What are you reading?
- Thread starter Emma
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Just finished up Seven Eves by Neal Stephenson (sci-fi/fiction in the near future), upon recommendation by a co-worker. I don't want to give away any of the plot, so I'll address some generalities. Overall, enjoyable, and recommended for a light read. Definitely more of a "holistic" or overarching humanity-type story than I originally was expecting.
There is an event early in the book that changes the course of humanity. I thought the book would revolve around finding out how/why it happened. Nope. It's left ambiguous. So, I was reading the book expecting one kind of story and got something else entirely. I think it was just a tool to advance the story, but IMHO I think they could have just come up with an answer instead of leaving that point hanging. The beginning of the book does a good job hooking you into the characters and plot.
The second third of the book was a somewhat gritty look at the "immediate" aftermath and at about 2/3 through does the title of the book make sense.
The last third of the book goes off into a bit of a different path than the previous 2/3 but ends up tying most of it together at the end.
I thought it was an interesting story to tell overall with an aggressive but somewhat plausible approach, but the last third was just a bit weaker in my opinion - some of the technical aspects in particular seemed somewhat lacking but it sure was a heck of an idea that was implemented. Also, the storytelling seemed to shift a bit in tone that didn't jive with the first 2/3. I saw some of the bits at the end coming before they went into detail. One of the characters was played a bit over the top - but I think it was somewhat necessary to advance the story being told. Some of the background/descriptions seem pretty long-winded (technology, physics, genetics, etc.) and in a couple of cases it seems that the physics wouldn't always match the descriptions in the book. Pretty much minor quibbles in an otherwise enjoyable fiction read, though.
There is an event early in the book that changes the course of humanity. I thought the book would revolve around finding out how/why it happened. Nope. It's left ambiguous. So, I was reading the book expecting one kind of story and got something else entirely. I think it was just a tool to advance the story, but IMHO I think they could have just come up with an answer instead of leaving that point hanging. The beginning of the book does a good job hooking you into the characters and plot.
The second third of the book was a somewhat gritty look at the "immediate" aftermath and at about 2/3 through does the title of the book make sense.
The last third of the book goes off into a bit of a different path than the previous 2/3 but ends up tying most of it together at the end.
I thought it was an interesting story to tell overall with an aggressive but somewhat plausible approach, but the last third was just a bit weaker in my opinion - some of the technical aspects in particular seemed somewhat lacking but it sure was a heck of an idea that was implemented. Also, the storytelling seemed to shift a bit in tone that didn't jive with the first 2/3. I saw some of the bits at the end coming before they went into detail. One of the characters was played a bit over the top - but I think it was somewhat necessary to advance the story being told. Some of the background/descriptions seem pretty long-winded (technology, physics, genetics, etc.) and in a couple of cases it seems that the physics wouldn't always match the descriptions in the book. Pretty much minor quibbles in an otherwise enjoyable fiction read, though.
While waiting for some of the other books to become available, I just finished off book 1 of the Stormlight Archive, The Way of Kings, also by Sanderson.
Another interesting fantasy take that is a bit more "random" to me than the others. This one also felt longer than his other works I've read, taking a lot of time to set up the characters and the story. Parts of it seemed a bit over the top (certain aspects of the bridge crews, etc., seemed pretty silly, for instance) and disjointed (seemed like several unconnected storylines were taking place); however, the last 10% or so of the book started pulling things together and making a bit more sense but also raising even more questions. Starting the second book tonight to see where the story goes.
Another interesting fantasy take that is a bit more "random" to me than the others. This one also felt longer than his other works I've read, taking a lot of time to set up the characters and the story. Parts of it seemed a bit over the top (certain aspects of the bridge crews, etc., seemed pretty silly, for instance) and disjointed (seemed like several unconnected storylines were taking place); however, the last 10% or so of the book started pulling things together and making a bit more sense but also raising even more questions. Starting the second book tonight to see where the story goes.
I just finished book 2, Words of Radiance, and I enjoyed this one a bit more than book 1. The story moved along better and obviously storylines started coming together into a more cohesive story. One of the fun little things is that the book occasionally throws in a mini-chapter with an unrelated short story that expands your knowledge of the "world" but doesn't tie into the story at large.
Just breezed through Dead Mountain by Preston and Child (in about 3+ hours) for a nice change of pace. Pretty typical writing for these to and an obviously easy read.
The story is based on a real life mystery about a group of skiers that died in the Ural Mountains in 1959. One of the authors also wrote this piece a couple years ago on that old Russian mystery. I remembered this article once I started digging into the book.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/05/17/has-an-old-soviet-mystery-at-last-been-solved
The story is based on a real life mystery about a group of skiers that died in the Ural Mountains in 1959. One of the authors also wrote this piece a couple years ago on that old Russian mystery. I remembered this article once I started digging into the book.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/05/17/has-an-old-soviet-mystery-at-last-been-solved
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Quickly read through Arcanum Unbounded, also by Sanderson. It’s a collection of short stories spread across various planets and series in his Cosmere universe. The highlight for me was Edgedancer, a short story focusing on Lift, a funny character from the Stormlight Archive that fully deserved some additional attention.
Just finished book one of Era Two: The Alloy of Law - Sanderson's book to start Era Two is much shorter and focuses on a tight net of characters. A much easier and "breezy" read and jammed with humorous bits that had me chuckling out loud at times. Very entertaining. I've got the next one on reserve.
Just finished reading the 3 part graphic novel White Sand by Sanderson - seems to have an indirect tie-in to his more traditional novels but just really didn't do it for me. Seemed to be a LOT of exposition and not a lot of action (for the most part), which I would expect more of in this storytelling medium. It also almost seemed like the 3rd book was rushed based on the pacing of the first two.
Just finished up book two of this series, Shadows of Self - similar in tone and feel to book one, it starts diving a bit deeper into the connection between the characters in book one and the characters in the books covering the previous era, and weaves a pretty decent story around them. Just downloaded book three to start soon!
I just finished off book for of Sanderson's Wax & Wayne series, The Lost Metal, and it is a fitting send-off for this series. A couple of interesting minor twists at the end and the possibility for the story to continue if he really wants to pursue other storylines. As usual for this series - some good humor, the story keeps moving along, and interesting characters.
Sanderson also has some standalone novels in the Cosmere universe, including one I just finished, Tress of the Emerald Sea. A somewhat whimsical adventure story of a girl who becomes a pirate to save the boy she loves, encountering a dragon, a sorceress, and other adventures along the way. Sanderson has a knack for assembling interesting backgrounds/magic systems/environments to work into his stories and does it again in this book. A nice diversion from more "serious" works and filled with humor.
Changing pace for a minute, I read To Make Men Free: A History of the Republican Party by Heather Cox Richardson. I've liked reading some of her daily work she has on Facebook (typically a historian's perspective of daily events) and wanted to check out more by her. Richardson delves into history to reveal the impetus for forming the party and how (and why) it has vacillated in its goals and ideals over time (both "good" and "bad"). There is history and nuance here you won't find in most classrooms, and it helped illustrate lots of people, events, and issues I recall hearing about growing up but was too young to understand or, frankly, was not interested in at the time.
The author reportedly describes herself as a "Lincoln Republican" with no current political affiliation, so it isn't a "hit piece" or an intentional glossing over of the good or the bad. I think that shows through in this book. It appears to be a fairly straightforward look at the successes and failures of the party as both a historical and political review. Obviously, it is only one person's view, but I found it helpful to explain certain events within the context of history, etc.
I've tried to keep this review non-political, as I enjoyed the book more from a historical perspective than any political one. As always, political discussion here (at KF) will be deleted. Please do not take this as a launching point for any political diatribes.
The author reportedly describes herself as a "Lincoln Republican" with no current political affiliation, so it isn't a "hit piece" or an intentional glossing over of the good or the bad. I think that shows through in this book. It appears to be a fairly straightforward look at the successes and failures of the party as both a historical and political review. Obviously, it is only one person's view, but I found it helpful to explain certain events within the context of history, etc.
I've tried to keep this review non-political, as I enjoyed the book more from a historical perspective than any political one. As always, political discussion here (at KF) will be deleted. Please do not take this as a launching point for any political diatribes.
I just finished the last of the Brian Sanderson Cosmere novels - Yumi and the Nightmare Painter. It's a very unusual book - a romance story with one of the strangest sci-fi type backgrounds I've read, but in some ways it felt forced and contrived. While I enjoyed the story development, many aspects seemed frivolous or whimsical and the story a bit cobbled together. I hadn't really gotten that feeling from his works before.
Have you come across any books that provide a historical background of any of the other political parties (past or present)? I speak from the point of view of someone who, while very much so engaged in elections, and the happenings around those events, is very green when it comes to the specifics and origins of the various political parties (past or present).
If you know of such material (i.e. books), I'd be interested to hear your recommendations.
If you know of such material (i.e. books), I'd be interested to hear your recommendations.
I haven't, and I wasn't really searching this one out. This was the first book of hers that was available on the Libby app to read so I started with that one. I'm reading something else right now, but my next book will be her How the South Won the Civil War. It is already downloaded and waiting on my Ipad.
Douglas Preston released a new book, The Lost Tomb, that I knew was non-fiction but little else. As you can see in reading this thread, he's an author that I really enjoy reading. This book is a collection of 13 "real-life stories of bones, burials, and murder."
Some of the stories covered here include:
I think my only "complaint" is that having been a fan of his work already, I've read through several of these stories before or have been exposed to them briefly through his work (for instance, the Russian skiers in the Urals and Oak Island, the basis of each were used for fictional stories he wrote). Still, a very interesting cross section of topics and research in the vein described above and definitely recommended for anyone not familiar with his work to get a taste of why I enjoy his writing.
Some of the stories covered here include:
- Serial killer in Florence, Italy
- Hundreds of human skeletons found at a Himalayan lake
- A group of dead skiers in the Ural Mountains
- Kennewick Man
- Oak Island
- Sandia Man
- The finding of a paleontology site that appears to show a record of the instant of impact of the asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs
- Native American skeletons and burials, including researching cannibalism among the Anasazi in the US southwest
- The biggest find in Egypt since King Tut's tomb
I think my only "complaint" is that having been a fan of his work already, I've read through several of these stories before or have been exposed to them briefly through his work (for instance, the Russian skiers in the Urals and Oak Island, the basis of each were used for fictional stories he wrote). Still, a very interesting cross section of topics and research in the vein described above and definitely recommended for anyone not familiar with his work to get a taste of why I enjoy his writing.