Book Recommendations?

benign1 wrote:

I'm less of a fervent Gaiman fan than I once was, but I still love Neverwhere. Interesting to know that the series came first - I should track down the DVDs that are gathering dust in my house somewhere. I've been going through the audiobooks of his short story collections recently, and it's really cemented that to my mind, his stories are so much better when he's narrating them.

Grenn wrote:
Shack70 wrote:
Baron Of Hell wrote:

Read American Gods and liked reading it. Can't say it was good but I liked it. A big part of the is dream like going in and out of reality. I found that a little jarring at times but that is the book and the nature of the story.

American Gods is one of my favorites, it's not Neil Gaimen's best work but for some reason I'm drawn to it.

I enjoyed it, but not as much as some of his others. I like Neverwhere the most.

I've read a lot of Gaimen's stuff but haven't read Neverwhere. It's on my list, I'm gonna have to bump it near the top

I just started Project Hail Mary and enjoying it so far. It's the audiobook and I was pleased to find Ray Porter reading it.

Shack70 wrote:

I just started Project Hail Mary and enjoying it so far. It's the audiobook and I was pleased to find Ray Porter reading it.

We just chose that for our SFF book club. I hope it lives up to the hype.

I just started it as well. It still feels like The Martian in a lot of ways but the story is more… “out there.” I’m digging it.

Just recently finished it and really liked this one. I hope it gets made into a movie.

I read James Follett's Mindwarp a couple of months ago, and really enjoyed it. It's loosely connected to his earlier Earthsearch novels.

As I read it, I couldn't help thinking that it would make a pretty good film. Certainly, it would hold its own against some of films I've come across on Netflix and Amazon Prime. It's not as if his material is entirely untested. The Earthsearch novels were actually radio plays before they were books. They've both been rerun several times.

BBC Radio has a long tradition of original science fiction. It's most famous product is, of course, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. But even though they've not managed to reach quite those heights, I think they're still making interesting and thought-provoking series. In the last couple of years, I've enjoyed:

Tumanbay
The Dangerous Visions series
Tracks

Tracks is particularly good, I think.

Finished Twelve Kings In Sharakhai by Bradley Beaulieu, a pretty enjoyable epic fantasy with an Arabian Nights type setting. I can't quite put my finger on it, but something about the writing kept it from being a real page-turner even though there is a fair amount of action.

I suppose the most telling thing is that I was a bit put-off when I finished reading it and learned that there are *five* more books in the series, when I'd been thinking it was a trilogy. Guess I'll read the sequel and chart a course from there.

Hey all, I'm three books into the Expanse and really enjoying it. I'm going to take a short break for my semi regular attempt to actually finish some James Joyce. When I return is this the point to pick up some of the novellas/ short stories?

bbk1980 wrote:

Hey all, I'm three books into the Expanse and really enjoying it. I'm going to take a short break for my semi regular attempt to actually finish some James Joyce. When I return is this the point to pick up some of the novellas/ short stories?

Looking at Goodreads, Gods of Risk fits between books 2 and 3, and The Churn fits in after 3.

Gods of Risk is about Bobbie on Mars. The Churn is important to Amos' story. Both have already been hit in the TV shows.

Completed Anansi Boys which I liked more than American Gods. The two books have completely different tones. Anansi Boys is like a Disc World book with all the funny. American Gods didn't really have any funny. Anansi Boys also did a better job of moving between worlds. Really good book overall with a basic story about two brothers.

There is one really bad point. Someone is raped in it and it is never really dealt with or talked about. Similar thing happens in American Gods but that is not a comedy. It was just a little off putting in a ha ha book especially considering the ending.

MannishBoy wrote:
bbk1980 wrote:

Hey all, I'm three books into the Expanse and really enjoying it. I'm going to take a short break for my semi regular attempt to actually finish some James Joyce. When I return is this the point to pick up some of the novellas/ short stories?

Looking at Goodreads, Gods of Risk fits between books 2 and 3, and The Churn fits in after 3.

Gods of Risk is about Bobbie on Mars. The Churn is important to Amos' story. Both have already been hit in the TV shows.

I am absolutely going to read anything with more Bobbie in it. I have not watched the telly show and will probably keep it that way till i have wrapped the books.

Baron Of Hell wrote:

Completed Anansi Boys which I liked more than American Gods. The two books have completely different tones. Anansi Boys is like a Disc World book with all the funny. American Gods didn't really have any funny. Anansi Boys also did a better job of moving between worlds. Really good book overall with a basic story about two brothers.

There is one really bad point. Someone is raped in it and it is never really dealt with or talked about. Similar thing happens in American Gods but that is not a comedy. It was just a little off putting in a ha ha book especially considering the ending.

I just finished the book. I have no recollection of the scene you are referencing?

SallyNasty wrote:
Baron Of Hell wrote:

Completed Anansi Boys which I liked more than American Gods. The two books have completely different tones. Anansi Boys is like a Disc World book with all the funny. American Gods didn't really have any funny. Anansi Boys also did a better job of moving between worlds. Really good book overall with a basic story about two brothers.

There is one really bad point. Someone is raped in it and it is never really dealt with or talked about. Similar thing happens in American Gods but that is not a comedy. It was just a little off putting in a ha ha book especially considering the ending.

I just finished the book. I have no recollection of the scene you are referencing?

Spoiler:

Spider pretends to be Fat Charlie and while doing so has sex with his girlfriend.

Ahhhh, yes. Fair.

Ok that's it, after the nth try I am donating my copy of Ulysses, not even the bonus flavour of reading it over Bloomsday could carry me through. I am sure Joyce is flying way over my head and its entirely my fault but I just cant stick it. I have read and enjoyed a lot of really thick dense classic literature but there is something in all of his writing that just loses me.

Anyway having cleared my palate with some George Orwell who really is the antithesis of Joyce with his wonderful clear economic prose its back to The Expanse for some space fun time.

bbk1980 wrote:

Ok that's it, after the nth try I am donating my copy of Ulysses, not even the bonus flavour of reading it over Bloomsday could carry me through. I am sure Joyce is flying way over my head and its entirely my fault but I just cant stick it. I have read and enjoyed a lot of really thick dense classic literature but there is something in all of his writing that just loses me.

Anyway having cleared my palate with some George Orwell who really is the antithesis of Joyce with his wonderful clear economic prose its back to The Expanse for some space fun time.

Despite having a wife who is a huge Joyce fan, I daren't read Ulysses without a class or some sort of other Vergilian guide to see me through. That said, listening to "Joyce in 90 Minutes" by Paul Strathern really did pique my interest.

Baron Of Hell wrote:
SallyNasty wrote:
Baron Of Hell wrote:

Completed Anansi Boys which I liked more than American Gods. The two books have completely different tones. Anansi Boys is like a Disc World book with all the funny. American Gods didn't really have any funny. Anansi Boys also did a better job of moving between worlds. Really good book overall with a basic story about two brothers.

There is one really bad point. Someone is raped in it and it is never really dealt with or talked about. Similar thing happens in American Gods but that is not a comedy. It was just a little off putting in a ha ha book especially considering the ending.

I just finished the book. I have no recollection of the scene you are referencing?

Spoiler:

Spider pretends to be Fat Charlie and while doing so has sex with his girlfriend.

Well actually…

Spoiler:

If I’m remembering accurately, Spider and Fat Charlie are actually one entity who were split into two separate entities.

Your concerns are still totally valid, though. How many human women did Odin (as Thursday) seduce rape? Just because these so called gods have the power to take advantage of humans doesn’t make it right.

Shack70 wrote:
benign1 wrote:

I'm less of a fervent Gaiman fan than I once was, but I still love Neverwhere. Interesting to know that the series came first - I should track down the DVDs that are gathering dust in my house somewhere. I've been going through the audiobooks of his short story collections recently, and it's really cemented that to my mind, his stories are so much better when he's narrating them.

Grenn wrote:
Shack70 wrote:
Baron Of Hell wrote:

Read American Gods and liked reading it. Can't say it was good but I liked it. A big part of the is dream like going in and out of reality. I found that a little jarring at times but that is the book and the nature of the story.

American Gods is one of my favorites, it's not Neil Gaimen's best work but for some reason I'm drawn to it.

I enjoyed it, but not as much as some of his others. I like Neverwhere the most.

I've read a lot of Gaimen's stuff but haven't read Neverwhere. It's on my list, I'm gonna have to bump it near the top :)

Y’all are f*cking killing me! Neverwhere is pedestrian drivel compared to Gaiman’s other works. You want an example of Gaiman’s early genius? Stardust!

Look. I’m not trying to be disrespectful. I am however, extremely opinionated when it comes to Neil Gaiman’s writing. When American Gods first came out, I thought it was the greatest American novel ever written. These days, I feel that Anansi Boys is light years ahead of AG. Anansi Boys is f*cking genius.

On other Gaiman works… Trigger Warnings is an amazing collection of Gaiman’s more recent short stories. I can’t recommend it enough. The Graveyard Book and The Ocean at the End of the Lane are both set in a similar universe and are pure gold!

Apologies. I don’t mean to offend. I am however, as stated earlier, extremely opinionated when it comes to Gaiman’s writing.

RawkGWJ wrote:

Y’all are f*cking killing me! Neverwhere is pedestrian drivel compared to Gaiman’s other works. You want an example of Gaiman’s early genius? Stardust!

Look. I’m not trying to be disrespectful. I am however, extremely opinionated when it comes to Neil Gaiman’s writing. When American Gods first came out, I thought it was the greatest American novel ever written. These days, I feel that Anansi Boys is light years ahead of AG. Anansi Boys is f*cking genius.

On other Gaiman works… Trigger Warnings is an amazing collection of Gaiman’s more recent short stories. I can’t recommend it enough. The Graveyard Book and The Ocean at the End of the Lane are both set in a similar universe and are pure gold!

Apologies. I don’t mean to offend. I am however, as stated earlier, extremely opinionated when it comes to Gaiman’s writing.

I think Stardust, The Graveyard Book, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane are all fantastic.

Mario_Alba wrote:
RawkGWJ wrote:

Y’all are f*cking killing me! Neverwhere is pedestrian drivel compared to Gaiman’s other works. You want an example of Gaiman’s early genius? Stardust!

Look. I’m not trying to be disrespectful. I am however, extremely opinionated when it comes to Neil Gaiman’s writing. When American Gods first came out, I thought it was the greatest American novel ever written. These days, I feel that Anansi Boys is light years ahead of AG. Anansi Boys is f*cking genius.

On other Gaiman works… Trigger Warnings is an amazing collection of Gaiman’s more recent short stories. I can’t recommend it enough. The Graveyard Book and The Ocean at the End of the Lane are both set in a similar universe and are pure gold!

Apologies. I don’t mean to offend. I am however, as stated earlier, extremely opinionated when it comes to Gaiman’s writing.

I think Stardust, The Graveyard Book, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane are all fantastic.

Indeed, The Ocean at the End of the Lane might be my favorite of his, and Trigger Warning is up next in my audiobook queue. There's just something about Neverwhere for me...maybe just as what introduced me to the first author this side of adolescence for whom I felt something akin to how I felt about C.S. Lewis as a kid.

Natus wrote:
Shack70 wrote:

I just started Project Hail Mary and enjoying it so far. It's the audiobook and I was pleased to find Ray Porter reading it.

We just chose that for our SFF book club. I hope it lives up to the hype.

ruhk wrote:

I just started it as well. It still feels like The Martian in a lot of ways but the story is more… “out there.” I’m digging it.

ranalin wrote:

Just recently finished it and really liked this one. I hope it gets made into a movie.

I just finished Project Hail Mary - my first completed book in the past year (or two ). It definitely feels a lot more like the sequel to The Martian that everyone expected Artemis to be, and for that reason, I fully expect it to get the movie treatment that The Martian got.

Edit: fixed bbcode.

merphle wrote:
ranalin wrote:

Just recently finished it and really liked this one. I hope it gets made into a movie.

I just finished Project Hail Mary - my first completed book in the past year (or two ). It definitely feels a lot more like the sequel to The Martian that everyone expected Artemis to be, and for that reason, I fully expect it to get the movie treatment that The Martian got.

I just finished this as well, and wow! While it certainly shares some DNA with the Martian, I think it surpasses Weir's first work. Definitely would make a great movie.

Spoiler:

I could see the right actor even earning some award nominations for the role. The final reveal about Grace's character back on Earth could land with a real gut punch on film. And I need to see a classroom full of Eridians leading to the credits!

Apparently a movie is already in early development, with Ryan Gosling producing and set to play Grace.

I just finished Zero K by Don DeLillo. I wish I had looked at some reviews and opinions about the book before reading it. He was in his seventies while writing it. Apparently everything he’s published after 2000 has been very abstract and esoteric.

I did really enjoy it. I might have enjoyed it more if I’d known some of the details I’ve mentioned above. Someone had described the experience of the book to listening to abstract jazz, and that resonates well with my experience.

I would recommend it if you’re into that kind of thing, but otherwise stay away.

Since there's been talk recently about Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary, thought I'd post that it's on sale on Audible if you have "Plus" (included with regular subscriptions or bought separately). $8.98.

Everything on the site is on sale through 6/25. Some deals better than others.

I did the audible plus prime day sale so I also have access to the other sales as well. I have Project Hail Mary & The Sandman in the cart.

I'm eyeing these series but I get turned off if the writing is too YA. Thoughts or any recommendations?

Hell Divers
Arisen

Also I'm guessing it's worth it to buy the 3 credits for $35.88 deal?

I own the first Arisen omnibus but apparently I haven't read it looking back through my Goodreads.

I think Helldivers is on Overdrive so I haven't considered it on Audible. I have read most of the Extinction Cycle books by Nicholas Sansbury Smith and they're OK if not amazing. Extinction Cycle isn't YA. It's fairly typical post apocalyptic zombie stuff.

I liked Helldivers. The first few are audible plus, and then a few are on overdrive(the later ones, that go audible only, i haven't listened to).

When you say audible plus does that mean it's supposed to be free or just available to buy? Because it is only giving me purchase options.

EvilDead wrote:

When you say audible plus does that mean it's supposed to be free or just available to buy? Because it is only giving me purchase options.

I don't think they are part of Plus any more. If they are part of Plus, they'll have an "add to library" and "play" option when you pull them up.

I do seem to remember some of his stuff being in Plus at the early release. Maybe they've been removed.

BTW, Plus sucks for discovery. There's a Plus link on the menu bar that's good for easy suggestions, but I generally will filter to a genre from Browse, click "see all in _________" near the top right of the page, then sort by newest (because I scrolled through a bunch of these when Plus was added), then will click the Plus Catalog under "Access". Then just scroll through stuff.

I quite enjoyed “A Man with One of Those Faces”, by Caimh McDonnell. The first in a (completed) trilogy of related stories, it is something like an Ian Rankin book that’s been handed to Christopher Moore for a rewrite. Set in Dublin and clearly intended for an Irish audience, it’s an atmospheric story that does not spare it’s characters. And those characters run the full range, so while there are aspects that are crime-story stereotypes, McDonnell also paints in the backgrounds enough to make each of the major characters unique and driven by their own life experiences (another practice that Rankin has done very successfully).

If you like your detective stories laugh out loud funny, McDonnell’s your man. (And this book is enhanced by a soundtrack of Fontaines DC, definitely.)

EvilDead wrote:

Also I'm guessing it's worth it to buy the 3 credits for $35.88 deal?

The monthly are the best deal. If you’re out of monthly credits then the 3 for $35.88 is a hell of a deal. I’ve somehow accumulated quite a few credits via the monthly membership. Probably because there are so many great books included in the membership. You have to spend some time seeking out stuff that interests you, but there is plenty.