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What Else Are You Reading?
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What else are you reading - June 2021
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Rob, Roberator
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Jun 01, 2021 03:04AM
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I used to care about sharing my reviews and I used to push to read a lot more. Lately I'm mostly doing audio only. I haven't been super motivated to pick up anything in text.
The last book in text was a loan from the library: Cult of the Dead Cow: How the Original Hacking Supergroup Might Just Save the World. I found it alright, but it felt a bit biased and lacking any real "meat", especially given the level of access the author had. Maybe he traded access for any sort of in depth reported. Review
I did the popular recent release: Project Hail Mary, which I enjoyed but with some reservations: review. In general though I think if you liked The Martian, you'll like this.
Right now I'm listening to The Torch that Ignites the Stars, which I'm enjoying. However I'm here for the world building more than anything. The writing is still pretty clunky and in this book in particular the author is constantly reminding you about his companion series.
"Maybe character name will tell us that story later". Which conveniently the author has them do in another book series. Go figure.
It'd be one thing if he did it once, but he's done it several times now.
Read A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking and thought it was enjoyable enough even if not really special. Reading A Master of Djinn and finding it a bit slower than the previous installments (which were novella-length or shorter) - it's a sort of parallel to the comparison of Network Effect to the Murderbot novellas.
A few S&L type books I'm hoping to get to this month:A History of What Comes Next by Sylvain Neuvel
We Are Satellites by Sarah Pinsker
The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo
The Hidden Palace by Helene Wrecker
backlist:
Always Coming Home by Ursula K. Le Guin (the group I was buddy reading with this all procrastinated, thank goodness.)
Although knowing me, now that I've made a list, I will probably resist all of these.
Currently reading:Cry Pilot, MilSF
Mike Nichols: A Life, nonfiction
Astro City, Vol. 17: Aftermaths
On deck:
Project Hail Mary, SF
I'm reading The Dreaming Jewels also by Theodore Sturgeon, on audiobook. Also rereading Lois Bujold's Penric's Demon, while catching up with the series. I just finished The Orphans of Raspay which was enjoyable if light.
I just finished Joe Abercrombie’s Last Argument of Kings. Next up is probably A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers and The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan.
Finished up The Peace War by Vernor Vinge. Pretty good.I'd passed on Vinge after reading A Fire Upon the Deep probably 30 years ago. Found that book pretentious and overlong. Canine group intelligences, okay, got it fast, didn't need hundreds of pages. A bush intelligence on a wheel conveyance...ooookay. Appreciate the attempt to compete with Niven but his aliens beat this by a country mile. Then there was the overlong take on Usenet. Altho, paradoxically, every time I get stuck in traffic I think of the variable ability to move in space depending on how "thick" space is. LA traffic, can't move during rush hour, but you just blaze through on a Sunday morning. Anyhoo, I moved on.
Until...probably due to a recommendation here I read Deepness in the Sky. Really liked that one. Spider intelligence with about the level of technology of WWI era Earth, and played up as human except for occasional remembrances that they are alien. Great writing device. The variable star and the alien adaptation to that, great.Then there's a sly, hilarious programming riff, where an interstellar trading house creates a sustainable competitive advantage by rewriting clunky old code to be more efficient. Way over flattering to programmers but the man does know his audience.
So, Peace War. It's an earlier work and nominated for the Hugo. I find the Hugo a mixed bag. There's great works like Protector and sly funny ones like Redshirts, along with a bunch of nose in the air litSF. This one works well right from the start. It's like a primer on how to write an SF book: Introduce characters, have them interact with technical macguffin and show their experience. Then for worldbuilding, have characters going about a situation that's normal for them but different from the reader's world. Slowly introduce various facets of the SFnal experience.
It got a little jumpy about the 2/3 mark of the book. One character skirts Marty Stu status and had me rolling my eyes a bit. Critical plot points are solved by "presto, technological advancement." And, somehow a scientific underground has advanced technology substantially in 50 years, despite the Earth having some five percent of the population left, and the remaining people enjoined from using heavy electricity or factories. Er, no, not buying it. I'd sooner believe the population was reduced to subsistence farming like, say, Canticle for Leibowitz. But, it's Vinge's show and that's how he wants to present the story.
The late silliness and some hard to follow pieces in the ending took it down from a possible 5 stars to a solid 4. Good book, well worth reading. I'll read the sequel.
Ruthifred wrote: "I just finished Joe Abercrombie’s Last Argument of Kings. Next up is probably A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers and The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan."I just started listening to A Closed and Common Orbit this week. It is different then I was expecting, but good so far, I’m about a 1/3 of the way through. It has been quite a while since I read The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, so I hadn’t remembered the exact details of how this got going. It isn’t much of the story, and they eventually allude to it, but you may want to refresh yourself on what happened to the ships ai, if it has been a while for you as well.
Just finished Piranesi, which I really enjoyed, and went back to The Eternal Champion by Michael Moorcock. Twenty year old me would have been devouring this but 57 year old me is finding it a slog in spots.
John (Taloni) wrote: "...probably due to a recommendation here I read Deepness in the Sky. Really liked that one...."Glad to hear that. I'm planning to read that one in the next couple months. I think I liked Fire Upon the Deep a little more than you did but I agree with your criticisms also. I'll have to give The Peace War a look.
I finished Project Hail Mary. I enjoyed it a lot.Next I'm reading The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race, non-fiction about the invention of CRISPR technology.
I liked The Code Breaker quite a lot. A 5 star read for me, and probably the most up-to-date nonfiction book I’ve ever read, as he included things which happened in January of this year.
After nearly 7 months I finally finished the only book I’ve been actively reading, Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson. Part of this was personal but part of it was also that this book really dragged. I’m a huge fan of Sanderson and the first 3 Stormlight books are some of my favorite books period. I’m hoping that since #5 is the finale of his first Stormlight arc that it will be more interesting and move along at a brisker pace. Now I’m on to Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett. No wonder these books are so highly regarded, not only is this a fun read but it’s very funny too. I’m surprised this series hasn’t made it to film or TV yet as the style seems perfect for the screen.
Oh and on audiobook I just started in on The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab. It’s a bit of a slow start but the concept is interesting so I’ll have to see where it goes.
I started We Are Satellites by Sarah Pinsker and apparently this is NOT the book by her about a pandemic, but I still hope to get to that one too.
Read The Satan Bug by Alistair Maclean. This is a detective, spy, thriller that is full of twists and turns. Apparently, it has been turned into a movie. I have not seen this movie, but I have seen Where Eagles Dare, The Eagle Has Landed, and The Guns of Navarone. I thoroughly enjoyed these movies, and the book was no exception. Reading, Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk, which has got to be the sickest book I have ever read. I have nearly thrown up twice and had to push the book away for a spell while I regained my composure. I grew up on a farm, am a three-tour combat veteran, and was a Corrections Officer for ten years. Have I seen some wicked sick crap? Yes, I have, and this book was still able to make me feel ill a couple of times. Am I going to finish reading it? Hell yes, I am. I can't help myself. It's like a train wreck. I have to know how this ends.
Reading Fear the Wolf by Andrew J. Butcher. So far I am only five pages deep, so I have no opinion yet.
Rob wrote: "I've kind of stopped posting in this thread since I've been sporadic on reviews and such.I used to care about sharing my reviews and I used to push to read a lot more. Lately I'm mostly doing aud..."
Wow, Rob, I hope you get out of your reading funk. Reading and writing have been two things that have saved my life, literally. Do you think you are just burning out on Fantasy/Sci-Fi? I like to read nearly every Genre just to keep myself from growing too stale on any particular genre. I read nearly as much non-fiction as fiction. I won't try to fix you though. You likely have a great reason for losing interest, but I hope you get it back.
Kind regards.
Jerimy wrote: "Read The Satan Bug by Alistair Maclean. This is a detective, spy, thriller that is full of twists and turns. Apparently, it has been turned into a movie. I have not seen this movie, but I have seen..."The movie is a very good thriller. Check it out if you can. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059678/
Thanks for the suggestion, and the link Mark. I might just do that. I heard the movie is based in California, which would be one difference. The book is based in London. Still, I have loved all of his movies.
I looked at a list of films based on Alistair MacLean's novels. Most of them are memorable. Now I feel like I should find out which ones can be streamed and have a binge.
I’m about 40% through The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and I can’t help but wonder, does this get better? So far I’m just not seeing what all the hype is about. The whole premise of the book really sets it up to be pretty aimless. Yes I’ve reached the part of the book where the plot changes but the flashbacks still take up so much space and they feel pointless. I feel like I’ve lived 300 years just listening to what I’ve listened to already.
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I was burning out on sff before covid, so I started to mix in more non-fiction, mysteries and thrillers.
So I think I'm just burnt out on reading in general. Or haven't been able to get back in a reading mode.
Brad wrote: "I’m about 40% through The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and I can’t help but wonder, does this get better? So far I’m just not seeing what all the hype is about. The whole premise of the book reall..."For what it's worth, I found the ending worth it.
Rob wrote: "Jerimy wrote: "Do you think you are just burning out on Fantasy/Sci-Fi? ."I was burning out on sff before covid, so I started to mix in more non-fiction, mysteries and thrillers.
So I think I'm ..."
Two things... 1) Just don't read then. No audio either. It should be a pleasure not a chore and while I've not had year long slumps I've had a couple month slump where I just don't feel like reading. So I don't. I play games, watch movies etc.
more importantly, 2) you ok? Loss of interest in something you like can indicate depression etc and the last year has been tough even on people who didnt lose people to COVID etc. Don't hesitate to ask for/seek out help.
Jerimy wrote: "Thanks for the suggestion, and the link Mark. I might just do that. I heard the movie is based in California, which would be one difference. The book is based in London. Still, I have loved all of ..."LOL. I like all of his movies. I haven't seen Ice Station Zebra yet, or The Satan Bug. So I will definitely try to watch those sometime in the near future. I wonder if they are on Netflix?
Rob wrote: "Jerimy wrote: "Do you think you are just burning out on Fantasy/Sci-Fi? ."I was burning out on sff before covid, so I started to mix in more non-fiction, mysteries and thrillers.
So I think I'm ..."
I get it I think. Interests change. It's not always a bad thing. In the past two decades, I have gone from loving music and drawing to loving movies, to love of books. I am still hooked on books and plan on reading 5,000 books before I croak. I will say that I got something from each of my interests in the past, and am planning on getting something from this period of reading. I am sure it will get old for me sometime, but for now, I have read 530 plus of my 5,500 book library. I joined Sword and Laser because it was two of the genres I really love to read. Some of the Science Fiction seem a little too real with all of the COVID crap happening right now. Still, I like to read them and discover the parallels. Coincidence? Maybe, unlikely, probably, who knows? At any rate, I wish you well in all of your endeavors, and passions during this crazy time in history. I wouldn't worry too much about burning out on one of your former passions. It may just be time to focus on something else for a while. People are kind of like onions. We are layered all the way to our core. Only a special few can stand to make it to our middle.
Jerimy wrote: "People are kind of like onions. We are layered all the way to our core."…and they makes us cry.
Mod
Yesterday I finished Queen of Coin and Whispers. It's a fantasy novel about two young women, a Queen trying to undo the corruption of her uncle, the late King, and a minor noblewoman hoping to avenge the murder of her father. The story moves along at a good pace with romance, intrigue, mistakes, and successes. I quite liked it.
Rob wrote: "Yeah, I'm not super worried about it. I've mostly filled the time I used to spend reading playing video games. And when I got really into reading again in 2014, it was my video game time that suffe..."What are you playing?
Gaming is super addictive. Mostly because it hits the same dopamine trigger points as drugs and in most games something stimulating happens every 15 seconds. The years where I was a hardcore gamer I read a fraction of the books I’ve consumed in recent years. Nothing has boosted my annual reading more than my video card crapping out.
It’s not just the dopamine hit with games though. The thing with games is that most of them demand your entire attention. So if you’re having problems focusing (which is something that’s been a big problem for me lately too) games never give you the chance to lose focus. Books, however, allow your mind to wander more easily. That’s why I too have been playing more games and reading less books lately.
Read an Indie book I saw recommended by one of my Twitter mutuals. Book is The Dragons of Dunkirk. I found it okay. The premise is that in 1940, a portal to another world opened. It's a standard magic world with dwarves, elves, dragons and the like. The story is meticulously researched for WW2 events so history buffs may like it.
The worlds were separated ten thousand years ago, because of course they were. Fantasy regularly contains ridiculously long periods of time that no memory or even written records would survive. Then there's the wizard who separated the world, apparently still alive after all that time. The dwarves have a hatred of humans (altho not the wizard) for some unspecified reason even tho the only human seen in that time is the wizard, and he's on their side. Ten thousand years is before recorded history. It's as if all of humanity had a reflexive hatred of some race that existed before Sumer, for reasons never stated but known to all humans.
Events proceed in serial style. I found various scenes interesting but the overall effect not compelling. Part of it is that I grew up on friendly dragons of Pern, and these dragons are evil evil EVIL! Plus, given the title one would expect a dragonic save of troops trapped at Dunkirk. Nope, the area is mentioned only in passing. It's not quite bait and switch, but certainly isn't what I expected going in.
The author states he will do a few weeks of WW2 history per book. I'm not really interested in reading fifty books to come to a conclusion. The novel ends on a cliffhanger so there's no resolution. Could be interesting for someone more interested in fantasy or the historical time period. I'll pass.
Mod
Burning Crusade Classic. So basically the same game I was playing before I cut back on gaming to read more.
I've also been playing a lot of Overwatch. I'm a giant Blizzard stan. Although with the way the company has been heading the last few years it's possible that time may be coming to an end.
I guess we'll see since I really love all of their IPs (Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, Starcraft).
I also started Super Mario Galaxy and Mario 64 on my Switch, but didn't get very far on either. I've finished Mario 64 before, but not Galaxy. I didn't like the controls much though.
Trike wrote: "Jerimy wrote: "People are kind of like onions. We are layered all the way to our core."…and they makes us cry."
Lol, not if you wear goggles.
Rob wrote: "Trike wrote: "What are you playing?"Burning Crusade Classic. So basically the same game I was playing before I cut back on gaming to read more.
I've also been playing a lot of Overwatch. I'm a giant Blizzard stan. Although with the way the company has been heading the last few years it's possible that time may be coming to an end..."
Blizzard definitely isn’t the company it used to be. I think almost all of the original group have left, many of them starting up Dreamhaven. That godawful remaster of WarCraft III was wrong on every level, including the fact it broke the original game by not allowing customers to play it due to mandatory upgrade. It feels like every wrong decision they could make is the one they did make.
With companies like BioWare and FASA likewise being gutted by corporate demands, you’d think publishers would know by now not to mess with a good thing.
I listened to the audiobook of The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison, who wrote The Goblin Emperor. It’s a Fantasy version of Sherlock Holmes without Holmes himself. Quite good.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
On audio I'm listening to Knight's Ransom by Jeff Wheeler which is fine so far, but as of the halfway point I'll probably see how it ends, but not bother with more in the series.On vacation over the past week and I read Dragonsbane by Barbara Hambly which was refreshing in that the main characters are the middle aged ones and not a teenager. I also finished The House of Always by Jenn Lyons which is the fourth book in the A Chorus of Dragons series. Right now I'm about 40% through Revenant Gun by Yoon Ha Lee, finally finishing the series that started with prior club pick Ninefox Gambit.
John (Nevets) wrote: "Ruthifred wrote: "I just finished Joe Abercrombie’s Last Argument of Kings. Next up is probably A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers and The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan."I just started listen..."
Thanks, I appreciate it. It is definitely more of a departure from the first book than I was anticipating. Luckily I listened to the first book not too long ago so there wasn't much of a break in-between. :)
Just finished listening to Conjure Women which I admit I picked because of the title (it is not fantasy, rather historical). Which was a slightly rose coloured story of the south and slavery on plantations. OK but lacked the war edge the story probably required. Reading Wizard of the Pigeons: The 35th Anniversary Illustrated Edition and listening to The Old Lie which is brilliant and disturbing.
Trike wrote: "I listened to the audiobook of The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison, who wrote The Goblin Emperor. It’s a Fantasy version of Sherlock Holmes without Holmes hi..."Just started reading The Angel of the Crows and Death Draws Five.
Iain wrote: "Reading Wizard of the Pigeons: The 35th Anniversary Illustrated Edition "One of my faves, I'm definitely interested to hear what you think.
I’ve been reading a lot of cyberpunk novels by Gibson and others. Blue Ant, sprawl, etc. also I am going back and finishing series powder mage universe, And dresden files.
Just finished Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo and I’m moving straight onto the sequel, Crooked Kingdom.
Ruth wrote: "Just finished Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo and I’m moving straight onto the sequel, Crooked Kingdom."👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
One day after the other, I finished:Project Hail Mary: Felt like the author was trying too hard to recapture what made The Martian so popular. Some interesting ideas, and told in a page-turnery kind of way, but some of the story telling doesn't stand up to scrutiny and the characterisation of supporting roles was very lazy.
Before Mars: The third Planetfall book. Loving this series. Official advice is that you can read in any order, but I would recommend at least reading book 2 before this one. One question - why is it called 'Before Mars' when literally all the action (flashbacks excepted) takes place ON MARS!
Brad wrote: "I’m surprised this series hasn’t made it to film or TV yet as the style seems perfect for the screen."Some Discworld stories have made it to TV:
Color of Magic (2008)
Hogfather (2006) - an annual holiday watch in our household!
The Watch (2021) - apparently a very loose adaptation, haven't seen it myself
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