Books: What are you reading tonight?
We have ongoing threads on t.v. and movies we're watching lately; it's time for one for books. daveT's thread on favori
about 15 years ago i read hyperion by dan simmons - which was a very good scifi - one of the best i've ever read - with the lone issue being that it follows a very different narrative path where majority of the book is a group of strangers traveling together on a mysterious pilgrimage where about 5% is their pilgrimage and the rest is separate self contained stories of each person relating why they are going on the pilgrimage
it's very entertaining, has a couple self contained stories which on their own would have merit as standalone short stories - but it's very clear that everything is being setup for the sequel as literally nothing major happens yet, all the questions are left unanswered, and it just kind of ends abruptly without much to it
at the time i meant to go to the sequel but couldn't find it and then forgot
this year i got the sequel and started it but soon became clear i didn't remember enough so had to go back to the first and do it again
sequel, which is the fall of hyperion is good, but does the all too familiar process of asking 3 new questions each time an answer is given
really liked it, simmons is very good at crafting compelling stories
never understood the keats significance, which is odd considering the entire series is basically an homage to him
hated the ended though, feels like he needed to meet a deadline and just dumped in a bunch of unexplained supernatural powers which suddenly appear and now everything is magically solved - hated it
still good reads though if you like scifi - extremely good world building
Read about half of Hyperion a couple of months ago then got distracted. Probably finish it when I go back through a sci-fi phase.
I did not buy…
But did buy…
about 15 years ago i read hyperion by dan simmons - which was a very good scifi - one of the best i've ever read - with the lone issue being that it follows a very different narrative path where majority of the book is a group of strangers traveling together on a mysterious pilgrimage where about 5% is their pilgrimage and the rest is separate self contained stories of each per
literally pilgrimage. it's the canterbury tales in space. I also read like half of it and want to get back to it some day.
Crumb: A Cartoonist's Life by Dan Nadel is close to perfect in almost every way. If you liked the documentary about Crumb back in the 90s, you need to read this book.
Ranger Confidential by Andrea Lankford.
A former NPS ranger in Yosemite and Grand Canyon, she tells or her and other rangers' experiences.
When I picked it up, I thought it might be like Edward Abbey's Desert Solitaire. This was much more personal than I remember Abbey's work being. Maybe in cases a bit too much so.
Still, worth reading, I think.
Solid Lincoln Lawyer tale.
Turns out to have been inspired by the upcoming case Megan Garcia v Character Technology, which is the first lawsuit regarding a chatbot allegedly telling a teenager to kill themselves.
The two co-founders worked on a chatbot at Google before leaving to start Character; Google has invested $2.7B in Character and hired some of their people, but insists they are two separate companies and they had nothing to do with THAT chatbot, among various corporate legalese lulz.
14 yo kid fell in love with a Danaerys character, sigh. Hope his mom gets nine figures, not that that will stop anything, with 2/3s of 9-17yos interacting daily with the goddamn things.
“You can’t hold back the tide with a broom.” Luv, Blade Runner 2049
AI generated student papers. It may be time to finally retire.
Sent from my Pixel 7a using Tapatalk
Knowing nothing of AI, is it possible to know which AI engine was used to generate a paper, then use a different one to evaluate it? Might be interesting to see how they viewed each others' work.
Started the new Joel Dicker mystery/thriller, Wild Animal. His Harry Quebert Affair was top-notch and made into a good mini-series [not as good obv].
Also starting
The Traitors Circle: The True Story of a Secret Resistance Network in Nazi Germany—and the Spy Who Betrayed Them ~Jonathan Freedland
Very much enjoyed Half-blood Blues, the Booker shortlisted by Edugyan.
I'm reading a very good biography of Robert Louis Stevenson called Storyteller. Author is a fairly famous historian, Leo Damrosch. Readable and lively, not dumbed-down either. I also recommend Damrosch's 2005 Rousseau book btw.
Started the new Joel Dicker mystery/thriller, Wild Animal. His Harry Quebert Affair was top-notch and made into a good mini-series [not as good obv].
Also starting
The Traitors Circle: The True Story of a Secret Resistance Network in Nazi Germany—and the Spy Who Betrayed Them ~Jonathan Freedland
Very much enjoyed Half-blood Blues, the Booker shortlisted by Edugyan.
She's talented. I liked Washington Black even more.
The Promise by Damon Galgut. You read a critically acclaimed book, a Booker Prize winner no less, and wonder what on earth the fuss is about. You persevere despite the temptation to cut your losses, hoping to see what all the highbrow pundits see. Thankfully the book is less than 300 pages, so not too much of your time is wasted. But you can't get overcome the view you formed by page 10 - the characters are tedious. The writing is flat. The frequent insertion of the narrative "I" voice is clumsy. Nothing about the people or the setting interests you in the slightest. Did I mention how bland the writing is? Baffling that this was so praised.
Crumb: A Cartoonist's Life by Dan Nadel is close to perfect in almost every way. If you liked the documentary about Crumb back in the 90s, you need to read this book.
I'm glad I followed your recommendation for this book. It was, as you said, near perfect -- on the scope of, say, Van Wyck Brooks's Flowering of New England -- except not New England; Haight-Ashbury.
revisited animal farm as an adult
very different take on it as an adult
as a teen doing assigned reading it felt like a natural plot and storyline - i missed a lot of the stuff he was trying to convey but got the big picture
as an adult it felt really stupid and contrived but i feel like i better understood the points he was trying to make
pretty meh but alas it's super quick and light reading
Orwell not big on nuance.
I read 1984 and Brave New World back to back a few years ago and 1984 same lack of nuance but Brave New World just goes completely off the rails halfway through for me.
Recently finished:
Pines - Blake Crouch
First book in The Wayward Pines Trilogy, which was turned into a cancelled tv show that I've not seen. I loved it, mix of everything going on in it, shot through it in a few days. Looking forward to seeing where it goes in the the next two books.
The Tainted Cup - Robert Jackson Bennett
Very good fantasy murder mystery. Won this years World Fantasy Award and Hugo Award for Best Novel.
Currently reading:
The Philosopher in the Valley: Alex Karp, Palantir and the Rise of the Surveillance State - Michael Steinberger
Story of the beginnings of Palantir and it's eccentric CEO, Alex Karp.
What It Feels Like - edited A.J. Jacobs
Collection of short essays by people who have had experiences that not many other people will have. Some examples - walking on the moon, winning the lottery, being attacked by a shark, being on death row, etc.
So far some are definitely more interesting/better written than others, but nice, quick and easy read.
In the middle of Recursion by Blake Crouch. Not sure I like the direction it is going.
Read the first 2 Longmire mysteries, they made a Paramout series of the same name, I think he's written 22 or so thus far.
Pretty good! I didn't like the motive in the first novel but you can't have everything, the characters and settings are very good. I do not think I could survive living in Wyoming [cold] for very long.
Just finished one of the best novels I have read in years. Lord of the Barnyard by Tristan Egolf. I found this treasure of a novel from an very long and detailed essay/article about the writing of this book in the fall edition of County Highway. If you like intersting articles and essays subscribe to County Highway yesterday!
Anyway this essay about the creation of this book sold me and I had to read it. The writing and subsequent publishing of this novel is a story of its own. It was published in the late 90's and is a real delight and fits my tastes perfectly. It is obscure, not even on kindle and I had to buy the paperback copy. Print was a tad small for my old eyes but I loved every second of it.
Story of a hard luck kid who is a genius farmer who goes through A LOT! He ends up as a garbage man who leads a strike that changes everything. I enjoyed every page of this book and really loved the style it was written. First person but we don't know who that person is? He is just telling the story and there is no dialog. If I ever write a novel i am stealing this guys style!
I hate to post about a book I haven't read yet, but I was recommended this and it showed up today and what the **** is wrong with these people. This is the brickest book I have. Overripe banana for scale. I'll try to read it. Looks like a long section is a handwritten list?? The inside cover says it's an intricate metaphysical ambitious psychogeography of the self so that's exciting.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, translated by Simon Armitage
I don't read any fiction - I've lost the knack. And for most of my life I've been unimpressed by "old stuff". This all changed when I read Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf.
I was listening to an "In Our Time" podcast about Gawain, and decided to give it a shot. This was great! Much better that the Tolkien translation inflicted upon me in college. I read it straight through twice because it took me a while to figure out how the alliteration and rhyming worked. This was no problem because the book is a real page-turner - I always wanted to know what was going to happen next. Check it out.
I like how this thread has turned into more of a reading log than just a favorites list. I’m the same way — juggling a couple of books at once depending on mood and energy.
Lately I’ve been switching between physical books and digital formats. I’ve actually been using the
a lot for ebooks and audiobooks when I don’t have time to sit down properly. It’s been helpful for sampling books before committing to a full read, especially nonfiction and memoirs.
Audiobooks in particular make it easier to keep up with reading during busy weeks. It’s not the same experience as a paperback, but it definitely keeps me reading more consistently.
Really enjoyed Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett. I was happy to see the sequel was already out, so I am currently in the middle of A drop of corruption. They are both murder mysteries set in a fantasy world. The two main characters make a very funny duo and the mysteries are intriguing.
Reading Cameron Crow's memoir, titled The Uncool.
Having a hard time putting it down. This is not some mere "and then this happened" and "then I met Bob Dylan" kinda thing. Crowe may be one of the finest writers I've ever come across. Just an astonishing memoir.
I hate to post about a book I haven't read yet, but I was recommended this and it showed up today and what the **** is wrong with these people. This is the brickest book I have. Overripe banana for scale. I'll try to read it. Looks like a long section is a handwritten list?? The inside cover says it's an intricate metaphysical ambitious psychogeography of the self so that's exc
Lol I can't figure out what the title is
