What are you reading now?

[randombs]

I recently started the fourth Dune book(God Emperor of Dune) but more importantly than that, yesterday on the plane I saw a young man reading the first book. I asked him what he thought and he said it was mindblowing, and just the thing to pass the time on a nine-hour flight.

Good man.

[JazzFunk]

I finished off DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS on the bus home from work, about 6.21am.

I read WHITE BUTTERFLY about a month or so back and it was both staggeringly atmospheric, tense, and brilliant. This was almost that, still brill but not as developed (debut novel).

Love this guy's books. Soooooo full of atmos. Ignore the film, btw. Mediocre at best.

In the movie, Denzel plays Easy and Don Cheadle plays Mouse. But in my mind's eye, Don Cheadle is playing Easy when I'm reading the book. Denzel Washington seems too 'Mr Perfect', somehow.

The WEIRDEST thing is this. I almost feel like Don Cheadle is playing both characters.

****in AWESOME books, Mosley FTW

[prinnysquad]

Holes by Louis Sachar.

It’s a kids book. It’s also very well put together and absorbing. I borrowed it off a mate and he said ‘you’ll read that in a couple of sittings.’ I just laughed. With the baby in the house? Ha ha. Good one.

I read it in two sittings.

The chapters are very short. It means that you can always squeeze in just one more. Just one more. Twenty chapters later...

It’s a story about a kid who is sent to a juvenile detention centre because he stole a pair of trainers being auctioned for charity. Except he didn’t. They fell from the sky. The centre is a dry lake bed where every inmate is expected to dig a hole about 5ft down and 5ft wide every day. It’s ‘character building’.

The narrative shows the impact this has on the main character. There are flashbacks to two other time periods, to help to establish the context of the character, his family and the history of the local area.

It’s a very clever book. Even as an adult, I recognise that it’s ultimately a throwaway book, but I enjoyed it way more than I expected, and the themes discussed in it, while simplistically framed, are intriguing. It’s a very contrived book, but all the better for it, because the payoff is an interesting musing on the nature of race relations, curses vs coincidence, education and personal growth. I want my kid to read this book when he’s older. It’s a solid primer for many important issues, and written in an engaging and pacy style.



Volume 9 of Lone Wolf and Cub.

WOW. Truly excellent, a real ‘level up’ in the series, with some powerful scenes, engaging stories and beautiful artwork. It’s setting up the grander narrative with purpose and power.

[Brad]

Friendly Orange Glow:

The story of Plato. A computer system in Illinois university. Online chat, 32 player online Star Trek game, hires graphics and a multi touch flat screen plasma display... in 1970. It’s fascinating.

[QualityChimp]

I finished Recursion, which was brillliant. Best standalone book in ages.
I don't really want to give too much away, but it's a study into memories and how the past affects the future...
Please can someone else read it so we can chat about it?!

Dark Ride, which is a fun spooky story about a cursed abandoned roller coaster.

Just started The Secret Runners of New York but Matthew Reilly, the author who got me into reading again as an adult.

[JazzFunk]

"Erich von Daniken: Disciple of the Gods" by Peter Krassa. It's a very sycophantic biography of the guy who wrote all them ancient alien books in the early 70s.

Another one of my 10p chazza shop paperbacks outta the way. It's rubbish, it's ridiculous, the sycophant author wriggles and writhes about forgiving all flaws and making excuses for the subject...who tbh just comes across as a shortarse BS-spouting closet-gay plagiarist who likes holidaying in exotic locales with young blokes and leaving his wife and daughter alone for months at a time. He doesn't even seem to have any background in academia or research...just as a Swiss hotelier.

It's one of them books that's so ridiculous it's kinda groovy. But is so badly-written and dull to read that it isn't groovy.

Tbh, v. disappointing, the cover art is made to look *exactly* like one of his (usually quite fun) ancient alien books, it doesn't look like a bio at all.

[Deuteros]

'The Course of Love' by Alain de Botton.

Because of the way I came upon it, I was prepared to resist this book. I didn't want to like it but I have to admit to it being essential reading for anyone who ever has been, is or will be in a romantic relationship.

[Zen Monkey]

'The Course of Love' by Alain de Botton.

Because of the way I came upon it, I was prepared to resist this book. I didn't want to like it but I have to admit to it being essential reading for anyone who ever has been, is or will be in a romantic relationship.

I like Alain de Botton. Unlike most modern philosophers who debate abstract concepts of little to no consequence, he understands that philosophy, if it is to have any value whatsoever, must be practical and serve as a tool to improve peoples lives. My favourite book of his is The Consolations of Philosophy where he examines how his six favourite philosophers (Socrates, Epicurus, Seneca, Montaigne, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche ) can help us find solace in the face of hardship. Audiobook here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdJwijjnbsI

[_SD_]

[Super Grover]

My nerdism knows no stops bounds!


​

[randombs]

^^ that looks glorious!

[QualityChimp]

I've got a few on the go:

Hit Back Harder (DI Stella Cole Thriller #2)
Maslen, Andy
I really enjoyed the first part of this revenge thriller, so moved on the second of the trilogy and it's probably even better.
A little far-fetched, but great fun anyway.

The Undead: The First Seven Days (The Undead #1-7 )
Haywood, R.R.
Who says advertising doesn't work? Saw this on a targeted Facebook add and bought it for 99p.
It's a decent UK zombie story.

Zero Sum (John Rain, #9)
Eisler, Barry
It's book 9, but a prequel, so OK to start here.
Quite a popular series I had recommended to me.

[Super Grover]

^^ that looks glorious!

I’d class it as a ‘coffee table book’.

Some of the maps are on the small side, so trying to make out the station names can be problematic, but these are small gripes.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Subway System hurts my eyes with its complexities. Whoever is responsible for the layout of that should be publicly shamed!

[QualityChimp]

Reminds me of this:

[QualityChimp]

I've got a few on the go:

Hit Back Harder (DI Stella Cole Thriller #2)
Maslen, Andy
I really enjoyed the first part of this revenge thriller, so moved on the second of the trilogy and it's probably even better.
A little far-fetched, but great fun anyway.

Finished this yesterday and loved it.
It's a revenge thriller but the protagonist is starting to feel the toll of killing people.
It almost feels like Hitman at times, as she preps to off her next victim.
If I had it, I would have gone straight on to the final book of the trilogy.

Talking of videogames, there's a popular genre called LitTPG that are basically tales of people playing games.
I really enjoyed Awaken Online and I'm trying to get the next audiobook cheap.
This morning I started:

ZOMBIE SLAYER!! by Cameron Milan (Goodreads Author) 3.96 avg rating — 132 ratings — 2 editions

It's really early on, but a fog has surrounded the planet (hello Maximum Overdrive!) and a bunch of schoolkids had transparent HUDs pop up with their stats. The next moment, they see a man take a bite out of a girl he's chasing and the next thing, she's up and shambling along with him...