What book(s) are you reading?

[shosta]

Then the impossibly low level of blood required in the samples was based entirely on her and her mother's dislike of seeing blood/needles and not based around how much was needed to be able to read all the shit they wanted from the sample.

It's called a moonshot, Benji. This is the stuff that makes capitalism tick. Next time let's show a little class.

[benjipwns]

It's called a moonshot, Benji. This is the stuff that makes capitalism tick. Next time let's show a little class.

This sounds like what I read in that Jonah Goldberg book.

[Crash Dummy]

free baudrillard ebook https://www.versobooks.com/blogs/4436-student-reading-flash-ebook-giveaway

[benjipwns]

Elbridge Gerry was so opposed to putting the Amendments after the Constitution rather than inserting them into the pre-existing text that he declared doing so would make it LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE for FUTURE SCIENTISTS to determine what the Constitution even said. (So he was right? -ed)

This book is a pretty good example of out of control academic writing too. One word is never used when one hundred synonyms can be. The start of every paragraph seemingly repeats the topic of the prior. Even though the entire thing is written in a chronological narrative for the most part! The endnotes are typical worthless style, they're at the end of every paragraph and then list twenty somewhat related things. Like the text paragraphs they also repeat themselves constantly. It's mostly just names of works, lots of "see also" and ten more names. Sorry, it irks me, good footnotes/endnotes are wonderful things.

[benjipwns]

The Karakand Story

[chronovore]

Reading Joe Abercrombie's THE HEROES, a sequel of sorts to the First Law series. I loved the trilogy, but this follow-up is just a bit too violent, grim, and less humorous than First Law. It's an audiobook with a different reader than the trilogy, so that's not helping.

[shosta]

Decided to start rereading my old textbook on ODEs. I feel like finally taking my math further.

[Madrun Badrun]

Joe Hill's 20th Century Ghosts - Pop Art was such a great story.  Googled it and found this

[Crash Dummy]

Decided to start rereading my old textbook on ODEs. I feel like finally taking my math further.

i'm worried if i do this i'll just realise how much of my maths skill has just atrophied

[shosta]

don't worry, they have

[Crash Dummy]

don't worry, they have

on topic, just started reading medium is the massage by mcluhan

[shosta]

read Postman after that 

[Crash Dummy]

i still have white noise to read!

[shosta]

.

[Bebpo]

Started reading Sanderson's Warbreaker. Going good so far. I like the color/no color magic system, feels pretty original. Also picked up Stormlight Book 1: Way of Kings to read after.

A good chunk in now and this book is great. So far it's the first Sanderon book I've read that I'd put at A-quality enjoyment. It's a lot lighter than his other stuff I've read and since Sanderson generally writes lighter, happier stories it's fitting his tone better. Honestly feels like just a few cuts more serious than a Princess Bride tone. Sanderson's great at writing charming rapscallion characters, but he usually just has like one and they're one of the main two characters and everyone else is pretty serious. Here almost all the characters and their side characters are pretty charming and funny in different styles of charm & humor and it just works. Like when the talking sword gets scolded for his ideas of getting through situations always just being killing everyone and the sword says something to the effect of "Well, they say stick to what you're good at"

Hoping it doesn't fall apart later on.

[Crash Dummy]

doesn't even have settlers
https://twitter.com/dodreads/status/1179772668159184896

[Madrun Badrun]

Just under half way through The Troop by Nick Cutter- this is good body horror.   

[Bebpo]

One of the book groups I'm in posted a meetup for The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant by Drew Hayes and the title sounded fun so I picked it up and read about 20% last night. It's alright. Entertaining but way more YA and less witty/clever than the title suggests. Hopefully it picks up as it goes along.

One thing I don't like is how male nerd wish fulfillment it is, which going by the title it totally should not be. The main guy, though a boring nerd, is in super shape and super powers thanks to being a vampire and the main romance interest is his old nerdy overweight HS friend who just happens to now look like a super model when they reconnect :|

[kingv]

I’ve been reading a Drew Hayes series too, the Swords, spellss, and stealth series.

Basically it’s about people playing a Tabletop game,  except the story is from the perspective of the NPCs who exist in a different world that the players invade as adventurers.

It’s not amazingly well-written, but the story is interesting.

For Drew Hayes books, the audiobook is typically better than the written one, from what I have heard s I think the orator fixes the spelling errors and grammar problems that supposedly fill his books.

Also been reading Artemis by the the dude that wrote The Martian. It’s about a moon colony and I’m liking it a lot more than I expected. I bought it from audible a few months ago and then started listening to it out of a sense of duty, but it’s actually really damn good.

Rosario Dawson is the person reading it, and while she does ok, I feel like she sort of reads it like a teenager.

[HardcoreRetro]

Machiavelli's  Il principe.

Found one of the newer dutch translations at a thrift store.

[shosta]

After I finish the Schumpeter book, of course. Thanks Crash Dummy

[Nintex]

Bought two new books

- Never split the difference, a book about negotiating by a former FBI negotiator
- Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, which I had interest in for quite some time

[Madrun Badrun]

The Troop was really good but didn't like one character and there is a lot of telling instead of showing in the writing but still really good.

[chronovore]

Reading Joe Abercrombie's THE HEROES, a sequel of sorts to the First Law series. I loved the trilogy, but this follow-up is just a bit too violent, grim, and less humorous than First Law. It's an audiobook with a different reader than the trilogy, so that's not helping.

Finishing this. I'm not sure why he wrote it. There's a quote by Robert E Howard that kicks off one of the chapters, along the lines of, "I don't know how much blood, violence, and gore the reader will tolerate." Joe spends a good amount of time searching for that limit. It's a war novel about people with swords and spears. Lots of horrible shit happens. I thought First Law trilogy was dark, but this is nearly senselessly dark.

[Potato]

Reading Joe Abercrombie's THE HEROES, a sequel of sorts to the First Law series. I loved the trilogy, but this follow-up is just a bit too violent, grim, and less humorous than First Law. It's an audiobook with a different reader than the trilogy, so that's not helping.

Finishing this. I'm not sure why he wrote it. There's a quote by Robert E Howard that kicks off one of the chapters, along the lines of, "I don't know how much blood, violence, and gore the reader will tolerate." Joe spends a good amount of time searching for that limit. It's a war novel about people with swords and spears. Lots of horrible shit happens. I thought First Law trilogy was dark, but this is nearly senselessly dark.

I've read one or two of his books. Didn't find much to enjoy honestly.

I much preferred Glen Cook's Black Company series for my grimdark fantasy.

[HardcoreRetro]

I feel like he hasn't topped the ending of the First Law Trilogy yet. My favourite feelgood ending.

[chronovore]

I feel like he hasn't topped the ending of the First Law Trilogy yet. My favourite feelgood ending.

You think the ending of First Law is feelgood?

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Sure, the cannibal-vampire-wendigo things end up getting a-sploded on that great damned trap. But despite learning and becoming a better human, a genuinely loving and humble King, Bayaz completely gets him shitting himself and destroys his confidence. Glockta does pretty well in the end, but does he deserve it? He's a torturer and an opportunist. Bayaz gets exactly what he wants, and he's clearly an asshole.

[close]

[HardcoreRetro]

That was the joke. I love how dark it gets.

Anyways, picked up As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams. (Recollections of a Woman in Eleventh-Century Japan)

[Madrun Badrun]

I started reading The Library at Mount Char a few hours ago, just realized I'm a fifth of the way done.  Wow, what a page-turner. 

[Madrun Badrun]

Finished The Library at Mount Char.  Honestly, this is one of the best books I've ever read.  If you like Weird Lit and Fantasy you really should read this. 

Father’s home was different, though. Instead of candy and television there were shadows and ancient books, handwritten on thick parchment. They came to understand that Father had lived for a very long time. More, over the course of this long life, he had mastered the crafting of wonders. He could call down lightning, or stop time. Stones spoke to him by name.

All that afternoon the other librarians filtered in, singly and in pairs. Some carried burdens. Alicia held the black candle, still burning as it had in the golden ruin at the end of time. Rachel and her phantom children whispered among themselves of the futures that would never be. The twins, Peter and Richard, watched intently as the librarians filled out the twelve points of the abbreviated circle, studying some deep order that everyone else was blind to.

Is that your lion?” “Not really. Kind of. We just met a couple of hours ago.” She raised her eyebrows. He shrugged. “It’s been an intense couple of hours.”

[shosta]

I had to read a Malcolm Gladwell book today to impress a girl. Not only was Outliers specious and unconvincing, but it was orientalist and had all the blind spots typical of eurocentrism too

[shosta]

I bet Thinking Fast Thinking Slow is terrible too

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

Gladwell’s trash is catnip to executives who buy thousands of copies to force middle management to read and effectively memorize so the executives can twist the message (if needed) to explain why they had “no choice” but to slash performance incentive pay or lay off people during record performances. A lot of times, those executives will call it “inspiring” but will later admit at a reception party that they never actually read it.

Speaking from experience. I’ve been in management for over a decade and have been forced to read Gladwell’s latest and greatest mind dumps and several dozen other books that essentially say the same thing.

[Crash Dummy]

I bet Thinking Fast Thinking Slow is terrible too

the central thesis and finding is interesting but it's written in a very dull and padded out manner. if there's a summary essay or youtube talk by the author just read or watch that

[Madrun Badrun]

Semiosis by sue burke.  Two chapters in and its pretty good so far.  It's about a small hippy human colony trying to start earth over on a new planet and live with nature only the planet is full of intelligent plants.  Each chapter covers one generation of the colony which keeps things moving fast. 

He wanted to require childbearing “in harmony with the welfare and interests of the Commonwealth as a whole,” as the Constitution said. Parents liked to quote the Constitution and worried that if we didn’t follow it, we’d face disaster, but the Constitution talked about beauty too, and about equality. Parents quoted only what they wanted to.

[Madrun Badrun]

That was a good book.  Looking forward to the second part coming out in a week. 

The locustwood is using aldose and ketose sugars to construct a joke about water. The punch line is … water is flat! Like snowflakes! Of course, but who would have thought of it that way?

[Madrun Badrun]

Started Salem's Lot. 

[Madrun Badrun]

125 pages in and it's very meandering. 

[HardcoreRetro]

That's why it's called Lot and not Little.

[Madrun Badrun]

168 pages in - still a whole Lot of nothing. 

[Madrun Badrun]

I've only ever read IT and that wasn't so bad or maybe that was my fill of 20 page descriptions of small town New England. 

[Madrun Badrun]

Well, at least the last 60 pages were pretty good.  I also liked the short story of Jerusalem's Lot.  It's a shame he didn't intertwined that story into Salem's Lot just to keep the first half of the novel from being so boring. 

[Madrun Badrun]

The Reddening by Adam Nevill just loaded on my kindle.  Going to see if I can get through it today.  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45718831-the-reddening

[Madrun Badrun]

Orconomics

The farmer was aghast. “You looted my basement!” The hero shrugged. “Standard procedure.”

“This hoard was projected to be valued at fifty thousand giltin, Mr. Snithe.” Snithe had clearly been expecting this line of questioning. “We had it assessed, Mr. Poldo. Sent a hoard adjuster out and everything.” “And?” “He never came back.” “And you didn’t see that as a problem?” “It’s usually a good sign, sir. The most deadly monsters have usually done the most pillaging, you see. So when a beast takes down a well-trained hoard adjustor, it’s generally expected to have more valuable loot.”

[chronovore]

Re-reading the whole Expanse series. Felt like a recap, but got sucked right back in. Hard SF. Political maneuvering. Noir detective themes. Crime! Amazing stuff.

[Madrun Badrun]

Orconomics was really fun and the end blew me away - had to buy the second one the second I hit the last page

“I’d blasted both of his legs and one of his arms off, and we planned to just leave him, right?” Laruna was saying. “So we started to head out, and the crazy blighter starts true forming!”

“What’s true forming?” Niln asked amid the heroes’ laughter.

“Oh, you think you’ve defeated me,” mimicked Kaitha, “but now let me show you my true form! Har har har!” “For some reason, I let you break my Human body and trash half of my lair before I really started fighting! Bwa ha ha!” said Laruna. “Gods, it’s annoying.”

“So what happened?” asked Niln, interrupting the heroes’ mirth.

“What?” asked Laruna, wiping a tear from her eye. “With the warlord in the volcano? What happened when he true formed?” Laruna looked uncomfortable. “Oh, er, he turned into a two-story-tall demonic slug, ate our rogue and our priestess, and crippled our fighter before we put him down.”

[Potato]

Orconomics was really fun and the end blew me away - had to buy the second one the second I hit the last page

“I’d blasted both of his legs and one of his arms off, and we planned to just leave him, right?” Laruna was saying. “So we started to head out, and the crazy blighter starts true forming!”

“What’s true forming?” Niln asked amid the heroes’ laughter.

“Oh, you think you’ve defeated me,” mimicked Kaitha, “but now let me show you my true form! Har har har!” “For some reason, I let you break my Human body and trash half of my lair before I really started fighting! Bwa ha ha!” said Laruna. “Gods, it’s annoying.”

“So what happened?” asked Niln, interrupting the heroes’ mirth.

“What?” asked Laruna, wiping a tear from her eye. “With the warlord in the volcano? What happened when he true formed?” Laruna looked uncomfortable. “Oh, er, he turned into a two-story-tall demonic slug, ate our rogue and our priestess, and crippled our fighter before we put him down.”

Bought based on those quotes alone. Thank you.

[Bebpo]

Well, at least the last 60 pages were pretty good.  I also liked the short story of Jerusalem's Lot.  It's a shame he didn't intertwined that story into Salem's Lot just to keep the first half of the novel from being so boring.

Eh, I liked Salem’s Lot.

If you wanna know what happens to Father Callahan, read The Dark Tower!

[Bebpo]

Finished Sanderson’s Warbreaker. Darn good fantasy book. Maybe the best one off one I’ve read. Leaves some mysteries unsolved and some sequel hooks for a sequel that’s not coming out for another 20 years if it all, but has a good ending and explains enough to be wholly satisfying.

Started reading the wiki and cool to see that

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Vasher and Nightblood are in the main stormlight series since they’re really fun characters

[close]

Will start Stormlight in a month or two.

[Madrun Badrun]

Son of a Liche sequel to Orconomics was even better.

“Oh? I never liked trickle-down economics,” said Ortson, watching the crimson wine drip down the glass. “It implies that there’s a leak somewhere.”

Several papers on the table in front of the floating skull rustled and rearranged themselves before it launched into some prepared remarks. “Hello! I’m the Head of Marketing. You’ve been randomly selected to participate in this focus group. I’ll be asking you a series of questions, and your answers will help shape undead invasions of other cities. So be open, honest, and direct. Your opinion matters! Are we ready to begin?”

“That’s the Retconomicon,” said Jynn. “A book of forbidden chronomancy. Or it would have been, if it hadn’t written itself out of reality.”

[I'm a Puppy!]

The Witcher Series from Last Wish - Lady of the Lake

I really loved how this series took off and was a good strong character study and world study as well. Author did get really really preachy at times, but really it was an expertly crafted story......until the last few books.

The author totally lost control and the ending was more than anti-climatic it was an outright let down that was almost high school level cliche. There is another book and I just have no real interest right now. I love the world and the characters but the last book was seriously mishandled.

Wheel of Time - New Spring
It's time I started with this series. I had read Eye of the World and up to book four or five back in the early 2000s. I'm not entirely sure that prequels work as books. Like I feel seeing how these characters go through things before I've been introduced as to why they're important or why I care just doesn't work. I'm already half way through this at this point and will finish this book, but I feel like it's quite a bit self indulgent. Non-prequel books tend to be about the story and the characters whereas I feel prequels always fall into the whole "I bet you were wondering how x happened. Here's how it did!" Instead of thinking if "x" was a compelling thing or not.

[Potato]

Spot on with the prequel talk there. I always think that is that part of the story was the interesting part, that's what the whole story would have been about.

[chronovore]

“That’s the Retconomicon,” said Jynn. “A book of forbidden chronomancy. Or it would have been, if it hadn’t written itself out of reality.”

:thatsgoldJerrygold.gif

[EightBitNate]

Finishing up Artemis and it was like a mediocre blockbuster movie in book form? I don’t know how to describe it but I’m surprised at how much I wasn’t vibing with it. Not really funny or unique, and I feel like some of the details are masturbatory, like the author is trying to show off his knowledge of moon physics. Phil Lord and Chris Miller are supposed to adapt it into a movie in 2021 but I don’t know what they see in this.

[Crash Dummy]

bad blood - my brother lent this to me and it is some wild shit; just in the prologue the cfo gets fired

[Madrun Badrun]

Dresden Files Changes - had to stay up till 3AM to finish this.

[Madrun Badrun]

Halfway through Dresden Files: Skin game , this series just kept getting better and better.  Glad i waited until Butcher was back to writing because I think a 5 year wait would have killed me. 

[HardcoreRetro]

Utopia by Thomas More

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

[Bebpo]

Finished Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked Comes this Way (1962) for a book club. Not sure if I read any Bradbury before. Always thought he was a sci-fi writer like Asimov.

At first this novel was tough to get into in 2019 because of the long run on sentences and constant jumping around without grounding down the setting and characters first. Basically it sets up the mood of the small town. Once I get the hang of it and could follow what was going on the second half was basically one long action set piece which was still pretty good today. I like that Bradbury wrote this when he was 37-42 years old and arguably the main character's plot is about a 54 year old middle age guy feeling old and sad about his age and having kids so late. As someone in the age Bradbury was when he wrote this, I can definitely relate to some of the themes and fears of entering middle age.

I checked Disney+ to see if the Disney movie from the 80s was on it since I'd be interested in checking out the adaptation but it's not  

Not sure if I wanna read other Bradbury stuff, but maybe I'd check out his short stories.

[Crash Dummy]

bad blood - my brother lent this to me and it is some wild shit; just in the prologue the cfo gets fired

finished this and hard to believe it's not fiction. the whole faking test results while demoing the products is almost straight out of bleeding edge by pynchon. now starting chaos monkeys to continue my kick of silicon valley hi-jinks