What are you reading? (August 2017)

Wrapped up Noumenon by Marina J. Lostetter last night and was highly satisfying by it. I haven't read many books about generational space ships, so this was a good intro. Personally I don't think a ship like this would work, as there are too many variables to the human condition, cloned or not.

Next up is Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky. I watched a video on Youtube about nuclear winter yesterday and couldn't resist.

7942042.jpg
 
Started and finished

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Don't read much YA but decided to give this a shot. Not the best book ever but somewhat entertaining. The format of the book was definitely interesting.

Decided to actually attempt to finish

51J3heMIVGL._SX330_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg



At some point last year, I got around halfway through the book and for whatever reason, got bored or distracted or something and just left it there. It wasn't bad per say, just wasn't in the mood for that kind of story at the time.
 
Halfway through A Clockwork Orange and while I'm enjoying the story, all the slang (I think) the main character uses is really off putting.
 
fakefaker said:
Wrapped up Noumenon by Marina J. Lostetter last night and was highly satisfying by it. I haven't read many books about generational space ships, so this was a good intro. Personally I don't think a ship like this would work, as there are too many variables to the human condition, cloned or not.

Next up is Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky. I watched a video on Youtube about nuclear winter yesterday and couldn't resist.

7942042.jpg
Click to expand...

I really liked it but the translated writing starts off pretty rough.

Can I make a suggestion? Listen to the audiobook. The guy who reads it is phenomenal and he adds a lot of gravitas to the words. He's a British fellow but he has a wide range of convincing Russian accents/characters that he reads the dialogue in. Plus, the chapter breaks have spooky moody music :)

Here's the first half:

https://youtu.be/tyrnMciOO08

I had started by reading the book and when I switched to the audiobook I had to finish it that way. It was much easier to get into.
 
Just finished The Fifth Season.

It takes some serious balls to end your book on such a bullshit cliffhanger. Hot damn. Loved the book but fuck that cliffhanger.
 
HotHamBoy said:
I really liked it but the translated writing starts off pretty rough.

Can I make a suggestion? Listen to the audiobook. The guy who reads it is phenomenal and he adds a lot of gravitas to the words. He's a British fellow but he has a wide range of convincing Russian accents/characters that he reads the dialogue in. Plus, the chapter breaks have spooky moody music :)

Here's the first half:

https://youtu.be/tyrnMciOO08

I had started by reading the book and when I switched to the audiobook I had to finish it that way. It was much easier to get into.
Click to expand...

I've never listened to an audiobook before. This might be the first! Thanks mang!
 
HotHamBoy said:
I really liked it but the translated writing starts off pretty rough.

Can I make a suggestion? Listen to the audiobook. The guy who reads it is phenomenal and he adds a lot of gravitas to the words. He's a British fellow but he has a wide range of convincing Russian accents/characters that he reads the dialogue in. Plus, the chapter breaks have spooky moody music :)

Here's the first half:

https://youtu.be/tyrnMciOO08

I had started by reading the book and when I switched to the audiobook I had to finish it that way. It was much easier to get into.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the link, this guy is GOOD. Damn! Very impressive Russian accent.
 
Hi bookGAF! There are so many sci-fi threads in the OP I thought I would just ask here for a recommendation. I am looking for a book to read on my commute to work. I really like "soft" Science Fiction so not space operas pretty much, but I am open to any fiction. Also something not to heavy preferably.

The last book I read which i really enjoyed and was a pretty easy read was Dark Matter.
 
Just finished up reading this;

11282000.jpg


The book was a bit slow at the start but quickly picked up once Rosemary became pregnant and I started getting engrossed with it and just had to read the next chapter to find out what would happen.

I will probably get the sequel "Son Of Rosemary" later down the line.

Next up on the reading list is;

american-psycho-book-cover.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Finished last week

WceGgDUNlCA8RPHOz66AbHHs4RI12Vqg+OoBRGBrKx2plCphEkAr3aizNSRpuGHkIoDZcS4gLRs3LNNbucM2t8mEddFrhthiqbQDqkrYxHZQ5iDKyCBWtzAWMsmQ+7PK


I really liked this. It was hard to keep the characters straight for a bit...but I got the hang of it by a quarter of the way in. I had my suspicions but was still quite surprised where it went. What a fun read. Are any other books by her this interesting?


Based on this thread, I started up

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So far, so good. Only about 90 pages in so far though.

My book goal for the year is 25 and I am getting close. I might up it a bit but then start a super long one like IT or The Stand.
 
Psychotic_Mantis said:
I really liked this. It was hard to keep the characters straight for a bit...but I got the hang of it by a quarter of the way in. I had my suspicions but was still quite surprised where it went. What a fun read. Are any other books by her this interesting?
Click to expand...

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Murder on the Orient Express
 
HotHamBoy said:
I really liked it but the translated writing starts off pretty rough.

Can I make a suggestion? Listen to the audiobook. The guy who reads it is phenomenal and he adds a lot of gravitas to the words. He's a British fellow but he has a wide range of convincing Russian accents/characters that he reads the dialogue in. Plus, the chapter breaks have spooky moody music :)

Here's the first half:

https://youtu.be/tyrnMciOO08

I had started by reading the book and when I switched to the audiobook I had to finish it that way. It was much easier to get into.
Click to expand...

I'm not really even interested in Metro 2033 or anything but even I might listen to this one. This guy is fucking great.

Now I just need to come up with something to do with my hands when I listen to it. I'd like to get into audio books since good story tellers like this guy can have a massive positive effect on the atmosphere, but I've found that I always get distracted after 15 minutes.
 
I'm going back and reading an old D&D (Forgotten Realms) book titled Waterdeep. I remember enjoying it a lot as a kid. It's the third book in a series, but the I remember the series' general narrative so well that I don't need to go back and re-read the previous books first.

After that I want to get into The Erstwhile by Brian Catling, and if I like it, follow it up with another of his books The Vorrh. Or the other way around. Whichever comes first.
 
Apt101 said:
I'm going back and reading an old D&D (Forgotten Realms) book titled Waterdeep. I remember enjoying it a lot as a kid. It's the third book in a series, but the I remember the series' general narrative so well that I don't need to go back and re-read the previous books first.
Click to expand...

That's the Avatar Series that tells of the Time of Troubles and the ascension of new deities. I remember really enjoying them way, way back then.
 
Jag said:
That's the Avatar Series that tells of the Time of Troubles and the ascension of new deities. I remember really enjoying them way, way back then.
Click to expand...

Yep. I read the series when it was already nice and old, dog-eared copies my older sister's boyfriend gave me. My favorite Forgotten Realms series, partially taking place in my favorite setting The Moonshaes.
 
Mr-Joker said:
Just finished up reading this;

https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327195247l/11282000.jpg[/IM

The book was a bit slow at the start but quickly picked up once Rosemary became pregnant and I started getting engrossed with it and just had to read the next chapter to find out what would happen.

I will probably get the sequel "Son Of Rosemary" later down the line.

Next up on the reading list is;[/QUOTE]

That cover looks like its got the [img]http://www.thecoli.com/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/mjcry1.png behind that guys mask.
Maybe it does??🤔
Click to expand...
 
arts&crafts said:
Hi bookGAF! There are so many sci-fi threads in the OP I thought I would just ask here for a recommendation. I am looking for a book to read on my commute to work. I really like "soft" Science Fiction so not space operas pretty much, but I am open to any fiction. Also something not to heavy preferably.

The last book I read which i really enjoyed and was a pretty easy read was Dark Matter.
Click to expand...

Some of my favorites that immediately come to mind:
Pushing Ice
Ship of Fools
The Mass Effect trilogy
The Echo :)
 
Jag said:
I remember buying this as my first forgotten realms book when it first came out.

Darkwalker_on_Moonshae_book_cover.jpg
Click to expand...

Weird. I read and thought that book was pretty fun when I found it and another in the trilogy at a yearly book fair thing nearby a handful of years ago. I never found book two though so I haven't finished.
 
TwntyOneTwlv said:
Just finished The Fifth Season.

It takes some serious balls to end your book on such a bullshit cliffhanger. Hot damn. Loved the book but fuck that cliffhanger.
Click to expand...

All I could think when I finished it today was, "I'm so glad I have the other two books and can read them immediately." That ending would have pissed me off a bit had I read the book in 2015.
 
So my goal is to read one chapter a day of Pillars of the Earth, a 1800 page book. Should end in 2018

And i am currently starting IT as a reread. I did a reading 10 years ago so it's due. I am more mature now.
 
Mau ®;246830360 said:
Reading House of Leaves. Quite engrossing.
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I only got about halfway through before i had to return it to the library and i kept getting distracted by other books. It's really something and beautiful but it was exhausting to read.

I need to go back to the library and finish it soon.
 
Jeff VanderMeer - Borne

Not bad, but definitely more of a Finch style story, which means it feels more like a screenplay with big moments, dramatic turns, and plot twists, than his slower works that soak in the setting. I'm also reading a collection of his short stories and read The Third Bear before this, oddly they seem to both draw from similar base ideas. Does anyone know which one he wrote first? And are they intended to be connected or just different interpretations of the same ideas he had?
 
Mau ®;246830360 said:
Reading House of Leaves. Quite engrossing.
Click to expand...
It's quite the experience indeed, and so unique. Left a mark in me in the sense that I'll often catch myself thinking about it.

Usually about the Zampanò and the Navidson family side of the story though. I tend to forget Johnny was even a part of the book, lol.
 
WAR recon zero said:
What's a Jolly happy book to read in order to counter 2 Stephen King books read this month?
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Seconding the Pratchett rec. Guards! Guards! was perfect and one of the few books that has made me laugh out loud not just once or twice, it did it on a regular basis.

I should pick up the next book in that sub-series soon.
 
Robin Hobb - Assassin's Fate

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Last book in a long series. It was a good book. Not my favorite in her Realm of the Elderlings. But a good book. The ending was ok. I just feel a bit sad that it is over. I am probably gonna reread them all at sometime. But it is my favorite series and something I have read for a long time.

It was the same when I read the last Raymond E Feist book. It almost makes me glad that RR Martin writes as slow as he does.
 
Reading Dune Messiah.

Man, the book is kinda hard to read. It doesn't help that I read the original Dune years ago, and although I do have a vague recollections of the book's events, they are kinda foggy. What the heck is a Mentat? Kwisatz Haderach? It's partially my fault because I waited so long to continue the series, but the books could give the readers some heads up.
 
Okay, FINALLY finished Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude. This is a case where a probably great book was overshadowed by its OH MY GOD THIS IS A LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE reputation. As I've said previously, in 1967, maybe this novel hit like a bomb going off - I was busy being born, so I don't know - happy 50th to me AND the book. And I'm fairly sure it birthed or at least influenced much that followed, so I read it in that context as well. When you go into something with astronomical expectations, how often are they met? Rarely. Still, taken for what it is, and adding in its historical context, it was indeed pretty damn good. Just not OMG AMAZEBALLS.
 
Finished Clockers by Richard Price yesterday. Its association with The Wire ended up being both a positive and a negative. For starters, the only reason I know about it and picked it up is because he wrote for the show. And it is The Wire, from the street, to the resolution, to a couple of anecdotes that were taken from this right into the show, the flavor is unmistakable. The problem is I've watched and rewatched the show multiple times over the years and it's just not eye opening for me reading this book. The plot and characters are more than serviceable, it's one murder investigation so to stretch it past 600 pages is stretching it thin, but it's good. Just not special to me.

On to the new Neal Stephenson collaboration.
 
I gave up on Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky. After a little over 100 pages I didn't know if I could stay awake for another 300 pages. I can see why some people love it, but I just couldn't get invested in it at all and the info dumps/conversations/translations just killed any momentum the book had for me. I'm still going to listen to the audio book, as the narrator seemed pretty amazing, and it's not hard to do when you're surfing the net.

As summer is coming to an end, thought I'd start up something similarly themed with The Dry by Jane Harper. Scary thing is, a raging forest fire started this afternoon around 20-25 klicks from where I live. Pray for rain.

28935749.jpg
 
As a happy book i chose to go with harry potter #1 reread. Its damn happy and i have a smile on my face all the time.

I am going with discworld next month.
 
Taruranto said:
Reading Dune Messiah.

Man, the book is kinda hard to read. It doesn't help that I read the original Dune years ago, and although I do have a vague recollections of the book's events, they are kinda foggy. What the heck is a Mentat? Kwisatz Haderach? It's partially my fault because I waited so long to continue the series, but the books could give the readers some heads up.
Click to expand...

Mentats are their human computers. Kwisatz Haderach is like the Bene Gesserit messiah.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_Dune_terminology
 
Audio edition of this

9780399588723


Interviews. Stream of conciousness-like first person oral history of world war II from women who served as snipers, foot soldiers, nurses, gun operators, drivers. Mostly shorter interviews, no narrator, but Alexievich has clearly shaped a narrative and a message through her selection, editing and chronology of selected snippets.

This is a new translation, making the book for the first time available in English in proper.

---

Also re-read Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen. Always the simplest Austen novel, and perhaps the one with the fewest layers, but I found a lot of new aspects to love in this re-read. One thing that strikes me perhaps even more clearly in this novel because of its simplicity is how awful the people who talk the most about good manners and correct behaviour are, with what dirt on their hands they are portrayed by Austen. It actually gets genuinely unpleasant in the book's second half, when a family widely praised for their tact and grace throws a good man out of their house and breaks off all communication because of their ideas of proper connection. On the other hand there are plenty of people here with well-described flaws who come out of the affair with a sympathetic portrayal because they didn't act with so much hypocrisy. She really hates hypocrisy. The judgement does not fall as hard on the binary division of sense & sensibility.

Add to that scenes of sickness that I couldn't remember being this vivid, that feel a little raw and sweaty coming from Austen, and the novel did indeed leave more of an impression on me than before.
 
Just finished with
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The writing is beautiful and the way all of the layers of the story slowly converge is incredible. The only other Atwood I've read is The Handmaid's Tale, and I enjoyed this even more. Anyone have a recommendation for what to read next from her?

Now I'm starting
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I really enjoyed Book of the New Sun/Urth, so I'm looking forward to digging deeper into Wolfe's work.
 
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