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

[Malcador]

On 4/6/2024 at 4:35 AM, Sarex said:

Finished book 6. This one was a bit of a slog. They tried to do a similar narrative to God Emperor, but the issue was that none of the characters where that interesting. What it does do wel l is set up any future plot.

Restarting that now, forgot how much I like Bellonda (BH and KJA's handling and killing her off in their books is a small reason they can both get ****ed).  Book 5's ending seemed very rushed.

My paperbacks are indeed shoddy as well, half of book 5 has Paul referred to as Maud'dib, then switches to Muad'Dib.  And in book 6 one page has "Honored Matre" replaced by spaces.   I get a kick of defective books, favourite example was a Warhammer 40k book that had 6 pages from a different book entirely inserted into it.

[Sarex]

2 hours ago, Malcador said:

Book 5's ending seemed very rushed.

I mean all of the books had relatively quick culminations. A battle happened, these guys won, closing dialogue. He doesn't go in to much details.

2 hours ago, Malcador said:

My paperbacks are indeed shoddy as well, half of book 5 has Paul referred to as Maud'dib, then switches to Muad'Dib.  And in book 6 one page has "Honored Matre" replaced by spaces.   I get a kick of defective books, favourite example was a Warhammer 40k book that had 6 pages from a different book entirely inserted into it.

Maybe it's worth some money now.

[Malcador]

5 hours ago, Sarex said:

I mean all of the books had relatively quick culminations. A battle happened, these guys won, closing dialogue. He doesn't go in to much details.

That is fair. I guess the battle where Rakis gets wasted isn't necessary to show (this was a bother to KJA/BH for some reason).

[Sarex]

Hunters of Dune. I have to be honest, I skimmed half of the book. At this point I am reading Sandworms of Dune for the plot.

[Malcador]

4 hours ago, Sarex said:

Hunters of Dune. I have to be honest, I skimmed half of the book. At this point I am reading Sandworms of Dune for the plot.

Only book I have returned to the library the day I got it, got so upset I felt like destroying the book. 

[HoonDing]

"Hunters of Dune"

Just stop. Stop while you still can.

[Malcador]

1 hour ago, HoonDing said:

"Hunters of Dune"

Just stop. Stop while you still can.

He must make it to the Ultra Spice

[Sarex]

Well this explains why the sons books were not that good.

2:03:05 timestamp

 

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

3 hours ago, Sarex said:

Well this explains why the sons books were not that good.

2:03:05 timestamp

 

Huh, maybe I'll try to read Dune. I don't like Villeneuve's movies because they very much feel too mechanistic and don't have the weird psychedelica that is in Lynch's Dune and apparently the books.

Anyway I read Raw Dog - a book about hot dogs, the labor to make them, and a breakup happening over a road trip. It's pretty good tbh. Next up is After the Revolution.

[Sarex]

Well this was...painful... It may not have been worth reading it even for the story. I already knew the story, but I thought the book would connect the dots and add transitions between story points. Sadly I didn't find any of that. The books seem like a kid playing in his fathers garage with tools he doesn't know anything about. Maybe it's because I was skimming through it that something was lost on me, but I mostly skimmed through the Murbella pov, so that I doubt that explains Duncan's story at all. Teg's ending was, first of all a spit in the eye of the reader and second of all so unimaginative. So much words spent on characters that did not matter at all and so little spent on the one who is the supposed epicenter of the story.

I don't know what to say, maybe the son should have tried some shrooms, but I doubt that could have helped any with this train wreck....

This book is basically a fanfick novel.

Edited April 15 by Sarex

[HoonDing]

 

[Sarex]

This video just makes the last book even worse.

[Malcador]

Finally finished Chapterhouse, the cliffhanger ending is more annoying than I recall. 

[melkathi]

Found some time on the train today to continue my slog through Children of Ruin.

I'll finish the book eventually, but it is not filling me with desire to read the third book once I am done.

[Hawke64]

Grave Expectations by Alice Bell (the former deputy editor of RockPaperShotgun). It is a mystery novel with light gore. So far (~120 pages in) so good. I've also purchased the second book, Displeasure Island. The MC being a medium with a ghost sidekick slightly reminds of the Blackwell series.

Godot 3D Game Development. I have read the preface (see the quote) and decided to continue with this book later. I strongly suspect that the editor was MS Word Spellchecker.

Quote

The book is the author's master peace about game development

Godot 4 Game Development Projects. Completed the first project. Some parts of code were missing. Still, fine for £2.

[CopingMarlinsFan]

Just discovered Malcolm Guite and will be trying to read some of his poems.

[Sarex]

On 5/21/2024 at 7:21 PM, melkathi said:

Found some time on the train today to continue my slog through Children of Ruin.

I'll finish the book eventually, but it is not filling me with desire to read the third book once I am done.

I found it ok, but I never got around to book 3. Did start it, but I just wasn't in the mood for reading it. Have to give it a go one of these days.

[InsaneCommander]

Edited June 4 by InsaneCommander

[Malcador]

Finished Agency, it was a weird book. Stuff just happens, the people from the future just solve every issue.  Apparently the original plot was some alternate history where Trump won, and the future was trying to save that.

Flynn is barely in this, is mostly Netherton in quantum Skype calls.

[CopingMarlinsFan]

Re-reading Silent Mobius. Different than the anime, namely the ending but given it was cancelled it made sense. I have a hunch the mood whiplash of the anime will not be as severe in the manga.

I am also planning on reading some Lloyd Alexander, shame he seems to have been remembered only for his film adaptation.

[uuuhhii]

On 6/5/2024 at 12:58 AM, InsaneCommander said:

 

hope the entire royal family finally get wipe out in this book

this is the most annoying part of the series

[HoonDing]

Finished "Land fit for heroes" trilogy. In the end, it doesn't live up to its initial promise. Interesting setting and characters are introduced in the first book, and after that nothing really happens anymore.

[Hawke64]

https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/lost-solace-sci-fi-novels-bundle

Got the book bundle and started the Lost Solace book (which should be the first one). Somewhat reminds of Dead Space and Echo (haven't finished).

---

Discovered Chuck Tingle (SFW). Did not think that the books were real, definitely going to read. 2 are available on Google Play but, judging by the titles, they seem to be less surreal than the short stories.

[melkathi]

Chuck Tingle writes SFW stuff?

What is the world coming to?

Where is the outrage?

[Hawke64]

19 hours ago, melkathi said:

Chuck Tingle writes SFW stuff?

What is the world coming to?

Where is the outrage?

The link is SFW (and leads to an article about a dating sim) and the books (just started them*) might be.

*found out that I do have several short stories from Humble Bundle. Definitely NSFW and definitely very optimistic - "I have found the love of my live and my family does not hate me" or "I have recovered from a traumatic experience". I still don't understand how a unicorn with hooves for hands can ride a bike, but I can live with the "it's magic" explanation.