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What are you reading? (February 2017)

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M

Mifune

Mehmber
Remembrance said:
Shadowbahn by Steve Erickson arrived today. It's seriously been five years since his last one?

1244x700


And how is there not a single good cover image online.
Click to expand...

Are we sure that isn't the (terrible) cover art?

Seeing him speak tomorrow night. Can't wait!
 
V

Vincent Grayson

Member
I'm reading Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky.

It's pretty great so far (about a third in), and I'd almost certainly recommend it to sci-fi fans.
 
B

BastardSamurai

Member
Mike M said:
This book though, I'm having a very hard time buying the premise that Holden would be sent as a mediator to negotiate a peace between the two groups on the planet. He's got no negotiation training, skills, or experience, no one actually bothered to outline what authority he has in this situation, etc. It's a really blatant and kind of poor excuse to stick the main cast into the story when they don't really have a reason to be there.

Still enjoying it at face value, though.
Click to expand...

Hanzou said:
I read this last year but
didn't they send him kind of knowing that things were going to go bad not matter who they sent and then they could just use him as a scapegoat, annex the planet and get their way? It's been a while so I may be remembering wrong.
Click to expand...

I just started this one a few days ago, but yea,
it's called out that Holden has no training or skills. He's told by Fred and Avasarala that because he's dealt with Earth, Mars and the OPA, and all the factions have sufficient reason to hate him, that he'd be considered impartial because everyone wants to kill him. But, as the Rocinante is in transit, he and Naomi talk about how they think the real reason for assigning him as mediator is to be a scapegoat because he has no training, but he plans to prove them wrong or something.
 
F

Fuu

Formerly Alaluef (not Aladuf)
Ravensmash said:
50 pages in (my old English teacher's metric for getting into a book) and I am loving Kafka on the Shore.

I have a feeling that this is a book I shouldn't try too hard to understand, and just allow myself to get swept away, right?

I think I may need much more Murakami soon.
Click to expand...
Yup. Just go along with it. It was my first foray into Murakami's works and I absolutely love that book.
 
R

Remembrance

Member
Mifune said:
Are we sure that isn't the (terrible) cover art?

Seeing him speak tomorrow night. Can't wait!
Click to expand...

I mean I couldn't find more than two images of the cover on the internet. And that was the only clean image.

And yes, it's a terrible cover and I would love to have every Erickson book reprinted with a unifying design. But he hasn't had anything reprinted in a decade, so...

aidan said:
Yeah. That's the official cover art.

And, that book sounds batty.
Click to expand...

My favorite writer, because all the weirdness is always grounded in reality and vivid imagery. I know every Erickson book is going to a weird place, but every Erickson book will also be an emotional, human journey to an ending that burns into your mind's eye.

It's some of the most visual and filmic prose I've ever read, appropriately for an author who writes about movies so much.
 
M

Mifune

Mehmber
Remembrance said:
I mean I couldn't find more than two images of the cover on the internet. And that was the only clean image.

And yes, it's a terrible cover and I would love to have every Erickson book reprinted with a unifying design. But he hasn't had anything reprinted in a decade, so...
Click to expand...

He just switched publishers, too. I will say that this book seems to be getting pretty good exposure, review-wise. I remember having a hard time finding many reviews of These Dreams of You when it came out.

EDIT: My favorite current writer, as well.
 
M

Mike M

Nick N
Running into an issue where my Kindle and Audible app aren't seeing each other on one of my books. I had this issue once before, but chalked it up to it probably being a result of one using an ampersand in there title while the other used the actual word "and." Not the case here, so no idea WTF is going on or how to fix it...
 
R

Remembrance

Member
Mifune said:
EDIT: My favorite current writer, as well.
Click to expand...

What else do you like along those lines?

I read Paul Auster for a while after In the Country of Last Things made an impression on me. But Auster's latest book is supposedly a nearly 900-page setup for a bad pun.
 
O

Octagon

Member
Currently reading The Brothers Karamazov.
But I am looking forward to finishing it because I also want to read
the heart of what was lost and 4321.
Still got about 800pages though.
 
M

Maklershed

Member
Anyone have recs for early 20th century Los Angeles based fiction? I'd take anything really but bonus points for detective or noir stories. (other than the big guys - Hammett, Chandler, Ellroy)
 
T

Tawney Bomb

Member
I re-listened to Stardust by Neil Gaiman and still find that book very enjoyable, though I did forgot the ending is bittersweet. He has a great voice for narrarting. Started listening to The Martian now.
 
B

brawly

Member
Finished The Last Wish

This did not start well for me, at all. It's basically just a bunch of short stories with no overarching plot. Some of which I liked, others were totally fogettable. There's very little background to Geralt (there is later in the book), which to be fair didn't bother me all that much, having played all the games. What did bother me though were characters (that were not in games) just getting thrown at you. What is their connection with Geralt? Who the hell knows.

There's one really good chapter (the one with Nivellen), but other than that I didn't like the book. That is until Dandelion showed up. Him and Geralt are great together. It saved the book for me. If I had not played the games I honestly don't know if I would've finished it. It did end pretty strong so I'm gonna read the second one.
 
M

Mifune

Mehmber
Remembrance said:
What else do you like along those lines?

I read Paul Auster for a while after In the Country of Last Things made an impression on me. But Auster's latest book is supposedly a nearly 900-page setup for a bad pun.
Click to expand...

Along those lines? Oh man. As you know, it's hard to find anyone who's anything like Erickson. I mean, Murakami is kind of in the same realm but simultaneously not in the same realm at all. That's a tough question. Who would you compare him to?

The one book that I think is probably closest to his style, and seems like a direct influence on his writing is PKD's The Man in the High Castle. But I don't find that book to be nearly as fun and propulsive as Erickson (or even earlier Dick stuff, for that matter).

I recently read The Keep by Jennifer Egan. And that book has the same sort of slippery narrative structure and quietly experimental prose that you find in, say, Days Between Stations, where the writing is weird and wild but still completely approachable.

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet is maybe David Mitchell's most underrated book. It's got the focus on history with a million wonderful details and a touch of magical realism. It slips between genres as beautifully as Cloud Atlas does but without all that visible effort.

And of course I love Pynchon and DeLillo and all the other postmodern mainstays. But there's a crispness to Erickson's prose that is hard to find elsewhere.
 
A

Alucard

Banned
Reading Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson. My first book by him and I'm loving it. 180 pages deep so far and I'm looking forward to seeing how this gods mystery unravels.

Also will be checking out Norse Mythology with my next Audible credit. Gaiman narrates it himself and apparently does a great job of it. I'm really looking forward to it.
 
L

Lord of Ostia

Member
brawly said:
Finished The Last Wish

This did not start well for me, at all. It's basically just a bunch of short stories with no overarching plot. Some of which I liked, others were totally fogettable. There's very little background to Geralt (there is later in the book), which to be fair didn't bother me all that much, having played all the games. What did bother me though were characters (that were not in games) just getting thrown at you. What is their connection with Geralt? Who the hell knows.

There's one really good chapter (the one with Nivellen), but other than that I didn't like the book. That is until Dandelion showed up. Him and Geralt are great together. It saved the book for me. If I had not played the games I honestly don't know if I would've finished it. It did end pretty strong so I'm gonna read the second one.
Click to expand...
The second one is better, but I really enjoyed the Last Wish. It's really just world building and establishing Geralt as a character and his world view. Keep reading, it's worth it.

I just finished John Darnielle's Universal Harvester. Not as good as his debut imo, but I still very much enjoyed it. He definitely nails the Midwestern small town feel, and the central mystery keeps you hooked until the conclusion.
 
R

Remembrance

Member
Mifune said:
Along those lines? Oh man. As you know, it's hard to find anyone who's anything like Erickson. I mean, Murakami is kind of in the same realm but simultaneously not in the same realm at all. That's a tough question. Who would you compare him to?

The one book that I think is probably closest to his style, and seems like a direct influence on his writing is PKD's The Man in the High Castle. But I don't find that book to be nearly as fun and propulsive as Erickson (or even earlier Dick stuff, for that matter).

I recently read The Keep by Jennifer Egan. And that book has the same sort of slippery narrative structure and quietly experimental prose that you find in, say, Days Between Stations, where the writing is weird and wild but still completely approachable.

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet is maybe David Mitchell's most underrated book. It's got the focus on history with a million wonderful details and a touch of magical realism. It slips between genres as beautifully as Cloud Atlas does but without all that visible effort.

And of course I love Pynchon and DeLillo and all the other postmodern mainstays. But there's a crispness to Erickson's prose that is hard to find elsewhere.
Click to expand...

Ah, all the usual suspects. I'll look into the particular titles you mentioned.

I particularly liked Murakami's After Dark, Mitchell's Ghostwritten, and DeLillo's Cosmopolis. These are their more straightforward books, I think - none of Murakami's absurdism, Mitchell's period writing, or DeLillo's epic narratives.

Erickson has this gift for using contemporary settings that are weird or impossible and yet don't feel alien (yes, I haven't read Tours or Arc d'X yet), characters who are autobiographical and yet widely relatable, and stories that come off as simple as a fable despite all the nonsensical events. None of these are traits of the average postmodern, magical realism, or "slipstream" writer.

It's a careful balance where there is never too much dialogue, too much descriptiveness, or too much poetry. I've read reviews of Zeroville and Shadowbahn that complain about too many vague allusions to films and songs - but that's the whole point, to not tie you down with obsessive details.

But I can say that the most comparable book I have found is Ice by Anna Kavan. Like Days Between Stations, it's about a destructive relationship explored using an apocalyptic contemporary setting. (Likewise, it's also only sporadically in print.)
 
B

BenjaminBirdie

Banned
Finished the Lincoln In The Bardo audiobook last night. Highly recommend the experience. (I also got the book but started here.) I'm not an audiobook dude this was astonishing.

It's a hard thing to have in your ears all day, as it's the saddest, most profoundly meaningful thing I've ever "read", but it really HAS to be the way you experience this book, at least first. There are moments in this book that have honestly changed my life. Yesterday morning I was like right in front of my building for work and

Willie realizes he's dead and starts "to go" and Saunders reveals what actually happens in that moment and his "form" cycles through everything he was when living; a baby, a little boy, a slightly older boy. But then, as I let out an audible "Oh no," he continues, taking the form of all the things he never would be, young man, married, father, old man with an ear horn. It was so crushing and heartbreaking.

This book has like dozens of those moments. It's such a necessary and essential book about life, death, war, love, America, compassion.

It's the last few pages of his story "Tenth of December" for 7 hours straight.
 
A

aravuus

Member
Something is finally happening again in Revelation Space after 200 pages of slow, meandering stuff. I have to admit I've started skipping some of the technology info dumps if it's stuff I don't really care about, like... 2 pages of how a suit works.

I can't remember if this series was one of those where the first book is considered to be the worst or best by far? Goodreads scores are fairly similar for all three main books.
 
Falchion

Falchion

Member
I just finished the second book in the Witcher series, The Sword of Destiny. It was fantastic and I'll probably jump right back into the series, after a small detour for The Girl On the Train.
 
W

wild wild rice

Member
Seems like the best way to read Lincoln in the Bardo is out loud in different voices. My dog doesn't seem to mind.

I'm also absolutely loving it. Feels like it's been since Oscar Wao that I've read something this original/special.
 
S

sparky2112

Member
This weekend I shall be setting aside the 2nd book in the Three Body Problem trilogy for Lincoln In The Bardo. I can't have all you people ripping through the latter without me...
 
M

mu cephei

Member
From all this discussion I just went to buy Lincoln in the Bardo and it's not out in the UK till March 6th. So I read the review blurbs and wow that is some incredible praise it's getting. I should probably read my copy of Civilwarland while I'm waiting.
 
A

arglebargle

Member
Professor Crate said:
You'll realize out of nowhere that you somehow became fluent in Nadsat. Enjoy!

Current read:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7c/Fear_and_Loathing_in_Las_Vegas.jpg[/IM[/QUOTE]

when you said this i sort of thought it was a joke, but not only does it become second nature, i actually started using some of the words in my head when i was walking in the city the other day. "i'll just itty across this street."



[quote="kamineko, post: 229818895"]Will read more (I'm a graduate student), but I know I'm reading these:

[B][U]NW[/U][/B] by Zadie Smith: four characters living in northwest London, formally experimental (I am told)

[B][U]What the Night Numbered[/U][/B] by Bradford Tice: Poetry collection that merges the events of the Stonewall Riots with the myth of Cupid and Psyche[/QUOTE]

let me know what you think of NW. i read white teeth earlier this year and enjoyed it. played around with form a bit, but im not sure if it is supposed to be more or less than NW.
Click to expand...
 
B

brawly

Member
Started How To Win Friends And Influence People

I need to read more books like these. I mostly read fantasy and like it, usually, but reading books like these puts my attention to another level. It feels like every new page could change my life. I love it.
 
M

Mifune

Mehmber
Remembrance said:
Ah, all the usual suspects. I'll look into the particular titles you mentioned.

I particularly liked Murakami's After Dark, Mitchell's Ghostwritten, and DeLillo's Cosmopolis. These are their more straightforward books, I think - none of Murakami's absurdism, Mitchell's period writing, or DeLillo's epic narratives.

Erickson has this gift for using contemporary settings that are weird or impossible and yet don't feel alien (yes, I haven't read Tours or Arc d'X yet), characters who are autobiographical and yet widely relatable, and stories that come off as simple as a fable despite all the nonsensical events. None of these are traits of the average postmodern, magical realism, or "slipstream" writer.

It's a careful balance where there is never too much dialogue, too much descriptiveness, or too much poetry. I've read reviews of Zeroville and Shadowbahn that complain about too many vague allusions to films and songs - but that's the whole point, to not tie you down with obsessive details.

But I can say that the most comparable book I have found is Ice by Anna Kavan. Like Days Between Stations, it's about a destructive relationship explored using an apocalyptic contemporary setting. (Likewise, it's also only sporadically in print.)
Click to expand...

Just looked up Ice on Goodreads. Sounds cool as hell. Thanks for the rec!

And that's a great description of what Erickson does so well. I find that describing his novel is as hard as describing your dream from the night before.

EDIT: Also, Shadowbahn's cover art isn't so terrible when you're holding it in your hand.
 
F

FlowersisBritish

fleurs n'est pas britannique
I have this amazing luck of finding New Yorker magazine lying around in places (the office where I work, the laundry room in my apt building) and found one today. The story in it is A life of Adventure and Delight by Akhil Sharma and I thought it was a very good read. It had a really interesting begining that got me hook and it ends in a really odd place that I kind of adore for the strangeness alone. If you've got an hour, I'd give it a read. I'm definitly adding some of Akhil's Sharma's novels to my reading list.

In other news, I'm still plugging away at some books and various short story collections. Going to start going through The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemmingway because I've recently had a craving for his simple language.

Nola said:
Anyone have recommendations for funny/happy books? Need a bit of levity in my life right now.
Click to expand...

I have two that are funny and I guess happyish? I'm currently reading The Disaster Artist that's about the real-life making of The Room, the single greatest bad movie ever made. It's such a bad movie, it's kind of amazing. And the process of it being made is equally as baffling. Very funny book with a few heartwarming bits. Another funny book you might like if you're in a fantasy mood in Mogworld by Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw. It stars an npc zombie enemy from any mmo you can imagine. Also very funny and the worldl is very very silly.
 
S

smisk

Member
Curious for those who've read The Three Body Problem.. Did you find the overly technical parts a turn off? Specifically thinking of the part where they describe a human computer in the game, even going so far as to describe different types of logic gates.
I studied Computer Engineering so I have some knowledge of the topic and appreciated the detail, but I'm wondering how it was received by people who know nothing about digital design. I've found myself kinda glossing over some of the more in depth astronomy sections..
 
M

Morat

Banned
Magus1234 said:
About to start Lady Chatterley's Lover, anyone read it before?

32049.jpg
Click to expand...

I hate DH Lawrence with a passion. Everything, and I do mean everything is a sub-freudian sex metaphor. And it goes on and on and on and on. And the writing is terrible. Pseudo-intellectual pretentious metaphor wanking that gained attention because of it's supposed obscenity a century ago.

Don't let this stop you reading it though, as I recognise that this is just, like, my opinion man, and many people consider them essential literature.
 
B

besada

Banned
hugocésar;230488355 said:
Lincoln in the Bardo is wonderful so far. (I'm a third in.)
Click to expand...

Yes, but so sad. I'm around the same amount in.

Nola said:
Anyone have recommendations for funny/happy books? Need a bit of levity in my life right now.
Click to expand...

Carl Hiassen's Florida crime novels or Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. My go to airplane books, because it's hard to be miserable while reading them.
 
M

Maklershed

Member
If you're like me and have only read book 1 of The Last Policeman series (on kindle) I have good news - book 2 is on sale today for $2.99.
 
T

TrutaS

Member
I was looking for a supernatural samurai book, a la Nioh, does anyone have any suggestion? Google isn't helping much, I can only find books that seem a bit dodgy.
 
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