Book Recommendations?

LeapingGnome wrote:

I am seriously considering making a personal rule to no longer start book series that are not finished. It keeps happening where I find a decent series, get the to end, things are not resolved and there is no release date for the rest and I am just frustrated and disappointed. There is plenty to read out there that is finished.

Has anyone else done this?

Yeah, I'm trying to do this more. It gets talked about every once in a while in this thread and for some reason provokes arguments.¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I am mostly doing this too, for all the reasons listed previously. Apparently we are far from the only ones, and it is really hurting the sales for new authors who intend to write long series. That said, I have been burned before and there is more out there for me to read than there is time for me to read it so I am just going to have to be ok with perhaps there being a bit less in the long term if there are less authors because I am tired of really investing in books whose series are never finished. If that is Martin's legacy to younger authors, he gets to own that.

LeapingGnome wrote:

I am seriously considering making a personal rule to no longer start book series that are not finished. It keeps happening where I find a decent series, get the to end, things are not resolved and there is no release date for the rest and I am just frustrated and disappointed. There is plenty to read out there that is finished.

Has anyone else done this?

I've been doing it for years and is the reason why I have yet to start A Song of Fire and Ice, as one example. I do make exceptions, but typically only for those authors who I know are prolific enough that I feel they will complete a series in a reasonable amount of time, i.e. Brandon Sanderson. I have too much of a book backlog to concern myself with series that may never actually get done.

Robear wrote:

Imagine waiting 7 years to dive into Harry Potter...

That's when I read it.

SallyNasty wrote:

I am mostly doing this too, for all the reasons listed previously. Apparently we are far from the only ones, and it is really hurting the sales for new authors who intend to write long series. That said, I have been burned before and there is more out there for me to read than there is time for me to read it so I am just going to have to be ok with perhaps there being a bit less in the long term if there are less authors because I am tired of really investing in books whose series are never finished. If that is Martin's legacy to younger authors, he gets to own that.

Yes, I read a the first two books of a trilogy by an independent author which had a number of cliffhangers and I have yet to see the third book come out years later. Personally, I wish series were more like Andre Norton's Witch World books where they all may take place in the same universe, but they aren't just one big long story start to finish or always use the same characters.

bekkilyn wrote:
Robear wrote:

Imagine waiting 7 years to dive into Harry Potter...

That's when I read it. :)

Same. I didn't read the books until after watching all the movies.

I just finished an excellent trilogy.
The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf
The Disappearance of Ember Crow
The Foretelling of Georgie Spider

All are available on the kindle and I really enjoyed the series.
Written by Australian author who’s aboriginal.
I read the first for the Book Riot reading challenge of an #ownvoices book from Oceania.

Just finished The Lies of Locke Lamora and now I'm reading the second book in the series. A huge thank you to those that recommended it. It's fantastic.

LeapingGnome wrote:

I am seriously considering making a personal rule to no longer start book series that are not finished. It keeps happening where I find a decent series, get the to end, things are not resolved and there is no release date for the rest and I am just frustrated and disappointed. There is plenty to read out there that is finished.

Has anyone else done this?

My problem isn't being frustrated that they're unfinished or whatever -- it's that my memory sucks so I'm going to completely forget what happened in book n by the time n+1 comes out, and I've never found a solid source for deep plot summaries.

If something like that existed (or does already exist -- please let me know!), I'd have no problem reading books as they came out.

LeapingGnome wrote:

I am seriously considering making a personal rule to no longer start book series that are not finished. It keeps happening where I find a decent series, get the to end, things are not resolved and there is no release date for the rest and I am just frustrated and disappointed. There is plenty to read out there that is finished.

Has anyone else done this?

I definitely rate down unfinished series when I'm thinking about what to read next. One that's done will get a substantial bump for me in terms of interest, because I know I won't end up stuck and waiting. This ends up pushing me toward older books and series, but it's not like they're any worse for being, say, ten or twenty years old.

If a new story, however, sounds interesting enough to overcome the negative of being unfinished, I may well read it. Authors that are very prolific lose fewer points with unfinished series, as well, because I'm more certain they're going to finish.

I think the only book I'm really genuinely *annoyed* about not being finished, at the moment, is Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller series. The first two books were really setup, and the real story was about to start, and then he just stopped dead, except for one little offshoot novella. It's been more than six years since Book 2 came out, and at this point, I'm a bit irked.

The other unfinished ones don't bother me nearly as much. The Expanse, the Alex Verus series, the October Daye series... they're all good fun and have been worth reading, even if not everything has been resolved yet. The Verus series is losing its luster, though, as the last two books have barely moved the story forward. I think he might be stuck, not sure where he wants to go with it.

I would be annoyed about A Song of Ice and Fire, but I gave up on those books a long time ago. I think I dropped them either at the third or the fourth book, putting it down partway through and not picking it back up again, when it became apparent that he was getting lost in the weeds. After seeing the same thing happen with Jordan's Wheel of Time, I bailed out early, and just chalked it up as a loss, internally. Nothing I've seen since has inspired me to change my mind.

I’ve been trying to read only completed series or one offs for the past few years. And I usually try to avoid anything with more than a trilogy because of the inevitable bloat. I do however, make every exception for the Expanse!

Which reminds me, I still need to go back and read the novellas.

I’m currently reading the “Lady Sherlock” series by Sherry Thomas. Fun take on the Sherlock Holmes genre, and it’s narrated by Kate Reading, who is perfect for a scandalous Victorian Lady.

Trashie wrote:

Following up on a previous post, I'm really digging The Wanderers by Chuck Wendig. Heavy The Stand vibes but exactly what I was looking for right now. Haven't finished it yet so the last 20% could be a trainwreck but so far, it's great.

Thanks for the lead on this.

I was looking to try something from a new (to me) author. I'm 10% in and absolutely loving it so far.

Phades wrote:

Just finished The Lies of Locke Lamora and now I'm reading the second book in the series. A huge thank you to those that recommended it. It's fantastic.

I just put the audiobook on hold in the Libby app. Thanks for the recommendation.

-

I just started the audiobook of Beloved by Toni Morrison. It’s quite dark. I knew that going in, but I’m not sure I have the guts to see it through. I’ve been listening to a lot of dark books and podcasts and it’s making me feel a bit overwhelmed.

I just finished The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. It got very dark at the end and I wasn’t expecting that. Absolutely brilliant story though, and I do recommend it.

Before that I’d listened to The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. Also extremely dark, but I knew that going in. It’s excellent!

chixor7 wrote:

I’m currently reading the “Lady Sherlock” series by Sherry Thomas. Fun take on the Sherlock Holmes genre, and it’s narrated by Kate Reading, who is perfect for a scandalous Victorian Lady.

I’m very intrigued by this series. Have you read the original Arthur Conan Doyle texts? If so, how do they compare.

I’ve listened to all of the ACD books through LibriVox. David Clark is by far the best reader for that material. Clark has also read The Count of Monte Christo for LibriVox. I will get to that one day.

I’m a recent Holmesian convert. I saw that Kareem Abdul Jabar has co-written two Sherlock Holmes novels. The internet says that they’re pretty good.

One of the upsides for publishers being more hesitant to release unfinished series is that we're seeing a lot more trilogies and one shot books coming out in sci fi and fantasy. Plus, it's giving newer authors a valuable way to get attention. You bring an agent a completed fantasy series, they're going to sit up and take notice.

Aaron D. wrote:
Trashie wrote:

Following up on a previous post, I'm really digging The Wanderers by Chuck Wendig. Heavy The Stand vibes but exactly what I was looking for right now. Haven't finished it yet so the last 20% could be a trainwreck but so far, it's great.

Thanks for the lead on this.

I was looking to try something from a new (to me) author. I'm 10% in and absolutely loving it so far.

Same, I'm about 200 pages in, and it's pretty good. A little too on the nose with pop culture references, but the central mystery is really compelling and the characters so far are interesting.

I picked up The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington a couple of weeks ago.

I've enjoyed reading it. It's a a bit of a formulaic fantasy type, and I am getting some whiffs of Wheel of Time (ancient civilizations w/ advanced magic, possible role reversals for enemies, etc). It's certainly a book I didn't regret passing time with.

Author uses multiple POV characters, has a specific take on magic (Essence) and how the various cultures have come to terms with it in the current timeframe. Also included: Mysterious machinations, politics (mildly), a looming (yet disbelieved) menace from the past, And More!

For those that don't start a series until it's complete, there are only 2 out so far with the 3rd to be published later this year.

RawkGWJ wrote:
chixor7 wrote:

I’m currently reading the “Lady Sherlock” series by Sherry Thomas. Fun take on the Sherlock Holmes genre, and it’s narrated by Kate Reading, who is perfect for a scandalous Victorian Lady.

I’m very intrigued by this series. Have you read the original Arthur Conan Doyle texts? If so, how do they compare.

I’ve listened to all of the ACD books through LibriVox. David Clark is by far the best reader for that material. Clark has also read The Count of Monte Christo for LibriVox. I will get to that one day.

I’m a recent Holmesian convert. I saw that Kareem Abdul Jabar has co-written two Sherlock Holmes novels. The internet says that they’re pretty good.

While I have consumed a wide variety of Sherlock Holmes stories, I have yet to read the originals (a shame upon my House). So I can’t really make a comparison. But they seem like a solid addition to the Holmes multiverse.

Now I’m thinking I will queue up the original series for my next listen after I finish these!

beanman101283 wrote:
Aaron D. wrote:
Trashie wrote:

Following up on a previous post, I'm really digging The Wanderers by Chuck Wendig. Heavy The Stand vibes but exactly what I was looking for right now. Haven't finished it yet so the last 20% could be a trainwreck but so far, it's great.

Thanks for the lead on this.

I was looking to try something from a new (to me) author. I'm 10% in and absolutely loving it so far.

Same, I'm about 200 pages in, and it's pretty good. A little too on the nose with pop culture references, but the central mystery is really compelling and the characters so far are interesting.

Sounds like Wendig got some flack for the pretty clear parallels between Creel and Trump but it feels very "of the moment." It might not age well with some the references getting lost in time.

Also, FWIW, it stays strong through the finish.

Speaking of starting a series before it's finished, just picked up Dark Age, the 5th book in A Red Rising series by Pierce Brown. I'm loving this series so far. The characters are pretty awesome in this book. One minute you are loving them, the next you are hating them, or they might just be gone. The plot twists and turns and you never know what's going to happen next. I'm not saying it's perfect, sometimes it takes a bit to really catch it's stride within a particular plot, but that's because the character development and backstory have a lot of depth and you really get pulled into story emotionally, at least I did.

The best thing about this series is the first book, Red Rising, came out in 2014 and was just supposed to be a trilogy. Now I'm reading the 5th book of the 2nd part trilogy to this series. That's 1 a year! Now that's a dedicated author who takes care of his fans.

Sydhart wrote:

Speaking of starting a series before it's finished, just picked up Dark Age, the 5th book in A Red Rising series by Pierce Brown. I'm loving this series so far. The characters are pretty awesome in this book. One minute you are loving them, the next you are hating them, or they might just be gone. The plot twists and turns and you never know what's going to happen next. I'm not saying it's perfect, sometimes it takes a bit to really catch it's stride within a particular plot, but that's because the character development and backstory have a lot of depth and you really get pulled into story emotionally, at least I did.

The best thing about this series is the first book, Red Rising, came out in 2014 and was just supposed to be a trilogy. Now I'm reading the 5th book of the 2nd part trilogy to this series. That's 1 a year! Now that's a dedicated author who takes care of his fans.

There is also a prequel comics series if you wanted to expound upon the world

I decided to pull up my big boy pants and listen to a little more of Beloved by Toni Morrison. I’m glad I did. I only have a few hours left now. It’s not nearly as dark as I thought it might be. Compared to The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead it’s practically a comedy. The Underground Railroad is super heavy. That book really wore me down. Both books are excellent but Beloved is truly great. It more than lives up to it’s reputation. I highly recommend it.

Everything by Becky Chambers is gold. She is the first scifi author I've felt brought something fresh to the table in a very long time indeed. Whereas scifi is often criticized for good reason for paper thin characters with nothing to relate to, Chambers is all character, all the time. The books barely have any plotting whatsoever. It's wonderful characters on a journey, drinking tea in their flying garden and being just generally great people.

Start with The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, but they all work perfectly well as stand-alone works, too. The latest, To Be Taught If Fortunate, isn't part of the same Wayfarer setting (which she just got a Hugo for).

RawkGWJ wrote:

I decided to pull up my big boy pants and listen to a little more of Beloved by Toni Morrison. I’m glad I did. I only have a few hours left now. It’s not nearly as dark as I thought it might be.

This is good to hear, though for odd reasons. My junior-in-high-school daughter just started her AP English 3 class and was handed a list of 4 books to choose from that she needs to read including Beloved which she ended up choosing. In looking at the list I was having a hell of a time coming up with which one would destroy her less... I mean, it also featured Cormac McCarthy's The Road, FFS. My daughter is often overburdened with empathy, so I couldn't imagine the impact of The Road on her.

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SNJqZKqtlqJmt4QNNR8pqLrMLi+KU8IlDiAQucVSp0qljsaINj6kG3+2WeB7YYSpa75D0bT6zldd+bGqXL1nYqAc5RtxvDDesn/ITl+PYUC/er7G8y16X/eiL3gmTxHazDKNCz+g/rKyr24/hoN7kCWc2s3qR6B3oh3gnmbdtsTyooB6kxqp2uxp2CL7X+8vhU849S7yE8p/9qx/8Sf8AH/uEvhTzjsVidMx950qHreKxB3AvOHNuRmFOrT1uDlMRkexBt9jI/fRVxZ2kxdPPewFgw8v1EbrO2xBI5HmJycSeka/GuOVxLiahYlzfW4PW0iGvYES5GNBFiAfIxiotNt0A9JUqmDaExlyZavwxfym0j1cEw5A+hmtYsVne2MtuPZ0wFOwuTdmAvmyvqrHXa2kbp0KVNWeqpLHw0lGuZzztrcDTlznGIo1sSwatUWnTohadzYE+ZAv4rgb7b2vpLP6id2J4eFpmqQGqvsrGwZUOq+YBFj5k9JU8QquKhRiTTJzIXFyup/dud/Cb2YfeTzXypTpobGgCEsSc9NhmZg3UMXPofIyJiV75CrE+GzBxoVF9ST9Nes1P6lQsXVBuWUh13Frh152bY6a33lTjMQ2oH57gD1Nx8vtJGJqOXIOltieajbTl7SuZj4mHib4Ut/Genp+tpWdOcN075/y017sH+dvjIPoCPcRvBYNhTzncm9vWWTYEIEw4tlQXqEfmc2v7cvQCPV7BT0Al0xCwpHW1/kfeT0Ouuh+wkY0ctK43sPPl095zVOVhmuFU30PhPqNwPQxphykdP75xzDVSlU1F3VfY66qfIxshbXU2HrmHz3+cKbbnrYcjpe52jBY4jiTNh9AM9iGN75bfltvfboJX4dswX0/X+zI+HrEGoh3Y5h76H7TrAixKk3tppM4sqYpykdBt1Hp5eU5qHx35HUEbTpm5TpKPsPb5+UQrecG4f+P4S2EDDvqLmpSB3vqcp6A3YTAd3UUlGVlKkqQRqCDqDNX2Q7QHCVds1M/GvPbcHrptsZedsaWDxFT8Rhq9J3NhVRWUm/5XIB0Olj6DzmdytfY88OfNdVI8hJdCvV/hv+sthgD1EUYJv4pdMRErdRadGp5ST+A1+KH4D+YyGGc/OIKvlHxgbfmMX8IOsaYYu38JhJPcD+I/OJGriSCw3jlLEESa9ZTtYziplGoE5a6+JFqKw1WNNhATdTbyMeWqJ1mEauI3dHmIgQcxJQYRGEanijMq9ImQR7ID5RqtTPLWXUwzUa35TIpr67R+oXA0kHEK7oy2H5QeRsWAIB62vLGaZ4hjaZenUSmSyZQahJ8K5rlguwJJIHlrKxa7WZb3DAKfUMWv65r/ADMSrjFykCwF9Dtewtp9YzWxANmAsbANpa5Gmb1tvOs/jmdwz1M693fPmAW2+YnS3zkjjWIUt3KEZEJvbQM/5m8xe4HQRrAV+7DVvzAFaZ/nYWLf7VJPqVlPiagtJ+wmLf8AIo+I2Hr9o52foA1Q/wCSkpZfM7ZvdiD6KJVPUOgHxVNB1WnzPkW1HoD1mk4dQK0CRoXOn+lbgfXNNsm8LUDeLm1z9YmMHhMbwYsAOhYfW8cxbaBeZIH1kV3iT8K9WH0N/tExVO49bwBvUUdAzfb7yQFuJSqinh+mkGpOLag306df6GTMjA2IvbmOYv8A0kZfFVAG2c29k/qTGoaelUGpUi3M2+k44a/jbXe33ljxFbtY7DSV9eyMtviPIb21/wDkfT4sw1vMxBiL7WP6f9yDctvoOl9PfrJFAj+9ZMXU2nwpsRZA2bNy5A+gmk4ZgjRopSZMlRQe8HVwzDN7qFNuU77HJTzCoa/cVA3hJKIthupJ8WvUDS3O8tO1BAxLMrB1cK4YWINxY6jQ6g6znb7b5iFeIagkJqpjZqSKsDWWIcQJA7yJ3ggTu/E5NWQzWEbOIlE3vBCQPxBhBq274bx6nXDDl+kpWxQEfp1FOsxi+S0dBpYzlattN5VPba5Bkq/mb9YxdSaTNdgRlF/DzuPOOLVN5CL1BoGzeccFU211jF1PFTyjTv0HzkX8aL69NJ0tYEg7gyYaV3jBqBRqua5I5W1RviBOotmjlaoAftG9SCLC9wwFxqV1ynyO3vKzWIqfEbiwudBqADy+Ri07n0G5OwHU+36SRxoLSxDp3Yte66tYodVOXraw9pCqYlmFja3QCy/ITtHM7iMQDYD4BoB9ST5n+kr2YswAsbEEg7WvsfWSKOAeqG7sGyqWY3sAAOZ2v5SMzlF7tLBgLux2W+tr9bGWJUhEzVjsara2GygDS/QWtpNdVw4RFp3vl8Prbc/O/wA5RdkuH/vM3xaAk9R8TH5D6y/xLaFugJ+l/wCsEUSbvba9/qYy7XqLfrLnhGFDKSRoBr9vvKnFULVAR1+15R1h/idvJR89ZNwYkOkPD5k/a0nYM+E/KS/CI+JIAJ6Sv4ev71P9R+okzHb+sjYUWqr6xJ6Kk17Z2J2FyfaUeIYkNU/Ne4+wlrxJrXXqxv6AyHXpgJrtvLErqjYAaa77DmOpkhSTp9/6RGGi1wnd06gJQX0AU5SCediv1gtUn4mCjyvf+/aRcazsucST3dIhetkoEkG/+YRc+V5pe1FJstEuGzAOhLU1pk2ykABCVKi+hB5mYPgwLVVCOQ19P3ppG/kzEC/lebTi34p6F6ueqKRXK7Zb/vLhqbgH4lKKQ2xDbmc+p7b5vpSlJyaWl5zXxN1sBaLTe9jcj10kXXBowGHNr2MdNG5ub/ONriCpsdJUIaNuXvyiGjHExRubqWHSD41DYWy+REDjuW6CEf8AxXmsIFQyWNzHQ7HUDTrCEmhwVI/SqdDCEglIDb+7zl6wVgNYQhq0VVB3Av5QsLWEIQG1Xdr3PnGnfUA7RYSpUHj/AA3vyjKwDZctzzK6ankbWldQ7OG16j28hqfmbQhLqY0YwyDDPRUBVKhdNPE7KoLH3ufSeZcUdWZ8reHvHP8AqF7Kfp9YQl4Tv9PQOEUMqFgbXZ106LSvb6iU9bHVe9amSCpIXYXswN9YQmp9StNhEyYYdXLn2FrfW8zhGasynlnI9Ap/pCELXdallZF5lVY/7rn9CI+mit84Ql/SIONY5hy0H6kSPhriovSLCVn9jiX/AOzDzH6X/UxvGHxCn0Av68hCEDaUaVBuza5nValOq9rAFyS7WTqAdD7TEULjlc+cIScfF6WOHAJAK31HMz1Kjh2p8OrK+XwAWUF3YFSu7Mx0sw0GmsITH5G+GOaqG0GhnS1PysB67QhIOwyiMVjc300hCFI5Xl4T1E7XI29r9esIQjn8NThCED//2Q==)
"Is there a problem with the reading assignment I gave your daughter?"

ColdForged wrote:
RawkGWJ wrote:

I decided to pull up my big boy pants and listen to a little more of Beloved by Toni Morrison. I’m glad I did. I only have a few hours left now. It’s not nearly as dark as I thought it might be.

This is good to hear, though for odd reasons. My junior-in-high-school daughter just started her AP English 3 class and was handed a list of 4 books to choose from that she needs to read including Beloved which she ended up choosing. In looking at the list I was having a hell of a time coming up with which one would destroy her less... I mean, it also featured Cormac McCarthy's The Road, FFS. My daughter is often overburdened with empathy, so I couldn't imagine the impact of The Road on her.

Oh, Beloved is not at all lighthearted. I hope I didn’t give the wrong impression. I meant that compared to The Underground Railroad it’s practically a comedy. But I was being hyperbolic. Beloved contains some real gut wrenching events.

Spoiler:

The biggest one being that Sethe, the main protagonist, attempts to kill her four children with a hand saw rather than see them return to the plantation that they’ve escaped from. She only manages to kill one of her children. Some other not so nice elements include rape, murder, dehumanization of people of color, torture, the horrific abuses of slavery, ghost hauntings, and one of the characters is an undead.

My wife is a High school English teacher, and just last night we were discussing whether or not it’s an appropriate book for the high school level. We are both in agreement that it is inappropriate for high school age students. Not only because of the extreme events of the book but also because there is quite a bit of nuance to the prose of Toni Morrison. There’s a lot of nuance to the story as well. Many significant elements are implied rather than explicitly laid out. It’s one of the reasons why I feel that Beloved is less oppressive of a story than The Underground Railroad, which was much more explicit.

But if you think she can handle the material I will say that it’s beautifully written, and incredibly compelling. I’ve shotgunned the entire audiobook in just 4 days.

Wonderful. Well, when my sensitive, good-natured daughter becomes a crushed shell of a human I'll have a case against the teacher. Honestly, no, I don't think she can handle the material well. Maybe I'm not giving her enough credit but I've also seen other, much lighter media leave her haunted so I have my fears.

I don’t think it is appropriate for high schoolers either. Neither is The Road.

LeapingGnome wrote:

I don’t think it is appropriate for high schoolers either. Neither is The Road.

Well hallelujah, I remembered wrong. While Beloved was on the list, my daughter didn't pick it. She picked another one word title book on the list, Educated by Tara Westover. I got my wires crossed up. Phew! Thanks for the discussion all.

Educated is much easier than Beloved.
I did a senior seminar on Toni Morrison for my English degree. We read all her books that she had written so far (1994). Beloved was the hardest to read since I knew some of the scenes that were coming. I haven’t reread it.

I homeschooled my son through 8th grade. Unfortunately, Educated does reflect how some people homeschool.