BAWBY @ 15/4/2017 12:15

Christian @ 23/3/2017 16:36 Ole' Vern @ 23/3/2017 16:13 Any recommendations? JPod by Douglas Coupland It's fun. Check it out. Almost done with this book and I really hate it......

It's not like a normal book. I liked it, and I like that you did check it out.

I just bought The Leftovers, so I started reading that yesterday. I'm going to rewatch season one again when I'm done, then start season 2. No need to rush through the series when it's only 3 short seasons. :P

Miko @ 21/6/2017 16:36

Been going through a sci-fi phase lately (particularly with movies), but have an entire collection of sci-fi novels I have yet to read on my book shelf. Here are the 4 primary ones I'm thinking of: Ursula K. Le Guin - The Left Hand of Darkness James S. A. Corey - Leviathan Wakes Arthur C. Clarke - Childhood's End Andy Weir - The Martian 3 that I have on the side I'm thinking about: Stephen Baxter & Terry Pratchett - The Long Earth Ian McDonald - New Moon Frank Herbert - Dune But taking the 4 primary ones into consideration - which ones would you guys do?

I read The Martian and loved it. I like the movie too, but I woke my wife up a couple of times laughing.

Miko @ 27/6/2017 23:24

Heard that that is an amazing series! I plan to pick it up soon! I always see it lying around in book stores, but for some reason, knowing the amount of books I still have lying around it's always daunting to get such a huge novel knowing you might not get to it soon. So I stupidly get a couple smaller novels instead. (: I heard it's apparently going to be a 10-book series, so the fact he releases them every 3 years, it's reassuring that I'll for sure have enough time to get in the mix of everything before the series comes to an end. Heard it is indeed a great thirst quencher for the wait of 'The Winds of Winter', haha. Recently bought Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss which is apparently the first book in a supposed trilogy, apparently he takes just as long as GRRM to write his novels, the final book of the trilogy is more than 6 years in the making at this point, but yeah, I should really start that one soon if I want any of the gratification to be part of the fan community before the final book gets released. I also have some other sci-fi/fantasy series on my shelf that I'm hoping I'll be getting to soon, including; 'The Expanse' (9 book series; 6 books out so far), 'The Long Earth' (5 book series, complete), 'Luna' (so far 2-books, probably more to come), 'The First Law' (a complete trilogy), 'Seraphim' (2 books released, supposedly from a 4 book series), 'Dune' (an original 5 book series, but an expanded upon universe - countless novels now) So yeah, that's not even counting the stand-alone novels I still have that include 'The Martian', 'American Gods', 'The Stand', 'It', 'Cloud Atlas', etc. Haha. I even plan on immediately rereading the A Song of Ice and Fire series as soon as The Winds of Winter is out - so I still have a lot of reading to do. :p btw to make matters worse, just barely got back from Barnes and Noble and bought: Ursula K. Le Guin - The Dispossessed (science fiction) George Orwell - Down and Out in Paris and London (coming of age) Haruki Murakami - Hear the Wind Sing (coming of age) Haruki Murakami - Pinball, 1973 (coming of age) yay more books!?

The 1st 2 in The Way of Kings series are great, and Sanderson writes pretty fast, especially compared to a lot of his contemporaries.

The 1st 2 books in the Name of the Wind series are also amazing, but the wait for this last one is maddening.

I read The First Law series, and it is pretty good. Abercrombie seems to release books pretty quick. He's good, nothing special.

I read American Gods and liked it a lot. I have not been able to really get into the Starz series yet though.

I've been thinking about getting into the Steven King books for a while now, but haven't made that plunge yet.

vladykins @ 29/6/2017 13:06

Miko- The First Law is an interesting series. Abercrombie is great for visualizing a battle, with the plots being fairly decent. If you want me to add to your "should read" books, there is the Gene Wolfe "New Sun" stuff (which is followed by the Long Sun and Short Sun miniseries). This is one series I could genuinely say I had no idea how the next book would go as I read them.

I started the New Sun series and didn't make it through the first book. I did the same thing with the Malzahn Book of the Fallen series, though. I've heard both are really good, so maybe I just didn't power through until I was hooked.

Timmah @ 6/7/2017 11:02

vladykins @ 29/6/2017 13:06 Miko- The First Law is an interesting series. Abercrombie is great for visualizing a battle, with the plots being fairly decent. If you want me to add to your "should read" books, there is the Gene Wolfe "New Sun" stuff (which is followed by the Long Sun and Short Sun miniseries). This is one series I could genuinely say I had no idea how the next book would go as I read them. I started the New Sun series and didn't make it through the first book. I did the same thing with the Malzahn Book of the Fallen series, though. I've heard both are really good, so maybe I just didn't power through until I was hooked.

As I said, the book really starts going all over the place. Unlike a lot of series, where you can go "I know the character is ultimately going to do X", I had no idea wtf was going to happen from book to book. It is pretty dense reading, though, but the world itself is fascinating.

He is also a protagonist that takes the least charge of his own destiny, which can be frustrating to read- things happen to him and he just kind of goes with the flow.

Timmah @ 6/7/2017 11:00

I read American Gods and liked it a lot. I have not been able to really get into the Starz series yet though.

The Starz series is good; it just took a few episodes to really get cooking. Sadly, it ends right when things start rolling.

Is the Law series as dry and drawn out as the game of thrones stuff became?

Primate @ 7/7/2017 15:56

Is the Law series as dry and drawn out as the game of thrones stuff became?

I remember he could write a hell of a visual battlescene, but the plotlines don't stick with me right now like tons of other books I read years and years earlier. Hell, even cheesy stuff like Fred Saberhagen's Empire of the East.

Yeah.

Haha, just bought a couple more books and ain't even done with The Martian yet.

-Robert Louis Stevenson - The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (in a bundle with 5 short stories by the author). Don't really need to explain the premise of this story, it's pretty known.

-Jodi Taylor - Just One Damned Thing After Another (first book in a so-far-8-book series) It's about a private history-research facility where historians have a device unbeknownst to the outside world, where they can go back in time to find out the great mysteries of history. But the looming presence of if you change anything in the past, it can alter the future aspect is present. Which can massiviely fuck things up. Plus, time-travel terrorists are present as well. Seems like a really fun series - I'm pretty stoked to start it.

-Ken Follett - Fall of Giants (first book in an epic trilogy). It's about the conflicts and movements of the 20th century, the first book is a 1000-page giant that follows the First World War, the women's right movements, the Russian Revolution, etc (1900-1920) told through the perspective of members from 5 different families. I believe there are 5 different stories going on shown from 5 different countries (Wales, England, Russia, US and Germany). The second book is about the Second World War and other issues from that time-period (don't wanna check incase I'll get spoiled, haha - it's happened to me enough with ASOIAF. :p) with a new set of characters faintly connected with the ones from the first one, and the concluding novel is about the Cold War, Space Age, etc, again with a new batch of characters from different countries that are faintly connected to previous characters from the other books. So it's a century-defining trilogy! Been wanting this book for ever now (since I finished The Pillars of the Earth over a year ago), so I'm glad I finally have it.

So yeah, yay, more books! Haha. Saw they had an entire shelf full of Agatha Christie books, since I know she's like a cult-hero on this forum, I'm probably going to get one of her novels next!

Just started reading Citizen Soldiers by Stephen E. Ambrose. I've always been impressed how many people he manages to interview for his books.

I got a couple books these last few weeks, they include:

-Ken Follett - World Without End
-Barbara Demick - Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea
-George Orwell - Down and Out in Paris and London
-Charles Dickens - A Tale of Two Cities
-Brandon Sanderson - Elantris
-Bill Bryson - Neither Here Nor There
-Patrick O'Brian - Master & Commander
-Haruki Murakami - Wind/Pinball
-Arthur C. Clarke - The Ghost from the Grand Banks
-Arthur C. Clarke & Gendry Lee - Cradle
-Arthur C. Clarke & Stephen Baxter - The Light of Other Days
-Arthur C. Clarke - The Deep Range
-Ursula K. Le Guin - The Dispossessed

Went to Wyoming last week and found 4 pretty rare Arthur C. Clarke novels in a used book-store for super cheap which is why a lot of him is on this list, haha. Got all 4 of them, because 1) it's Arthur C. Clarke for crying out loud, 2) most of those are out of print and 3) I'm on a quest to get every single Arthur C. Clarke novel so this really helps me out!

So yeah, pretty excited to dig into all of that.

BUT FIRST:

The rest of this year has some pretty exciting releases, but I need to catch up with a bunch of books to fully enjoy all the hype that comes with those new releases, so my book-reading schedule for probably the rest of 2017 looks like this:

Reading right now:
Barbara Demick - Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea (fucking amazing btw!)

Upcoming schedule:

1. Ken Follett - World Without End - page count: 1024 (I read it's predecessor; 'The Pillars of the Earth' last year and was so impressed; such an amazing book with such a grand scope - for sure in my top historical fiction novels. 'The Pillars of the Earth' was published in 1989, a book about the building of a Gothic Cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge during the English Anarchy from 1135-1154. After much requests, Follett finally wrote a sequel to the original and that was published in 2007, called; 'World Without End'. Which was about the building of a bridge in the same fictional English town as the first book, but this time it's set 200 years later during the world's biggest and deadliest epidemic; the Black Death, as well as the start of the Hundred Years' War.

2. Stephen King - It - page count: 1138 (Still haven't read it despite owning the book for years; I've read the majority of King's major works, but need to really start this considering the adaption to it is coming out on September 8th - kinda wanna be able to see it in the theaters whilst following my tradition of; reading a book before watching the adaption. But I also have 'World Without End' to read in August -both books being over 1000 pages-, as well as finishing the novel I'm currently still reading, so this is going to be a damn busy month of reading -over 2700 pages worth!!-)

3. Ken Follett - A Column of Fire (On September 12th this will be released it will be the conclusion to The Pillars of the Earth trilogy that will ultimately be his magnum opus; a series that has been 28 years in the making, 'A Column of Fire' is going to be the end and it's going to be released next month. Considering World Without End is a 1200-page historical epic, I better get reading!)

4. Andy Weir - The Martian - page count: 369 (I have had this on my book-shelf for the longest time, I started reading it, but put it down to finish later - still very intrigued though -, it's about a failed manned mission to Mars and how a crew-member get's abandoned on the red planet and has to survive with the limited supplies he has. Reason it's on the 'must-read-soon-list) is because Andy Weir is releasing his second novel on November 13th, it's a stand-alone novel, so no continuation; but I for sure want to be up to date with one of this centuries rising authors, someone of whom will surely be in the history books.

5. Brandon Sanderson - The Way of Kings - page count: 1022 (a fantasy series similar to 'A Song of Ice and Fire', it's the first book in a planned 10-book series, each book being a fantasy epic with around 1000 pages each. The third one is coming out November 14th. I have yet to start the series despite being incredibly into big fantasy-epics like this. It's been on my to-read list for the longest time, and since the third one is coming out soon I really need to get caught up so that I can be a full-fledged nerd of the series once the fourth book comes out in 2020; being part of the hype culture of fan-communities of series like this is honestly the most gratifying thing. I've found so much pleasure being in fan-communities of A Song of Ice and Fire - and it's been making the over 6-year wait for the sixth book; The Winds of Winter a little more bearable. So yeah - that's my main motivation to get caught up with this series; so that I can be with the fan-communities and be amongst all the theory-talk, future predictions, etc. Fantasy epics like this are most gratifying to read after you've been hyped for years - so that's my main motivation on reading this series; to be amongst that hype culture for the decades to come whilst the 10-book series slowly gets finished. Brandon Sanderson also has other fantasy worlds set in the same universe that have their own string of books, they are supposedly all supposed to be interconnected towards the end, that book-universe is called the Cosmere Universe; in total it's all supposed to add up to 36 books of massive size! Pretty stoked! He's a consistent enough of an author to take his word for predicted release dates... unlike.. *cough*George R.R. Martin*cough* *cough*Patrick Rothfuss*cough*. So yeah, again - excited for the series and to get indulged into this fantasy world before the third book comes out in November!)

6. Brandon Sanderson - Words of Radiance - page count: 1087 (sequel to The Way of Kings - basically the same reason for reading it as stated above with #4).

7. Brandon Sanderson - Oathbringer (expected release date: November 14th. The third book in the 'Stormlight Archive' series, part of a planned 10-book series.)

8. Andy Weir - Artemis (expected release date: November 13th. It's a heist story taking place on a futuristic society on the moon. It will be the author's second novel - after his 2011's 'The Martian' - it's highly anticipated and I for sure wanna be amongst all the hype once it comes out. So, again; better get reading!)

9. Patrick Rothfuss - The Name of the Wind - page count: 662 (part of a planned trilogy taking place in a fantasy world about a man who grows to be the world's most notorious 'I don't give a fuck' type wizard the world has ever known. I've read a little bit of it already and the author is so incredibly witty, I can already tell it's going to be a blast reading this series; it's amongst the most popular fantasy series' of all time - even put in the ranks of the Lord of the Rings and A Song of Ice and Fire which makes me even more intrigued about how it holds up to those 2 amazing series'.)

10. Patrick Rothuss - The Wise Man's Fear - page count: 994 (The continuation of 'The Name of the Wind', I'm hoping 'Doors of Stone'; the conclusion to this series, will be published next year. It's been over 6 years at this point since this book came out, and the follow-up still isn't out - so it must mean that it's just around the corner given how long it's been and that it's still in such high-demand. Plus, I still wanna experience the hype culture as well. It'll be sad if the third and final book were to come out and I hadn't even started the series yet. All of the potential communities I could have been part of; all of the potential theories I could have made up; it's what makes waiting for a new book so much fun being part of the fan communities. I'm going to make sure I read both of these books before the third one comes out; it still does not have a release date, so that's why I'm putting this series not in the 'must-read-now' list, but it's still in my more 'urgent' list otherwise I wouldn't put it on here.)

11. Bill Bryson - Neither Here Nor There - page count: 254 pages (a nonfiction book about a man retelling his journey throughout Europe - kind of stating his experiences in all of the major cities of Europe. Given I'm an avid traveller and still plan on travelling more in the future; I always enjoy reading about other peoples travelling experiences. Especially ones that involved budget-travelling as you really learn effective money-saving techniques that way. Plus, it'll be a light-hearted read to end the year with. <3

So yeah, that's how the rest of my 2017 reading-year will most likely look like. I'm incredibly excited to get this all started! :)