And what’s on your to read shelf?

  • all-knight-party@kbin.cafe
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    1 year ago

    Since Reddit went, I actually have returned to books for my reading material, which had been replaced basically by massive ask reddit threads. As a result I’m trying to read some things I shouldve a long time ago.

    Just finished the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and I’m on to the second book in the series. It was as good as its legacy lead me to believe!

  • Dmian@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I don’t consider myself a bookworm, but I recently read:

    • Japan Sinks by Sakyo Komatsu
    • All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka (the novel, not the manga)
    • Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke
    • The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein

    And now I’m reading The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin.

    Yes, I like Science Fiction XDDD

    Edit: realizing that I had nothing lined up to read after “The Three-Body…”, I just got:

    • War With the Newts by Karel Čapek (thanks to a suggestion in the comments)
    • The Stars, My Destination, by Alfred Bester
    • The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. Le Guin
    • Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson
    • Gateway, by Frederik Pohl
    • Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
    • Childhood’s End, by Arthur C. Clarke (want to reread it in English, as I read it many years ago in Spanish)
    • Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert A. Heinlein

    I think I’m now covered for the rest of the summer, lol!

    • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      I liked ‘Rama’ and ‘The Moon.’ It’s a little funny rereading ‘Moon…’ because so much of the tech is dated. Also, it was apprently written in a time before prison gangs became as powerful as they are now.

      Thoughts?

      • Dmian@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Some of Heinlein’s ideas are interesting, but most are simply outdated. I don’t identify at all with his anarcho-capitalist ideas (to me, it reads as “I don’t want to pay taxes”, and extremely individualistic views of society), but I like how he explores the situation of the lack of women, what AI could be, and the gravitational advantage the moon has. His prose is good, so it invites to keep reading. An interesting author, indeed.

        • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          My favorite Heinlein government is from ‘Double Star.’ Instead of voting based on where you live, you can choose how you identify. You can be a ‘Green,’ or a ‘Gamer’ or a ‘Gun Owner’ or ‘College Educated Single Female,’ or whatever. He doesn’t give a lot of exact details but it’s a fun idea to play around with.

          Also, if you like fantasy, try ‘Glory Road.’ He takes all the usual tropes and kicks them to the curb.

    • Dr. Bob@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      I recently read Rama for the first time and it honestly just seemed…dumb. a nice piece of imagination but the relationships and motivations just didn’t seem real. Lime why smuggle a skybike on board when it’s expensive and fragile and there was no expectation of being able to ride it? It was a little Deus ex machina for my tastes.

      • Dmian@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Yes, not the best Clarke novel. The general idea is nice, and the author’s prose is good, but you’re left with the impression that something is missing. The plot falls on the bland side, in my opinion. I avoided the sequels, as the comments on them were pretty negative.

  • Cl1nk@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    The Three Body Problem saga, I just finished the first book. I’m enjoying this as much as I enjoyed DUNE

    • Nacktmull@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      Good stuff! Im reading the third book now. The saga is outstanding sci-fi and I very much recommend it. It is close to being as good as Foundation - however it is still far from being as great as Dune imo.

  • Moghul@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I only do about one or two books a month, but right now I’m hooked on Seveneves by Neal Stephenson

        • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          It’s not a sequel; it’s a stand alone using one character. It reads like two novels jammed together. One is about a massive ‘fake news’ story that lives on decades after it’s debunked, and the other is about a computer simulation/afterlife. Not his best, imho.

    • Raisin8659@monyet.cc
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      1 year ago

      Seveneves

      Sounds exciting! Thx.

      A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise an ambitious plan to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere, in outer space.

  • what_is_a_name@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Just finished a book from the 1930s by a Czech author Karel Čapek called War with the Newts.

    It’s sci-fi based on earth in 1930s but what I found the most interesting is

    1. seeing an author from 1930s write and think on paper (casual racism and sexism, for example),

    2. the echoes of the looming WWII

    3. the retro futurism - I love seeing what people from the past imagined would happen with technology. They are often right, often cutely wrong.

  • AverageGoob@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Pretty basic but I just started reading Dune. It’s been a daunting series for me with how long it is but better late than never.

    • Dr. Bob@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      Enjoy the ride! I still reread the first 5 every few years. They just get richer with time, especially the last couple. They seemed bizarre the first time I binged them but they make sooooo much more sense on rereads.

      • AverageGoob@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        They are SO bizarre so far. I noticed the appendix seems to give a bunch of extra information on the various factions/organizations in the universe. My question, do you think it’s worth doing more research on the universe beforehand or go blind for my first read?

        • Dr. Bob@lemmy.ca
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          1 year ago

          Just go blind and enjoy the characters. The politics can wait for later reads. I treat the Witcher novels the same way.

  • XYZinferno@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Going through the Red Rising series, which some of my friends praise immensely. Lightbringer just came out, though I’m only just finished Morning Star, book 3/6 in the series. Going to be starting Iron Gold soon. But until them, I’m reading 1984, which I just acquired a nice hardcover copy of.

  • PretentiousDouche@lemmy.sdf.org
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    1 year ago

    Currently reading “The Last Watch” because I wanted some fun sci-fi, but the liberties the author is taking on physics and the universe makes it very hard to suspend my disbelief.

    Looking at starting a re-read of “All Systems Red” in anticipation of the new Murderbot book coming out. I can’t recommend this series enough

  • Zoboomafoo@yiffit.net
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    1 year ago

    I have 5-20 minutes between calls at my work, so I’ve had plenty of time to sneak in some books on the clock.

    I’ve been rereading through the Cosmere, so Mistborn eras 1+2, Warbreaker, and I’m currently reading Elantris.