Finished Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.
I didn’t realise second half will also feature Iran and the life after revolution. A very interesting look at part of recent history I knew nothing about. Highly recommended if you don’t mind graphic novels and memoirs.
Bingo squares: Banned Book - hard mode, Set in war
Also read Old Man’s War by John Scalzi.
This is my second book by Scalzi and he is reaching status of my favourite author. It’s an easy to read space, military sci-fi. Another highly recommended book for sci-fi fans.
Bingo squares: Set in war, Stepping Up, Late to the Party
What about all of you? What have you been reading or listening to lately?
For details on the c/Books bingo challenge that just restarted for the year, you can checkout the initial Book Bingo, and its Recommendation Post. Links are also present in our community sidebar.
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Phasma by Delilah Dawson. I absolutely love Star Wars. Don’t get me started on the sequels. The OG movies were peak Star Wars and it’s been downhill ever since. But the books are great
I’m in the last half of The Wanderers by Meg Howrey. I had gotten a few “available now” titles from my library’s e-lending and had very little idea of what it was I got going into it. I’ve been really enjoying it. It’s very atmospheric even if it’s kind of slow paced.
I’m reading The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. It’s a Russian book written in the early 1900s, and it tells the story of Satan visiting the Soviet Union. Naturally, it was originally released in a censored form. I don’t know, the book felt relevant somehow.
Loved this one, enjoy !
It’s been really good so far!
I’ve been traveling and haven’t had as much reading time as I’d like. That said, I’ve taken a good chunk out of Wind and Truth, Brandon Sanderson, which I’ve been enjoying! Some of it is ponderous, but much of it feels worthwhile detail and specificity.
I started the Hainish Cycle books by Ursula Le Guin and have gotten to The Left Hand of Darkness . They are a lot of fun as they feel very nostalgic for me. I very much want to re-read some Anne McCaffrey after this. They are also very sad, as they are usually allegorical and do not reflect our society in a positive light. Nevertheless, they ring very true and are very thought provoking, and her writing is outstanding.
Edit: If anyone is a fan of Le Guin but has NOT read any of Octavia Butler, I highly recommend her works. Especially the Xenogenesis trilogy.
I read Ursula Le Guin and Anne McCaffrey when I was very young, so while I remember enjoying the books, I don’t remember much about them, and probably didn’t fully appreciate them. Should give them another read.
Octavia Butler’s work look interesting, thanks for the recommendation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Land_of_Invented_Languages?wprov=sfla1
I finished “In the Land of Invented Langauges” by Arika Okrent this morning.
I highly recommend it to anybody who is interested in languages or linguistics. She goes through the history of constructed languages more or less chronologically, mainly focusing on a few highly influential ones. It’s not a stuffy book about analyzing grammar (although there is some of that). Instead, it’s told from a very human perspective. Why did these languages creators do what they did? Who where they? How were they influenced by those that came before?
It’s not a humor book, but I found certain parts funny - like when she tried to translate “shit” into a very obtuse language from 1668.
If you like language, it’s a kind of cozy feel-good book about the human condition.
That looks pretty interesting. Will check it out. Thanks for the recommendation!
Fallen Star by Lee Goldberg
I’ve been on hiatus the last couple of months as have very limited time, but still follow new releases from my favourite authors.
I really liked Redshirts by John Scalzi. Just added Old Man’s War!
I’m about halfway through The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers. It’s the 4th book in the (semi-non-linear) series. So far I really liked books 1 and 2, 3 was meh, and 0.5 was fine, but expected. 4 is captivating.
I ordered Redshirts few days back, should be getting it any day now. Though I’ll probably read it after reading first 2-3 books of Old Man’s War.
Wayfarers series look inserting. Adding it to my list.
The Road by Cormac Maccarthy
Ive had this on my shelf for a year but I’m too scared 🫣
Tbh, I’m feeling like chickening out too. It’s so awful. I think this is the most a book has ever managed to touch me. But the prose is too good for me to put it down.
I’m a regular subscriber to the Folio Society so when they started promoing Piranesi, I was intrigued… not enough to drop $90 on THEIR edition, but enough to check out a less expensive version. 😉
https://www.foliosociety.com/usa/fiction/piranesi
It’s a strange book… very metaphorical. I’m not sure what to make of it yet. The protagonist, Piranesi, exists in a series of marble hallways filled with statues and they have been there several years.
They have memory lapses and have been documenting everything in a series of notebooks. There is one other living person, whom they call “The Other” and the skeletal remains of 13 other people.
The hallways exist on three floors, a lower level, open to the sea, where Piranesi can fish in order to survive, an upper level, open to the sky, where rain water collects, and a middle level isolated from the tides below and the storms above, that is habitable.
It’s not a BAD read, but definitely not for everyone. Reminds me a lot of experimental 1950s stage plays like Samuel Beckett or Harold Pinter.
I had a similar reading experience but may have enjoyed it a bit more than you. It’s a very strange and quiet book.
And thank you for pointing me towards the Folio Society. Those printings are amazing!
Just finished Nation by Terry Pratchett and it was one of the most intense books I’ve read this year. It’s supposed to be YA so didn’t expect it to be this dark but it really pulls you in. If you like Terry Pratchett definitely give it a read.
I read this a little over a year ago, I was surprised there was a Pratchett book I hadn’t read yet, and was blown away with how good it was. One of his best books in my opinion.
Will check it out, thanks for the recommendation!
From a little free library, just finished Burn by Nevada Barr, part of her Anna Pigeon series. Normally these are all set in a national park, where the natural geology plays a major role in the mystery. This one happens near the New Orleans Jazz Historical Park, but doesn’t have anything to do with the park, or jazz, or even New Orleans and could have taken place anywhere there’s a black market for certain illicit services. I liked some of the more outdoorsy ones a bit better, but this was worth the read. I have to think about whether Anna Pigeon qualifies as an E5-caliber grump for bingo card.
“Old man’s war” is a great book. And you’ve just reminded me that I still haven’t read the seventh book in this series, so thank you!
You are welcome!
About to finish “a confederacy of dunces” bu John Kennedy Toole. Such a funny Book and an hilarious ride. I highly recommend !
This sounds interesting.
It is. Burma Jones has become one of m’y favorite character ever. Bern a while since i ve had a good laugh Reading. Give it a try !
