What books are you reading?

@RedEyedMonster8: That's unfortunate :( Still, glad you are enjoying Naked Lunch :)

@Maroxad: Oh it’s fine, it’s just that if I’m going to read something that long, it needs to have something that pulls me in beyond just being some epic fantasy story.

I just finished "Psychic Teenage Bloodbath" by Carl John Lee.

It's my first "splatterpunk" horror book I've read.

It was really entertaining. Someone described it as "Carrie, but on crystal meth" and that more or less sums it up. It's pretty damn gory, just a heads up to anyone interested in reading it. It actually has some really sweet moments, too, it's basically a yuri (lesbian love) story with like some of the most gory, 80's-style horror you can imagine lol.

I'm about to start my first Sanderson novel, Skyward. Sounds really good. Dude writes A LOT of books so hopefully I like it because then I can read like 20 more of his books haha

I'm not sure how I didn't discover this thread until now. I got an audiobooks a couple years ago and I go through them at a pretty good rate as they basically replaced TV for me.

@mrbojangles25: I read The Wager recently as well. Definitely a compelling read that makes it sound completely miserable to be a sailor at that time.

I read another book a while ago called The Arctic Grail about a bunch of failed expeditions to find the Northwest passage and it was quite similar. Great stories to read about but those experiences sound awul

I also agree with you on Red Rising series. That one is a lot of fun. I like the second three books even more than the first as they expand character perspectives.

I read (or rather listened to) the first mistborn series by Sanderson and The Stormlight Archive. His books are a bit hit and miss for me. He comes up with some really creative ideas but I don't know that he is a very good writer. Uses quite simple language. I thought The Stormlight books needed a bit more editing especially the last one

After enjoying all the Dungeon Crawler Carl books, I have started reading the He Who Fights Monsters series. 20% into the first book and I'm having plenty of fun with it, though it's not as good as DCC, plus it's obvious that the author did not have an editor as there's plenty of typos.

Lit-RPG seems like a decent genre overall, especially for gamers.

That's the best part of when you find a new author!

My debit card doesnt like it though.

non fiction - started a book called behave by robert sapolsky all about human behaviour and explanations for why we do the things we do but mainly at a biological / chemical level. some pretty fascinating stuff in there. reading about the amygdala at the minute because i recognised the name from one of the bosses in bloodborne lol. for books like this i tend to skim read, find a bit that interests me, focus in on that specific section, read it a couple of times, do a bit of googling on it etc. otherwise it doesn't stick. it often doesn't stick regardless. ask me a question about a book i read six months ago and i'lll more than likely go "errr..." but at least this way of reading gives it a fighting chance.

audiobook - i'm listening to alchemy - the surprising power of ideas that don't make sense which is a fun listen, well narrated. all about our tendency towards logical, rational and structured thinking and how life often doesn't work that way at all. we as a species are riddled with unconscious biases and tendencies that make no sense when scrutinised. finding it pretty helpful to spark unconventional ideas for little side ventures.

fiction wise i've just finished a book with_teeth wrote about in a blog post last year. red rising by pierce brown, book one in a series of five. ender's game kind of ballpark, not as good as ender's but definitely enjoyable. looking forward to starting the next

Just subscribed to KIndle Unlimited last sunday ,I'm currently reading one of Phillip K Dick's stories called "The Maze of Death"

Right now, I’m reading Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. I’ve always been fascinated by sci-fi that explores mysterious, almost incomprehensible phenomena, and this one really delivers. The atmosphere is incredible!

I also picked up The Godfather by Mario Puzo. I’ve seen the movie, of course, but the book adds so much depth to the characters.

I tend to bounce between sci-fi, historical fiction, and crime novels. What other fantasy books are you considering after The Gilded Ones ?

Tutuapp

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. But I've not made much progress to be honest. Also picked up Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, Mistborn and Fractal Noise. Need to put some more time into reading.

@johnd13: Nice list 👍

The Land of Nod by Mark Clements. It's a random book I picked up on a whim at the library, kind of a B-movie version of IT so far.

I'm enjoying it, but I wouldn't recommend it.

I'm on book 4 of He Who Fights with Monsters. Took a short break after 3 to read Roadside Picnic.

Just read The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry. I'm not sure if it qualifies as a romance novel, but the main focus is on a couple women who are hired on as bodyguards for an aristocratic lady, and get romantically involved with each other. The main character is a fire witch, and the love interest is a large, half-troll lady. Where and when it takes place is never explicitly stated, but it's basically Victorian era London with magic and no homophobia.

I enjoyed the book, but can't wholeheartedly recommend it. It's like a Marvel movie, fun but doesn't do anything you haven't seen done many times before. There's violence, drug use, and lesbian romance, but never anything beyond a PG-13 level. Makes for good travel reading.

@judaspete: That's cool :)

Not a big fan of romance novels personally, but I want to broaden my horizons a bit.

Redemption - Tookie Williams

I read the first 21 chapters of Gunsmith Cats (1990 to 1997), assembled in this Omnibus 1 of 3 by Dark Horse, and am now waiting until mid June for Omnibus 2. 3 comes out in September.

The anime is toned down. In the first chapter, Minnie-May grabs her pussy after blowing up a car with her grenades and Rally Vincent shoots off two people's thumbs, instead of the earring that pisses off the lady assassin driver in the anime. Minnie-May is also a former prostitute in the manga. In fact, she applies at a brothel for one of the bounty hunter jobs.

Last few chapters involving a race with Bean Bandit, the professional driver from the fun Riding Bean anime, who was transporting a mobster prison escapee with a grudge against the girls, were a rush. Perfect, the way he handled that second police roadblock.

Been a long while since I read a manga that was just about entertainment, that wasn't trying to be anything greater. Was obvious even before I read the interview at the end of the book that the author adores American action movies (ones with gunfights and car chases) and is a gun nut. Imagine how difficult, how much research needed, to go into such pornographic detail, in a country where firearms are almost completely illegal. He had a large collection of BB guns, collected gun magazines and consulted with a few people, but still had to wing it at times. Also appreciate that Rally is actually limited as a bounty hunter. Got chewed out by the police for this explosive car chase. She can't just kill, except in self-defense.

I like the character designs for the most part, but still prefer more proportion. Some of the men look like boys with beards.

@Maroxad: I recommend it as a beginner romance novel for nerds. Not even sure it's true "romance". It was in the sci-fi/fantasy section at the library.

Started re-reading Lord of the Rings: Two Towers.

What do I know of cultured ways, the gilt, the craft and the lie?

I, who was born in a naked land and bred in the open sky.

The subtle tongue, the sophist guile, they fail when the broadswords swing;

Rush in and die, dogs -- I was a man before I was a king.

I have not read many books, but Conan the Barbarian's first fight ("The Phoenix on the Sword"), when he was already a king, was amazing. The movie didn't capture the speed, emotion and carnage. But it never could have.

@warm_gun: Well said.

I've been meaning to read Ready Player Two forever now, only read first couple chapters. Time to start over and commit to it.