Hey there poindexter. Read any good books lately?
- Thread starter BigBooper
- Start date
Lunarorbit
Member
James Cameron just bought the rights to Joe Abercrombies The Devils. Haven't read it but I know lots of us like his books.
https://joeabercrombie.com/james-cameron-takes-on-the-devils/
Cameron says "How do I describe The Devils? A sharply witty horror adventure? An epic battle between good and evil except most of the time you can't tell which is which? A twisted, stylish, alt-universe middle-ages romp, where your best hope of survival is the monsters themselves? This is Joe Abercrombie in absolute peak form, opening up a whole new world and an ensemble of delicious new characters. The twists and turns come at a rollercoaster pace, and with Joe's signature acerbic wit and style. The Devils showcases Joe's jaundiced view of human nature, in all its dark, selfish glory, as told through some decidedly un-human characters. But of course, Joe always teases with the flickers of redemption that make it all worthwhile — and ultimately quite heartwrenching."
https://joeabercrombie.com/james-cameron-takes-on-the-devils/
Cameron says "How do I describe The Devils? A sharply witty horror adventure? An epic battle between good and evil except most of the time you can't tell which is which? A twisted, stylish, alt-universe middle-ages romp, where your best hope of survival is the monsters themselves? This is Joe Abercrombie in absolute peak form, opening up a whole new world and an ensemble of delicious new characters. The twists and turns come at a rollercoaster pace, and with Joe's signature acerbic wit and style. The Devils showcases Joe's jaundiced view of human nature, in all its dark, selfish glory, as told through some decidedly un-human characters. But of course, Joe always teases with the flickers of redemption that make it all worthwhile — and ultimately quite heartwrenching."
JimmyRustler
Member
Finished this one. Great read. There source references in this book are insane. Feels like 1/4 of the book is just sources. That's some darn good research.
I'd be remiss not give a shoutout to @EviLore who mentioned this book in another thread some time ago. Was intrigued, read about bit about the topic and decided to read it now.
Next up:
Plato's Republic was one of the best books I've read last year and from what I gathered his dialogues are just as good if not better. Can't wait.
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TexMex
Member
I am definitely put off by over hyped books, and they don't come with much more than this one, but I can't lie. I loved it. Way more than I thought I would. First goodreads 5/5 of the year for me. Truly incredible. Read it in 3 days, and I'm an incredibly slow reader, just couldn't put it down.
Major Insano
Member
Boudica: Dreaming The Eagle
Manda Scott
The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Tales.
H.P. Lovecraft
Manda Scott
The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Tales.
H.P. Lovecraft
Carton
Member
The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway.
I implore you all to give this one a read. It's less than a 100 pages, so not a big investment of time. It's written beautifully and really gripping.
The Anxious Generation - Jonathan Haidt.
The harms of smartphones, chiefly due to social media use, on the developing child/adolescent leading to increased anxiety, depression, suicide, fragility, sleep disturbance and attention issues.
I implore you all to give this one a read. It's less than a 100 pages, so not a big investment of time. It's written beautifully and really gripping.
The Anxious Generation - Jonathan Haidt.
The harms of smartphones, chiefly due to social media use, on the developing child/adolescent leading to increased anxiety, depression, suicide, fragility, sleep disturbance and attention issues.
DownLikeBCPowder
Member
Read through a bunch of books in rapid sequence the last couple of weeks:
Game of Thrones, Clash of Kings, and halfway through Clash of Swords.. Good as they were before. But I also read all of Dan Brown's Langdon books - Da Vinci Code is still my favorite, though I hadn't before read Inferno and Lost Symbol, which were enjoyable enough. Also read "The Gemini Contenders" which is from the Bourne Identity author - pretty solid and I like the "secret" they keep referencing throughout the book, though the book itself is just okay.
Also read "The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic" by Mike Duncan, who does the "History of Rome" podcast. While it was pretty much just the same material, there was some further information there and I loved it, didn't want it to end and by the final pages approaching the time of Julius Caesar, I was wishing the book simply continued. It's, perhaps, a bit too digestible, but still very enjoyable if you like this sort of material. Strongly recommend the podcast, as well.
Also reading a book about the Templars, which is solid thus far.
Game of Thrones, Clash of Kings, and halfway through Clash of Swords.. Good as they were before. But I also read all of Dan Brown's Langdon books - Da Vinci Code is still my favorite, though I hadn't before read Inferno and Lost Symbol, which were enjoyable enough. Also read "The Gemini Contenders" which is from the Bourne Identity author - pretty solid and I like the "secret" they keep referencing throughout the book, though the book itself is just okay.
Also read "The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic" by Mike Duncan, who does the "History of Rome" podcast. While it was pretty much just the same material, there was some further information there and I loved it, didn't want it to end and by the final pages approaching the time of Julius Caesar, I was wishing the book simply continued. It's, perhaps, a bit too digestible, but still very enjoyable if you like this sort of material. Strongly recommend the podcast, as well.
Also reading a book about the Templars, which is solid thus far.
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IDKFA
I am Become Bilbo Baggins
This book was great, until the end. That twist.......smh. Fucking awful.
A majority of the book is fantastic. After the Pope dies, a locked-room drama unfolds as 118 cardinals from around the world gather in Rome to elect his successor. Told through the eyes of Cardinal Lomeli, the Dean tasked with overseeing the election, the novel immerses the reader in the secret world of the rituals, politics, and psychological tensions of the papal conclave.
A vast majority of the books is a smart, tightly-wound political thriller that had me on the edge. The novel really does do a great job of dealing with the quest for power and what men will do to obtain it. I can see why Mr Harris was inspired by the Roman Republic.
Then comes the "twist" in the end and it just pissed me off. All throughout the book i thought all the twists, plots, scheming were linked to somebody. Maybe a grand plan for power and the keys to St Peter. Instead, and slight spoiler here.........none of it was related at all. They were all just random events, which made the end twist so bizarre because it just comes out of nowhere.
Overall that ending really spoiled what could have been a fantastic political thriller.
3/5
A majority of the book is fantastic. After the Pope dies, a locked-room drama unfolds as 118 cardinals from around the world gather in Rome to elect his successor. Told through the eyes of Cardinal Lomeli, the Dean tasked with overseeing the election, the novel immerses the reader in the secret world of the rituals, politics, and psychological tensions of the papal conclave.
A vast majority of the books is a smart, tightly-wound political thriller that had me on the edge. The novel really does do a great job of dealing with the quest for power and what men will do to obtain it. I can see why Mr Harris was inspired by the Roman Republic.
Then comes the "twist" in the end and it just pissed me off. All throughout the book i thought all the twists, plots, scheming were linked to somebody. Maybe a grand plan for power and the keys to St Peter. Instead, and slight spoiler here.........none of it was related at all. They were all just random events, which made the end twist so bizarre because it just comes out of nowhere.
Overall that ending really spoiled what could have been a fantastic political thriller.
3/5
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IDKFA
I am Become Bilbo Baggins
Read through a bunch of books in rapid sequence the last couple of weeks:
Game of Thrones, Clash of Kings, and halfway through Clash of Swords.. Good as they were before. But I also read all of Dan Brown's Langdon books - Da Vinci Code is still my favorite, though I hadn't before read Inferno and Lost Symbol, which were enjoyable enough. Also read "The Gemini Contenders" which is from the Bourne Identity author - pretty solid and I like the "secret" they keep referencing throughout the book, though the book itself is just okay.
Also read "The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic" by Mike Duncan, who does the "History of Rome" podcast. While it was pretty much just the same material, there was some further information there and I loved it, didn't want it to end and by the final pages approaching the time of Julius Caesar, I was wishing the book simply continued. It's, perhaps, a bit too digestible, but still very enjoyable if you like this sort of material. Strongly recommend the podcast, as well.
Also reading a book about the Templars, which is solid thus far.
Templars. By Dan Jones is a solid read. Jones does a fantastic job at writing narrative history.
If you like that, I'd suggest reading the follow up book, Crusaders, which is a history of the Crusades.
DownLikeBCPowder
Member
I definitely like it, helping to quench my desire after finishing the book on Rome. Found this at the Goodwill book store, will keep an eye out for Crusaders as well!
JimmyRustler
Member
Finished this one. Good read and again quite accessible (which is not that common for Philosophy). Didn't find it as good as The Republic though.Next up:
Plato's Republic was one of the best books I've read last year and from what I gathered his dialogues are just as good if not better. Can't wait.
Next up:
Been reading about the literature that didn't make it into the Bible some time ago and decided to read some of it. The Gospel of Thomas will be the first.
JimmyRustler
Member
Finished this one yesterday. Good read. For everyone who doesn't know, the Gospel of Thomas is a collection of 114 sayings attributed to Jesus. There is no continuous story like in the canon Gospels.
Been reading about the literature that didn't make it into the Bible some time ago and decided to read some of it. The Gospel of Thomas will be the first.
The book at hand does a good job of listing and interpreting every single saying.
Next up:
Can't go wrong with Jared Diamond.
Jaybe
Member
Also read "The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic" by Mike Duncan, who does the "History of Rome" podcast. While it was pretty much just the same material, there was some further information there and I loved it, didn't want it to end and by the final pages approaching the time of Julius Caesar, I was wishing the book simply continued. It's, perhaps, a bit too digestible, but still very enjoyable if you like this sort of material. Strongly recommend the podcast, as well.
I loved the "history of Rome" podcast. I need to read his book at some point too.
DownLikeBCPowder
Member
I like the first few, but the rest I could have done without ("second era"). The Stormlight Chronicles are really good reads so far, but I have yet to read the latest one (I think just one).
Such a great podcast. I just randomly turn it on sometimes to this day.
NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt
Biggest Trails Stan
Just a warning but the latest Stormlight Archive was disappointing
DownLikeBCPowder
Member
Ah, well.. all good things and all that. Sad to hear, I will get to it at some point.
Donald mac Ronald
Member
Started reading the expanse book 1. Kept putting it off for ages but now ive started. Can't put it down.
Hm, I have already bought the rest of the Mistborn Trilogy, and the four-book "second era" is sitting in my Amazon cart. Going to alternate Wheel of Time and Sanderson books, WOT order is obvious. With Sanderson, not sure which series comes after each other and will probably just wind up going by release date. Stormlight Chronicles is a different series completely, is that also part of the Cosmere?
JimmyRustler
Member
Finished this one yesterday. Superbly written and structured as usual. Not too many new insights for me though.Next up:
Can't go wrong with Jared Diamond.
Next up:
Northeastmonk
Gold Member
Been listening to a handful of audiobooks lately. Mainly Stephen King because he's my favorite author. I listened to "Everything's Eventual", which are a combination of short stories read by different narrators and of course Stephen King reads a few of his own. Some were real good while a few were not so great. Overall I enjoyed it. I started "Salem's Lot", but whenever I start it. I can't quite get into it. I wonder if it just takes a bit to get going. I was same way about "IT". The book has so much character development and plot lines for characters that don't seem to matter. My favorite book of his is "Pet Semetary". The book is far scarier than the film, so I feel the opposite about "IT". I'd rather watch "IT", but I'd rather read/listen to "Pet Semetary". I wish "Night Shift" would get an audiobook. I made it 5 chapters into "Misery" today. I've seen clips of the film over the years and the book must be just as scary, right? Annie Wilkies is one crazy lady either way.
TexMex
Member
Misery is more of a thriller, I've never understood why people call it "scary." But the book is significantly more graphic and intense than the movie. The movie gets too much praise imo, but it's very much of its time.
JimmyRustler
Member
Finished this one yesterday evening. Good book. Lots of seemingly personal opinions and anecdotes, so I guess it's up to everyone themselves to believe it or not. I incorporated some of it into my diet years ago when I listened to the audiobook the first time and it helped me a lot to re-regulate my digestion. Also a lot of it, while not proven, makes a lot of sense to me.
Next up:
For obvious reasons I've been wanting to read it forever. Now's the time.
Shubh_C63
Member
Needed a distraction from games and ended up reading this famous but short Sci fi book.
Book moves at a breakneck speed. Nice concept of FREE human teleportation and its changes on the economy of the solar system planets.
And the main protagonist, non ambitious peep, got stuck in a dead spaceship fighting for his life, but when a wandering ship Vorga refused to help him without giving any explanation, MC makes his mission to get out of here and hunt Vorga, wherever it may be.
Book moves at a breakneck speed. Nice concept of FREE human teleportation and its changes on the economy of the solar system planets.
And the main protagonist, non ambitious peep, got stuck in a dead spaceship fighting for his life, but when a wandering ship Vorga refused to help him without giving any explanation, MC makes his mission to get out of here and hunt Vorga, wherever it may be.
Queso de Grande
Member
I just started this as a audiobook. I am immediately repulsed by the nerdy quipiness of the character. Please tell me the story is worth suffering through this awful inner monologue.Finished this a few days ago.
Wow. What a ride. All I knew about the book before going in was that it was about an astronaut who wakes up with no memory and needs to piece it back to save the world.
Incredible novel. My only gripe was I really wanted to know what was happening on Earth during the mission. The last third also could have been cut a little bit, but I'm nickpicking here. One of the best sci-fi novels I've read in recent years.
Well done, Mr Weir.
Or as another character says in the book:
"Fist me!"
Trilobit
Absolutely Cozy
I read a review on one of his books and the writer complained that it seemed like the author uses his books as self-inserts for his humor because no one can stand it in real life lol.
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IDKFA
I am Become Bilbo Baggins
I didn't have an issue with that, but yes, the story is worth it.
Anyway, I've just finished this. What a terrifying read
This is a nonfiction book, but is set out to tell a fictional story of what would happen if the world went into nuclear war. The core of the book is a meticulously detailed narrative that unfolds over approximately the first 72 minutes of the war, and the minutes, months and years in the aftermath.
Annie Jacobsen has really done her research here. She has interviewed people who worked in the US government and planned for nuclear war, as well as going through as many historical records as possible. This makes a powerful case that even a "limited" nuclear exchange carries an existential threat to humanity.
Honestly, it's actually terrifying how easy it would be to start a nuclear war. It's also crazy to learn that the US at least not only has very little defence against a nuclear onslaught, but how quickly shit could escalate. Basically, if a nuke was heading to the US, the POTUS would have six minutes to decide on a counter strike. Six minutes to decide how many millions or billions would die.
The book is truly amazing and terrifying in equal measure. I can see why they're making this into a film.
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