What are you reading?

[Kaplan]

Frederik Pohl: Gateway, 1977.

"There is something very frightening about knowing that there is nothing between you and instant, ugly death except a thin skin of metal made by some peculiar strangers half a million years ago."

In the 60s Pohl was the editor of the Galaxy Sience Fiction magazine and from 1937 to 2011 he had his own work published. Gateway is his highest rated novel, winning the John W. Campbell, Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards for Best Novel. The book has a similar premise to the Strugatskies superior Roadside Picnic (published in the USSR in 1972, translated to English in 1977), with unknowable alien leftovers that can bring either fortune or disaster. A rather straight forward read with few surprises, this takes a place in the lower half of my SF read so far.

​

 

[Geoffrey Firmin]

Is there a formula for writing rock n roll biographies?
Struggle street…enough alcohol to sink the Bismarck…introduce Oliver Reed at this point….amongst others Drugs a mountain of Colombian marching powder..not the I indulge. Tarts…gentlemen do not kiss and tell..celebrities by the dozen.

Creative insight..art..gigs. And so it goes a good time was had by all.

Entertaining, well written overall especially as Tumbleweed Connection,***** Chateau, Madman and Yellow Brick Road are still played at times.

 

[Kaplan]

Isaac Asimov: The Caves of Steel, 1954.

"We're forever teetering on the brink of the unknowable, and trying to understand what can't be understood. It's what makes us men."

This came higher recommended than Asimov's short story collection I, Robot. It introduces some interesting ideas, like thumbprint readers to open locks, at least a couple of decades before that became a thing; Asimov's three laws of robotics (he invented the word 'robotics' too); and probably the first pairing of a detective with an almost human like robot partner. But neither the plot nor the prose is very engaging, making this hard to recommend (though based on the first five reviews I checked upon finishing this, I'm alone in that view).

Quality of his writing aside, it's still mind-boggling that Asimov had more than 440 books published.

 

[Kaplan]

Edgar Allan Poe: The Masque of the Red Death, 1838-1846.

"An air of stern, deep, and irredeemable gloom hung over and pervaded all."

A collection of seven of Poe's most renowned short stories from Penguin's beautiful Clothbound Classics series - this one appropriately bound in blood red cloth.

Spoiler: Ramblings

While I sometimes can feel an author's descriptive text lacking (Asimov above for example has mostly guys talking in rooms, with the imagery only painted with the broadest of strokes), with Poe the pendulum can swing in the opposite direction, going overboard with descriptive detail. While still a great read, this can be felt in The Fall of the House of Usher, about which Washington Irving wrote in a letter to Poe: "You have been too anxious to present your pictures vividly to the eye, or too distrustful of your effect, and had laid on too much colouring. It is erring on the best side – the side of luxuriance".

Even more encumbered by this was the story Ligeia, which in addition sagged under the weight of overly long, labyrinthine sentences - going this way and that with excruciating detail, demanding alertness and an extension of ones span of attention if there should be any hope of remembering how the sentence had actually commenced, once it finally arrived at its conclusion. When I looked up the publication dates my suspicion was confirmed that this was the earliest of the lot.

In contrast the later The Pit and the Pendulum was much more agile, with some exquisitely crafted prose with a cadence that beautifully breathes live into the narrative, making this my favourite here. (The story is about a man who is condemmed and tortured by the Spanish inquisition. I guess he didn't expect them, but then no one does.)

Poe not only invented the detective genre - with the gratitude of Arthur Conan Doyle - he was also cited as an influence by Herman Melville, Jules Verne, Vladimir Nabokov, Alfred Hitchcock, H. G. Wells - and of course H. P. Lovecraft, which is what primarily prompted me to read Poe, as I next will be heeding the call of Cthulhu en route to the Mountains of Madness.

 

[Geoffrey Firmin]

The Secret Pilgrim by John le Carre

Interesting narrative Smiley holds court at Sarratt over a passing out dinner. This combines with his host Ned, close to retirement and begins reminiscent observations attempting to weight up his own soul and work in the shadow realm.Overall it combines the past of the cold warrior and their moral righteousness offset by the anxiety of an uncertain future.

I read recently that le Carre’s son is going to write a follow up to Tinker…ect.

 

[mhip]

Starting this tonite, as it just dropped yesterday.
The Murderbot series is so enjoyable. It's up there with the best sci-fi I've read...

 

[SixOhNine]

Starting this tonite, as it just dropped yesterday.
The Murderbot series is so enjoyable. It's up there with the best sci-fi I've read...

Just finished it and enjoyed it immensely.

 

[edinatlanta]

Not giving up on that book but i will say i was very excited when the library told me this was ready for pickup View attachment 2013581

Finished this, picked up "Master of the Senate" by Robert Caro one more time. 600 pages in, only 400 left to go...
Also, I'm wanting to read some fiction right now. A couple years back I finished VI in "A New Name: Septology VI-VII" by Jon Fosse. I am starting VII. I also see that he won the Nobel Prize in Literature this year. Good for him.

 

[venividivicibj]

the Alex Verus series - if you like Harry Dresden, you'll like this

 

[Joffrey]

Forgot to provide some updates.

I thought I posted about this when I started this over 6 months ago. Well I'm still grinding through it. It's not particularly boring but I simply don't care. The book is about how to view modern art as I was hoping to learn what to consider when looking at abstract pieces. Unfortunately, the advice is to simply think for yourself which is not unreasonable. I'm committed to finishing it to assuage my inevitable guilt. I have about 30-40 pages to go so I'll commit to finishing it by December 31.

Just started this. First time borrowing from the library in years. Have looked forward to light (?) reading before I dive back into Caro's LBJ series (I haven't read the 4th book yet).

Just finished this. Mostly enjoyable memoir of U.S. born food journalist based in Paris. There are some odd asides but I went though it quite quickly.

 

[FlyingMonkey]

Just finished it and enjoyed it immensely.

I was very disappointed. IMHO, they are getting worse as they get longer. The Murderbot Diaries were excellent as novellas. This latest one wasn't even a proper book. It reads like churned out unedited text, which just begins and ends at arbitrary places. There is minimal plot and character development has virtually stopped, along with the humour. Most of the book is just tedious and lengthy descriptions of running and fighting. Stuff happens.

But YMMV, as they say.

 

[smittycl]

Just finished Michael Mann’s excellent if data heavy book on Climate Change. Now starting a sci-fi novel on the same topic.





Another novel on Climate Change, this was the best book I’ve read all year. Incredibly riveting read:

 

[SixOhNine]

the Alex Verus series - if you like Harry Dresden, you'll like this

I've tried a couple of times to read the first Dresden Files book, but never made it past the first chapter. Just didn't grab me for whatever reason. On the other hand, I just finished Fated, the first in the Verus series, and enjoyed it.

You might like the Valkyrie Collections books, by Brian McClellan; they're also in that urban fantasy vein. Only two so far, and fairly short, but I found them entertaining.

I was very disappointed. IMHO, they are getting worse as they get longer. The Murderbot Diaries were excellent as novellas. This latest one wasn't even a proper book. It reads like churned out unedited text, which just begins and ends at arbitrary places. There is minimal plot and character development has virtually stopped, along with the humour. Most of the book is just tedious and lengthy descriptions of running and fighting. Stuff happens.

But YMMV, as they say.

Now that I've had a bit of time since I read it, I'd agree with most of your points. This one was my least favorite, and it seemed to have the most stuff happening, without much moving forward. The characters were underdeveloped, too. I really couldn't keep track of most of the newer ones. And yes, the humor has decreased noticeably. That said, I did still like it. Wells is going to get a lot of leeway from me, based on the goodwill built by the novellas. I won't drop everything and read the next book the day it comes out, though.

 

[Oswald Cornelius]

I suppose we should start a 'documentary' topic but lacking that "Radical Wolfe" is quite good if you're into that sort of thing. And I imagine you are.

Ooops, that should've been in the 'movies' topic but since Wolfe was a writer... well, you know.

 

[Scuppers]

Just finished Michael Mann’s excellent if data heavy book on Climate Change. Now starting a sci-fi novel on the same topic.

View attachment 2086765

View attachment 2086767

Another novel on Climate Change, this was the best book I’ve read all year. Incredibly riveting read:

View attachment 2086769

Recently read How to avoid a climate disaster, found it rather preachy. As i scientist I find Vox populi books patronising.
Will certainly read this trio and recommend if good.