I’ve put together a collage of some books from last months What are you Reading? post. It’s mostly random, but the more discussion something gets the more it stands out to me. Going forward I’m going to make a new post every month to talk about what people are reading.
Here is last months post. What are you Reading? (July 2023)
At any rate, what are you currently reading or plan to read in August?
You must log in or register to comment.
Im halfway through The color of magic by Terry Pratchett, I’ve read a few other discworld books but I thought it was time to start the first book an try to read them all in the “right” order.
I read a lot of other Rincewind stories first, and I have to admit that getting the story from “The Color of Magic” explains a lot.
The later books, surprisingly, don’t spoil the main gag, at least in my vague recollection.
Listening to Making Money, read it a few years ago. Pretty good though I’m not a huge fan of the voice actor doing the reading. it’s tolerable though. Pratchett is what got me into sci-fi and fantasy, he’ll always be one of my favorites and always holds up when I go back to something of his.
It’s probably the weakest of the Discworld books (at least from what I read of them). You can tell that he’s still developing the world and it’s much more just a fantasy spoof as opposed to the social satire masquerading as fantasy spoof that those books then more and more turn into.
I recently read “A Memory Called Empire” by Arkady Martine. It’s the first book I’ve read by her and her writing style got me good. Her background as an historian shines through in the Empire she crafted. She won a hugo or nebula for the book but I can’t be bothered to look it up at the moment.
I’m 6 books into expanse series, and I’ve kind of lost steam with it. Might need a break. Read bobiverse in full just before it. First children of time book was good but didn’t know if I wanted to read book 2.
Also loved project hail Mary and the dark Forest/three body trilogy.
Any other suggestions?
Try the revelation space series, they are a little slow at times but I really enjoyed them
Book 7 was a bit of a drag for me, more so than book 6. Books 8 and 9 are really fast paced and good. It’s all proto molecule stuff. I remember not caring about the free navy and just wanting to get on with the larger series plot during 6 and 7. You may have to trudge through those to get to the good stuff though.
Good to know. Also I mis spoke, I’m mid book 7 and kinda bored at present
Well, if you like space opera try Honor Harrington. The first book is called “On Basilisk Station”
I have Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars Trilogy on my shelf waiting for me to finish The Expanse series. Maybe that?
Also, book 7 of The Expanse becomes a lot easier because you stop having the TV show to compare to. And let me tell you, you think you know what Duarte is doing on Laconia, but my friend you don’t. The prologue of book 7 has one of those “I’m sorry, WHAT” moments that really launches you into the next story arc
Yes yes yes red mars is amazing. At first I was like oh great another 600 page scifi novel, but Holy shit is that some classic hard scifi that draws you in. The literal world building and charecter development is fantastic.
deleted by creator
I’ve been debating starting the Expanse book series. I was a huge fan of the show but never read the books. Watched the whole series twice now. Is it recommended to star at book 1 or would it be advised to start at like book 7 so it follows the series?
I really think the books up to #4 Cibola Burn are worth the read. The TV series is kind of like a final edit of the books, and it’s really fascinating to see the changes the authors chose to make. But you get a lot more detail about the situations and the larger impact in the books.
That said, I reeeeally struggled with books 5 & 6 for only one reason: I hate Marco Inaros SO. MUCH. Which honestly just demonstrates how good these authors are. It was really hard for me to walk though the Inaros plot after having seen it through to completion in the show.
But now on book 7, I’m flying though the book again because I need to know where all of this is going and how our beloved characters are gonna get themselves out of this one
I very much share this experience with the series. Book 5 and 6 were the low point. I was more interested in the world building and everything related to it, and less so in the human conflicts. Final three books were great again, and eight probably my favourite in the whole series.
The show stays pretty true to the books, but there’s enough differences that I’d recommend starting with book 1.
Biggest change I can think of is Drummer. The show’s Drummer is like 3 or 4 characters from the books rolled into one. Book Drummer had a smaller roll.
deleted by creator
Thatars trilogy took me by surprise. At first it felt slow and dry, but I kept on. It definitely is a unique perspective on colonization and I really enjoyed it in the end.
I’m currently half way through the third book of the Children of Time trilogy. I LOVED book one. I think having just read “Other Minds” (Peter Godfrey-Smith, great non fiction about the mental processes of [the animal starring in the second book]) a while back made me appreciate the second book even more than I would have otherwise.
The Messengers by Lindsay Joelle is a short story only available on audible (free for members). It kind of reminded me of Children of Time and I really liked it.
Different style, but I liked all the books you listed and also loved Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut time/space travel as envisioned in the 1950s.
And I just went: “Children of time trilogy? That one only got 2 books!”
Seems like at some point in 2022 it has grown to a trilogy. Nice! Thanks for pointing that out, I now know what I’ll read next :D
The third book is very different to I the first two, but I enjoyed it all the same
I may circle back to book 2 of children of time… Thanks.
I’m reading Deaths End the 3rd book in the “Three Body Problem” series.
Some of the best sci-fi I’ve ever read, super unique ideas, I was blown away with some of the concepts in this series.
Finishing off Abbadons Gate. Managed to get back into it after many months long break.
Just started Illuminae the other day and I am powering through it. It’s a completely different style book and I am loving the way the story is presented. Can’t wait to finish it.
My wife and I are on T.A. White’s Phoenix Chronicles. We both really love the series and once we finish this it will be hard to find a replacement series for us to read.
Oh crap! Potty training by Jamie Glowacki
I enjoyed The Year’s Best Science Fiction anthologies edited by Gardner Dozois until his passing. I just discovered its spiritual successor, The Best Science Fiction of the Year edited by Neil Clarke, and am catching up now.
Currently reading 11-22-63. Pretty bloody grim and depressing in places, but good enough to hold my attention.
Finished Locked In by John Scalzi not long prior. Great thought experiment considering it was written long before covid too.
Read 11-22-63 recently while on a king kick. Love his ideas and was disappointed in the Hulu show, so I went to the source. Illustrates how difficult it would be as a present day man in the sixties. Modern, tolerant ideals clash with the racism, bigotry, ignorance of that era. With some time travel stuff every now and then to remind you this isn’t just a book about the sixties. Still a believable fantasy and compelling read . “The past is obdurate”
Read Locked In recently and really enjoyed it! Would recommend it to anyone looking for their next adventure. Police procedural meets sci fi and a very satisfying read.
I got about half way through 11-22-63 some years back. I think King is just too much bloat for me much of the time or I need to be in a different frame of mind to read him. I’ve always said I’d revisit it, but I haven’t.
I find the audiobooks good for long drives when I’ve got time to kill, but can understand you sentiment.
I did used to listen to them back when I often had a long commute. I have a harder time focusing on them if I’m not driving though. But that may be a better way to get into some books that aren’t working for me. Especially if the narrator is particularly good.
Ooohh I loved 11-22-63. Had to go and read IT as soon as I finished, so I could get some of the references.
Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers.
Such amazing, lovely sci-fi that touches on so many topics.
Last one is based in a really nice intergalactic truck stop. Or like an airport hotel maybe.
And I didn’t realise it until my second read-through, but it’s basically all about cross-species accessibility/accomodations.
Really beautiful stuff.
I finally decided to start reading the Warhammer books and ordered Horus Rising, so I should get started on that next week. All the cyberpunk and SF stuff I’ve seen on Lemmy lately has me itching to re-read Necromancer. I haven’t read Count Zero yet, for some reason I only have Neuromancer and Mona Lisa Overdrive, so I think I’ll order that soon too
Reading? No. But listing to The Witcher Season of Storm. Also starting on Quantum Earth series by Dennis Taylor.
Wool by hugh howey
Wife and I watched silo and enjoyed it so I thought I’d read the books.
You can buy the books DRM free off his website https://hughhowey.com/books/wool/
Make sure you get all 3. Wool shift and dust.
How did you like the show? I read the books when the came out and just remember snippets of them. I sure enjoyed them, though.
We liked it pretty well… A lot of the internet didn’t like the accents… but meh what ever. Over all it was enjoyable and I look forward to the next season.
The book is a smidge different but the changes they made are for the benefits of the viewing audience.
“Between the Stars” by Kirk Maxwell.
Got it for a few bucks on Amazon.https://www.amazon.ca/Between-Stars-Kirk-Maxwell/dp/B0BQ99KRVB
Thanks I’ll check it out!
Can I read drm free books on a Kindle?
No idea. :( I’d assume since it’s a version of Android you’d be able to install an app that reads those files.
I don’t have a kindle, but according to my buddy, Amazon assigns an email address for every Kindle, so you just email your DRM-free books to that address and they show up on the Kindle.
Ah thanks! I’ll look into that.
The laundry files, a series by Charles Stross. He’s brilliant and so precise with the details that even if it’s science fiction it feels SO real.
I’m a huge fan of the Laundry Files books. Just finished Season of Skulls, the 3rd book in The New Management trilogy. It’s a little less bleak than the first two books of the trilogy and very funny.
I’m now reading War Bodies by Neal Asher.
I’m re-reading the red rising series right now to be up to date for the new book that just released. Very excited to get to it
