this post was submitted on 28 Jun 2023
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[–] primevandal 5 points 2 years ago (1 children)

also -- i just posted this on a whim to get some discussion going in this community. seems to be the largest one out there, so hopefully we get more interaction here! let me know if you'd like to see this weekly or if we could get a bot to do it on a weekly basis. not a mod here or anything i just wanted to see what everyone else is reading

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

I like the idea of a weekly thread, it's nice to get new book impressions that way! :)

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Lord of Chaos. Book 6 of The Wheel of Time. Almost done. I'm really really enjoying these books.

[–] primevandal 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

sounds great! im at The Dragon Reborn at the moment, halfway there. unfortunately my attention span cant read that much in such a short amount of time so ive been stalling forever

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

I understand that. The books tend to be hard to get going. Redescribing each location and character in each book. But it really starts picking up halfway. I'm about 80% done with the book now.

That all being said, the descriptions are extremely vivid and add so much.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 years ago

I'm reading Black House, by Stephen King and Peter Straub. About half in the novel, I had some difficulties to be taken with it, but I start being hooked up, we will see... My opinion so far is that it's not at the level of it's prequel (The talisman, by Stephen King and Peter Straub) that I read just before and was very gripping.

[–] amonkeyfullofbarrels 4 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I just started Endymion after finishing Fall of Hyperion the other day. The Hyperion duology was fantastic and an instant favorite for me. I’ve heard the Endymion books are good, but different, so trying to temper my expectations a bit. So far so good.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

That's good to hear. I loved Hyperion but have been reluctant to start Endymion because of hearing the same sorts of things about it.

[–] KammicRelief 1 points 2 years ago

I think I read all 4? Or maybe just the first 3? I forget. None of them were as mindblowing as the 1st book--it set such a high bar--but I fondly remember going through all the books, and want to read them again someday.

[–] BakingCookies 4 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

I'm in the middle of a brain-candy cozy mystery "The Diva Cooks a Goose", which is okay. I'm also reading nonfiction "Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I". My teen and I are going to see the musical "Six" soon and I've been trying to learn a bit about the queens beforehand. I do like this one so far.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Someone here at lemmy suggested World War Z. Bought it, read it, loved it

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[–] thebestaquaman 3 points 2 years ago

I've finally gotten around to "Fire and Fury: Inside the trump White House", and I have to say: this is an absolute drama story. Like, there's intrigue and scheming for days.

It's simultaneously hilarious and horrifying that what feels like reading a kind of soap opera or reality show is a legitimate account of what went on in the White House.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I am reading The Motorcyle Diaries by Che Guevara in spanish.

[–] sudormuk 1 points 2 years ago

I really like that book, but I hope you know spanish, otherwise it could be a bit difficult for you. I was able to drastically improve my motorcycle riding skills, but I read mine in english, so it might be a bit different, not sure.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Eyes of the Void by Adrian Tchaikovsky. The third book in an awesome space opera trilogy.

Mad Ship by Robin Hobb. Every book I read by her further makes her one of my favorite fantasy writers.

[–] house_of_questions 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Eyes of the Void is the second book. ;) Lords of Uncreation is the third!

edit typo

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[–] Wolfiexo 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Trying to get trough Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. I like it but I don't know why it's taking me so long to finish. Next on my list is A Hat Full of Sky - I love discworld books so much!

[–] primevandal 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

im about to hop into my first discworld book soonish!

[–] Wolfiexo 1 points 2 years ago

Which one did you choose to start with? I started with Equal Rites, witches are the best!

[–] GreyShack 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Finished: T. Kingfisher's The Twisted Ones, which was very easy reading - a folk horror kinda sequel to Machen's The White People. I read it straight after her The Hollow Places, and although both were engaging, the similarity of protagonists and overall story arc suggests that they are probably best not read in quick succession: too repetitive.

Continued: Finnegans Wake - reading it through the year. Just completed 'The Night Lessons' in book 2, which went from slightly comprehensible to utterly incomprehensible and back to slightly again, and added the columnar format with side notes by Shaun and Shem and footnotes by Issey just for fun...

Resumed: Robert Brightwell's Flashman and Madison's War - the fifth of his prequels to George McDonald Frasier's Flashman series. Although entertaining and well researched in general, this is perhaps the weakest of this series so far - which is probably why I had put it aside and not resumed until now, a couple of months after moving house, when I paused. The historical events that Flashy is involved in are scattered and episodic by nature which is probably the root of the problem with this book. Brightwell hasn't found a strong unifying arc to overcome that.

Started: The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten, but a chapter in I was not finding anything appealing to me, so abandoned it.

Started: Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Time. A chapter in I am very intrigued at the setup and keen to continue.

[–] KammicRelief 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Nice! Are you reading FW with TrueLit? I actually started but had to quit.... I was reading Ulysses at the same time and just couldn't keep up. But, it gave me enough of a taste that I'll definitely return to it someday.

[–] GreyShack 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Yes. Without the insights from TrueLit, the entire thing would be incomprehensible.

I can certainly see that FW and Ulysses would be far too much.

[–] KammicRelief 1 points 2 years ago

Cool, well, I may go back to the archived TrueLit posts when I do read it :) Enjoy!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

I’ve been reading the murderbot diaries by Martha Wells. I’m on the third entry in the series now and really enjoying it.

[–] htmono 2 points 2 years ago (2 children)

I've just started The Stand by Stephen King. I finished 1Q84 from Murakami few weeks ago and somehow the hunger for again something longer got me. Oh well, this is going to take its own time.

[–] KammicRelief 1 points 2 years ago

I hear that.. I'm on a string of long books myself and it is taking its sweet (but enjoyable) time...

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[–] fmwp1lrU 2 points 2 years ago

I'm currently reading Asimov's Robots and Empire. I'm having a little bit of trouble with it because it follows Gladia instead of Lija Bailey. Only on chapter 5 though hope it picks up here soon.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

After finishing Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, I started his collection of short stories, The Shell Collector. For non-fiction, finished The Spanish Civil War: A Very Short Introduction by Helen Graham and began Blackshirts and Reds by Michael Parenti.

[–] KammicRelief 2 points 2 years ago

I'm reading Gravity's Rainbow (Pynchon) for the third time in as many decades (that makes me sound old..), and loving it. It's my favorite book. After this I'm planning to attack The Recognitions (Gaddis) for my first time.. I'm a little intimidated but I've heard such good things.

Also reading some non-fiction stuff at the same time, mostly around meditation and Tibetan Buddhism.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

This past week I read A Dreamer's Tales by Lord Dunsany, and the short stories The Doom that Came to Sarnath and The Cats of Ulthar by H.P. Lovecraft. The latter are part of the book club at !lovecraft and the former to get some background on what Lovecraft was reading at the time.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

I'm about a third of the way through the first Witcher book. It seems like each chapter is monster of the week. I know this is how the show is, but I wasn't expecting this for the book. It's not bad, just not what I was expecting

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

The First Philosophers by Robin Waterfield. It summarizes each of the presocratics and gives you a selection of their fragments and testimonies about them.

[–] gonewriting 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I just started reading P. Djeli Clark's A Master of Djinn but I'm not far enough in to know if I'll really like it. So far so good, though.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

I had a hard time getting into that one. You'll have to come back an update us after you're done! I'd love to hear if you think it was a worthy read.

[–] gonewriting 1 points 2 years ago
[–] bataklik 2 points 2 years ago

I am reading ' "Ataturk, the rebirth of a nation" of Lord Kinross. I liked it so far.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Nearly done with Book of the Short Sun! Just started the last book in it. I really like the two-timeline structure of it, though I may be one of the minority who prefers Long Sun. It's more...idk, cosy. I like the religious themes.

I want to mention something else but not sure how to do spoilers here

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Finished:

  • Anthropocene Reviewed - John Green
  • Happy Place - Emily Henry

In Progress:

  • The Maidens - Alex Michaelidas
[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

I'm almost done with Wyrd Sisters and my love for Pratchett only grows the more I read him.

Wyrd Sisters has a bit of a bumpy start (more like a few molehills) but once it hits it's stride it really flies. Every paragraph has a gem but they wizz by so fast that I find I can't remember anything but the feeling.

Also lovely audiobook with Indira Varma narrating. They did great managing all the stage direction and other odd formatting in the book. And she does just the right amount with all the oddball voices.

I've read a few Discworld books here and there but this time I hope I can really dive in. Pratchett puts me in such a good headspace especially with gestures around generally

[–] primevandal 1 points 2 years ago

ive personally just finished heaven by mieko kawakami and project hail mary. trying to read shorter ones to get back into the groove. id appreciate any suggestions.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

Reading Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Like it so far, the stories are intriguing.

[–] Think_a_name 1 points 2 years ago

I'm currently reading The Diet Myth by Tim Spector

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

I am reading "Notes from a Small Island" by Bill Bryson. The vocabulary of the book is way too complicated for a foreigner, alas. (B1 level).

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

I just got Yellowface and can’t wait to start! A couple of friends gave it rave reviews.

[–] PhyrneRocks 1 points 2 years ago

I’m on a Hamish Macbeth binge right now. Just finished Death of a Scriptwriter and Death of a Macho Man. Next up is Death of a Dustman.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

I finished Dust of Dreams by Steven Erikson this morning before work. Next up is the Crippled God.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

I'm currently reading Lonesome Dove. It's an easy read. It took some time to get into, but now that I'm half way in, I hope it never ends.

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