Official Reading/Book Thread

[fishy 1,757]

On 12/4/2021 at 9:43 PM, dasboot said:

Check out The Lightbringer Series by Brent Weeks

i put The Black Prism on hold at the library right after you dropped this rec and just picked it up yesterday. i'm digging it

[a_Ferk 766]

On 12/6/2021 at 1:40 PM, GrittyIsKing said:

only 12

Hi only 12, I'm a_Ferk!

[Beaviss 4,957]

If you into historical fantasy this is the best ive ever read. The Skystone (Camulod Chronicles, #1) by Jack Whyte (goodreads.com)

7-8 books all about a family from Roman Generalship to King Arthur. 13/10 book series my favorite ever.

[frescoelmo 1,276]

On 8/20/2021 at 7:49 PM, frescoelmo said:

Upcoming Book

Super Sad True Love Story - Gary Shteyngart - I read his book 'Lake Success' in 2020 and it was phenomenal.  Looking forward to getting into this book.

 

I finished this book about a month ago, it was phenomenal, and as the title suggests, a little sad haha.  It weirdly has a good pulse on what the future has in store for us. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Sad_True_Love_Story

[fishy 1,757]

On 12/12/2021 at 4:20 PM, fishy said:

i put The Black Prism on hold at the library right after you dropped this rec and just picked it up yesterday. i'm digging it

i way slowed down on this book but i still have it and am making progress

 

bumping this thread with this tweet. enjoy

 

[thadthrasher 1,692]

I just finished reading:
Edge of Collapse by Kyla Stone. The description for it is...
 

Spoiler

In the dead of winter, an EMP attack destroys the U.S. power grid.
No electricity. No cars or phones. The country is plunged into instant chaos.

But for Hannah Sheridan, it's the best day of her life. For the last five years, she's been the captive of a sadistic psychopath--until the EMP releases the lock of her prison.

Battered but not broken, she emerges from her underground cell into a hostile winter wilderness with nothing but her determination to survive.

Reclusive ex-soldier Liam Coleman is headed nowhere fast. He believed he was prepared for any disaster, until the EMP took everything he'd ever cared about in a matter of seconds.

Two hundred frozen, perilous miles stand between them and their destination in rural Michigan. But the killing cold isn't the only threat, for Hannah's captor isn't about to let her go...

When the country goes dark, ordinary people find themselves facing the end of the world as they know it. With society collapsing before their eyes, they'll have to risk everything to protect their home and the people they love.

 

[fishy 1,757]

has anybody read the midnight library by Matt Haig

[Dil 1,760]

On 2/4/2022 at 4:39 PM, fishy said:

has anybody read the midnight library by Matt Haig

I think that’s a no 

[Ledge 1,131]

On 2/4/2022 at 7:39 PM, fishy said:

has anybody read the midnight library by Matt Haig

My mom read it, she said it was really good

[fishy 1,757]

5 hours ago, Ledge said:

she said it was really good

i would not say that

[Ledge 1,131]

7 hours ago, fishy said:

i would not say that

interesting. Since we're in the book thread, can I ask you to elaborate? I remember her telling me about it and it seemed interesting, alas a little complex

[fishy 1,757]

42 minutes ago, Ledge said:

interesting. Since we're in the book thread, can I ask you to elaborate? I remember her telling me about it and it seemed interesting, alas a little complex

absolutely!

 

I didn't think it was necessarily complex. The midnight library is a place between death and life where the main character exists, and she has the opportunity to get rid of regrets she had during her life.

 

I thought the book was ... fine. I didn't love it because it felt pretty predictable, and I didn't like that the character arc seemed somewhat formulaic. spoiler:

 

Spoiler

I'm putting this in a spoiler just in case, but basically the main character basically starts out as depressed and dissatisfied with life. She tries to kill herself and ends up in the midnight library. She has a chance to test out a bunch of different lives where she made on different decision (e.g., she moved to australia with her friend instead of staying in her hometown, she didn't quit swimming in middle school, etc.).

 

Basically the point of the book is that no matter what you do, you're always going to have regrets, there's always going to be an element of displeasure, and the best you can do is learn how to be satisfied with what you have.

 

I don't know, the book just felt tacky, and I think that's because I just wasn't the intended audience. I'm not in a place right now that needs to hear that my life is a good option and that I should make the most of it. I think the book could be really impactful for someone who holds a lot of regrets and spends a lot of time wishing things were different, but that's not me. The book just felt somewhat elementary, and I think that's just because I read it at a time in my life where I didn't need to hear the contents.

Edited February 16, 2022 by fishy

[solas 1,951]

Anybody read Piranesi by Susanna Clarke? I just finished it and enjoyed it a lot.

[OrbitingDeath 3,181]

One book I really would like to recommend is Andy Weir - Project Hail Mary. I really enjoyed getting through this. Don't want to spoil anything, but if anyone read it, let me know what you thought of it.

[fishy 1,757]

On 3/4/2022 at 10:49 PM, solas said:

Anybody read Piranesi by Susanna Clarke? I just finished it and enjoyed it a lot.

i just looked this up and it sounds super interesting. what did you like about it?

[Enorama 2,038]

On 3/5/2022 at 2:35 AM, OrbitingDeath said:

One book I really would like to recommend is Andy Weir - Project Hail Mary. I really enjoyed getting through this. Don't want to spoil anything, but if anyone read it, let me know what you thought of it.

 

It's on my list because of his last two. I feel like there was definitely a drop-off between The Martian and Artemis but Artemis was still definitely enjoyable.

 

Have you read the other two? How would you say they compare?

[solas 1,951]

10 minutes ago, fishy said:

i just looked this up and it sounds super interesting. what did you like about it?

It's written in the style of a journal by the main character which I think makes it really interesting since the style of writing gives you insight into both the character and the setting. So without giving away too much, the mystery ends up unraveling in a really intriguing way because of that. I think it's a really interesting approach to fantasy. The pacing also really felt good to me, personally - though I've seen some reviews say otherwise and (again, without giving away too much) I guess I could see why.

[fishy 1,757]

2 minutes ago, solas said:

It's written in the style of a journal by the main character which I think makes it really interesting since the style of writing gives you insight into both the character and the setting. So without giving away too much, the mystery ends up unraveling in a really intriguing way because of that. I think it's a really interesting approach to fantasy. The pacing also really felt good to me, personally - though I've seen some reviews say otherwise and (again, without giving away too much) I guess I could see why.

cool, i'll grab it on my next library run. i was surprised to see that it was less than 250 pages... i'm interested to see how the author does it

[OrbitingDeath 3,181]

9 hours ago, Enorama said:

 

It's on my list because of his last two. I feel like there was definitely a drop-off between The Martian and Artemis but Artemis was still definitely enjoyable.

 

Have you read the other two? How would you say they compare?

Havent read the other two, but what i saw on reddit about it its closer to the martian in style then artemis.

[fishy 1,757]

just finished The Murmur of Bees by Sofía Segovia

 

10/10 recommend. I realized that my library loan was expiring soon and that I couldn't renew it, so I read half of it today

 

I wouldn't recommend it for young readers, but young adult and up I think could really jive with it. i enjoyed this book on so many levels

 

- the writing is great, and the translation is wonderful. chapters are short, which i prefer. it almost reads like poetry in some spots, and i really liked that sometimes the author would take a short chapter to basically just have the narrator write a thoughtful essay that could probably stand alone.

 

- narration changes which is confusing at first but really well-balanced once you figure out who and where everyone is

 

- the setting starts in a pandemic setting which hit really close to home considering, well, the world

 

i really want someone to read this and appreciate it with me

[Jack Johnson 124]

.

Edited April 25, 2022 by Jack Johnson

[Jack Johnson 124]

2 hours ago, fishy said:

i really want someone to read this and appreciate it with me

I looked at my local library just a block down from my condo and its checked out. I'll check back next week

[frescoelmo 1,276]

Suggestions for 2-3 books I want to bring on a trip this summer

 

About to finish my current book (got lazy and haven't read much lately)

[fishy 1,757]

On 4/24/2022 at 9:18 PM, frescoelmo said:

Suggestions for 2-3 books I want to bring on a trip this summer

 

About to finish my current book (got lazy and haven't read much lately)

what're you looking for? light, easy reading? something that will kind of consume you when you read it to keep you occupied? genre?

[fishy 1,757]

i finished All Systems Red last night, which is the first book in the Murderbot Diaries series. I grabbed it because the premise seemed fun, a post-capitalist society ruled entirely by a company that has eyes everywhere. Narrator is a half-human, half-bot created by the company who has hacked its government module and living undercover.

 

It's only 150 pages, was looking for something short to read while I waited for my hold on Piranesi to become available. This was a bit too short and I got a bit too invested. I liked the light reading though, good if you're looking for a break from long reads