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What are you reading this week? #3
What are you reading currently? Fiction or non-fiction, any genre, any language! Tell us what you're reading, and talk a bit about it.
What are you reading currently? Fiction or non-fiction, any genre, any language! Tell us what you're reading, and talk a bit about it.
I've really slowed down in my readings, because studying takes up a lot of time. Because I have to read a lot of non-fiction material for my studies, I've decided to not read non-fiction books apart from those that directly concert my studies. So I'm still going through the Linguistics Handbook by Aronoff and Rees-Miller on a chapter per day basis, and am nearing the end of it. It's a very useful resource, I'm glad that people take their time to create this sort of stuff.
I've picked up İçimizdeki Şeytan "Devil Inside" by Sabahattin Ali, the author of Kürk Mantolu Madonna "Madonna in a Fur Coat", one of my favourite books of all time. So far it seems to me that it's about the formation---albeit in a bit later in the life of the protagonist if compared to the usual characters of formation novels---of a university student, Ömer, in a newly republican Turkey, where people are yet to come to terms with what happened following the WWI, the Turkish War of Independence, the first years of the republic and the series of revolutions that redefined Turkish life, political or quotidian. Ömer is sophisticated philosophically and intellectually, and is, so far, an incarnation of the young and confused romantic idealist. It seems that the novel will not conclude with his formation though, because the foreword is kind enough to offer a spoiler: he will commit suicide. So, my expectation is that he'll eventually end up succumbing to the contrasting duality of ideal life and the life as it is: talking selfish meat loaves doing their thing. The life of the author is similarly tragical, he's one of the intellectuals, among which also Nazım Hikmet Ran, that Ataturk regime persecuted for left-leaning ideas; and his short life of 41 years concluded in 1948 when trying to flee Turkey, falling victim to a still mysterious homicide while heading to the Thracian border.
Edit (2018-10-01): I couldn't and won't be able to participate in this thread this time because I'm a bit busy these days. So I just wanted to make this edit to say thanks to everybody for participating in this!
I'm reading The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch. I've avoided Murdoch until now because I didn't think I'd like her as a person, and somehow I assumed I wouldn't like her writing either. As it turns out, I'm an idiot (not for the first time) and this is a good book. (Won the Booker Prize in 1978, so I'm not alone in my opinion.) The narrator is a British actor/director who has retired and moved into a decrepit seaside house. As he reflects on his past it keeps intruding on his present, and before long it becomes clear that he's not quite the stellar character he thinks he is. In some ways it reminds me of another favourite, John Lanchester's The Debt to Pleasure, where we also get to snicker at the narrator's superiority complex. Maybe I just have a mean streak in me...
I’ve just cracked open The Innovators by Walter Isaacson. I enjoyed his Steve Jobs biography, and I’m a tech oriented person, so this seems like it’s right up my alley. It’s a bit lengthy, and I’m kind of a slow reader so I’ll probably be reading it for awhile.
I am reading Conclave by Robert Harris. After watching a TV show on the Borgias family, I've been interested in reading about the papal selection process.
I finished the first Mistborn trilogy last week, so now I'm on the Wax & Wayne trilogy that follows it. I dig the setting, I dig the new characters, I especially dig seeing references to the first trilogy sprinkled throughout, but I just can't seem to focus on it. My mind is constantly wandering and it's taking me forever to get through a series that's only half as long as its predecessor.
I prefer Stormlight to Mistborn, but since I finished the first Mistborn trilogy I've got an itch to go back to it.
I really enjoyed Wax and Wayne, perhaps even more than the original trilogy. The characters are a little more nuanced and the books strike a really nice balance of tone, in my opinion -- generally light-hearted, but occasionally delving into some darker depths.
I know one typically reads Sanderson for his captivating plotlines and extensive worldbuilding, but as someone who isn't generally taken in by plot/setting, I really appreciate Sanderson's more 'well-rounded' approach in Wax and Wayne.
Shadows of Self is also, in my opinion, by far the best entry in the entire Mistborn series. I've enjoyed most of what I've read by Sanderson, but Shadows of Self is in an entirely different echelon.
It might be worth waiting for the last book of the Wax and Wayne sequence to come out before starting, though. No word on when it will be released and Sanderson has a lot on his plate these days!
I'm reading my way through all the Halo books. Just started, so I'm still in the Forerunner saga.
We Always Lived in The Castle by Shirley Jackson. It's starting to become a little creepy.
I'm like a 1/3 through Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds (audiobook). Its pretty good so far. Though I feel like a couple of the main characters acted unrealistically near the beginning to setup the major conflict (so far). It felt forced. Aside from that its been moving along nicely.
Where good ideas come from by Steven Johnson.
I really like inventions and inventors and this book is more about the environment needed for creative ideas to flourish rather than any particular idea. He did a series called How we got to now which is a slimmed down version of the book.
Currently reading A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal by Ben Macintyre. Popupular history about famous spy. It's interesting topic, but I think that I would like wider approach more.
I'm reading Toll the Hounds by Steven Erikson. The 8th book in the Malazan book of the Fallen.
How is the Kharkanas stuff? I love Rake and anything to do with the Andii so I'm assuming it's going to be great.
I'm working through Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard. I don't remember how it first caught my attention-- I started reading it last winter, and I put it down around May. While I enjoy the prose and imagery, I can't help but feel that it waxes masturbatory at times.
If anyone else has read it, I'd like to hear their opinions.
I needed something light and fluffy to read, so I'm currently reading The Princess Bride by William Goldman. I loved the movie growing up, but I can't say I'm really enjoying the book so far.
Since week 1 (which seems to have been nearly a month ago!)...
I've moved on from 'The Portable Atheist' to The God Argument by A.C. Grayling. As usual when I read this book, I've skipped the first half, titled 'Against God', and gone straight to the second half, titled 'For Humanism'. I generally prefer pro-atheist and pro-humanist writings to anti-religious material.
The River of Time, a short story collection by science-fiction writer David Brin, is my current bedtime reading.
I'm still dipping in and out of Wonder Woman: The Golden Age Omnibus, Volume 1. I really need to get a move-on on this: not only do I have Volume 2 still waiting on the shelf, but Volume 3 will be published next month! But part of me wants to drag this out and savour it. I know there's not an infinite supply of original Wonder Woman comics, so I don't want to use them up too quickly.
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green came out last week (9/25) and I read it in about 5 hours. This is the debut novel by Green whose brother (John Green) wrote The Fault in Our Stars and Paper towns (as well as several others.)
Personally I thought the book was fantastic, if a bit, um, simple. Not sure if that's the correct word, since there are some deeper themes to read in to, but it's a very easy read. As someone who follows the brothers outside of their authorship (via Vlogbrothers, podcast, etc) it was interesting/cool to see Hank reference some actual real life things that almost seemed like little hello's to people "In the know" without taking from the story.
Since finishing that book I've started Timeline by Michael Crichton, I'm about halfway through so far, good story, interested to see where it goes. Who doesn't love some good time travel?
Just finished It Can't Happen Here, by Sinclair Lewis. Halfway through East of Eden, by John Steinbeck.
It Can't Happen Here was really good. Very relevant. The first 5 pages felt like a summary of the last few years of American politics.
East of Eden continues to surprise me with how good it is. The writing style is so good. It's just so fucking good. I'm really enjoying it.
On my reading list for what's next, possibly in this order:
The Conquest of Bread, by Peter Kropotkin
The Conspiracy Against The Human Race, by Thomas Ligotti
Hope Never Dies, by Andrew Shaffer (it sounds like a Troll 2 situation)
Call Me By Your Name, by André Aciman
Working my way through The Expanse novels. Absolutely fantastic.