What are you reading now?

[George K]

Still in my sci-fi mode. Started this the other day:

2312:

The year is 2312. Scientific and technological advances have opened gateways to an extraordinary future. Earth is no longer humanity's only home; new habitats have been created throughout the solar system on moons, planets, and in between. But in this year, 2312, a sequence of events will force humanity to confront its past, its present, and its future.

The first event takes place on Mercury, on the city of Terminator, itself a miracle of engineering on an unprecedented scale. It is an unexpected death, but one that might have been foreseen. For Swan Er Hong, it is an event that will change her life. Swan was once a woman who designed worlds. Now she will be led into a plot to destroy them.

This is the third Robinson book I've read.

The first, "Aurora" was great. Generation-ship headed to who-knows-where and the challenges of such a journey. Absolutely great. Encouraged by this author, I picked up "Red Mars," the story of terraforming Mars into a habitable place for humans. I gave up about halfway through. It became ponderous, predictable ("And then, on our way to Mars, this shit happened, and this asshole didn't get along with..."). I stopped.

I'm about ⅓ of the way through 2312, but I'm losing hope. Too much irrelevant filler. He's trying to combine a thriller with hard sci-fi. At this point of the book, I still don't know what's going on. Yeah, he keeps dropping seeds of the overall plot, but it's painfully protracted. I'll give it another "walk's worth" of listening and then probably bail.

[bachophile]

some excellent non fiction about some excellent fiction.

[taiwan_girl]

@bachophile what is it about?

[bachophile]

@taiwan_girl

a number of years ago an alleged papyrus from the first century was discovered which purported to imply Jesus was married and it turned out to be a forgery.

It’s the story of a Harvard professor and how academia was fooled, and in general about the role of women in the early Christian texts.

[taiwan_girl]

@bachophile said in What are you reading now?:

@taiwan_girl

a number of years ago an alleged papyrus from the first century was discovered which purported to imply Jesus was married and it turned out to be a forgery.

It’s the story of a Harvard professor and how academia was fooled, and in general about the role of women in the early Christian texts.

Ah thanks. I read a book like that a years ago that supposedly said the same thing. I can't remember the name right now. Hard for me to finish, as it talked about lots of things I have no background or knowledge in.

[George K]

@taiwan_girl said in What are you reading now?:

I read a book like that a years ago that supposedly said the same thing.

Was it one of Bart Ehrman's books?

[taiwan_girl]

@George-K said in What are you reading now?:

@taiwan_girl said in What are you reading now?:

I read a book like that a years ago that supposedly said the same thing.

Was it one of Bart Ehrman's books?

I am pretty sure no. I looked up his books.

EDIT: I found it!!!!! "The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail"

[George K]

@taiwan_girl said in What are you reading now?:

"The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail"

Ehrman is a most interesting guy. He grew up in Wheaton, IL, in a very religious family. He attended religious-based schools all his life, and became the chairman of religious studies at (I think) Duke. Then, upon reflection, he became an atheist.

I've always found it interesting that the chairman of a religious studies department can be an atheist. On one hand, it gives him a position of objectivity, on the other, you have to wonder whether if, as an atheist, he has any standing as chairman of a department that's devoted to religion.

(waiting for @Ivorythumper to chime in!)

[Jolly]

Educated beyond his intelligence.

[bachophile]

@taiwan_girl that sounds like one of those da Vinci code spinoffs.

This is about serious scholarship and a screw up at Harvard divinity school ( which actually banked on da Vinci code populism to push a forgery) and its repercussions.

[George K]

More pulp....

Reynolds has written a huge saga based on the "Revelation Space" universe. I've not read any of them, but they look intriguing. This book consists of two short stories, "The Great Wall of Mars" and "Glacial." Though not written first, they are chronologically first in the tale.

Thought I'd give it a shot.

The first story was great. Nice, self-contained introduction into the rest of the saga. Looking forward to the others.

[George K]

A nice, fun, 45-minute listen.

[George K]

@George-K said in What are you reading now?:

Reynolds has written a huge saga based on the "Revelation Space" universe. I've not read any of them, but they look intriguing. This book consists of two short stories, "The Great Wall of Mars" and "Glacial." Though not written first, they are chronologically first in the tale.

Great, hard, HARD, sci-fi.

I've read the first four short stories/novellas in the "Revalation Space" universe.

"Great Wall of Mars" sets up the universe with the background of the "Conjoiners." The next three stories expand on the premise.

One of the reasons I decided to go chronologically rather than in order of publication is that some of the characters that appear in later novels are introduced in the short stories/novellas.

Each is about 90 minutes or so, and are really fun.

Gonna take a break from this and dive into the next of the "Dune" prequels: The Machine Crusade.

[jon-nyc]

@George-K said in What are you reading now?:

When did he write that? Seems like a reference to Tweety.

[George K]

@jon-nyc said in What are you reading now?:

When did he write that? Seems like a reference to Tweety.

In 2010. Pick your POTUS.

[Copper]


[jon-nyc]

@George-K said in What are you reading now?:

@jon-nyc said in What are you reading now?:

When did he write that? Seems like a reference to Tweety.

In 2010. Pick your POTUS.

Yeah but the bird cage in particular.

[bachophile]

Just finished this, deeply painful romance, good also if u r interested in WWI historical fiction with a lot of WWI medical history. But in the end, a love story. By the author of the piano tuner, which I also enjoyed.

Now just starting this

[George K]

@George-K said in What are you reading now?:

Gonna take a break from this and dive into the next of the "Dune" prequels: The Machine Crusade.

Finishing this up (hope to be done tomorrow).

It's a great tale, and a worthy sequel to "The Butlerian Jihad." I know it'll leave a lot of things unresolved until the final book of the trilogy, but I've enjoyed it.

There are some flaws (some disposable characters that waste a lot of space - introduced and then gone), but it picks up nicely from the first book.

When I dove into this, I found it fascinating that Xavier Harkonnen is such a hero. I can't wait to find out what the story about the Harkonnen/Atreides feud is all about.

If you haven't read "Dune," it might be a bit of a heavy lift, because there are so many points at which you go "Oh! Yeah! That explains what happened there...." But as a standalone, it does have its merits, particularly when joined with the first book. Looking forward to #3.

[George K]

Good story, but very much a place holder for the last part of the trilogy.

Gonna take a Dune break and dive into Revelation Space (Alistair Reynolds). I did the first stories of this universe (short stories, all) and liked what he's setting up.

I'm going to go chronological, not in terms of publication, but in terms of the story.

So, up next:

Tom Dreyfus is a Prefect, a law enforcement officer with the Panoply. His beat is the multifaceted utopian society of the Glitter Band, that vast swirl of space habitats orbiting the planet Yellowstone, the teeming hub of a human interstellar empire spanning many worlds. His current case: investigating a murderous attack against one of the habitats that left 900 people dead, a crime that appalls even a hardened cop like Dreyfus. But then his investigation uncovers something far more serious than mass slaughter---a covert plot by an enigmatic entity who seeks nothing less than total control of the Glitter Band. Before long, the Panoply detectives are fighting against something worse than tyranny, in a struggle that will lead to more devastation and more death. And Dreyfus will discover that to save what is precious, you may have to destroy it.