What books are you reading for pleasure these days?

[Richard]

I’m slowly working through the small collection of science fiction novels I acquired in my early teens. I made a start with Arthur C Clarke and Isaac Asimov and I’m currently going through a John Wyndham phase, having read The Kraken Wakes and this one, The Chrysalids, in the last month.

They were both good, but The Kraken Wakes was a little too much like the War of the Worlds for my liking, whereas the story line of the Chrysalids was unfamiliar to me and quite compelling throughout (apart from a deus ex machina ending, which I will forgive)

You can see how long I’ve had this copy as the cover price is pre-decimal, although I probably wasn’t the original owner.

It looks like I never bought the Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham, although I’m sure I read it at least once. Perhaps that was a library book. In any case, I should really pick up a copy as I’m developing a second love for this sort of classic science fiction. Some Jules Verne next though, I think.

-R

 

[Herman]

Fundamentals - Ten Keys to Reality
Author Frank Wilczek (nobel prize winner physics)
Penquin Press

 

[ricks]

William Kentridge, Six Drawing Lessons, Series of 6 Norton lectures from 2014, Harvard University Press

 

[John King]

Still reading "The Silmarillion". Heart surgery held me up a bit ...

 

[Herman]

Muliverse (theoretical physics), author Ans Hekkenberg, Veen Media (New Scientist)
DNA - Z, Jim & Dolf Jansen, Veen Media (New Scientist)
(pocket science books)

 

[JensM]

"Three men in a boat" by Jerome K Jerome is still the current one. It has been slow goings the last weeks, just a couple of pages when I tuck in for the night.

The Sean Tucker one will be "day-time" reading come Crimbo time, and I think I will bring out the (mis)adventures of H.P Flashman for a re-visit to that particular universe. It been a while since I read them last.

 

[MiguelATF]

Just finished "Spy School", by Stuart Gibbs. Occasionally silly, often wildly entertaining. Technically this is a book for younger children, but it works for ancient adults as well

 

[JensM]

"Three men in a boat" came to an abrupt end, I have a dual volume with that and "three men on the Bummel", so just four pages or so after my last post, I reached the end. So, currently taken up "Spring Snow" by Mishima, which lay on the nightstand with a bit of dust on it.

I had a false start on it a while back, but now I will prevail, no guarantees for the other three titles of the tetralogy following that one back to back, though.

 

[Walter Palmer]

"A Brief Intro the Chaos", and various light crime mysteries.

 

[agentlossing]

I'm finished with The Fellowship of the Ring, and a few chapters into The Two Towers (read-aloud to my wife, this'll be her first time through LotR).

 

[olli]

Just finished Brothers in Arms by James Holland which follows the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry armoured regiment from D-Day to the end of the war in Europe. Two things stand out - the ages of those who fought (some teenagers and most barely in their 20's), and the horrific scale of the casualities suffered in the grinding day to day progress of the conflict away from the big battles we have all heard of. A sobering book and one that fills me with gratitude and admiration for those who fought.

 

[wt21]

Never read Dune before until now. It’s actually really engrossing, although it’s in audio book form. Does that count?

 

[agentlossing]

Never read Dune before until now. It’s actually really engrossing, although it’s in audio book form. Does that count?

Sure! Any full Dune experience counts.

 

[phigmov]

'Termination Shock' by Neal Stephenson - pretty good! On the last 100 pages; can't help that of the intertwined storylines, one or two are little lack-lustre and the others could be expanded upon; we'll see if he can pull them together in the finale.

Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

P1040012 by Walter Kernow, on Flickr

 

[MiguelATF]

'Termination Shock' by Neal Stephenson - pretty good! On the last 100 pages; can't help that of the intertwined storylines, one or two are little lack-lustre and the others could be expanded upon; we'll see if he can pull them together in the finale.

View attachment 284876P1040012 by Walter Kernow, on Flickr

Thanks for posting this, Walter.
It's a reminder to me that I haven't read any Neal Stephenson for....far too long.
And I'm pleased to hear that, so far, this one is keeping you entertained

 

[agentlossing]

'Termination Shock' by Neal Stephenson - pretty good! On the last 100 pages; can't help that of the intertwined storylines, one or two are little lack-lustre and the others could be expanded upon; we'll see if he can pull them together in the finale.

View attachment 284876P1040012 by Walter Kernow, on Flickr

I had a copy of Snow Crash that I tried very hard to read... The story slipped around from page to page. Thinking it was an intentional disruption of the story for some avant-garde reason far above my prosaic head, I followed page numbers around hunting down the narrative. But, unless someone tells me different, I suspect the book was actually bound wrong by the printer. I eventually gave up.

 

[phigmov]

I had a copy of Snow Crash that I tried very hard to read... The story slipped around from page to page. Thinking it was an intentional disruption of the story for some avant-garde reason far above my prosaic head, I followed page numbers around hunting down the narrative. But, unless someone tells me different, I suspect the book was actually bound wrong by the printer. I eventually gave up.

Haven't read it. I tried his early stuff and it was fine. Then I tried his first Quicksilver book because it was getting rave reviews - again, it was fine but a slog for me; I never bothered with the other two in that series. However, I did really enjoy Anathem (starts off like some weird medieval mystery and turns into something quite trippy) & Seveneves (this one really should get made into a movie or two) so now I tend to read the blurb and see if it grabs me rather than religiously picking up everything he writes. I get the feeling he has several modes of cleverness, at a certain point its just too clever for me and it turns into a slog; on the other hand, if he balances the clever with good pacing & characters I can usually appreciate it far more.

 

[wt21]

Hail Mary by Andy Weir, author of The Martian. Only about 15% in (says my Kindle) but not as good as The Martian, IMO.

The Martian was about the hero taking action. So far in Hail Mary, the protagonist finds himself in an emergency but due to coma induced amnesia he doesn’t remember anything. So, he wanders about a space ship nearly aimlessly, and the back story is revealed in flashbacks. Very passive. Again, only a little way in, but I hope the story, and his agency in the situation, picks up.

 

[drd1135]

I'm finished with The Fellowship of the Ring, and a few chapters into The Two Towers (read-aloud to my wife, this'll be her first time through LotR).

I read the LOTR and the Hobbit to my daughter when she was little. When I finished Return of the King, she looked at me and said “again”. We read it through twice.

 

[agentlossing]

I read the LOTR and the Hobbit to my daughter when she was little. When I finished Return of the King, she looked at me and said “again”. We read it through twice.

Warms my heart!