Baron Tredegar
Master of Forgotten Lore
I am currently reading the Meditations by Marcus Aurelious. I find it very relatable despite being written in the 200s.
What are you reading?
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Miles Marsalis
The Last DJ.
Always.
There is Animal Farm by George Orwell, if you haven't read that. It's a quick allegorical novella that is darkly comedic in a sense.
The Lord of the Flies by William Golding is about a group of British students who must attempt to survive after their plane crashes on a deserted island.
Earlier in the year, I read The Builders by Daniel Polansky, which isn't a classic, but it's an entertaining fantasy read and it features anthropomorphic characters. It's about a mouse captain who gathers his old military unit together to take revenge on a corrupt skunk official who they lost their country's civil war to.
There are a few others I could list out, if you want too. Mark Twain's and Kurt Vonnegut's work I'd especially recommend too.
Eragon
Braindroppings by George Carlin
Braindroppings by George Carlin
miss_samychan
Born To Be A Hero
Love, Chai and Other four-letter words
An American Marriage.
Both have a great writing style
An American Marriage.
Both have a great writing style
Kit H. Ruppell
Exterminieren! Exterminieren!
Shadow Warrior: For Dead Eyes Only
ScourgeFeather
Member
Still working my way through 'Lolita' and 'The Book Thief' (I'm about halfway through that one now), but I also started the manga 'Goodnight Punpun'. I remembered google play had an event a while back where they gave out a LOT of first issues of different series for free, so I'd added them all to my library just in case. A lot were actually series I'd been intending to try someday, so it worked out well. I'm reading them on my chromebook, I'm normally not a fan of digital reading because I have so much screentime in every other hobby/work (and with manga especially, I don't seem to take it in as well as on paper for some reason), but free is free haha. And the little page-turning effect helps keep me immersed.
I'm not sure how I feel about it yet to be honest. I'm halfway through the first volume (it's MUCH thicker than I thought it'd be). I really like the artwork and unique design choices (there's so much variety in the character designs, and I appreciate a lot of the girls are very different, love interests have 'ugly' features like tooth gaps and such). There have been a few panels I stopped to just admire for a while and take in small details. The story I'm a little mixed on. I've heard the series praised by some and condemned as nothing but trauma milking by others. Not sure which way I lean yet. I like a good depressing/edgy story, but also sometimes edge purely for edge's sake gets old.
I was surprised when I looked it up and saw it was published back in 2007, I'd only heard it mentioned a lot in the last year or two so I assumed it was a new series. With that era in mind I could see it being much more popular/unique, so I might cut it a little slack in that regard. The style does sort of take me back to reading other doodly, 'diary' type books back in the day.
It's gotten a few good chuckles or 'Aww's out of me, and also some of the most genuine 'WAIT WTF??? OH NO' slack-jawed moments I've had in a long time haha. I'm interested to see where it all goes.
I'm not sure how I feel about it yet to be honest. I'm halfway through the first volume (it's MUCH thicker than I thought it'd be). I really like the artwork and unique design choices (there's so much variety in the character designs, and I appreciate a lot of the girls are very different, love interests have 'ugly' features like tooth gaps and such). There have been a few panels I stopped to just admire for a while and take in small details. The story I'm a little mixed on. I've heard the series praised by some and condemned as nothing but trauma milking by others. Not sure which way I lean yet. I like a good depressing/edgy story, but also sometimes edge purely for edge's sake gets old.
I was surprised when I looked it up and saw it was published back in 2007, I'd only heard it mentioned a lot in the last year or two so I assumed it was a new series. With that era in mind I could see it being much more popular/unique, so I might cut it a little slack in that regard. The style does sort of take me back to reading other doodly, 'diary' type books back in the day.
It's gotten a few good chuckles or 'Aww's out of me, and also some of the most genuine 'WAIT WTF??? OH NO' slack-jawed moments I've had in a long time haha. I'm interested to see where it all goes.
Rimna
Well-known Monkey
I started reading another book by the same author who wrote "Sunny Beach", a vulgar, crime novel about the most infamous sea resort in Bulgaria.
The new book is translated to "The Birth of the Tiger Shark" and this time follows the underground of the area where I was born. Looks like I'll be busy these next few days. Honestly I wish I could stay up all night and read it but I have work to do tomorrow so I'll have to wait.
But this writer is spectacularly good.
The new book is translated to "The Birth of the Tiger Shark" and this time follows the underground of the area where I was born. Looks like I'll be busy these next few days. Honestly I wish I could stay up all night and read it but I have work to do tomorrow so I'll have to wait.
But this writer is spectacularly good.
Firuthi Dragovic
World Serpent, overly defensive
Unfortunately, most of my actual books are in storage while we work on my floor.
I've busted out my audiobooks while this goes on.
The last one I had open? The Casual Vacancy.
Holy @$#% I do NOT recommend this one unless you want a book with a mundane premise AND have some knowledge of British issues and lifestyle. Even then, this thing is bleak and miserable AF. Is it any wonder that two-thirds through the book is the point where I put down the audiobooks for several months?
Yes, I am aware who wrote this, perhaps the fantasy elements of her work before this one ease the grip of some of the darkness present in that setting. No such defenses here.
I stick to full-on fantasy books from here on out, whether read or listened.
I've busted out my audiobooks while this goes on.
The last one I had open? The Casual Vacancy.
Holy @$#% I do NOT recommend this one unless you want a book with a mundane premise AND have some knowledge of British issues and lifestyle. Even then, this thing is bleak and miserable AF. Is it any wonder that two-thirds through the book is the point where I put down the audiobooks for several months?
Yes, I am aware who wrote this, perhaps the fantasy elements of her work before this one ease the grip of some of the darkness present in that setting. No such defenses here.
I stick to full-on fantasy books from here on out, whether read or listened.
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Miles Marsalis
The Last DJ.
I haven't been reading too much, but I've been finishing two books I've been reading for a bit. I've been reading The Future of Humanity: Our Destiny in the Universe by Michio Kaku, who is good author and great guy, and I'm listening to the audiobook of Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir since the previous book went down well with me.
Also, @Xitheon , it's not a classic, but before I got caught in some stuff, I finished Involution Ocean by Bruce Sterling, which is a mashup of Moby Dick and Dune, basically. The protagonist isn't too likable and the story can be bleak at times, but book is interesting. You might like it. Dune by Frank Herbert is a classic, though, and you should read it if you get a chance.
Also, @Xitheon , it's not a classic, but before I got caught in some stuff, I finished Involution Ocean by Bruce Sterling, which is a mashup of Moby Dick and Dune, basically. The protagonist isn't too likable and the story can be bleak at times, but book is interesting. You might like it. Dune by Frank Herbert is a classic, though, and you should read it if you get a chance.
Miles Marsalis
The Last DJ.
I've been reading a bit when I've got some time alone, so I finished a few books recently.
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir lived up to expectations, but I can't really get into the plot without spoiling the first book, which was probably one of the best science fiction/fantasy novels I've read this year. The sheer wittiness and humor in the novel alone justifies a reading and the prose is nicely stylized, yet eminently readable. I'd recommend the Locked Tomb series to anyone looking for a good science fantasy novel with decent black humor.
The Last Conversation by horror novelist Paul Tremblay part of Amazon's Forward series comprising of short stories dealing with world-changing technologies. The short story is an ontological mystery that follows a man who wakes up in an isolation unit with no memory of he is and only a mysterious doctor for company. The end was a bit predictable from the middle of the story, but I still enjoyed the reading and the audiobook, which is narrated by Steven Strait.
Zikora by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a short story describes eponymous character's pregnancy and deeper reflections on her life as a woman before and after. This is probably the best short story I've read this year and it's relevant in many ways now. Adichie has a knack for writing stories that pack powerful emotions and penetrating insights into the space of a short story, so her short fiction is always rewarding to read. I'd also recommend The Visit by her as well.
Single Asiatic Male Seeks Ride or Die Chick by Eddie Huang is my second favorite short story this year. I generally like Eddie Huang's work and attitude, but I generally don't like love stories; this was an exception and I'm glad my girlfriend tipped me off about it. The story talks about Eddie dealing with his feelings while trying to tell the woman he loves ... that he loves her. This was a relatable story and think it had a lot of lessons. Also, it's the first time see jawn in print, lmao. I'd recommend this for a good quick read, especially with the audiobook.
Currently, I'm still finishing The Future of Humanity: Our Destiny in the Universe by Michio Kaku, which I'm almost done with.
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir lived up to expectations, but I can't really get into the plot without spoiling the first book, which was probably one of the best science fiction/fantasy novels I've read this year. The sheer wittiness and humor in the novel alone justifies a reading and the prose is nicely stylized, yet eminently readable. I'd recommend the Locked Tomb series to anyone looking for a good science fantasy novel with decent black humor.
The Last Conversation by horror novelist Paul Tremblay part of Amazon's Forward series comprising of short stories dealing with world-changing technologies. The short story is an ontological mystery that follows a man who wakes up in an isolation unit with no memory of he is and only a mysterious doctor for company. The end was a bit predictable from the middle of the story, but I still enjoyed the reading and the audiobook, which is narrated by Steven Strait.
Zikora by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a short story describes eponymous character's pregnancy and deeper reflections on her life as a woman before and after. This is probably the best short story I've read this year and it's relevant in many ways now. Adichie has a knack for writing stories that pack powerful emotions and penetrating insights into the space of a short story, so her short fiction is always rewarding to read. I'd also recommend The Visit by her as well.
Single Asiatic Male Seeks Ride or Die Chick by Eddie Huang is my second favorite short story this year. I generally like Eddie Huang's work and attitude, but I generally don't like love stories; this was an exception and I'm glad my girlfriend tipped me off about it. The story talks about Eddie dealing with his feelings while trying to tell the woman he loves ... that he loves her. This was a relatable story and think it had a lot of lessons. Also, it's the first time see jawn in print, lmao. I'd recommend this for a good quick read, especially with the audiobook.
Currently, I'm still finishing The Future of Humanity: Our Destiny in the Universe by Michio Kaku, which I'm almost done with.
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Rimna
Well-known Monkey
So I bought almost every book by this author.
"Sunny Beach" was a masterpiece, "The Birth of the Tiger Shark" was amazing.
I just finished reading "Fuck the Righteous", a book about a small town police director who wants to cover up for his son who accidentally ran over a gypsy kid. This book was not good. The plot didn't require 215 pages.
On to the next one - Pimp. A book about human trafficking and prostitution.
Miles Marsalis
The Last DJ.
I wasn't reading too much before, but I've been dealing with COVID this week, so I had some time to finish a few books while I'm riding out the two week lockdown.
I finished The Future of Humanity: Our Destiny in the Universe by Michio Kaku before awhile ago and I found it informative, though there were few sections where I wished the author would have been more technical. However, the book is a decent primer of the current state of space exploration in addition to giving insight into what transhumanism could look like in the relatively near future and beyond. The most interesting section was on what the the manned mission to Mars will look like, with accurate detailing of the systems Boeing will use to get us there.
The book next I read was The Employees: A workplace novel of the 22nd century by Danish author Olga Ravn, which is an epistolary novel mostly composed of the fictional statements of the crew members aboard the The Six Thousand Ship, a starship in orbit around the alien world New Discovery. The statements chronicle the growing discontentment among the crew with their expeditionary mission amidst tensions between the human and android crew members, while alien objects the expedition brought onboard The Six Thousand Ship affect the behavior of the crew in strange ways.
The prose of the book is simple, but evocative; I found myself highlighting entire passages that stuck with me, which is notable since the book has been translated. If you're looking for a quick yet memorable read, this is it.
Shall Machines Bites the Sun by Benjanun Sriduangkaew is the final book in her Machine Mandate series. It follows Thannarat, a former cyborg detective who once save her homeworld with the help of her AI wife Daji. Except for the odd assassination attempt by her homeworld's former occupiers, a Greek spacefaring empire known as the Javelins of Hellenes, Thannarat lives a relatively idyllic with Daji until the AI is forced by the machine government she is a citizen of to return the fold and abandon her wife. Thannarat embarks on a quest to find her wife that will make her confront hard realities and her recently resurrected ex-wife.
On the whole, I've enjoyed this series and some of the author's other work.
The Blunder by Mutt-Lon is a satirical historical novel about the eponymous blunder during French military surgeon Eugene Jamot's humanitarian mission to Cameroon in 1929 to fight sleeping sickness, which left seven hundred local villagers permanently blind. Worried that this tragedy might spark a massive rebellion across the region, Jamot dispatches Damienne Bourdin, young medical official attached to mission who is looking to save her reputation and running from her past in France, to quixotically search for a nurse named Edoa who happens to be a Camerooian princess in the hope that she can forestall the brewing conflict.
The novel has a low-key humor about it that doesn't trivialize the tragedy of what happened and novel plays certain stereotypes straight while also shattering them. It subtly criticizes the "white savior"trope that enabled a blunder that left hundreds blind while showing the insidiousness of colonialism plainly. It lays bare to evils of racism while showing a sympathetic side to most characters. The novel flies by quickly, but leaves you thinking.
The last novel I read was Ymir by Rich Larson, the first full-length novel I've read by the author. I've clicked with all of his work I've read so far, so I decided to give this novel a try and I wasn't disappointed. The story is billed as being a far future retelling of Beowulf, but it is a very loose retelling, following a corporate bounty hunter named Yorick Metu who has sent by the interstellar company he works for to terminate an alien war machine known as a grendel that has emerged in a company mine on Ymir, Yorick's former homeworld. Yorick is less than enthused to be back on Ymir since he is hated by the colonists on the planet for fighting for the company when it subjugated their world and he had his jaw shot off in an altercation with his brother. As Yorick begins his hunt of the grendel, he becomes embroiled in a conspiracy that will upend everything he knows and believes.
I have to say this was another satisfying sci-fi novel, made more enjoyable by the Audible narration, which I'd recommend getting; it add so much to the storytelling.
Anyway, yeah, that's what I've been reading. I'm currently working through The High Frontier: Human Colonies in Space by Gerard K. O'Neill.
I finished The Future of Humanity: Our Destiny in the Universe by Michio Kaku before awhile ago and I found it informative, though there were few sections where I wished the author would have been more technical. However, the book is a decent primer of the current state of space exploration in addition to giving insight into what transhumanism could look like in the relatively near future and beyond. The most interesting section was on what the the manned mission to Mars will look like, with accurate detailing of the systems Boeing will use to get us there.
The book next I read was The Employees: A workplace novel of the 22nd century by Danish author Olga Ravn, which is an epistolary novel mostly composed of the fictional statements of the crew members aboard the The Six Thousand Ship, a starship in orbit around the alien world New Discovery. The statements chronicle the growing discontentment among the crew with their expeditionary mission amidst tensions between the human and android crew members, while alien objects the expedition brought onboard The Six Thousand Ship affect the behavior of the crew in strange ways.
The prose of the book is simple, but evocative; I found myself highlighting entire passages that stuck with me, which is notable since the book has been translated. If you're looking for a quick yet memorable read, this is it.
Shall Machines Bites the Sun by Benjanun Sriduangkaew is the final book in her Machine Mandate series. It follows Thannarat, a former cyborg detective who once save her homeworld with the help of her AI wife Daji. Except for the odd assassination attempt by her homeworld's former occupiers, a Greek spacefaring empire known as the Javelins of Hellenes, Thannarat lives a relatively idyllic with Daji until the AI is forced by the machine government she is a citizen of to return the fold and abandon her wife. Thannarat embarks on a quest to find her wife that will make her confront hard realities and her recently resurrected ex-wife.
On the whole, I've enjoyed this series and some of the author's other work.
The Blunder by Mutt-Lon is a satirical historical novel about the eponymous blunder during French military surgeon Eugene Jamot's humanitarian mission to Cameroon in 1929 to fight sleeping sickness, which left seven hundred local villagers permanently blind. Worried that this tragedy might spark a massive rebellion across the region, Jamot dispatches Damienne Bourdin, young medical official attached to mission who is looking to save her reputation and running from her past in France, to quixotically search for a nurse named Edoa who happens to be a Camerooian princess in the hope that she can forestall the brewing conflict.
The novel has a low-key humor about it that doesn't trivialize the tragedy of what happened and novel plays certain stereotypes straight while also shattering them. It subtly criticizes the "white savior"trope that enabled a blunder that left hundreds blind while showing the insidiousness of colonialism plainly. It lays bare to evils of racism while showing a sympathetic side to most characters. The novel flies by quickly, but leaves you thinking.
The last novel I read was Ymir by Rich Larson, the first full-length novel I've read by the author. I've clicked with all of his work I've read so far, so I decided to give this novel a try and I wasn't disappointed. The story is billed as being a far future retelling of Beowulf, but it is a very loose retelling, following a corporate bounty hunter named Yorick Metu who has sent by the interstellar company he works for to terminate an alien war machine known as a grendel that has emerged in a company mine on Ymir, Yorick's former homeworld. Yorick is less than enthused to be back on Ymir since he is hated by the colonists on the planet for fighting for the company when it subjugated their world and he had his jaw shot off in an altercation with his brother. As Yorick begins his hunt of the grendel, he becomes embroiled in a conspiracy that will upend everything he knows and believes.
I have to say this was another satisfying sci-fi novel, made more enjoyable by the Audible narration, which I'd recommend getting; it add so much to the storytelling.
Anyway, yeah, that's what I've been reading. I'm currently working through The High Frontier: Human Colonies in Space by Gerard K. O'Neill.
Turbid_Cyno
*Transmission Terminated*
Finished M.C.A. Hogarth's Zafiil duology over the summer. A pretty solid work and probably one of her best.
Currently listening Albert Camus's The Stranger, and Piers Anthony's On A Pale Horse on audible.
Currently listening Albert Camus's The Stranger, and Piers Anthony's On A Pale Horse on audible.
Minerva_Minx
Explosion loving skooma cat
This thread.
MaceLikeSpace
Member
Sátántangó by László Krasznahorkai which I'm really enjoying. The movie is one of my favs and I'm glad the book adds more to the experience. I also got Richard Roud's study of Jean-Luc Godard which I placed on hold from the library not long after hearing of Godard's passing. Always kind of had a love-hate thing with his films but this book is helping the love side triumph a bit
The_biscuits_532
Eternally Confused Feline
Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Minerva_Minx
Explosion loving skooma cat
Rereading Chicks in Chainmail series. I blame @quoting_mungo.
But I also want to read Legends and Lattes, because it looks really fun.
But I also want to read Legends and Lattes, because it looks really fun.
Turbid_Cyno
*Transmission Terminated*
Started The Existentialist Cafe by Sarah Bakewell, which gives some interesting insights into different Existentialists.
Also have been reading a bit of Rising World 2 by Kris Schnee on RoyalRoad. It tends to hold up a bit better than the first one, as this one actually appears to have some overall plot going for it. The first one was pretty disorganized and ended in a really bad spot even for a cliffhanger.
Also have been reading a bit of Rising World 2 by Kris Schnee on RoyalRoad. It tends to hold up a bit better than the first one, as this one actually appears to have some overall plot going for it. The first one was pretty disorganized and ended in a really bad spot even for a cliffhanger.
BritishWolf9
Member
You Can't Win by Jack Black (not the actor).
Turbid_Cyno
*Transmission Terminated*
Just started this one Audible. I've been a fan of Housepets for years, but haven't really delved into Ricks other stuff. I'm really impressed with it.
