What are you currently reading?

[Brewster McCloud]

I know there's an existing book thread but I searched in vain. Fuck it.

 

Some of the financial jargon is flying over my head, but I'm a couple of chapters in and I'm learning a lot about the libertarian Sillicon Valley mindset and how guys like Zuckerberg took over the world. 

[The Gaffer]

 

Second part of this series. Anyone into her? Started hounding nothing but fantasy at the start of winter as I usually do but I'm still on the train. Battered through Mistborn and loved it, ditto for Warbreaker and Elantris. Loved Name of the Wind but struggled a bit with Wise Man's Fear and gave up 200 pages in, so went for the Farseer Trilogy instead, by Hobb. 

Not liking the Liveship books half as much so far, but I'm a stickler for chronological order and I've been told it pays off once I get back to the characters from the Farseer books. 

 

Edited March 14, 2019 by Gay as FOOK

[Loki]

4 minutes ago, Gay as FOOK said:

Second part of this series. Anyone into her? Started hounding nothing but fantasy at the start of winter as I usually do but I'm still on the train. Battered through Mistborn and loved it, ditto for Warbreaker and Elantris. Loved Name of the Wind but struggled a bit with Wise Man's Fear and gave up 200 pages in, so went for the Farseer Trilogy instead, by Hobb. 

Not liking the Liveship books half as much so far, but I'm a stickler for chronological order and I've been told it pays off once I get back to the characters from the Farseer books. 

 

Big fan of hers and loved the Fitz series.  I did read the first of the LiveShip series BUT I found it hard going.  I tend to need some relatable or at least support-worthy characters in a story and I struggled to find them in that novel.

I'm currently reading 

 

John Keay's history of China.  I read a lot of history nowadays and given we'll all be living under Chinese rule in 30 years I thought I should start mugging up.

[Brewster McCloud]

Fiction-wise, I've been into Daphne Du Maurier of late - what an imagination she had! Great short stories and you can see why Hitchcock adapted them.

[BomberPat]

 

John Bradshaw's The Animals Among Us.

It's a little skittish in tone, from conversational to academic, but mostly interesting. Touches on lots of different ideas about how we relate to animals and why, what evolutionary benefit there is in keeping pets, and various psychological factors around "cuteness", anthropomorphism and so on. It's not great, but it's an overview of a lot of ideas that interest me.

[The Gaffer]

9 minutes ago, Loki said:

Big fan of hers and loved the Fitz series.  I did read the first of the LiveShip series BUT I found it hard going.  I tend to need some relatable or at least support-worthy characters in a story and I struggled to find them in that novel.

 

Yeah, the characters are the main problem. The Vestrits are almost like that crap new family that come into EastEnders and dominate a few months of the telly when you're missing your old faves. Plus the Fitz books give you the whole beery Northern vibe with the Six Duchies, which I favour over the Liveship's whole slavery-in-the-sun vibe that you see repeated across the genre. 

I find it much easier to chug through fantasy when it's first person narrative, too. Especially when your narrator's got a psychotic, sexually perverted wolf in his head. 

[ReturnOfTheMack]

Just started it, bloody brilliant fun. But then I'm a huge fan of the guy.

[Keith Houchen]

51 minutes ago, Brewster McCloud said:

I know there's an existing book thread but I searched in vain.

 

[HarmonicGenerator]

I read the Fitz trilogy by Robin Hobb, they were okay but not really my kind of fantasy series. Too many elements I found dissatisfying to have gone on to any of her other work.

I'm currently trying to slog my way through Dune as my commute read, which I'm finding hard going, and The City of Mirrors (third book in the Passage trilogy by Justin Cronin) as bedtime book, which is great but it's so long since I read the second one I can't really remember much of who's who.

Last book I loved reading was this:

I've loved the subject since I can remember and this is a fantastic read that takes in the whole Mesozoic era. I've read criticism that he can go a little "aren't my mad paleontologist friends the BEST", which is kind of true but his enthusiasm and passion for the subject shines through. I don't read many science books but I'll go back to this one time and again. If you ever loved dinosaurs - read it!

[DCW]

Was reading an article about something or other and came across a recommendation for the above. Very interesting and relatable for a introvert like me anyway. 

Also have this waiting to be read, but have been putting off because of the inherent depressing theme:

 

 

[Lorne Malvo]

Going through Richard Yates bibliography as I'm a bit of an American Literature ponce. Probably my favourite short story writer ever.

After that I'll probably start on Don Winslows 'Cartel' series after hearing it's being adapted into a movie.

[Merzbow]

I just finished The Outsider by Camus, I'd probably have loved this during my earlier edgier days but I'm far less of a nihilist shite now or so I would hope.

[Jazzy G]

I'm slowly making my way through the copy of Death Of WCW @air_raid got me for Christmas, then I'm going to get cracking on "I'm Sorry, I Love You" by Jim Smallman. I need to dig out Brian Blessed's biography and finish that, really. 

[wordsfromlee]

3 hours ago, ReturnOfTheMack said:

Just started it, bloody brilliant fun. But then I'm a huge fan of the guy.

The audiobook is even better. He reads it like he's telling you the story rather than reading it from a book. 

[Your Fight Site]

I’m not one for fiction (can’t remember the last time I did read a fiction book). Currently making my way through this doorstop-of-a-book:

🤓

I’m also a big fan of the “Very Short Introduction” series from Oxford University Press (https://global.oup.com/academic/content/series/v/very-short-introductions-vsi/?cc=gb&lang=en&). There’s literally hundreds of them and I usually pick a couple up from Waterstone’s each month. They’re good for getting a basic knowledge on all sorts of subjects. I’ve picked titles up on psychology, politics, mathematics, big data, the EU, and more.