The What Are You Reading thread (now with a simpler name)

[melkathi]

Raptors build and operate teleporters in Tingle's universe

[Hawke64]

On 8/3/2024 at 12:28 PM, melkathi said:

Raptors build and operate teleporters in Tingle's universe

Finished Chuck Tingle's novel, Camp Damascus. No unicorns or even raptors, which was most disappointing. Some spoilers below:

Spoiler

I liked that an autistic gay protagonist defeated her foes through the power of her memory and chosen family, while her toxic biological material donors were almost never mentioned again after kicking her out. They are not worth one's time and attention, if they do not represent an immediate threat, in which case, ensuring one's safety is a priority.

I didn't like the "zero-kills protagonist" trope where the antagonists are killed indirectly by the forces outside of the protagonist's control, but them surviving is extremely undesirable for the protagonist.

The horror elements were rather mild, considering the protagonist's inquisitive personality and scientific approach. The book mentioned the actual horror directly - the fictional Kingdom of the Pine is not unusual, and it is a reminder why conversion therapy must be banned, regardless of any religion attached.

Overall, it is very well written and I would recommend the book, though, it is not as wholesome as the short stories, due to the elements mentioned above.

[Malcador]

Reading the book on Blizzard, it's not exactly Masters of Doom in terms of in depth it goes, but I guess covering the 30+ years of the company that way would be too much to ask for.  Nothing all that earth shattering, Kotick is a stereotypical suit, although the anecdote of him wanting monthly releases of ______ Hero games and the executives thinking game development was like shampoo manufacturing were funny.

[uuuhhii]

a tide of black steel by anthony ryan

 a decent start for a new trilogy

the premise of viking vs roman style viking is certainly rare

main character are bland but tolerable

covenant of steel was a disappointment

hope this one end up better

 

Edited November 3, 2024 by uuuhhii

[uuuhhii]

more and more fantasy novel are now ai generate garbage instead of formulaic garbage

there seem to be no possibility of this trend being slowed or stopped in any way other than global power outage

finding decent novel would only be more and more difficult in the future

[uuuhhii]

wind of truth are more self indulgingly long then expected

still filled with so many pointless awful character author refuse to trim

moash was right

[Malcador]

The 900 Days: The Siege of Leningrad

Good  read, isn't military history really as isn't all that deep into what the armies are doing, rather focuses on how the people dealt with the siege.  Interesting to note the political gaming going on even with a siege ongoing, Malenkov and Beria mostly (the latter deserved worse than he got).

[summerz]

Abraham Verghese’s The Covenant of Water is a sweeping, multigenerational novel set in South India, blending history, medicine, and family drama. The story follows a lineage afflicted by a mysterious condition where members drown in seemingly ordinary circumstances. Through lyrical prose and deeply human characters, Verghese explores themes of love, loss, and resilience.

[Bartimaeus]

1 hour ago, summerz said:

Abraham Verghese’s The Covenant of Water is a sweeping, multigenerational novel set in South India, blending history, medicine, and family drama. The story follows a lineage afflicted by a mysterious condition where members drown in seemingly ordinary circumstances. Through lyrical prose and deeply human characters, Verghese explores themes of love, loss, and resilience.

Really weird how everyone keeps using the exact same phrases to describe this book, including even first time spammers posters on the Obsidian forums.

Edited February 5 by Bartimaeus

[Malcador]

Doing light reading, reading Cloak of Deception, Star Wars novel that came out after Ep 1.  Isn't all that bad, the author really likes the word "nicitating", but at least I learned a new word from the book.  Naturally, has a lot of politicking going on, about trade route taxation

[majestic]

1 hour ago, Malcador said:

Doing light reading, reading Cloak of Deception, Star Wars novel that came out after Ep 1.  Isn't all that bad, the author really likes the word "nicitating", but at least I learned a new word from the book.  Naturally, has a lot of politicking going on, about trade route taxation

You should read Red Harvest, that'll turn you off of Star Wars books for a while. I mean, unless you like bad zombie apocalypse novels.

[Hurlshort]

I went and saw the Broadway production of The Great Gatsby this week. I was a blubbering mess for the majority of the show. I was the only one in my family who had read the book. First off, I never really understood how much of a difference a strong actor can make in a performance. I've seen a few shows over the years in San Francisco; Wicked, The Book of Mormon, Beetlejuice. But watching Sarah Hyland play Daisy was incredibly different from any other movie or show. I fell in love with her almost immediately. I'm going to put the rest of my Great Gatsby Musical stuff in spoilers so I don't ruin the story.

Spoiler

Falling in love with Daisy is a terrible mistake. I knew that immediately. I basically became Gatsby, sitting in the audience watching everything unfold. The tricky part about The great Gatsby is understanding that Nick is the only redeeming character. Everyone else is a villain. Sure, Tom is an a-hole (which is worked into a song) but he's not even the biggest villain. By the end of it all, Daisy is the real villain. All the deaths trace back to her. All of the conflict. All of the sadness. 

So I sat in the audience and wept from nearly start to finish. My family looked at me like I had lost it, and I had. For better or worse.

So go read the book and then watch the show.

@Volourn would love this one.