Books: What are you currently reading?

[japes]

Originally Posted by akden

I just finished Leviathan Wakes by James S A Corey. It's the first in "the Expanse" series, and is a pretty good read. For anyone not familiar with it, the story takes place a few centuries in the future, and mankind has colonized the solar system. There are significant tensions between the "Belters" who are born and raised in space stations and and the "Earthers" who come from Mars or Earth. The book alternates between a Belter private detective-type who is searching for a missing girl and an Earther ship captain who accidentally stumbles into a huge conspiracy. Over time, the two stories intersect. I really liked the two perspectives, and I think the author has put together a pretty believable future universe. It combines a nice noir-style mystery with some space opera and even a little bit of alien horror. I'm really looking forward to starting the next book the series.

I stumbled upon the series after seeing a few mentions of a new Syfy channel series based on it. So far, reviews of the series have been positive as well.

I too just finished this last night after seeing someone on here recommending it. Was very interesting and I will probably start the next book sometime this week. I'd like to check out the series but if the Alien Horror part is translated into the show my wife won't want to watch...since TV watching is something we do together that means I won't be watching unless she plans a trip without me.

[Dad_Scaper]

A week or so ago I was excited to find Umberto Eco's new novel, Numero Zero, on the shelf at the library. So that's what I've been reading, and that's what I was reading when I learned that he passed away late last week at the age of 84.

RIP, Professor Eco.

His books were challenging and erudite, with lots of historical, technical, and academic detail. Some of his books, like the recent The Prague Cemetery (about conspiracies) and the earlier Island of the Day Before (about the history of science), were nevertheless pretty easy reads. Recommended to all.

Revdyer and I were both deeply influenced by his earlier, denser works, The Name of the Rose (about religion and philosophy, set in the Middle Ages) and Foucault's Pendulum (IMHO his masterpiece, about the occult and our relationship with the world around us). Those are not such easy reads, nor did he intend them to be. But they are all excellent, as are his other novels.

[caps]

Originally Posted by Rÿchean

Shadows of the empire...I went through my old paper back box recently I found I still had that. I may need to reread it because I don't recall anything about it...maybe I never actually read it.

I'm enjoying it much, much more than the last one I just finished--and consequently I'm tearing through it. I'm already just about halfway through it, where it took me a couple weeks to get through Splinter of the Mind's Eye.

[ollie]

Originally Posted by Dad_Scaper

A week or so ago I was excited to find Umberto Eco's new novel, Numero Zero, on the shelf at the library. So that's what I've been reading, and that's what I was reading when I learned that he passed away late last week at the age of 84.

RIP, Professor Eco.

His books were challenging and erudite, with lots of historical, technical, and academic detail. Some of his books, like the recent The Prague Cemetery (about conspiracies) and the earlier Island of the Day Before (about the history of science), were nevertheless pretty easy reads. Recommended to all.

Revdyer and I were both deeply influenced by his earlier, denser works, The Name of the Rose (about religion and philosophy, set in the Middle Ages) and Foucault's Pendulum (IMHO his masterpiece, about the occult and our relationship with the world around us). Those are not such easy reads, nor did he intend them to be. But they are all excellent, as are his other novels.

Seconded mostly. I thought the Island of the Day Before was tosh, and I'm confident that 19-ish-year-old me knew better than the combined wisdom of DS and Eco.

But Name of the Rose and, especially, Foucault's Pendulum are ones I've gone back to again and again, although not recently, which I should rectify. I should also have another go at the recent stuff.


My two most recent reads: Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood and Poseidon's Wake by Alastair Reynolds.

Oryx and Crake was my first Atwood. She's been on my list to check out for a while but I hadn't got to it. I thought it was really well done; a post-genetic-engineering-apocalypse from the first person perspective of someone who had both the before and after experiences. I'll look for more of hers.

Poseidon's Wake was my last Reynolds (for now). I think that gets me back up to date with having read them all. Third in a trilogy about a nearish future in which humans spread from Earth and the nearby planets to colonise the rest of the solar system and some nearby star systems. And also wrestle with ideas of consciousness and artificial intelligence via machines and, especially, uplifted elephants. (My wife already moks me for broccoli-in-space and dolphins-in-space books thanks to David Brin, and she'll be adding elephants-in-space to the list now). Overall the trilogy wasn't as ambitious or as successful as the Revelation Space series, but well worth reading.

Not sure what's next. I'm going to the library tomorrow and I'll check out the Eco shelf and see what else I can find.

[Son of Arathorn]

Too many books all at once.

For school, I'm in the middle of excerpts from Summa Theologiae and Caunterbury Tales (and I just finished Dante's Divine Comedy). On my own time, I'm reading Of Mice and Men, The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski, The World Without Us by Alan Weisman, and Moby Dick (that last one is slow going). I'm about to start reading The Gathering Storm (just finished Knife of Dreams, and I think this is my third time through the Wheel of Time), and I've been getting snippets of Livy's Early History of Rome whenever I have a spare moment. Oh, and I just finished Michael Pollan's Botany of Desire. Cervantes and Tolkien loom on my horizon, since I just got my hands on Don Quixote and the professor's translation of Beowulf.

[quozl]

I'm reading Lord of the Rings with my daughter and we just finished the chapter of the epic battle in Mt. Doom. Now only 6 more chapters to go! (My daughter is bewildered. What can they possibly talk about for 6 chapters after the ring has been destroyed? And that doesn't even count the appendices!)

[Sir Yeshua]

Originally Posted by quozl

I'm reading Lord of the Rings with my daughter and we just finished the chapter of the epic battle in Mt. Doom. Now only 6 more chapters to go! (My daughter is bewildered. What can they possibly talk about for 6 chapters after the ring has been destroyed? And that doesn't even count the appendices!)

Not gonna lie, I felt the same way when I first read it

[Spidey'tilIDie]

Originally Posted by Spidey'tilIDie

Lost Stars was a good read because it not only leads into Episode VII a little, but it ties in with Episodes IV, V, and VI. Haven't finished Aftermath yet, but I'll let you know what I think when I finish.

Finished Aftermath last night (Car accident got in the way of my finishing it). Once I picked it up again, I could hardly stand to put it down, but I'm a geek for all things Star Wars. Have been since childhood. I knew going in that it was the first of a trilogy, so that helped knowing not everything would be resolved by story's end. I enjoyed and grew to really like some of the characters. One of the most interesting parts is the frequent chapters devoted to Interludes (I think that's what they called them). One pertained to a certain set of armor being purchased from Jawas on a certain planet. Another involved a certain weapon being bought on the black market. Good stuff, IMO.

[Spidey'tilIDie]

Originally Posted by Son of Arathorn

Too many books all at once.

For school, I'm in the middle of excerpts from Summa Theologiae and Caunterbury Tales (and I just finished Dante's Divine Comedy). On my own time, I'm reading Of Mice and Men, The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski, The World Without Us by Alan Weisman, and Moby Dick (that last one is slow going). I'm about to start reading The Gathering Storm (just finished Knife of Dreams, and I think this is my third time through the Wheel of Time), and I've been getting snippets of Livy's Early History of Rome whenever I have a spare moment. Oh, and I just finished Michael Pollan's Botany of Desire. Cervantes and Tolkien loom on my horizon, since I just got my hands on Don Quixote and the professor's translation of Beowulf.

Interesting. What class did you read Summa Theologica for?

[Son of Arathorn]

Originally Posted by Spidey'tilIDie

Interesting. What class did you read Summa Theologica for?

The class name is just Seminar- it's basically reading and discussion of books by landmark authors throughout Western history. It's kinda the foundation of the program I'm doing for undergrad. Other authors we've read in that class include Plato, Dante, St. Augustine, Plutarch, the list goes on.

[caps]

I finished Shadows of the Empire. Definitely worth the read.

The next book is Truce at Bakura. I'm waiting for it to arrive from the library even though I have the next book: Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor.

[Darth Vader]

I am currently reading Dune and A Feast for Crows. I normally don't like reading two books at once, but managing these two has yet to become a challenge. While I know that A Feast for Crows gets kind of a bad rap from ASOIAF readers, I am finding it enjoyable, especially since this book is really where the TV show starts to turn more from the book series.