"What are you reading?" thread.
- Thread starter HoboNinja
- Start date
Finished reading the new Mistborn book, "Shadows of Self", loved it.
I have been trying to read Jim Butcher's new steampunk book "The Aeronaut's Windlass," which is a good enough book, but I am really struggling to stay focused on it. Part of this is because my attention span has been shitballs lately, part of it is just being less attached to brand new characters. It takes me FOREVER to get hooked into new book series.
I have been trying to read Jim Butcher's new steampunk book "The Aeronaut's Windlass," which is a good enough book, but I am really struggling to stay focused on it. Part of this is because my attention span has been shitballs lately, part of it is just being less attached to brand new characters. It takes me FOREVER to get hooked into new book series.
I have a friend reading through Dresden for the first time. He just finished Blood Rites. Every time he finds out something new he tells me about it so excited. I love that part of reading new books. Jim Butcher posted the first sentence of the next book quite a while ago and I was super excited.
I am reading A Game of Thrones. Haven't seen the show, and have remained fairly spoiler free. It's a nice story, but some of graphic text could be toned down a bit. I only have 75 pages to go, and I find it quite distracting to be at work today. I am surprised that it came out in '96. When did it get so popular? I assume b/c of the show.
I want to read The Martian, and The Wright Brothers, but I barely have time to read as it is, and I kind of want to wait for Martin to finish up the series before I keep on going.
I want to read The Martian, and The Wright Brothers, but I barely have time to read as it is, and I kind of want to wait for Martin to finish up the series before I keep on going.
Every other nerd I knew growing up was very heavily into The Wheel of Time, and I distinctly remember that when ASOIAF appeared it was hailed as a pretty fucking good ersatz, and everyone also got into it, so that alone might've seeded the fandom pretty well.
I started reading ASOIAF when Dragon Age: Origins came out, because it was noted as the major inspiration for the game.
GasBandit
Staff member
Me too. Actually I think the last Jordan book (which he wrote after he found out he was dying) was a vast improvement over the previous few, and I've heard so many good things about the Sanderson ones that brought the story to a close, it's just by the time the Sanderson books started coming out it'd been so long since I read the Jordan books I'd forgotten so many characters and developments mired in hundreds of pages of useless overly-descriptive babble that..
Well, a brief glance at the opening chapter of the first Sanderson book left me perplexed as to "I should know who they're talking about. This was important." So I felt like I needed to refresh to properly enjoy the end series, but there's no fucking way in hell I'm slogging my way through the middle books again.
I just finished Scott Lynch's third book in the Gentleman Bastards series Republic of Thieves. I enjoyed reading it because Locke and Jean are some of my favorite characters. I think Lynch is a very good author. The book was actually the blending of two stories: one from the past and one currently occurring. The character of Sabetha was featured, but I didn't feel like I knew much more about her besides she's got a hot & cold personality. If you didn't like the other two books enough to seek out the third, then I wouldn't recommend running out to get it. If you're like me and have become attached to the characters and their escapades, then by all means read it.
I picked up Dragons at Crumbling Castle by Terry Pratchett, but Noah took it from me before I could start reading it. He loved it. I read most of it before I had to return it to the library. It was a good kids' book. Some of the stories reminded me of Neil Gaiman. Some reminded me of Noah's own writings. Another one I wouldn't exactly put at the top of my list of recommendations, but it was decent enough.
I just started reading The Last American Vampire by Seth Grahame-Smith. Same author as the Abraham Lincoln vampire book. I'm only a few pages in.
I picked up Dragons at Crumbling Castle by Terry Pratchett, but Noah took it from me before I could start reading it. He loved it. I read most of it before I had to return it to the library. It was a good kids' book. Some of the stories reminded me of Neil Gaiman. Some reminded me of Noah's own writings. Another one I wouldn't exactly put at the top of my list of recommendations, but it was decent enough.
I just started reading The Last American Vampire by Seth Grahame-Smith. Same author as the Abraham Lincoln vampire book. I'm only a few pages in.
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I'm hoping the movie for Ready Player One isn't quite so heavy handed. Spielberg's attached so it hopefully won't be god awful.Reading 'ready player one', given by my ss. Bout half way through, it's a pretty fun read. It's sad that this is supposed to be a somewhat-realistic crapsack future, but already I see some ways in which our actual world is worse. Book is fun though
Finished it. Yes, near the end I was about done with it. Then again, it was a fun romp through, in large parts, my own youth - though I'm a few years too young (and non-American) for some of the references.
The type of book and sort of atmosphere reminded me in some ways of other modern books I've read lately - Nick's among them. Like the Dill books are a celebration/send up/etc of noir detectives, this is the same for 80s geek culture. I suppose there are more people out there looking for nostalgia over game geekery than over noir pulp fiction books, but hey.
I do have to say, if Armada is as cliche-, trope- and homage-filled as this...Well, I like referencing and tropes and all that, but I hope he can do more than string those together.
Anyway, onwards to the other book my SS sent me....The Martian.
The type of book and sort of atmosphere reminded me in some ways of other modern books I've read lately - Nick's among them. Like the Dill books are a celebration/send up/etc of noir detectives, this is the same for 80s geek culture. I suppose there are more people out there looking for nostalgia over game geekery than over noir pulp fiction books, but hey.
I do have to say, if Armada is as cliche-, trope- and homage-filled as this...Well, I like referencing and tropes and all that, but I hope he can do more than string those together.
Anyway, onwards to the other book my SS sent me....The Martian.
I could not get into that. Among other things, the science in it annoyed me.
Anyway, I just finished Ben Bova's Venus.
And now I'm starting the Venom Trees of Sunga by L. Sprague du Camp. It's sci-fi without any of the sci.
I read the first one in the fall, I liked it. Ending was great. I'll probably order the 2nd one on Amazon soon enough. I have 3 other books left to read, with the first almost done.
Theft of Swords (The Riyria Revelations)
The Secret History of Wonder Woman - this is less about Wonder Woman herself and more about the people that came together to create her. It's as much about Elizabeth Holloway and Olive Byrne as it is about Marston himself. Lepore (the author)'s writing can be kind of dry, but she does pack a lot of information into the book. Some of the stories I had heard about, but I didn't realize how the origins of Wonder Woman were linked to the birth control movement and the founding of Planned Parenthood, both socially and literally by family.
Boxers & Saints - I've been meaning to read this since I really enjoyed Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese. I was a good graphic novel, looking at the Boxer Rebellion from different sides. (It did help already knowing some of the characters from The Three Kingdoms and Journey to the West.)
Boxers & Saints - I've been meaning to read this since I really enjoyed Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese. I was a good graphic novel, looking at the Boxer Rebellion from different sides. (It did help already knowing some of the characters from The Three Kingdoms and Journey to the West.)
Well technically I got it at 10pm (MST), but yes.
Re-reading Transmetropolitan, since I haven't in a while, and it helps cope with the ongoing political circus.
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Le Guin has a bit of a reputation. I find that it's completely deserved, even if I think she's an excellent writer. If you want something from her that's a bit different than the norm, look for the short story Nine Lives. I'm going to need to go through The Lathe of Heaven at some point in the future for my "Introduction to Science Fiction" class.
EDIT: Apparently that was Margret Atwood who did Handmaid's Tale. WHOOPS.
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fade
Staff member
The Handmaid's Tale is excellent. The stream of consciousness style is perfect for the story. It's funny (and scary) how the ultra-conservative takeover is blamed on Islamic radicalist strawmen even back when the book was written.
Oy, the scenes with 1) the cat and 2) the photo. Right in the feels as the kiddies say.
Oy, the scenes with 1) the cat and 2) the photo. Right in the feels as the kiddies say.