth reading?
I haven't read The Lost City of Z, but my friend loves this book. She preached about it all the time.
MrOogieBoogie
BioShock Infinite is like playing some homeless guy's vivid imagination
Have any of you successfully purged your book collections?
I've decided to donate my physical library. I recently re-bought a book on Kindle despite owning a physical copy knowing that I'd never read the physical copy, but have already started the e-book. Lol
I've decided to donate my physical library. I recently re-bought a book on Kindle despite owning a physical copy knowing that I'd never read the physical copy, but have already started the e-book. Lol
I've done this will pretty much all my media. I only have things I plan on reading/watching/playing in the very near future and when I'm done with them I sell or donate them off, so my collection is like always rotating. I got over the need to have a "traditional" collection accumulating and accumulating because I don't really re-read or re-visit many things. One of the best decisions I've made in a long time.
If you liked the first, you will probably like the rest. If not, don't expect the rest of the trilogy to change your mind. It's very consistent.
Maklershed
Member
With the exception of non-fiction that I might want to reference in the future or books I super duper loved that I know I'll want to re-read at some point, I give all my hard copies away as soon as I'm done with it.
MrOogieBoogie
BioShock Infinite is like playing some homeless guy's vivid imagination
If anything having no books will dramatically simplify moving. Doesn't take many books to make a heavy-ass crate.
I am debating this myself. I have to move across country at the end of summer. My wife and I have 4 bookshelves worth of books, including university texts. That works out to well over 1000 lbs that I have to lug around in every move.
Funyarinpa
Member
I've been collecting books for most of my life, close to 10 years (I'm seventeen, and I think I have several books left from early elementary school). I managed to somehow fill up two full bookcases and then some. That's not counting the 100+ ebooks I managed to accrue in half a year. ;_;
Books are just about the only thing I have to tangibly show for how I've invested in or progressed in any of my hobbies, so I'm quite attached to my collection.
Books are just about the only thing I have to tangibly show for how I've invested in or progressed in any of my hobbies, so I'm quite attached to my collection.
War Dogs by Greg Bear is on sale for $2.99 for Kindle today:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00II3KY1Q/?tag=neogaf0e-20
It's the story of a humanity who is fighting a war on behalf of an alien entity they don't understand, against an alien entity they don't understand, for goals they're not entirely clear on. It takes place mostly on Mars, where you also get to see the remnants of the Muskies, early Mars colonists who got abandoned by Earth. Told from a grunt's point of view. First part of a trilogy.
In my quest to go digital and own less things, I sold more than 26 boxes (about five or six tall shelves worth) of books this weekend. I only kept poetry, art books, and non-fiction/reference works, which take up about four full-sized shelves.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00II3KY1Q/?tag=neogaf0e-20
It's the story of a humanity who is fighting a war on behalf of an alien entity they don't understand, against an alien entity they don't understand, for goals they're not entirely clear on. It takes place mostly on Mars, where you also get to see the remnants of the Muskies, early Mars colonists who got abandoned by Earth. Told from a grunt's point of view. First part of a trilogy.
In my quest to go digital and own less things, I sold more than 26 boxes (about five or six tall shelves worth) of books this weekend. I only kept poetry, art books, and non-fiction/reference works, which take up about four full-sized shelves.
NO
Just today I bought two more bookcases. (My books are triple stacked in places).
A few years ago I convinced myself to get rid of Terry Goodkind's series, and volumes 4-6 of the Dune series. I still regret the latter
I am aware of how ridiculous this all is
Kindle version is showing $4.12 for me. Is it a regional thing?
yeah, looks like it is. just looked at the page with a US proxy and the lower price showed up.
50 pages into Pratchett's Guards! Guards! and my god, this is hilarious! I tried reading Mort a year or two ago but couldn't really get into it and kind of wrote off the whole Discworld series.
Dunno what prompted me to try it again today, but I'm glad I did, cause a book hasn't made me laugh this much since The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I'm genuinely laughing out loud at least once every page, which is just amazing. I might check out the other sub-series too, but for now, the City Watch sub-series will be my focus, assuming they'll continue to be this funny.
Dunno what prompted me to try it again today, but I'm glad I did, cause a book hasn't made me laugh this much since The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I'm genuinely laughing out loud at least once every page, which is just amazing. I might check out the other sub-series too, but for now, the City Watch sub-series will be my focus, assuming they'll continue to be this funny.
My first Umberto Eco book, and it's pretty great thus far.
They all are, but Rose and Pendulum are the best. Really can't decide which one wins.
NorthAndSouth
Member
Still trying to get through Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay. It takes so much active effort to set aside time to read though right now
BlueDogAnchorite
Member
Currently reading 1Q84, after I finish this book, I'm going to start reading IT by Stephen King and than The Snowman by Jo Nesbo
ShadowSwordmaster
Banned
Hideyoshi by Mary Elizabeth Berry.
AngmarsKing701
Member
On a business trip and didn't want to pack even a carry-on bag, so I jammed everything (clothes, laptop, Flipbook) into my Swiss gear bag. Which did NOT leave enough room for To Green Angel Tower Part I (all 800 pages of it in paperback).
So when I got on the plane I was like, "Shit, I need something to read." Fired up Half the World by Joe Abercrombie, book 2 in his YA series. I had read Half a King when it first came out, so I think I'm missing bits of who's who or who's what or what's who, but basically two hour-long flights and I'm more than a third of the way through, with a couple hours on the way back tomorrow. Gotta fly out to Vegas in a week and a half for a conference, so I imagine I'll wrap it up because my bag will likely look as jammed as it is right now.
So when I got on the plane I was like, "Shit, I need something to read." Fired up Half the World by Joe Abercrombie, book 2 in his YA series. I had read Half a King when it first came out, so I think I'm missing bits of who's who or who's what or what's who, but basically two hour-long flights and I'm more than a third of the way through, with a couple hours on the way back tomorrow. Gotta fly out to Vegas in a week and a half for a conference, so I imagine I'll wrap it up because my bag will likely look as jammed as it is right now.
I finished listening to Red Seas Under Red Skies yesterday.
It was.. ok. The audiobook was wonderful. This was my first time listening to a fiction book in audio form, and I really enjoyed it. I liked the way that the narrator could give all the characters their own voices. The actual book itself though was just ok. After how amazing Lies of Locke Lamora was, Red Seas feels like a bit of a letdown. I feel like I'm still nursing that whiplash from the sudden introduction of the pirate plot.
Pirates are fine and all, but don't promise me more adventures of Locke and Jean conning people before filling your whole book with sailing minutia.
Book 3 was good in my opinion. I definitely think book 2 is the weakest of the series so far.
My first Umberto Eco book, and it's pretty great thus far.
I think this book is a masterpiece. Not always the easiest read but very much worth the effort. Builds to an astonishing climax, too.
BlanketFort
Member
Loving every bit of it. Will finish it tonight most likely.
Stunningly gripping authenticity in it's writing; Jenny Lawson is the best friend I haven't met yet.
How do you go on a business trip without even a carry on bag? Just buy new clothes when you get there?
LoneTraveler
Member
Finished Year Zero, thought it was just alright. Entertaining enough.
Started
and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna at least tear up at some point reading this...
Started
and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna at least tear up at some point reading this...
My first Umberto Eco book, and it's pretty great thus far.
Definitely putting this on my list to read in the near future.
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