What Are You Reading, Part 2

[strangerthanfiction]

I just finished rereading some of Timothy Zahn's Star Wars novels, and now I'm in the middle of the latest Honor Harrington book. Not my favorite series but I enjoy it enough to stay with it even though it's up to 19 books and even with Weber's habit of going into theoretical hyperspace mechanics in the middle of conversations. 

Besides that...my sociolinguistics textbook. Interesting, but not quite as entertaining.  

And on the topic of Good Omens (which I absolutely love) and other Gaiman novels, my next read will probably be Neverwhere - I've had it awhile but not gotten around to it.

Edited November 9, 2018 by strangelee7

[+Wax he/him]

On 09/11/2018 at 11:22 AM, strangelee7 said:

Honor Harrington book. Not my favorite series

Read Honor Harrington I think up to book 5 or 6.  In the end, I gave up as all the books are pretty similar, with Honor coming up with a fighting tactic to win in the end.  Just boring...

Lois McMaster Bujold’s Miles Vorkosigan series, Alistair Reynolds, Peter F Hamilton et al do much better sci fi books.

[strangerthanfiction]

 

2 hours ago, Wax said:

Lois McMaster Bujold’s Miles Vorkosigan series, Alistair Reynolds, Peter F Hamilton et al do much better sci fi books.

Agreed that those are better, especially the Vorkosigan books, but I still enjoy HH enough to keep with it. 

[Delightful]

Just got my hands on The Calculating Stars which I've been waiting for. Excited to dive in! Or take off, as the appropriate metaphor might be.

[urrutiap]

Currenty Im reading Star Wars Coruscant Nights book 1

[Ammanas]

Just finished The Winter Road by Selby. As with its predecessor, Snakewood, there are a few flaws with it but there is just something about the stories that he weave that causes me to keep thinking about the narrative and the characters.

Now I am reading The Hour of the Dragon by Howard. It is the last of the Conan stories that I have read thats in the public domain (I bought a collection of the tales on amazon for $0.99). I think Red Nails was the best Conan story of all of them...they are all very much the creation of a young man (the author committed suicide at the age of 29 or 30) but they are a guilty pleasure of mine. I imagine they were groundbreaking when they were first published in the 1930's.

[DSC01 he/him]

I started reading The Grisha Trilogy yesterday because I wanted to read Six of Crows and was told that it came first. As I read around, it seems that regardless of which came first, the two one take place in the same world and don't depend on one another at all, but whatever. I read the entire first book yesterday and didn't even spend the whole day reading, so it's not like it's a huge time commitment. 

 

Six of Crows is supposed to be really good, but this series is just okay. It's not bad; it just doesn't really have much original to recommend it. The setting is based on Russia, which sort of distinguishes it, but it's definitely something we've seen before in most respects. But the familiar elements are all there in an interesting way, so why not?

[+Wax he/him]

19 hours ago, DSC01 said:

Six of Crows is supposed to be really good, but this series is just okay

I got in trouble with six of crows fanboys when I  mentioned that’s it’s a bit childish.

[Delightful]

On 20 November 2018 at 2:34 AM, DSC01 said:

I started reading The Grisha Trilogy yesterday because I wanted to read Six of Crows and was told that it came first. As I read around, it seems that regardless of which came first, the two one take place in the same world and don't depend on one another at all, but whatever. I read the entire first book yesterday and didn't even spend the whole day reading, so it's not like it's a huge time commitment. 

 

Six of Crows is supposed to be really good, but this series is just okay. It's not bad; it just doesn't really have much original to recommend it. The setting is based on Russia, which sort of distinguishes it, but it's definitely something we've seen before in most respects. But the familiar elements are all there in an interesting way, so why not?

I liked Six of Crows, but I loved the sequel Crooked Kingdom. Immediately picked up the first Grisha book after finishing it and only got a few chapters in, there was a noticeable quality drop. Probably largely because it was written years earlier.

19 hours ago, Wax said:

I got in trouble with six of crows fanboys when I  mentioned that’s it’s a bit childish.

How is it childish?

(honest question not a challenge)

Edited November 21, 2018 by Delightful

[Robinski he/him]

Just finished 'Cold Days' (Dresden Files #14) by Jim Butcher. As a long-time writer of un-published SFF, the Dresden books are punishingly good and sickeningly readable. I am thoroughly looking forward to some more head slapping and shucks-ing when I delve into 'Shadowed Souls' (Dresden 14.5), although it is an anthology, so some variation there, I imagine. My real concern is I'm running out of Dresden books!!  

On the side, I'm reading 'The Name of the Wind' by Pat Rothfuss (finally!!). I've not doubt it's accomplished, but I must say I found it rather self-indulgent to begin with. I never don't finish reading a book, but I do sometimes put them aside for a period out of frustration. That happened with this particular tome. Things have picked up (~page 100), but I can't help noticing some moments that feel to me like 'auctor (author) ex machina'. Sorry, my pretentious way of saying I think the writing shows too much in places  I'm enjoying it now though, although Kvothe's personality gets on my nerves from time to time. I mean good grief, his 'Woe is me' act can get pretty tiresome, like no-one else has ever suffered hardship, or had a great love, please.

[Winds Alight she/her]

I finished The Way of Kings yesterday and started with Words of Radiance this morning.
Read the first one in 2011, the second in 2015 and when I finally bought Oathbringer some ten days ago, I realized I'd forgotten almost everything (well, except Kaladin was my favourite and that I loved Rock), so a reread it is.
The first time I read The Way of Kings it took me about six weeks, as my English wasn't as good yet. Now I stormed through the book in one week. Even forgot to eat some days XD.
Now I won't have as much time to read as last week, so I hope I can finish Words of Radiance by christmas and start with Oathbringer.

[Dunkum he/him]

12 hours ago, Winds Alight said:

The first time I read The Way of Kings it took me about six weeks, as my English wasn't as good yet. Now I stormed through the book in one week. Even forgot to eat some days XD.

When words of Radiance came out, I definitely skipped a couple meals while getting through it

[Sunbird she/her]

Finally finished reading Skyward. So good!! I am very excited for the sequel.

Next on my list is One of Our Thursdays is Missing by Jasper Fforde.

[Dunkum he/him]

Decided it was time for another reread of Catch 22

[Ammanas]

Reading The Book of Magic short story anthology edited by Dozois. A lot of hit and miss, but I thought Scott Lynch's contribution "The Rise and Fall of the House of the Wizard Malkuril" was absolutely outstanding!

It's pretty much getting to be par for the course with Lynch's short stories in anthologies (always seems to be the best or one of the best on the collection). A lot of people are probably frustrated he isn't  working on his next book, but he is one of those authors that if he ever publishes another novel it will just be a pleasant surprise. I, personally, wouldn't be upset if he decided to only now write short stories. He is getting that good writing them!

Edited December 1, 2018 by Ammanas

[Dunkum he/him]

58 minutes ago, Ammanas said:

Reading The Book of Magic short story anthology edited by Dozois. A lot of hit and miss, but I thought Scott Lynch's contribution "The Rise and Fall of the House of the Wizard Malkuril" was absolutely outstanding!

It's pretty much getting to be par for the course with Lynch's short stories in anthologies (always seems to be the best or one of the best on the collection). A lot of people are probably frustrated he isn't  working on his next book, but he is one of those authors that if he ever publishes another novel it will just be a pleasant surprise. I, personally, wouldn't be upset if he decided to only now write short stories. He is getting that good writing them!

Anthologies, especially anthologies by multiple authors, rather than collected works from a single author, do tend to be hit and miss, but i often find that the good is wroth reading through the bad.

[Briar King]

Got 160ish pgs left of Outlander 4. So ready to end this not because it’s bad but just because it is so big. Bk 5 is even bigger and then bk 6 even bigger then that. Probably won’t start bk5 till that season gets close to airing next year on Starz. This woman is brutal in her writing. So good.

[goody153]

I brought a bunch of Isaac Asimov and Artour C. Clarke scifi novels. I hope it holds up just like other old-scifi novels did !

[SandersonFanderson she/her]

I'm currently about halfway through Skyward, and then I'm planning to read a middle grade Christmas book called Top Elf, then finish book 5 of The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod by Heatger Brewer!

[Briar King]

Started Broken Earth 1 today.

[Arkelao he/him]

Now a days I’m very deep in the bizarro movement. I’m currently reading Apeshit and Bucket of face. Before this I finished the Themis files trilogy. And I’m planning on reading Warren Ellis Crooked little vein.

[Sunbird she/her]

Recently finished the 7th and final-so-far book in the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde. GoodReads says there is another book planned, but apparently nobody has any clue when it'll be out. :[

[+Sorana she/her]

My brother recommendated Hyperion by Dan Simmons, so I've started that one today.

[Orlion Blight he/him]

12 minutes ago, Sorana said:

My brother recommendated Hyperion by Dan Simmons, so I've started that one today.

That's a pretty good one. Fall of Hyperion is also good, and pretty much completes the story. 

The other two books in the series are flaming dumpster fires, though, and embodies all the socially problematic tropes of science fiction. 

[+Sorana she/her]

1 minute ago, TheOoklaThatComesBefore said:

That's a pretty good one. Fall of Hyperion is also good, and pretty much completes the story. 

He also gave me that one, the other two he didn't own. But if they're not worth reading I'll skip them. Especially if Fall of Hyperion completes the story. Thanks for the advice!

I also finished my christmas book wish list today (easy presents, since I usually buy what I need, when I need it), so there will be a lot of books to (re)read in a few weeks, too. And you can't own too many books