Books/What are you reading?

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gbruin
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This is why I don't read fiction.

Post by gbruin »

I finished Children of Dune and I'm now on God Emperor of Dune and it's gotten progressively so bizarre and ridiculous that I can't wait to finish the series just to have it done with so I can get back to some degree of normalcy in my books.
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Andy92
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by Andy92 »

gbruin wrote: Mon May 02, 2022 4:37 pm I finished Children of Dune and I'm now on God Emperor of Dune and it's gotten progressively so bizarre and ridiculous that I can't wait to finish the series just to have it done with so I can get back to some degree of normalcy in my books.
I haven’t read Dune but I’ve heard it gets pretty out there. I know you mostly don’t read fiction, but there’s a lot of good modern writers out there who aren’t as out there compared to some sci fi I’ve read from a few decades ago.
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Re: This is why I don't read fiction.

Post by Ubik »

gbruin wrote: Mon May 02, 2022 4:37 pm I finished Children of Dune and I'm now on God Emperor of Dune and it's gotten progressively so bizarre and ridiculous that I can't wait to finish the series just to have it done with so I can get back to some degree of normalcy in my books.
This is why I stopped after Dune.

Did the Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe last year (amazing) and just got the follow up so hoping it's not a similar deal.
For all of the hope that it brings...

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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by Merinda »

I went and saw the movie and then read maybe 3 chapters and was like what the f is this? I just couldn't follow it. I will probably give it another go when I'm not distracted by other books I'm reading at the moment.

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A series of one

Post by gbruin »

Merinda wrote: Mon May 02, 2022 10:16 pm I went and saw the movie and then read maybe 3 chapters and was like what the f is this? I just couldn't follow it. I will probably give it another go when I'm not distracted by other books I'm reading at the moment.

Greig Beck - anything he's written.
I decided to read Dune so I could better understand the movie (which I got lost in pretty quickly), and the first book was really enjoyable. I'd recommend everyone stop right there and go no further (though I think the second movie is supposed to go through the end of the second book).
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by Timotheus »

I read the first book before seeing the movie, and thought it was fantastic from front to back. Like Ubik, I've been very hesitant about picking up the following books for the same reason. Though the plot of the second book sounds very interesting.
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by Andy92 »

I haven’t read them but I thought the new movies were supposed to be two parts that just told the story of book one. I don’t think they’re getting into the second book at all but I could be wrong on this since I don’t know anything about the books.
anguyen92 wrote:Oh well. Deal with it.

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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by gbruin »

Andy92 wrote: Tue May 03, 2022 12:36 pm I haven’t read them but I thought the new movies were supposed to be two parts that just told the story of book one. I don’t think they’re getting into the second book at all but I could be wrong on this since I don’t know anything about the books.
I read an interview with the director a couple weeks back so I'm just regurgitating here, but it seems up in the air. The first book, Dune, has 3 parts, and the recent movie covered the first 2 parts. The initial plan for the second movie was that it was supposed to cover part 3 of Dune, and then they would complete the trilogy with a third movie that covers Messiah, but it sounded like they haven't ruled out that the second movie would cover all of that. That seems like they'd have to cram a lot of plot into one movie so I'd be surprised to see that. Apparently they're already writing for the second movie so I guess they'll sort it out pretty soon.

They've certainly proven they can make the movies as long as they want to just by adding any number of unreasonably long scenes of either sweeping landscapes or closeups of Chani with ridiculously loud theme music layered on top. :lol
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by Andy92 »

gbruin wrote: Tue May 03, 2022 5:50 pmwith ridiculously loud theme music layered on top. :lol
Man I watched that movie at home with a subwoofer and the scene when they bomb Arrakis about knocked my chair over lol
anguyen92 wrote:Oh well. Deal with it.

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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by Dan Dando »

I’m only a chapter into Moby Dick (reading it for the first time) and already have several favourite passages. Here’s one…

“What of it, if some old hunks of a sea-captain orders me to get a broom and sweep down the decks? What does that indignity amount to, weighed, I mean, in the scales of the New Testament? Do you think the archangel Gabriel thinks anything the less of me, because I promptly and respectfully obey that old hunks in that particular instance? Who ain't a slave? Tell me that. Well, then, however the old sea-captains may order me about- however they may thump and punch me about, I have the satisfaction of knowing that it is all right; that everybody else is one way or other served in much the same way- either in a physical or metaphysical point of view, that is; and so the universal thump is passed round, and all hands should rub each other's shoulder-blades, and be content.”

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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by gbruin »

Nice, Dan. That really is a good book. Although, if you have the unabridged version, there are about 8-10 chapters near the beginning which go into excruciating detail of each step of how they process a whale on board, and it's perfectly reasonable (and personally recommended) to skip right past all those and pick up the story afterward.
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by Dan Dando »

gbruin wrote: Thu Nov 03, 2022 1:39 pm Nice, Dan. That really is a good book. Although, if you have the unabridged version, there are about 8-10 chapters near the beginning which go into excruciating detail of each step of how they process a whale on board, and it's perfectly reasonable (and personally recommended) to skip right past all those and pick up the story afterward.
Appreciate the warning :D :cheers

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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by Andy92 »

Finished the newest Mistborn book today. Now the wait for the next one begins… :smashcomp
anguyen92 wrote:Oh well. Deal with it.

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It Ends With Us.

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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by MaraCarr »

The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

I am on Book ONE / Storm Front.
It is unique. I love it.

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gbruin
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Teen fantasy fiction is so not my thing

Post by gbruin »

I got forced into reading The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang (2018). Imagine retelling the horrific history of the Chinese-Japanese conflicts of the 1930's onward by fusing parts of Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The Witcher, Game of Thrones, The Hunger Games, and probably a few other fantasy stories I didn't pick up on, and there you have it.

It is, of course, part one of a trilogy.
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by Micky »

2023 has been one heck of a year and I made myself a promise that I was going to force myself ot have more time to do one of my favorite hobbies: READ.

I was able to do just that (mostly in the latter half of the year) but I’m pretty proud of the list I was able to create in what was a year of working, wedding planning, family, etc.

So, here’s a small portion of the books I read in 2023. I'll break it down by series, as I had read more in the cop/detective/mystery genre this year than anything, just because of time.

Jack Reacher Series:

Running Blind-Lee Child. Book 4.

The Jack Reacher books are what I call my “comfort reads.” While the stories are pretty formulaic, and the plots all typically revolve around Reacher wandering into a new town and getting involved in a bad situation where he has to save the day, there is something so captivating about the character that keeps me coming back. The book on it’s own however felt like a bit of a drag and in my ranking of the Jack reacher books that I’ve read so far (11 out of 28) it is number 9. The story in and of itself is fine, and the twist at the end is excellent, but I found myself losing interest in the surrounding characters and hating a few of them.

2.5/5

Echo Burning-Lee Child. Book 5

Just going to say that I absolutely loved this book. It’s a simple premise, Reacher walks into a strange town and hitches a ride from a beautiful woman who says she needs him to help her get away from her abusive husband, and then more of the family secrets are revealed, etc. And while most of the Reacher fanbase has this book at the low end of their rankings, I thought this was a fast paced, high-stakes thriller that never let up. For reference, I finished it in 2 days, where I read half the book on each day, whereas the previous book, Running Blind, took me about two weeks. This is my 3rd favorite Reacher book of the ones I have read so far.

4.25/5

Without Fail-Lee Child. Book 6

This is one I was actually quite excited to pick up. I was house-sitting for some family and brought this with me to read while I stayed there. It’s about Reacher and a friend trying to prevent the assassination of the Vice President of the United States. The premise excited me, the idea of Reacher kicking the crap out of people to protect the Vice President sounded awesome to me, and it seemed a bit different than the traditional Reacher stories. What we got here is a bit of a mixed bag. Ultimately there are moments of greatness here that are watered down with blah side characters and a final battle that was anti-climactic, and difficult to follow in regards to how it was written. Ranked 8 out of 11 so far.


Persuader-Lee Child. Book 7

Persuader was a book that had a premise that didn’t necessarily excitement, but man there is some killer stuff in this book. I think the smaller scale story was a great idea following the previous book and I think all the characters were at least somewhat interesting. There’s also some personal stuff in here that connect to Reacher’s past that really make the book stand out. I have it ranked number 5 out of 11 here and that’s mostly because I just think the books above it are more engaging and entertaining. Persuader is a bit more of a slow burn, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but the stakes in the books ranked above cause for a much grander and exciting story.




The Enemy-Lee Child. Book 8.

This one is actually a prequel about Reacher’s early days in the military as a police officer. It’s a great treat getting to see Reacher in his early days and how he developed such strong skills as an investigator. He makes mistakes here that show his character flaws and how he develops his skills for thinking throughout the series. I read this one in one single sitting, as I genuinely couldn’t figure out how it was going to end. The only thing here that I didn’t care for was how such a small and intimate story has such a bombastic finale, it felt a bit out of place and there wasn’t much build up to it. But, it was a fun finale albeit out of place. Ranked 4 out of 5.

4.5/5

One Shot-Lee Child. Book 9

This is actually the book that the first Jack Reacher movie with Tom Cruise is based on. It’s an incredibly engaging story, with fascinating characters, motivations, and a mystery that has you from the beginning to the end. A sniper kills 5 people from a parking garage and a former member of Reacher’s unit is blamed and arrested for it. Reacher shows up because he’s convinced the guy did it and wants to help convict him, only to unravel a whole conspiracy around the shooting. Reacher is at his best here and the mystery is one of the best in the series.

Ranked 2 out of 11

4.75/5


The Hard Way-Lee Child. Book 10

The Hard way is a tough one. The premise is great, Reacher watches a man who steals a mercedes and finds out it had a million dollars in ransom money, and the man who paid the ransom wants Reacher to help get his money and family back. The beginning of the story is excellent, the ending and twist with the mystery may be my favorite of the series, but it’s the middle that was tough. There’s so much exposition and back and forth between leads in the mystery that it got a bit confusing and a bit bogged down in the heaviness of some of accusations. While I think Reacher is still a badass in this book, he also makes a lot of mistakes here that seem a bit out of character for the more experienced Reacher, and while they may be done to make him more relatable, in the 10th book in a series that’s largely standalone, people read these expecting the Reacher we know and love, and we get some of that here, but not enough at the same time. I have this ranked 7/11 here.

3.25/5

Bad Luck and Trouble-Lee Child. Book 11

This is the book that inspired the second season of the Reacher series on prime and there’s a reason why: It’s awesome. Reacher’s friends from his old military unit start turning up dead and Reacher gets together with the surviving members of his old unit to find out who and why. I listened to this on audiobook actually (I got it for $1 at Goodwill) and was completely engrossed in it. It’s a captivating mystery about the dangers of privatization in the security world and how messing with a man’s family can be the most dangerous thing you can do. The banter between Reacher and his unit are what make this book worthwhile and I HIGHLY recommend. I have this ranked 5/11 here.



That’s it for my Reacher book reviews in 2023. I’m going to post more reviews of books I’ve read in 2023 later on, but this was the series I read the most of and thought it would be fun to share.

Overall Reacher series ranking so far from best to worst:
Killing Floor (Book 1)
One Shot (Book 9)
Echo Burning (Book 5)
The Enemy (Book 8)
Bad Luck and Trouble (Book 11)
Persuader (7)
The Hard Way (Book 10)
Without Fail (Book 6)
Running Blind (Book 4)
Tripwire (Book 3)
Die Trying (Book 2)
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by Merinda »

I've jumped on the ACOTAR train.
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by gbruin »

Just finished The Witcher series and I was not pleased with the ending at all. :slam :pout :wtf :mope

In an effort to decontaminate the recent spate of fiction and fantasy, I'm reading The March of Folly by Barbara Tuchman (author of The Guns of August, the second greatest book ever). The book is a historical retrospective, from the Trojan War through Vietnam, looking at the pervasive and repeated examples of failure, mismanagement, and delusion in government. Sadly, Ms Tuchman passed in 1989 because we have been writing the next chapter for her over the last decade.
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