Books!

[StatusNil]

"Puissant" is one of those words that I always want to look up, but then I always decide that I'm not gonna look it up; it's not gonna turn up again. And then I see it again, and the process repeats itself.

"Having great power or influence." There you go.

 

[the December King]

Currently reading Kraken by China Mievilla.

It's not very good. Feels like low-rent Neil Gaiman. (Which sums up a lot of Mieville's books.) I'm basically just reading it bit by bit in waiting rooms and such.

Have you read Perdido Street Station and The Scar? I've ashamed to say I've never read a Gaiman book, but I actually sorta liked those two, despite Mieville being ridiculously wordy in them. Is he like that in his others?

I haven't read either of those, so I can't make a comparison.

Besides, I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "wordy". I mean, it's a book. It's going to have a lot of words in it. Kinda like calling a song "noisy".

Anyway, of Mieville's books that I've read I liked Embassytown the best. Sci-fi that revolves around a city of (mostly) humans communicating with a (mostly) friendly alien species. The aliens speak with two mouths simultaneously and don't differentiate between words and the things words represent. Which means that among other things they are unable to make a statement that they don't believe. They can only use similes or metaphors after first physically creating or enacting them. Hearing a human tell a blatant lie is a mindblowing magic trick to them. The humans have to breed twins (two mouths) and bring them up as specialized translators to make themselves understood. Then they try a different approach and everything goes utterly pear shaped.

Yeah... it's a bit odd. Usually I wouldn't suggest it to others on grounds of sheer sci-fi weirdness. Given your other posts in this thread that shouldn't be a problem for you though. Consider this a tentative recommendation.

Only complaint is that the protagonist is a bit of a blank presence. She's not a passive observer, she gets shit done, but you never get a sense of who she is. Or at least I didn't. Although it's not important to the plot.

I just finished The Last Days Of New Paris, and it was charming, if disjointed... I find China has the most interesting initial concepts and quirks to his worlds, but the follow-through with the narrative is sometimes just a flimsy skeletal framework to get you to the next meaty weird/fantastic idea.

 

[Queen Michael]

"Puissant" is one of those words that I always want to look up, but then I always decide that I'm not gonna look it up; it's not gonna turn up again. And then I see it again, and the process repeats itself.

"Having great power or influence." There you go.

Thank you! The vicious circle has been broken!

snip

The 3 original books in the foundation series by Asimov are good and I think at least two of the Pov characters in the second and third are lasses.

They're good, but they don't have that many women. And the women they do have aren't what you think of when you think of strong and independent female characters. Well, except for the protagonist of the second half of the third book, maybe, but that's a sixth of the entire trilogy.

For a character who fits the bill better, I'd recommend any of his Susan Calvin stories.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

I'm reading but I read the same way I do online things: I have several places that I generally return to and cycle between. At the moment I'm re-reading Chamber of Secrets and I see myself just going through the other five HP books because I'm putting off re-reading the Cursed Child script for a third time. I'm also trying to keep up to date on a couple of the DC Rebirth titles and Bombshells...I'm kinda behind though but not VERY, just a month (so one issue?) between a handful of series (Deathstroke, Teen Titans, Blue Beetle and again: Bombshells...I may subscribe to Supergirl though but I'm waiting for trades before I go into Justice League and some other big names)...

When it comes to my safe-space, that's Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker books and the Discworld series by the late Sir Terry Pratchett. My favorite of those being the Death-centric books though Moist has stolen my heart in his way. The last couple of things that took me off that familiar course were the Dresden Files but after the first 2 books, I just don't want to read any further: I hate the character of Harry Dresden. Other than that was Monster by A Lee Martinez which was pretty great up until the last 2 pages. I have Gil's All Fright Diner, also by him, which sounded pretty great on the back cover.

Youtuber The Dom has got me interested in searching out other books though. For example, I had I, Robot was a book and I've got that on MY LIST. Who Censored Roger Rabbit is another one that I see myself getting much sooner than later. I'm also curious in the Star Wars expanded universe books: I loved Drew Karpyshyn's Darth Bane trilogy and I've heard good things about Darth Plagius and Lords of the Sith. Of course I still need to catch up and read The Thrawn Trilogy I think?

 

[Mechamorph]

Ah, the written word. My first love and the one I always find myself drawn back to. Regardless of all the new forms of entertainment that might blossom and distract me, it lures me back in with a wistful smile.

In all seriousness I do love tongue in cheek books and books that go somewhere interesting. This year I tried the Sandman Slim series but it never really got off the ground for me. Finally got my hands on actual copies of the Stainless Steel Rat series and it has been rollicking good fun so far even if the values dissonance can hit hard sometimes. Similarly I found a venerable copy of Lest Darkness Falls that I am saving for the winter holiday.

For more contemporary reads, I got Wearing the Cape and found it an interesting take on the Superhero genre. As for light novels, Shaitan Badi (the Black Lagoon novel) gave me my fix of the Lagoon Company when the manga is on hiatus. I am loving Psycome, the English title of the much less marketable Psycho Love Comedy, a send up of the anime romcom since it is set in a penitentiary for convicted teenage murderers. Overlord is also fun with an invincible villain being the main character.

 

[Jute88]

I mostly read fantasy, but I've read some scifi and horror.
Right now I'm re-reading the Harry Potter-series. Once I'm done with that (including the Cursed Child), I'll either finish the Witcher-series or start reading the Neverending Story by Michael Ende (thank you The Dom, for getting me interested in that one!)

I also sometimes read historical fiction, Conn Iggulden's The Conqueror left me wanting for more.
A friend of mine recommended Ender's Game, so that's on my list as well.
Katharine Kerr had an interesting setting as well.
Tad Williams's Shadowmarch was good, but unfortunately they stopped translating it, and I haven't bothered to get it in English.

So yeah, I like reading books and I agree with you, that they are better than games and movies (in some ways).

 

[RaikuFA]

I have trouble getting into books. Last one I could get into was "One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest" in HS. I think part of it is i have a learning disability and due to that I'm more of a "Show, don't tell" kind of guy, which is why it's easier for me to read comics/Manga which I know is frowned upon.

 

[WindKnight]

Currently reading Rama II, by Arthur c Clarke. Recently been reading th Long Earth books, and re-reading the ship who sang and dragonsong + dragonsinger.

Unfortunately, my two favourite authors died in the last few years (terry pratchett and Ian m banks) which has cut down on my reading.

 

[RedDeadFred]

I finished the Malazan series recently and decided I needed something a little less heavy, so I reread The Name of the Wind. Not quite a great as I remember, but still very enjoyable.

Now I'm about to start Forge of Darkness which is the first book in the prequel trilogy to the original Malazan Book of the Fallen series. Assuming I like it (and considering how much I loved the original series, I don't see this not being the case), it'll be on to Fall of Light. Then I might read The Black Company. That's been on my radar for some time.

Also, I need to find time to reread ASoIaF at some point because SURELY Winds of Winter will be out some time next year..... RIGHT?! Anyway, I'm definitely in need of a refresh since it's been 5 years since I read A Dance of Dragons.

 

[Sonmi]

Just went through my yearly reread of Candide this week.

Started Crime and Punishment and A la Recherche du Temps Perdu, reading one at home when bored, left the other one at work.

 

[Padwolf]

I'm rarely seen without a book to be fair. Always one in my hands, one next to me, always one in the handbag, or a kindle version up on computer screen. I'm currently reading "The Black Dahlia" By James Ellroy, and I am thoroughly enjoying it, feeling sad I've not picked it up sooner. I'm also reading "House of Leaves" by Mark Z. Danielewski, and that's one hell of a mind fuck. I don't even know how to describe that book. I don't even know what genre to give it. Either way, it's made me feel unsettled in a way I haven't done with a book in years.

And after those I will probably move on to "The Big Nowhere" also by James Ellroy, because god damn he does write a good story.

 

[Glongpre]

I finished reading Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson, and god damn, does he know how to do the big reveals...I mean god damn!!!!!!!!!!! The Mistborn novels have been my go to novels while I wait for Doors of Stone by Pat Rothfuss and/or Winds of Winter by GRRM. Actually, Brandon Sanderson novels have been my go to, I should say. Read both the Stormlight Archive books he has out (some fantastic moments in that

Spoiler

THE WORDS ARE ACCEPTED

), and I think I will start reading some of the other ones, like Warbreaker (colour magic and a sentient sword?!).

Right now I am reading my first Neil Gaiman book, American Gods. Pretty good. I read the first Terry Prachett discworld book, Colour of Magic, and that book was just bananas, it is like he wrote down an acid trip he had.

Shit though, Brandon Sanderson's finales always give me the Chris Pratt excited face

 

[Glongpre]

I mostly don't read books because I'm a very slow reader and thus would rather spend my time otherwise. Although people have always told me I'd get faster if I'd just read more, with all the things that I have had to read over the past two and somewhat decades, it hasn't happened yet.
I'd be happy to try some books if people have any interesting suggestions though.

I found a really easy way to keep a good pace is to read only one chapter a day (unless you get into it!). So when I read Game of Thrones or something large like that, I will read one chapter every time I poop, and before you know it, it has been two weeks and you are half way done the book!

Plus reading only one chapter at a time doesn't take a lot of time at all, at most 20 mins if it is a long chapter.

I also find I retain the information better, because I get a lot of time to process to events that happened, and that really improves my enjoyment, when I can remember everything that has happened so far.

 

[shrekfan246]

Is there a Star Wars battle droid factory for rats somewhere?

Well, I mean, you do know how quickly rats can reproduce, right?

OT: Having been putting most of my time into university courses or relationship stuff lately, I've been reading more lately than I had in the past few years, but I'm not going through it particularly quickly. There are, of course, the assigned readings; The Iliad and The Odyssey for one course, along with shorter texts such as ancient creation myths; Fifteen Dogs and The Assault for another class, along with many assorted short stories. In between that, I've also been reading A Dance With Dragons, which I'm finally almost finished, and then the long wait for The Winds of Winter truly begins.

I've got loads of other books on the side, both here and back home still. I'm not entirely sure what I'll pick up next. I started reading House of Leaves before I decided I should stick to one non-uni book at a time, so I may go back to that, but I also want to read The Once and Future King, The Divine Comedy, and Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys. I'll hopefully be going back home for the winter break, which means I'd also be able to grab many of my other Gaiman books, Discworld books, and books by other authors already mentioned like Patrick Rothfuss and Brandon Sanderson. AND Dune, The Count of Monte Cristo, Don Quixote, re-reading The Lord of the Rings and then getting the various histories of Middle-Earth so I can read The Silmarillion, Children of Hurin, and all of those...

Much like with video games, I have a lot of things yet to go through and not nearly enough time in which to do it.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Yay reading! I do a collage of all the books I read every year.

Ah, the Ice Dragon. Prequel to A Song of Ice and Fire (shut up, that's what my head canon says).

I haven't read any of the GoT books (or seen the show for that matter) but as far as I can tell it tells a pretty self-contained kinda fable, and it didn't leave me pining for more. Honestly I just read it because it was short and around.

 

[hermes]

I like reading, and I think I do read at a good pace. I read about 70 novels this year, with a serious drop in the middle due to classes. Mostly, I am into recent classics (19th and 20th century mostly. I am not a big fan of current genre literature).

I am currently reading Raising Steam in a personal quest of getting and reading every single book written by Sir Terry Pratchett (by the way, I would recommend his work to anyone. It is easy going enough to entice people that enjoy fantasy, but not so full of it to scare those that don't; so full of humor, nuance and incredible characters, that can be read as light adventure or as biting satirical commentary)

 

[Queen Michael]

Right now I am reading my first Neil Gaiman book, American Gods. Pretty good. I read the first Terry Prachett discworld book, Colour of Magic, and that book was just bananas, it is like he wrote down an acid trip he had.

He hadn't really found his style back then. it took two or three books more until the series found its form.

 

[hermes]

Right now I am reading my first Neil Gaiman book, American Gods. Pretty good. I read the first Terry Prachett discworld book, Colour of Magic, and that book was just bananas, it is like he wrote down an acid trip he had.

It took him a few books to find his rhythm, and even then some sagas are better than others. Without going too much into "it gets better", you should give some of the other books a chance. In my opinion, "Mort", "Guards, Guards!", "Small Gods" and "Equal Rites" are better entry points than Color of Magic.

 

[Queen Michael]

Right now I am reading my first Neil Gaiman book, American Gods. Pretty good. I read the first Terry Prachett discworld book, Colour of Magic, and that book was just bananas, it is like he wrote down an acid trip he had.

It took him a few books to find his rhythm, and even then some sagas are better than others. Without going too much into "it gets better", you should give some of the other books a chance. In my opinion, "Mort", "Guards, Guards!", "Small Gods" and "Equal Rites" are better entry points than Color of Magic.

Seconded. Especially when it comes to "Mort" and "Guards! Guards!"

 

[Glongpre]

He hadn't really found his style back then. it took two or three books more until the series found its form.

It took him a few books to find his rhythm, and even then some sagas are better than others. Without going too much into "it gets better", you should give some of the other books a chance. In my opinion, "Mort", "Guards, Guards!", "Small Gods" and "Equal Rites" are better entry points than Color of Magic.

Hmmm, ok. My friend told me about Making Money and Going Postal, and said they were good. But I felt like I would miss some context or references from previous books, so I decided to get the first one. I know you can read them in any order, but I felt this would give me a foundation for understanding the world.

I shall look into some of these, thanks.