What are you reading right now?

Dobbie03 · 2019-11-02 17:47:32

The first book of the Witcher series in preparation for the Netflix series.

ohnonot · 2019-11-02 22:20:39

clusterF wrote:

...

South Africa, early 80s, military... that makes me very queasy.

clusterF · 2019-11-03 12:09:52

ohnonot wrote:

clusterF wrote:
...
South Africa, early 80s, military... that makes me very queasy.

Yeah it is a horrible history, much like most wars are. That book shed some light on an unknown war to me, clandestine if you will. When i read books on war i always go in with a mindset of what are they fighting about and why. We can all learn from history good and bad. Also the Rhodesian/Zimbabwe war era started much earlier than the 1980's and ended in the late 80's, 1990. Lot of various factions involved including china and russia(soviet union), east germany influence.

Last edited by clusterF (2019-11-03 12:16:59)

ohnonot · 2019-11-05 07:42:28

clusterF wrote:

Yeah it is a horrible history, much like most wars are. That book shed some light on an unknown war to me, clandestine if you will. When i read books on war i always go in with a mindset of what are they fighting about and why. We can all learn from history good and bad. Also the Rhodesian/Zimbabwe war era started much earlier than the 1980's and ended in the late 80's, 1990. Lot of various factions involved including china and russia(soviet union), east germany influence.

Yeah, very interesting.
But I was refering to Apartheid.

clusterF · 2019-11-05 08:15:46

ohnonot wrote:

clusterF wrote:
Yeah it is a horrible history, much like most wars are. That book shed some light on an unknown war to me, clandestine if you will. When i read books on war i always go in with a mindset of what are they fighting about and why. We can all learn from history good and bad. Also the Rhodesian/Zimbabwe war era started much earlier than the 1980's and ended in the late 80's, 1990. Lot of various factions involved including china and russia(soviet union), east germany influence.
Yeah, very interesting.
But I was refering to Apartheid.

That was part of it yes.

If you feel up to it, this link goes into more details on the origins of the bush war...(not Dubya)...

https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/en … n_Bush_War

ratcheer · 2019-11-05 14:49:22

Strange Weather by Joe Hill, a collection of four novellas. I'm currently reading the third one. So far, two of the three have been excellent. I guess the other one is pretty good, but I don't like the direction it took.

ohnonot · 2019-11-06 06:14:28

clusterF wrote:

ohnonot wrote:
But I was refering to Apartheid.
That was part of it yes.
If you feel up to it, this link goes into more details on the origins of the bush war...(not Dubya)...
https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/en … n_Bush_War

I do not "feel up to it", but I did take a look at that link.
It mentions Apartheid exactly once - apparently SA supported the (white) Rhodesian soldiers after Britain would not anymore.

That's not exactly the context I was after.

Glorifying war in any way disgusts me.
Glorifying racists fighting against black independence disgusts me more.

BTW, your sources are not exactly neutral.

Anyhow, I'm outta here. Can't say I'm glad to learn more about your political inclinations.

PS:
Monty Python mention Rhodesia quite often. I think I'm beginning to understand the context.

clusterF · 2019-11-06 09:19:01

ohnonot wrote:

clusterF wrote:
ohnonot wrote:
But I was refering to Apartheid.
That was part of it yes.
If you feel up to it, this link goes into more details on the origins of the bush war...(not Dubya)...
https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/en … n_Bush_War
I do not "feel up to it", but I did take a look at that link.
It mentions Apartheid exactly once - apparently SA supported the (white) Rhodesian soldiers after Britain would not anymore.
That's not exactly the context I was after.
Glorifying war in any way disgusts me.
Glorifying racists fighting against black independence disgusts me more.
BTW, your sources are not exactly neutral.
Anyhow, I'm outta here. Can't say I'm glad to learn more about your political inclinations.
PS:
Monty Python mention Rhodesia quite often. I think I'm beginning to understand the context.

^ Did not mean to upset or offend you and i believe you are reading into my posts more than you ought to.

I have family in the military who serve, so various aspects of war, be it defense and or offense interest me. Especially the special forces of various nations.

Anyhow, end of conversation lets just leave it there eh.

ratcheer · 2019-11-26 14:18:33

Last night, I re-read Stephen King's excellent novella N. I read that his inspiration was The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen and that King considers it superior to his story. So, I downloaded that (free) to my Kindle Reader and have started it.

clusterF · 2019-11-27 13:26:02

White Gold: The Extraordinary Story of Thomas Pellow and Islam's One Million White Slaves

https://www.amazon.com/White-Gold-Extra … 0374289352

Just started reading this, interesting historical account.

CanadianClubXXX · 2019-11-28 09:49:20

"A time of torment", by John Connolly (the #14 book in his Charlie Parker series).

Salut,

clusterF · 2019-11-30 15:42:43

Learning Linux Binary Analysis

https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Binary- … 1782167102

ratcheer · 2019-12-01 13:37:14

I'm taking a stab at Moby Dick; or, The Whale. I'm not sure whether I'll make it all the way, but I love the prose.

Dobbie03 · 2019-12-02 04:57:05

I'm reading World War Z again. Its a fun read.

clusterF · 2020-01-21 12:33:25

Im halfway through the first book of Jeff VanderMeer's Borne series.

Very strange story, takes a bit to get the imagination working with his writing.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/425 … lete-borne

twoion · 2020-01-21 17:59:43

twoion wrote:

twoion wrote:
Have now finished both The Quantum Thief and The Fractal Prince.
I have since finished also The Causal Angel, which is the final novel in the trilogy, and these three books now definitely are some of my favourite Sci-Fi novels. You may or may not agree with the ending as imagined by the author, and it's by now certainly less original, but if you don't go all bean counting on each word and concept it stills is very enjoyable. The 'visual' writing style which I wrote about earlier requiring some imagination to immerse oneself in the story is still present as in the two previous novels but somewhat less impressive and pronounced. All in all, a satisfying conclusion.
Then, an altogether different style and different author: I've finished Ursula Le Guin's classic The Left Hand of Darkness and am currently working on The Dispossessed and must say that her style of writing and concept is also very attractive (not for no reason are these novels typically called 'good reads'). Both combine good adventure&suspense – probably better in this regard than Asimov's Foundation series – with vivid world and concept building. The books also are heavy on playing with different philosophies and world views (putting aside some supernatural aspects) which I luckily can neither associate nor dissociate with the person of the author and her personal views, and I'd like to keep it that way since this is some of the most entertaining parts of her writing. She is a smart writer who despite her lack of background in the hard sciences can deal with the philosophy of science just fine without going overboard on the popcorn science fiction I'd say The Expanse is typical for.
That being said: The Expanse: Tiamat's Wrath is out and I'm going to buy it tomorrow

I've neglected this thread for almost half a year it seems! Time flies.

Anyhow.

Right now, I'm reading yet another well-written book by Hannu Rajaniemi, Summerland, which is very different from the Jean Le Flambeur trilogy in its setting but also an intriguing concept. I'm only on page 90 now but it's quite captivating. But be braced: it's not as "good" as the Quantum Thief trilogy by a long shot…

Next in my queue is Seveneves, another novel by Neil Stephenson of, as far as I am concernced, Snow Crash and most importantly The Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer fame. Curious how it'll turn out.

Dobbie03 · 2020-01-22 04:28:22

I'm currently reading Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson.

clusterF · 2020-02-01 13:00:24

Tau Zero by Poul Anderson

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/240617.Tau_Zero

Poul Anderson's Tau Zero is an outstanding work of science fiction, in part because it combines two qualities that are often at odds in this genre: an interest in the emotional lives of its characters and a fascination with all things technological and scientific. In Tau Zero these components are not merely fused; they work together with a remarkable synergy that makes the novel much more than just a deep space adventure story.
The novel centers on a ten-year interstellar voyage aboard the spaceship Leonora Christine, and it opens with members of the crew preparing for their departure from earth. It is an especially moving departure because they know that while they are aboard the ship and traveling close to the speed of light, time will be passing much more quickly back home. As a result, by the time they return everyone they know will have long since died. From practically the very first page, therefore, Tau Zero sets the scientific realities of space travel in dramatic tension with the no-less-real emotional and psychological states of the travelers. This is a dynamic Anderson explores with great success over the course of the novel as fifty crewmembers settle in for the long journey together. They are a highly-trained team of scientists and researchers, but they are also a community of individuals, each trying to make a life for him or herself in space.
This is the background within which the action of the novel takes place. Anderson carefully depicts the network of relationships linking these people before the real plot begins to unfold. The voyage soon takes an unexpected and disastrous turn for the worse. The ship passes through a small, uncharted, cloudlike nebula that makes it impossible for the crew to decelerate the ship. The only hope, in fact, is for the ship to speed up.

Would be an interesting tv mini series or maybe movie.

twoion · 2020-02-01 14:01:47

twoion wrote:

Anyhow.
Right now, I'm reading yet another well-written book by Hannu Rajaniemi, Summerland, which is very different from the Jean Le Flambeur trilogy in its setting but also an intriguing concept. I'm only on page 90 now but it's quite captivating. But be braced: it's not as "good" as the Quantum Thief trilogy by a long shot…

I've finished the book; it's OK and a story well told. I think the world building as potential for more but it can stand on its own.

Next in my queue is Seveneves, another novel by Neil Stephenson of, as far as I am concernced, Snow Crash and most importantly The Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer fame. Curious how it'll turn out.

OK now I'm on page 60 of THIS book and it's good. Apocalypse-themed space ark sci fi but weirdly rooted in present times (absolutely not far removed which makes it similar to the Dark Forest Trilogy, though I don't know if we're gonna time skip on the way to expand the time frame covered by a couple of thousand years); there are literal mentions of Facebook etc in there which is slightly offputting but I suppose SNS like that now have a place in commonly used language around the world. Really enjoyable. For the first 60 pages alone a strong recommendation. The book is quite long (800+ pages) so there's a lot of room for variation ahead.

clusterF · 2020-02-01 15:14:44

^ Sounds interesting, i dig the title "Seveneves" I dont mind hard sci fi, make you think and study what you are reading instead of reading a pantomime.

Last edited by clusterF (2020-02-01 15:14:57)

johnraff · 2020-02-02 04:07:30

Inside the Mind of Xi Jinping by François Bougon

Still on the first chapter, but it's not hard reading, and seems to be shedding some light on what's becoming a more and more important subject.

The book's had some other good reviews, and Bougon seems to know what he's talking about. YMMV of course.

Dobbie03 · 2020-02-02 05:59:03

Children of Men.

clusterF · 2020-02-02 10:33:26

Dobbie03 wrote:

The first book of the Witcher series in preparation for the Netflix series.

What did you think of the Witcher series over the books? I havent read the books but am 3 episodes in watching the Netflix series. I dont mind it, bit confusing for me as they seem to be telling a different story each episode. Probably should read the books maybe.

Dobbie03 · 2020-02-03 04:32:18

clusterF wrote:

Dobbie03 wrote:
The first book of the Witcher series in preparation for the Netflix series.
What did you think of the Witcher series over the books? I havent read the books but am 3 episodes in watching the Netflix series. I dont mind it, bit confusing for me as they seem to be telling a different story each episode. Probably should read the books maybe.

I haven't finished either but I like that they are similar but not.

Jimbo_G · 2020-02-27 13:44:19

Not a book, but I'm reading an article by the author of one of my favourite non-fiction books, Prosperity Without Growth: https://www.cusp.ac.uk/wp-content/uploa … -1.2MB.pdf

Here's a quote:

Rising inequality and the resulting political instability are neither the accidental aftermath of the financial crisis nor the inevitable result of declining growth rates, but rather the consequence of continuing to cling to the ‘growth fetish’ at a time when economic (and resource) fundamentals are operating in the wrong direction.

#526 2019-11-02 17:47:32

Re: What are you reading right now?

#527 2019-11-02 22:20:39

Re: What are you reading right now?

#528 2019-11-03 12:09:52

Re: What are you reading right now?

#529 2019-11-05 07:42:28

Re: What are you reading right now?

#530 2019-11-05 08:15:46

Re: What are you reading right now?

#531 2019-11-05 14:49:22

Re: What are you reading right now?

#532 2019-11-06 06:14:28

Re: What are you reading right now?

#533 2019-11-06 09:19:01

Re: What are you reading right now?

#534 2019-11-26 14:18:33

Re: What are you reading right now?

#535 2019-11-27 13:26:02

Re: What are you reading right now?

#536 2019-11-28 09:49:20

Re: What are you reading right now?

#537 2019-11-30 15:42:43

Re: What are you reading right now?

#538 2019-12-01 13:37:14

Re: What are you reading right now?

#539 2019-12-02 04:57:05

Re: What are you reading right now?

#540 2020-01-21 12:33:25

Re: What are you reading right now?

#541 2020-01-21 17:59:43

Re: What are you reading right now?

#542 2020-01-22 04:28:22

Re: What are you reading right now?

#543 2020-02-01 13:00:24

Re: What are you reading right now?

#544 2020-02-01 14:01:47

Re: What are you reading right now?

#545 2020-02-01 15:14:44

Re: What are you reading right now?

#546 2020-02-02 04:07:30

Re: What are you reading right now?

#547 2020-02-02 05:59:03

Re: What are you reading right now?

#548 2020-02-02 10:33:26

Re: What are you reading right now?

#549 2020-02-03 04:32:18

Re: What are you reading right now?

#550 2020-02-27 13:44:19

Re: What are you reading right now?

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