Currently getting through Legend of the Galactic Heroes; Dawn. To say that I’m finding it a bit dry is an understatement. I’m sure when I go back and read it in Japanese it might have a bit more flow to it. But every time the books builds up a bit of steam it decides to stall out and dumb so exposition on you. The meat and bones of the character interactions is great and you get a real flavour for them. But some bits are a bit dull. Then again it was written in 1982 so that could explain a bit.
Currently have Autofiction glowering on my book shelf. Its meant to be a bit more heavy than Hitomi Kanehara other big book (Snakes and Earrings) but still very very good. Need to build up some filler to brain wash some of it though. Thank fully its short as well so might just whip it off like a plaster.
Also reading The Slow Regard of Silent things by Rossfuss on the loo at work. I both like and loath this book. Feels like badly written Gaiman imitation work, but there are moments where some really great stuff shines through. But if I have to bloody read about someone washing their face, hands and feet one more god dam time I might remover someones face, hands and feet.
Capital in the 21st Century was great as an audiobook.
Malazan Book of the Fallen Book 2 Deadhouse Gates was absolutely awesome. Having a talented reader (and probably editor) can really make a huge difference.
Just now starting “The Worm at the Core” and I’m already concerned this isn’t going to go so great.
The Worm at the Core isn’t doing itself any favors yet. It’s much much much shorter and I’m getting the feeling it’s just pointless fappery. Yes, “death bad” is a thing. I bought the book in the hopes you’d expand on that.
Finished Harmony by Project Itoh. Great book about society, the control of the population and individual freewill vs the collective good. Pretty short, but full of some great ideas.
So in college it sounds like I took exactly one of these “tests”, probably as a follow up but it sounds identical. Read a story, then fill in some blanks for words. Stuff like coff__, maybe you write coffee, maybe you write coffin. The control story was neutral, the test story was death stuff. I got the control story, but I’m pretty much a death cultist so most of my words were death things.
The claims they seem to want to make off of stuff like that just don’t jive for me. Some of their premises are fine, some of their conclusions seem possible, but how they get from A to B is poorly reasoned. Similarly the reasoning seems like… well… undergrads.
Maybe I’m wrong to think that most people should have moved past this at some point in their lives. I think as a society we’re also somewhat critical of this behavior after a certain point. At some point you learn to say “so it goes”. Even fighting over legacies and what-not seem silly.
Still have quite a bit to go though and I’m playing Battletech basically all day tomorrow.
I saw Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente on Nelson’s Goodreads, and then it showed up as featured in my library’s online audiobook section, so I took the plunge. It’s really fun. It’s basically https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEUGPEVRDmU
In 300 page book form.
Hell fucking yes. It’s washup David Bowie vs. the Universe, defending Earth in a galactic eurovision contest that honestly made me reevaluate eurovision as a sociopolitical phenomenon (securing european unity through semi-nationalistic displays of song might actually have been one of the better geopolitical ideas of the 20th century). The tone is very different than Valente’s other books (I particularly love Deathless) but it hearkens back to the best of Douglas Adams, and the aliens are all very creatively done.
I think there had never been a war between two participating Eurovision nations until Russia and Ukraine a few years ago… and then Russia were shown disapproval by the rest of Europe by coming in second that year… to Ukraine.
After being slightly disappointed with the third Expanse novel: Abaddon’s Gate, the fourth book, Cibola Burn, was much better. I still think the second book in the series, Caliban’s War, is the best so far, but I’m glad that the series seems to be back on course.
With the cancellation of the TV show, which I haven’t yet watched, people who enjoyed that, or are looking for a good science fiction series should check out The Expanse. I’m really looking forward to picking up the fifth book soon.
Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans refers to him as “Andy” and honestly I’m surprised I got past that. No one ever called Jackson “Andy” in life (although little documentation from his childhood exists leaving the possibility, but not certainty, that his mother used the name) so it’s really only acceptable if you’re fighting a character limit on something like Twitter. I hate this book so much I won’t even donate it to a library because I don’t want anyone else reading it.
Need to vet a friend recommendation because I do not trust this person: Series called the Iron Druid Chronicles? First book is called Hounded. Anyone read it or have impressions?
It was alright. Not the greatest thing I’ve ever read, but serviceable enough urban fantasy. The later books start getting a little contrived because it turns out being thousands of years old and having iron bonded to your aura is a little OP when dealing with the Fae and Fae magics, but they remain decent enough.