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[aravuus]

I've been looking for stories with thief protagonists doing thief stuff (fantasy, scifi, whatever) so while Theft of Swords was fun, it wasn't quite what I was hoping it to be.

Only a chapter or two into Lies of Locke Lamora so far, but it looks like it's more in line with what I was looking for. And it's actually legit funny! Really excited to continue it today.

 

[Voyevoda]

Finished re-reading La Horde du Contrevent.

Should start where I left off tomorrow, starting the 2nd book in the Ewilan saga.

 

[brawly]

I've been looking for stories with thief protagonists doing thief stuff (fantasy, scifi, whatever) so while Theft of Swords was fun, it wasn't quite what I was hoping it to be.

Only a chapter or two into Lies of Locke Lamora so far, but it looks like it's more in line with what I was looking for. And it's actually legit funny! Really excited to continue it today.

Next book I'm buying. Keep me updated!

 

[Hanzou]

I've been looking for stories with thief protagonists doing thief stuff (fantasy, scifi, whatever) so while Theft of Swords was fun, it wasn't quite what I was hoping it to be.

Only a chapter or two into Lies of Locke Lamora so far, but it looks like it's more in line with what I was looking for. And it's actually legit funny! Really excited to continue it today.

I really enjoyed this book. I have seen it called "oceans 11" and this is exactly what it is. A great heist novel.

 

[toweringinferno]

I've been looking for stories with thief protagonists doing thief stuff (fantasy, scifi, whatever) so while Theft of Swords was fun, it wasn't quite what I was hoping it to be.

Only a chapter or two into Lies of Locke Lamora so far, but it looks like it's more in line with what I was looking for. And it's actually legit funny! Really excited to continue it today.

Yh this book and its sequels are quite good.

After watching season 1 of the expanse, I bought the first book so far so good.
Also bought Calamity by Brandon Sanderson and Morning Star by Pierce Brown. Got a lot to read this month

 

[brawly]

Finished re-reading La Horde du Contrevent.

Should start where I left off tomorrow, starting the 2nd book in the Ewilan saga.

How difficult is the french in this?

 

[aravuus]

Next book I'm buying. Keep me updated!

Heh, I'm reading multiple books simultaneously and usually take my time with them (doubly so with this one, I'm not a native speaker and the prose seems to be a lot denser than what I've been getting used to in the last year), so don't expect too frequent updates lol

 

[Voyevoda]

How difficult is the french in this?

In Ewilan, it's very easy (meant for children, originally).

In La Horde du Contrevent, don't even try if you're not native or haven't achieved near-native fluency.

 

[Maklershed]

Do you fine folks follow any book related subreddits that you could recommend? I just started poking around in /printsf but would like to know some more.

 

[thomaser]

Finished Robert B. Parker's "Looking for Rachael Wallace". Quick, fun, uncomplicated read. Spenser is one of my favourite detectives.

Now, another easy read: "Humans of New York" by Brandon Stanton. Mostly photos.

 

[brawly]

In Ewilan, it's very easy (meant for children, originally).

In La Horde du Contrevent, don't even try if you're not native or haven't achieved near-native fluency.

Cool, might give Ewilan a try then. Haven't really read anything french in the last two years but it's about time I refresh it.

 

[Kawl_USC]

Finished up The Traitor Baru Cormorant last night. Like others have said the ending was pretty crazy. Overall a satisfying read, would be interested in any follow ups the author released.

Probably going to finish up the Red Rising trilogy and power through Morningstar next.

 

[BCDAWG7]

I just started reading Console Wars. Very interesting so far.

 

[Nuke Soda]

300 pages into Leviathan Wakes and enjoying myself. Only got two complaints really: 1. The characters are kind of basic. 2. No meaty descriptions to give you a sense of place or object being described. I don't think they should go into description overload or anything, but I need something a little more than the super important object was a black cube. My imagination is good, but sometimes a little more would be nice for super important objects.

 

[Jospina]

I read alot of books on Buddhism, this is just what's in my queue this month. It's interesting to see a female teacher's interpretation of Dhamma, as there are not many of them.

 

[Easystride]

Just finished up My Brilliant Friend (finally, been busy). Such a great read. I love me a coming of age story. I am very excited to read the next three books in the series. Unfortunately, my library only had the first. Usually, I wouldn't spend $10 on an eBook, but I may have to make an exception and splurge on these. The reviews for the next three are even higher than the first.

Currently reading The Long Goodbye (after buying it a month or two ago). Not too far yet, but I really love the writing style of the book complete with inner dialogue by Marlowe. Looking forward to exploring more Raymond Chandler down the line.

 

[SolKane]

Freedom and Death - Nikos Kazantzakis

 

[nailbombxx]

Finished Ted Chiang's Stories of Your Life and Others which I mentioned a couple times previously in this thread. Mind blown.

Here's some thoughts about it which I'm putting on my goodreads

Absolutely wonderful. Though none too prolific, Ted Chiang is evidently a writer of incredible talent. Chiang writes very powerful short fiction based upon a hefty scientific foundation, whether it be mathematics, engineering, psychology, linguistics, etc. Unlike much other science fiction, his stories are markedly grounded in a realism that makes them very relatable.

His brilliance is most evident in his ability to take fantastic ideas (a tower that reaches the vault of heaven, acquiring superhuman intelligence, contact with aliens, and a world in which angelic visitations are not an uncommon occurrence, for example) and build innovative and realistic scenarios around them complete with very human characters. What I like most is his approach of going in-depth on the scientific principals behind the scenes and their consequences, while still being compelling reads. Though the ideas explored in his works are usually quite complex, his prose is clear and never comes off as overwrought.

This collection of stories stimulated my cerebral cortex like few others. Personally my favorites were the stories in which Chiang experimented with religion, The Tower of Babylon being one of the best stories I've ever read. But they're masterworks all, you can't go wrong. I would compare Chiang to Borges for his seemingly effortless ability to weave such profoundly thought-provoking stories.

If you're a fan of science, or fiction, or maybe even science fiction, you owe it to yourself to read this thing

 

[Necrovex]

Completed Levithan Wakes. I liked it overall but far from loving it. I like the contrasts between Miller's and Holden's philosophies. Going to hold off from continuing until I watch some of the show. Eyeballing what I shall read now. My debate lies in between two books, 1776 and 1984. Nonfiction vs Fiction.

 

[fakefaker]

World of Trouble is too bleak a book for after a break up, so going with Royal Flash by George MacDonald Fraser to keep me sane.

 

[Soulfire]

Just finished The Eye of Zoltar by Jasper Fforde. Great book, huge cliffhanger, god only knows when the next one will be out.
Reading Thicker Than Blood by Annie Bellet now. It's been on my kindle for a while and I feel like some urban/paranormal fantasy.

 

[Levondrious]

Butcher's crossing by John Williams

 

[Danielsan]

Finished Dance Dance Dance by Haruki Murakami this morning. Really enjoyed it, I especially loved the relationship between Yuki and the protaganist. Still bummed that I only found out halfway through the book that it's a sequel, but it did not detract from the experience. I'll definitely make sure to read A Wild Sheep Chase later this year.

Next up: Boo, by Neil Smith. Heard some good things about this book on GAF. Just read the first few pages during my lunch break and I already know that I'm going to dig this.

 

[Das Ace]

I loved this book. Highly recommend

 

[Jintor]

i felt the hankering for some pratchett so I think I'm going to read the last Tiffany Aching/Discworld story, the Shepherd's Crown, and then the first discworld story, The Colour of Magic.

rip pterry

 

[Danielsan]

At times I feel like I'm the slowest reader in the world. I've done a couple of online reading speed tests and I general I seem to hit about 240 - 250 words a minute with 90 - 100% reading comprehension. Which seems to be about, or just slightly below, average on reading speed, and above average on comprehension. Now granted, English isn't my native language and I only read novels in English, which might be one of the reasons I'm reading at a snail's pace. But I've also discovered it's due to the fact that I tend to vocalize every sentence internally, which supposedly also kicks down your reading speed a couple of notches.


Curious to hear about other's reading skills/habits. Anyone else here a slow reader? Has anyone seen seen noteworthy improvements in their reading speed as they consumed more books? Do you prefer reading with or without the internal vocalization, and can you even turn the internal vocalization off?

 

[MedicUnderFire]

Sat on my bookshelf for a while, the whole burma campaign is the part of the second world war I know the least about, but so far. its interesting, well written.

 

[Hanzou]

At times I feel like I'm the slowest reader in the world. I've done a couple of online reading speed tests and I general I seem to hit about 240 - 250 words a minute with 90 - 100% reading comprehension. Which seems to be about, or just slightly below, average on reading speed, and above average on comprehension. Now granted, English isn't my native language and I only read novels in English, which might be one of the reasons I'm reading at a snail's pace. But I've also discovered it's due to the fact that I tend to vocalize every sentence internally, which supposedly also kicks down your reading speed a couple of notches.


Curious to hear about other's reading skills/habits. Anyone else here a slow reader? Has anyone seen seen noteworthy improvements in their reading speed as they consumed more books? Do you prefer reading with or without the internal vocalization, and can you even turn the internal vocalization off?

I'm also a terribly slow reader that "vocalizes" all the words I read. Depending on the book it takes me between 1 minute and 1 minute and 30 seconds per page. The bad thing is I have not really gotten much faster since I really started reading 5 or so years ago.

 

[Quote]

At times I feel like I'm the slowest reader in the world. I've done a couple of online reading speed tests and I general I seem to hit about 240 - 250 words a minute with 90 - 100% reading comprehension. Which seems to be about, or just slightly below, average on reading speed, and above average on comprehension. Now granted, English isn't my native language and I only read novels in English, which might be one of the reasons I'm reading at a snail's pace. But I've also discovered it's due to the fact that I tend to vocalize every sentence internally, which supposedly also kicks down your reading speed a couple of notches.


Curious to hear about other's reading skills/habits. Anyone else here a slow reader? Has anyone seen seen noteworthy improvements in their reading speed as they consumed more books? Do you prefer reading with or without the internal vocalization, and can you even turn the internal vocalization off?

I'm slow as well. I think it's an attention thing for me. I often drift off in thought and start thinking about something else which causes me to have to re-read a paragraph page I already read. Usually there is a turning point for me once I get invested into the story and it can keep my attention.

I'm also trying audiobooks again after many failures. I find them a lot harder than books so it'll probably end up in failure as usual.

 

[Peru]

I'm also trying audiobooks again after many failures. I think the key here is to find a book I know i'm interested in that can keep me listening but even still I find it harder to pay attention.

I find some books work as audio books and some don't. More lighthearted novels work, as do non-fiction books. Heavier works of fiction I have to go at my own pace and process what I'm reading.

 

[BumRush]

Just finished lightning by dean koontz. It was good, not amazing. About 50 pages into Hurwitz's orphan x and I'm hooked.

 

[Danielsan]

I'm also a terribly slow reader that "vocalizes" all the words I read. Depending on the book it takes me between 1 minute and 1 minute and 30 seconds per page. The bad thing is I have not really gotten much faster since I really started reading 5 or so years ago.

I'm happy to see I'm not alone. I think 1 tot 1,5 minutes a page is about my reading speed. I just hope that I do pick up the pace just a little if I can manage to keep reading on a near daily basis.

I'm slow as well. I think it's an attention thing for me. I often drift off in thought and start thinking about something else which causes me to have to re-read a paragraph page I already read. Usually there is a turning point for me once I get invested into the story and it can keep my attention.

I'm also trying audiobooks again after many failures. I find them a lot harder than books so it'll probably end up in failure as usual.

The attention span issue also happens to me, especially due to the fact that I do most of my reading during my commute and I really need to zone out all of the noise in order to get into my reading. I find myself rereading half a page at least 2-4 times every reading sessions.

 

[sparky2112]

Now, another easy read: "Humans of New York" by Brandon Stanton. Mostly photos.

The second book, Stories, has more text, fwiw...

 

[Necrovex]

I'm slow as well. I think it's an attention thing for me. I often drift off in thought and start thinking about something else which causes me to have to re-read a paragraph page I already read. Usually there is a turning point for me once I get invested into the story and it can keep my attention.

I'm also trying audiobooks again after many failures. I find them a lot harder than books so it'll probably end up in failure as usual.

This is my problem. I have ADHD problems, no medications, so my thoughts can take over hampering my experience. Reading the Brothers Karamazov was difficult partly due to this fact.

 

[besada]

I'm currently reading the third book in Ian McDonald's Everness series. He's a science fiction writer, but he's done this series of YA books, which are remarkably good for YA fare.

Also, quite unusually, the main character is a Punjabi boy from London who saves himself by cooking, and the love interest has an albino afro.

 

[thomaser]

The second book, Stories, has more text, fwiw...

Oh, there's a second book? That's wonderful, I'll get it for sure. HONY is so uplifting.

 

[Pau]

Reading La Oculta in Spanish. First time really going back to my native tongue for reading since... high school. Yikes. According to Kindle the book takes about five hours to read. At my pace I'll be done in... ten hours. Ugh. I need to make an effort to read in Spanish more.

I kind of liked that aspect. :/

I don't mind it, but Howl and Sophie are just such good characters it's hard not to want them be the center of attention!

I finished Blues Legacies and Black Feminism yesterday. It was as good as advertised, though I'm really quite annoyed that I managed to bend and crease the corner of the back cover.

Anyway, it's basically an analysis of feminist / proto-feminist themes in the lyrics (and performances) of three blues women, Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, and Billie Holiday. I think the book is worth the price for "Strange Fruit" alone, though the whole thing should be read.

Do you recommend it even for someone who doesn't really have an interest in music? (I know, I suck.)

 

[Meteorain]

Currently halfway through:

 

[Dan]

Taking a break from some short story collections and other things to start this. So far it's really interesting.

 

[Lynx_7]

I read The Little Prince yesterday. It was fine for what it was.

Just started The Count of Monte Cristo today, time to see if it's as good as I'm hoping. Out of all the the foreign classics I've read so far it's definetely the one that feels the most "romanticized".
Anyway, I feel like I've already done more quality reading this year than the last one. What a waste 2015 was for me book-wise.

Curious to hear about other's reading skills/habits. Anyone else here a slow reader? Has anyone seen seen noteworthy improvements in their reading speed as they consumed more books? Do you prefer reading with or without the internal vocalization, and can you even turn the internal vocalization off?

I vocalize every single word too and often take the time to picture the whole scene in my head, from the setting to the characters' appearance

Spoiler

(oftentimes my cast looks like a mishmash of actors, anime characters, generic looking people that I imagine on the spot and sometimes games or even comic book characters)

and voice to their body language and "acting". I also take my time to make sure I'm fully comprehending everything that's going on, specially if it's a book heavy on exploring themes, philosophy, psychology, simbolism etc. Sometimes I'll just stare at a page reflecting about what I just read and then end up getting lost in my thoughts. It's part of the experience for me.

Suffice to say, I'm a very slow reader. Not that I mind much since I enjoy my time with a book to the fullest. Every single book I've speedread hasn't made much of an impact on me and I have a harder time digesting everything that's going on, often forgetting names of characters and places. I only do it if the book is not particularly enjoyable or if it's something very straightforward and simple that I just picked up to pass the time. Reading a good, meaty book at a fast pace just isn't for me, it feels like I'm rushing it. Except when the scene really calls for it, like a particularly exciting sequence that gets you so in the moment that you can't help but go into overdrive.

 

[brawly]

Almost at the halfway point. Amazing so far. The beginning of this is better than anything else I've seen in terms of Star Wars since the OT. Just a genuine story about genuine characters. Now it's starting to tie into the movie(s) which is also damn cool.

 

[Nuke Soda]

I'm currently reading the third book in Ian McDonald's Everness series. He's a science fiction writer, but he's done this series of YA books, which are remarkably good for YA fare.

Also, quite unusually, the main character is a Punjabi boy from London who saves himself by cooking, and the love interest has an albino afro.

I am an idiot. Kept reading the title as I Am McDonald, whoops lol.

 

[aravuus]

Finished Jeffery Deaver's The Bone Collector. Read it unusually fast considering I wasn't a massive fan of the main character, only took me a couple of days. Plot was great, though, and the twist(s) surprisingly unpredictable.

Anyone got any good crime/murder/etc mystery books with plot twists galore to recommend? Doesn't really matter if it's about theft or murder or whatever, if it's from the criminal's POV or a cop POV etc. As long as it has a twisty plot, I'm good, it's usually the main appeal of a mystery/crime novel for me.

 

[Mumei]

Do you recommend it even for someone who doesn't really have an interest in music? (I know, I suck.)

Yes! I mean, you don't have to listen to the music to get it. She does talk about some performative aspects in how she interprets the songs' meaning or how the lyrics on the page are subverted by the performance or whatever, but she does a good enough job explaining that I don't feel like listening is necessary to get it.

 

[Sean C]

Empire of Cotton: A Global History by Sven Beckert: Fascinating economic history of the development of the globalized cotton industry, and how it completely reshaped the economies of pretty much the entire world. I didn't know, for instance, that Indian cotton goods were about 50% of what Europeans used to trade for slaves with African tribes, which made acquiring them an imperative.

 

[ZQQLANDER]

Got it as a Xmas present and love it.

^^The Lies of Locke Lamora looks interesting. Probably gonna pick that one up next.

 

[Maklershed]

Finished Jeffery Deaver's The Bone Collector. Read it unusually fast considering I wasn't a massive fan of the main character, only took me a couple of days. Plot was great, though, and the twist(s) surprisingly unpredictable.

Anyone got any good crime/murder/etc mystery books with plot twists galore to recommend? Doesn't really matter if it's about theft or murder or whatever, if it's from the criminal's POV or a cop POV etc. As long as it has a twisty plot, I'm good, it's usually the main appeal of a mystery/crime novel for me.

I had a nice long post but its lost in the ether thanks to my bus' shitty wifi. Anyway, the gist was that I recommended Gone Girl, The LA Quartet, and The Black Echo.

 

[GK86]

I have been reading through Captain Blood. Which is pretty good. Taking longer to read than the other books I have read this year. Mostly since I have to stop and look up (older) words to see what they mean and reread the sentence.

 

[ShaneB]

Next up: Boo, by Neil Smith. Heard some good things about this book on GAF. Just read the first few pages during my lunch break and I already know that I'm going to dig this.

Hope you enjoy it. Maybe you saw my comments about how much I loved it. I've said before that my memory isn't the best, and often times I'll forget everything about a book immediately after finishing, but certainly a few cases where things stick with me, and Boo had that. Just a really interesting premise that had me thinking, and plenty of emotional impact too. Good bit of twist and turns as well.

As for your other comment on being a slow reader, I guess I am a slow reader, but if I'm reading slow, I really should just be telling myself that the book isn't that good at gripping me. You know that sensation when you're binging a TV show on Netflix or something, and when one episode ends, you just have to start the next one? A book has to be like that for me to not be a slow reader. I've got to sucked in, to have that "one more chapter" feel, to have to know what happens next.. That's when I'm not a slow reader.

I'm going to read this next. Taking a break from some of the heavy emotional stuff I tend to read.

How Music Got Free: The End of an Industry, the Turn of the Century, and the Patient Zero of Piracy by Stephen Witt

 

[Cerity]

Finished up The Setting Sun by Osamu Dazai awhile ago, I don't know why I do it to myself but I keep coming back to novels like this. By the end of it I wanted to slap the shit out of all the remaining characters.

Also finished up The Traitor Baru Comorant and I'm still not sure what to think of it, some powerful stuff but some of it feels quite hamfisted.

So now I'm reading the Tears of Blood series by M.R Forbes because it was free on amazon not too long ago.