Author Topic: What books are we reading at the moment ? (Read 846918 times)

Ruthie · « **Reply #4475 on:** 01 June, 2016, 11:00:04 pm »

Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 01 June, 2016, 10:57:17 pm

Quote from: Ruthie on 31 May, 2016, 06:42:09 pm
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

Described as a 'space opera'. I had to google that.

"Space opera is a subgenre of speculative fiction or science fiction that emphasizes romantic, often melodramatic adventure, set mainly or entirely in space, generally involving conflict between opponents possessing powerful (and sometimes quite fanciful) technologies and abilities."
www.goodreads.com/genres/space-opera

It's sub teen-fiction high school drama set in space, basically. It's awful. New girl on the space ship grows up a bit as she encounters new life and new civilisations.

Seriously, don't bother.

Sounds a wee bit like Divergent by Veronica Roth

It is, but it's not as good as that. And I didn't like Divergent enough to read any of the others in the series. Buffy the Spaceman. Fneh.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #4476 on:** 01 June, 2016, 11:07:19 pm »

Yes, I read the first one and decided I was 30 years too old to identify with the protagonist...

ian · « **Reply #4477 on:** 02 June, 2016, 02:03:33 am »

There should be a word for that sinking sensation you have when, at a merry ongoing vintage, you realise you've stumbled into the land of young adult fiction. It happened to me recently when I selected a movie called Fifth Wave, which with hindsight I should have realised, but it seemed mindless seatback entertainment. Don't bother, it's risible and awful. It's basically Twilight. Admittedly it didn't make quite as angry as Twilight because of what they did to vampires (and you shouldn't include Buffy as YA, because it wasn't), but it's dismally cynical fodder for teenage girls.

pcolbeck · « **Reply #4478 on:** 02 June, 2016, 09:49:06 am »

Strangely The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet got recommended in loads of top SF of the year lists. Presumably these were lists compiled by people who don't actually like SF.

Ruthie · « **Reply #4479 on:** 02 June, 2016, 09:53:22 am »

I could be wrong, y'know. I've been wrong before.

T42 · « **Reply #4480 on:** 02 June, 2016, 10:54:14 am »

Speaking of YA fiction, The Knife of Never Letting Go & sequels were pretty good.

geraldc · « **Reply #4481 on:** 02 June, 2016, 11:09:09 am »

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. Jobs really was a pretty horrible human being. Driven but unlikeable.

mcshroom · « **Reply #4482 on:** 02 June, 2016, 11:25:35 am »

I'm slowly working my way through Iain M Banks' Culture novels. Just finished Player of Games which had some interesting plot devices, and was a good read, but the finale felt a little forced to get to the end quickly IMHO.

Next up is Use of Weapons.

pcolbeck · « **Reply #4483 on:** 02 June, 2016, 11:48:41 am »

Quote from: Ruthie on 02 June, 2016, 09:53:22 am

I could be wrong, y'know. I've been wrong before.

No your not. I read it and it was mediocre and formulaic at best. The Guardian review praised its characterisation and called it "profound" .....

Ruthie · « **Reply #4484 on:** 02 June, 2016, 02:54:50 pm »

Quote from: pcolbeck on 02 June, 2016, 11:48:41 am

Quote from: Ruthie on 02 June, 2016, 09:53:22 am
I could be wrong, y'know. I've been wrong before.

No your not. I read it and it was mediocre and formulaic at best. The Guardian review praised its characterisation and called it "profound" .....

Blimey

Profoundly mediocre possibly. It reads like it was written by a sixth-former.

DaveJ · « **Reply #4485 on:** 02 June, 2016, 06:09:54 pm »

Quote from: Ruthie on 02 June, 2016, 09:53:22 am

I could be wrong, y'know. I've been wrong before.

You weren't though. It was rather disappointing.

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #4486 on:** 03 June, 2016, 01:16:53 pm »

Victoria Pendleton's autobiography.

I know she's trying to make clear the difference between her small frame and the more muscular women, but I wish she'd stop describing them as "hulking."

Dibdib · « **Reply #4487 on:** 04 June, 2016, 08:06:31 pm »

Yesterday's entertainment was the first trade paperback volume of Transmetropolitan. It's been on my bookshelf for a couple of years at least, but I hadn't got around to reading it. It really wasn't what I expected, but was excellent. I'll have to get the next couple of books ordered at some point.

tiermat · « **Reply #4488 on:** 04 June, 2016, 08:26:19 pm »

Stuart McBride's "Cold Granite". Really well written, it's still not stopped raining, though!

Vince · « **Reply #4489 on:** 06 June, 2016, 10:05:15 pm »

It was raining when I read it too.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #4490 on:** 11 June, 2016, 10:55:49 pm »

Die Of Shame ~ Mark Billingham

A not-Thorne offering from Mr Billingham, though I dare say the said DI will put in a cameo appearance. His mate Phil Hendricks, the pathologist of multiple piercings, tattoos and boyfriends, has already shown up.

Vince · « **Reply #4491 on:** 11 June, 2016, 11:17:05 pm »

Flesh House - Stuart McBride
Logan McRae book 4

Must be one of the goriest books I've read. Mostly raining.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #4492 on:** 12 June, 2016, 12:11:13 am »

You can always rely on Mr McBride for gore.

And rain.

T42 · « **Reply #4493 on:** 12 June, 2016, 07:39:58 am »

Bio of Pablo Escobar, written by his brother. Mostly consists of "people say Pablo did X, but I never saw it" but interesting all the same.

Did old Joe Kennedy really make a fortune in illicit alcohol?

Jakob W · « **Reply #4494 on:** 12 June, 2016, 09:19:01 am »

Yes, I think so - he was generally pretty mobbed up.

perpetual dan · « **Reply #4495 on:** 12 June, 2016, 12:33:22 pm »

A bit of a many books couple of weeks here, holidays help:
Rob Lilwall: Cycling home from Siberia ... interesting so far, and the references to his companion's book make the narrative unusual.
Beside Myself: Ann Morgan ... getting weirder, good so far.
Nod: Adrian Barnes ... excellent, really touching take on the apocolypse.
The Signal and the Noise: Nate Silver ... good pop-science take on Bayes

Morat · « **Reply #4496 on:** 12 June, 2016, 12:44:58 pm »

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bodyguard-Lies-Extraordinary-Story-Behind/dp/1599213834
Which is fascinating stuff. I don't know how all the conclusions stand up in the light of information which has since been declassified (it was written in 1975) but the history of the skullduggery behind the decisions made during WW2 is gripping.

It's very sobering to realise how close we were to losing the Normady campaign before it had even started. I'm also glad I'm not a general.

T42 · « **Reply #4497 on:** 12 June, 2016, 12:54:55 pm »

Quote from: Jakob W on 12 June, 2016, 09:19:01 am

Quote from: T42 on 12 June, 2016, 07:39:58 am
Bio of Pablo Escobar, written by his brother. Mostly consists of "people say Pablo did X, but I never saw it" but interesting all the same.

Did old Joe Kennedy really make a fortune in illicit alcohol?

Yes, I think so - he was generally pretty mobbed up.

According to Wiki, as soon as Prohibition was repealed he was over to Scotland to arrange deals with a handful of distilleries, so presumably he had the advantage of prior contacts.

eck · « **Reply #4498 on:** 12 June, 2016, 06:04:56 pm »

Quote from: Vince on 11 June, 2016, 11:17:05 pm

Flesh House - Stuart McBride
Logan McRae book 4

Must be one of the goriest books I've read. Mostly raining.

I'm on my third Logan McRae, (Blind Eye, previously read Flesh House and 22 Dead Little Bodies).
All borrowed from my local library.

Now, here's the thing: I've noticed that somebody has drawn a ring round the number of page 23 in each of them.

Is this some secret to which I am not privy? Can't wait to check out the rest of them.

L CC · « **Reply #4499 on:** 12 June, 2016, 07:50:13 pm »

Quote from: perpetual dan on 12 June, 2016, 12:33:22 pm

Beside Myself: Ann Morgan ... getting weirder, good so far.

I finished it last night and found it, in the end, a bit disappointing.

[OT] Audible suggests at the end of a book, other options by that author. As this is computer-generated, I rather feel for Ann Morgan as her almost-name-sake Kelli Ann Morgan does appear to auth in a rather different genre [/OT]