What Are You Reading, Part 2

[The Unknown Medallion he/him]

Just got done reading a Plague of Giants, cannot recommend enough especially if you're a fan of Kingkiller, because it's as if you took Kingkiller's structure and mixed it with SA's scope. The only problem is that its magic system is a little softer than most people on this site are used.

I'm reading its sequel and after that I'm going to read another book by its author. 

[Eluvianii he/him]

Started The Lord of the Rings on impulse. This was not a well thought decision and I may stop as suddenly as I started, but so far it's proving to be more addictive than I had anticipated. 

[Spren of Kindness she/her]

Did not end up reading six Jane Austen Novels, but I did read Unfinished Tales, Treasure Island, The Swiss Family Robinson, and Anne of Windy Poplars, so I'm still pleased with myself.

[NattyBo]

Re-reading Mistborn, from the Final Empire to Bands of Mourning. Some of it on audio, tho.

[Spren of Kindness she/her]

Read Ashfall Legacy by Pittacus Lore.  I really liked it!

Gonna start The Gathering Storm very soon.

[aneonfoxtribute]

56 minutes ago, Spren of Kindness said:

Read Ashfall Legacy by Pittacus Lore.  I really liked it!

Gonna start The Gathering Storm very soon.

I need to reread I Am Number Four and read the stuff released after United As One. I don't remember anything about the series despite loving it a lot as a teenager, and I never picked up the books that released after the main series ended.

[Chantara she/her]

I’m working through The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. I’m almost halfway through it and it’s fantastic!!

I’m also reading Skyward by our guy Brandon Sanderson

[Spren of Kindness she/her]

4 hours ago, aneonfoxtribute said:

I need to reread I Am Number Four and read the stuff released after United As One. I don't remember anything about the series despite loving it a lot as a teenager, and I never picked up the books that released after the main series ended.

I tried I Am Number Four and couldn't get through the first thirty pages.  I may try again now that I've read a book from the author that I like.

[Eluvianii he/him]

Started Secret History since apparently the last 500 pages of RoW are better if you have, and it's a bit weird. I loved Kelsier back when I read TFE. Now at times I like him a lot and at times I dislike him a lot. I guess it's a good thing but it's a weird change in perception. 

[NattyBo]

On 8/30/2021 at 5:15 PM, Eluvianii said:

Started Secret History since apparently the last 500 pages of RoW are better if you have, and it's a bit weird. I loved Kelsier back when I read TFE. Now at times I like him a lot and at times I dislike him a lot. I guess it's a good thing but it's a weird change in perception. 

Oh boy oh boy, my favorite novella in the cosmere. What did you think? Feel free to post on my profile or whatever if you wanna do open spoilers

[Spren of Kindness she/her]

Read Aurora Rising and Aurora Burning, and The Gathering Storm, or as I like to call it

Spoiler

Rand Thinks About the Consequences of His Actions, doesn't nuke a city, and the witches get (most) of their act together.

 

[Eluvianii he/him]

On 4/9/2021 at 6:55 PM, NattyBo said:

Oh boy oh boy, my favorite novella in the cosmere. What did you think? Feel free to post on my profile or whatever if you wanna do open spoilers

Just finished. It was really good. I probably don't like it as much as The Emperor's Soul but it was mind blowing in more ways than one.

Spoiler

I still struggle with Kelsier. He has a lot of good intentions but he's extremely prone to hate and talks about torture like it was a game. Like, he can meet someone and after a minute he's already threatening with torture both physical and psychological and meaning it, I mean, how do you even manage to actually, honestly hate a person you just met? To wish such extreme harm on them? I didn't even need to make up the example, it's literally what happens. I like the guy but he's most definitely a villain waiting for a hero to oppose.

Overall the book gives as many questions as it does answers. Of course the questions and the answers don't match but that's probably the point. Like a trailer of what's to come in the Cosmere, while explaining the unseen bits of Era 1. 

This also gives me the only thing I missed in Era 1. Namely, a glimpse into Spook's life after the book, and Vin and Elend stepping into the Beyond. So I'm satisfied with that. 

I also didn't expect to get so emotional while reliving the final fight. Freaking Vin, man. I need to reread that, after so long her arc is more a concept in my head than an actual story but seeing her here really made me remember that there's a journey behind her. Also I don't think Spook took a lot of protagonism in my head during my first read, so there's another incentive.

I'm excited to see where Kel goes, somewhere that will let him become an actual hero I hope, and not just a murderer who happens to kill people the masses hate. 

 

Edited September 11, 2021 by Eluvianii

[Spren of Kindness she/her]

Well, I finished the Wheel of Time.  So I'm processing that.  I also have started My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry, by Fredrick Backman.  It's... interesting.

[Use the Falchion]

I was supposed to catch up to my friends in reading Heir to the Empire, but instead reread the entire Lunar Chronicle quadrilogy. In one day. (Which isn't saying much for the first 2-3 books, since they're pretty short, all things considered.) Tomorrow I'll get back to Star Wars. 

Edited September 13, 2021 by Use the Falchion

[Use the Falchion]

Finished Heir to the Empire. I'll probably do a full write-up when I finish the entire trilogy, but as it stands, I really enjoyed the story. The bittersweet news is that it made me dislike the ST and Post-OT material that Disney has come out with. Not all of Legends is/was great, and not all of it should have been made/kept Canon...but after reading the first book, I understand why fans would be upset that this isn't canon. Again, I'll probably do a full write-up when I finish the entire trilogy. 

[Eluvianii he/him]

I googled to see if The Old Curiosity Shop was public domain and the first result was a "Yes" with a 500mb pdf attached. Holy crust, that's big. Are they giving high quality scans of the first edition or something? 

[Spren of Kindness she/her]

Finished My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry.  Excellent writing.

[urrutiap]

I currently reading Mistborn Alloy of Law

[Honorless he/him]

On 8/29/2021 at 10:17 PM, NattyBo said:

Re-reading Mistborn, from the Final Empire to Bands of Mourning. Some of it on audio, tho.

Try the audiobook version of Sixth of the Dusk, I loved it! (might be a bit too noisy and dramatic for other people tho)

[urrutiap]

Anyone here ever read Ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth book series? Are the any good? I was digging through some storage boxes that has all my Star Wars and Stephen King books etc and found the paperbacks of Follet's Pillars of the Earth books 1 and 2 and was thinking about throwing them away but ive always been curious if his books especially sort of historical fiction books are worth reading?

[Briar King]

Pillars of the Earth is a great book! The STARZ show sucks imo.

Has anyone read Ayn Rand? I’m getting her name brought up a lot on YouTube the last 2 days.

[Rosharan Chicken he/him]

I am reading the knife of dreams

[+Hoiditthroughthegrapevine he/him]

On 9/20/2021 at 3:27 PM, Briar King said:

Has anyone read Ayn Rand? I’m getting her name brought up a lot on YouTube the last 2 days.

The fountainhead is really good, she's definitely not for everybody though. Her philosophy is a reaction against the collectivist mediocrity of Stalin's Russia and she's an unabashed apologist for capitalism and the supremacy of the individual. Her work is definitely a product of her time and her peculiar psychology but her writing is great and the fountainhead's central premise of remaining true to one's own vision is compelling stuff.

My wife loves Atlas Shrugged, I've never read it myself.

She is also the author of The Virtues of Selfishness and the founder of the Rand corporation, for what that's worth. 

The Fountainhead also has a pretty decent film adaptation starring Gary Cooper, if you like old movies.

[Orlion Blight he/him]

On 9/20/2021 at 6:27 PM, Briar King said:

Has anyone read Ayn Rand? I’m getting her name brought up a lot on YouTube the last 2 days.

Ayn Rand is good if you like getting lectured for hundreds of pages on how being selfless is wrong and selfish is actually good (see her book,  The Virtue of Selfishness, which a huge chunk of is her quoting another of her books Atlas Shrugged).

So it's kinda like Robert Heinlein with less imagination. And like Heinlein, if you haven't read her before you left college, you've likely missed your window. 

[Orlion Blight he/him]

Woooo! Starting my October reading AND double posting! This is truly evil of supernatural dimensions! 

So I started and completed a horror manga by Junji Ito called Remina. It's cosmic horror, so it is naturally cheesy, even if you leave out the terrible crowd dialogue (pro tip: no one should ever say "yahooooo!" if you want the work taken seriously) and Flash Gordon technology. 

Overall, it gets a shrug and solid "meh" from me!