I'm in a funk..

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

I ended up going with The Fellowship of the Ring in audio, although I must say I enjoyed The Martian Chronicles more than I expected to.

I'm still not sure what I'll start reading next though. I ended up enjoying the second half of The Goblin Emperor much more than the first half and finished it up over the weekend.

Right now I think it's between Attack on Titan 15, What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions and Retribution Falls.

We'll see what I decide tonight. Or maybe I'll take a day or two off after reading so much this weekend.

[Justine]

Sky wrote: "Rob wrote: "What's the first book in that Ranger series called? That might be worth checking out. I'm a big fan of the magic school trope. "

hehe me too...I've been meaning to check out the Ranger..."

The Ranger's Apprentice series is really good, but there is no magic in there at all. The first book kind of hints at slight fantasy, but then it goes strictly mundane after that...but don't let that put you off it. Plus they are good for fast reads.

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

I'm taking a left turn and likely starting Different Seasons tonight. I blame Geoff. lol.

[Justine]

Rob wrote: "I'm taking a left turn and likely starting Different Seasons tonight. I blame Geoff. lol."

But that's a classic...nothing wrong with it!

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

Yeah, but I'm not sure it's exactly going to be the sort of light and fun. lol.

[Justine]

Uh, no. It's not. Especially Apt Pupil.

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

Yeah. I might change my mind again and save it for later. Lol.

[Sky]

I am almost done w/ Nexus...It's blowing my mind, but it covers topics near and dear to me

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

Yeah. I want to get to that soon.

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

I ended up going with The Light Fantastic

[Geoff]

Rob wrote: "I'm taking a left turn and likely starting Different Seasons tonight. I blame Geoff. lol."

I haven't cracked into my final 2 stories of it yet (The Body/Apt Pupil). I blame Memories of Ice. Definitively not light & fun, but awesome nonetheless.

[Robyn]

Rob wrote: "I ended up going with The Light Fantastic"

Perfectly timed. (I assume intentional.) I'm getting an overwhelming urge to reread Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch for the billionth* time.

*Small exaggeration.

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

Yeah. Pratchett had been suggested earlier and I already had it. Seemed appropriate.

[Justine]

Have you read Red Rising...I wouldn't say it is light and fun; but if you are in a reading funk and need something different that isn't fantasy then it might do the trick, since it's light sci-fi. Just a thought. :)

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

I haven't. That book's been getting a lot of buzz, but for some reason the description didn't really appeal to me. I think it was a daily deal recently and I passed on picking it up.

[Justine]

Well if it comes up again, pick it up. It's definitely worth a read. It's an excellent debut work, and the sequel Golden Son definitely shows his growth as a writer and storyteller (IMO).

[Lindsay]

It's a YA dystopia with stratified class structures isn't it?

I feel like I've read that already ...

[Justine]

I don't know why it's classed as YA. I suppose if Enders Game came out now it would be classed as YA too though so...?

[Justine]

Anyway, I think you have kind of miscast the story, Lindsay, it's not a YA dystopia. But, you don't have to read it...it's just a suggestion...:)

[Justine]

It's still a good book.

[Justine]

Maybe I'm the only one here who reads YA? That's OK...:)

[Robyn]

I read lots of YA! And isn't the Joe Abercrombie book the club just finished YA? It's one of those terms that can sound dismissive even if someone is just trying to categorise books, I think.

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

I read/like some YA. But not much.

[Justine]

I only suggested Red Rising because some other people had suggested Rangers Apprentice...that is definitely YA (and still a fun read). If you think Ender's Game is clearly 100% YA because all the main characters are kids then sure, Red Rising is YA because the main characters are under 20.

But, if you really don't like YA much then probably steer clear of both.

[Lindsay]

I wasn't implying anything negative about YA. Just that there's been a million YA dystopia books that concentrate on class issues in the last few years. Maybe Red Rising is not that, although both the blurb and the reviews I've seen of it seem to imply that it is.

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

Personally I'm more turned off of a book described as dystopian than I am by one described YA. But the two seem to go together a lot.

[Justine]

I personally would not describe Red Rising as a dystopia. I mean yes it is set in the future (unspecified but many years since planets are undergoing terraforming). Things are great for some people and not so great for others (kind of like it is now). Not a dystopia. I think it was marketed that way because that is what was selling at the time. Whatever works...I think dystopia is an overused word now anyway.

Anyway, at this point, I think maybe you shouldn't read it because if you did and you didn't like it, you would be really annoyed, right? :) so, I officially withdraw my recommendation. :)

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

Haha. Sorry.

[Dara]

Re-read Robin Hobb. Problem solved.

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

I actually solved this problem already. Kind of. And as much as I love Robin Hobb, her books aren't exactly uplifting. She beats the crap out of Fitz for 6+ books.

[[deleted user]]

Rob wrote: "Yeah. I thought so. I'm not really a horror fan in general, unless it's more fantastical, and even then I have to be in the right mood. Horns could be good at another time. And you should defin get..."

I heard good things about What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions from a friend who lent it to me, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. You mentioned Alan Turing: Unlocking the Enigma, which is high up on my list too.

Another one that I think fits your parameters that I've been meaning to read is You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself

[Sky]

I totally forgot about this...I backed this on kickstarter a few years ago. The authors are locals and it was good silly fun:

http://www.amazon.com/School-Adventur...

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...