Books...Books...Books....
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I'm seriously annoyed at how much I enjoyed the prequel books by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston - The First Formic Wars.
Ender's Game and it's related books form the backbone of a good portion of my adolescence. I have signed copies of the Shadow of the Hegmon from one of Card's visits to BYU. My first Mu was Ender's Game based, and I still run the FB page for the old game players. (The kids of some of the last admin/wiz are old enough THEY are reading the books now.)
I am also aware that Card has gone absolutley fundamentalist and I'm ashamed of many of the public statements he has put out in the last 15 years both as a fan and as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I had convinced myself that the prequels were going to carry that particular taint with them.
But I needed something to read and listen to when caring for my brother last weekend and so I decided I would give it a try. I was hooked before I had even left the parking lot of my apartment. I even bought the physical books when I went book browsing with my niece and nephew.
And gdi, they were amazing. They are NOT Ender's Game. They aren't the Shadow books. They are closest to the Speaker of the Dead ones, but even those are a far cry.
These were just... amazing. I cared deeply about every character. It cut me apart when they died. I couldn't figure out the angle of anyone, which the older I get, the harder it is to surprise me. I was expecting a different resolution than I was given. Now I'm irritated that the third book is done and my libraries don't have the ebook or audio book for the first book of the following series, The Second Formic War. I have to wait till tomorrow and go buy the danged thing. (I own physical copies of all the other books. I'm committed now.)
They were just.
So.
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Finally getting around to reading the Foundation cycle. Also have the Lensman series and Jack Vance's 'Dying Earth' series on tap with my Kindle app.
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Reading Poverty Safari. It is bloody good, and giving me more food for thoughts. Next, Why I'm No Longer Talking...
Alongside some Heyer and Pratchett of course. Doing it alongside them is really making me more aware of Heyer's "of her time" casual racism and sexism, and Pratchett's undermining of tropes (better in late books - it isn't mocking a trope if you are just doing the thing).
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Hi! I'm currently working my way through Philip K. Dick's A Maze Of Death for the second time.
It's a rather dark and sordid novel that explores humanity's instinct for Armageddon and destruction, even self-destruction. Questions reality and parallel existence, puts a lot of things into perspective and is, at times, very convoluted.
I read it two years ago because it was associated with a RPing community I was a part of that inspired itself from various works from PKD but I just sort of rushed it as to fit in and master a basic glossary of words and understandings specifically off of it so I wouldn't be left completely adrift when people shared hidden references, and I realize now it was a mistake.
Reading it now much more slowly, the intake's been felt different, and I really regret having rushed through some of his chapters. To ease myself into Philip's particular style of storytelling beforehand, I also read his little story called Faith of Our Fathers. It's really good, and you can read it in 10-20 minutes depending on how quick you go through it.
I wouldn't rush it though. His stuff's usually full of double-meanings and lofty confections that make it difficult to trail at times what the fuck's going on.
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I have just discovered that Kill Six Billion Demons borrows a bit heavily from The Keys to the Kingdom, a book series I am now keen to explore.
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I have just recently discovered the joy of Agatha Christie. I always figured that while I like the idea of the proto cozy murder mystery books, I didn't think I'd enjoy her writing. I was WRONG. Currently reading my first book, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.
I've left 'And Then There were None' and 'Death on the Nile' for later as I didn't want to read her best ones first. I figure one more after 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd' before I do; any recommendations?
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I really like the Poirot movies. Haven't read the books, though.
Ceterum autem censeo Carthaginem esse delendam
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@Ominous You should! They are pretty decent and quick reads. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd so far is a positively delightful and it is getting me excited about reading more. Makes me want to take notes to see if I could figure out who the murderer is before Poirot.
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@Cadi I particularly liked The ABC murders. It's another Poirot.
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@Pondscum Yes! That's what I need, thank you!
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A friend gave me the book: Cutting School: Privatization, Segregation, and the End of Public Education by Noliwe M Rooks.
It was a really interesting read considering current times. It focused mostly on the financial factors and was pretty even handed in its criticism of every political side in the education debate. She railed against George W. Bush and Obama in equal measure. She also included both race and class issues in the discussion. When there was something to praise, she did so. When there was something to criticize, she did that too.
Two things I found most interesting:
- When talking about charters she didn't spend her time on the efficacy of charters. She talked about the financial beginnings of charters and the financial gain privately funded educational management companies reap from running charters. It was a cautionary tale of the dangers of treating opening and running as something to make money off of for wall street.
- She did a dive into virtual education and how effective they have been. She took the stance that they were wholly ineffective for students of poverty, disadvantage, and who lacked parent support. (For those who HAD parent support and money they were more successful.) The book was written in 2017 before the current crisis and it made me reflect on what we are doing right now in the current climate in the are OF virtual education. My district is going back with a full 5 day schedule but places like LA where they have determined it isn't safe to go back, I have to wonder how effective this online education will be considering their populations. To be clear, I am neither supporting nor criticizing their decision. The BEST decisions are usually made at the local level and I can't judge California by Colorado's levels.
Either way, it was a good read that reaffirmed almost all of my preexisting beliefs about the problems in how schools are funded.
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Some of my all-time favorites:
John Dies At The End by David Wong. Small-town burnouts get exposed to a substance they call "the soy sauce" that gives them sorta-omniscience, shreds the veil between the living and the dead, and makes them the target of interdimensional invaders. Hijinks ensue. Absurd, genuinely horrifying sometimes, and an Internet classic. Has a lot of nostalgia value for me since my friend and I used to print off the chapter updates every Halloween and read them together.
So You Want To Be A Wizard by Diane Duane (and really, ever subsequent book in the series). If you're really bummed about what a trash human being JK Rowling is turning out to be, this honestly has always been the superior young adult series. It came before Harry Potter anyway and it is just better, I mean it. Duane's characters grow and explore their personal tragedies in ways that are so much more raw and real than Rowling accomplishes even at her best, imho, and the way magic works is just fascinating; wizards are called to fight the force of universal entropy itself.
Silk by Caitlin R. Kiernan. I dunno how you even describe this book and the sequels/related novels. It's kinda-sorta urban fantasy/psychological horror with some cosmic horror influences (most often categorized as "weird fiction") revolving mostly around a group of friends in the South, but expands to include a sort of secret world and oh my god just go read it. Everything the author writes is amazing and will stick with you long after you put it down.
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Peace Talks is a thing, and I cannot fathom the next book taking place any more than a month after that cliffhanger. Luckily, it's coming out... when, September?
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All of us Butcher fans waiting forever.....
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@Jennkryst said in Books...Books...Books....:
Peace Talks is a thing, and I cannot fathom the next book taking place any more than a month after that cliffhanger. Luckily, it's coming out... when, September?
SQUUUUUUUUUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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@silverfox Forever?
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Peace Talks was pretty OK, but felt devastatingly short both in terms of actual page count and story, which has been a growing problem for me in each of the last Dresden Files books. Feels to me like Butcher is racing to the finish line, and leaving a lot of the fun world building and character development of the earliest books behind.
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I can't even imagine picking up Peace Talks and remembering anything that happened in the previous books at this point.
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@Roz said in Books...Books...Books....:
I can't even imagine picking up Peace Talks and remembering anything that happened in the previous books at this point.
Butcher actually does take a little time summarizing some of the biggest events with each character, kinda showcasing how far they've come by having Dresden reflect. It's sparse, but it's something at least.
