One of the rare weeks where I got to read quite a bit.
Read Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. A contemporary sci-fi thriller. It’s my first Blake Crouch book and I knew nothing while going on. A quick and very enjoyable read. Recommended for thriller fans, if they don’t mind sci-fi.
After that, read The Magician’s Guild by Trudi Canavan. It’s a first book in The Black Magician trilogy, though it does have a prequel book and a sequel trilogy after that, but I don’t know if they the follows same characters or if they are different stories, just in the same universe.
The whole book takes place in one city, and stakes are very personal instead of some world saving quest. It was also a quick and very easy to read book.
Finally, started the most read / mentioned book of these weekly threads, Dungeon Crawler Carl. The book is hilarious, it gave me some of that Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy feel in the start, but it’s a very different book.
It is very much a litRPG (have we finalised on litRPG now? what happened to Progression Fantasy? It was at least a better name than litRPG, or is there some difference between the two?), and one issue with the genre is there is rarely any feel of real danger (with some exceptions). This seems to be going the same way, but again, I am still in the start of the first book of eight book series, so anything can change. This isn’t a negative though, this is kind of why I like these books, sometimes you just want to read about good guy getting the win, without worrying about if they will win, but it is something to note if you are new to the genre.
Enjoying it enough that I have already ordered the next books, not sure if I’ll actually read them back to back, but I am definitely going to continue with the series.
What about all of you, what have you been reading or listening to lately?
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Finished reading a novel called The Gift of Rain, by Tan Twan Eng.
The story is focused in Malaysia, right before the start of World War II. The protagonist befriends a Japanese diplomat, who becomes his teacher in aikido. The breakout of war forces the protagonist to harmonize the conflicting elements of his life, as he is torn between the safety of his friends/family and his adoration for his teacher. It was a nice read overall.
Just finished Resolute by Jack Campbell and The Nameless Land by Kate Elliott.
Resolute is one of many in a space military series. In this one, they’re on a mission to go make friends with the aliens. Mostly to get the war hero main character out of Space Congress’s hair, heh. I really enjoyed it. Jack is great at writing space combat action, and his aliens break the mold in some ways, too.
The Nameless Land is the sequel to The Witch Roads. It’s a pretty cozy tale with a sort of tragic romance involving the main character while she’s traveling with a VERY ambitious prince with his eye on the crown (nevermind the heir in the way). There’s a fair bit of political maneuvering behind the action.
It’s also fascinating from a world building perspective. It’s a magical setting with a deadly fog that covered swaths of the land. Different cultures have different ways to cope with the danger. There are wizards of a sort and restless guardian spirits keeping watch after a legendary war against sorcerer-kings.
And the main character is not all she seems…
Excellent read, Kate Elliott is one of my favorite authors.
Glad to hear the praise for The Witch Roads and sequel! I came across it on the “trending” books list on kobo and bought it since it was on sale, happy to know it’s worth the attention.
Currently going through Reaper by Will Wight. It’s the tenth book in the Cradle series and it’s starting to open the world (or should I say worlds?) up a little more. So far the entire series has been engaging and easy to keep the momentum going until the final 12th book.
I just started The Odyssey translation by Emily Wilson. I’m just on the introduction but I’m interested in it so far.
I read some books for my studies and also read “The Martian” And I must say: great read. I really enjoyed it. I gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars. Still reading some other books for my studies and “The Path of Daggers” I’m at 22% now.
I really enjoy this community. You help me never to have an empty TBR pile.
I really enjoy this community. You help me never to have an empty TBR pile.
That’s the gift and the curse of the community 😀
I’m listening to Wind and Truth by brandon sanderson. 40 more hours left to go. My buddy introduced me to stormlight archive. I now have the whole cosmere to explore. Along with the rest of my backlog that I let get out of hand.
I just got hooked on Sanderson 6 months ago and have been loving the cosmere
Just finished “The dispossessed”, for the xth time starting on the next which according to this ordering is " the word for world is forest". I’ve read left hand of darkness also before but the other books on the hanish cycle I haven’t so figured I’d do the lot.
The dispossessed is very progressive for being published in 1974!
Great books! I have much respect for Ursula k. Le guin!
I also read dark matter the past month. It was decent. I am kinda over the whole multiverse idea because of marvel. But it’s not a terrible book.
Now I’m reading A desolation called peace. I’m a quarter of the way through and it’s finally getting interesting.
Yeah, it’s a lot more common in comics than in books.
How to Invent Everything: A Survival Guide for the Stranded Time Traveler by Ryan North.
Interesting and funny, but a bit light as a main read. Ideal for a quickie though, as it’s arranged by topic.
Just finished the audio drama “The Red Letter Day” starring Tom Baker as Sherlock Holmes. It’s OK, not bad, but definitely only for people with nostalgia for the 80s series with Tom Baker as Sherlock Holmes.
I’m reading Real Tigers by Mick Herron. I’m a huuuuge John le Carré fan, and this series sort of scratches that itch, but it’s not as “literary” or complex. It feels like a grittier, less action oriented version of the TV series “Spooks”
As someone who hasn’t read any John le Carré yet, where would you recommend starting?
Read the Smiley stories first.
1 Call for the Dead (1961)
2 A Murder of Quality (1962)
3 The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1963)
4 The Looking Glass War (1965)
5 Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1974)
6 The Honourable Schoolboy (1977)
7 Smiley’s People (1979)
8 The Secret Pilgrim (1990)
9 A Legacy of Spies (2017)
1 and 2 are more detective stories with the detective being a retired spy. But 3 is where it gets really juicy. 5 is the most well known. 8 and 9 I would say are optional.
And then read “Karla’s Choice” by Nick Harkaway. It’s actually a midquel in the Smiley saga, written by John le Carré’s son, who is also an author. I think he did a very serviceable job and I hope he writes more.
There’s another book called Dark Matter that’s by Michelle Paver and creepy as heck.
I’m listening to Christie’s Labours of Hercule Poirot (which is surprisingly dark) and reading Sam Neill’s autobiography.
Currently reading No longer human, wool (Silo), and Berserk.
I’m halfway through ‘UFOs and Nukes’ by Robert Hastings. It’s a pretty dry read so far. I’ve re-entered the UFO rabbit-hole again after many years.
Also bought a copy of ‘T. T. Brown’s electrogravitics research’ by Thomas Valone.
OMG BLAKE CROUCH MENTIONED
I really enjoyed Recursion by him.
His mystery/thriller (im not good at genres) books are also fun!I have liked everything I’ve read by him. He wrote one called Famous that was very much unlike the rest of his books. And he had one called Run, which is the one that got me into him to begin with. It was phenomenal, got my heart racing.
Nice. I’ll see if my local bookstore has a copy.
What are you reading currently?
I’m currently in the middle of one of the Discworld novels. Tbh, I’m having a little trouble—they just don’t grab me in the way a good space opera or hard scifi does. I do like them, though.
Finnegans Wake! Listened to the Naxos audiobook again-- wonderfully incomprehensible, gloriously elusive, magnificently playful, strikingly obvious, all at once (but of course, it’s just five hours, the entire book would take much much more time).
Started Ulysess, but this version was read by an american. Irish or nothing! At last I found Molly Bloom’s soliloquy read by an irish; didn’t remember it as so risqué, if that’s the word, all kinds of phantasies and memories, but it’s still very very beatiful and moving.
