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What are you reading these days?
What are you reading currently? Fiction or non-fiction or poetry, any genre, any language! Tell us what you're reading, and talk about it a bit.
What are you reading currently? Fiction or non-fiction or poetry, any genre, any language! Tell us what you're reading, and talk about it a bit.
Just finished the first Dune, now I'm on Dune Messiah. For some reason I wanted to avoid sci fi but I got wrapped up in it anyway. I love it though. I have The Hobbit in the mail and I think I'm gonna read it before reading any more Dune else I'll just tire myself out.
On audiobook I'm listening to The Shining and as much as I love Kubrick and his film I am really enjoying the book and the added backstory he left out of the movie.
Finished listening to The Dispossed by Ursula K. Le Guin while painting our house. It is a lot more slow paced and pensive than my usual books, but I would recommend it!
It made me think about a few things. How language shapes our morals and ethics by vurtue of how we express concepts. Secondly, why we strive for material wealth.
The anarchist society described in the book seems like a anarcho-syndicalist ideal. While the society has problems it is depicted as fairly benign and actually quite inspiring! There are a few mysteries that are hinted at, i.e. the Hanish's role. It's fun that Earth is part of the story, but only really aluded to in the background, with a few exceptions.
Recommended it to my 15 year old. Super interested in their opinion of the book... it might be too slow for their tastes though.
Check out our book club discussion of the Dispossessed here on Tildes. Feel free to comment if you like.
I can't link for a few days as I am currently mobile phone only but it is easy to search in ~books.
Handy link: https://tildes.net/~books/1geb/tildes_book_club_discussion_the_dispossessed_by_ursula_le_guin
I enjoyed the book a lot too, @archevel, and had some similar thoughts as you. Wish you'd been able to participate in the discussion last month!
Oh, interesting! Didn't know there was a book club going. Will have to read the others impressions and be on the lookout for the next book!
Project Hail Mary, end of June,
Ocean at the end of the lane, end of July,
Small Gods, end of August,
This is how you lose the Time War, end of September
Please join us when you can
I've been reading Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America by Ijeoma Oluo. I've enjoyed reading Ijeoma's works and am continuing to enjoy it here. There's a good chance that people will rankle at the title, but it's worth a read - particularly if you, like me, had a series of realizations from 2020 onward.
My other read has been Severance by Ling Ma. It's a combination pre- and post-apocalyptic story and critique of modern work and working conditions. It's been a great read so far, about halfway through the book.
I was literally just going through my fiance and I's books and noticed Severance on the shelf and put it on my list to read. I bought it randomly as a gift for her after reading the synopsis online and thought it right up her alley, she loved it.
https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/87695/adamant-blood
It's from the author of Ar'Kendrihyst, and I got to read quite a bit in advance... It's a great book!
I dabble on RR, do you have a quick pitch for it?
If the summary isn't enough of a hook, I can try to elaborate on specifics if you have questions... Everything I try just ends up copying the summary, though.
What I will mention is that Arcs is a brilliant author, and he has a great way of writing distinct characters, as well as showing those characters develop and grow throughout the story.
The same goes for the worlds - in his previous story,the world building and plot threads laid in the first few chapters were still relevant one million words later...some of the discussions we had on discord were amazing, linking things across something like 8 books' worth of words.
Adamant Blood shows the same promise :)
Thanks! It's interesting so I'll check it out. Any particular issue with sexism or homophobia in the work? (I hope not given what you've written but it's worth knowing before dipping in)
The MC of the previous book was bisexual, there's nothing like that, yeah. Was all very well written,in that nice modern way of it not being preached about.
Adamant blood is set in more modern times,so maybe there will be (minor,if any) characters that have such views? But it won't be the main character or anyone in their circle
Yeah I'm not worried about passing side characters, it tends to be more the MC's internal thoughts (usually channelling the author) that will get me to yeet my phone when reading a new RR for the first/last time. Ty!
Finished Project Hail Mary for the Tildes book club discussion.
Finished Giovannis room which is tragic and beautifully written.
Currently still reading Erotic Stories for Punjabi widows. I'm about halfway through. There is a lot of fun in this book but also dread and fear. I don't know whether to expect a happy ending.
I'm also partway through the Alice network which is a spy story with an edge of tragedy.
Just finished: Re-read of Rosemary and Rue (reading aloud to my partner) by Seanan McGuire book 1 of the October Daye series - I love Seanan and I love this series. The first few novels are a bit rough but I love my changeling unlikely hero.
Street Cultivation by Stephanie Lin - this was a fun enough cultivation novel, I got my partner hooked on it. I haven't listened to a ton, and I don't think it's just Travis Baldree's narration, but I'm noticing some real genre patterns. It's a bit predictable in that light, but I am not sure if this helped set some of those tropes due to its age.
Shards of Honor and Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold (Vorkosigan Saga) - I enjoyed these after having bounced off on my first read through decades ago! Most are on Hoopla but annoyingly not The Warriors Apprentice.
In progress: Lake of Souls by Ann Leckie (short story collection)
The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport by Samit Basu
Cascade Failure by L.M. Sagas
Re-read of A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire
Articles on the blogs A Collection Of Unmitigated Pedantries and Construction Physics.
I finished the second Earthsea book (Le Guin) last week, and Hyperion today. Started Fall of Hyperion this morning. All enjoyed, but I can only consume the Hyperion Cantos by audiobook on a commute or when I'm willing to not use my brain (weeding, dishes, etc).
I recently discovered Lian Hearn's feudal Japan series, which is about a young shinobi (and his strong-willed love-interest) and is available for free to Audible members. I finished the first book last month (about 9 hours) and am on the second book. There are two main characters, each with their own narrator, which makes things interesting, though I find the female narrator's over-enunciation very annoying.
I also finished the short-story sci-fi anthology The Far Reaches which is available free to Amazon Prime members on both kindle text and audio formats (essentially a free entitlement to the Audible version). Each of the six stories are 35-55 minutes long.