Didn’t get time to read anything this week either.
What about all of you? What have you all been reading or listening to lately?
Book Bingo midpoint is also up, check it out!
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i’m a stephen king fan from way back, but at some point i stopped finding his work worthwhile, but i recently decided to take up some of his more recent work. just finished fairytale: the novel and later. fairytale was okay, but didn’t wow me. later on the other hand i found really compelling, a great shorter story.
right now i’m reading a self-published book one of my college history instructors wrote years ago. it’s about a guy in 1968 who has to decide what he’s going to do about the draft. while it’s a bit clumsy in some ways and really calls out for an editor i’m finding the local historical aspects of it pretty fascinating.
i’m also still reading an indigenous people’s history of the u.s.. it’s fascinating and well written, but non-fiction tends to get set aside for novelty. i’m still commited to finishing it.
I’m right now listening to The Haar. Mhairi Morrison does a great job in narrating the audiobook.
I recently finished Magical Girl Mechanical Heart by Natalie Maher and Are You Even Human by Natalie Maher. Both are heavy and dark, SciFi/fantasy. Best things I have read in years. I can’t wait for the next books.
Current reading Memory’s Flame, The Wandering Inn, Book 20.
Finished Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty. Apparently her books are quite popular with the wine moms. That’s not me, but even I thought this was a good family mystery.
Next up I think is going to be Ringworld Throne by Larry Niven. I read the first two Ringworlds a while ago, and recently came into possession of the sequels Throne and Children.
I bought The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd like 20 years ago and somehow it never made it to the top of my stack. It stayed with me all these years though 2 moves including one overseas, and I finally started it. Love it so far.
I finished book 1 of Dungeon Crawler Carl!
I started Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, I’m suprised how colorful and interesting the language is but still it’s easy to read.
Two hundred some pages into The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. by Neal Stephnson and Nicole Galland, and I’m thinking about dropping the book, which I rarely do. It could have accomplished in fifty pages what it’s taken two hundred some pages to do.
While it occasionally has its moments, it’s so boring. Which should be impossible. The whole government set up is a goldmine for comedy, and somehow it’s still dull.
To be fair, Stephenson is kind of a pro at doing in 200 pages what could be done in 50.
I think Galland drags D.O.D.O. down. I read D.O.D.O., and agree with you (I pushed through it) and decided to give the sequel written by just Galland a shot. It was awful. I quit after a chapter or two.
I’m re-listening to How to Be Perfec t by Michael Schur, as I’ve been on a beginners philosophy kick lately. It’s a fun light overview of Moral Philosophy and using the Good Place cast as part of the voice cast makes the whole thing breezy. Also the full body slams on Ayn Rand and her Objectivism ‘Philosophy’ made me laugh out loud.
I just finished The Dawn of Everything. An anarchist presentation of other ways of living and what could have been. Amazing, thought inducing, challenging in all the good ways (and long, plenty of meat to chew on)
It’s such a great book! It gave me new hope for humanity - something I’ve really needed.
Just started foundryside. Interesting “magic” system so far.
I’m still working on We are Legion(We are Bob) and Seasons of Glass and Iron, but nearly finished both. Not sure what I’ll pick up next, yet.
I’m about 400 pages into War and Peace, and I’m blown away. The story is rich in themes, well-developed characters, history and ideas. At the same time, it is a gripping read and nowhere near as tough as I feared. My only regret so far is that I wish I had bought a translation that kept the French intact; I am switching between translations – I read the free Maude translation digitally, and my physical edition was translated by Anthony Briggs. While both are enjoyable, neither indicates which character is speaking in which language. But it’s important to know, because Tolstoy puts a lot of meaning into how characters express themselves.
Anyway, is anyone else reading it at the moment, or has anyone read it in the past? How do/did you like it?
I read it ages ago. I didn’t like it. I find Tolstoj robotically moralistic. His obsession with the Napoleonic war seemed shoehorned into the story. I liked the characters, almost in some of the writing. And I hated the Epilogue, let me know what you will think of it!
The second epilogue I also don’t look forward to. I usually don’t do too well with the straight philosophical exposition. And I would agree with you on Tolstoi being moralistic overall, but here I feel like it’s not really that on the nose. Kreutzersonata or Master and Man on the other hand were both quite unenjoyable because of the preachiness.
I just finished Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica (disturbing and brilliant - nothing has made me feel that way since reading Fahrenheit 451 a decade ago), and now I’m onto Sarafina by Philip Fracassi. Going to need something lighter after this one, I think.
I loved Fahrenheit 451, might have to check out Tender is the Flesh.
Still making my way through the Discworld, on the witches now. Just finished Witches Abroad and just started Lords and Ladies.
I’m reading Wyrd Sisters right now! Love the Discworld so far and the witches are fantastic.
I think that’s where Pratchett put all his most focused metanarrative commentary, being so explicitly about stories and all. And Weatherwax’s Headology is just chef’s kiss, as something of a magician myself.
