What Are You Reading? |OT| One Thread to Rule Them All

Jonnykong · Jan 20, 2020

Kain-Nosgoth said:
So, i don't read much myself, but i want to do a present for my sister who reads a lot for her birthday!

I know she really liked that one book, i am pligrim from terry hayes

Can you recommend me something similar that isn't too well known? I rather give her something she didn't read yet

thanks

There's a book I read called Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz which is quite similar, and enjoyable. It has had a couple of follow ups as well if she likes it enough to want to read more.

Kain-Nosgoth · Jan 20, 2020

Jonnykong said:
There's a book I read called Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz which is quite similar, and enjoyable. It has had a couple of follow ups as well if she likes it enough to want to read more.

Sadly it wasn't translated in french, she can read english but i won't be able to get it before her birthday! Thanks anyway, anything else in mind?

WhySoDevious · Jan 20, 2020

Just finished reading

Read it for the nostalgia for the old PC game. The book was alright.

I'm going to start reading

This is like the third time that I'm gonna start it up. For some reason I keep dropping it after a chapter or two.

When does it really kick in?

RepairmanJack · Jan 20, 2020

WhySoDevious said:
This is like the third time that I'm gonna start it up. For some reason I keep dropping it after a chapter or two.

When does it really kick in?

This is a hard one to answer. I feel like if you're not drawn in by the prologue or the mystery going from Kaladin in war and then Kaladin in a slave cart then you probably aren't going to grab on to much else from there. This series is probably the most slow burn of all of Sandersons stuff. It definitely gets there but these are largely character focused and a slow build to big things.

Deleted member 7279 · Jan 20, 2020

Have read the first two Ian Fleming James Bond novels so far this year. They are mediocre for the most part although there are a few good scenes in each one. Reading Live and Let Die was almost painful because of the amount of dated and downright racist language Fleming uses. The book was short and I just grit my teeth and get through it, but if the rest of them are like this I'm probably not going to continue.

Jonnykong · Jan 20, 2020

Kain-Nosgoth said:
Sadly it wasn't translated in french, she can read english but i won't be able to get it before her birthday! Thanks anyway, anything else in mind?

No I'm afraid I can't think of anything else at the moment.

Maybe try searching for I Am Pilgrim on Amazon and have a look to see what other books pop up in that bit which shows books that other customers have bought who've read Pilgrim.

WhySoDevious · Jan 20, 2020

RepairmanJack said:
This is a hard one to answer. I feel like if you're not drawn in by the prologue or the mystery going from Kaladin in war and then Kaladin in a slave cart then you probably aren't going to grab on to much else from there. This series is probably the most slow burn of all of Sandersons stuff. It definitely gets there but these are largely character focused and a slow build to big things.

Actually... read the prelude and prologue... and I must have confused the book with another one.

I remember starting it before, but unsure why I stopped. Definitely has me interested.

woo · Jan 20, 2020

silkysmooth said:
Have read the first two Ian Fleming James Bond novels so far this year. They are mediocre for the most part although there are a few good scenes in each one. Reading Live and Let Die was almost painful because of the amount of dated and downright racist language Fleming uses. The book was short and I just grit my teeth and get through it, but if the rest of them are like this I'm probably not going to continue.

What did you think of Bond's last words in Casino Royale? I read it for the first time a couple of years ago and almost laughed out loud at how misogynistic it was. Not because I am a horrible misogynist (I'm not) but because it was such a contrast to today's mindset and speech it was just surreal to read.

kingofrod · Jan 20, 2020

Finished The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen last night - for some reason I only got a few pages in when I first picked this up a few years ago, despite really liking Freedom. I tore through it this time - such a wonderfully written book about horrible people. I still think I like Freedom better, but really glad I gave this one another chance.

Ramble · Jan 20, 2020

I have two questions for avid readers:

1) How do you find upcoming books?

Right now I'm just relying on the algorithms of GoodReads and Amazon.

But I want to branch out and read different genres and it's not much help.

2) How do you know is a history/biography is "legit" and not full of lies and/or propaganda?

Obviously avoid any of the nutters like Bill O'Reilly but beyond that I have no idea. I know basically nothing about history.

I'm currently reading Midnight in Chernobyl and enjoying it, as much as one can given the subject matter.

Deleted member 7279 · Jan 20, 2020

woo said:
What did you think of Bond's last words in Casino Royale? I read it for the first time a couple of years ago and almost laughed out loud at how misogynistic it was. Not because I am a horrible misogynist (I'm not) but because it was such a contrast to today's mindset and speech it was just surreal to read.

It's James Bond so there is a built in level of misogyny i expect. I was a little shocked by how rude it felt though. The entire last 30% or so of that novel felt just so out of place compared to everything else.

Claude Augario · Jan 20, 2020

Finished H.G. Wells' The Time Machine. I like a good twisted, timey wimey, paradoxical time travel adventure but this was refreshing in its simplicity and linearity. But a quick glance around the internet tells me that there are a butt load of (official and unofficial) sequels that all veer into the territory of either

undoing/ignoring Weena's death or turning the morlocks into time traveling warmongers.

Deleted member 8861 · Jan 21, 2020

I'm 70 pages into The Great Sea by David Abulafia.

It's my first time reading a history book, ever, of my own volition except for Guns Germs & Steel but I dropped that book because nothing stuck.

It's, honestly, difficult. Perhaps out of sheer novelty, I've enjoyed it so far; but I either really don't have a mind for history reading, or this book's written in a really weird way. There doesn't seem to be much of a structure within the chapters, and the book just casually (even implicitly) mentions seemingly central facts and then moves on, and very often when the book references something it said before I draw a blank or feel surprised that the referenced thing was supposed to be significant.

I'd love input from other people who've read the book before- Is it just plain bad? Am I approaching a history book from a completely wrong angle? Is it just a bad book to start reading history with?

woo · Jan 21, 2020

silkysmooth said:
It's James Bond so there is a built in level of misogyny i expect. I was a little shocked by how rude it felt though. The entire last 30% or so of that novel felt just so out of place compared to everything else.

Yes, they couldn't get away with a faithful movie adaptation of the book nowadays, thankfully. It got pretty nasty.

Claude Augario said:
Finished H.G. Wells' The Time Machine. I like a good twisted, timey wimey, paradoxical time travel adventure but this was refreshing in its simplicity and linearity. But a quick glance around the internet tells me that there are a butt load of (official and unofficial) sequels that all veer into the territory of either

undoing/ignoring Weena's death or turning the morlocks into time traveling warmongers.

LOL at spoiler. I don't think that I ever read any of those but am now glad I didn't after reading that. I did read the original book though but then I grew up reading Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle, Edgar Rice Burroughs and other writers from that era. God, how the world has changed! (and yet people are still fundamentally the same)

Fancy Clown · Jan 21, 2020

woo said:
What did you think of Bond's last words in Casino Royale? I read it for the first time a couple of years ago and almost laughed out loud at how misogynistic it was. Not because I am a horrible misogynist (I'm not) but because it was such a contrast to today's mindset and speech it was just surreal to read.

Haven't read the book yet but are his last words

"the bitch is dead"?

if so, that line made it into the film, which contextualized it pretty well. The Bond books I have read are all filled with questionable shit though, Fleming had major issues.

woo · Jan 21, 2020

Fancy Clown said:
Haven't read the book yet but are his last words

"the bitch is dead"?

if so, that line made it into the film, which contextualized it pretty well. The Bond books I have read are all filled with questionable shit though, Fleming had major issues.

Wow, they put that in the film? The Daniel Craig one? Colour me shocked. Thanks for letting me know.

EDIT - IIRC the line in the book is:

No, the stupid bitch is dead

The books were of their era. Misogyny was a daily reality then, I'm afraid. I was born in '65 and it still was in my childhood. Misogyny, racism and homophobia were pretty much constant in the UK both in the media and in real life. Thank God we have grown up a bit since then.

Strings · Jan 21, 2020

woo said:
Wow, they put that in the film? The Daniel Craig one? Colour me shocked. Thanks for letting me know.

EDIT - IIRC the line in the book is:

No, the stupid bitch is dead

The books were of their era. Misogyny was a daily reality then, I'm afraid. I was born in '65 and it still was in my childhood. Misogyny, racism and homophobia were pretty much constant in the UK both in the media and in real life. Thank God we have grown up a bit since then.

The juxtaposition between it and the previous scene makes it work surprisingly well:

It's basically this:

Sparky2112 · Jan 21, 2020

Reading:

I became fascinated with this subject not because of all the subways I've ridden (although that's interesting, too), or the fact that there's a FREAKING TUNNEL connecting England and France, but by the Roman ruins that are *underneath* the plaza in from of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. It's actually a museum. It just seems crazy that we just kind of build on top of whatever was there before, as a lot of old cities are prone to do.

This starts in the subway tunnels of NYC, goes to the author and friends crossing the width of Paris entirely underground, but then it deals with subjects like microbial life in the depths of the Earth, the underground 'cities' people built in what is now Turkey, heck, he even works to understand the structures of ant colonies. A good, not-too-long read.

Tochtli79 · Jan 21, 2020

So in 2019 I started off well reading on my daily commute, went through a ton of books quickly. Then halfway through the year that changed, I found myself without a specific time to read, and I struggled to get through only a few books by December.

But this year I want to get through at least one book per month. So far, so good. I started with a book of essays by a Mexican author called Jorge Ibargüengoitia after reading a novel of his last year that I really enjoyed, called Kill the Lion, which I recommend to anyone at all interested in a comedic account of how crazy politics get in Latin America.

Anyway, his book of essays (Instrucciones para vivir en México) is about life in Mexico in the 70s. Not sure if it will appeal to non-Mexicans since a lot of it is self-deprecating humour, but I really enjoyed it, despite at times being struck by bits where it was very obviously written a long time ago when certain assumptions or attitudes were more accepted.

Having finished that, I've now started Dubliners by James Joyce. I've never read his works but I've wanted to for a long time and the idea of this book gathering everyday accounts of life in a specific place and time really appeals to me. I finished the first story, hoping to get through one per day to keep up the pace.

woo · Jan 21, 2020

Strings you are making me want to watch it now. I have not seen any of the Daniel Craig Bonds so I probably should.

Apologies for going off topic everyone. I'll shut up now.

Jag · Jan 21, 2020

Sparky2112 said:
Reading:

I became fascinated with this subject not because of all the subways I've ridden (although that's interesting, too), or the fact that there's a FREAKING TUNNEL connecting England and France, but by the Roman ruins that are *underneath* the plaza in from of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. It's actually a museum. It just seems crazy that we just kind of build on top of whatever was there before, as a lot of old cities are prone to do.

This starts in the subway tunnels of NYC, goes to the author and friends crossing the width of Paris entirely underground, but then it deals with subjects like microbial life in the depths of the Earth, the underground 'cities' people built in what is now Turkey, heck, he even works to understand the structures of ant colonies. A good, not-too-long read.

Oddly specific and sounds very interesting.

Sparky2112 · Jan 21, 2020

woo said:
Strings you are making me want to watch it now. I have not seen any of the Daniel Craig Bonds so I probably should.

Casino Royal is essential, and Daniel Craig is an awesome Bond. Plus, Eva Greene, so...

Deleted member 13496 · Jan 21, 2020

Sparky2112 said:
Reading:

I became fascinated with this subject not because of all the subways I've ridden (although that's interesting, too), or the fact that there's a FREAKING TUNNEL connecting England and France, but by the Roman ruins that are *underneath* the plaza in from of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. It's actually a museum. It just seems crazy that we just kind of build on top of whatever was there before, as a lot of old cities are prone to do.

This starts in the subway tunnels of NYC, goes to the author and friends crossing the width of Paris entirely underground, but then it deals with subjects like microbial life in the depths of the Earth, the underground 'cities' people built in what is now Turkey, heck, he even works to understand the structures of ant colonies. A good, not-too-long read.

This sounds really neat.

Rivenblade · Jan 21, 2020

Finished:

I enjoyed it. The chapter on how modern feminism falls short by basically still being for white women is in line with other books I've read on the subject that discuss the need for intersectionality in social justice movements. Her Bono stories are also pretty entertaining, and there are similes and allegories by the boatload. She flat-out loves comparing everyday occurrences to things that have taken place in pop culture.

woo · Jan 21, 2020

Sparky2112 said:
Casino Royal is essential, and Daniel Craig is an awesome Bond. Plus, Eva Greene, so...

I'll watch it tonight then 🐱.

Agamon · Jan 21, 2020

woo said:
I'll watch it tonight then 🐱.

It's got the most ridiculous slow roll poker scene ever!

Alternade · Jan 21, 2020

I just started The Outsider. Wanted to read it ahead of the show. Now im not sure if I want to see some of those visuals

Sparky2112 · Jan 21, 2020

Alternade said:
I just started The Outsider. Wanted to read it ahead of the show. Now im not sure if I want to see some of those visuals

We're watching it. I had no prior knowledge of the story, but I get that dreaded King feeling that the journey is the payoff and the destination...not so much.

arkon · Jan 21, 2020

Ramble said:
I have two questions for avid readers:

1) How do you find upcoming books?

Right now I'm just relying on the algorithms of GoodReads and Amazon.

But I want to branch out and read different genres and it's not much help.

2) How do you know is a history/biography is "legit" and not full of lies and/or propaganda?

Obviously avoid any of the nutters like Bill O'Reilly but beyond that I have no idea. I know basically nothing about history.

I'm currently reading Midnight in Chernobyl and enjoying it, as much as one can given the subject matter.

It's a mixture of trawling through recommendations threads on subreddits or articles found via google or my rss feeds, checking what else is in the goodreads pages of particular books in the readers also enjoyed section or even goodreads lists that are maintained by users. Then it's about reading blurbs or samples to see if the books are something I'd want to read in the future. If I'm looking to broaden my horizons then I try to relax certain requirements until I have a decent handle on what I will or won't enjoy in a particular genre. Libraries are a good place to sample things outside your usual genres without the financial hit.

MrBanballow · Jan 21, 2020

A friend of mine a few months ago suggested Eragon to me. A couple of nights ago, I finished the second book, Eldest.
I started reading it in the middle of November, so... two months? I'm slow.
It doesn't help that I got sidetracked by grabbing a new PS4 and what not on Black Friday.
Taking a break before Brisingr, reading something a bit shorter, Book II of Katanagatari, and maybe this copy of Big Fish that I grabbed.

dadjumper · Jan 21, 2020

I just finished Middlesex.
I really enjoyed it, though it gets pretty over-the-top sometimes. There were a couple of lines in there that made it seem like Eugenides didn't quite have the intersex perspective down, but overall it's really enjoyable, entertaining and def a unique perspective for a story. I guess a common criticism is half the book is about their grandparents/parents before you even get to the actual gender stuff, but I really enjoyed the immigration stuff and the interweaving of actual history into their sensational story. I'm sure everyone's aware of it, but I totally recommend it.

Gonna read Sue Perkins' autobiography next, seems like a nice breezy read. Then might get back to Moby Dick, which I dropped at about the 25% mark. I really like it but it is very dense.

Andi · Jan 22, 2020

Finally Finished Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson.
I liked the book but it dragged a bit compared to the the first 2. It did end on a high note though.

Now reading Crooked river by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Pretty good so far, I just adore the Pendergast novels. Wish they would make a TV show out of it.

Sparky2112 · Jan 24, 2020

It's official: resetera doesn't read.

Peru · Jan 24, 2020

I'm re-reading George Eliot's Daniel Deronda, which is one of her denser works, but so smart, so sympathetic, so aware of modern questions of social justice. But then I semi-conciously joined an online reading group for Middlemarch as well, which I've also obviously read (one of my favorite books) so I'm trying to page through both of her big old books. Not the greatest plan ever but hey!

DassoBrother · Jan 24, 2020

Sparky2112 said:
It's official: resetera doesn't read.

Having the one thread definitely makes me worse about posting updates. Overall I prefer it still but I need to bother posting more.

I've got less than 50 pages left so I'll finish Best Served Cold today. I've enjoyed it and I'm accelerating as I near the end so I must be invested in the story. I thought Abercrombie was almost going overkill with tying in characters from the First Law trilogy, making the universe feel smaller unnecessarily. At this point though it feels managed and well done. My favorite new characters would probably be Morveer (he sucks so much, I love it), and Friendly is also great.

I had started Permanent Record by Edward Snowden on Audible before so I'll try to finish that before The Heroes shows up (I put it on hold earlier this week). It was interesting so far but I read No Place to Hide by Glenn Greenwald last year and didn't end up liking it much. I think they help bring more attention to the overuse and illegal mass surveillance that is going on in the world today, but I saw Citizen Four when that came out and read many articles as the leaks were breaking that the book didn't add anything of value. Citizen Four would be my recommended way of consuming some of that information and getting Snowden's story. I should probably watch again though since I haven't seen it since theatres.

So The Heroes and Mister Miracle (comic) by Tom King will be my next reads probably starting sometime next week.

Uriah · Jan 24, 2020

I finished The Traitor Baru Cormarant. I heard the sequel is disappointing. Can anyone confirm?

I started Lincoln in the Bardo in the meantime.

Smoothcb · Jan 24, 2020

Rereading the below now in anticipation of reading the series finale!

Fireblend · Jan 24, 2020

Uriah said:
I finished The Traitor Baru Cormarant. I heard the sequel is disappointing. Can anyone confirm?

I started Lincoln in the Bardo in the meantime.

I'm in the same position, finished Traitor but haven't read Monster. Seems to me like opinion on the sequel is super split, actually. I know some people that did like it. I'll probably tackle it myself soon.

HStallion · Jan 24, 2020

Been reading the Worm web serial the last couple of weeks and if this isn't the best piece of superhero fiction in the last decade I don't know what is. Really interesting well rounded main cast, a unique nuanced look at a world of superheroes, some incredible villains and just a damn good story. It's got some pacing issues here and there and some other problems but they're generally minor issues in the scheme of things.

Var · Jan 24, 2020

Uriah said:
I finished The Traitor Baru Cormarant. I heard the sequel is disappointing. Can anyone confirm?

I started Lincoln in the Bardo in the meantime.

If you enjoy Lincoln in the Bardo, it's worth checking out the audiobook afterwards. I thought the book was good when I read it but the audiobook really took it to the next level. The cast does a great job.

Jag · Jan 24, 2020

Smoothcb said:
Rereading the below now in anticipation of reading the series finale!

May start this series next. Guess it's worth a read.

Xagarath · Jan 24, 2020

Uriah said:
I finished The Traitor Baru Cormarant. I heard the sequel is disappointing. Can anyone confirm?

I started Lincoln in the Bardo in the meantime.

I liked the sequal, but it's a bit of a style shift - messier and less structured, more about her mental state than the wider politics.

Peru said:
I'm re-reading George Eliot's Daniel Deronda, which is one of her denser works, but so smart, so sympathetic, so aware of modern questions of social justice. But then I semi-conciously joined an online reading group for Middlemarch as well, which I've also obviously read (one of my favorite books) so I'm trying to page through both of her big old books. Not the greatest plan ever but hey!

I've been meaning to get to Daniel Deronda myself - I liked Mill on the Floss and loved Middlemarch. Wasn't so sure about Adam Bede, but it's an early work.

Deleted member 17207 · Jan 24, 2020

Currently reading The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu after my brother had been bugging me for like a year or two to read lol. It's a super popular book trilogy originally written in Chinese, translated to many different languages now. I suspect this is going to get a lot more popular. Even from when my brother first mentioned it to now, I've recently seen book displays for it in Indigo and other places.

I'm about 2/3 in, it's really fucking cool and it REALLY keeps you on the edge of your seat. Very sci-fi (heavy emphasis on both the sci and the fi) story about politics, government, conspiracy, science, etc. There's more there but I don't want to get into spoiler territory in case anyone reads it.

djinn · Jan 24, 2020

Picked up Heart of Darkness at the library this week. Should be an interesting and quick read.

Sparky2112 · Jan 24, 2020

XandBosch said:
Currently reading The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu after my brother had been bugging me for like a year or two to read lol. It's a super popular book trilogy originally written in Chinese, translated to many different languages now. I suspect this is going to get a lot more popular. Even from when my brother first mentioned it to now, I've recently seen book displays for it in Indigo and other places.

It's bizarre, but sci-fi rarely deals with distances and years it takes to span them, so that alone gives this book credence. I started the 2nd book and it just kinda rubbed me the wrong way. I need to get back at it.

Donthizz · Jan 24, 2020

never heard of this author before, but people seems to like this book.

Sean C. · Jan 24, 2020

The 2018 Booker Prize winner, about a teenage girl in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. I found this a real slog, unfortunately, mostly down to the author's prose style.

Pau · Jan 24, 2020

Ramble said:
I have two questions for avid readers:

1) How do you find upcoming books?

Right now I'm just relying on the algorithms of GoodReads and Amazon.

But I want to branch out and read different genres and it's not much help.

2) How do you know is a history/biography is "legit" and not full of lies and/or propaganda?

Obviously avoid any of the nutters like Bill O'Reilly but beyond that I have no idea. I know basically nothing about history.

I'm currently reading Midnight in Chernobyl and enjoying it, as much as one can given the subject matter.

1) Honestly, the best thing I ever did for my reading habits, especially non-fiction, was follow a poster from back on GAF. I realized very quickly that we had similar taste in fiction books and similar interests for non-fiction. So my advice would be to find people whose taste you trust!

2) The only way to really know is to do your research. I try to look at reviews, blog posts, even academic papers if I'm particularly skeptical or think the content requires more scrutiny. I generally stick to memoirs/autobiographies instead of biographies though, because even if you aren't getting the total "truth", you are getting a more singular, specific perspective.

What genres are you interested in branching out to? What have you enjoyed before, as in, what about the books did you like beyond just the genre? What are areas of history that you want to start looking into? Maybe folks here can help. :)

Qrusher14242 · Jan 24, 2020

Somehow i missed this one while reading his Harry Bosch novels. I love his books and any like it like JA Jance and John Sanford.

Doctoglethorpe · Jan 25, 2020

I love good world building and this book is absolutely drenched in it. Only about a fifth through it but I already think it's incredible.

What Are You Reading? |OT| One Thread to Rule Them All

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