What are you reading?

[Fueco]

 

[Geoffrey Firmin]

Was in New York a couple of weeks ago at a bookstore near Rockefeller Center. Son was busy wringing his hands over which Diary of a Wimpy Kid book to buy, and I decided to pick this up. Only finished the first chapter so far, but it's interesting, and I like the writing style.

Blast from the past read that in first year back at University throughly enjoyed it. Great book.

 

[Scuppers]

Recovering from hip replacement surgery @46, I kid you not! Thought I’d catch up on some literary biography’s.

 

[Kaplan]

William Gibson: Burning Chrome, 1986.

'She try to call you yet?'
'No.'
'She will.'
'Rubin, she's dead. They cremated her already.'
'I know,' he said. 'And she's going to call you.'

Collection of short stories, some taking place in the same Sprawl setting as Neuromancer. Gibson is one of the greatest prose stylist in SF, his flinty style being the perfect match for the cyberpunk world he invents. Recommended on the strength of the writing alone, though the stories are cool too. It's hard to read these without a smile on your face from just how well written they are.

 

[Geoffrey Firmin]

View attachment 2145891
Recovering from hip replacement surgery @46, I kid you not! Thought I’d catch up on some literary biography’s.

I read a fictional account of his life The Magician by Colm Toibin. Was a big fan at 21 read 7 books of his that year. Never got round to reading a biography of him.Still have copies of The Magic Mountain, Joseph and His Brothers and Doctor Faustus.

 

[ValidusLA]

I did 51 books last year and hoping to do better this year. 14 so far. Some great highlights I would recommend here:

- Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland. Patrick Radden Keefe. A very interesting look at some of the more notorious personalities on the Republican side of the troubles.
- Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan. Jake Adelstein. Incredible. Adelstein is the first Westerner to be hired as a reporter by the Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan's largest paper. Story is wild.
- The Wager. A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder. David Grann. New last year and on the NYT best books of 2023 list.
- Ametora. How Japan Saved American Style. W. David Marks. Reissued for 2023. Pickup up at Armoury Tribeca. Seems appropriate for the forum.
- The Botany of Desire. Michael Polan. An older title I had never gotten to. Who knew apples were so cool?
- The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger. Marc Levinson. I'm an operations/logistics nerd, so this was great for me. But overall good look at an important change in how we all live.
- The Amur River: Between Russia and China. Colin Thubron. Thubron is a total badass and great writer. A great travelogue.

 

[Scuppers]

I read a fictional account of his life The Magician by Colm Toibin. Was a big fan at 21 read 7 books of his that year. Never got round to reading a biography of him.Still have copies of The Magic Mountain, Joseph and His Brothers and Doctor Faustus.

HAH. I also went on a Thomas Mann dive in my 20s: Confessions of Felix Krull is a favourite.
Will seek The Magician. Also picked up these at Kay Craddock:

Will work on them after Bio.

 

[Scuppers]

William Gibson: Burning Chrome, 1986.

'She try to call you yet?'
'No.'
'She will.'
'Rubin, she's dead. They cremated her already.'
'I know,' he said. 'And she's going to call you.'

Collection of short stories, some taking place in the same Sprawl setting as Neuromancer. Gibson is one of the greatest prose stylist in SF, his flinty style being the perfect match for the cyberpunk world he invents. Recommended on the strength of the writing alone, though the stories are cool too. It's hard to read these without a smile on your face from just how well written they are.

Late to party.
Friend has been trying to get me to read his sprawl trilogy for years. Have had it penciled-in, similarly, for years.
One day.

 

[edinatlanta]

I did 51 books last year and hoping to do better this year. 14 so far. Some great highlights I would recommend here:

- Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland. Patrick Radden Keefe. A very interesting look at some of the more notorious personalities on the Republican side of the troubles.
- Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan. Jake Adelstein. Incredible. Adelstein is the first Westerner to be hired as a reporter by the Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan's largest paper. Story is wild.
- The Wager. A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder. David Grann. New last year and on the NYT best books of 2023 list.
- Ametora. How Japan Saved American Style. W. David Marks. Reissued for 2023. Pickup up at Armoury Tribeca. Seems appropriate for the forum.
- The Botany of Desire. Michael Polan. An older title I had never gotten to. Who knew apples were so cool?
- The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger. Marc Levinson. I'm an operations/logistics nerd, so this was great for me. But overall good look at an important change in how we all live.
- The Amur River: Between Russia and China. Colin Thubron. Thubron is a total badass and great writer. A great travelogue.

Read the first two and can confirm they are excellent. It really is hard for people to comprehend just how horrific ireland was for so long. Jake adelstein did a podcast two years ago or maybe last year "the Evaporated: Gone With the Gods" about how easy and common it is to just disappear in Japan.

The Amur River and the Wager are on my never-shrinking list to read.

 

[Kaplan]

Late to party.
Friend has been trying to get me to read his sprawl trilogy for years. Have had it penciled-in, similarly, for years.
One day.

Neuromancer was a bit of a hard read for me (Gibson flies through cyberspace at such break-neck speeds that it can be hard to keep up), but I'm still planning to pick up the next two Sprawls and start them off with a re-read of Neuromancer. For the first book, I'll suggest picking up the nice hardcover from the Penguin Galaxy imprint (and then enjoy that iconic opening line).

But before that I'll recommend getting Burning Chrome. As mentioned, some of these short stories (3 out of 10) take place in the Sprawl (including Johnny Mnemonic) and they work nicely as prequels to Neuromancer and as an acclimating introduction to Gibson's prose.

 

[Scuppers]

Neuromancer was a bit of a hard read for me (Gibson flies through cyberspace at such break-neck speeds that it can be hard to keep up), but I'm still planning to pick up the next two Sprawls and start them off with a re-read of Neuromancer. For the first book, I'll suggest picking up the nice hardcover from the Penguin Galaxy imprint (and then enjoy that iconic opening line).

But before that I'll recommend getting Burning Chrome. As mentioned, some of these short stories (3 out of 10) take place in the Sprawl (including Johnny Mnemonic) and they work nicely as prequels to Neuromancer and as an acclimating introduction to Gibson's prose.

It is because I am a physicist that I too often reject Sci-fi, it hurts. That said, do intend to read the trilogy… one day.

 

[SixOhNine]

- The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger. Marc Levinson. I'm an operations/logistics nerd, so this was great for me. But overall good look at an important change in how we all live.

Just started that one recently; a little dry, but it is kind of amazing how such a simple thing can be so transformative.

 

[edinatlanta]

Just started that one recently; a little dry, but it is kind of amazing how such a simple thing can be so transformative.

Wooden pallets, too!
There was an incredibly long (probably too long, tbh) article I read maybe 15 years ago now that went into the pallet's anthropological importance, how there hasn't been a way to improve on the design, how to stop pallet theft, it was all very interesting.

 

[Kaplan]

I did 51 books last year and hoping to do better this year. 14 so far.

I think I did 40 last year (and some shorts stories). And likewise up to 14 so far this year. Highlights from last year:

Childhood's End, I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, The Dying Earth, The Forever War, Who Goes There?, The Stars My destination, Solaris, Hothouse, Northwest of Earth, Last and First Men.

- Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan. Jake Adelstein. Incredible. Adelstein is the first Westerner to be hired as a reporter by the Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan's largest paper. Story is wild.

This sounds like something I should pick up. I'm quite enjoying the tv series on HBO (co-produced by Adelstein, I believe) - with vibes of Scott's great Black Rain.

 

[edinatlanta]

16 holds on six copies at the library meant I'll buy this one. View attachment 2144011

This book is so good. Had me crying this morning. There is a donkey named Ferrari who manages to provide comedic relief even though he is really just mentioned. But, Ferrari does have some genuinely touching moments as a character--all while one of Christianity's holiest sites is being obliterated in war.