Book Recommendations?

ColdForged wrote:
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.

Wheew! Dodged that one.

My wife read educated and loved it. It led to an interesting debate between the two of us.

So I'm on the second of Andrzej Sapkowski's main Witcher novels, Time of Contempt, after finishing Blood of Elves, and I don't know why this surprises me but this series is really good. I've been a fan of the games for years but this is adding a whole new dimension to my enjoyment of this world.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...

Tim Pratt's Axiom series (first book The Wrong Stars) is pretty great. The first two are out, with the third book released in October.

I finished Wanderers and enjoyed it. It's very much The Stand for the 21st century, and it's often depressing in the same way that reading the news every day is depressing. It doesn't have quite the scope or epic feel as The Stand, but instead feels more grounded and believable. It also sticks the landing better than The Stand did. It has some good twists by the end, and while the main story is wrapped up nicely, it still manages to leave things open ended enough that I'll be thinking about it for a while, wondering what happens next.

Also, as a warning, it features

Spoiler:

a very sudden and graphic rape scene between two men.

Becky Chambers' latest, To Be Taught, If Fortunate is outstanding, as is all her work!

At the turn of the twenty-second century, scientists make a breakthrough in human spaceflight. Through a revolutionary method known as somaforming, astronauts can survive in hostile environments off Earth using synthetic biological supplementations. They can produce antifreeze in subzero temperatures, absorb radiation and convert it for food, and conveniently adjust to the pull of different gravitational forces. With the fragility of the body no longer a limiting factor, human beings are at last able to journey to neighboring exoplanets long known to harbor life.

A team of these explorers, Ariadne O’Neill and her three crewmates, are hard at work in a planetary system fifteen light-years from Sol, on a mission to ecologically survey four habitable worlds. But as Ariadne shifts through both form and time, the culture back on Earth has also been transformed. Faced with the possibility of returning to a planet that has forgotten those who have left, Ariadne begins to chronicle the story of the wonders and dangers of her mission, in the hope that someone back home might still be listening.

If you haven't read her previous stuff, this short novel (176 pages) is a great stand-alone entry into her writing.

Just finished Blake Crouch's Recursion. It was fantastic and I gobbled it up in one long day of international travel. Fun techno thriller sci-fi along the same lines of Dark Matter. Going back to read some of his older work as well.

jlaakso wrote:

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.

Just keep in mind that your mileage may vary. I tried reading Small Angry Planet, and just couldn't get into it at all. It at least showed me that one of the things I'm going to books for is plot -- I gave up on that one when the plot I was constructing in my head was more interesting to me than what was going on in the actual book.

I just finished Small Angry Planet and loved it. I felt there was more plot there than in the Red Mars series by Robinson, but I also really enjoyed the characters. Have the rest in the series but need to finish some library books before getting back to it (although if I were smart, I’d also stop checking out books from the library until I finish som that have swallowed my bookmarks!)

I'm a fan, too. I really loved how the characters interacted. Sometimes you want that to be the heart of the story, or at least have the scales tilt that way.

I just finished Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter. It was fine--not amazing, but perfectly pleasant. The author is of African descent and draws from African culture in some of his world-building, which does help make the world feel fresh and different, but the overarching plot and the characters' arcs feel fairly typical of any old fantasy epic, and the "Game of Thrones meets Gladiator" comparison I've seen a lot of people making (including the author himself, I believe) probably summarizes it more aptly than it should, if that makes sense. I don't plan to seek out the next book or subsequent books in the series, but if perhaps I see them on sale in the future I might think about it.

Robear wrote:

I'm a fan, too. I really loved how the characters interacted. Sometimes you want that to be the heart of the story, or at least have the scales tilt that way.

Add me to the fan group. I've read all 3 of the Wayfarers books, I enjoy the character/social focus as a nice change of pace from the normal plot and conflict heavy stuff which dominates sci-fi and fantasy. Thats said I can see why some bounce off it.

Finished Name of the Rose and Foucault's Pendulum. NotR is, of course, fantastic. Medieval Holmesian action with tons of great historical references? Yes, please! Pendulum was an interesting concept, but got weird a petered out near the end. I know, Knights Templar stuff gets weird and conspiracy laden all the time. This just seemed like Eco didn't know what to do with it, and kinda gave up and tacked an ending on.

Next up, The Calculating Stars! A few chapters in already and it definitely holds up so far.

I had 11 hours on the highway yesterday. More than enough time to start and finish the audiobook of The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. I had listened to the ensemble cast recording previously. This time it was the unabridged text, read by the author. I liked it more than the ensemble cast. Gaiman has an amazing speaking voice. There were several moments throughout of reaching for a napkin to clear the tears from my eyes. Such a great story!

bighoppa wrote:

Finished Name of the Rose and Foucault's Pendulum. NotR is, of course, fantastic. Medieval Holmesian action with tons of great historical references? Yes, please! Pendulum was an interesting concept, but got weird a petered out near the end. I know, Knights Templar stuff gets weird and conspiracy laden all the time. This just seemed like Eco didn't know what to do with it, and kinda gave up and tacked an ending on.

Foucault's Pendulum lost me about 3/4 of the way through too - I pushed on, but it felt increasingly aimless and bewildering. I need to pluck Name of the Rose off my shelf and finally read it.

I just finished the Murderbot Diaries audiobooks, a bit unexpectedly and sadly as I had thought there was a fifth novella for some reason. A very enjoyable series, aided by great narration. Perhaps a bit lacking in interesting peripheral characters in retrospect, though I don't think it really suffers all that much for it. Very much looking forward to Network Effect!

I just started to listen to the audiobook of The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer. Yes, I’m a huge fan of Neil Gaiman. Yes, Amanda is his wife. Yes, she talks about Neil in the book. But also, Neil talks about Amanda in some of his non-fiction. The two of them are incredibly fascinating people.

Amanda has always been a natural “motivational speaker” but unlike most others, her advice skews heavily towards punks, artists and other sorts of free thinkers. It has been said that author IO Tillet-Write has the super-power of vulnerability and that he uses it to reach through the medium and make connections with his audience. I feel like Amanda Palmer has this same super-power. I’m looking forward to this book.

I loved The Art of Asking

bighoppa wrote:

Finished Name of the Rose and Foucault's Pendulum. NotR is, of course, fantastic. Medieval Holmesian action with tons of great historical references? Yes, please! Pendulum was an interesting concept, but got weird a petered out near the end. I know, Knights Templar stuff gets weird and conspiracy laden all the time. This just seemed like Eco didn't know what to do with it, and kinda gave up and tacked an ending on.

I adored Foucault's Pendulum when it came out but I think it was the first time I'd come across the whole Knights Templar conspiracy. I can imagine it hasn't aged well now that's become such a well worn trope.

AcidCat wrote:

So I'm on the second of Andrzej Sapkowski's main Witcher novels, Time of Contempt, after finishing Blood of Elves, and I don't know why this surprises me but this series is really good. I've been a fan of the games for years but this is adding a whole new dimension to my enjoyment of this world.

I’m currently reading this series as well and really enjoying it. If anything it’s actually made me appreciate the games less because how the world is presented in the books is far more interesting than how it’s presented in the games.

ruhk wrote:
AcidCat wrote:

So I'm on the second of Andrzej Sapkowski's main Witcher novels, Time of Contempt, after finishing Blood of Elves, and I don't know why this surprises me but this series is really good. I've been a fan of the games for years but this is adding a whole new dimension to my enjoyment of this world.

I’m currently reading this series as well and really enjoying it. If anything it’s actually made me appreciate the games less because how the world is presented in the books is far more interesting than how it’s presented in the games.

I liked the gameplay of Witcher 3 but the story was completely lost on me. If I read a few of the novels would I have a better grasp on the game’s narrative? Or are the novels completely separate from the game?

The novels take place before the games. You get a bit more out of the games having read the books, especially Witcher 3 since the novels largely revolve around Ciri, but otherwise the games are mostly their own thing.

RawkGWJ wrote:

I had 11 hours on the highway yesterday. More than enough time to start and finish the audiobook of The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. I had listened to the ensemble cast recording previously. This time it was the unabridged text, read by the author. I liked it more than the ensemble cast. Gaiman has an amazing speaking voice. There were several moments throughout of reaching for a napkin to clear the tears from my eyes. Such a great story!

Do yourself a favor and give a listen to his reading of The Ocean at the End of the Lane. It's a bit short, but man did it pack an emotional punch for me. And, I agree -- his voice and reading style are great on audio books.

Oops

Finished The Calculating Stars. What a great book! It ended so abruptly, though, and now I have to wait for a second book in the series!? Arrrgh!

Not sure what to read next...Maybe it's time to go back to the Pendergast series...

bighoppa wrote:

Finished The Calculating Stars. What a great book! It ended so abruptly, though, and now I have to wait for a second book in the series!? Arrrgh! :)

Not sure if you mean, wait to get your hands on it or wait for it to come out, but just in case it's the latter The Fated Sky is already out and is also great.

I’m listening to On Drinking by Charles Bukowski. This is my first exposure to his work. Man is it crass!! Kind of an interesting time capsule because most of the works in the book are from the late 60s to early 70s. There’s lots of profanity. He uses some terms that I assumed to be much more modern in origin. I didn’t know people talked like that in the late 60s. For example:

Spoiler:

In one of the stories he tells a lady that he’d like to eff the sh** out of her. Shocked, she exclaims “What?!?” And he says, “I want to eff you until sh** comes out of your a**.” And other similar things.

I will say that as someone who is currently cutting way back on their alcohol consumption it is giving me tons of encouragement to keep on the path. As a cautionary tale of course.

Finished Liu Cixin/Cixin Liu's "Remembrance of Earth's Past" trilogy this morning. Good gawd what a ride. I really enjoyed all of them. They're each quite unique and the scope varies widely across them.

Spoiler:

That final book, man. What a mindblower. I gave up trying to figure out what was going to happen next pretty early on. There's just no way to tell. I remember flipping to the first page of this chapter in particular.

About Seventeen Billion Years After the Beginning of Time

firesloth wrote:
RawkGWJ wrote:

I had 11 hours on the highway yesterday. More than enough time to start and finish the audiobook of The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. I had listened to the ensemble cast recording previously. This time it was the unabridged text, read by the author. I liked it more than the ensemble cast. Gaiman has an amazing speaking voice. There were several moments throughout of reaching for a napkin to clear the tears from my eyes. Such a great story!

Do yourself a favor and give a listen to his reading of The Ocean at the End of the Lane. It's a bit short, but man did it pack an emotional punch for me. And, I agree -- his voice and reading style are great on audio books.

100% agree! Gaiman does a phenomenal job narrating--voice, reading style, etc.! The Ocean at the End of the Lane happens to be one of my favorite books, and I can't believe I haven't listened to it yet!

(Hmmm, didn't even notice this thread existed...but now favorited! )

benign1 wrote:
bighoppa wrote:

Finished Name of the Rose and Foucault's Pendulum. NotR is, of course, fantastic. Medieval Holmesian action with tons of great historical references? Yes, please! Pendulum was an interesting concept, but got weird a petered out near the end. I know, Knights Templar stuff gets weird and conspiracy laden all the time. This just seemed like Eco didn't know what to do with it, and kinda gave up and tacked an ending on.

Foucault's Pendulum lost me about 3/4 of the way through too - I pushed on, but it felt increasingly aimless and bewildering. I need to pluck Name of the Rose off my shelf and finally read it.

Somewhere around here years ago, I mentioned I didn't like Foucault's Pendulum. I think the Brazil chapters were somewhere around 3/4 of the way through, they were disconnected from the rest of the story and should have been cut out completely. I pushed myself to the end to see if it would get better and it didn't.

I sort of fell into re-reading H. P. Lovecraft again, but for the first time with annotations (by S. T. Joshi and Leslie S. Klinger) and it gave me a new insight into the stories, the time period, and Lovecraft's life.

As for what I'm reading right now, it's the complete works of Edgar Allen Poe (due to the many Lovecraft annotations that mentioned Poe). Mostly complete works. I skipped some poems that didn't hold my attention. I was surprised to learn he wrote some comedy, I had no idea (such as "Loss of Breath").

The Lovecraft books kind of spoiled me on annotations. I’m kind of wishing I’d bought an annotated version of Poe’s works.

I’m adoring the annotated versions. I read Frankenstein from the library and just finished the Holmes Canon. The annotation sure on that one are crazy! Reading African American Folk Tales. Essays are awesome!

The audible great courses on Egypt and the Vikings are both great.