And what’s on your to read shelf?
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!
One more hoopy frood who knows where their towel is!
Its amazing how fast the five book trilogy goes by once you’re in it. Its almost time for me to re-read the series again. Glad you’re started on your strange, comedic journey through the galaxy!
A classic, been meaning to get back to it myself!
Also, promotion for !books@lemmy.ml and https://literature.cafe/ !
❤️
Wheel of time! Currently on book seven now
I loved Wheel of Time! Plus it introduced me to my now favorite author, Brandon Sanderson.
Same for me on this and the original comment!
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!
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?
Some of Heinlein’s ideas are interesting, but most are simply outdated.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.
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.
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.
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.
The Three Body Problem saga, I just finished the first book. I’m enjoying this as much as I enjoyed DUNE
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.
I only do about one or two books a month, but right now I’m hooked on Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
Huge Stephenson fan.
I want ‘Reamde’ as a Netflix series.
Just finished Reamde recently. Anyone know if the sequel, Fall, is worth reading?
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.
Seveneves is good, Anathem is my favourite by him.
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.
House of Leaves is a fuckin trip
Hey pretty, don’t you wanna take a ride with me 🎶
In my caAr 🎶
I checked that out from a library once on a recommendation and ended up returning it in less than a week. Shit was waaaaaaaaaay too confusing for me lmao
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
-
seeing an author from 1930s write and think on paper (casual racism and sexism, for example),
-
the echoes of the looming WWII
-
the retro futurism - I love seeing what people from the past imagined would happen with technology. They are often right, often cutely wrong.
John Brunner’s ‘Stand On Zanzibar’ won the Hugo in 969 for its depiction of the early 21st Century. Amazing how much he got right.
Oh! Never read anything from Čapek. Thanks for bringing him to my attention!
TIL: His brother invented the word “robot”, which Karel Čapek used in the book R.U.R.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karel_%C4%8Capek#Etymology_of_robot
-
Children of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky
one of the greatest new books I’ve read. fantastic.
I freaking loved this book. The epic time scales were just sooo good. The sequel is solid too!
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.
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.
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?
Just go blind and enjoy the characters. The politics can wait for later reads. I treat the Witcher novels the same way.
Fair enough. I have been so far so I will continue to do just that. Thanks!
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.
Currently reading Red Rising. Awesome book, when I start reading it’s very hard to stop.
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
I’ve only heard fantastic things about murderbot, will definitely read it once I get the chance
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.
Ohh I’m currently reading Tress after finishing the Silo saga, it’s been a fun read so far!
Check out The Emperor’s Soul also by Sanderson. It’s short but IMO is his best work.
deleted by creator
