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What Are You Reading? (August 2019)

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Jag

Jag

Member
Oct 26, 2017
11,671
Have a cool August.

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Join the ResetEra Goodreads Book Club to track your progress on our monthly read threads.


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Happy reading!
 
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Jag

Jag

Member
Oct 26, 2017
11,671
Started

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Coincidentally also playing Pathfinder: Kingmaker and wondered why this book felt like a Pathfinder game. Turns out the author also wrote for Pathfinder.

On deck: The new Red Rising book Dark Age by Pierce Brown and Grey Sister from Mark Lawrence, Book 2 of Book of the Ancestor.
 
Pranooy

Pranooy

Member
Oct 26, 2017
23
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Started Hyperion few weeks back and finished the stories of 3 characters. It is really dark & mysterious and i love it so far. I don't know why i waited this long to read this one.
 

Sleuth

alt account
Banned
Jul 18, 2019
238
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I'm about 100 pages into this one. Its got a ground hog day conceit, only our hero starts the first instance we are following him on with his memory wiped. Not bad so far. Its got an intriguing plot, too bad the prose is full of cliched language, that is turning me off a little bit.
 
Knight in Shining Armani

Knight in Shining Armani

Member
Oct 30, 2017
8,967
About 60% through Before They Are Hanged and I think I like it slightly more than The Blade Itself. All groups are equally interesting this time around and I like how they crossed over.
 
Valkyr

Valkyr

Member
Oct 26, 2017
2,939
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I'm about half way through The Talisman and I am really enjoying it. It's not really what I expected but that's not a bad thing. It's a great cross country, road/travel story with a good bit of King weirdness thrown in. I'm glad I'm finally getting around to reading it since it's very Dark Tower adjacent.

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Also about 3/4 of the way through the second Wheel of Time book. I really had no intentions of starting this series. I picked up Eye of the World last summer because I wanted to see what it was like but had no intention of actually going past it. I had put it down for a while after being kind of bored by the beginning of the book but finally finished it last month. I'm mostly listening to the audio book while I walk my dog which has really been what has kept me going as the narration in these audio books is pretty fantastic. I'm glad I moved on to this one as I'm really enjoying the world building in the second book. I have The Dragon Reborn on deck to start when I finish this one. I still imagine I will eventually get bored of the series but for now, I'm trucking on.

Side note: I just bought a Kindle Paperwhite, which is an excellent device. I've always been kind of a weird, ritualistic reader where I would sit down for an hour or 2 and really dig into stuff, which actually made it hard for me to finish stuff if I wasn't SUPER into it because I would get bored reading for that long and just stop for long periods. But with the kindle, I can take it everywhere with me and read a chapter or 2 at a time. It's really changed my reading habits for the better and let me read a lot in general. It even fits in my back pocket.
 
Blue Skies

Blue Skies

Banned
Mar 27, 2019
9,224
Liars Poker
Michale Lewis first book I think, it's ok, obviously dated, but very short.

The Sixth Extinction
Kind of a dry subject, but the author, Elizabeth Kulbert, has a fun way of writing, feels more like we're on her expeditions with her, than reading dry science stuff.

In The Woods
Always heard about this murder mystery, recently started it up, it reads nice. Very thick tho, might take me a while.
 

Deleted member 8861

User requested account closure
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Oct 26, 2017
10,564
I'm reading One Hundred Years of Solitude, and predictably I'm blown away. After getting turned off of Dhalgren, it's one of the best books I've read in a long time.

Red Rising seems pretty good from the little I read as a pulp-ish read, but I think I'll get to The Library On Mount Char first.

Did Borges ever write long fiction? I love The Library of Babel.
 
DassoBrother

DassoBrother

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,624
Saskatchewan
I asked for recommendations last month so I better try to get to Abercrombie's The First Law trilogy soon but I got a bit too aggressive with library holds so I'll have to power through...

Karen Russell's Orange World (this has been a quick read so far, and I've really enjoyed it)
Sara Marcus' Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution
John Langan's The Fisherman
Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk

I wouldn't mind trying to squeeze some comics in there just to break it up but I don't really have anything I've been dying to get to. Maybe some stuff I've been meaning to read forever like Duncan the Wonder Dog, Clan Apis, or something by Chris Ware.
 
aidan

aidan

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,770
I recently finished:

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Tamsyn Muir's Gideon the Ninth is an absolute revelation. It's gothic science fantasy that takes elements of Agatha Christie's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE (bunch of strangers stranded in a closed environment, having to work together or compete to solve a mystery) and mixes it with about a million other things—from adventure to horror to humour—to supremely satisfying results. Isabel Yap once described it as "the closes thing to a JRPG in book form," and she's absolutely right. Brooke Bolander described the novel's voice as "a rap battle in an opera house," and that's the absolutely closest description I've heard. Muir's a marvel.

It's been getting a ton of buzz for about a year now, but it still managed to blow away my expectations. I'm DESPERATE for the next book in the series, but... this one isn't even officially out yet. It's gonna be a LONG wait.

I'm now reading:

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Midnight in Chernobyl by Abraham Higginbotham

Piggybacking off of HBO's show, I wanted to learn more about the Chernobyl incident, and Higginbotham's account is at once informative, heartbreakingly human, and harrowing.

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The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

I'm only about two pages into this, but I'm already taken by Harrow's voice and tone. It's a portal fantasy, which I love, that reminds me in some ways of Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife or Zafon's The Shadow of the Wind. I'll never look at the letter D the same way again.
 

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aidan said:
Tamsyn Muir's Gideon the Ninth is an absolute revelation. It's gothic science fantasy that takes elements of Agatha Christie's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE (bunch of strangers stranded in a closed environment, having to work together or compete to solve a mystery)
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you sold me.

And it releases on my birthday.

Ohohoho.
 
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gosublime

gosublime

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,431
aidan said:
I'm only about two pages into this, but I'm already taken by Harrow's voice and tone. It's a portal fantasy, which I love, that reminds me in some ways of Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife or Zafon's The Shadow of the Wind. I'll never look at the letter D the same way again.
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And another one goes on the list.
 
WascallyWabbit

WascallyWabbit

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,426
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Really enjoyed this. I've been on a kick lately of time travel books and this one was quit interesting. The first half is well written but it's very much a downer and then picks up in the second half. And really considers a different idea of time travel that i've heard of
 

citrusred

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,964
Finished reading the standalone First Law books from Joe Abercrombie (Best Served Cold, The Heroes and Red County). I only started reading them since I realized the start of the next trilogy is coming out in September but they were absolutely fantastic. It was great to see characters somewhat removed from the main movers and shakers of the world but are still heavily affected by them.
 
Shiloh

Shiloh

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,710
I'm a year late, but I just finished Hank Green's "An Absolutely Remarkable Thing".

Not my usual, but really enjoyed it. Still compiling my thoughts, but had to outlet somewhere, heh.
 
karmaforgotme

karmaforgotme

Member
Oct 27, 2017
893
Knoxville, TN
citrusred said:
Finished reading the standalone First Law books from Joe Abercrombie (Best Served Cold, The Heroes and Red County). I only started reading them since I realized the start of the next trilogy is coming out in September but they were absolutely fantastic. It was great to see characters somewhat removed from the main movers and shakers of the world but are still heavily affected by them.
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When I hear studios are looking for the next 'Game of Thrones', I am always like option the First Law trilogy. End of conversation.
 

thomaser

Member
Nov 26, 2017
69
Finished "Little Dorrit" by Charles Dickens. A strange book that tries to be a bit of everything. From rags to riches, social commentary, satire, comedy, gothic horror, moral lessons... I enjoyed it, but it felt very contrived at times. Some of the characters are really good, especially the main antagonist. This was my first Dickens. I'll probably read more of him, any recommendations?

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By Source (WP:NFCC#4), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35876691
Just started "Life and Death are Wearing Me Out" by Mo Yan. Seems like magical realism á la Marquez, but in rural China. Starts with the murder of the protagonist, then his gruesome torture once he enters the underworld. It goes up from there, though, in a way.
 
Jonnykong

Jonnykong

Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,915
I finished "The Whisper Man" which was fine 🤷‍♂️

Next up, I'm starting the rather beastly looking, Wanderers.

I would post a picture of the cover, but I'm not entirely sure how to post images on this site anymore now that Imgur has stopped mobile log-ins.
 
Mana Latte

Mana Latte

Banned
Jul 6, 2019
915
"Fire and Blood" by GRRM on my new kindle paper white. Reading it in between the dark tower series
 
Matsukaze

Matsukaze

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,234
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I finally got around to reading Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. I am about 3/4 of the way through it and I'm absolutely loving it. Weatherford's writing style is more enjoyable than expected.
 
RedFyn

RedFyn

Member
Oct 25, 2017
177
I tried reading The Stand but I just couldn't get into it. I enjoy the setting, didn't mind the setup, and there weren't any terrible characters that killed my interest. I don't know what it was but after spending weeks trying to read it I just had to move on.

I tried something lighter and more fun in The Invisible Library which was a pleasant read with an interesting premise.

The last couple of weeks I've been reading through Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy. It's ultimately a disappointing read "ending"(there's a bunch more books that tie into this story, answer lose ends and continue the main characters story) in a third book that brings the whole trilogy down with it. The first book showed potential, the second stalled but ended on a high note that setup the third book to be great. Instead we got a book 150 pages longer than the last which really only succeeds in making you wish you had just read a different series to begin with.

Somehow the characters with the most growth are two strong female characters that are relegated to a few pages of vague mentioning of their exploits because Hobb had to get back to Fitz's journey through the land of thirsty women.

None of the characters learn from their mistakes, they all do idiotic things over and over again, and many are left behind once Hobb has no more use for them. Her insistence on focusing exclusively on the main character limits the scope and weakens the story.

Jag said:
On deck: The new Red Rising book Dark Age by Pierce Brown
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Oh, awesome. I didn't realize this was out.
 
Donthizz

Donthizz

Member
Oct 26, 2017
3,902
Matsukaze said:
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I finally got around to reading Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. I am about 3/4 of the way through it and I'm absolutely loving it. Weatherford's writing style is more enjoyable than expected.
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if you're interested in Genghis Khan, also read the Conqueror series by Con Iggulden. its historical-fiction but its a fascinating series.
 
AngmarsKing701

AngmarsKing701

Member
Oct 26, 2017
876
Finished McLellan's Powder Mage trilogy. A solid read. Not sure if I'll go back to the next series, but I'm seeing a lot of comments that it's even better than the first. So we'll see.

I'm way behind on my reading challenge for the year, which is modest to begin with. Work has been heavier this year.

I've started GGK's A Brightness Long Ago. He's probably my favorite author, so I'll savor this one like a fine wine.
 
Fancy Clown

Fancy Clown

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,407
Started The Devil in the White City. Only 30 pages in, but it's already fascinating. The Chicago World's Fair must have been insane to experience.
 

Deleted member 8861

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Oct 26, 2017
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I acquired copies of my physics textbooks for the upcoming year and I'm quite excited to work through them tbh
 
Vincent Alexander

Vincent Alexander

Member
Oct 26, 2017
19,758
Almost done with The Expanse: Levaithan Wakes.

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I'm really loving this book. It's a quick, easy read. What I love the most though is that my least favorite parts of season 1? They don't exist.

In season 1,
the Earth politicians bored the shit out of me. The whatever agent that snuck a ride on the Roci felt like he existed just for drama. And Amos shooting Miller's old partner felt like really, really forced drama.
None of that happened in the book. I understand cutting content when you adapt, but I don't understand these additions.
 

Deleted member 984

User requested account closure
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Oct 25, 2017
5,203
Rachel Cusk's The Country Life.

She's a fantastic writer through and through. Very much feels like an evolution of Austen and Emily Brontë, the formality, themes and structure of those writers is clear which feels almost surreal among the modern setting and sensibilities. Enjoying it a lot.
 
Zelenogorsk

Zelenogorsk

Banned
Mar 1, 2018
1,567
Finished Dark Places by Gillian Flynn and didn't like it at all. Slow pace, meh characters, and I hated the ending. Huge disappointment after the amazing Sharp Objects.

Since that was a dud I decided to go back to my favorite author Stephen King and start Mr. Mercedes. Loving it so far but I'm only like 100 pages in.
 
fakefaker

fakefaker

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
284
I'm on page 113 or at 6% of Journey To The West by Wu Cheng'en. I think I might be at this book for a while.
 
gaugebozo

gaugebozo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,833
Funyarinpa said:
I acquired copies of my physics textbooks for the upcoming year and I'm quite excited to work through them tbh
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Fun! Which books are they? Were you lucky enough to get a David Griffiths or unlucky enough to get a JD Jackson?

Thread related... Can anyone recommend some light/entertaining fiction? I've been considering starting Game of Thrones, but it's kind of overwhelming considering the size and no ending in sight. I really like Tolkien, Walter Moers, and Jasper Fford, and other similar fantasy/sci fi
 

citrusred

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,964
Finished The Fifth Season trilogy of books today. I had heard the second and third books were worse than the first but I thought the were fine, just more straightforward which I guess is what people meant when they said worse.
 
Splatbang

Splatbang

Member
Oct 26, 2017
488
Austria
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This is one the most entertaining books I've read in ages. I loved the first three books a lot and I thought the fourth was ok. I think I thought it unneccesary when I read it and was a bit wary about a fifth book, but by 20% or so it had already surpassed all my expectations.

I've been thinking about why I love this series so much for quite some time and yesterday it kind of dawned on me. I've started playing world of warcraft again about two or three months back and watched all the cinematics and stuff I've missed. I always liked the characters in the warcraft universe, these larger than life characters, ridiculous stuff happening left and right, just pure entertainment. And that's what this series reminds me of. The guy just takes everything that sounds cool and crafts it into a ridiculous universe where everyone is a badass with dragons, mechs, space battles, swords, snipers and I don't know what else. It's like the most ridiculous and amazing action movie one could come up with in book form. It's just unapologetically ridiculous and entertaining.

I haven't had this much fun reading a book in a long time.
 
Peru

Peru

Member
Oct 26, 2017
6,129
GC- said:
Rachel Cusk's The Country Life.

She's a fantastic writer through and through. Very much feels like an evolution of Austen and Emily Brontë, the formality, themes and structure of those writers is clear which feels almost surreal among the modern setting and sensibilities. Enjoying it a lot.
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Been reading her Outline trilogy recently and loved it, interested in reading more of her novels.
 
luca

luca

Member
Oct 25, 2017
16,518
I'm thinking of starting up God Emperor of Dune after having had a 3 month break. Somebody mentioned the book digs into timelines and that has me intrigued.
 
Osahi

Osahi

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,934
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In English it was translated as 'The Bad Girl'. My first Vargas Llosa, and a book that was on my 'to read'-list for ages. A trip to Peru gave me an excuse to finally open it, though I didn't have a lot of time to read when in holidays over there, nor does this book actually take place in Peru for the most part.

I'm a third in now, and I'm loving it. The prose is amazing, the story is not comedic but quite funny at times and it's all very atmospheric in the way Vargas Llosa describes life, characters and locales during different periods of time. My only gripe with it is that I'd have loved a bit more ambiguity in the story. It's about a guy head over heels in love with a woman he can't reach. The woman pops up during different periods in his life, always in a different 'identity'. At first I thought Vargas Llosa would keep it unclear if it truly is the same woman the main character bumps into over and over again, but very soon it is confirmed it is her every single time, which not only raises some questions about coincidences, but also seems like the weaker choice in a story about how crazy love can be. Anyway, despite that I'm loving it and I can't wait to see where it goes.
 
Shopolic

Shopolic

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
6,859
Dune
I read about 3/4 of the book and it's amazing. Can't wait to see Villeneuve movie with that great cast.
 
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