Reading: The Book Thread

[Rockburner]

Been reading soke of "The Expanse" books after watching the TV series.
First one was Leviathan Wakes and the next one I've fairly blitzed through is Calibans War.

Easy read, not much different from the TV series really and I suspect has been written with an eye on the idea of turning it into a series anyway.

I haven't been keeping up with this thread, but I'm currently reading the Expanse series myself, and I'm about a quarter of the way into Caliban's War.

I think the tv series and the books diverge at some point and i want to read the entire series of books.

[weeksy]

Clive Cussler this week. I must have read 20+ of his now.

[Potter]

I usually have a few books on the go at any one time, then I pick which one to read of an evening depending on what mood I'm in.
This week its...

Stan Stevens - The mechanic that got lucky (I have a signed copy).
One of Giles Brandreth's books on word play
Vesper Flights by Helen McDonald

[KungFooBob]

Clive Cussler this week. I must have read 20+ of his now.

I've read a couple, don't they all get a bit samey, hero in a boat saves the day?

[Mr. Dazzle]

Sometimes he's in a submarine.

[gremlin]

Started reading The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. I don't normally do fiction, but thought I'd give it a go as I'd heard it was pretty good.

A few chapters in and I'm struggling.

There's a quid wasted down the local charity shop.

[Skub]

Started reading The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. I don't normally do fiction, but thought I'd give it a go as I'd heard it was pretty good.

A few chapters in and I'm struggling.

Is it a bit pointless?

[Slenver]

Started reading The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. I don't normally do fiction, but thought I'd give it a go as I'd heard it was pretty good.

A few chapters in and I'm struggling.

There's a quid wasted down the local charity shop.

I read it. Thought it was ok but didn't love it. I did think it was a bit drawn out though, but I tend to think that about 90% of the fiction I read these days.

It seems like the recommended 75-90k words that books 'ought' to be is counterproductive. A lot of older classics were 50-70k and worked better. I'd rather a story hit hard and quickly than make you feel you're trawling through it and keep checking the 'time left in this book' view.

[Supermofo]

Warriors for the working day. Part of the IWM classics collection. About half way through and enjoying it, like From the city, from the plough, it has an air of authenticity you'd only get from someone who was there.



Before that Rodger Daltrey's autobiography that was free on the kindle library. Not bad.

[Taipan]

So what was the book about night flights or something? A pilot wrote it? I'm sure Mr LB bought it on kindle?

Nope, I don't do kindle.
Books from another thread on here that I have bought are;
First Light by Geoffrey Wellum, about ww 2 pilots

And

Chickenhawk by Robert Mason, about choppers in nam..

First light, that was it. cheers

Finally read it whilst lazing on the beach. An excellent read! Thanks for recommending it.

[Count Steer]

Had a bit of a book binge and completed the latest 2 'Rivers of London' books - 'False Value' and 'Amongst our Weapons' by Ben Aaronovitch. Getting formulaic now but still quite funny in parts. Finally picked up and finished 'A Desolation Called Peace' by Arkady Martine having parked my irritation at having characters called things like Seven Carpet Tile and Four Pile Ointment. Could have been edited down to half the pages but interesting antagonists.

('Rivers' books have magic and goddesses in which I'm normally as allergic to as dragons but it's all in a great setting. 'Desolation' is sci-fi and a follow up to 'A Memory Called Empire' which is 'a fictional version of her postdoctoral research on Byzantine imperialism on the frontier to Armenia in the 11th century, particularly the annexation of the Kingdom of Ani.' You'd be hard pressed to work that out from the space ships, imago implants 'n stuff. )

Going to start Jay Kristoff's Truelif3 next. It's probably teen sci-fiction but I like his style.

[KungFooBob]

I started reading A Memory Called Empire about 18 months ago, I put it down 3/4 of the way through and never picked it back up again.

Too much politics, not enough lasers.

[Supermofo]

Half way through 'A little hatred' by Joe Abercrombie. Not read any of his in a while but really enjoying this. He has such a way with creating absolute scumbag but lovable characters.

Picked it up about 2 years ago for 99p on kindle and then the 2nd one also for 99p about a year later. So can go straight into the follow up. Left them as was waiting for the 3rd to come out and then forgot about them being on my kindle before I was looking what I had for holiday reading.

Also realised I've got Mr Mercedes by Stephen King on there so will have to read that soon as well.

[Count Steer]

Just finished a 'sci-fi' book written over 30 years ago. Set, in part, in our near future, in Oxford. It has a pandemic (or two), groups campaigning against membership of the 'EC', groups that think the virus is spread by foreigners, heating pipes etc. It has videophones...but not mobile phones. No space ships.

The author has written less than Philip K Dick, Arthur C Clarke or Isaac Asimov but won more major SF awards than all of them put together. (Inc Hugo and Nebula). (I'd never heard of them until I picked a couple of books up in Oxfam).

The Galactic Kudos Prize if anyone can guess the author. The book shares a name with a quite well known tome.

[KungFooBob]

Connie Willis?

Doomsday Book.

<I'm a cheaty googling barsteward>

[Skub]

Also realised I've got Mr Mercedes by Stephen King on there so will have to read that soon as well.

The follow up 'End of Watch' is a good read too,if you enjoy Mr.King.

[Count Steer]

Connie Willis?

Doomsday Book.

<I'm a cheaty googling barsteward>

You can still have the prize.

It's an 'SF Masterworks' but not v SF. It's quite odd as the near future Oxford feels like the 50s...but then, Oxford colleges are a bit of a timewarp.

[KungFooBob]

They only stuff I could think of to do with Oxford was His Dark Materials.

[Count Steer]

They only stuff I could think of to do with Oxford was His Dark Materials.

It's a time travel thing. The Institute in Oxford Uni sends historians back in time. This one involves the Bubonic Plague while a parallel virus breakout is going on in slightly future Oxford (which all seems very Covid). Another of her books involves the Institute sending someone back to the Blitz I think. More history with a twist than SF really. Quite readable though and could be a fair TV series but that sort of thing has been done.

Got her 'To Say Nothing of Her Dog' (Victorian England) too. (That was a Hugo Best Novel winner). Probably read 'Near the Bone', Christina Henry next though.

[Count Steer]

Recently finished the 'Wayfarer' books (Becky Chambers, they won Hugo for best series).

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
A Closed and Common Orbit
Record of a Spaceborn Few
The Galaxy and the Ground Within

Not exactly riveting story lines but they all link together. Lots of contemplation on the nature of AI and what interaction with other species might actually be like. Gets a for actually considering how wormholes might actually be 'tunnelled'.

Just started The 9th Metal, Benjamin Percy.

(TV hasn't been on much recently )