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Maklershed · Jul 1, 2017

ClosingADoor · Jul 1, 2017

Haven't been reading much the last weeks, so still on The Son.

Geno Breaker · Jul 1, 2017

I'm rereading the original Jurassic Park novel. I'm still surprised every once in a while by how gruesome it is.

Maklershed · Jul 1, 2017

Currently reading Everybody's Fool

Everybody's Fool by Richard Russo

pitchfork · Jul 1, 2017

Just had this arrive today from Amazon

GasProblem · Jul 1, 2017

Ive been rereading the first two books of the Stormlight Archive to get ready for the third book that's coming out in November (please don't delay it). Reaaally looking forward to it, perfect book to read in the fall when its getting darker outside. Ready to get all cozy with that book haha. The hardcover is going to be a bitch to hold in bed but it'll be worth it.

I'll probably finish the two books before November though. I've red Red Rising and really liked it, so when I finish my Stormlight reread I'll probably start on the next two books in that trilogy.

And I still have hope we'll be getting a Winds of Winter release date this year. Going to the bookstore to pick up that book is going to be a semi religious experience.

MilkBeard · Jul 1, 2017

Still finishing up Death's Master. Might pick up a P.K. Dick book (most likely Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?) as I've been intending to read one of his books.

pitchfork · Jul 1, 2017

GasProblem said:
Ive been rereading the first two books of the Stormlight Archive to get ready for the third book that's coming out in November (please don't delay it). Reaaally looking forward to it, perfect book to read in the fall when its getting darker outside. Ready to get all cozy with that book haha. The hardcover is going to be a bitch to hold in bed but it'll be worth it.

I'll probably finish the two books before November though. I've red Red Rising and really liked it, so when I finish my Stormlight reread I'll probably start on the next two books in that trilogy.

And I still have hope we'll be getting a Winds of Winter release date this year. Going to the bookstore to pick up that book is going to be a semi religious experience.

I check r/asoiaf every day in hope : (

Fuu · Jul 1, 2017

Finished this week:

Getúlio (1882-1930) by Lira Neto

Netos elegant prose skill is paired with how interesting of a person Getúlio was and how stunted politics could get in the first Brazilian republic. The result is a book that often feels like reading a season of House of Cards with a pinch of ASOIAF (including a certain dose of violence and politically-charged assassinations, as per the gaúcho tradition) except it was real life in my country. Fascinating stuff and the quality of the vast research conducted by himself and his team shows on every page. I'll start the second one right away.

Human Acts by Han Kang

The most brutal, harrowing and depressing novel I read this year so far. It's beautifully written (Deborah Smith had her work cut out for her in the translation with the regionalisms and changes in narrative POV), but it never lets up with how distressing it can be, especially when you consider it's based on real life occurrences. The subject matter is treated with the respect and the weight it requires, showing both the mental and physical suffering those people had to endure. The stories connect to each other little by little, and

the final chapter about the author herself

helps put everything into perspective Han Kang

ended up so consumed by the event while researching that she started having nightmares about it. She practically needed to excise it from herself

.

Although this one feels like the more "important" book so to speak, I liked The Vegetarian a nudge better, if only because it made me feel a more varied set of emotions. I'll continue to read anything of hers that gets translated and I'm looking forward to The White Book later this year.

BumRush · Jul 1, 2017

Geno Breaker said:
I'm rereading the original Jurassic Park novel. I'm still surprised every once in a while by how gruesome it is.

And how different it is versus the movie. I had forgotten how much was changed.

Spectromixer · Jul 1, 2017

I am about 50 pages in to the Star Wars novel, Bloodline, and for some reason I can't really get into it.

AngmarsKing701 · Jul 1, 2017

About 3/4 of the way through Uprooted. Gotta admit I liked the first half of this book a lot, while the second half, where it opens up, is feeling either rushed or just not as ... tense ... as the first half. It's almost as if the more the main character learns of her world and the evil reach of the Wood, the less interesting it's becoming.

Also, just a quick "Angmars turns the big 5-0 this weekend" ... I've got a few deals for my own books going on:
-- Ahvarra: The Heart of the World, my first novel, is just $0.99
-- Knight Prudent, the Fifth Entry in the GAF Write a Novella Per Month Challenge, is free. That's right, Book 5, 0 Dollars, since I turn 50.
-- Knight Dependent, the Sixth Entry in the GAF Challenge, just went live yesterday. It's $2.99.

Stasis · Jul 1, 2017

Kings of the Wyld.

Not too far in but I'm enjoying the cast and writing so far. And it's being hyped all over the place.

Afrocious · Jul 1, 2017

I finally finished The Fifth Season yesterday.

I'm in the minority, but I didn't like the book. Jemisen's prose pushed me away, the main character wasn't anyone I cared about, and the book has no ending with no resolution to anything.

I get that it's the first book of a series, but I don't think I'm a fan of books where the actual story is in the next book.

But this book has a large following and won a Hugo award so I'm down for believing I'm just weird.

BrokenFiction · Jul 1, 2017

Lynux · Jul 1, 2017

Slowly making my way through it. Great book so far.

Biske · Jul 1, 2017

I've since switched to this version of the book

Zelenogorsk · Jul 1, 2017

I'm kind of all over the place right now.
Dark Tower (VII) by Stephen King - loving it
Jim Butcher's Grave Peril - alright
Red Sister by Mark Lawrence - super loving it

and i do want to read Kings of the Wyld but its on the backburner until I get these three done.

I'm waiting for The Dresden Files to get great (i've heard its one of those "it gets better" series) but the first two books are fun enough. Feels like i'm reading the novelisation of a comic book (not a bad thing).

Unducks · Jul 1, 2017

Memory, Sorrow & Thorn was my favorite book series growing up, so it's been amazing to step back into that world. I'm really enjoying this so far.

This is great so far. It's difficult to adequately summarize, but the characters and dialogue are fantastic, with scenes that are set up with an almost cinematic quality. This could easily become my favorite novel published in 2017.

thomaser · Jul 1, 2017

Continuing with Proust's "Swann's Way", the first volume of "In Search of Lost Time". It feels like nothing ever happens in this book, but everything is still so fascinating! Proust could describe the tiniest event or thing and make it wonderful, mysterious, interesting, moving... I think I love this book. Reading it is slow, but also very, very pleasant.

Tumsfull · Jul 1, 2017

A friend recommended Brain on Fire to me, and it is fascinating. A visceral and deeply personal look into the experience of a healthy normal woman who slips suddenly into extreme mental illness.

melonrabbit · Jul 1, 2017

Finally back to reading after a long hiatus. Started a book called Eon. Seems interesting so far and also about Dragons so that's a plus.

Anyone heard of it or read it before?

4Tran · Jul 1, 2017

I'm still reading Yue Guan's Brocade Guards. It's great so far and I should be able to finish it this weekend.

AngmarsKing701 · Jul 1, 2017

melonrabbit said:
Finally back to reading after a long hiatus. Started a book called Eon. Seems interesting so far and also about Dragons so that's a plus.

Anyone heard of it or read it before?

The only Eon I've read is by Greg Bear and it's a scifi novel. I know it's been awhile but I don't think it had dragons.

melonrabbit · Jul 1, 2017

AngmarsKing701 said:
The only Eon I've read is by Greg Bear and it's a scifi novel. I know it's been awhile but I don't think it had dragons.

Sorry. Eon by Alison Goodman.

themaskedndi · Jul 1, 2017

I've been bouncing between a few different short story collections lately:

They've all been great reads. The last few novels I've read have been really disappointing, and these stories have been a great palette cleanser.

I've also been interested in reading more literary criticism. I'm especially drawn to books that focus on the history of various genres. I have a few titles on my wishlist, but I haven't picked any of them up yet.

Soulfire · Jul 1, 2017

I've been working my way through FDR by Jean Edward Smith off and on for the last year, currently making good progress on it. It's pretty crazy how similar that the Democratic Party seems to keep making the same mistakes.

Also reading The Gender Game by Bella Forrest, the woman is a machine. Since 2012 she's published 47 books in a Paranormal Romance series, most if not all are on the Top 100 Amazon Best Seller list for their genre. Now she's making inroads on the SciFi romance genre with 7 books since September, again all of them Top 100 Amazon Best Seller for their genre. Since I write in SciFi romance I'm reading her book to see what all the fuss is about. So far, it's pretty good, though a bit too YA/New Adult for my tastes, I'm not that far in so that might change. Her output is kind of awe inspiring, though, and just going on the little I've read the quality isn't lacking.

Apt101 · Jul 1, 2017

Just finished: Tales From the Perilous Realm, Tolkien

Wrapping up: Authority (Southern Reach)

Audible: The Tomb of Horrors (Dungeons and Dragons, Greyhawk)

Recent purchases / up next:

- Norse Mythology, Neil Gaiman (Kindle)
- When the Moon Was Ours, Anna-Marie McLemore, (Audible)
- Fight and Flight: Magic 2.0, Book 4, Scott Meyer (Audible)

hoggert · Jul 1, 2017

Reading Water Sleeps by Glen Cook. Eighth book in the Black Company series. So far it's been super good, surprisingly so as while the first book in the series was phenomenal, all the others ranged from decent enough to keep your attention to just plain boring.

HiiiLife · Jul 1, 2017

Gonna start Dark Matter. 4 books (almost 5 including Tomie by Junji Ito).

Have read more books in the last couple days than I have since elementary lol.

mu cephei · Jul 1, 2017

Fuu said:
Finished this week:

Human Acts by Han Kang

The most brutal, harrowing and depressing novel I read this year so far. It's beautifully written (Deborah Smith had her work cut out for her in the translation with the regionalisms and changes in narrative POV), but it never lets up with how distressing it can be, especially when you consider it's based on real life occurrences. The subject matter is treated with the respect and the weight it requires, showing both the mental and physical suffering those people had to endure. The stories connect to each other little by little, and

the final chapter about the author herself

helps put everything into perspective Han Kang

ended up so consumed by the event while researching that she started having nightmares about it. She practically needed to excise it from herself

.

Although this one feels like the more "important" book so to speak, I liked The Vegetarian a nudge better, if only because it made me feel a more varied set of emotions. I'll continue to read anything of hers that gets translated and I'm looking forward to The White Book later this year.

I thought The Vegetarian was great, so this is getting added to my tbr list, thanks!

TestMonkey · Jul 1, 2017

Reading A Nameless Witch by A. Lee Martinez. Very much in the same vein as Pratchett. RIP Sir Terry.

Saphirax · Jul 1, 2017

melonrabbit said:
Finally back to reading after a long hiatus. Started a book called Eon. Seems interesting so far and also about Dragons so that's a plus.

Anyone heard of it or read it before?

Read both Eon and Eona. They're both decent-ish, but the ending of the second book is pure trash. It was an entertaining romp until the ending at least.

melonrabbit · Jul 1, 2017

Saphirax said:
Read both Eon and Eona. They're both decent-ish, but the ending of the second book is pure trash. It was an entertaining romp until the ending at least.

Well they were free and at least I'm reading again. And sometimes trashy is entertaining.

YesThatGuy · Jul 1, 2017

Good is disappointed in you.

Is making me realize how much more I know about the bible than I though. Example: Noah having a bunch of kids BEFORE the flood.

Before that I read Zeus grants dumb wishes. I enjoy most of it (Gilgamesh deserves a lot better IMO), and the last chapter is a disappointment.

jmood88 · Jul 1, 2017

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Gabriel_Logan · Jul 2, 2017

In_The_Shadow_Of_The_Sword%2C_The_Battle_for_Global_Empire_and_the_End_of_the_Ancient_World.jpeg

Was warned it's less about Islam and more about the circumstances that led up to it. I'm surprised how little primary sources there are about Mohammad and the first 200 years of Islam.

fakefaker · Jul 2, 2017

The 'Geisters by David Nickle was dull, dull, dull. It did help me with my insomnia and gave me pleasant dreams too. Next up, The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden, which has gotten some great reviews and has a snazzy cover to boot.

Maklershed · Jul 2, 2017

Half a King by Joe Abercrombie is 99 cents today

Half a King by Joe Abercrombie

DemWalls · Jul 2, 2017

Maklershed said:
Half a King by Joe Abercrombie is 99 cents today

Half a King by Joe Abercrombie

Everyone who likes fantasy should buy it. Just so they can read the sequels.

MilkBeard · Jul 2, 2017

Maklershed said:
Half a King by Joe Abercrombie is 99 cents today

Half a King by Joe Abercrombie

Thank you for sharing this. Bought.

ashado · Jul 2, 2017

Saphirax said:
Read both Eon and Eona. They're both decent-ish, but the ending of the second book is pure trash. It was an entertaining romp until the ending at least.

I agree about the ending although I don't know if it's for the same reasons as Saphirax lol. It was one of those endings that I couldn't get off my mind for a good week or so. I did enjoy the series overall though.

Solideliquid · Jul 2, 2017

Comics for now. Star Wars and Aliens: Defiance.

The display on the new 10.5" iPad is amazing.

Sean C · Jul 3, 2017

Looking for something a little different to read, I spent a while perusing the shelves in the Fantasy section of the local Indigo, and came away with Naomi Novik's Uprooted. A Song of Ice and Fire aside, my reading list hasn't had much in the way of modern fantasy novels, not because of any aversion to the genre, but just because I've mostly made a point of focusing on other areas.

The plot setup for Uprooted makes it sound like it's a Beauty and the Beast type story, focusing on a peasant girl who lives in a valley where, every ten years, one teenage girl is taken away by the local wizard (who everyone calls "the Dragon", which certainly adds to the overtones) to serve in his tower. Our protagonist Agnieszka is not particularly concerned about this since everyone in town knows that the Dragon will pick her super-awesome friend Kasia for this next. You can guess where this is going. But soon after her being taken to the tower, the novel turns into a witch-in-training narrative, which ends up encompassing medieval court politics and the giant, haunted wood that lies adjacent to the valley where everybody lives.

The world Novik conjures is one where magic exists and has been bureaucratized as part of the feudal system, in this case the Dragon being a sort of feudal lord in this area, subject to the king (who isn't a wizard, he just has wizards working for him). The system of magic is relatively distinctive in presentation. I like that this is a setting with a distinctly Eastern European flavour (our protagonist is named Agnieszka, after all).

The resolution of the plot involving the Wood ends up being fairly stock in terms of the explanation for its origin -- wouldn't ya know, it comes down to humans being assholes and cutting down trees -- but it's well-executed, and unlike a lot of takes on this type of story it doesn't go overboard as eco propaganda.

AngmarsKing701 · Jul 3, 2017

I have about 90 pages left in Uprooted, so I won't hit the spoilered bit, but I'm enjoying it for the most part. When it opened to the city it lost some of its lustre for me, but it looks like the last 1/4 is setup for a hopefully epic conclusion.

FlowersisBritish · Jul 3, 2017

I started J.D. Salinger's 9 Stories on the recomendation that he was one of the best short story writers there ever was. Only read the first, but holy shit the level of quality in it was kind of insane. Already really impressed.

Nuke Soda · Jul 3, 2017

The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower #3) by Stephen King- I really liked this book. It is filled with good characters, some good action, and a lot of adventure for Rolland and his posse. There is plenty of crazy situations, creepy villains and weird creatures roaming around the world that moved on. I really don't have much to say other than I really liked this book and have moved on to book #4 Wizard and Glass.

tirminyl · Jul 3, 2017

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin. It's taken me so long to finally sit and read these.

Farside · Jul 3, 2017

Finished:

Reading:

Mumei · Jul 4, 2017

I return with a warning:

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