Finished Three Days to Never by Tim Powers. First half was pretty dense and slow, but second half, when things were getting obvious, and plans finally getting into motion, were very interesting, and was able to read them in just a few days.
It meets criteria for at least 3 different Bingo boxes, not sure where to place it. Would decide it later. ( @JaymesRS@literature.cafe We can do that right? Move them around different boxes after reading more books?)
Now I have just started Sunreach by Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson. It’s first of three novellas, which are between book 2 and 3. (Well, third novella is generally recommended to be read after book 3, but that’s a separate topic). It’s a small book, so hopefully will be able to finish it soon.
What about all of you? What have you been reading or listening to lately?
A regular reminder about our Book Bingo, and it’s Recommendation Post
We will be unfeaturing those posts now, so they won’t be sticky on the top anymore. They will be mentioned in each weekly thread though, and you can also check them in community sidebar.
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Just finished The Sunlit Man by Sanderson, and The Book of the Ice trilogy by Mark Lawrence before that. Trying to decide on what’s next.
What did you think of Book of the Ice? Book of the Ancestor is my favourite series, I love it so much (after hating the 3 Whatever of Thorns books I forced my way through before that - I almost didn’t bother). I was so ready for more then Ice didn’t really do it for me sadly. I loved the first quarter or so of the first book where it built the same world from a wildly different perspective, but didn’t really like the actual story all that much and never got around to reading past the first book. I have the trilogy signed by the author though, that’s pretty cool.
That’s awesome! I do really like Ice, but Ancestor is my favorite series too! I think I mostly liked it because of the “fan service” regarding going back to the convent, and all the stuff surrounding that. I am also a sucker for characters like Erris who need to figure out their humanity. I am very jealous of your signed copy :)
I just got ‘Yumi and the Nightmare Painter’ today, reading the secret projects in order, so should be getting to The Sunlit Man soon after that.
Assuming you have read the all four secret project books, which one did you like the most?
Favorite was a tie between Tress and Yumi. I really liked the whole “Princess Bride” vibe from Tress, and Yumi was just cute and cheesy. Followed by Sunlit Man and then Frugal Wizard. I loved them all though! You?
Well, I have only read first two yet, and they were both pretty good. Though yeah, the writing style and vibe of Tress was much more enjoyable.
I have Yumi ready to listen to soon but I didn’t realise there was a connection / order for these books?
Reading them in order isn’t required. Some of the books are loosely connected to his other Cosmere stuff, but only one of them really leans into it (I won’t say which just in case)
Ah cool, thanks for the info. I look forward to anything Sanderson!
Currently on the second book, Shorefall, of the Foundryside trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett.
If you like things like Storm light Archives and Mistborn from Sanderson then you’d probably enjoy this, I’m loving it so far :D
I read those recently! If you like his writing style I would recommend his Divine Cities series as well. Personally, I enjoyed Divine Cities more :)
This is my introduction to this author and I stumbled across it but I’m really enjoying it so I’ll definitely check that out as well. Thanks for the recommendation!
I do like those things, so I looked it up and I think that is my next series :)
Ahan, thanks for the recommendations. Will check them out.
I’m currently plowing through the 9th of the Malazan books by Steven Erikson, and I don’t really want them to finish. One of the best bits of writing I’ve so far encountered.
I’ve got a foot-high stack of Sanderson to help me get over it though, so that’s ok.
The Malazan books are in some ways comparable to the Stormlight books, but they are a lot more dense and there’s almost no hand-holding whatsoever. The story is detailed, spread over several continents, and has tons of important characters. You’re expected to remember things from several thousand pages ago without there being any recap, and frankly I like it. When each book is already around 1300 pages, and there’s 10 of them, constant recaps would do my nut in. There’s a good dramatis personae, and a glossary in each book, which helps.
I’m reading the 3rd Malazan book at the moment. At least I was, until my library loan was due and somebody else borrowed it. I was stuck with the English version (I mainly read in German) and had to learn all the character names anew. Some are easy to translate (Silverfox is Silberfuchs), however Whiskeyjack gave me a hard time (He’s called Elster in German).
But now I got my beloved German version back, so I guess my brain has to adapt again.
I imported the Spanish version of Artemis Fowl into LingQ (a language-learning app) and have been slowly burning through that for 15 minutes a day. Not much to say about the book, it was just something I loved as a kid so I thought it’d be a good one to start with.
I’ve also just started The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. My girlfriend recommended it to me, though she says it contains some of the most badly-written and non-arousing sex scenes she’s ever read. Can’t wait.
I read one of my grandma’s Ken Follet books as a teen and thought it was fun and I very much enjoyed the sex. As an adult I agree with your girlfriend, it’s badly written. Airport books, is probably a good category for them.
How’s the LingQ app? I am just using Duolingo these days, but have been looking at starting to read some long, actual text. Don’t really have enough proficiency yet, but it’s supposed to help you increase your vocabulary and languages skills much faster.
I really like it. The free version is completely useless sadly, but I paid for a month of premium, then when I tried to cancel the subscription they offered me 3 months at half price so I took it. I’ll probably keep it at full price when the discount period ends.
I use it alongside Duo and Memrise (which is meant to be getting overhauled again sometime very soon) and I find it by far the most useful and enjoyable. I’m really only keeping those going for the streaks at this point.
In LingQ you build a database of words you’ve seen which gets tracked across all media. You get a news feed of simple lessons and real atricles/videos, and you can import your own links so that you’re learning from real content, I used it for 3 weeks or so before importing an ebook. You tap new words to see their translation, then from then on its highlighted based on how familiar you are with it, and all lessons are broken down by the number of new/learned words so you can judge how difficult it will be before you go in.
If you want to try it I can give you a referral link that will give you an extra 100 free words (I think it’s only 20 to start with, which is why I said it was completely useless up top - that’s like 2 sentences), and if you do end up paying after that I think I get a percentage towards my premium or something, idk.
Ah cool.
You can message me the referral link. If you need my email or anything, let me know.
I just finished rereading Stranger in a Strange Land by Heinlein, one of my all time favorites.
I’m reading Against the Fall of Night by Clarke now. I love how big Clarke books feel.
I’ve been working my way through the Remembrance of Earth’s Past series (Three Body Problem books). I’m on Death’s End now.
Overall, I love the ideas explored by the series. I think the writing style isn’t really my jam. It’s a bit boring/slow in parts, almost “matter-of-fact” in its prose. I tend to prefer more descriptive, flowery writing. Granted, maybe some of that is due to being translated / cultural differences in writing style.
It’s interesting when people forget actual name of the series, like “Game of Throne series” instead of A Song of Ice and Fire. Didn’t know Three Body Problem series have a name.
Yeah, while people generally like the books, it’s generally agreed upon (at least in this community) that it’s a bit of a slog to go through.
Just finished Cordwainer Smith’s “Norstrilia”, which was kind of a charming but innocuous mess.
Now started Alfred Bester’s “The Demolished Man”, which is decidedly not good, though it’s old school fun
Doing a reread of Equal Rites, Children of Hurin and listening to Jane Eyre.
Trying to read Stephen King again. I forced myself through The Stand a few years back, and it was a horrible experience from start to finish, so this time I’m trying Pet Sematery instead.
I’m split on King. Some of just stuff like Eyes of the Dragon I’ve read multiple times because it’s so good, others like Needful Things I DNFed quickly.
I actually have Eyes of the Dragon in my backlog, got it in 2007 (just checked my LibraryThing entry for the book). Maybe I should finally give it a try.
For a long time I confused The Stand (which I have read) with the Shining (which I haven’t read), and when everyone would talk about how great the Shining is, I would respond with my opinions about The Stand, which are it was an okay book, but could’ve been better if it was half the length.
I recently gave him another chance and read ‘Sleeping Beauties’ and liked it well enough. Planning to read some of his famous work, like IT, The Shining, Pet Semetary, and see if I like those or he just isn’t for me.
I finished Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn and really enjoyed it. If you struggle with dyslexia or are an adapted dyslexic reader like my wife, the last ¾ of the book gets pretty tough to read. I’m reading Swordheart by T. Kingfisher now. It’s the last book in her World of the White Rat collection I hadn’t read yet.
As to moving books around, absolutely! That’s in fact what I’ve had to do in the past Bingos when I had better options for some squares that left easier ones open as I went through the year.
Ella Minnow Pea sounds like an interesting book. Will have to check it out.
I’m about half way through The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera. It’s an interesting blend of fantasy and sci-fi and a decent read so far.
Just finished Nuclear war, a scenario by Annie Jacobsen. This nonfiction book about a fictional scenario about what a nuclear war would be really shaked me. I strongly recommend it. Read it in a few days because it was really gripping (ok this week have been a bit hard with the few sleep hours each night).
Not yet found what I’ll start reading now but something lighter for sure (perhaps a crime/mystery/thriller, has been long since I read a good one). If you have some recommendations, they are welcome.
Have you read The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton yet? It’s a pretty solid and enjoyable locked room style mystery. I read it a few years ago for a different Bingo and really liked it.
Thanks for the recommendation, I’ll take a look.
Someone else mentioned Nuclear War, A Scenario a few weeks back, they described it as the scariest book they have read. Have already added it to my wishlist.
@Dresden I haven’t decided where I’m putting any of the books I’ve read for bingo yet, either.
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Finished Crazy Rich Asians over the weekend. I was expecting an Asian drama in book form, and that’s pretty much exactly what it is, complete with a number of common tropes. The characters have a bit more depth than your standard drama fluff, however, and the amount of discussion on Singaporean high society and culture elevates it further. On the negative side (for me), the narration–like many of the characters–gets very caught up in luxury brands, which I found kind of dry and unnecessary; I guess it might enhance the experience if you’re familiar with the names, but most of them went over my head. Additionally, the first third introduces a confusing number of characters. Thankfully, it gets easier later on, but at first, it’s hard to tell who’s important enough to keep track of (especially given the extensive family tree provided at the start).
Overall, this was a quick, fun read, and I liked it enough to add the next book in the series to my TBR.
(Bingo squares: Family Drama hard mode; Eazy, Breazy, Read-zie; maybe Stranger in a Strange Land hard mode; Debut Work; (alt) A Change in Perspective.)
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Still trying to decide what to read next.
Currently going through the Ender quintet, and the Expeditionary Force.
I’m on book four of the Ender series, the first two were as good as I remember. 3 an 4 have taken some work. Can’t recommend buying them though as OSC is a… just the opposite of the message of the books.
Expeditionary Force is as samey as I remember. I read them as audiobooks at work so the pulp is quite welcome. Also, I’m on book 9 (not back to back reads), so while it’s formulaic I guess I’m not too bored of jerking in the shower jokes. I’d recommend the first one, but not as a series.
My last “work read” was the murder bot series, I binged my way through those, pretty good
I loved the Ender’s Game, but not rest of the series that much. Second book wasn’t bad, but it was very different from the first book, I wasn’t expecting that.
Murder bot series is getting lots of recommendations here these days. Would have to read them soon enough before they release it’s show and people spoil it for me.
