What are you reading?

I just started "The Last Wish". Thought I should have some background on the Witcher.

I've not finished "I am Pilgrim" yet, but I must say it is an amazing read. If old Fleming books are your cuppa, do yourself a favour and read this. Put to the question, I'd say it's a combination of a show like Homeland and Fleming at his absolute best. For fans of thrillers, I couldn't recommend it any stronger.

I put Metro 2033 on hold, since it was just a bit too much after The Stand. Instead, I remembered a painting by Luis Royo I saw a long, long time ago:



I loved it and even had it as my desktop wallpaper for a while — apparently around 1997. Where is that place? Who is that woman? What's her story? Got my imagination going.

… As it turned out the image was the cover art for a book called "A Thousand Words for Stranger" by Julie E. Czerneda. I was delighted to know that I could actually read about that picture, which I started doing now. Apparently it's the first part of a Sci-Fi Romance / Mystery trilogy. So far it's a fairly fun, light read and it really feels like I'm being there. Given that Mrs. Czerneda was a former Biologist, her work is supposedly sprinkled with knowledge from that area, making for quite unique alien lifeforms. All in all, it seems to be a nice change of pace.

I can understand putting more of the same on hold. I found "The Stand" a very heavy and affecting novel.

In my quest to read through all the Hugo and Nebula award winning novels , I am reading "Rainbow's Edge" by Vernor Vinge. While I really enjoyed his far-future other world novels, this one has been a bit of a slow read for me. It's sort of cyber-punk using augmented reality and ubiquitous computing, without much of the edginess (punk, dystopia, and radical change in social order). Does have some intrigue though. But I've found the book mostly pedestrian, in particular, the teenage characters. However, it's a decent yarn, and set in my home town of San Diego. Still not particularly engaged, nor really care about the characters. About halfway through it and am not really excited to read it. Hoping it picks up.

So, has anyone dug into the new Rothfuss book yet? Seems to be a love/hate kinda thing. I'll wait for paperback either way, but I figure someone here jumped in.

Finished up The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by NK Jemisin. Decent stuff. The concept is fairly interesting, although it didn't seem quite as polished as first books usually are. Still, I think I'll pick up the second book of the planned trilogy.

Finished I am Pilgrim maybe a week or more ago, it is a must read if you like intense, deep backround thrillers. Best thriller that I've read in a long time.

I finished first 2 book of Wheel of time series.It was ok, it had really good moments but overall books are slow and there are too many long and dull descriptions.

I also read Assassin's apprentice by Robin Hobb first book in Farseer trilogy which I really liked.It's not really true heroic fantasy but it's lot closer to it than dark fantasy.

These are some short texts I've been sitting with for a while -- I've been trying (struggling! failing!) to set them as a cappella pieces for women's trio or SSA choir. They are aphorisms taken from a book by Simone Weil, and I was going to give the title "Necessity" to the set. Hearing my sister sing recently inspired me to pull the piece out of the drawer, but I don't know that I have it in me to finish it.

i.

Whosoever takes up the sword will perish by the sword.
And whosoever does not take up the sword (or lets it go) will perish on the cross.

ii.

A beloved being disappoints me.
I wrote to him.
It is impossible that he should reply other than what I have said to myself in his name.
I also am other than I imagine myself to be. To know this is forgiveness.

iii.

The sin in me says “I”.
I am all. But this I is God. And it is not an “I”.
It is because of my grief that I am “I”.
It is because of the grief of the world that God is I.

iv.

Perfect joy has no feeling of joy, for in the soul filled with the beloved there is no corner left for saying “I”.

v.

We must give up everything that is not grace, and not even desire grace.
We must take the feeling of being at home into exile.

Just finished Redemption Engine by James Sutter, a fantasy novel set in the Pathfinder setting. Very entertaining, in general the Pathfinder Tales books are good reads, with Dave Gross and James Sutter being the best of the bunch imo. If your looking for easy reading, good pulpy fantasy novels to replace the Forgotten Realm stuff, look into the Pathfinder Tales.

Right, less pretentiously, I also just picked up David Brin -- who everyone's been telling me to read for years -- for the first time. Read Startide Rising and Uplift War on my flight home (yes I just spent 36 hours solid on various planes and sitting around airports ugh).

They're decent. Awfully mystical for what I'd heard of as hard sci fi though.

Finished "A Thousand Words for Stranger". I'm glad I read it for the reasons mentioned above, but it was a very slow read for me. Well, it was her first book, maybe later ones will get better.

Speaking of first books, I finally picked up Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind and am already halfway through after two days. A real joy to read. Very charming. Stories within stories within stories.

I finished Rainbow's End by Vernon Vinge, and am now reading Camoflage by Joe Halderman. RE was good and different; not sure why it won a Hugo, though.

Just finished Way of kings first book of Sanderson's highly praised Stormlight archives.
Since I liked his Mistborn series I had reasonably high expectations but this book exceed them to put it mildly, it really lives up to the hype.Just great book, 10/10.

Supposedly the second book is even better, so whatcha gonna do, Nameless one?

I breezed through The Wise Man's Fear, second book in Patrick Rothfuss' trilogy. Loved it. Simply marvelous storytelling. I liked it so much that I'm now busy reading the interlude novella, The Slow Regard of Silent Things. It's not the same and a much slower read, given that it isn't even a real story, but I'm enjoying it well enough. And then I'm going to join everyone in their wait for book 3.

@Thrasher - Hugo's have for the last 10+ years been a popularity contest. Which author attends the most conventions or publicist throws enough money at. Also a very significant proportion of the voters are from the USA so authors from other countries have very rarely won over the last few years. Even the nebula is moving to a publicity contest. Probably most objective as awarded by a committee is BSFA awards or maybe the world fantasy.

Yeah, that makes sense. I've had a lot better luck with Nebula award winners.

I'm reading the Jet series by Russell Blake. It's an action-thriller-spy series about a deadly elite intelligence agent, who also happens to be a woman. Think Angelie Jolie's character in "Salt", if you have seen that movie. It's very good for what it is. It's not the deepest read in the world, but is entertaining. There are 8 books in the series so far.

Don't laugh but i am reading "the hunger games trilogy". I know it is more for adolescents but I am still enjoying it.

After that i am planning to read the witcher books,
Last wish, blood of elves, baptism of fire and a fourth one i cant remember right now.

Arhu said:

Supposedly the second book is even better, so whatcha gonna do, Nameless one?

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Maybe with second part will chalenge Kingkiller chronicles as my favorite fantasy series?I doubt it but you never know.

I read Slow regard of silent things too.Loved it too but I would liked more if he used that time to finish 3rd Kingkiller book.

Ursusdraconis said:

Don't laugh but i am reading "the hunger games trilogy". I know it is more for adolescents but I am still enjoying it.

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Fellow watchman look at him, look at him and laugh.

Just kidding, actually dystopian young adult books are my guilty pleasure.I read Hunger games too, also Legend, Maze runner and Divergent(I liked Legend most) and I liked it who cares if I am too old.

I actually want to read The Hunger Games at some point too, nothing wrong with liking it. I'm a huge fan of the movies, and no way do I fit the demographic.