Books - What are you reading?
Discussion
Goaty Bill 2 said:
Crime and Punishment!
I had to go back a bit to recall what the book was!
Dostoevsky is lessons in realities.
Many of them quite painful to read, if the person reading is affected by reading literature at all.
Rodion Raskolnikov's spiral into a Hell of his own creation. Even though it appears inevitable, one cannot avoid reading to the end to feel sure of the outcome.
If it helps, I find the Constance Garnett translations often to be the easiest, while retaining a style of writing that is most easily associated with the time period in which Dostoevsky was writing.
Oops, yes, would have helped if I had named the book, sorry. Having just checked the kindle version I am reading is indeed a Constance Garnett translation.I had to go back a bit to recall what the book was!
Dostoevsky is lessons in realities.
Many of them quite painful to read, if the person reading is affected by reading literature at all.
Rodion Raskolnikov's spiral into a Hell of his own creation. Even though it appears inevitable, one cannot avoid reading to the end to feel sure of the outcome.
If it helps, I find the Constance Garnett translations often to be the easiest, while retaining a style of writing that is most easily associated with the time period in which Dostoevsky was writing.
Dr Jekyll said:
Just finished Stephen Baxter's Proxima and the sequel Ultima.
Proxima starts off a bit slowly, actually slightly depressing, but then picks up well and is difficult to put down. Seems to be a space travel story at first but actually the usual Baxter parallel universe stuff with interesting ideas. Ultima starts off well but slows down a bit towards the end, both good though. Most Baxter fans really liked Proxima but were disappointed by Ultima and I don't quite see why. But there is the usual Baxter thing of throwing an amazing idea into the mix then not really explaining it. There is plenty of scope for more sequels and prequels to fill in the gaps.
Always great ideas in Baxter's books, and nobody does apocalyptic ELEs like him. I sometimes find them a bit bleak however.Proxima starts off a bit slowly, actually slightly depressing, but then picks up well and is difficult to put down. Seems to be a space travel story at first but actually the usual Baxter parallel universe stuff with interesting ideas. Ultima starts off well but slows down a bit towards the end, both good though. Most Baxter fans really liked Proxima but were disappointed by Ultima and I don't quite see why. But there is the usual Baxter thing of throwing an amazing idea into the mix then not really explaining it. There is plenty of scope for more sequels and prequels to fill in the gaps.
Halmyre said:
Always great ideas in Baxter's books, and nobody does apocalyptic ELEs like him. I sometimes find them a bit bleak however.
I've struggled with his writing style - agree conceptually he's great, but the books just don't 'flow' very nicely...and I'll second the comment made above about failure to tie-up loose-ends / plot-threads.Dr Jekyll said:
Just finished Stephen Baxter's Proxima and the sequel Ultima.
Proxima starts off a bit slowly, actually slightly depressing, but then picks up well and is difficult to put down. Seems to be a space travel story at first but actually the usual Baxter parallel universe stuff with interesting ideas. Ultima starts off well but slows down a bit towards the end, both good though. Most Baxter fans really liked Proxima but were disappointed by Ultima and I don't quite see why. But there is the usual Baxter thing of throwing an amazing idea into the mix then not really explaining it. There is plenty of scope for more sequels and prequels to fill in the gaps.
I've been wondering whether or not to try these. I'm a big fan of the Long Earth series he wrote with Terry Pratchett, I've read the lot. I think I'll give Proxima a spin.Proxima starts off a bit slowly, actually slightly depressing, but then picks up well and is difficult to put down. Seems to be a space travel story at first but actually the usual Baxter parallel universe stuff with interesting ideas. Ultima starts off well but slows down a bit towards the end, both good though. Most Baxter fans really liked Proxima but were disappointed by Ultima and I don't quite see why. But there is the usual Baxter thing of throwing an amazing idea into the mix then not really explaining it. There is plenty of scope for more sequels and prequels to fill in the gaps.
Goaty Bill 2 said:
Crime and Punishment!
I had to go back a bit to recall what the book was!
Dostoevsky is lessons in realities.
Many of them quite painful to read, if the person reading is affected by reading literature at all.
Rodion Raskolnikov's spiral into a Hell of his own creation. Even though it appears inevitable, one cannot avoid reading to the end to feel sure of the outcome.
If it helps, I find the Constance Garnett translations often to be the easiest, while retaining a style of writing that is most easily associated with the time period in which Dostoevsky was writing.
Oi, Bill! I haven't received that advance cheque on my Solzhenitsyn translations yet.I had to go back a bit to recall what the book was!
Dostoevsky is lessons in realities.
Many of them quite painful to read, if the person reading is affected by reading literature at all.
Rodion Raskolnikov's spiral into a Hell of his own creation. Even though it appears inevitable, one cannot avoid reading to the end to feel sure of the outcome.
If it helps, I find the Constance Garnett translations often to be the easiest, while retaining a style of writing that is most easily associated with the time period in which Dostoevsky was writing.
Tchach.
Just finished these two on Audible
Weapons of Choice - John Birmingham
A near future international group of ships fighting Jihadi terrorists accidentally timewarp themselves into the middle of WWII. Trashy but reasonably entertaining. First in a trilogy though not sure if I'll ever finish it.
Norse Mythology - Neil Gaiman
What it says on the cover, Mr Gaiman's interpretation of the Norse myths. Is this teen fiction? I've not read any other of his works. Interesting tales but very lightweight.
Weapons of Choice - John Birmingham
A near future international group of ships fighting Jihadi terrorists accidentally timewarp themselves into the middle of WWII. Trashy but reasonably entertaining. First in a trilogy though not sure if I'll ever finish it.
Norse Mythology - Neil Gaiman
What it says on the cover, Mr Gaiman's interpretation of the Norse myths. Is this teen fiction? I've not read any other of his works. Interesting tales but very lightweight.
toasty said:
Norse Mythology - Neil Gaiman
What it says on the cover, Mr Gaiman's interpretation of the Norse myths. Is this teen fiction? I've not read any other of his works. Interesting tales but very lightweight.
I was a little underwhelmed vs some of his previous work.What it says on the cover, Mr Gaiman's interpretation of the Norse myths. Is this teen fiction? I've not read any other of his works. Interesting tales but very lightweight.
It's a good intro if you've not read about them before, but it won't reveal any new insights.
havoc said:
I was a little underwhelmed vs some of his previous work.
It's a good intro if you've not read about them before, but it won't reveal any new insights.
I agree very lightweight-talked to my local indy bookshop recommended myths of norsemen by ha guerber but not the print on demand version on amazon get the blue or green hardback-loads on ebay very goodIt's a good intro if you've not read about them before, but it won't reveal any new insights.
just started sapiens by harari-very good so far
p1doc said:
havoc said:
I was a little underwhelmed vs some of his previous work.
It's a good intro if you've not read about them before, but it won't reveal any new insights.
I agree very lightweight-talked to my local indy bookshop recommended myths of norsemen by ha guerber but not the print on demand version on amazon get the blue or green hardback-loads on ebay very goodIt's a good intro if you've not read about them before, but it won't reveal any new insights.
just started sapiens by harari-very good so far
Just finished Black Man by Richard Morgan for about the third time; not part of the Kovac universe but set in the near future and a very similar character and 'noir' (no pun intended) style. A firm favourite.
Plot: The protagonist, Carl Marsalis, is a 'Thirteen' - part of a genetically modified group initially bred and trained for military/covert missions but now outlawed and banished to reservations and early settlement Mars. Marsalis is employed to track down and bring in other Thirteens that have escaped, and Black Man follows his involvement in one such case.
It's intelligently written, set in a believable future and features good characters and a twisting plot. Five stars from me.
Plot: The protagonist, Carl Marsalis, is a 'Thirteen' - part of a genetically modified group initially bred and trained for military/covert missions but now outlawed and banished to reservations and early settlement Mars. Marsalis is employed to track down and bring in other Thirteens that have escaped, and Black Man follows his involvement in one such case.
It's intelligently written, set in a believable future and features good characters and a twisting plot. Five stars from me.
p1doc said:
Nom de ploom said:
be interested to read what you think of Sapiens - I stopped reading at 70 pages. might go back to it at some point.
. very good p220 so far much easier to read than I thought it would be!
Less a 'what I'm reading' and more of a 'what I've read' post commences below:
Magnus Walker's 'Urban Outlaw'. Something of an autobiography of the now-famous Porsche collector. Seems like a very down-to-earth guy with an enviable collection of classic cars. I wouldn't be much of an autobiography reader but seeing as Magnus is something of a cult figure, I figured it was worth the read.
'The Farm' by Tom Rob Smith. I read his 'Child 44' series quite some time ago and enjoyed it. This book was merely alright. Just as you start to get into it, an immensely unsatisfying ending crops up. Another 50 pages might have saved it from being disappointing. Still, it was a very quick read.
Now I'm reading 'Shutter Island' by Dennis Lehane. I saw the film when it came out but don't remember the plot in its entirety. I know a few of the twists left which is a bit of a shame, but from what I gather the ending differs between the two formats.
In all cases these have been relatively easy reads coming off of the back of having finished 'Mein Kampf'. I forgot how nice it was to be able to sit down and hammer through a few dozen pages without feeling a sense of boredom or familiarity, having seen the same argument repeated several times before.
Magnus Walker's 'Urban Outlaw'. Something of an autobiography of the now-famous Porsche collector. Seems like a very down-to-earth guy with an enviable collection of classic cars. I wouldn't be much of an autobiography reader but seeing as Magnus is something of a cult figure, I figured it was worth the read.
'The Farm' by Tom Rob Smith. I read his 'Child 44' series quite some time ago and enjoyed it. This book was merely alright. Just as you start to get into it, an immensely unsatisfying ending crops up. Another 50 pages might have saved it from being disappointing. Still, it was a very quick read.
Now I'm reading 'Shutter Island' by Dennis Lehane. I saw the film when it came out but don't remember the plot in its entirety. I know a few of the twists left which is a bit of a shame, but from what I gather the ending differs between the two formats.
In all cases these have been relatively easy reads coming off of the back of having finished 'Mein Kampf'. I forgot how nice it was to be able to sit down and hammer through a few dozen pages without feeling a sense of boredom or familiarity, having seen the same argument repeated several times before.
"The Blooding of the Guns" - Alexander Fullerton - WW1 Naval novel based around the Battle of Jutland - The action seems pretty well written, but I'm not sure I'll rush to read another of his.
"Mosquito Mayhem" - Martin W. Bowman - I had a spate of buying his books (on the back of great reviews) on Kindle Daily Deals, but this is the first I've read. Factual accounts of Mosquitos in action in WW2, but like most books of this ilk, really more for the hardcore aircraft enthusiast, who enjoys a three page account of a delivery flight from East Anglia to Sussex... Hard going for me.
"Jacques Cousteau : The Sea King" - Brad Matsen - A biography of Cousteau, covering his whole life, but focusing on his time developing his films and TV series and the Cousteau Foundation and overshoots - Makes a interesting counterpoint to Cousteau's own book "The Silent World", but a bit light on details, in contrast to "Mosquito Mayhem"!
Some action packed thriller next, I think!
M
"Mosquito Mayhem" - Martin W. Bowman - I had a spate of buying his books (on the back of great reviews) on Kindle Daily Deals, but this is the first I've read. Factual accounts of Mosquitos in action in WW2, but like most books of this ilk, really more for the hardcore aircraft enthusiast, who enjoys a three page account of a delivery flight from East Anglia to Sussex... Hard going for me.
"Jacques Cousteau : The Sea King" - Brad Matsen - A biography of Cousteau, covering his whole life, but focusing on his time developing his films and TV series and the Cousteau Foundation and overshoots - Makes a interesting counterpoint to Cousteau's own book "The Silent World", but a bit light on details, in contrast to "Mosquito Mayhem"!
Some action packed thriller next, I think!
M
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