What are you reading [Jan 2017]?

[Kramodlog]

I just started Old Man's War by John Scalzi. It is mention so often as a great sci-fi novel, that I have to see what al the fuss is about for myself.

 

[Nellisir]

I just started Old Man's War by John Scalzi. It is mention so often as a great sci-fi novel, that I have to see what al the fuss is about for myself.

Opinion is divided.

 

[closterphobia]

Every 6 years or so I seem to go back and reread the Fafhrd and Grey Mouser books and the original Elric books, great reads.

: I meant to quote MNBlocked head here in response to his post, but mucked it up

 

[Eltab]

I picked up The Force Awakens at the library. Now (if I can ever find time to read it) I can find out what all the yells and cheers were about !

 

[Kramodlog]

Opinion is divided.

How so?

 

[Kramodlog]

Every 6 years or so I seem to go back and reread the Fafhrd and Grey Mouser books and the original Elric books, great reads.

Like Conan, I find these stories to be hit and miss. Some were clearly written as filler. Others are real fun. The pulp age is a fascinating period.

 

[darjr]

Just started reading Margaret St. Clairs Sign of the Labrys.

It's appendix N and I just discovered it's out in Kindle format. It's supposed to be one of those books that helped shaped the idea of dungeons in D&D.


https://www.amazon.com/Sign-Labrys-...swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1485660361&sr=8-1

 

[Nellisir]

How so?

It's similar to the Ready Player One divide. I found Old Man's War pretty derivative of, and inferior to, The Forever War. The same applies to Ready Player One and Snowcrash.

I might reread Old Man's War someday, but I got rid of my copy so it's not going to happen for a while.

 

[Nellisir]

I finished Beasts, by John Crowley. Not a bad book, but it never really captured me. I've been reading it on and off for months, and it's not a long book.... Also read Caliban's War, and have started Abbadon's Gate.

I started The Doll's House, by MJ Arlidge, and am not going to finish it. It's cliche tripe and I'm not in the mood for another nasty serial killer/kidnapper/abuser mystery with a protagonist with personal issues and crap like that.

Turns out there are at least 3 Department Q movies on Netflix though. The books are exactly the same but good, not cliche tripe, and the first two movies were great.

I've had a few changes in my personal life (separated from my wife, basically), and I'm making bookshelves for the new apartment...which means I've started pulling books out of boxes and putting them on shelves for the first time in years. Very, very happy.
(I should point out my wife had nothing to do with the books or shelves; it was more about storage space in the house and the fact I have a lot of books. I kept unread books out, and boxed up good read books. Bad read books get sold.)

 

[closterphobia]

Like Conan, I find these stories to be hit and miss. Some were clearly written as filler. Others are real fun. The pulp age is a fascinating period.

Totally agree on all counts. Luckily they're all pretty short, easy to skim through the clunkers.