January 2022 Reading Thread.

[Dan Jones]

Lots of reading happening at the moment. Still plodding on with Dune, but also reading The Promise by Damon Galgut, and re-reading Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons's Watchmen. I'm also skimming through Tade Thompson's Rosewater.

Doing the background research for Chronscast has grossly swollen my TBR pile, so I have a great deal to be getting on with!

 

[AE35Unit]

Next up, Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett in which Death goes missing, presumed mortal...

 

[AE35Unit]

I didn’t mind it, it was funny!

Horses for courses I suppose. But I first read Great Sky River, then decided to track down the earlier two books, and just found them dull, lacking in any of the magic of the later book.

 

[Fiberglass Cyborg]

Re-reading "The Bands of Mourning" by Brandon Sanderson yet again, as my head is not in a fit state for anything new.

I'm afraid to say I bailed on Belgarath the Sourcerer last night. I'd had enough. Didn't feel like it was going anywhere and its like, centuries, millenia pass in the blink of an eye and I found myself wondering what the hell is going on and why am I still reading this!
First DNF of '22

Not just me, then... I borrowed someone else's copy and made it all of two chapters in before I was yawning. The "Now let's hear the /real/ story from another point of view!" novel is something that almost never comes off, if you ask me.

 

[Spade]

I finished up Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky today. I freaking loved it. It's rare that I am blessed with good worldbuilding and good characters in the same novel. I am eagerly awaiting the sequels. Judging by the quickness of his writing, I'm sure they'll be out soon.

I was only halfway through Abaddon's Gate when I was tempted to pick this one up, so I've got to go finish that one.

Then I think I'll finish off the month with The 22 Murders of Madison May by Max Barry and Light Years From Home by Mike Chen.

 

[Danny McG]

I'm also skimming through Tade Thompson's Rosewater

The best way to read it IMO

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Rabbits follows K., someone who has become obsessed with seeking out and discovering patterns and connections throughout their day-to-day life.

Hi Danny! Hey, I've had Rabbits in my wishlist for a while, and have been thinking about picking it up. I wonder how you got on with the book? Thanks! CC

 

[Stephen Palmer]

The bad:
“Guns, Germs and Steel” by Jared Diamond. Ok, so not actually bad, just really disappointing since it was failed to live up to the high ratings given by people I trust.

What do you think was so poor about it? He has written some iffy stuff, but G,G&S is imo his career highlight.

Guns, Germs & Steel by Jared Diamond

This award-winning book looks at which geographical, geophysical, biological and social influences might have affected the course of human history – social, cultural and political. It’s a book with…

stephenpalmersf.wordpress.com

 

[Dan Jones]

The best way to read it IMO

You didn't get on with it? What were your impressions of it?

 

[tobl]

just found out there's a new movie based on an heinlein book, the door into summer... japanese... hum... the last movie i saw based on heinlein was great so maybe i see it. there's anew bob blanton out and it's fun like always

 

[Ian Fortytwo]

I'm currently reading New Suns. Original Speculative Fiction by People of Colour, edited by Nisi Shawl. With an introduction by Levar Burton.

 

[Danny McG]

Hi Danny! Hey, I've had Rabbits in my wishlist for a while, and have been thinking about picking it up. I wonder how you got on with the book? Thanks! CC

It was ok but a bit derivative IMO, some of the situations I'd saw very similar in other books.
Nevertheless an enjoyable read

 

[Danny McG]

You didn't get on with it? What were your impressions of it?

It seemed to drag on a bit much, over detailed descriptions etc.
Plus psychic powers aren't really my thing - gimme an evil alien who wants to eat humans any day!

 

[Danny McG]

Today's read

 

[Dan Jones]

It seemed to drag on a bit much, over detailed descriptions etc.
Plus psychic powers aren't really my thing - gimme an evil alien who wants to eat humans any day!

I'm pretty sure there was a disgusting man-eating alien in there - the floater scene?

I liked it, but the multi-timeline narrative was difficult to follow. I often find it's a certain hard thing to pull off successfully.

 

[Parson]

I took a little detour into thriller police procedural land with Melinda Leigh and Right Behind Her. This author is consistent and predictably a good read. I've read several of hers and will read several more. I'm going to give Poul Anderson's There Will Be Time a try.

 

[KGeo777]

I read the Reptile by John Burke--it is a Hammer Films novelization. A very quick read. It adds nothing to the story except the description of the Reptile suggests something more serpentine in movement. I am going to read his Dr. Terror's House of Horrors novelization next.

 

[Ray Zdybrow]

Stross at his best is SO good, and his satirical points are spot on and have real bite.
I'm interested that you've been a librarian for 35 years. Nowadays people are expected and encouraged to change jobs and employers to make use of their "transferable skills" which imo is bs. When I go into a library I want the staff to have deep knowledge of what they're doing, rather than be worrying about their next gig.

J

Stross at his best is SO good, and his satirical points are spot on and have real bite.
I'm interested that you've been a librarian for 35 years. Nowadays people are expected and encouraged to change jobs and employers to make use of their "transferable skills" which imo is bs. When I go into a library I want the staff to have deep knowledge of what they're doing, rather than be worrying about their next gig.

Just to clarify, I'm not having a go at library staff..

 

[Foxbat]

I finished Frankenstein Unbound and thought it was okay. I do have one major gripe with it. It’s through the recollections of the main character (Bodenland) that the story unfolds. He’s been transported 200 years into the past from 2020 but the language he uses, I felt, was more akin to 1820. It’s as if the author slipped into a particular skin whilst taking on the 19th century characters and found it too tight to remove when writing from Bodenland’s perspective.

Meanwhile, my next book confirms the high level of nerdiness in my blood.
It’s called Hawkwind: every album, every song. So far I’ve found it quite interesting but after reaching the Live ‘79 album, I’m starting to lose interest. I’ve always struggled to like anything by Hawkwind beyond the early 1980s. Don’t know if I’ll finish this one.

 

[Danny McG]

Meanwhile, my next book confirms the high level of nerdiness in my blood.
It’s called Hawkwind: every album, every song. So far I’ve found it quite interesting but after reaching the Live ‘79 album, I’m starting to lose interest. I’ve always struggled to like anything by Hawkwind beyond the early 1980s. Don’t know if I’ll finish this one

Have you looked at The time of the Hawklords by Michael Moorcock?

A long time since I read it - it's the first of a SF trilogy based on the band