And what’s on your to read shelf?

  • all-knight-party@kbin.cafe
    26·
    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
    13·
    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
      2·
      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
        3·
        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        Some of Heinlein’s ideas are interesting, but most are simply outdated.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
          2·
          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.caEnglish
      2·
      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
        1·
        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
    11·
    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
      4·
      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.

    • Dmian@lemmy.world
      2·
      1 year ago

      You have to like metaphors and allegories, as the book is filled with them. I’m halfway in, but so far, I like it.

    • jballs@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      I finished Three Body not too long ago. A lot of people didn’t like the fan-written 4th one as much. But if you like Dune, I think you might enjoy it. Cause shit gets weird.

  • Moghul@lemmy.world
    10·
    1 year ago

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

    • Raisin8659@monyet.ccEnglish
      2·
      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.

      • Moghul@lemmy.world
        3·
        1 year ago

        I didn’t give a description of the plot because I couldn’t come up with something that really conveyed what the book was like. The one you gave is decent, but it doesn’t convey just how much of it is about the people. It’s hard scifi, no nonsense, but the heart and soul of it is its characters.

  • IronRain@lemmy.world
    8·
    1 year ago

    Currently on chapter 85 of Pierce Brown’s Light Bringer, the latest installment of the Red Rising series! Granted, I’m listening to the audiobook, but audiobooks are still books. And man, like the rest of the series, I can’t put this shit down!

    After this? Not sure yet. Still waiting on Sanderson’s next book in his Stormlight Archive series. Maybe I’ll re-listen to The Wheel of Time again while the final books of these two series wrap up.

    • Albbi@lemmy.ca
      3·
      1 year ago

      Had to look this up because I thought the Lightbringer was Brent Weeks. Totally different series. I’ll check it out.

      I just finished a listen of The Wheel of Time myself. I listened to it while falling asleep. Took about 2 years to get through it that way. I already know the story, and parts of it were fairly easy to fall asleep to makes it a perfect way to deal with insomnia.

      Also waiting for the next Sanderson book. Just finished The Lost Metal! So many cosmere tie-ins!

      I’m listening to Fool’s Errand by Robin Hobb to fall asleep to now as I’ve read the series before, and reading Ghost Brigade which is book 2 of Old Man’s War.

      • musicmind333@mastodon.social
        1·
        1 year ago

        @Albbi @IronRain found out about Wheel of Time from Tumblr of all places. Started the audiobook series as something to accompany me on long drives or workouts but they keep being checked out at my library app lol. Was interesting to me that you could tell it was written a few decades ago - some of the writing seems a bit dated even though altogether it’s a very well-structured series.

        Also absolutely loved Red Rising, didn’t realize there was a new addition!

  • what_is_a_name@lemmy.world
    71·
    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
    6·
    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.caEnglish
      2·
      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.

  • Quazatron@lemmy.world
    4·
    1 year ago

    “Mythos - The Greek Myths Retold” by Stephen Fry (Penguin Books).

    A funny and entertaining way to learn about Greek mythology through the wit of Stephen Fry.

    I highly recommend it.

    • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
      4·
      1 year ago

      Neil Gaiman did Norse Mythology. Makes a nice follow up.

      Also, have you noticed that ever since ‘Circe,’ it seems like there’s been a spate of Greek myths reimagined?

        • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
          2·
          1 year ago

          If you like Gaiman, try Tanith Lee. Start with ‘Night’s Master,’ the story of a demon prince who toys with humanity every night.

  • timp80@lemmy.chatterverse.social
    4·
    1 year ago

    recently finished:

    • Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
    • last night in Montreal by Emily St John Mandel

    Currently reading the haunting of Hill house by Shirley Jackson