CitizenVectron Posted May 18, 2021 Share Posted May 18, 2021 Just finished Blindsight by Peter Watts. Wow. It's a story about first contact, and human consciousness. It specifically deals with the issue that in most pieces of fiction, aliens are at worst just humans with weird bumps or colours...or at best, analogues of other Earth animals (insect-like, etc). But what if they are so different from us that we have no basis for communication and comprehension? No common ground for any shared experience, except that we both exist? It heavily deals with themes of self-awareness (consciousness), psychopathy, and survival in a cruel universe. It is the best first contact story I have ever read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gamer.tv Posted May 19, 2021 Share Posted May 19, 2021 Still reading War and Peace. 200 pages or so in (but with the thin paper, tiny writing and minuscule margins makes it feel like I’ve read 400 pages). So far, it’s really good and a fantastic historical fiction, though unlike all other ‘similar’ books - avoids any grim description of the nastiness of war - at least so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CastlevaniaNut18 Posted May 22, 2021 Share Posted May 22, 2021 Started The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed Masood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CastlevaniaNut18 Posted May 30, 2021 Share Posted May 30, 2021 Now reading Agincourt by Bernard Cornwell. My first of his not from the Saxon Tales. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewhyteboar Posted May 30, 2021 Share Posted May 30, 2021 1 hour ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said: Now reading Agincourt by Bernard Cornwell. My first of his not from the Saxon Tales. If I recall the first two in that series were really good, and the third one fell way off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CastlevaniaNut18 Posted May 30, 2021 Share Posted May 30, 2021 27 minutes ago, thewhyteboar said: If I recall the first two in that series were really good, and the third one fell way off. This one is a standalone novel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewhyteboar Posted May 30, 2021 Share Posted May 30, 2021 18 minutes ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said: This one is a standalone novel. Ah that's right! I was thinking of Harlequin, which is about Crecy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CastlevaniaNut18 Posted May 30, 2021 Share Posted May 30, 2021 11 minutes ago, thewhyteboar said: Ah that's right! I was thinking of Harlequin, which is about Crecy. After this, I've got the King Arthur series to read. What else would you recommend from him? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewhyteboar Posted May 30, 2021 Share Posted May 30, 2021 4 hours ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said: After this, I've got the King Arthur series to read. What else would you recommend from him? The Arthur series is amazing and I hope it gets adapted as a tv show someday. I loved the Sharpe series when I was a kid, but there got to be so many that I think the quality dipped. I'd read the earlier ones (going by date of publication, not chronological). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CastlevaniaNut18 Posted June 4, 2021 Share Posted June 4, 2021 Now reading The Green Mile by Stephen King. Amazingly, I’ve never seen the movie, so I have something else to look forward to when I’m done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EternallDarkness Posted June 4, 2021 Share Posted June 4, 2021 17 minutes ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said: Now reading The Green Mile by Stephen King. Amazingly, I’ve never seen the movie, so I have something else to look forward to when I’m done. the movie is a fairly good adaptation though I preferred the book Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EternallDarkness Posted June 6, 2021 Share Posted June 6, 2021 finished the Shadow and Bone series and the first book in the second series Six of Crows, so I feel safe finally going back and watching the Netflix show, though I don't think the heist part of the show is actually based around the Six of Crows book but rather a prequel of sorts, since the Six of Crows storyline takers place after the Shadow and Bone series and revolves around a different heist I believe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CastlevaniaNut18 Posted June 9, 2021 Share Posted June 9, 2021 Green Mile was fantastic. I'm glad I somehow remained largely unspoiled for that one. Next up, I'm reading One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston. It's a new release and why not read a queer romance for Pride Month? I loved her prior book. Getting back around to nonfiction, I'm also starting All the Shah's Men by Stephen Kinzer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gamer.tv Posted June 9, 2021 Share Posted June 9, 2021 On 5/19/2021 at 8:34 PM, gamer.tv said: Still reading War and Peace. 200 pages or so in (but with the thin paper, tiny writing and minuscule margins makes it feel like I’ve read 400 pages). So far, it’s really good and a fantastic historical fiction, though unlike all other ‘similar’ books - avoids any grim description of the nastiness of war - at least so far. Change this to 400 pages but it feels like 800 pages. With working and life, this is going to be my book until July. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CastlevaniaNut18 Posted June 15, 2021 Share Posted June 15, 2021 I really enjoyed One Last Stop. It was funny and romantic and I enjoyed the quirky cast of queer characters. Now I'm majorly shifting gears and starting The Long Walk by Stephen King(written under the Richard Bachman psuedonym). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CastlevaniaNut18 Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 Now reading Things We Lost to the Water by Eric Nguyen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elbobo Posted June 21, 2021 Share Posted June 21, 2021 The Hail Mary Projector - Andy Weir More scifi than his other works but he still has the "show your math" writing style that people either appreciate or loathe depending on how much explanation you want. There are few more "that sure is convenient" plot elements than I would prefer but it is still a very fun read. This one will be a lot harder to make into a movie without a serious rewrite than The Martian because of how the narrative is structured. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CastlevaniaNut18 Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 Current fiction: The Outsider by Stephen King Current non-fiction: The Children of Henry VIII by Alison Wier Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CastlevaniaNut18 Posted June 28, 2021 Share Posted June 28, 2021 Finished The Outsider and that was fuckin’ awesome. Now reading Blacktop Wasteland by SA Cosby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted June 29, 2021 Share Posted June 29, 2021 @thewhyteboar - new Don Winslow novel this autumn: Quote Drawing structural and thematic inspiration from The Iliad, the new trilogy is set on Rhode Island, where two criminal empires, one Irish and one Italian have maintained a peaceful, lucrative co-existence until a modern-day Helen of Troy tears them apart and starts a brutal war. The main character here is Danny Ryan, is forced to grow from a street soldier into a ruthlessly efficient leader to protect his friends, his family and the home he loves. Fighting the Mafia, the local cops, the feds, Danny will build a dynasty or die trying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewhyteboar Posted June 29, 2021 Share Posted June 29, 2021 9 minutes ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said: Drawing structural and thematic inspiration from The Iliad Jesus. Preordered! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CastlevaniaNut18 Posted June 29, 2021 Share Posted June 29, 2021 I still need to read Don Winslow. I’ve had The Force on my shelf for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewhyteboar Posted June 29, 2021 Share Posted June 29, 2021 59 minutes ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said: I still need to read Don Winslow. I’ve had The Force on my shelf for a while. Do it! Read his series on the cartel, starting with The Power of the Dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CastlevaniaNut18 Posted June 30, 2021 Share Posted June 30, 2021 Now reading World Without End by Ken Follett. I've heard the sequel to Pillars is just as good, so I'm excited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoberChef Posted July 1, 2021 Share Posted July 1, 2021 If you're a fan of "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" then definitely pick up Quentin's novelization of it as it's out-freaking-standing so far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heydude93 Posted July 2, 2021 Share Posted July 2, 2021 just finished this: since it adds vital context to the main course that I'll be diving into shortly: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewhyteboar Posted July 2, 2021 Share Posted July 2, 2021 23 hours ago, SoberChef said: If you're a fan of "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" then definitely pick up Quentin's novelization of it as it's out-freaking-standing so far! That sounds cool, but my list is too big at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CastlevaniaNut18 Posted July 9, 2021 Share Posted July 9, 2021 World Without End was nearly as good as Pillars. Follett is a historical fiction master. Gonna read Night Shift by Stephen King. It’s my first short story collection from him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EternallDarkness Posted July 9, 2021 Share Posted July 9, 2021 started reading an ARC of Count to Three by TR Ragan that's due out in December I believe. So far it's like everything else she's done...great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CastlevaniaNut18 Posted July 14, 2021 Share Posted July 14, 2021 I read The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager. Just junk food reading, not bad. Still working on Night Shift. Some of the stories have been great, others, eh. Definitely a mixed bag. Also started The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys and The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dre801 Posted July 14, 2021 Share Posted July 14, 2021 Book Three of the Extinction Survival series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EternallDarkness Posted July 14, 2021 Share Posted July 14, 2021 3 hours ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said: Still working on Night Shift. Some of the stories have been great, others, eh. Definitely a mixed bag. Mixed bag is often how it. is with his short story collections. Some brilliant some not so much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CastlevaniaNut18 Posted July 14, 2021 Share Posted July 14, 2021 1 hour ago, EternallDarkness said: Mixed bag is often how it. is with his short story collections. Some brilliant some not so much What’s your favorite collection? I've got Different Seasons, Skeleton Crew, Everything’s Eventual, Full Dark No Stars, and If It Bleeds on my shelf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EternallDarkness Posted July 14, 2021 Share Posted July 14, 2021 46 minutes ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said: What’s your favorite collection? I've got Different Seasons, Skeleton Crew, Everything’s Eventual, Full Dark No Stars, and If It Bleeds on my shelf. I can't honestly say, mostly because they're all muddled in my head. I read some of them so long ago that I can't remember what stories are in which book. I know he has another short story collection in Nightmares and Dreamscapes which is HUGE. I kind of figured you'd have jumped into If It Bleeds since you enjoyed The Outsider and the Bill Hodges trilogy so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CastlevaniaNut18 Posted July 14, 2021 Share Posted July 14, 2021 1 hour ago, EternallDarkness said: I can't honestly say, mostly because they're all muddled in my head. I read some of them so long ago that I can't remember what stories are in which book. I know he has another short story collection in Nightmares and Dreamscapes which is HUGE. I kind of figured you'd have jumped into If It Bleeds since you enjoyed The Outsider and the Bill Hodges trilogy so much. I like to bounce around, actually. But I’ll be getting to If It Bleeds before too long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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