Hey there, I am curious what everyone is reading and how you are feeling with it. I started demon copperhead yesterday, made it about 70 pages in and decided to read the first book in the chthulu CaseBooks. It’s a kinda retelling of Sherlock Holmes but with a Lovecraft quist.
I am digging it so far, about 50% through and it’s a fun ride.
So what are you all reading?
I just finished blazing through Life of Pi in a single day today. I thought it would be obnoxious and tryhard, but it turned out to be a surprisingly interesting read and a hell of a page-turner. Gets a bit… weird… toward the end, but definitely a book I’d recommend, and one which I’ll probably be thinking about for the next few weeks.
Onward to rereading Children of Dune!
I LOVE Life of Pi! It’s one of my favorite books.
I’ll be finishing the last 3 Expanse books once I get my new library card after I moved over a year ago. I made the decision to read the forward and first chapter of my copy of LOTR *eta today. Damn, does it feel like it reads differently than when I read through any of them 8+ years ago. Had a touch-and-go with reading for enjoyment for a while from having to learn different organization/local SOPs for a couple years (during which I read the middle 1/3 of the Expanse). Great to get back into it, though! For Sci-Fi folks, LeVar Burton posted an article on LinkedIn this past week of top modern SciFi. He does say it’s also celebrating him being included on that list. https://theportalist-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/theportalist.com/adult-sci-fi-books?amp=1 Some mild webpage ad alert
Hell yeah! The expanse is such a long series, congratulations
Thanks! Fortunately, I find them to be a pretty easy read. The Sci-Fi explanations and concepts aren’t overly technical, and just enough to really get a good feel for the setting and tech IMO. The first 2/3 were great. I’m really interested in what’ll be going on in the time jump.
Would you recommend reading the expanse books even if someone’s seen the show??
100% even for people who would consider themselves more of a casual or infrequent reader. Anecdotally, I’ve found it harder to sell the show to some people after they watched the first two or three episodes compared to the books for any acquaintance I know who’s into Sci-Fi/reading. The descriptions of the social/society explanations are just as well written as the series’ tech, and the co-authors do a great job. At least one of them was one of GRRM’s editors, so the style structure is somewhat similar, but the writing is an easier read. It is written in character chapters, so as long as that isn’t a total turnoff I’d recommend them.
There are some slight differences that are typical between the show/book. I believe the first 2 seasons are mostly from book 1 and then it picks up from there. I believe it’s the second book, where there is a bit more of the geopolitical storyline compared to the others. Like with most reading, you get better insight to characters’ thought processes and motivations. Books 7-9 aren’t touched on at all in the show, and take place after the show’s end. That’s all I really know about the final 1/3 of the series.
Currently reading Heretics of Dune. It’s…very different from the first three but only as different as God Emperor of Dune was.
Oh man, I’m so jealous at you getting to read the Dune books for the first time. I’m about to start Children on my third reread, and every time I read the series I’m just as enthralled as the first time. Dune + Children is probably my second favorite novel ever written, though God Emperor is close behind them.
I’m reading Children of Dune for the first time now. I’m still near the start, but I’m enjoying it so far.
Am I the only one who loved Dune Messiah?
I’m reading Essex Dogs by Dan Jones. It’s a historical fiction novel about a group of mercenaries who join England’s invasion of France in the 1300s. It’s violent, vulgar and does an excellent job highlighting the mundane parts of war: endless marching, heat, shitty food, illness, dirt/grime/stink, insects biting you endlessly. I’ve stayed up until 2 AM on work nights 3 times this week because I can’t put it down. I was expecting to like it, and only intended for it to be a palate cleanser between Stormlight Archives books 3-4, but I absolutely love it.
I really liked The Plantagenets by him, and he was a good guest on The Tides of History podcast. He really knows his stuff about the Hundred Years War so I expect it’s very realistic and accurate.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, a fun Sci-Fi story from the author of The Martian. A little heavier on the Fi than its predecessor but still quite scientific. Next on the list is the Bobiverse.
Just started this as well.
I’m reading the Passage trilogy!!! Just finished book 2
How is book 2? No spoilers please! I read book 1 and quite liked it. The first chapter of book 1 was so well written and evocative of emotion…
I couldn’t get past the time shift in the first book. It felt like it really should have been two separate novels.
Similar to Seveneves by Neal Stephenson. I couldn’t even finish that one because the first 4/5 is a masterful self-contained story and the last fifth is just a completely different setting/tone/story.
Had a long pause for a while, but back to making my way thru all of Discworld in publishing order. I’m on Monstrous Regiment at the moment and enjoying Terry Pratchett’s delightful writing as always.
Chthulu Casebooks sounds fun, I’ve never heard of it but I enjoy Holmes and mysteries in general, will make a note to check it out!
Finally reading Dune for the first time. Enjoying it so far, about a third of the way through. I’ve been dying to watch the movie, but I’m the book-before-movie type.
I’m reading Social Reproduction Theory and Perrido Street Station. I like the former a lot, but the latter is incredibly dense, not in the sense that the proses are impenetrable or the vocabulary needed to read is overwhelming, but I just can’t power through the book’s long winded passages to set up the world building. I hate that I have to consult the map very closely to even follow what the hell he’s talking about. I read the book for a good hour or two and haven’t seen anything notciable happening, because the author is taking his sweet time to meticulously describe everything, before the tension, I guess.
But eh, it’s really just the matter of taste. Many people love his style of writing, and honestly I could see that, somehow. As for me, I will stick around with this book for a bit longer to see if my patience pays off.
Sorry because this turns out to be a rant.
I’m currently reading Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan. It’s a pretty rough experience so far; I’ve basically been reading it extremely slowly since it’s boring af about 50% of the way so far. This is definitely the peak of the “slog” so far that other people who have read Wheel of Time mention.
Sanderson ties the ending up masterfully.
Keep going the end is worth it.
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi. Bloody amazing.
That was the last book I finished, and it was solid. The “getting the gang back together” part was fun, and the latter half just picked up from there. Without getting too spoilery I think the last character from her past showing up, and the more fantastical shift from there on, really added a lot to the enjoyment factor.
I read Demon Copperhead earlier this year and it took some time to get through it. Overall I enjoyed it but it does go on and on a bit. Currently reading How High We Go in the Dark. It’s kind of depressing so it’s taking some time to get through as well.
How high we go on the dark is Soo good. But that roller coaster chapter gutted me.
City of Beasts by Isabel Allende. Didn’t realize it was for young adults until after I bought it, but it’s pretty good so far!
I unfortunately don’t get to do a lot of leisure reading, which is why I love the whole idea behind Bookrastinating. The last book I read is Jillian Tamaki’s Boundless, which I thoroughly enjoyed for the way its stories linger. Before that, I read William Gibson’s Idoru, which I enjoyed. Currently, I’m hoping to have time to dive in to Jon Courtenay Grimwood’s End of the World Blues, hoping to see how this Anglophone author writes a novel set in sci-fi Japan compares with Gibson.
All very interesting reads here, by the way! (I’ll try to play around with tagging your handles…)
I read Cell when it first came out and quite enjoyed it. You’re certainly right about the pace, @mizu6079.
@JustJack23, that looks interesting, too, as most Verso titles are. I especially like these titles that invite a rethinking of the State of Things. That approach reminds me of Peter Frase’s Four Futures: Life After Capitalism. I haven’t read my copy of that yet though.
@TheaoneAndOnly27, thanks for mentioning the Cthulhu Casebooks. Sounds fascinating. Have you read Shadows Over Baker Street? That seems like something that’s up your alley. Good contributors, too, for the most part!
Currently I am reading two books. The first is; This is your brain on music by Daniel Levitins and the second is; The subtle art of not giving a fuck by MArk Manson.
The first is really nice, but requires a lot of attention of me as termnology I am unfamiliar with is used. Yet it is able to convey tons of information on every page and the subject fascinates me.
The second is really good, very easily digest able and I like the nuance it provides on how to (amongst other things) prioritize your life.
