So what are you reading this year 2021?

Eyes of Nine · Nov 16, 2021

Finished The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson, from 1996. Like most of Stephenson's work, it's got a ton of interesting ideas in it. That tugged me along slowly for first 250 pages or so. But then finally the protagonist became clear, and her arc also became roughly clear, and I gobbled up the remaining 249 pages. I would recommend, although

there is sexual assault towards the end that is mostly hand-waved, which I think sadly is a pretty 90's cis-male approach

.

Next up more zines! Oh also the Green Lantern graphic novel written by NK Jemisin, Far Sector.

Blue · Nov 17, 2021

Eyes of Nine said:
Finished The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson, from 1996. Like most of Stephenson's work, it's got a ton of interesting ideas in it. That tugged me along slowly for first 250 pages or so. But then finally the protagonist became clear, and her arc also became roughly clear, and I gobbled up the remaining 249 pages. I would recommend, although

there is sexual assault towards the end that is mostly hand-waved, which I think sadly is a pretty 90's cis-male approach

.

Next up more zines! Oh also the Green Lantern graphic novel written by NK Jemisin, Far Sector.

Diamond Age is a wonderful mess. I've re-read it a good number of times, as the experience changes when you know what's going on. It's perhaps top 3 and definitely 5 top of his works for me.

Oh, if you've read Snowcrash, there's a pseudo-confirmed by Author cameo by a quite old YT.

Onto the second part - NK Jemisin wrote Green Lantern? She's absolutely one of my favorite author's that's I've been exposed to in the last 5 years. I had no idea she did that though, thank you for mentioning it!

Blue · Nov 17, 2021

Haven't been doing as much reading. I have more half-finished books then I like. Finished the 3rd Indestructables book, The Entropy of Everything. It ... was weaker than the first two. Had some quite good areas, but the stakes were raised to a point that the characters couldn't accept them if everything went pear shaped - and had a handy escape mechanism so wouldn't have to. Between those, it didn't hold the tension. There was some good character growth, but that's what you read teen superhero books for, so I hope so.

dragoner · Nov 17, 2021

I have been writing enough that reading is mostly printed out rules sets. Though I began re-reading Merchanter's Luck by CJ Cherryh.

Richards · Nov 18, 2021

I'm reading The Mask of Loki by Roger Zelazny and Thomas T. Thomas. I'm not sure how I missed this one, as I had thought I'd read just about all of Zelazny's novels. In keeping with his favorite topic - updating various mythological beings to the current or future day - this one deals not only with Loki in the near future, but also a Templar plotline involving recurring battles against assassins over the centuries.

Johnathan

Eyes of Nine · Nov 18, 2021

Blue said:
Diamond Age is a wonderful mess. I've re-read it a good number of times, as the experience changes when you know what's going on. It's perhaps top 3 and definitely 5 top of his works for me.

Oh, if you've read Snowcrash, there's a pseudo-confirmed by Author cameo by a quite old YT.

Yes I caught that and very much enjoyed the easter egg. It's been a very long time since I read Snowcrash (within a year or two of it's publication); but I will never forget the skateboard with the wheels that stuck to the road (being an active skateboarder at the time).

BookTenTiger · Nov 18, 2021

We just had a baby, so I've been reading a lot in between / during feedings. Lately I finished:

Beautiful World Where Are You, by Sally Rooney

If you are a Rooney fan (and I am), this is a must read. She's much more experimental in this novel than her others, and I think it really pays off.

Hamnet, by Maggie O'Farrell

This is subtitled A Novel of the Plague, making it strangely appropriate to read now. It's about Shakespeare's wife and kids (including his son Hamnet, which was synonymous with Hamlet at the time). It's a beautiful, emotionally devastating book, full of neat historic details, and I'm not sure reading it at the birth of my son was a good idea!

Best Short Stories of 2021: O'Henry Prize Winners

I get this collection every year, and it never disappoints. This was the first year they used translated stories, as well as the usual stories published in English. A really wonderful collection, each story worthy of the prize.