What are you reading? (August 2018)

[Deleted member 1067]

Hey everyone, no book club this month sadly :(

It'll be back the following month though, so for this month I'm just going to go ahead and post last month's book for extra coverage:

The first in a series of Discworld novels starring the young witch Tiffany Aching.

A nightmarish danger threatens from the other side of reality. . . .

Armed with only a frying pan and her common sense, young witch-to-be Tiffany Aching must defend her home against the monsters of Fairyland. Luckily she has some very unusual help: the local Nac Mac Feegle—aka the Wee Free Men—a clan of fierce, sheep-stealing, sword-wielding, six-inch-high blue men.

Together they must face headless horsemen, ferocious grimhounds, terrifying dreams come true, and ultimately the sinister Queen of the Elves herself. . . .

-


It's a pretty rad read, so if you haven't given it a go make sure to check it out if you can! Also, if anyone has any idea on what they want out of next month's books just let me know because as of right now I'm really busy with stuff and I'm just sort of lost as to what to put up for it. Scifi, historical fiction, high fantasy, social history, etc, etc whatever you guys want to do just throw some books out there and I'll add a poll in later once we get a few books rec'd. I think this way will be a little better rather than me forcing some genre restrictions on everyone or something. As always, just give me an @ or a PM if you have questions or comments and I'll try and get back to you asap :)

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Previous Book Club Threads:

• Putin Country by Anne Garrels and Enlightenment Now by Steve Pinker
  
• Bird Box by Josh Malerman
  
• Astrophysics for People in A Hurry; Guns, Germs, and Steel (April 2018)
• The Left Hand of Darkness (March 2018)
  
• Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (Feb 2018)
• Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (Jan 2018)
  
• Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (Dec 2017)
  
• We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy by Ta-Nehisi Coates (Nov 2018)
• Blindness by Jose Saramago (Feb 2014)
• The Quiet American by Graham Greene (Jan 2014)
• If on a winter's night a traveler by Italo Calvino (Sept 2013)
• Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (July 2013)
• Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (Feb-Mar 2013)
• The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (September 2012)
• Catch-22, by Joseph Heller (January 2012)
• The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (December 2011)
• Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West, by Cormac McCarthy (Oct 2011)
• The Master and Margarita, by Mikhail Bulgakov (Sep 2011)
• The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas (Aug 2011)
• Master and Commander, by Patrick O'Brian (July 2011)
• The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin (June 2011)
• A Visit from the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan (May 2011)
• The Afghan Campaign, by Steven Pressfield (Apr 2011)
• Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert A. Heinlein (Mar 2011)
• Flashman, by George MacDonald Fraser (Feb 2011)

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Support ERA authors:

• aidan (Hugo Award winner): http://aidanmoher.com/blog/ / Tide of Shadows and Other Stories
• AngmarsKing701: Ahvarra: The Heart of the World ; Knight Descendent: Knight's Journal 1; Author Page of Brian Lang
• cosmicblizzard: Freeze Kill
• Xagareth - Lamplight
  
• Elfforkusu: Wrath of Flight
• Fidelis Hodie: Derek Agons Slays a Dragon
• H.Protagonist: Dead Endings
• Hop: The Latte Segment
• Plasticine Live Undead
• UCBooties Trumpocalypse
• whatevermort: The Explorer; No Harm Can Come to a Good Man; Long Dark Dusk by James Smythe
• HK Lune - New Tales From Old Yarn: Fairy Tales and Myths, Rewritten and Re-imagined by Writers
• MasseyFect - Where Dragonwoofs Sleep and the Fading Creeps

Explore

• Reddit's Favorite Books Published in 2016
• Goodreads 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime
• The 40 Best Sci-Fi Books According to Reddit

 

[AngmarsKing701]

Almost a quarter of the way through Kings of the Wyld. Pretty good so far. Sort of like "grimlark" the way things are starting out.

 

[ara]

Still going at it with The Grand Design, Code Complete (second edition) and Best Served Cold.

All seem great, for different reasons. Haven't had much time to read in the past week or two, but my summer vacation finally starts tomorrow. Should have more than enough time to focus on reading.

 

[MilkBeard]

Still making my way through Children of Blood and Bone (about half way), as well as Atonement (just started).

 

[Donthizz]

Almost a quarter of the way through Kings of the Wyld. Pretty good so far. Sort of like "grimlark" the way things are starting out.

Click to shrink...

Really enjoyed this book.

 

[CrazyAndy]

Going to finish Factotum by Charles Bukowski this weekend and then I will start with Ham on Rye right after. I have already read Post Office and Women by Bukowski and I like his stories and writing style.

 

[NekoFever]

I'm reading Thrawn: Alliances at the moment, on a break between "worthier" books. Not that impressed so far, to be honest, but it's a fairly quick read.

Almost a quarter of the way through Kings of the Wyld. Pretty good so far. Sort of like "grimlark" the way things are starting out.

Click to shrink...

I enjoyed that book. There's a sequel out this month, called Bloody Rose.

 

[gosublime]

Finished Missing by Alison Moore last night. It's a story about a translator who has got issues with her extended family and friends - she's disappeared up to the Scottish Borders after an incident involving her sister and niece. I bought up because I'm from the Scottish Borders and although it really isn't about that part of the world too much, I'm still glad I got it. Written in a really sparse style that fits the plot and ideas presented.

 

[Xagarath]

I've just finished Catriona Ward's new gothic novel, Little Eve, about a cult on a remote Scottish island:

 

[Protome]

Still reading Spinning Silver. I'm really enjoying it so far, it's a lot slower than Uprooted but it has never felt dull. I'm about a third of the way through it and everything just got tipped on its head so I'm looking forward to seeing where things go.

Also I picked these up, going to read The Strange Case Of The Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss for the next read for my podcast and then Record of a Spaceborn Few after that.

I've just finished Catriona Ward's new gothic novel, Little Eve, about a cult on a remote Scottish island:

Click to shrink...

...
...
...
*adds to wishlist*

 

[Andi]

Just finished Flowers for Algernon.
A great short read, but a heavy subject.

Looking for something more uplifting now.....

 

[fulltimepanda]

Just finished re-reading flowers for Algernon too, the last few pages always get me. I've re read it a few times now and always manage to hung up on something different each time (in a good way), hard to consume it all given how quickly it all moves.

Back onto The Vorrh, about 30% through and not sure how to feel about it. Either too many characters were introduced or the pace that it switches characters up I find off-putting. Will try and push through to 50% or so but it's getting harder and harder for me to read.

 

[arkon]

Heads up for those in the UK. My email alerts have been flooded by price drops on a whole bunch of stuff, most notably omnibus collections of different series in the Kindle UK store.

Tales of the Ketty Jay: Retribution Falls, The Black Lung Captain, The Iron Jackal, The Ace of Skulls by Chris Wooding for £3.99

The Complete Lyonesse: Suldrun's Garden, The Green Pearl, Madouc by Jack Vance for £3.99

The Braided Path: The Weavers Of Saramyr, The Skein Of Lament, The Ascendancy Veil by Chris Wooding for £3.99

The Northland Trilogy: Stone Spring, Bronze Summer, Iron Winter by Stephen Baxter for £3.99

Destiny's Children: Coalescent, Exultant, Transcendent, Resplendent by Stephen Baxter for £3.99

Alternate Histories (The Time's Tapestry series: Emperor, Conqueror, Navigator and Weaver plus the Northland Trilogy listed above) by Stephen Baxter for £3.99. 7 books in total.

Behemoth: Silverhair, Longtusk, Icebones by Stephen Baxter for £3.99

A Memory of Flames Complete eBook Collection. This is all ten books by Stephen Deas in this setting for £3.99

The Thursday Next Collection 1-3: The Eyre Affair, Lost in a Good Book, The Well of Lost Plots for £3.99


non-SFF:

JAMES LEE BURKE – THE ROBICHEAUX COLLECTION. This appears to be the first 18 books (out of 21 in the series) for £3.99

10 Great Rebus Novels for £3.99. Again the first 10 books in the series it seems.

 

[Shotterke]

Finishing up The Outsider by King. I'm not really enjoying the second half of the book.

I also have to figure out what I'll be reading next. Anybody here that read Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo and can recommend it?

 

[Alethiometer]

 

[Xagarath]

Finishing up The Outsider by King. I'm not really enjoying the second half of the book.

I also have to figure out what I'll be reading next. Anybody here that read Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo and can recommend it?

Click to shrink...

I quite liked it! It's a decent fantasy heist novel, very much YA but engagingly written, and the world-building and characters aren't bad either.

*adds to wishlist*

Click to shrink...

It's a good one! Not sure if I liked it quite as much as Rawblood, but they're both really atmospheric, well-plotted books.

 

[Deleted member 31133]

Back to history again tonight. I've been reading far more non fiction than fiction at the moment and loving it. Will be starting this book either tonight or tomorrow.

 

[Deleted member 19213]

This thread. heh.

 

[Dec]

Still finishing Grapes of Wrath. Hopefully tomorrow.

My reading has been delayed slightly because I bought some new PC peripherals that I wanted to get used to.

 

[P-MAC]

Hope this is the best place to ask, but do we have a thread like this on ResetEra?

https://www./threads/what-books-do-...reading-in-a-particular-area-of-study.471111/

And if not would anybody be interested in running it again? I'm more than happy to do it, alone or with help, but don't know if someone here is already doing something similar.

I found it super useful when I felt like reading up on a certain topic, but it didn't get updated for long and kinda just fell to the wayside. If we could do it properly and make it a comprehensive list with recommendations for most subjects, it could be really awesome.

 

[Quinton]

The Witcher - Blood of Elves. These chapters are lengthy!

 

[Fevaweva]

I am half way through The Buried Giant by Kazou Ishigoru. Thoroughly enjoying it so far.

 

[PuppetMinion]

I finished Wisteria Witches by Angela Pepper this morning on the way to work. Refreshing and kinda funny. I think I will buy more of the series later.

Started reading The paper magician by Charlie N. Holmberg. Obviously haven't gotten very far yet, seems fairly promising so far.

 

[Dec]

Hope this is the best place to ask, but do we have a thread like this on ResetEra?

https://www./threads/what-books-do-...reading-in-a-particular-area-of-study.471111/

And if not would anybody be interested in running it again? I'm more than happy to do it, alone or with help, but don't know if someone here is already doing something similar.

I found it super useful when I felt like reading up on a certain topic, but it didn't get updated for long and kinda just fell to the wayside. If we could do it properly and make it a comprehensive list with recommendations for most subjects, it could be really awesome.

Click to shrink...

This seems like it might be of interest, but I haven't really looked at it myself, just saw it recommended a few days ago.

https://fivebooks.com/

 

[Deleted member 11008]

I finished To Kill a Mockingbird yesterday, and I read almost 2/5 of Jumper between yesterday and today (or at least what I read before work)

I'm liking the second one, it's nothing like the movie. Thank god. Too bad my book has a cover from the movie, but I don't care, it was a free book for me.

 

[P-MAC]

This seems like it might be of interest, but I haven't really looked at it myself, just saw it recommended a few days ago.

https://fivebooks.com/

Click to shrink...

Thanks a lot that's awesome actually :)

 

[Dedication Through Light]

Woot finished a book this month already

This Story Is a Lie

This Story is a Lie is a book with several unique elements that help to set it apart from other entries in the suspense and mystery genre. Our lead character, Peter, is exceptional at mathematics but suffers from several panic and anxiety moments that often lead to us getting intriguing aspects of storytelling that other writers avoid. This presents a unique challenge for a story told from the first-person perspective as we often get rambling of thoughts and a lack of details on what may happening in a scene. For example, in the first major story set piece, his panic attack causes us to only catch bits and pieces of the mother's attack. Other moments, usually any in which action or speed is necessary, we get him rambling and almost crippling himself in doubt, which often adds a layer of suspense to the story. It does hurt it in some ways as some scenes are hard to follow.

The math prodigy aspect helps to add an additional layer to Peter well as to the story as you feel while reading that that math is often giving us hints towards how the character will act. In some ways it does telegraph a bit too heavily what will happen next. The worst aspect, though, are the occasional long math moments in both exposition and interactions with characters. Though compelling, they often ruined the pacing.
Otherwise much of the story was a "been there done that" type of affair. There are tons of plot twists, there is doubt ever present in both the obvious twist and the well-built, well layered ones deep into the story that nearly catch you off guard, and lastly there are some that border on the edge of believability. Some of them made it hard to really take the story seriously as I couldn't figure out if it was trying to stay 100% real or if it was really going the science fiction route. Even at the end it is unclear.

At the end of the day, the book was an interesting read. I think it captured the teenager with anxiety aspect well, even the awkward teenage romance moments, the brother/sister relationship, and even the issues with discovering a parent's secret. There were some things it could have done better though, however, beyond all of that, it is sure to be a story that one would occasionally think about randomly weeks and months after reading the book. So, read this.

 

[TheBeardedOne]

Reading a couple of library books that sounded interesting.

I'm just shy of halfway through

My first Coben book. I just started it yesterday and am about 50 pages in.

 

[Saphirax]

Master Assassins was decent, although the beginning was somewhat dreadful. Characters took some getting used to, even though some of them were written poorly. However, the way the author teases all the worldbulding that will surely come into play in the sequels was enough to keep my interest.

The Silent Companions - loved it. Especially the ending. Good to know that horror novels can still surprise me with their gruesome imagery.

Revenant Gun - Ugh, need more. Seriously, why is this only a trilogy? I demand a spinoff revolving around Mikodez. I've seen many people say the trilogy was difficult to get into, so I had some reservations. The first book could be confusing from time to time, but once things got going and I truly got into it, it was a breeze.

 

[Xagarath]

The Silent Companions - loved it. Especially the ending. Good to know that horror novels can still surprise me with their gruesome imagery.

Click to shrink...

I really liked this one as well! She has another coming out in October - The Corset

 

[Deleted member 26398]

I'm reading to the lighthouse.

 

[StrayDog]

just starting Warship - Black Fleet Trilogy

 

[SxP]

Finished The Fifth Season yesterday. This was definitely a slow burn and it really took until the final third for the book to become something more than just some interesting ideas and concepts. But it did enough in that final third for me to want to continue reading this series, so I will.

But before I do, I'm currently reading Shadow of the Colossus by Nick Suttner, from the Boss Fight Books series.

 

[Saphirax]

I really liked this one as well! She has another coming out in October - The Corset

Click to shrink...

Oh, wow; I had no idea! October's the perfect month for it too. Going to keep an eye on it.

 

[WascallyWabbit]

Read the first two books of the Nyxia triad, really fun stuff, perfect summer read.
If you're interested in a Hunger Games type book but with an ethnically diverse group of characters, you should definitely pick this up. Definitely can't remember a sci-fi book where the main character is a black kid from Detroit. It definitely made him feel far more relatable than most sci-fi protagonists who are from a different world or far flung future.

Third book comes out in spring 2019, can't wait

 

[ekka4shiki]

Still finishing Murder on the Orient Express. Yeah, really old book there lol. Just want to experience what's Agatha Christie works all about.

 

[DrKelpo]

I'm about half way through Dune.

 

[thebigcountry]

Finally got around to reading the "standard" text on Reconstruction. It lived up to its reputation.

I wanted to like Florida more than I actually did. Despite the state of Florida's impact on American culture at-large, Florida is underrepresented within literature, especially modern Florida. Groff is certainly a talented writer. She is excellent at creating a sense of place and setting within these stories. Yet the collection left me unfulfilled. The characters within these stories are all a little too similar, and Florida is really centered around Gainesville, without much exploration of the rest of the state.

Currently I'm reading Svetlana Alexievich's Secondhand Time. The first part of this book is driven by one question: after the fall of the Soviet Union, what has happened to the men and women who defined themselves by it? It's a fascinating book.

 

[DonaldKimball]

I just finished Requiem for a Dream. It's close to 7pm and I feel like curling up in a ball and going to sleep. This book fucked me up. To think this must be reality for some people out there is heartbreaking.

 

[Einchy]

So, I was reading Nemesis by HP Lovecraft again just now and convinced me to finally get into his work. What's the must read Lovecraft book? Also, anything that's similar to Nemesis?

 

[Shelbyville Milhouse]

I managed to finish a couple of books on my vacation and finally cleared out (most of) my Sci-Fi(ish) backlog so here are my quick impressions

The Man Who Sold The Moon (+Requim) by Robert Heinlein
A pretty fun and entertaining short-story that's also really tragic and sad in a way I didn't expect

The Children of Men by P.D. James
I really loved this book except for the ending which felt a bit....

Spoiler

too convenient and cliched and kinda ruins the vibe of the book.

<-- There are no real spoilers but once you read this you can pretty much guess the ending of the book while reading it. Still an excellent read tho

The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin
Everybody seems to love this book and while I found the first half to be really interesting it kinda lost me once the "real" plot was revealed. There were some minor issues I had with it along the way that wouldn't have bothered me too much but in the end it kinda just lost me.

Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov
I doubt anybody needs to hear any more praise for this, it's a Sci-Fi Classic and rightfully so

Neuromancer by William Gibson (audiobook)
I really enjoyed most of the book and while I wouldn't put it up there on any "best book ever" lists it was an entertaining story in an interesting universe.

I'm halfway through "Old Man's War" and it's really, really not grabbing me at all, so I might just drop it and start something else instead

 

[Shadybiz]

Flipping back and forth between:

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich - William Shirer. It's a voluminous work at a touch over 1,100 pages, but...it's probably an important one to read.

and

Undaunted Courage - Stephen Ambrose (about the Lewis & Clark expedition). I've had it laying around for awhile, so I think it's time to get to it.

 

[Shoeless]

Cannibal chef also acts as human mediator for the hierarchy of spirit society in modern day Kuala Lumpur. Really hilarious, crazy stuff in here, and for anyone that's actually local to the region, she writes it in first person, always addressing the reader as "ang moh."

 

[Nappuccino]

Been reading a lot of stuff, but right now Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer and Jane Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad.

Tropic of Cancer is incredible on a sentence / paragraph level. That man could write. I'm not sure how I see the novel holding together, at this point. I'm more interested with his use of language, his troubling depictions of women (yet surprising sex-worker positivity), than the minutia of plot. Well, I can hardly call it a plot so far. It's little more than a string of events connected by the protagonist's penis and empty wallet. But I like it. I like it a lot.

A Visit from the Goon Squad is a book I didn't want to read. The main premise sounded uninteresting. A failing record producer and his assistant do some things. But the novel is actually a series of linked stories that travel time and their circle of acquaintances. Each story / chapter is a masterful display of short story construction and emotional underpinning. Seriously, pay attention to her set ups and payoffs. They're immaculate. There's only been one story that has fallen a bit flat for me, but aside from that one, it's easy to see how this book accrued so many awards.

 

[fakefaker]

Slowly making my way through The Fionavar Tapestry omnibus. So far it's really well done, but sometimes I feel a little baffled.

 

[Einchy]

Ordered this:

The Lovecraft book crazy cheap.

 

[B.K.]

I'm slowly working my way through it. It's been a bad week and I haven't gotten to read much this week. I'm hoping to make some progress in it this weekend.

 

[JaseMath]

Trying to read Name of the Wind, but I'm not loving it like I thought I would, like everyone else seems to. Not sure what it says about me that I don't. I'm just over Kvothe's flawlessness and arrogance. Why is he so perfect at everything? I just don't find him very interesting.

Could also be that I don't read fantasy. Ever.

 

[Dec]

Trying to read Name of the Wind, but I'm not loving it like I thought I would, like everyone else seems to. Not sure what it says about me that I don't. I'm just over Kvothe's flawlessness and arrogance. Why is he so perfect at everything? I just don't find him very interesting.

Could also be that I don't read fantasy. Ever.

Click to shrink...

One theory is he is an unreliable narrator

 

[TheBeardedOne]

I just noticed that a book I've had on hold at the library (Harlan Coben's Caught) for a while now has been overdue since June 26/17. So much for that.