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Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie.
I appreciate sci-fi that's more sociological and cultural commentary instead of just pew pew space battle. Leckie feels like the modern Ursula K La Guin, blending imperialism, racism and sexism into a centuries long narrative from the perspective of AI immortality. The world building is delightful yet shocking at the same time. Highly recommend.
I really wish she included a pronunciation guide to her books. Some of the species names have me stuttering every time I come across them.
I've been going through Asimov's Foundation novels. Would you say Ancillary Sword is on a similar scope? I think I'll check it out once I'm done with Asimov.
I very nearly mentioned Asmiov in my original comment! The Foundation books are some of my absolute favorites and the Ancillary series is reminiscent in a lot of ways. Although, I would say the Three Body Problem books are the closest spiritual successor to Foundation. I'm resisting the urge to write a wall of text comparing the three, but to keep it succinct, if you enjoy Asmiov your likely to enjoy Leckie.
Book 5 of Discworld, Sourcery by Terry Pratchett. Pretty entertaining sillyness that I listen to @ work mostly.
Just finished Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut. Weird ride.
I read like 4 Vonnegut books (Galapagos, Sirens of Titan, Cats cradle, slaughterhouse nr 5), and honestly all if them were pretty weird.
Re-reading through Slaughterhouse 5 rn, would love to read others by him.
My book club book this time around is “Medusa’s Sisters” by Lauren Bear. It is awful. And boring. And graphic for the sake of being graphic. And I hate it. And book club is gonna get an earful from me.
Outside of that I just started “Well of Ascension” by Brandon Sanderson. I devoured “Mistborn” and can’t wait to get into this one.
I finished the third and fourth book in John Scalzi's "old man's war" series. Currently on the fifth (out of six), so I expect to be looking for something else in the following week. I probably won't be reading a lot this weekend due to carnival though.
The books in "old man's war" are overall a good read, I liked the third book a little less (the fourth one made up for this), and I'm also not sold on the fifth one yet. Depending on my mood after reading the sixth book I'll probably look into other works by Scalzi. I might also check out some SF books by Charles Stross, I did enjoy "the laundry files" a lot.
I am curently reading "The Way of Kings" by Brandon Sanderson. But I am not just reading it, I also do write an extensive summary. Yes, I know these probably do exist on the net, but my summary is something I write for myself to get a better grasp at this book.
Do share, if you don't mind, would love to take a look.
I just finished Yes You Are Trans Enough by Mia Violet, and now I’ve started both The Sapling Cage by Margaret Killjoy and Filterworld by Kyle Chayka
What did you think of Mia Violet's book? I read that very early in my transition.
I liked it! I thought she did a really good job of making everything easily accessible. And finding a lot of her pre-transition feelings and experiences relatable was eye-opening and helped me accept a few things
that was my experience too! I had no idea that a trans person's experience could be like that, and my life was so similar to hers in many ways (even spending time on the same internet forums, around the same times, lol) ... I also like how wholesome Mia Violet is 💕
Finished “The Hazards of Urban Life in Late Stalinist Russia: Health, Hygiene, and Living Standards, 1943–1953” and am currently working on "Soviet Workers and Late Stalinism: Labour and the Restoration of the Stalinist System after World War II".
Fascinating stuff, very data-oriented.
I just finished Mind Bullet by Jeremy Robinson, it is a continuation of the Infinite timeline books I have been listening to.
As with a lot of the other books there were links to the previous books but where as it has been mostly subtle before with this book it becomes more apparent and starts forming more links your weren't aware of.
I believe from now the series will now merge a lot of separate threads that have been running through out and start making its way towards some kind of conclusion across the last 5 books I have. I'm looking forward to it!
I've also been hitting Deathlands of course, the one I am currently listening to however has changed the narrator. I do not like the new narrator much but I see this is going to be happening going forward where the cast is changed from time to time. Still enjoying the stories though so I won't drop it :D
I've been reading the Disc World series for a while now, just finished with the Rincewind books and am starting on the Death books with Mort. This series has been a fun ride and I'm enjoying seeing what will come next with every page
Death is a great character. Hogfather is one of his best.
I finished Cosmos by Carl Sagan a few weeks ago. It was a nice read. I'd recommend it anyone.
Due to recent events, I am currently reading 1984 by George Orwell for the first time in over a decade. I've reread about 2/3rds of the book and I would like to be finished within the next few days. It's nice remembering certain details of the book that I've forgotten.
I have Cosmos in my to-read pile for over a decade, just haven't gotten around to it. Should probably read it now.
About 150 pages into The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. I heard it's divisive and I can see why. On the one hand, I tend to like when an author experiments and has fun with their craft. But I can also see when the writing becomes a bit self-indulgent without progressing the plot much. I'll have to see where I stand at the end of it.
I finished it and understand the appeal, but I don't trust the people who recommended it so heavily anymore.
I've been rereading a book I liked as a teen, called Metropolitan by Walter Jon Williams. It's pretty good, a little more eyebrow raising now as a wiser man (he's a white guy from New Mexico writing about two Black characters from made up future ethnicities which have some clear parallels to real world oppressed peoples, eh.......)
What surprises me most is how much of the story is a romance, it's very 50 shades, a working class woman and a billionaire fall in love. But the billionaire is kind of a leftist revolutionary and the woman is kind of a sorcerer but its future science magic. Anyway, neat stuff, but I'm amazed teen me put up with so much romance; the science magic is really rad though, i did remember that!
Lady Joker: Vol. 1 by Kaoru Takamura and it's kicking my ass right now. Almost 3 weeks in and just crossed the 400 page mark
The Gate to Women's Country by Sheri S. Teper
around 85% of the way through; it's homophobic, transphobic, arguably misandrist ... yet I'm having a hard time not enjoying a fantasy world where misogyny is subverted and eliminated ... call it a guilty pleasure.
(EDIT: finished the book last night, I liked it, but I probably wouldn't recommend it simply because it is so reactionary. Definitely wouldn't want people uncritically adopting similar views, lol.)
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
nobody expects sentient spiders
So, you are saying everyone should read and follow The Gate to Women's Country? Got it. 😀
I see you're a fellow radical freethinker 🫡
Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor
I'm reading Outlive by Peter Attia, MD. It's sort of scaring me into building healthier habits. It's also provided a list of things I can talk to my doctor about such as additional screenings, some meds to try, etc. The question is, will my health insurance cooperate? Obligatory FREE LUIGI!
100% serious here:
Anal Pleasure and Health, by Jack Morin, Ph. D.
My therapist recommended it. Seems great for anyone to read if they have a butt, even if they have zero interest in the pleasure aspects the book discusses
yes, everyone should read this book!!
I started Victor LaValle's The Devil in Silver for the "Institutional" square of Book Bingo (and it seems well-written so far, don't get me wrong), but I'm taking a break in the middle to read some lighter fare.
I'm just trying to get through one row for Book Bingo instead of scattershot reading throughout the card, but my focus is all over the place.
Countdown to Zero Day. It’s about Suxtnet and how something like that was unprecedented during its time.
Still working my way through Harry Potter. On goblet of fire at the moment, he said, calmly.
Just remember, there are only 7 Harry Potter books, no matter what anyone else might say.
but... there are only 7?
Exactly!
Becoming Earth by Ferris Jabr How life has impacted the formation of our planet.
Threads of Life by Clare Hunter History of needlework and embroidery.
Chokia Jazz by Francis Spufford Noir detective novel set in an alternate America in which the indigenous population wasn't wiped out by plauges.
How's Chokia Jazz? Haven't read much fiction relating to native Americans.
I loved it. There is a fair amount of world building and some native terms that you have to wrap your head around, but it is well explained and fairly easy to pick up. I don't think you need to have too much background going in.