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Post by HDSimplicityy on Jul 22, 2021 22:04:03 GMT -6
havekrillwhaletravel Sometimes you just need a relaxing read. I am pretty busy in the past few weeks, so I have barely read. What I am enjoying is:
Title: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair Author: Clive Staples Lewis, or C.S Lewis Genre: Children's Fantasy
Barely in to Chapter 1. Its going to be a fun read! Ive seen DIscord ccomments saying its a great one.
Title: Pride and Prejudice Author: Jane Austen Genre: Literary Fiction
My aunt bought it for me for my birthday last year, at my request. This gorgeous edition as inserted letters written in the style of the books's characters, at sections of the novel. At the end of Chapter 2 so far. First time!
Title: Syd Field's Screenplay Author: Syd Field Genre: Writing
Learning from one of the apparently greatest books written on screenwriting. happens to help for prose writing in some ways.
To begin eventually: Title: Halo: Shadows of Reach: A Master Chief Story Author: Troy Denning Genre: Military Science Fiction
The third book in what I believe is another trilogy within Halo's Expanded Universe. I have several more to catch up with, but this one is important to Halo Infinite, as I said once before.
And ongoing first full reading of my Bible, NASB version. This one will take a few short years. Nearing the end of 1 Chronicles! Absolutely loving it. Maybe reading all this, playing video games, AND working to writing related activities... and job searching, and social time... isn't all a good idea. Whatever.
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Post by RAVENEYE on Jul 22, 2021 23:14:00 GMT -6
Title: Echoes
Author: various, edited by Ellen Datlow (did I spell that right?)
Genre: horror - anthology of ghost stories - 800 pages of ghost stories
What do you think of it?
I've read about a third of the stories so far. They're all so different from one another, so you never know what you're getting into. My favorite one to this point has been a story called "The Puppet Hotel" by ... I can't remember the author's name, but she blew me away. I expected creepy puppets, but the story was more creative than that.
As usual, the endings of the stories are hit and miss. Why is ending a horror story so difficult to do well??? They either stop being scary, or they don't make sense, or they're just flat-out dissatisfying. There have been only a couple like that so far. The rest have been good.
Recommend it?
If you like exploring psychological/paranormal horror in bite-size chunks (heh, pun), then yes, try this tome. When I took it out of the box, the book just kept coming. It's a fat book, with lots of stories to try, and many by authors you've probably never heard of.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2021 18:09:05 GMT -6
Actual Book:
Title: The Last Stormlord
Author: Glenda Larke
Genre: Fantasy
Just started, on Chapter 2. I went to the used book store yesterday and found the first two (no idea if there are more), and I was looking for something completely new I'd never heard of, so I went ahead and grabbed them. I'll let you know when I finish if it's any good.
Listening through Audible:
Title: Warbreaker
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Genre: Fantasy
Yeah. I'm on my fourth (fifth?) listen through of this book. Well. Of everything Brandon Sanderson. I have nearly his entire collection on Audible. And I listen through the entire collection as least once (twice?) a year. I do a lot of driving for my jobs, so I can just listen in the car. It's wonderful. This book is wonderful. It was his first foray into the Romance Genre, and since Brandon Sanderson is one of the cleanest writers I've ever read, it's not full of smut. Exactly 0 smut, actually. But very, very good. Lots of his books all take place in the same universe, though on different worlds, and this is one of them. If you pay attention, you can catch hints of the other books (set on different worlds) in this one, and can catch hints of this one in other books. Such a great concept, and he's done an amazing job. Highly recommend.
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Post by Mazulla on Aug 5, 2021 20:22:20 GMT -6
Title: The First Law trilogy (on book #2, The Blade Itself)
Author: Joe Abercrombie
Genre: Fantasy
What do you think of it? The dialogue is fantastic, there are well-thought out characters, and each person has a distinct personality and motivations that come through very well. Love the author's writing style; descriptive, but not overly so. It does feel a little slower moving at times, particularly with some politics in the books, but still overall a good read and decent pacing. Has a lot of adventuring by the second book, and the action scenes are well-done when it appears.
Recommend? Yes, I'd currently give it about 7.5/10, though that could change as the main plot unfolds and comes together more.
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Post by RAVENEYE on Aug 6, 2021 6:35:33 GMT -6
Title: The First Law trilogy (on book #2, The Blade Itself) Author: Joe Abercrombie Genre: Fantasy What do you think of it? The dialogue is fantastic, there are well-thought out characters, and each person has a distinct personality and motivations that come through very well. Love the author's writing style; descriptive, but not overly so. It does feel a little slower moving at times, particularly with some politics in the books, but still overall a good read and decent pacing. Has a lot of adventuring by the second book, and the action scenes are well-done when it appears. Recommend? Yes, I'd currently give it about 7.5/10, though that could change as the main plot unfolds and comes together more. Hmm, I had been wanting to try some of his books, so it's good to read an unbiased opinion about this series. |
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Post by RAVENEYE on Aug 6, 2021 8:59:14 GMT -6
Title: The Ghost Tree
Author: Christina Henry
Genre: Horror
What do you think of it?
It started out amazing. Like, my stomach was in knots for the first half of the book. Then once answers started coming, the book started feeling like a YA adventure, and for all the build-up, the ending and resolution were rushed. So I wasn't quite satisfied with what should have been a tragic fallout. This seems to be the trouble with a great many horror stories I read though. It's all about the build-up, and who cares about the resolution?
Recommend it?
I recommend the first half if you like creepy paranormal horror with some gore, and the second half if you like dark YA/mystery/thriller with a paranormal twist.
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Bird
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Post by Bird on Aug 7, 2021 8:14:32 GMT -6
Title: Nucleation Author: Kimberly Unger Genre: Science Fiction My Review of it:
Overall: For a science fiction tale, this book not only impressed me with its use of physics, specifically entanglement of particles, but blew me away with its scope of imagination. The characters leap off the page with such personality, and the book kept twisting and turning with surprises every step of the way. The story follows the tale of an operator who works for a corporation exploring the far reaches of space. Helen plugs herself into the company's quantum entanglement system and sends her consciousness to a "waldo," where she operates robot machinery in a far away solar system. Her work is fairly mundane at first - eject the payload, which is the necessary ingredients for the nano technology (called "eenies") to collect matter around that system's star until enough is reached to build the stargate. Except Helen discovers that the spacecraft housing the payload is covered in a weird dust that shouldn't exist (all their eenies recycle all non-used stuff, so no dust or other matter should exist) but then a feedback signal fries her navigator's brains. This horrifying incident catapults Helen into a dangerous and wild mystery full of corporate espionage, possible aliens, quantum weirdness, and rivals trying to silence her attempts to find answers. Characters: Helen, Keller, Ivester, Hofstaeder, and the rest of the cast all felt unique and superbly drawn. Each held motivations that overlapped or conflicted with others to create delightful tension. Also, PTSD and trauma were covered and dealt with in humane ways that made sense to the world and to the reality of how trauma actually affects humans, which was incredibly refreshing to see in a novel. Plot: What a wild ride this was!! The plot followed a loose three act structure, and had me guessing and wondering where we'd go next, and just when I thought I figured out the mystery, a surprise unleashed which had me reexamining my theories. I felt that the ending was a bit abrupt, and I do wish it could have been more neatly tied up, but then the ending does leave room for any sequels if the author wishes to explore this world and its unique technology again. Recommend? Yes. Definitely worth the read!
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Post by Mazulla on Sept 14, 2021 20:04:34 GMT -6
Title: The Witch's Heart Author: Genevieve Gornichec Genre: Fantasy/Mythology
What do you think of it? The story surrounds Angrboda, who is a minor character in Norse mythology (Loki's wife and mother to Hel, Fenrir, and Jormungandr), and guides you through prominent stories/myths, mostly from the perspective that the Aesir and Vanir are the villains. It's a good premise and was entertaining enough.
I personally enjoy more vivid descriptions, so I was disappointed that the writing style lacked detail, and was a bit repetitive at times (characters "roll their eyes" very often). It's a 300+ page book that seemed rushed, taking place over the course of many years and up to Ragnarok. Between these two things, it made for an easier/faster read. Sometimes the characters spoke as you would expect for the time period, but there were more than a few moments where the characters would speak modernly or insert modern phrases, which was jarring and took you out of the story. I thought the ending was fairly well-done and made up for the rest of the book a bit.
Recommend? 5.5/10. If you're looking for an easy/fast read with a good premise surrounding Norse mythology, you might pick this one up.
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Post by RAVENEYE on Sept 14, 2021 22:31:33 GMT -6
Title: Killers of the Flower Moon Author: David Grann Genre: nonfic/history What do you think of it?Enthralling, believe it or not. The subtitle is "The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI." This is NOT my usual cup of tea. It sounds so dry, but it's not. It's very well written, as a murder mystery, and is rich with first-hand accounts of the Osage "Reign of Terror." Let me back up. The book takes place in Oklahoma. I grew up in Oklahoma. I never knew this horrible event happened. Osage people started turning up dead in the early 20s. It was all tied to the beginning of the oil boom, which made the Osage people the richest on Earth, at that time. On Earth. The book details the family of one Osage woman in particular, all of whom died around her. Turns out, her husband was aiding in their murders. More, this murdering husband shares the name of one of MY ancestors. It's creepy as hell to think I might be related to that guy. Anyway. The book felt very personal. And the conspiracies that went on to swindle these poor Osage folks of their wealth was mind-blowing. Recommend it?Yep. If for no other reason than there's a MOVIE coming out. It will star Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. They've been filming it through the pandemic, in the actual landscape where the events happened. I know b/c my mother drove up there to Osage County (the former reservation) to catch a glimpse.  But also b/c we're not being taught about this stuff in school. It was hushed up. Parts of the conspiracy are still unsolved, and lots of folks got away with murder. So stunning and sickening.
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Bird
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Post by Bird on Sept 14, 2021 23:35:24 GMT -6
Title: Assemblers of InfinityAuthor: Doug Beason, Kevin J. Anderson Genre: Science Fiction What do you think of it?
Brilliant book about nanotechnology, aliens, and human being's tendency to assume the worst (thus almost creating the worst outcome themselves).
The story starts with explorers on the moon going to patch up a broken radio array, only to discover alien nanotechnology is breaking it down and building something unknown. Meanwhile, on Earth, the leading Nanotechnology experts are doing experiments in an isolated lab in Antarctica, where one of them is called up to the moon to investigate the alien nanotechnology.
Three story-arcs are woven into this tale: Jordan -- the older scientist who believes he can find the answers by pushing the boundaries of his own experiments in Antarctica. Only for him to discover a shocking feature of the alien nanotechnology. Erika, the younger scientist who rushes against time to determine why the alien nanos are here and what they are doing and if they are a threat to humanity's survival. And finally, the Director of the Space program in the US, who got to her position through following the insights from prophetic dreams.
It's a wild ride, and the ending was absolutely spectacular. It's not a typical alien contact story either -- it's very much examines our assumption that the aliens would think like us, that aliens are out to get us, that peaceful contact isn't possible -- are those assumptions true? Can peaceful contact happen?
Do you recommend it?
Yes. If you enjoy a fun science fiction romp. It's not a series -- just a one-shot book. Not too technical. It builds some fascinating characters -- even the side characters have a lot of depth to them, enough to really bring the world alive.
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slbutler
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Post by slbutler on Sept 19, 2021 17:25:21 GMT -6
I am currently reading Fitzwilliam Darcy
Its a retelling of Pride and Prejudice from Darey's perspective. I rather enjoy it more from the alternative perspective.
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Post by Alatariel on Sept 19, 2021 18:40:55 GMT -6
Title: Realm Breaker
Author: Victoria Aveyard (she wrote the Red Queen series, a massively successful YA series)
Genre: YA Epic Fantasy
What do you think of it?
She's a good writer, that's undeniable. But I think I'm weirdly picky about my fantasy? Even though I enjoy the genre, I also find myself rolling my eyes at certain tropes. The emotionally unavailable assassin, the cryptic sorceress, the daughter of an ancient royal bloodline (of course she doesn't know this until later) who is the only one who can stop the Big Bad, an immortal who doesn't understand "mortals, and a literal evil twin.
I'm pretty far into it, and I've enjoyed it enough to stick with it this long, but is it ground-breaking? No. Is it familiar fantasy? Yes. Is it worth the read? Sure.
Recommend it?
I mean, it's not bad at all and if you like fantasy and find those familiar trope comforting then you'll probably like it a lot. The characters, though cliched archetypes, are fully fleshed out and complex in their own ways. The world-building is solid and I do like that the daughter with the ancient bloodline is also the daughter of a pirate queen. A powerful and brutal woman? Yes please. Though we only see her in the beginning. I haven't finished it yet, so I hope we see more of the mom. She's more interesting than the daughter.
There are lots of perspectives, so if you don't like the POV switching each chapter, then this would not be for you. Also, this is book one and it was released recently which means it'll probably be a while until it's finished. Dunno if it's a trilogy or longer series.
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Post by HDSimplicityy on Sept 19, 2021 22:39:43 GMT -6
Title: Killers of the Flower Moon Author: David Grann Genre: nonfic/history What do you think of it?Enthralling, believe it or not. The subtitle is "The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI." This is NOT my usual cup of tea. It sounds so dry, but it's not. It's very well written, as a murder mystery, and is rich with first-hand accounts of the Osage "Reign of Terror." Let me back up. The book takes place in Oklahoma. I grew up in Oklahoma. I never knew this horrible event happened. Osage people started turning up dead in the early 20s. It was all tied to the beginning of the oil boom, which made the Osage people the richest on Earth, at that time. On Earth. The book details the family of one Osage woman in particular, all of whom died around her. Turns out, her husband was aiding in their murders. More, this murdering husband shares the name of one of MY ancestors. It's creepy as hell to think I might be related to that guy. Anyway. The book felt very personal. And the conspiracies that went on to swindle these poor Osage folks of their wealth was mind-blowing. Recommend it?Yep. If for no other reason than there's a MOVIE coming out. It will star Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. They've been filming it through the pandemic, in the actual landscape where the events happened. I know b/c my mother drove up there to Osage County (the former reservation) to catch a glimpse.  But also b/c we're not being taught about this stuff in school. It was hushed up. Parts of the conspiracy are still unsolved, and lots of folks got away with murder. So stunning and sickening. When my dad shows me the movie set during Thanksgiving, I will have to think that you are somehow related. Haha |
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Post by RAVENEYE on Sept 20, 2021 9:12:37 GMT -6
Title: Killers of the Flower Moon Author: David Grann Genre: nonfic/history What do you think of it?Enthralling, believe it or not. The subtitle is "The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI." This is NOT my usual cup of tea. It sounds so dry, but it's not. It's very well written, as a murder mystery, and is rich with first-hand accounts of the Osage "Reign of Terror." Let me back up. The book takes place in Oklahoma. I grew up in Oklahoma. I never knew this horrible event happened. Osage people started turning up dead in the early 20s. It was all tied to the beginning of the oil boom, which made the Osage people the richest on Earth, at that time. On Earth. The book details the family of one Osage woman in particular, all of whom died around her. Turns out, her husband was aiding in their murders. More, this murdering husband shares the name of one of MY ancestors. It's creepy as hell to think I might be related to that guy. Anyway. The book felt very personal. And the conspiracies that went on to swindle these poor Osage folks of their wealth was mind-blowing. Recommend it?Yep. If for no other reason than there's a MOVIE coming out. It will star Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. They've been filming it through the pandemic, in the actual landscape where the events happened. I know b/c my mother drove up there to Osage County (the former reservation) to catch a glimpse. But also b/c we're not being taught about this stuff in school. It was hushed up. Parts of the conspiracy are still unsolved, and lots of folks got away with murder. So stunning and sickening. When my dad shows me the movie set during Thanksgiving, I will have to think that you are somehow related. Haha Bahahaha!!! Oh, jeez, I hope not. I need to do some research on Ancestry.com to disprove my mom's suspicions. |
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slbutler
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Post by slbutler on Sept 28, 2021 22:18:17 GMT -6
Currently rereading Winds of Destruction - Karen Lykkabo
As I am currently helping to edit the second book I thought i would be a good idea to revisit the first book.
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