OT: The Good Book: What are you reading right now?

[Runner77]

This summer I discovered Greg Iles. Never heard of him? Me neither, until May, when I noticed his latest book, Cemetery Road, in the bookstore. Suspense drama novelist. Great opening page. I had a gift certificate, so let's do it. Very good book. But then I decided to back-read his catalogue and discovered his Natchez Burning trilogy -- three brick-sized novels, about 2300 total pages, and one of the best stories I've ever read.

This dude Iles is an absolutely amazing writer and has been around for awhile, so why hadn't I known about him? Probably because his subject matter focuses on semi-recent Mississippi, with the complicated race relations and Civil Rights fallout that still plague them decades later. It's a bit remote from my world. But a great story and an incredible narrative are timeless. Iles is a wittier, updated Faulkner.

I've been meaning to start Isles, I've had several of his books for over a year now. Thanks for your review, it may just prompt me to get to his books sooner.

Man, am I late on my reading. I'm the guy at the restaurant who orders too much food -- I buy way more books than I take time to read. Gotta do something about it.

 

[Chili]

Holy ****. 500 years?? Amazing how the anniversary of such a pivotal event is almost completely ignored. This looks like a great book to pick up - thanks!

The departure 500th anniversary will be on the 20th of September. Maybe the arrival anniversary (3 years later on the 6th of September) will be commemorated.

Recommend this book to anyone who enjoys adventure stories, it`s like several in one book.

 

[Runner77]

Just finished book 2 of the Mistborn Series by Brandon Sanderson. Prefer the Broken Earth trilogy but so far have enjoyed the secrets behind this version of a post-apocalyptic earth.

What can you tell us about the Broken Earth trilogy? Brandon Sanderson is not a writer I'm familiar with.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Runner77]

The departure 500th anniversary will be on the 20th of September. Maybe the arrival anniversaty (3 years later on the 6th of September) will be commemorated.

Recommend this book to anyone who enjoys adventure stories, it`s like several in one book.

How do you find the author's writing style? Was this the first book that you read from him? Just asking since as I mentioned, some users find some inconsistency in the way he writes.

 

[Chili]

How do you find the author's writing style? Was this the first book that you read from him? Just asking since as I mentioned, some users find that some inconsistency in the way he writes.

I read and thoroughly enjoyed the Columbus book (even though it`s dark) recommend it but the Magellan book is even better, helped by a detailed source account of the trip by a chronicler (Antonio Pigafetta). .

I like the writer`s style, he`s a storyteller and it`s a much more`unvarnished` version of history then we were taught in school (i.e. orgies). He also wrote a book on Casanova.

He has another book coming out on the Chinese treasure fleet (1400`s) which interests me as well.

 

[Intangir]

I'm currently reading ''All Systems Red'' by Martha Wells, and I've got to say that I really like Murderbot's inner dialogue and how well the author managed to portray his complex psychology as an inorganic being. The book is pretty well-written and the narration is on-point, while the intrigue is interesting and well-thought out. A book that I recomend to anyone remotely interested in the science-fiction genre of litterature.

 

[Runner77]

I read and thoroughly enjoyed the Columbus book (even though it`s dark) recommend it but the Magellan book is even better, helped by a detailed source account of the trip by a chronicler (Antonio Pigafetta). .

I like the writer`s style, he`s a storyteller and it`s a much more`unvarnished` version of history then we were taught in school (i.e. orgies). He also wrote a book on Casanova.

He has another book coming out on the Chinese treasure fleet (1400`s) which interests me as well.

His Louis Armstrong book is also supposed to be good. Going to look up this author next time I go to Indigo. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[QuebecPride]

Reading again the book on the Habs Fan/Québec's favorite show of the early 2000, 110%. Anecdotes are great, it really takes you behind the scenes and brings back the good memories of all the turmoil that would happen on and off-camera. Michel Villeneuve is depicted as an arrogant prick in the book.
Easy to read and it's a nice change of pace from finance books.

Next up will probably be the first three Books of Detective Rebus from Ian Rankin. Apparently he's as good as it gets for cops books. Most of the books (if not all?) take place in Edinburgh, where I lived for a year for a Master's degree, so hopefully it brings back memories or highlights stuff I overlooked when I was in that beautiful city. Scots are notoriously good for police books (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, notably), I also liked the BBC series Shetlands which is based on a series of books from a Scottish author.

 

[davey999]

What is the 110% book called?

 

[S Bah]

I'm the '' I need to hold the actual book in my hands'' type, tablets never did it for me. I live with the consequences though, i.e books freaking everywhere in my house

The proverbial living room library, just dig through there is a book(Magazine) everyone will find intriguing, watch your step. Definitely need to build some book shelves, just have to find the time, hockey season approaches.(My excuse for the next 6 - 9 month's.)

 

[QuebecPride]

What is the 110% book called?

Dans les Coulisses de 110%, écrit par Daniel Poulin

https://www.amazon.ca/Dans-coulisses-110-Daniel-Poulin/dp/2923335295

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

The proverbial living room library, just dig through there is a book(Magazine) everyone will find intriguing, watch your step. Definitely need to build some book shelves, just have to find the time, hockey season approaches.(My excuse for the next 6 - 9 month's.)

You're bilingual right ? Do you have mostly english writen books or is it more of a mix with what you like to read?

 

[Marshy71]

Good time to start the wheel of time series by robert jordan if you liked the game of thrones tv series - this is the next big thing. 14 books, massive in scale. One of the best fantasy series ever written.

As the books are always better than tv, start em now!

 

[ngc_5128]

Good time to start the wheel of time series by robert jordan if you liked the game of thrones tv series - this is the next big thing. 14 books, massive in scale. One of the best fantasy series ever written.

As the books are always better than tv, start em now!

This goes for the Witcher stories by Andrzej Sapkowski as well. I think there are five or six collections of short stories featuring Geralt et al.

 

[Marshy71]

Brandon Sanderson is highly recommended. Mistborn series is great, the stormlight archives are even better. 3 books in to a projected 10 book series so a bit of a wait between books. Thats the only bad thing about it though!

 

[Runner77]

Good time to start the wheel of time series by robert jordan if you liked the game of thrones tv series - this is the next big thing. 14 books, massive in scale. One of the best fantasy series ever written.

As the books are always better than tv, start em now!

Looked into the TV series and found this:

While much of the entertainment world’s search for “the next Game of Thrones” has been focused on the upcoming The Lord of the Rings series, it’s another fantasy series being developed by Amazon that could take up the mantle. Like Game of Thrones, The Wheel of Time novel series, first announced last October, tells an epic and sprawling tale set in a magical world. Giving The Wheel of Time a leg up on Game of Thrones is the fact the books were actually completed. ...

Set in a world of magic where only certain women are allowed to access, The Wheel of Time “follows Moiraine, a member of the incredibly powerful all-female organization called the Aes Sedai, as she arrives in the small town of Two Rivers. There, she embarks on a dangerous, world-spanning journey with five young men and women, one of whom is prophesied to be the Dragon Reborn, who will either save or destroy humanity.”
For a fantasy series with a massive fanbase already built-in (the books have sold 90 million copies) ...

THE WHEEL OF TIME TV Series Announces Starring Cast - Nerdist

For those of us who are not regular readers of the fantasy genre, how easy is it to get into such a large-scale series of books? Do they all hold up or some not up to scratch? Fourteen books, huh?

 

[Runner77]

More on Wheel of Time:

Kicking off in 1990, the high fantasy book series introduced a rich world with complex characters, magic, danger around every corner, and a cyclical battle between light and darkness. Author Robert Jordan loosed this epic story from his mind into our world, though he didn’t get to finish it himself. Jordan passed as he worked on the final installment of the series, and using Jordan’s exhaustive notes and working with his widow Harriet McDougal, Brandon Sanderson picked up the torch and completed that installment with three novels. The final tome arrived in 2013.

...It’s a sprawling world with more intricacies than even Game of Thrones

The Wheel of Time series includes 14 books, plus one prequel. The paperbacks for the series average 826 pages each. You’re committing to details about meals in taverns, characters with “blunt fingers the sizes of sausages” (you’d be surprised how much this phrase appears), and clothing. I’m for all of that, to be clear, but the worldbuilding does occasionally get in the way of driving the main story arc forward....

Do you have to read all of the books to get the plot? Yeah, kinda. Jordan shares pivotal information throughout, but it’s sometimes buried by meandering. I don’t recommend skipping any. But if you must, you can pass by Crossroads of Twilight. If you find yourself feeling like any particular character’s point of view is a slog, you could skim those chapters. ...

Wheel of Time has approximately 100,000 characters. Use the glossaries in the back of the books if you need help keeping track of everyone. Naming the main characters can be subjective, but I’m going to go with the five protagonists who are pulled out of their small village into a world that is positively bananas compared to their previously quiet lives: Rand al’Thor, Egwene al’Vere, Perrin Aybara, Matrim (Mat) Cauthon, and Nynaeve al’Meara. Each character has an arc that sometimes pulls others of this group in and sometimes splits off in a solitary direction. Going from their first appearances to their last… you won’t believe how far they go.

What You Need to Know About WHEEL OF TIME - Nerdist

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

Haven't read Asimov in over two decades and it's my sweet love's favorite author, so I picked up ole Isaac for another foray into the world of positronic brains.

So i decided to start with the Robot series and I finished the 2nd book, The Caves of Steel.

I gotta say, i can see the influence of technocrats like Bucky Fuller wasgreat for Asimov and is something which we will gear towards in the next few decades.

 

[ngc_5128]

For those of us who are not regular readers of the fantasy genre, how easy is it to get into such a large-scale series of books? Do they all hold up or some not up to scratch? Fourteen books, huh?

I read the series through for the way-too-many-th time a couple of years ago and IMO it still holds up. It's pretty easy to get into, as there isn't a whole lot of exposition before the 'Hero's Journey' starts. There are a couple of books that drag on, including one that doesn't feature one of the most popular characters. While those books drag on, there is still plenty of stuff going on. One of Robert Jordan's big down points is that like GRRM, he had way too many plot threads dangling in the wind for way longer than they should have. When Sanderson took over, he managed to tie the vast majority of them up in his first book.

Jordan's writing is decent enough (I think it's pretty good, but I am easy to please), but like Sanderson, the world building is where he shines. There is a rich history behind everything in the world and the magic system is pretty nifty as well. Most of the main characters start off as straight tropes, but I think that most of them ended up growing and evolving past that by the end. He has a lot of habits that are similar to GRRM in that he goes on about food, clothes, house sigils, and that sort of thing. I felt that the battle scenes Jordan wrote were excellent.

I would suggest that anyone reading the series for the first time skip the prequel and only read it before they start the Sanderson books, as IMO it reveals a little to much of the intrigue behind Moiraine's story if you read it first.

 

[Marshy71]

Ive read the wheel of time several times, and find its on a scale that each time you read it, you notice little things that you missed previously - fair bit of foreshadowing. There are a few books where it lags - round 8 -10 - but its worth persevering.

 

[Runner77]

For those among you aspiring writers:

Goodreads: Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer's craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King's advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported near-fatal accident in 1999 -- and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, On Writing will empower and entertain everyone who reads it -- fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well told.

 

[Andrei79]

Good time to start the wheel of time series by robert jordan if you liked the game of thrones tv series - this is the next big thing. 14 books, massive in scale. One of the best fantasy series ever written.

As the books are always better than tv, start em now!

This goes for the Witcher stories by Andrzej Sapkowski as well. I think there are five or six collections of short stories featuring Geralt et al.

Do these get better after the first book ? I'm a Game of Thrones fan but didn't see the appeal for these two books. The Witcher was a chore and the first few chapters of the Wheel of Time felt like a kids story, so I just couldnt get into it. I always felt Maurice Druon was a much more similar author to GRRM than any fantasy author.

 

[Runner77]

Do these get better after the first book ? I'm a Game of Thrones fan but didn't see the appeal for these two books. The Witcher was a chore and the first few chapters of the Wheel of Time felt like a kids story, so I just couldnt get into it. I always felt Maurice Druon was a much more similar author to GRRM than any fantasy author.

How far into the Wheel of Time story did you get? It’s quite the commitment with its 15 books and if it fails to reel you in after the first two, it may just be a red flag for those of us who are not into the genre.

 

[ngc_5128]

Do these get better after the first book ? I'm a Game of Thrones fan but didn't see the appeal for these two books. The Witcher was a chore and the first few chapters of the Wheel of Time felt like a kids story, so I just couldnt get into it. I always felt Maurice Druon was a much more similar author to GRRM than any fantasy author.

The Witcher stories are nothing like GoT. The only similarities I would apply is that humans are "real monsters" in both worlds. I thought the first collection was decent, but having read the first three collections, I felt the other two were better.

As for the Wheel of Time, the first book can stand alone. It has a nice, tidy ending so you can get a light, entertaining read in with only a one book commitment. I would give it until the action starts, at least, before giving up. If you like it, there are 14 more books just like it IMO, it seems like a "kid story" just to highlight how naive and sheltered Rand is. As the characters see more of the world, they are forced to mature. While the Wheel of Time influenced GRRM, the similarities are in style, not content or theme. If you are expecting an "adult story" like GoT, there is zero sexual violence and barely anything sexual, period. Further on in the series, there is political maneuvering, intrigue, and that sort of thing, but it takes a back seat to the overarching "hero's journey" .

 

[PaulD]

Ha! Just finished Darren McCartys "My Last Fight" Picked it up in a used book store. Better than I thought it would be.

Robbie Robertsons biography .