OT: Books: Audio, Paper, Electronic. Any and all welcome!

[Soldier13Fox]

Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings is my personal favorite, her character writing is truly incredible and the settings are varied and well thought out. The hardest part is recommending where to start, Liveship Traders or Assassins Apprentice.

I have tried twice to get through the first Malazan book and haven't found the dedication yet. Reading that you have it above Hobb has me feeling a bit more motivated to try again, though hockey season is usually when I slow down my reading.

Hobb may be the only author that's actually left me feeling profoundly sad (Nighteyes!).

Gardens of the Moon (the 1st Malazan) I still feel like that book can be skipped if you just can't get through it. It's my least favorite and although there are some recurring characters, I just don't think it's that important to the overall story. The next books are way better in my opinion.

I decided that I was done until the series was complete. I just haven't gotten around to starting over and going start to finish. It'll be what 160-180 hours of complete them all?

That's the problem with these series, definitely a commitment to get through.

 

[Wabit]

Any of you do any book delivery services? If so, which?

I just recently started researching them but nothing had caught my eye yet

Not me. We have a pretty good library system here, so I'll order books from there and pick them up when they arrive. I am still bummed the (good) local bookstore didn't make it though the pandemic shutdown.

If you're into reading e-books (I'm not) those are easy to get several different ways (legal, grey area, or pirate).

 

[BagHead]

@BagHead reads erotica. Got it.

I'll check them out! You would put The First Law above the Nevernight series?

Yeah, I'd put First Law and the other 6 books in that world above just about every series I've read.

 

[Wabit]

Kind of off topic, but has anyone here written a book?

The closest I've come to that is making coloring books.

 

[57special]

Kind of off topic, but has anyone here written a book?

The closest I've come to that is making coloring books.

I have a feeling that you are our resident author.

 

[Wabit]

I have a feeling that you are our resident author.

I don't think coloring book pages make me an author. I mean we do have a Dr. Janitor on here after all.

Maybe he has a published dissertation with something along the lines of:

"Managing routine waste disposal operations, ensuring the timely and efficient removal of trash and recyclables in accordance with established protocols. With the focus of demonstrating attention to cleanliness and sanitation standards, maintaining a well-organized waste management system to enhance overall workplace hygiene. As a by product of the implemented environmentally responsible practices, actively promoting recycling initiatives and contributing to a sustainable work environment."

 

[chchelseII]

What's your first?

First Law for sure.

 

[VelvetVortex]

If you're looking for an adaptation even close to the books, stay away. It is terrible on that front. If you can set aside the books and just enjoy an OK fantasy series with pretty good acting, go for it.

I, personally, can't get past the changes they made. I really dislike it.

Edit. Read the books. Starts strong... begins to slog in the middle.... Jordan passes away... Sanderson comes in and nails the ending. The middle parts are rough though

I've enjoyed watching the first season of Wheel of Time. But probably not enjoyed it enough to watch the rest. I only stuck around because I like Rosamund Pike

 

[Sad People]

Good idea for a thread.

Between 2019 and 2022 i did an epic frick ton of reading. But this year i havent read anything and it kinda stinks since im having a hard time getting back into it. Early summer (?) I started reading a bit then D4 came out and got severely addicted to that and havent touched it since.

Fantasy, some autobiographies even if i think they can and usually are pretty boring, and books about eastern religion like Buddhism and Taosim is where i find myself gravitating towards.

The Kingkiller Series by Patrick Rothfuss is probably my favorite book series thats ive read during that time period, sucks it isnt finished yet. I even read the spin off book about my favorite character in that series called The Slow Regard of Silent Things, wasnt the biggest fan of that particular book but still finished it.

Couple summers ago i finished re reading the HP series for the first time since i was a kid and really enjoed that. Its a quick and easy read and something that i will probably find myself revisiting every few years.

The Saxon series by Bernard Cornwell is one series that i wanna try and get into here eventually as well. Loved the netflix series and im sure the books are even better. Bought the first book so i gotta delve deep into that.

Books about Buddhism and Taoism i probably wont get too deep into because of reasons.

 

[BagHead]

Kind of off topic, but has anyone here written a book?

The closest I've come to that is making coloring books.

I wrote half a novel once, but ran out of gas. Writing a novel is hard work and requires more focus than it turns out I have. I have crazy respect for authors after trying.

 

[emptyNedder]

Been stopping by the Wild forum as I am excited to watch Faber's progression and following Peart. Both players were highlighted by a model I created to identify undervalued D prospects prior to the draft.

That said, I am more interested in books than even hockey--so this thread grabbed my attention.

Don't know if anyone has mentioned it, but I am reading "We Had a Little Real Estate Problem: The unheralded story of Native Americans & Comedy." It is really good as both history and cultural analysis. I consider myself fairly well-informed on U.S. history, but there was quite a bit new in the book. While sections are depressing, there is also much that is entertaining.

 

[Obvious Fabertism]

Good idea for a thread.

Between 2019 and 2022 i did an epic frick ton of reading. But this year i havent read anything and it kinda stinks since im having a hard time getting back into it. Early summer (?) I started reading a bit then D4 came out and got severely addicted to that and havent touched it since.

Fantasy, some autobiographies even if i think they can and usually are pretty boring, and books about eastern religion like Buddhism and Taosim is where i find myself gravitating towards.

The Kingkiller Series by Patrick Rothfuss is probably my favorite book series thats ive read during that time period, sucks it isnt finished yet. I even read the spin off book about my favorite character in that series called The Slow Regard of Silent Things, wasnt the biggest fan of that particular book but still finished it.

Couple summers ago i finished re reading the HP series for the first time since i was a kid and really enjoed that. Its a quick and easy read and something that i will probably find myself revisiting every few years.

The Saxon series by Bernard Cornwell is one series that i wanna try and get into here eventually as well. Loved the netflix series and im sure the books are even better. Bought the first book so i gotta delve deep into that.

Books about Buddhism and Taoism i probably wont get too deep into because of reasons.

The Kingkiller Chronicles are up there for me as well, real shame that I don’t think it’s going to be finished but the world and character he has built are truly captivating and his prose is top tier IMO.

 

[Obvious Fabertism]

Been stopping by the Wild forum as I am excited to watch Faber's progression and following Peart. Both players were highlighted by a model I created to identify undervalued D prospects prior to the draft.

That said, I am more interested in books than even hockey--so this thread grabbed my attention.

Don't know if anyone has mentioned it, but I am reading "We Had a Little Real Estate Problem: The unheralded story of Native Americans & Comedy." It is really good as both history and cultural analysis. I consider myself fairly well-informed on U.S. history, but there was quite a bit new in the book. While sections are depressing, there is also much that is entertaining.

Right away your model sounds extremely intriguing to me if it grabbed both of them, both players are standouts to me when it comes to IQ, positioning, stick work and transition game, attributes that I feel tend to get overlooked or are hard to capture via analytics. If you are finding ways to pick up those soft skills, that would be highly valuable I am sure.

And welcome and thanks for the reading contribution too! I may have to check that one out, the history I learned in school was pretty light on that aspect of American history.

 

[BagHead]

Been stopping by the Wild forum as I am excited to watch Faber's progression and following Peart. Both players were highlighted by a model I created to identify undervalued D prospects prior to the draft.

That said, I am more interested in books than even hockey--so this thread grabbed my attention.

Don't know if anyone has mentioned it, but I am reading "We Had a Little Real Estate Problem: The unheralded story of Native Americans & Comedy." It is really good as both history and cultural analysis. I consider myself fairly well-informed on U.S. history, but there was quite a bit new in the book. While sections are depressing, there is also much that is entertaining.

Oooh, I'll have to pick that one up. Thanks for posting!

 

[57special]

Been stopping by the Wild forum as I am excited to watch Faber's progression and following Peart. Both players were highlighted by a model I created to identify undervalued D prospects prior to the draft.

That said, I am more interested in books than even hockey--so this thread grabbed my attention.

Don't know if anyone has mentioned it, but I am reading "We Had a Little Real Estate Problem: The unheralded story of Native Americans & Comedy." It is really good as both history and cultural analysis. I consider myself fairly well-informed on U.S. history, but there was quite a bit new in the book. While sections are depressing, there is also much that is entertaining.

I just might look that book up. Seems like something different. There is a Music documentary on Netflix(or someplace like that)about Native American music, featuring, among others, some of my fav(old guy alert) guys, Link Wray and Robbie Robertson.

 

[Sad People]

The Kingkiller Chronicles are up there for me as well, real shame that I don’t think it’s going to be finished but the world and character he has built are truly captivating and his prose is top tier IMO.

Yeah it is a shame. I hold out some Hope about it being completed but time will tell.

 

[57special]

Yeah it is a shame. I hold out some Hope about it being completed but time will tell.

Rothfuss and R R Martin are trying to out wait one another when it comes to their series concluding works.

 

[Sad People]

Rothfuss and R R Martin are trying to out wait one another when it comes to their series concluding works.

I haven’t read Martins work yet either. It’s also on a long list of books and series that I’d like to read. I’ve heard hes getting close to finishing his next book though I forget the name.

I also really wanna dive deep into Star Wars EU. Sounds like there’s a ton of books and comics out there almost to the point where it’s overwhelming.

 

[Obvious Fabertism]

I haven’t read Martins work yet either. It’s also on a long list of books and series that I’d like to read. I’ve heard hes getting close to finishing his next book though I forget the name.

I also really wanna dive deep into Star Wars EU. Sounds like there’s a ton of books and comics out there almost to the point where it’s overwhelming.

Winds of Winter has been “mostly written” since A Dance with Dragons came out over a decade ago, and I believe he said A Dream of Spring, the final of the ASOIAF series, also had several thousand pages written too. But his writing has changed over the decades and I don’t think he likes what he put down and he trapped himself with the story a bit at this point. I doubt he ever releases it himself, and best I am hoping for is that we get more Dunk and Egg novellas out of him before he is gone.

If you want an intro to GRRM without committing to the main series, starting with the Hedgeknight novellas would be a great way to go, they are short and more light hearted than main series.

 

[Minnewildsota]

This thread actually took off more than I was expecting. No joke.

I said I would add a few more books that I've enjoyed so here they are! (I've also edited the main post with pictures and synopsis for each book. Would be cool if other do the same, but not necessary.

We Are Legion [We Are Bob]

There's a reason We Are Legion (We Are Bob) was named Audible's Best Science Fiction Book of 2016: Its irresistibly irreverent wit! Bob Johansson has just sold his software company for a small fortune and is looking forward to a life of leisure. The first item on his to-do list: Spending his newfound windfall. On an urge to splurge, he signs up to have his head cryogenically preserved in case of death. Then he gets himself killed crossing the street. Waking up 117 years later, Bob discovers his mind has been uploaded into a sentient space probe with the ability to replicate itself. Bob and his clones are on a mission to find new homes for humanity and boldly go where no Bob has gone before.

Dennis E. Taylor’s hilarious novel sets the stage for the magnificent performance of Ray Porter, who revels in the brave new world of corpsicles, artificial intelligence, interstellar space probes, and space colonization in tantalizing detail.

This was just a fun book/series. Explores the idea of AI/self preservation. Had an interesting plot but was also quite humorous.

He Who Fights with Monsters

Jason wakes up in a mysterious world of magic and monsters.

It’s not easy making the career jump from office-supplies-store middle manager to heroic interdimensional adventurer. At least, Jason tries to be heroic, but it's hard to be good when all your powers are evil.

He’ll face off against cannibals, cultists, wizards, monsters...and that’s just on the first day. He’s going to need courage, he’s going to need wit, and he’s going to need some magic powers of his own. But first, he’s going to need pants.

I was apprehensive about this book going into it. A LitRPG? Didn't understand how it would work. After giving it a try, I was pleasantly surprised. Though, I will say I've tried to read subsequent books in the series and they seem to fall flat compared to this first book. If you're looking for something "different" that's a quick and easy read (IMHO). I recommend this book.

Off to be a Wizard

Martin Banks is just a normal guy who has made an abnormal discovery: he can manipulate reality, thanks to reality being nothing more than a computer program. With every use of this ability, though, Martin finds his little “tweaks” have not escaped notice. Rather than face prosecution, he decides instead to travel back in time to the Middle Ages and pose as a wizard.

What could possibly go wrong?

An American hacker in King Arthur’s court, Martin must now train to become a full-fledged master of his powers, discover the truth behind the ancient wizard Merlin…and not, y’know, die or anything.

If you like sarcasm in your books, boy is this the series for you. There's tons of humor while providing an interesting plot. Basically, what if life had an actual config.ini file?

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn’t heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom.

They borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo: a game where players can escape the confines of a body and the betrayals of a heart, and where death means nothing more than a chance to restart and play again. This is the story of the perfect worlds Sam and Sadie build, the imperfect world they live in, and of everything that comes after success: Money. Fame. Duplicity. Tragedy.

Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, games as artform, technology and the human experience, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before.

I'm currently about half way through with this book and am absolutely loving it. The subplot is about making video games but really explores interpersonal relationships.

PS: Not sure if posting this will include everything in bold and underlined, but can't seem to shake that formatting. No matter what I do.

EDIT: Had to post then go back in and reformat the text.

 

[Obvious Fabertism]

This thread actually took off more than I was expecting. No joke.

I said I would add a few more books that I've enjoyed so here they are! (I've also edited the main post with pictures and synopsis for each book. Would be cool if other do the same, but not necessary.

We Are Legion [We Are Bob]

View attachment 754338



This was just a fun book/series. Explores the idea of AI/self preservation. Had an interesting plot but was also quite humorous.

He Who Fights with Monsters

View attachment 754342



I was apprehensive about this book going into it. A LitRPG? Didn't understand how it would work. After giving it a try, I was pleasantly surprised. Though, I will say I've tried to read subsequent books in the series and they seem to fall flat compared to this first book. If you're looking for something "different" that's a quick and easy read (IMHO). I recommend this book.

Off to be a Wizard

View attachment 754344



If you like sarcasm in your books, boy is this the series for you. There's tons of humor while providing an interesting plot. Basically, what if life had an actual config.ini file?

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

View attachment 754348



I'm currently about half way through with this book and am absolutely loving it. The subplot is about making video games but really explores interpersonal relationships.

PS: Not sure if posting this will include everything in bold and underlined, but can't seem to shake that formatting. No matter what I do.

EDIT: Had to post then go back in and reformat the text.

I need to finish We Are Legion, I am not much of an audiobook person but that is a good one, I absolutely love the concept and agree there is a great amount of humor in there as well.

 

[57special]

I haven’t read Martins work yet either. It’s also on a long list of books and series that I’d like to read. I’ve heard hes getting close to finishing his next book though I forget the name.

I also really wanna dive deep into Star Wars EU. Sounds like there’s a ton of books and comics out there almost to the point where it’s overwhelming.

GOT series is superb... groundbreaking, really, in the same way that Tolkien was. Highly recommend.

Mind you, i couldn't get through the Malazan or WOT series, nor a few other popular ones, so we might just have different tastes.

 

[Minnewildsota]

I need to finish We Are Legion, I am not much of an audiobook person but that is a good one, I absolutely love the concept and agree there is a great amount of humor in there as well.

I think the series starts to taper out towards the end but it was still quite interesting all the way through.

 

[Minnewildsota]

I haven’t read Martins work yet either. It’s also on a long list of books and series that I’d like to read. I’ve heard hes getting close to finishing his next book though I forget the name.

I also really wanna dive deep into Star Wars EU. Sounds like there’s a ton of books and comics out there almost to the point where it’s overwhelming.

Are you looking to read the SWEU chronologically? If so, here's what I used as a reference:

Simple Star Wars Book List (Timeline of Star Wars Novels)

Simple list of Star Wars books in order of when they take place, with side-by-side timelines for Legends and the new canon. Updated regularly, with new releases and upcoming titles highlighted. A complete list of all full-length Star Wars novels in chronological order.

www.yodasdatapad.com

The layout isn't great on the website, but it works. I think I read through Darth Bane: The Rule of Two before I needed desperately to read something other than Star Wars.

 

[Obvious Fabertism]

Are you looking to read the SWEU chronologically? If so, here's what I used as a reference:

Simple Star Wars Book List (Timeline of Star Wars Novels)

Simple list of Star Wars books in order of when they take place, with side-by-side timelines for Legends and the new canon. Updated regularly, with new releases and upcoming titles highlighted. A complete list of all full-length Star Wars novels in chronological order.

www.yodasdatapad.com

The layout isn't great on the website, but it works. I think I red through Darth Bane: The Rule of Two before I needed desperately to read something other than Star Wars.

That’s a pretty impressive reference sheet, I read through quite a few of these growing up, some were pretty good, some not so much. I seem to recall enjoying the Jedi Academy Trilogy quite a bit.