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

Jag

Jag

Member
Oct 26, 2017
11,669
New permanent home! Enjoy

Join the ResetEra Goodreads Book Club to see what other ERA members are reading.

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Support Black writers

Era Thread: Book recommendations for being a better ally to Black people

Nonfiction: https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show...t-20-highly-rated-nonfiction-books-by-black-a
Various genres: https://www.one37pm.com/grind/productivity/books-by-black-authors-bhm
YA Fiction: https://krsmcentire.wordpress.com/2...-bookshelf-with-indie-books-by-black-authors/
2020 Fiction: https://twitter.com/moonrealiti/status/1267992423407349760
Fiction: https://www.buzzfeed.com/farrahpenn/young-adult-books-by-black-authors-2020?origin=web-hf
Various Genres: https://gigigriffis.com/support-black-artists/
Science Fiction & Fantasy: https://www.tor.com/2020/01/20/voices-an-ode-to-black-science-fiction-fantasy-writers/
Science Fiction: https://www.tor.com/2020/03/04/the-history-of-black-science-fiction-nisi-shawl-index/

Young Adult (YA) Science Fiction and Fantasy |OT| More than just Harry Potter, Twilight, and Hunger Games
www.resetera.com

Young Adult (YA) Science Fiction and Fantasy |OT| More than just Harry Potter, Twilight, and Hunger Games

It’s come up across numerous threads that many posters don’t have much exposure to young adult (YA) fiction beyond what’s been adapted into movies. This is particularly true for YA science-fiction and fantasy (SFF), genres that folks otherwise know more about. (I’d argue that exposure is also...
www.resetera.com www.resetera.com


Happy reading!
 
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Jag

Jag

Member
Oct 26, 2017
11,669
Finished

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Started:
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Apparently I like books where people look at things.
 

Deleted member 14735

Oct 27, 2017
930
Was about to hit post on this when the post for this thread went up there, so I guess I'll just post this here:

Rivenblade said:
Read that too this year. Also thought it was excellent, though I think this one is meatier in the amount of ground it covers. There are so many fantastic books on this topic available in 2019 that I hope they continue aiding the sea change in race discussions in 2019 and beyond. My favourites:

So You Want To Talk About Race
White Fragility
Why I'm No Longer Talking To White People About Race
Racism Without Racists
The New Jim Crow
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I read How to Be Less Stupid About Race a few months ago which would fit on that list, was a good read. Have So You Want to Talk About Race on my shelf but yet to read.

gosublime said:
Added to my list - thanks. If you are interested on a UK based perspective there's a book called 'Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race' by Reni Eddo-Lodge that seems similar.
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Thanks for the shout for this one as well, I'd seen that one mentioned before but forgot to make note of it.
 
RepairmanJack

RepairmanJack

Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,101
13895.jpg


I'm about a quarter through book 5 WoT The Fires of Heaven. Holy hell this book is doing everything in it's power to make me hate Nynaeve, my once favorite character. Her attitude in the earlier books makes sense, she's the youngest person to have her position she has to be a leader in a town of bullheaded people, and she wants to take protecting her townspeople very serious. Throw that all out the fucking window because she's now just acting like a damn child who only cares about getting her way and treating people like shit whenever she perceives them slighting her.

Also WHY THE FUCK is Elayne suddenly infatuated with Thom?!?! What in the fuck is wrong with this shit? Oh you found out that Thom was like a father to you and was in love with your mother? You should definitely find that sexy and try to outdo your mother in bidding for his attention.

Jesus Christ, I'm starting to understand where people hate how these books treat some characters. I was already annoyed at night and day sudden character progression but this is just lunacy.
 
ZiZ

ZiZ

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,716
Half-way through:

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Years ago I read the Night Angel trilogy, and felt it was OK, like a shonen manga novelization.

But this new series is great, really liking it so far.
 

Deleted member 7279

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
4,553
Going to see about finishing Rage of Dragons today. I have had a five day break for Thanksgiving and my goal was to make some good progress on it and I've read like 33% the last two days. Quite enjoyable.
 
Delphine

Delphine

Fen'Harel Enansal
Administrator
Mar 30, 2018
3,658
France
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Just finished reading Sally Rooney's Normal People. I just couldn't stop reading, both Marianne & Connell are incredibly interesting and relatable characters, and Rooney has quite the talent to write and explain their delicate and intricate inner lives, and how their social status, gender and past traumas lead them to grow, either apart and/or together. It is a breath of fresh air, relatable (a novel written by a millennial, thus speaking to my millennial self) and touching. I finished it in less than 24 hours from starting it. I definitely recommend it, it is pretty nice.
8/10
 
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Xagarath

Xagarath

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,140
North-East England
Just finished The Starless Sea, which I actually liked more than The Night Circus - the charactes were more varied, and I preferred the underlying themes:

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Next up is Nabokov's Pale Fire:

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fakefaker

fakefaker

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
284
Haven't been reading much because of work but still trying to get through The War Beneath by Timothy S. Johnston. So far it's alright, like a b grade sci-fi action flix.

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ara

ara

Member
Oct 26, 2017
12,999
51dkkfCdLyL._SX290_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg


Interesting to see how a permanent OT is gonna work out. Hopefully just fine!
 
eisschollee

eisschollee

Member
Oct 25, 2018
354
Rivenblade said:
Read that too this year. Also thought it was excellent, though I think this one is meatier in the amount of ground it covers. There are so many fantastic books on this topic available in 2019 that I hope they continue aiding the sea change in race discussions in 2019 and beyond. My favourites:

So You Want To Talk About Race
White Fragility
Why I'm No Longer Talking To White People About Race
Racism Without Racists
The New Jim Crow
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I just got "So You Want To Talk About Race" as beeing the first one in the list

ara said:
51dkkfCdLyL._SX290_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg


Interesting to see how a permanent OT is gonna work out. Hopefully just fine!
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A really good read!
Just strated the next one chonological.

I dont know how far apart they were written, but the I do have the feeling the characters were planned before and now i am always looking if there is anything to spot which changed because they were not written in current reading order....
 
Kill3r7

Kill3r7

Member
Oct 25, 2017
24,384
Working my way through the Powdered Mage Trilogy. Really enjoyed book 1 and I like what I have read so far of book 2.
 
NolaDaControlla

NolaDaControlla

Member
Oct 27, 2017
359
Nashville
For those who like audiobooks, Penguin Random House is offering a free audiobook download of Little Women via their Volumes app from noon 12/2/19 (ET?) through noon 12/4/19. Unabridged, read by Christina Ricci.
 
Splatbang

Splatbang

Member
Oct 26, 2017
487
Austria
Xagarath said:
Just finished The Starless Sea, which I actually liked more than The Night Circus - the charactes were more varied, and I preferred the underlying themes:

45998898.jpg
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I just finished this as well. I love the way Erin Morgenstern writes, I don't know how to properly describe it but she seems to ooze atmosphere. I feel like with her books the journey is the reward. The worlds she creates really suck me in.
 
arkon

arkon

Member
Nov 6, 2017
492
I finished Ascendance of a Bookworm volume 1 part 1, which was this cool slice-of-life story with none of the usual anime/manga/light novel fanservice tropes. It's incredibly refreshing. Still has the standard setup of an isekai but the way it's handled and the stakes involved make for a refreshing change of pace. Loved it.

Started reading Mortal Engines by Stanislaw Lem. Read like weird fairytales involving all manner of "robots" as main characters. Very imaginative. Not been a bad story so far.
 
OP
OP
Jag

Jag

Member
Oct 26, 2017
11,669
Out today!

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This is book 3 of the Gods of Blood and Fire Trilogy. This is the second trilogy of the Powder Mage world. A flintlock fantasy series in a world where magic exists around the time of Napoleonic era technology.

Strongly suggest starting with the Powder Mage trilogy Promise of Blood.
 
woo

woo

Member
Nov 11, 2017
1,314
I am still working my way through:

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I accidentally saw a review of it somewhere saying that it was 'bloated'. I can understand why they would say that; there certainly is an awful lot to it! I am enjoying the ride though. It is pretty well written although I am not a fan of paragraphs of desription of the environment/setting which this has quite a lot of and nor am I a fan of pretty rapid switching between characters/plot threads which this also has in abundance. I start to get into a groove with a character and a situation and then it switches again. These aspersions have not dissuaded me from continuing with it, however. Indeed, I have just moved into a section which has a rather dramatic tonal shift which has encouraged me to take a break from it as it was all getting really rather unpleasant!
The aliens are slicing up the two humans that were left behind on the asteroid shard
I usually read some of this before sleep but I might have to curtail that if this tone continues :wibble:.
 

Deleted member 426

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
7,273
Could someone suggest me a good book with some mystery. I really liked the 7 deaths of Evelyn hardcastle when that was recommended to me by you guys.

Ah! The Starless Sea!
 
woo

woo

Member
Nov 11, 2017
1,314
After my last post just above this, I went back to the book after awhile and it's all happening now! The disparate plot threads and characters are all drawing together now in a pretty compelling fashion. I had to force myself to put the book down or I would have been awake half the night because it was such a page-turner. I can easily see that this book (and hopefully the rest in this series) are going to be periodic re-read books for me. I love it when that happens with books.
 
DassoBrother

DassoBrother

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,623
Saskatchewan
I finished Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, read by Jeremy Irons. I really enjoyed it. I thought Irons did a great job, but it was crazy to watch the 1997 film version's trailer on YouTube afterwards. I didn't realize he had been in that, and maybe the film is fine, but the trailer made it look like it definitely misses the mark of the book and tries to skirt the line of whether Humbert actually loves Lolita. I'm curious to watch the Kubrick version to see if it's any good but I get the impression from casting that they made Lolita too old in both versions. It would be a very tough watch if they actually cast a convincing twelve year old though, thinking about it for more than 5 seconds I don't see how you could make a film version...

EDIT: Looking at some screens from Kubricks version, maybe the casting is about right. I might watch it just to see the tone of the thing. I can't imagine how you do it since it's not a love story, and the subject matter would almost suit a horror film but it definitely shouldn't be that either.

I thought the book did a good job of setting up Humbert as a monster and making you question his narration. I'm surprised there is as much controversy surrounding the novel as there is. Having said that, I went on reddit to check impressions too and there is no shortage of people seeing greyness in the story where it seemed more black and white to me.
 
Glasgow Mega-Snake

Glasgow Mega-Snake

Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,959
arkon said:
I finished Ascendance of a Bookworm volume 1 part 1, which was this cool slice-of-life story with none of the usual anime/manga/light novel fanservice tropes. It's incredibly refreshing. Still has the standard setup of an isekai but the way it's handled and the stakes involved make for a refreshing change of pace. Loved it.

Started reading Mortal Engines by Stanislaw Lem. Read like weird fairytales involving all manner of "robots" as main characters. Very imaginative. Not been a bad story so far.
Click to expand...
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I was confused for a moment because I thought of the YA sci-fi novel Mortal Engines and was like 'that's not by Stanislaw Lem'

Wiki tells me the titles are from a Shakespeare quote. The more you know!
 
peppermints

peppermints

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,653
Hogfather-2.jpg


Got into Discworld this year for the first time, and this is the perfect title to cap things off with. Death is definitely my favorite character in Discworld thus far.
 
Var

Var

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
1,310
Just finished:

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It was alright, but nothing special.



Starting this now:

9780385537070
 
fakefaker

fakefaker

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
284
The War Beneath by Timothy S. Johnston was a bust and decided to go with Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling which I hope is much better.

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eisschollee

eisschollee

Member
Oct 25, 2018
354
Halfway through the The Warrior's Apprentice (Vorkosigan Saga #2) by Lois McMaster Bujold

I am on fence about this. Maybe because I read Vatta's War 1-3 earlier this year.
Kind of the same premise but Vorkosign is way more over the top. Especially since the first two were kind of grim and political and only the prior hinted what is to come. I havn't reallly warmed up to the main character and his crazy stories which every twenty pages are trumped by yet another even crazier story. Which is the complete opposite to the Vatta's War approach.

I just want to make to the end to get some closure and then i will put the series on hold at least for a while
ara : what is your status / opinion on the series so far?
 
RepairmanJack

RepairmanJack

Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,101
If the future "bad" books of the Wheel of Time are nothing but Aes Sedai Politicking, I will never complain.

Every time we get multiple Aes Sedai in a group together and they bicker and get the different perspectives on things I just love it.

If the future politicking has anything to do with the White Cloaks and Perrin I think I will slit my wrists. I have a sinking feeling after the end of Shadow Rising that this story-line will eventually be fucking terrible.
 
mhayes86

mhayes86

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,244
Maryland
RepairmanJack said:
If the future "bad" books of the Wheel of Time are nothing but Aes Sedai Politicking, I will never complain.

Every time we get multiple Aes Sedai in a group together and they bicker and get the different perspectives on things I just love it.

If the future politicking has anything to do with the White Cloaks and Perrin I think I will slit my wrists. I have a sinking feeling after the end of Shadow Rising that this story-line will eventually be fucking terrible.
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Lol. I'm actually in the middle of Shadow Rising right now, so that's worrisome. My wife is on the 7th book where things apparently start to slow down to some degree.
 
RepairmanJack

RepairmanJack

Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,101
mhayes86 said:
Lol. I'm actually in the middle of Shadow Rising right now, so that's worrisome. My wife is on the 7th book where things apparently start to slow down to some degree.
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The ending in and of itself is perfectly fine. Don't let me sway your thinking in to thinking Shadow Rising wasn't liked or anything. I just don't have trust in the future with how that story develops.
 
Goldenroad

Goldenroad

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Nov 2, 2017
9,475
Finally feel like I'm putting a real dent into The Way of Kings by Sanderson. I'm about 700 pages in now, and it's a very hard book to put down at this point. Like I was reading it from around 9:30 - midnight last night and I had to force myself to stop reading and go to sleep. Now I'm just sitting here at work all worried about Shallan and shit. It's been a while since a book grabbed me like this. Mistborn Trilogy was good, but this one really feels like something special.
 
Unaha-Closp

Unaha-Closp

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,720
Scotland
Just Read - 'I Who Have Never Known Men' by Jacquelin Harpman - a magnificent speculative sci-fi novel about a group of 40 women locked up for unknown reasons. Actually I'll just get the synopsis from Wikipedia 'Thirty-nine women and a girl are being held prisoner in a cage underground. The guards are all male, and never speak to them. The girl is the only one of the prisoners who has no memory of the outside world; none of them know why they are being held prisoner, or why there is one child among thirty-nine adults.' The second half of the synopsis I felt was a little spoilery so I left it out :D

Loved it. Highly recommend if you like speculative fiction.

Just Started - 'The Library of The Unwritten' by A. J. Hackwith - early going but a Librarian in Hell who runs the Unwritten Wing where stories not yet written are stored. A hero escapes from it's Story and Hell so an adventure awaits! Something like that - I am very early.
 
woo

woo

Member
Nov 11, 2017
1,314
I finished Pandora's Star yesterday at 4 am. After getting all excited with how it was starting to culminate, I have to say that I found the ending to be a very unsatisfying letdown. After such a long read not much was resolved but instead, there were a huge bunch of cliffhangers to get one to buy the next book. One is not amused! After all the praise I am once again out of step with others in my opinion/tastes. Oh well, I shall give it awhile for this feeling to pass and give the sequel a go. I might feel more kindly disposed towards it then.

After mooching around Google Play, however, this caught my eye:

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I downloaded the sample and didn't even bother finishing it before I had nabbed the full book. I adore his OMW series so this had a good chance but 'space opera with humour' that is a really easy read? Sign me up!
 
arkon

arkon

Member
Nov 6, 2017
492
eisschollee said:
Halfway through the The Warrior's Apprentice (Vorkosigan Saga #2) by Lois McMaster Bujold

I am on fence about this. Maybe because I read Vatta's War 1-3 earlier this year.
Kind of the same premise but Vorkosign is way more over the top. Especially since the first two were kind of grim and political and only the prior hinted what is to come. I havn't reallly warmed up to the main character and his crazy stories which every twenty pages are trumped by yet another even crazier story. Which is the complete opposite to the Vatta's War approach.

I just want to make to the end to get some closure and then i will put the series on hold at least for a while
ara : what is your status / opinion on the series so far?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I finished the series earlier this year and count it amongst my favourites. That said it's been a long time since I read the first couple of books chronologically so I might not be remembering things as clearly. Some things to bear in mind. The majority of the stories going forward have Miles as a main character, and they're not all as over the top (although I don't remember having an issue with that in The Warrior's Apprentice) and also this is him just starting out in his career. Miles is variously described as manic-depressive, hyperactive and manipulative, usually followed by "git" or similar. It's part of his character, it's something that others often joke about or point out in the series. It's something he grapples with too. The series gets deeper, more complex and layered as you go on, and features some phenomenal character development for a whole range of the cast, not just Miles. I don't think it's played as straight as Vatta's War (from the sounds of it anyway, I haven't read those books), there's lots of oscillating between comedy and drama. Some books swaying more to one side over the other. If you absolutely can't stand to read more stories with him in, then there's slim pickings in the rest of the series I'm afraid. Miles does change but there is always going to be that little bit of crazy in there somewhere (that does drive other characters up the wall too!). I'm not sure if that really helps any. Perhaps I misunderstood what you dislike about the book?
 
djinn

djinn

Member
Nov 16, 2017
15,726
Finished House of Leaves but Mark Z Danielewski.
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Just going to post my Goodreads review because I can't be bothered writing more words about this book:

You have to respect the hustle of this book. It's one massive troll, one where the author knows that you know that the author is messing with you.

There's no real point in summarising what House of Leaves is about. It's 700 or so pages of meaningless text, occasionally scattered throughout with intelligible prose and plot. House of Leaves is not about a story, it's about the reader engaging with the book. Danielewski pushes the reader continually, trying to see how much he can get away with and still have you keep reading. After a while you get used to his tricks. The footnotes? Meaningless. Quotes? Meaningless. Entire chapters at times? Meaningless. The book itself is the House, with endless corridors and hallways you could wander down and get lost in. Each excursion into the book makes you wiser, though. At the beginning I read everything. Towards the end I skipped entire passages.

And if you were silly/patient/brave enough to get to the end, Danielewski thanks you and tell you to stop reading now.

You have to respect the hustle of this book.
 

Deleted member 7279

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
4,553
Lord of the Flies and the first Mistborn book.

Been meaning to start with Sanderson for a while.

Enjoyable so far through about 20%.

Just been very tired from work this week so I haven't had much chance to read
 
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