I've been listening to 2666 by Roberto Bolaño. So far I've been enjoying it, even though I have no idea where it's supposed to be going. I can't imagine the current plot thread persisting through 28 hours.
this post was submitted on 01 Oct 2024
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It's one of my all-time favorite books and I'm still not sure I could actually explain the plot to someone. In fact, I'm not confident there is a coherent plot rather than a bunch of related vignettes that just kind of happen, some of which tell a story and some not so much.
My brain just kind of spent so much time trying to understand what the point of any of it was that I eventually ended up with an interpretation that I loved to view the book through, and therefore I ended up loving the book.
Finished Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglas, which was interesting but horrific. Was a bit disappointed that he didn't detail his escape from bondage but it makes sense that he wouldn't want to give details publically at the time of writing, since it could have been used against future runaways.
Also finished The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch which I enjoyed. I've only read that and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? from Philip K Dick, so I will probably check out more of his work soon.
Currently reading Dracula 🦇 🎃
I'm desperately trying to finish Neuromancer by William Gibson so I can move on to spooky season books. It's not bad at all, I'm just not really clicking with it, so it's been slow going.
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Finished Death in the Spires by K.J. Charles, a two-timeline mystery focusing on the unsolved murder of a member of a group of friends at Oxford. The author normally writes steamy romances, but this tastefully cut to black before anything got explicit. Something about the writing or story made it a very enjoyable, fast read; I haven't devoured anything so quickly in ages.
Bingo squares: New Release; Disability Representation (hard); LGBTQIA+ Lead (hard); It's About Time (hard); Mashup; Institutional; (alt) A Change in Perspective
I loved the first third of Neuromancer. The rest largely felt like it failed to deliver, and a bit like it went off the rails. Count Zero was a bit better in execution.
That's about where I started to lose interest, too. So much of the interesting world-building is in that first part, before it decides to turn into a heist novel.
I liked the premise/vibe of Neuromancer a lot more than the actual narrative. Some of the dialogue was just painful.
Absolutely agreed. The narrative makes choices in a few places, and some of the second half seems kind of muddled.
But the shuriken stars are like the stars under which he voyaged! So deep.
I'm reading The Towers of Midnight (Wheel of Time book 13!!) by Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson. I'm so close to the end of this series! And the last few books have been sooo satisfying. For a while during the slog I was worried but I'm glad I stuck with it.
Yeah, that's how we all felt! Last few books were very good, though I have some reservations about some specific parts, but will discuss those when you have finished the series and let everything sink in a bit.
Dracula by Bram Stoker. Never read it before. I did see the 1992 movie adaptation, but that was a long time ago.
I signed up a few years ago for Dracula Daily and it sends you (via email) the appropriately dated entries each* day. I read through it each year now.
I heard about it last year. Was going to start this year. Dunno why I didn't. I think I subscribed to it, dunno what happened.
That's a cool idea, thanks. I'll probably have forgotten all about this by the next time it starts so it should be a nice surprise.
I remember reading it in high school and thoroughly enjoying it. Great time to pick it up! Almost Halloween!
I went to my public library for the first time since I was in high school. Applied for a new card, since they didn't have any of my old records, and checked out 4 books. I only brought one with me for a trip this week, Sweet Bean Paste, by Durian Sukegawa, since it was together with the other "book club" books.
I'm realizing that I've really let reading as a hobby get away from me; I have no clue how to look for recommendations, or even what I'm really looking for in a story. I feel like a lot of the SciFi or Fantasy I've read since high school probably still fall under YA fiction, and I don't know if that's what I should still be looking at or not.
Welcome back to reading!
BrundleFly2077 has given a good suggestion. Other thing you can do is follow these weekly thread, this is from where I am finding new stuff to read (even though I still have list of hundreds of book that I want to read). Some people just share the name, but many also mention what the books are about, or how they are liking. So, look up what you find interesting and give it a try.
The more you read, the more you will find other stuff to read.
Also, some of the YA fiction can be pretty fun. Try a few and see if you like it or not.
Or you can share some of your favourites and let people here recommend you other things you may enjoy.
What I did - and maybe this will work for you - was sign up for Goodreads and look up a bunch of books I’d read and enjoyed. I gave them cursory star ratings. Just 4-5 out of 5 for a couple that I really liked. Then I thought of some that I’d disliked, or some books I’d never even consider reading. I gave those 1 star.
Now Goodreads suggests books I find I’m actually interested in a lot of the time, and it gets better as I leave little stars of approval or reproach on the platform 🤣
Also, there are tons of people and lists to follow on there. I’ve got a ton of stuff on my Kobo that I’d never have found otherwise.
Weird. I have 1400 read and almost 300 as want to read and don't like Goodreads suggestions at all.
Pet Semetary by Stephen King.
And just finished We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer... It was okay. Wouldn't be something I recommend as nothing was amazing. Interesting story but thats about it
Just finished 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King. It was enjoyable and I can see it's influence on newer works of horror.
Up next is Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata and Hail Mary by Andy Weir.
Fiction: "The coffin dancer" by Jeffery Deaver
Non fiction: " Epic Homesteading" by Kevin Espíritu
How are you liking the Bone Collector series? I have only watched the movie, but am interested to reading them some day.
Never heard of Epic Homesteading but it sounds interesting? Are you interested in doing this yourself?
I liked the movie and crime books are my jam so I thought I'd give it a try. So far so good, it is entertaining and helps dull the mental noise at the end of the day.
It is very interesting IMO. Well lol I want to so this book is wishful thinking mostly. I have a small patch of land where I planted some courgettes and tomatoes but nothing on the scale this book tales about. Maybe one day.
Ahan, thanks for the info. Will check out the series.
About Epic Homesteading, would love to hear if you implement any stuff from the book.
Anytime
I am now up to number 18 in the Deathlands books. I try to break away for other stuff but keep quickly going back!
I finished the second Gideon Sable book by Simon R Green. It is good, I'm enjoying it but it doesn't have me really looking forward to the next book like some stuff does so in no hurry to get to book 3.
Yesterday I started Infinite by Jeremy Robinson too, I'm only a couple of hours in so far but really enjoying it. It is the first book in a series of which I read one book, The Dark, from the middle of the series and enjoyed it a lot so have come back to go from the beginning!
I may start Deathlands soon, after this book need to find some interesting stuff that I can read quickly 😀
Just looked up Infinite, sounds pretty interesting. Keep us posted on how you like the books!
Candle & Crow, book 3 in the Ink & Sigil series by Kevin Hearne came out today, I'm looking forward to getting into it. It's set in the same world as the Iron Druid Chronicles, but isn't really related outside of a couple of old characters popping up IIRC. I don't think I even knew about this until I saw it on a list of upcoming releases last week.
I'm also reading through Swifts and Us by Sarah Gibson, which is a book my gf got for me last Christmas and only just got around to handing over 9 months later. It's a non-fiction book about my favourite bird, nothing to do with pop singers.
Just looked up Ink & Sigil because I had no idea he’d snuck out a new series and this sounds fun!
I’m just finished This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone and am working through We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson
Time War was a book that I had tried to read multiple times in the past and could never get through finishing it even though I enjoyed it I would just peter out in reading. They both fill a couple of Bingo squares for me so I may shift them around in the future but for right now, they fulfill “family drama” and “it takes two” 
I finished Ball Lightning, by Cixin Liu. Enjoyed it but since I read the Three Body problem trilogy just before, my expectations were too high, because this one is less thrilling.
I started and read one third of Accelerando by Charles Stross but I stopped there because I was lost and not appreciating that much. Might reread it when I have more time, I think the issue is that the story is kind of difficult to follow and since I had to split in short and time apart reading sessions, I was not able to follow it.
Now, I started The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, not very long into it but I think it will please me.
I started reading “The Evening and the Morning” by Ken Follett yesterday and I’m already halfway through. It’s a prequel to “The Pillars of the Earth.”
I have heard a lot about The Pillars of the Earth, should get around to it some day.
I finished the prequel the day after I started it. Now I’m about halfway through The Pillars of the Earth and I’m thoroughly enjoying it even though I generally don’t care for historical fiction.
Ahan, cool. Will see if I can find a copy at my local store.