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This is actually the first Steven King book I think I've read. Which is surprising because one of my best friends in school was obsessed with his books and I read a novel a week back then and usually would take suggestions. I'm not sure why I never read King. I even read John Saul.
At any rate, The Tower is fantastic. I'm glad I never read it so that I can enjoy it now. Heh.
I have nearly read the Mistborn series a few times. I might need to check that out
Oh boy, you are in for a RIDE. How far into it are you?
Beyond the 8 books of the Dark Tower proper, there are a BUNCH of books that touch that part of the King Universe. Eyes of the Dragon, It, Insomnia, Desperation and the Regulators, Rose Madder, Hearts in Atlantis, The Talisman (indirectly), Black House (Talisman sequel, directly connects it together), The Stand, The Shining, Salem's Lot. Fairy Tale is similar enough, but not directly related.
There's a 3rd Talisman book coming this year as well.
I'm just starting Wizard and Glass (Book 4). I am definitely enjoying the ride. I was thinking about reading The Stand after this series, if reading order doesn't matter. If there is a prefered reading order after finishing the series I might follow that.
After book 4 I'd read, at a minimum, Insomnia and Hearts in Atlantis. Insomnia came out in the (FIVE YEAR!) gap between 3 and 4. Hearts in Atlantis shortly after 4.
But the Stand is never a bad choice!
Fair warning, I didn't think books 5-7 were as good as the first four. He stops doing the flashbacks to young Roland and there are gaps in that story now.
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Someone mentioned the author in another thread saying he was peak sci-fi right now, so went off just that and went in blind.
It’s definitely got my attention so far. Very interesting.
Me too!
I read it just last month, very interesting book. You can really tell he studied zoology.
Just discovered Cory Doctorow and started "the internet con" very good so far
This is such a great book, I don't remember a single page being boring or uninteresting. RIP David!
absolutely agree!
as a somewhat casual reader about early human history, I was surprised about how much of "common prehistory lore" is actually history written through a very thick Victorian lens.
Please enjoy.
Along with Naomi Klein and Ta-Nehisi Coates works, plus John Ralston Saul's The Unconscious Civilization, Rutger Bregman's Utopia is for Realists and several Massey Lectures, these have shaped my outlook on the world as it is.
Because this came last, for me, it recast this human experiment of ours and the depth of misdirection that is going on now.
I started the 10 book series of X-Wing Rogue Squadron. Seems to be Top Gun in space. I always enjoy a good space shoot up.
Yesterday, I finished up the last book of the trilogy Silo. Wonderful read.
After the first XWing book I’ll hit up some Nebula winner short stories to alternate with X-Wing for a little variety.
I really loved the old EU. I've read almost everything except I think I only read the first 3 books of Rogue Squadron. I might have to fix that at some point. I really wish they kept the EU as canon and made movies from that.
I read The Fifth Season and am now onto The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin.
The first book was pretty dark and covers some themes I’m not used to reading about (child death from mother’s perspective). I found that a bit shocking but very emotional.
The magic and world building is very interesting and I’m pretty hooked. I think the first book is better so far but will see how it ends in the third one!
I just started the Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson. The first one really sucked me in so I’ll probably finish this and the third book by the weekend.
Oh man, the Mistborn series is so damn good. LOVED it.
Yeah I am really enjoying the magic system. I can't stop thinking about how fantastic of a video game it would be.
Neuromancer by William Gibson
Lots of modern cyberpunk seems to have come from this book.
Neuromancer was one of the first sci-fi books I ever read and it convinced me the genre was worth reading.
After two failed reads so far in the year, I'm just over 10% into Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky. It's been good so far, but clocking in at ~600 pages means there's parts of the world building I'd prefer were a little shorter. Overall, it's been good so far.
Build Your House Around My Body by Violet Kupersmith.
About halfway through and I still have no idea what I'm reading -- all I know is I'm really enjoying it so far.
This is for everyone by Tim Berners-Lee
About the invention of the world wide web and the events that followed.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell
Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin
This has been on my list for awhile but every time I look at used books, it’s not on the shelves.
I read a lot of her other works when I was younger and forgot about this one until recently. Really enjoy her writing style. It's impressive it was written over 50 years ago.
Working my way through The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman, it’s the second book in the Book of Dust trilogy.
I’m loving it. So much.
The Pedant in the Kitchen by Julian Barnes.
I heard his last book (or what he claims is his last book) "Departure(s)" is out today and looked up what other stuff he's done, this one caught my eye being a very snarky collection of essays about cooking and cookbook authors.
I've read another one hundred pages of Marshland by Otohiko Kaga.
It's become more interesting. The writing is still very straightforward but I enjoy the descriptions of Japan and its nature. The characters are becoming a little more complex.
Currently reading The Colour of Magic after starting the year with Sourcery, from the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett.
The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu, about halfway through its really good. Its book 2 of The Remeberance of Earth's Past trilogy
Terry Pratchett - Thief of Time
Carl's Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman
A a sequel, it's a wild ride, like the first book in the series. Page turning is happening. Wish I read faster, is all...
I'm not book bashing by any means but if you enjoy the books you should give the audiobooks a shot, they evolve into quite the literary dramas.
I'm partway through Sipsworth. The main character is a bit sad but personable and I'm curious about the mouse. My partner says to expect things to get exciting.
I'm looking forward to the next Murderbot from Martha Wells — sarcastic cyborg who mostly hates humans but also ends up saving them.
Also looking forward to the next in the Nampeshiweisit Series by Moniquill Blackgoose which apparently is coming very soon. A boarding-school-with-dragons adventure but with lots of Native / queer folks, exploring a slightly alternate timeline of American colonization.
I’m reading Network Effect by Martha Wells. It’s the fifth book in The Murderbot Diaries series. I love it so far and 30% done with the book currently.
How to do Nothing - I'm about halfway through now and liking it more, but not a lot. Still waiting for actionable items instead of the author just quoting a bunch of other writers.
A Confederacy of Dunces - I read the first chapter a while back and bounced off it, because the main guy is too insufferably realistic to how many Americans are. Started it again and I'm really enjoying it now.
Started The Hour Of The Predator by Da Empoli. He has so far described MBS' rise to power in the kindom of Saud, and drawing parallels to Cesare Borgia. A bit too much sideroads into the author's official work with politicians, mainly to establish his authority on the subject, but that seems to dissipate after a while.
I'm almost done with Structural Sin and the Death of Institutions by Susannah Cornwall.
Still working my way through Katabasis by RF Kuang.
I am enjoying it, it does not feel as, I guess, academic as Babel did in that most of what is talked about academically in the book is around classic literature and philosphies about hell.
I think one thing that is going to annoy me with book will be the same as Babel, we have this alternate reality where magic plays a major role in things and i want to explore that so much more. How does it work? How was it discovered? How did it affect things? The book makes direct reference to WW2 and if magic is real to an extent how did it change thingsm
My phone broke, so in the last week I read 8 books in the Executioner pulp series from the 70s, Larry Niven's "Destiny's Road", and Warthog: Flying the A-10 in the Gulf War.
I love Larry Niven's writing. In this book he created a lot of world, and there are corners that we never got to see. Good stuff.
Warthog was a really well-written book based on interviews right after the Gulf War. It's one of my favorite military planes. I got pretty attached to the pilots by the end of the book.
This is kinda part of a new shift to "go back" to reading more fantasy and science fiction again. The last years I have mostly read contemporary stuff and non-fiction. Over Christmas I read both Children of Time (very good, but not quite as captivated as many others) and I re-read A Game of Thrones (even better than I remembered it), and it has kinda rekindled my love for reading.
Portnoy's Complaint
I couldn't help it, I picked up A Case of Life and Limb by Sally Smith, the sequel to the book I finished last week. Just as comfy as the first book so far.
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Semi-lighthearted collection of stories, each with a supernatural element, like ghosts, demons, or the undead.
Finally sat down and finished this one, which I started some months back. I have sort of a resounding 'meh' opinion of this collection, even though it was well-written and pleasantly surprised me in places. There's really nothing I can point out specifically that I didn't like, it just didn't click with me somehow.
Just finished listening to "Breakneck" by Dan Wang. His take on China vs. US approach to economy, technology, and the future.
Main thesis is that China follows an "Engineering" approach to solving social problems (most of the leaders are engineers or scientists) whereas US has a "Legalistic" approach (most members of Congress are attorneys). Engineering gets things done and lets you build things fast, but without guardrails or protections. Legal slows things down and makes building more expensive, but has more guardrails against risk or harm. Not sure I bought the whole analogy. There was a gut-wrenching chapter on China's One Child policy and how it was implemented. Made me want to find out more about it.
I'd recommend the book to anyone interested in an alternative view, from someone with a foot in both worlds.
Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century by Kim Fu.
Its a fast read, 12 short stories and I'm a bit more than half way through. I've been taken in by several of them.
I'm about halfway through 11-22-63. Audiobook, quite good