What Are You Reading 2023
06-19-23, 02:57 PM
#126
DVD Talk Hero
Re: What Are You Reading 2023
Midnight Sun by Karl Edward Wagner. It's an omnibus edition of all the stories about the character Kane. Once again it's fantasy/adventure/horror about the cursed, immortal, intelligent, and completely amoral warrior. In some of the later stories he shows up in the 20th century. Not surprisingly, now his cover job is an executive for a record company. Good stuff.
I'm glad I bought this book when it was in print. Today it sells for $250 on Amazon Marketplace. I wish I'd bought the companion volume of the collected novels.
I'm glad I bought this book when it was in print. Today it sells for $250 on Amazon Marketplace. I wish I'd bought the companion volume of the collected novels.
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story (06-24-23)
06-29-23, 01:41 PM
#128
Re: What Are You Reading 2023
Finished:
Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots. It sounded like a fun premise ... a superhero story told from the POV of an office-worker villain's henchman (or henchwoman in this case). It makes sense that supervillain plans would need support staff. There's also a bit of The Boys vibe, with the main character's drive coming from being collateral damage to a careless superhero (and the hero Super Collider seeming awfully similar to Homelander). Maybe not as fun as I thought it would be. But scenes like a supervillain IT support guy ("Are you sure your Death Ray is plugged in?" "Try turning it off and turning it back on") made me
Also listened to an audiobook on a 12 hour drive I just did:
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden. I've found that for driving, I do best with lightweight "popcorn" books. And while this wasn't great, it fit the bill perfectly for what I was wanting. It's very much a housewife mystery in the vein of similar Girl in a Window/on a Train/Gone books (and Lifetime channel thrillers). I knew I absolutely wasn't the target audience given all the longing descriptions of mysterious Italian landscaper Enzo's bulging muscles And I've read and seen so many thrillers that I called the "shocking" twist right at the beginning.
Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots. It sounded like a fun premise ... a superhero story told from the POV of an office-worker villain's henchman (or henchwoman in this case). It makes sense that supervillain plans would need support staff. There's also a bit of The Boys vibe, with the main character's drive coming from being collateral damage to a careless superhero (and the hero Super Collider seeming awfully similar to Homelander). Maybe not as fun as I thought it would be. But scenes like a supervillain IT support guy ("Are you sure your Death Ray is plugged in?" "Try turning it off and turning it back on") made me
Also listened to an audiobook on a 12 hour drive I just did:
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden. I've found that for driving, I do best with lightweight "popcorn" books. And while this wasn't great, it fit the bill perfectly for what I was wanting. It's very much a housewife mystery in the vein of similar Girl in a Window/on a Train/Gone books (and Lifetime channel thrillers). I knew I absolutely wasn't the target audience given all the longing descriptions of mysterious Italian landscaper Enzo's bulging muscles
And I've read and seen so many thrillers that I called the "shocking" twist right at the beginning.
07-05-23, 05:52 PM
#129
DVD Talk Hero
Re: What Are You Reading 2023
Anabasis by Xenophon. A history and a personal memoir. Translated by Dakyns.
In the year 401 BC, ten thousand Greek mercenaries were on the losing side of a battle in the middle of the huge Persian empire. They were a thousand miles into enemy territory, without food, supplies, allies, or cavalry support. The senior officers foolishly accepted an invitation to a feast and they were all killed. The army elected Xenophon as a new general and he led them home. The Dakyns translation was easy reading. I thought the whole story was fascinating.
Available online for free.
In the year 401 BC, ten thousand Greek mercenaries were on the losing side of a battle in the middle of the huge Persian empire. They were a thousand miles into enemy territory, without food, supplies, allies, or cavalry support. The senior officers foolishly accepted an invitation to a feast and they were all killed. The army elected Xenophon as a new general and he led them home. The Dakyns translation was easy reading. I thought the whole story was fascinating.
Available online for free.
07-13-23, 01:17 PM
#134
Re: What Are You Reading 2023 Multiple
It's a fun book by a comic illustrator. Various items found in the house, at the grocery, outdoors, etc. I especially like the one about Instant Ramen -- "[Momofuku] Ando chose chicken as the original ramen flavor because it didn't violate anyone's religious taboos."
It's $7 at Hamilton Book btw.
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Bronkster (07-15-23)
07-13-23, 02:39 PM
#135
Re: What Are You Reading 2023
Finished reading:
The Ferryman by Justin Cronin. A big ambitious standalone sci-fi book by the author of The Passage Trilogy (hard to believe it's been 7 years since the 3rd book in that series came out). Like those books, I liked the journey of the story more interesting than the destination (and if you're at all familiar with sci-fi you'll encounter a lot of familiar ideas). Still, I thought it was very good. I love stories with this set-up ... a sci-fi world where there's an underlying mystery, and you follow along with the main character learning the truth.
Had another long (12 hour) car ride and listened to another audiobook:
The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson. As I've commented before, I'm pretty sure I'm not enjoying the story as much in audiobook format instead of reading ... but they are great ways to pass long drives (where you can't do things like read or watch shows). Romance sections absolutely don't work for me like this (when a single narrator tries to do the voices of both people). Sanderson channels Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams strongly here. And while I know those types of fantasy/sci-fi comedies have tons of fans, they're not really my thing. Certainly this is nothing like his Stormlight Archive and Mistborn books. And that's cool for Sanderson to try something different even if it turns off some of readers (and it's not like Sanderson doesn't publish much). From reading reviews, I get the sense I missed out on illustrations in the audiobook. Although I liked how they did the excepts from the "Frugal Wizard" guide with another narrator reading it like a late-night ad.
The Ferryman by Justin Cronin. A big ambitious standalone sci-fi book by the author of The Passage Trilogy (hard to believe it's been 7 years since the 3rd book in that series came out). Like those books, I liked the journey of the story more interesting than the destination (and if you're at all familiar with sci-fi you'll encounter a lot of familiar ideas). Still, I thought it was very good. I love stories with this set-up ... a sci-fi world where there's an underlying mystery, and you follow along with the main character learning the truth.
Had another long (12 hour) car ride and listened to another audiobook:
The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson. As I've commented before, I'm pretty sure I'm not enjoying the story as much in audiobook format instead of reading ... but they are great ways to pass long drives (where you can't do things like read or watch shows). Romance sections absolutely don't work for me like this (when a single narrator tries to do the voices of both people). Sanderson channels Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams strongly here. And while I know those types of fantasy/sci-fi comedies have tons of fans, they're not really my thing. Certainly this is nothing like his Stormlight Archive and Mistborn books. And that's cool for Sanderson to try something different even if it turns off some of readers (and it's not like Sanderson doesn't publish much). From reading reviews, I get the sense I missed out on illustrations in the audiobook. Although I liked how they did the excepts from the "Frugal Wizard" guide with another narrator reading it like a late-night ad.
07-14-23, 06:48 PM
#136
DVD Talk Hero
Re: What Are You Reading 2023
Jules Verne - Around the World in 80 Days. I've never read it before. It's part travelogue, part adventure, with a countdown for dramatic tension. What a wonderful conception! I kept on coming across sections that were better than the movie.
07-20-23, 01:04 PM
#139
DVD Talk Hero
Re: What Are You Reading 2023
Just finished:
It follows every Dan Brown cliché there is. It may as well have been written with ChatGPT.
It follows every Dan Brown cliché there is. It may as well have been written with ChatGPT.
07-20-23, 10:23 PM
#140
DVD Talk Hero
Re: What Are You Reading 2023
Lady Windermere's Fan, a play by Oscar Wilde. I liked it. The funny parts were funny, and the drama was taken seriously. It's the source of several those witty Oscar Wilde quotations.
Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest is a meta-play, making fun of the genre rules, and has a happy ending that comes out of nowhere. I found Lady Windermere a lot more satisfying.
Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest is a meta-play, making fun of the genre rules, and has a happy ending that comes out of nowhere. I found Lady Windermere a lot more satisfying.
Last edited by Nick Danger; 07-20-23 at 10:55 PM.
07-23-23, 06:38 PM
#143
DVD Talk Hero
07-25-23, 08:30 PM
#145
DVD Talk Hero
07-27-23, 01:13 AM
#147
Re: What Are You Reading 2023
Finished a couple since last post
Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie. It's kind of an "easy mode" version of House of Leaves (also being a "found footage" book about a haunted house with a door that leads to a vast mysterious space). But it was super-fast reading, especially due to all of the chapters that were in transcript or text form.
Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman. I never heard of the author but I've seen this consistently hyped in book groups on Reddit. And it lived up to the hype. Not really like anything I've read ... a horror/fantasy set in Black Death era France about a grizzled warrior, a disgraced priest, and a young girl experiencing visions trekking to see the Pope and encountering all kinds of demons and monsters along the way. I should read more by him (his fantasy book The Blacktongue Thief also is highly recommended by others).
Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie. It's kind of an "easy mode" version of House of Leaves (also being a "found footage" book about a haunted house with a door that leads to a vast mysterious space). But it was super-fast reading, especially due to all of the chapters that were in transcript or text form.
Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman. I never heard of the author but I've seen this consistently hyped in book groups on Reddit. And it lived up to the hype. Not really like anything I've read ... a horror/fantasy set in Black Death era France about a grizzled warrior, a disgraced priest, and a young girl experiencing visions trekking to see the Pope and encountering all kinds of demons and monsters along the way. I should read more by him (his fantasy book The Blacktongue Thief also is highly recommended by others).
07-27-23, 07:59 AM
#148
DVD Talk Special Edition
Thread Starter
Re: What Are You Reading 2023
Finished:
Wow, this was a real banger. One of the best horror novels I have read in years.
It is described as the Exorcist meets the Lord of the Flies, and that is a pretty fair description.
Wow, this was a real banger. One of the best horror novels I have read in years.
It is described as the Exorcist meets the Lord of the Flies, and that is a pretty fair description.
