What are you reading now?
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@lufins-dad said in What are you reading now?:
Did you read 7-8 at all?
I read 7, but it was SO long ago that I don't remember much. For the sake of continuity, it'll be a fun ride to do all three.
I frequently do the same thing with TV shows as a new season comes out - binge the preceding season to get into it.
I'm retired, and I've got the time!
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@george-k said in What are you reading now?:
"Bobiverse" books my Taylor.
OK, I'm about 350 (out of 800) pages into this. Very VERY popcorn.
But, I noticed something with this book that I hadn't noticed with the others.
Remember, the premise is that that there are dozens, hundreds, or even more "clones" of "Bob" - the protagonist of the first book. Each of them is a computer-saved individual, identical in most ways to the source. Yet, each copy has a slightly different personality. Some call themselves, "Bob." Others call themselves "Bill" or "Will (Riker)". Slightly different personalities, each.
A major sub theme of this book is that, now 20 generations out, the "copies" of "Bob" are not copies - they have individual personalities, goals and ethics.
But, I digress...
So, in this book, although it's all first-person, each chapter is told by a different "Bob." And...the timelines are not necessarily consecutive.
"Reading" the book as opposed to "Listening" to the book is a totally different (and better) experience, because, although each chapter identifies the "Bob" whose perspective it is, and the date, this is the kind of stuff that gets lost, very easily, in an audio version.
But, the popcorn's been good this weekend.
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I'm still in the middle of this one - but an excellent book discussing a wide range of issue related to some of what is happening in the world today with tribalism and the challenges of effective communication. This is on my recommended pile. It has the benefit of not being written by a journalist but rather a qualified researcher.
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@george-k said in What are you reading now?:
Someone, was it @LuFins-Dad ?, asked if I've read the latest of the "Bobiverse" books by Taylor. I hadn't, and though it's not as thought-provoking as Reynolds' stuff, it's a fun read. This is, like all of Taylor's stuff, Popcorn. About 10% through today, and exactly what I'd expect.
Finished this AM. A totally fun read. A good story which ends well, but leaves the door open for future adventures.
So, today I started my re-read of "Persepolis Rising." Probably going to binge through this and the final two books.
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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@george-k said in What are you reading now?:
So, today I started my re-read of "Persepolis Rising."
On re-read, it was...okay.
It's very much a "let's set this up for the final chapter(s) of the story" type of book. It's very much like the 4th book of the series. Somewhat filled with, well, "filler" material which could have been easily omitted for the sake of the story.
But, when you gotta write a book, you gotta write a book.
So, I read the first half, and skimmed through the second.
Now, the penultimate book, at least so far, is a HELL of a ride. I'm only about ⅓ of the way through, and thoroughly enjoying. I hope to finish it this week.
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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@george-k said in What are you reading now?:
@george-k said in What are you reading now?:
So, today I started my re-read of "Persepolis Rising."
On re-read, it was...okay.
It's very much a "let's set this up for the final chapter(s) of the story" type of book. It's very much like the 4th book of the series. Somewhat filled with, well, "filler" material which could have been easily omitted for the sake of the story.
But, when you gotta write a book, you gotta write a book.
So, I read the first half, and skimmed through the second.
Now, the penultimate book, at least so far, is a HELL of a ride. I'm only about ⅓ of the way through, and thoroughly enjoying. I hope to finish it this week.
How did you like that opener?
Just finished Leviathan Falls…
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@lufins-dad said in What are you reading now?:
How did you like that opener?
Yah. All that phoniness from Duarte seeping through into Holden's psyche.
Very good. It's much MUCH better than the previous book.
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I’m finishing up nemesis games (expanse #5)
Taking me forever because I reading other things concurrently.
One question, I haven’t quite figured out how the titles of the books have anything to do with the plot lines.
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@bachophile said in What are you reading now?:
I haven’t quite figured out how the titles of the books have anything to do with the plot lines.
Well,
- Leviathan Wakes
The Leviathan is a sea monster in Judaism, most well known from its appearance in the Book of Job.
The title refers to the waking of the long-dormant protomolecule from Phoebe, moon of Saturn.
- Caliban's War
Caliban is a half human, half monster character from Shakespeare's play The Tempest.
The title refers to the project which created hybrid human-protomolecule soldiers and the war fought with and over them.
- Abaddon's Gate
Abaddon is a Hebrew name for the abyss or pit of destruction, as well as an angel personifying the same.
The title refers, I think, to the characters passing through the protomolecule's gate and the rapid forced braking they experience and the destruction that follows.
- Cibola Burn
The Zuni-Cibola Complex is an archeological site in New Mexico. It was believed by the Spanish to be one of the Seven Cities of Gold.
The title refers to Ilus, a planet settled by both Belter refugees and a mining company from Earth, who both wanted to mine the planet for its valuable lithium. It may also refer to the ancient buildings they find on the planet.
- Nemesis Games
Nemesis is a Greek goddess who enacts retribution against the arrogant.
The title refers to Marco Inaros and his Belter "Free Navy" who attack the Earth.
- Babylon's Ashes
Babylon was the capital city of the Babylonian Empire. In Jewish and Christian symbolism it stood for the corrupt world, evil, and eventually the Roman Empire.
The title probably refers to the continuing recovery efforts of Earth after Marco's attack, although most book readers would be more likely to sympathise with the Earth's survivors. The title may also be a clue of the Laconian Empire's overtaking of Earth in the next book.
- Persepolis Rising
Persepolis was the capital of the Persian Empire.
The title refers to the reemergence of the hidden Laconian Empire which, just as the Persian Empire had conquered the Babylonian Empire, then conquered the "Babylon" of Earth, Mars, and all the other inhabited systems.
- Tiamat's Wrath
Tiamat is the Babylonian goddess of the sea and chaos.
The title refers the unknown alien race which had previously defeated the protomolecule's "Ring Builders" race and is now attacking Humanity (or arguably defending itself), by a variety of means including scrambling the physical parts of humans, causing system-wide consciousness breaks, and destroying everything in the Slow Zone.
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Well that was obvious
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Finished this one last night. No new insights for me contained there, but the culture is in desperate need of this book. Unfortunately the woke are not educable in any idea that might go against the social grain, so they are hopeless emotional robots in any case.
I appreciated that Mr McWhorter identified the push for four year college educations for all as the second most important populist cultural idea that needs to be broken. I've identified that same idea as our culture's second dumbest. Great minds and all that.
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There's a massive knob living across the street, but this book hasn't helped at all.
Proud supporter of Plan 2525. Everything you think, do and say will be in the pill you took today.
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@doctor-phibes I thought the author was Hugh Jardon.
My bad.
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As I said, I decided to binge through the last 3 books of the Expanse series.
Finished "Leviathan Falls" this afternoon. What a great ride it's been. The ending of the story is satisfying and complete, while still leaving the door open for more stories. All of the characters have an appropriate ending, especially the "Last Man Standing."
Just loved the scope and scale of the story.
THere's no doubt that, if you just wanted to tell "The Story," much could have been omitted, and rather than taking 9 books, 3-4 would have been sufficient. Get rid of the "Prax" stories, for example. Though enjoyable, they really don't move the story forward other than expanding on the horrors of Strickland's research.
It could have been leaner if all you wanted to do is tell the story. But, they were building a universe, and it worked. Very satisfied.
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I am almost finished with the following book:
I wasn't really familiar with this story. Quite interesting. About a unknown young Malaysian guy who was able to get the Malaysian government to set up a soveriegn fund which he controlled and ultimately stole most of the money (hundreds and hundreds of millions of USD). I did do a search and it appears that he is hiding out in China (probably Macau).
@jon-nyc Have you heard of this case? It seems like it was quite easy for it to happen. Greed on the part of the investment banks, private bankers etc.
@Axtremus The book gives a pretty bad picture of corruption and politics in Malaysia. I dont know much about government affairs in Malaysia and was wondering if you feel corruption is pretty common there?
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@George-K : listened to this just last night, all in one go. My wife and I listened to it in the car on the way up to see my in-laws. The book ended just as we pulled into the driveway.
(By the way, this is the second Scalzi book we've done this with. We started Redshirts on the way up to New Hampshire. Listened to it all in one go, got done right when we pulled into the parking lot.)
Anyway, this series rocks. Please have Quinto play Tony in the TV series. This SO NEEDS TO HAPPEN.
