Books: What are you currently reading?

[Aldin]

Originally Posted by Son of Arathorn

...started The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.

Excellent!

~Aldin, who needs to re-read that series at some point before the next book

[ollie]

Finished the Long Mars. I can't decide whether it's a bad book or a perfectly good one that didn't live up to my unreasonable expectations.

Wandering subplots that added little or nothing and did not tie back into the main storyline in any significant way; little to no humour; climax is an deeply important moral choice with all no tension at all as it's obvious both what the right choice is and that the character having to make it will make that right choice; big themes and topics opened up in the earlier books not addressed in any significant way; unsatisfying conclusion,...

I think it's a bad book. Read the Long Earth, if you haven't already, because it's great. But my advice is to stop there.

Now reading Starbound by Joe Haldeman. It's a sequel to Marsbound which I read a while ago and found pleasant enough if a bit superficial. Going in with the attitude that that's what it'll be like though, I'm enjoying this one even more. About halfway through, I think the best comparison is to cheesy chicklit---Jill Mansell say. All primary colour characters muddling through awkward and changing relationships against a backdrop of twenty-something middle-class English life an interstellar mission to confront probably-hostile, technologically-superior aliens. Fun.

And I'll be back on the Alastair Reynolds soon as the postman has provided On the Steel Breeze and Century Rain. The end of that binge is worryingly close though; I think there are two or three books by him after that that I won't have read. At least he's still writing so should get a new fix every year or two.

[Grishnakh]

I'm mid way through Jeff Sharra's "The Last Full Measure". I loved "Killer Angels" by his dad and so far this one has not disappointed.

[quozl]

I just finished Thongor and the Wizard of Lemuria, the first published novel of Lin Carter and the first I've read from him. It's sort of a "Conan Lite".

[Ninja Status]

I finally started reading A Game of Thrones. After watching the 5th season I thought it'd be a good idea.

[Taeblewalker]

I'm about to start rereading Titan by John Varley. Then I'll track down the sequel, Wizard.

[Agent Minivann]

I just finished Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Just started Winter's Heart, book 9 in why am I still reading the Wheel of Time. The more I read this, the more I think this series is way too long and probably would have been just fine distilling the story to the main points and turning it into a trilogy.

[ssnover95]

I just finished my first read of George Orwell's 1984. It was quite excellent and I really wish it had been assigned reading during high school as I've heard is often the case at other schools. Not sure why it got left out.

I'm currently reading American Theocracy by Kevin Phillips, The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman, and Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman.

I've been wanting to get into a good science fiction series. I'm planning on reading Asimov's Foundation trilogy. Does anyone have some other good suggestions?

[Son of Arathorn]

Originally Posted by Agent Minivann

Just started Winter's Heart, book 9 in why am I still reading the Wheel of Time. The more I read this, the more I think this series is way too long and probably would have been just fine distilling the story to the main points and turning it into a trilogy.

Trust me when I say the last three books are worth it. But yes, most everything from Books 7-11 are very drawn out and unnecessary.

[quozl]

Originally Posted by ssnover95

I just finished my first read of George Orwell's 1984. It was quite excellent and I really wish it had been assigned reading during high school as I've heard is often the case at other schools. Not sure why it got left out.

I'm currently reading American Theocracy by Kevin Phillips, The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman, and Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman.

I've been wanting to get into a good science fiction series. I'm planning on reading Asimov's Foundation trilogy. Does anyone have some other good suggestions?

Depends on what kind of sci-fi you want to read.

Also, if you haven't read it yet, I recommend Brave New World as another take on 1984.

[Agent Minivann]

Originally Posted by Son of Arathorn

Trust me when I say the last three books are worth it. But yes, most everything from Books 7-11 are very drawn out and unnecessary.

I'm sticking with it only because I want to see how the last three are different. Otherwise I never would have read book two. I've seen forum chatter about the series before Sanderson was tabbed to finish, and never bothered with it. I like Sanderson, and I wanted to see how it changes if at all.

[ollie]

Originally Posted by quozl

Depends on what kind of sci-fi you want to read.

Also, if you haven't read it yet, I recommend Brave New World as another take on 1984.

I second Brave New World. From a similar time period as Orwell but with (mostly) a cheerier outlook I really like John Wyndham. Day of the Triffids is probably the most famous (killer walking plants terrorise mostly-blind population, but a lot better than that sounds) and The Chrysalids is another one I really like (mind-reading children emerge in oppressive post-apocalyptic community).

The Foundation series is great, I definitely think that's a good choice. I think it declines in quality towards the end but the first three at least are deservedly classics.

Other series I've enjoyed: David Brin's Uplift books (two trilogies, animals being "uplited" to sentience by humans against a backdrop of alien species where this is the norm), Alastair Reynold's Revelation Space books (a trilogy and a few other stand-alone novels and stories in the same universe, covers humans after leaving the solar system to start colonising the galaxy with very cool, and very alien, aliens) and Iain M. Banks's Culture novels (all stand-alone in the same utopian future-human universe).