May Reading Thread

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It's much better than Blade Runner in my humble opinion. Blade Runner merely scratches the surface of the story. Then again, PKD's one of my favorite authors...

PKD is one of my favorites as well. I don't think he is the greatest technical writer by any means but his concepts are so imaginative that I can't stop reading his work. Blade Runner is easily one of my favorite movies. The score by Vangelis is incredible and the noir stylings make it a truly unique sci-fi. I'm about halfway through Do Androids Dream... and I miss the noir feeling of LA in Ridley Scott's take on the story. So far I think I like the movie better but the book is definitely good, but of course Blade Runner wouldn't exist without the book, so there's that.
 
W. G. Sebald's Austerlitz -- unnamed narrator relating the monologues of the interesting, melancholy title character, whose memories seem to begin with a small household in Bala, Wales. It seems Sebald has the idea that a Welsh Calvinist preacher might believe in purgatory. Much enjoyable evocatyion of landscape, and passages describing Austerlitz's London wanderings reminded me of Arthur Machen.

Iain Provan's Convenient Myths: The Axial Age, Dark Green Religion, and the World That Never Was is an historical critique of such as Karl Jaspers and Karen Armstrong. (sigh) The pop myths and the academic orthodoxies of such (like Joseph Campbell's monomyth)… that perennial lust academical folk have for grand theories that lay bare the past and present and give us an agenda for remaking the world for a utopian future...
 
I've read two of them and so far have not been able to return to the series. They are a product of their time, but I am the product of a very different time and find the casual misogyny and racism intolerable.
They're a very educational device (sarcasm!),
I grew up convinced that if ever I met a bloke who couldn't whistle then he was assuredly a homosexual
 
I read Neil Gaiman's third Sandman volume, Dream Country. I liked the four separate stories in the volume although Facade was my least favourite. Midsummer Night's Dream was good although I suspect I'd probably have gotten more out of it if I'd ever seen or read the play. The inclusion of the original script for Calliope was an interesting insight into Gaiman's writing process.

I'm now most of the way through Martha Wells' Exit Strategy which is as entertaining as the other Murderbot novellas.
 
I've read le Carré but never Fleming. Is Steven Rubin's assessment of Fleming correct? Is Fleming's Bond "a candidate for the psychiatrist's couch - a burned-out killer who may have just enough energy left for one final mission. [A] man who drank to diminish the poison in his system, the poison of a violent world with impossible demands."
 
I've read le Carré but never Fleming. Is Steven Rubin's assessment of Fleming correct? Is Fleming's Bond "a candidate for the psychiatrist's couch - a burned-out killer who may have just enough energy left for one final mission. [A] man who drank to diminish the poison in his system, the poison of a violent world with impossible demands."
Yeah, I would say so.
The earlier books also include lines like
"Bond lit his two hundredth cigarette of the day"
 
"Bond lit his two hundredth cigarette of the day"

Do you have a site for this? That's a near unto unbelievable number. It would take a 10 pack a day habit. In Casino Royale there is a line about his 70th cigarette, a two and half pack a day habit, high, but not an unheard of number.
 
Do you have a site for this? That's a near unto unbelievable number. It would take a 10 pack a day habit. In Casino Royale there is a line about his 70th cigarette, a two and half pack a day habit, high, but not an unheard of number.
I will find it and get back to ya
 
Yeah, I would say so.
The earlier books also include lines like
"Bond lit his two hundredth cigarette of the day"
ouch, lets not get judgmental here lolo so the guy has issues so what? everybody does. and he doesn't came close to mike hammer and i love noir. look, every book is a fruit of his time. that's why we have casual racism, sexism and a lot of other things that today we consider bad when reading old books. but that's the thing: who knowes what people from 50 years down the line are going to say about some of our books?don't like it, don't read it. and frankly for those people hanged out in parts of the story that conflict with their values, please, please, never ever read the old testament
 
and speaaking of the future, how about a book from today with a pandemic, bad politicians, second american civil war and possibly the 3º world war? should i write it or do you think we are already living in a bad syfy?
 
Well, a little better pace than the last time I posted a reading update. Instead of 18 books in 28 days, I've managed 22 in just the last 18 days:

"Code of Conduct," book 15 of the Scot Harvath series by Brad Thor.
"The Athens Solution," book 15.5 of the Scot Harvath series by Brad Thor.
"Foreign Agent," book 16 of the Scot Harvath series by Brad Thor.
"Use of Force," book 17 of the Scot Harvath series by Brad Thor.
Reading the early books in this series, I could only recommend them to die hard thriller fans. They were good, but not great books. As Brad Thor has matured as an author, so have his books. I would now put the best of Thor's books nearly on par with Vince Flynn's early work. He's come a long way and is still getting better.

“The Sudden Appearance of Hope” by Claire North.
This book is creepy good, but very, very good.

“Odyssey,” book 5 of the Academy series by Jack McDevitt.
“Cauldron,” book 6 of the Academy series by Jack McDevitt.
“Starhawk,” book 7 of the Academy series by Jack McDevitt.
“The Long Sunset,” book 8 of the Academy series by Jack McDevitt.
“A Talent for War,” book 1 of the Alex Benedict series by Jack McDevitt
“Polaris,” book 2 of the Alex Benedict series by Jack McDevitt
“Seeker,” book 3 of the Alex Benedict series by Jack McDevitt
“The Devil's Eye,” book 4 of the Alex Benedict series by Jack McDevitt
“Echo,” book 5 of the Alex Benedict series by Jack McDevitt
“Firebird,” book 6 of the Alex Benedict series by Jack McDevitt
“Coming Home,” book 7 of the Alex Benedict series by Jack McDevitt
"Octavia Gone” book 8 of the Alex Benedict series by Jack McDevitt
@Parson, if you haven't finished at least the Alex Benedict books, what are you waiting for?!?
Every time I re-read a McDevitt novel, or pick up a rare new one (he does take his time between books), I'm reminded what a great talent he is. I had intended to salt these book in with others, but once I got started I somply couldn't stop, even though, with the exception of books 7 and 8 of each of these series, I've read them all more times than I can remember.

"Just one Damned Thing After Another," book 1 of The Chronicles of St. Mary's by Jodi Taylor.
The first two books of series (there's a prequel to book 1) has been amazing fun so far I'm really looking forward to the rest. It's not a time travel series The historians at St. Mary's simply prefer to view historical events in contemporary time. :)

“The Ruins of Gorlan,” book 1 of the Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan.
“The Burning Bridge,” book 2 of the Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan.
“The Icebound Land,” book 3 of the Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan.
Young adult fantasy series that is, surprisingly, very light on magic and heavy combat. Flanagan has taken a road less traveled by making his lightly armored heroes clever and cunning rather than uber-powerful. A refreshing change and a fun series of books so far.

"The Dispossessed," book 5 of the Hainish Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin.
My favorite of the series so far.

186 titles finished for the year, so far. Still on pace for over 470 and I only need to read 219 books in the next 222 days to reach my goal of 405. :)

The complete running list:
"Slow Bullets" by Alastair Reynolds.
"Illuminae," book 1 of The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman.
"Gemina," book 2 of The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman.
"Obsidio," book 3 of The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman.
“The Castle in the Mist,” book 1 of the Tess and Max series by Amy Ephron.
“Carnival Magic,” book 2 of the Tess and Max series by Amy Ephron.
“The Other Side of the Wall,” book 3 of the Tess and Max series by Amy Ephron,
“I Hunt Killers,” book 1 of the I Hunt Killers trrilogy by Barry Lyga.
“Game,” book 2 of the I Hunt Killers trrilogy by Barry Lyga.
“Blood of my Blood,” book 3 of the I Hunt Killers trrilogy by Barry Lyga.
"To Be Taught, If Fortunate" by Becky Chambers.
"Act of War," book 13 of the Scot Harvath series by Brad Thor.
"Code of Conduct," book 15 of the Scot Harvath series by Brad Thor.
"The Athens Solution," book 15.5 of the Scot Harvath series by Brad Thor.
"Foreign Agent," book 16 of the Scot Harvath series by Brad Thor.
"Use of Force," book 17 of the Scot Harvath series by Brad Thor.
“Beezer” by Brandon T. Snider.
"The Black Prism," book 1 of the Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks.
"The Blinding Knife," book 2 of the Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks.
"The Broken Eye," book 3 of the Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks.
"The Blood Mirror," book 4 of the Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks.
"The Burning White," book 5 of the Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks.
"A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World" by C. A. Fletcher.
"The Vault of Dreamers," Rosie Sinclair book 1 by Caragh O'Brien.
"Birthmarked," book 1 of the Birthmarked Trilogy by Caragh O'Brien.
"Prized," book 2 of the Birthmarked Trilogy by Caragh O'Brien.
"Promised," book 3 of the Birthmarked Trilogy by Caragh O'Brien.
“Antibodies” by Charles Stross.
"The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August" by Claire North.
"Touch" by Claire North.
“The Sudden Appearance of Hope” by Claire North.
"A Serpent's Tooth" book 9 of the Longmire Mysteries by Craig Johnson.
"Spirit of Steamboat," book 9.5 of the Longmire Mysteries by Craig Johnson.
"Any Other Name," book 10 of the Longmire Mysteries by Craig Johnson.
"Wait for Signs," book 10.1 of the Longmire Mysteries by Craig Johnson.
"Dry Bones," book 11 of the Longmire Mysteries by Craig Johnson.
"The Highwayman," book 11.5 of the Longmire Mysteries by Craig Johnson.
"An Obvious Fact," book 12 of the Longmire Mysteries by Craig Johnson.
"The Western Star," book 13 of the Longmire Mysteries by Craig Johnson.
"Depth of Winter," book 14 of the Longmire Mysteries by Craig Johnson.
"The Rook," book 1 of The Checquy Files by Daniel O'Malley.
"Stiletto," book 2 of The Checquy Files by Daniel O'Malley.
“Long Road to Mercy,” book ! Of the Atlee Pine series by David Baldacci
"The Decoy Princess," book 1 of the Princess Contessa duology by Dawn Cook (aka Kim Harrison).
"Princess at Sea," book 2 of the Princess Contessa duology by Dawn Cook (aka Kim Harrison).
"Face It" by Debbie Harry.
"Skulduggery Pleasant," book 1 of the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy.
"Playing with Fire," book 2 of the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy.
"The Faceless Ones," book 3 of the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy.
"Dark Days," book 4 of the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy.
"Mortal Coil," book 5 of the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy.
"Death Bringer," book 6 of the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy.
"Kingdom of the Wicked," book 7 of the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy.
"Last Stand of Dead Men," book 8 of the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy.
“Old Bones,” book 1 of the Nora Kelly series by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.
"Artemis Fowl," book 1 of the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer.
"The Arctic Incident," book 2 of the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer.
"The Eternity Code," book 3 of the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer.
"The Opal Deception," book 4 of the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer.
"The Lost Colony," book 5 of the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer.
"The Time Paradox," book 6 of the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer.
"The Atlantis Complex," book 7 of the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer.
"The Last Guardian," book 8 of the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer.
"The Fowl Twins," book 1 of the Artemis Twins series by Eoin Colfer.
“The Old Man and the Sea” by Ernest Hemmingway.
"Skinwalker," book 1 of the Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter.
"Gifted Thief," book 1 of the Highland Magic series by Helen Harper.
"Honour Bound," book 2 of the Highland Magic series by Helen Harper.
"Veiled Threat," book 3 of the Highland Magic series by Helen Harper.
"Last Wish," book 4 of the Highland Magic series by Helen Harper.
"The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide and The Seeing Stone," books 1 and 2 by Holly Black.
"The Spiderwick Chronicles: Lucinda's Secret and The Ironwood Tree," books 3 and 4 by Holly Black.
"The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Wrath of Mulgarath," book 5 by Holly Black.
"Casino Royale," James Bond book 1 by Ian Fleming.
"Live and Let Die," James Bond book 2 by Ian Fleming.
“The Engines of God,” book 1 of the Academy series by Jack McDevitt.
“Deepsix,” book 2 of the Academy series by Jack McDevitt.
“Chindi,” book 3 of the Academy series by Jack McDevitt.
“Omega,” book 4 of the Academy series by Jack McDevitt.
“Odyssey,” book 5 of the Academy series by Jack McDevitt.
“Cauldron,” book 6 of the Academy series by Jack McDevitt.
“Starhawk,” book 7 of the Academy series by Jack McDevitt.
“The Long Sunset,” book 8 of the Academy series by Jack McDevitt.
“A Talent for War,” book 1 of the Alex Benedict series by Jack McDevitt
“Polaris (2004),” book 2 of the Alex Benedict series by Jack McDevitt
“Seeker,” book 3 of the Alex Benedict series by Jack McDevitt
“The Devil's Eye,” book 4 of the Alex Benedict series by Jack McDevitt
“Echo,” book 5 of the Alex Benedict series by Jack McDevitt
“Firebird,” book 6 of the Alex Benedict series by Jack McDevitt
“Coming Home,” book 7 of the Alex Benedict series by Jack McDevitt
“Octavia Gone” book 8 of the Alex Benedict series by Jack McDevitt
"Die Trying," Jack Reacher book 2 by Lee Child.
"Tripwire," Jack Reacher book 3 by Lee Child.
"Nevernight," book 1 of The Nevernight Chronicles by Jay Kristoff.
"Godsgrave," book 2 of The Nevernight Chronicles by Jay Kristoff.
"Darkdawn," book 1 of The Nevernight Chronicles by Jay Kristoff.
“The Monster of Elendhaven” by Jennifer Giesbrecht
"The Very First Damned Thing," book 0.5 of The Chronicles of St. Mary's by Jodi Taylor.
"Just one Damned Thing After Another," book 1 of The Chronicles of St. Mary's by Jodi Taylor.
“The Ruins of Gorlan,” book 1 of the Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan.
“The Burning Bridge,” book 2 of the Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan.
“The Icebound Land,” book 3 of the Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan.
"The Confession" by John Grisham.
"The Litigators" by John Grisham.
“Witness to a Trial” by John Grisham
“The Whistler” by John Grisham
“Carmilla” by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
"And I Darken," book 1 of The Conqueror's Saga by Kiersten White.
"Now I Rise," book 2 of The Conqueror's Saga by Kiersten White.
"PERfunctory afFECTION" by Kim Harrison.
"Junk" by Les Bohem
"The Regional Office is Under Attack" by Manuel Gonzales.
"This is How You Lose the Time War" by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone.
"Black Crow, White Snow" by Michael Livingston.
"Kingdom of Needle and Bone" by Mira Grant.
"Alien: Echo" by Mira Grant.
“Astrophysics for People in a Hurry” by Neil DeGrasse Tyson.
“Rendezvous” by Nelson DeMille.
"The Deserter" by Nelson and Alex DeMille.
“Space Boy” by Orson Scott Card.
"Thin Air" by Richard K. Morgan
"Metrophage" by Richard Kadrey
"The Hidden Oracle," book 1 of The Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan.
"Camp Half-blood Confidential" supplemental to The Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan.
"The Dark Prophecy," book 2 of The Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan.
"The Burning Maze," book 3 of The Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan.
"The Tyrant's Tomb," book 4 of The Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan.
"The Wild Heart of Stevie Nicks" by Rob Sheffield.
"Sparrow Hill Road," book 1 of the Ghost Roads series by Seanan McGuire.
"The Girl in the Green Silk Gown," book 2 of the Ghost Roads series by Seanan McGuire.
"Discount Armageddon," book 1 of the InCryptid series by Seanan McGuire.
"Midnight Blue-Light Special," book 2 of the InCryptid series by Seanan McGuire.
"Half-Off Ragnarok," book 3 of the InCryptid series by Seanan McGuire.
"Pocket Apocalypse," book 4 of the InCryptid series by Seanan McGuire.
"Chaos Choreography," book 5 of the InCryptid series by Seanan McGuire.
"Magic for Nothing," book 6 of the InCryptid series by Seanan McGuire.
"Tricks for Free," book 7 of the InCryptid series by Seanan McGuire.
"That Ain't Witchcraft," book 8 of the InCryptid series by Seanan McGuire.
"Imaginary Numbers," book 9 of the InCryptid series by Seanan McGuire.
“Every Heart a Doorway,” book 1 of the Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire.
“Down Among the Sticks and Bones,” book 2 of the Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire.
“Beneath the Sugar Sky,” book 3 of the Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire.
“In an Absent Dream,” book 4 of the Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire.
“Come Tumbling Down,” book 5 of the Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire.
"Finale," book 3 of Caraval by Stephanie Garber.
“Blockade Billy” by Stephen King.
“Pure Drivel” by Steve Martin
“Wildside” by Steven Gould
"New York Dead," book 1 of the Stone Barrington series by Stuart Woods.
“Truckers,” book 1 of the Bromeliad Trilogy by Terry Pratchett
“Diggers,” book 2 of the Bromeliad Trilogy by Terry Pratchett
“Wings,” book 3 of the Bromeliad Trilogy by Terry Pratchett
"The Color of Magic," book 1 of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchet.
"The Light Fantastic," book 2 of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchet.
"Equal Rights," book 3 of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchet.
"Mort," book 4 of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchet.
"Sourcery," book 5 of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchet.
"Wyrd Systers," book 6 of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchet.
"Pyramids," book 7 of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchet.
"Guards, Guards," book 8 of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchet.
"Eric," book 9 of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchet.
"Moving Pictures," book 10 of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchet.
“Only You Can Save Mankind,” book 1 of the Johnny Maxwell series by Terry Pratchett.
“Johnny and the Dead,” book 2 of the Johnny Maxwell series by Terry Pratchett.
“Johnny and the Bomb,” book 3 of the Johnny Maxwell series by Terry Pratchett.
"The Devil's Breath," book 3 of the Dr. Thomas Silkstone series by Tessa Harris.
"The Lazarus Curse," book 4 of the Dr. Thomas Silkstone series by Tessa Harris.
"Shadow of the Raven," book 5 of the Dr. Thomas Silkstone series by Tessa Harris.
"Secrets of the Stones," book 6 of the Dr. Thomas Silkstone series by Tessa Harris.
"Rocannon's World," book 1 of the Hainish Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin.
"Planet of Exile," book 2 of the Hainish Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin.
"City of Illusions," book 3 of the Hainish Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin.
"The Left Hand of Darkness," book 4 of the Hainish Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin.
"The Dispossessed," book 5 of the Hainish Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin.
“I Shudder at Your Touch,” a horror anthology.
"Bitches and Brawlers," book 4 of the Steampunk Red Riding Hood series by Melanie Karsak.
"Howls and Hallows," book 5 of the Steampunk Red Riding Hood series by Melanie Karsak.
"Thief's Covenant," book 1 of the Widdershins Adventures by Ari Marmell.
"False Covenant," book 2 of the Widdershins Adventures by Ari Marmell.
"Lost Covenant," book 3 of the Widdershins Adventures by Ari Marmell.
"Covenant's End," book 4 of the Widdershins Adventures by Ari Marmell.
"Steampunk Banditos," book 7 of the Felix Gomes series by Mario Acevedo.
“Three Parts Dead,” book 1 of the Craft Sequence by Max Gladstone.
”Two Serpents Rise,” book 2 of the Craft Sequence by Max Gladstone.
”Full Fathom Five,” book 3 of the Craft Sequence by Max Gladstone.
“The Gravedigger’s Brawl” by Abigail Roux
 
I've just started Rosewater by Tade Thompson.

Finished last night. I liked it a lot, though it did introduce quite a lot of important parts of the story in a flurry towards the end (chapters are not in chronological order, which is ok but occasionally confusing).

I've now started To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers (I've got The Long Way To a Small, Angry Planet but not read it yet).
 
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