The GF book thread

[AngryOfTuebrook]

On 16/05/2020 at 18:17, Dr Nowt said:

Just re-read The Death of Grass, having been introduced to it at GCSE. First time I’ve read a book cover-to-cover in 24 hours in many a long year.

 

A virus emanating from China and hobbling the whole world just seemed too fanciful for me to relate to, but I suppose it’s a classic for a reason.
 

Anyway, Lord of the Flies next.

I'm re-reading The Plague by Camus, for some reason. 

[Paul]

Finished the first of the new Mark Lawrence trilogy The Girl and The Stars, which is set on Abeth where The Book of The Ancestor trilogy was set. It follows a girl from one of the tribes who live out on the ice whose life changes when her brother is thrown down a ceremonial pit. Much mad shit ensues. It’s another good ‘un from him. 
 

Now reading Mark Billingham’s book, the SAS bloke off the telly. It’s good although disappoints when it doesn’t mention anything about what he did operationally. 

[Elite]

6 hours ago, Paul said:

Finished the first of the new Mark Lawrence trilogy The Girl and The Stars, which is set on Abeth where The Book of The Ancestor trilogy was set. It follows a girl from one of the tribes who live out on the ice whose life changes when her brother is thrown down a ceremonial pit. Much mad shit ensues. It’s another good ‘un from him. 
 

Now reading Mark Billingham’s book, the SAS bloke off the telly. It’s good although disappoints when it doesn’t mention anything about what he did operationally. 

Most of them are like that. I imagine there would be serious repercussions for any sensitive stuff revealed by them.

[Paul]

17 hours ago, Elite said:

Most of them are like that. I imagine there would be serious repercussions for any sensitive stuff revealed by them.

Yeah, I get that. Still disappointing though. I’d have thought he could’ve anonymised locations and colleagues to tell a few more anecdotes at least. Clearly couldn’t/wouldn’t. What’s there is great but you still want the really juicy stuff. 
 

Not far off finishing it now and I’ve got to say, he’s had one incredible life. 

[Elite]

55 minutes ago, Paul said:

Yeah, I get that. Still disappointing though. I’d have thought he could’ve anonymised locations and colleagues to tell a few more anecdotes at least. Clearly couldn’t/wouldn’t. What’s there is great but you still want the really juicy stuff. 
 

Not far off finishing it now and I’ve got to say, he’s had one incredible life. 

Sounds good. I'm still waiting for it to drop in price, I rarely pay more than a fiver for a book.

 

The Ant Middleton and Ollie Ollerton biographies are very good as well. Wasn't keen on the Jason Fox one like I said earlier in the thread.

[polymerpunkah]

Blackhawk Down

 

Mark Bowden

 

Really enjoyed the movie, and the book is just as good.

 

Goes a bit more into the friction between the various groups of soldiers, and the cause and aftermath of the conflict.

 

8 of 10

[Numero Veinticinco]

Just started The Graveyard Book by Neil Gainman. Seems really interesting so far. 
 

I finished up The Interdependency series by John Scalzi yesterday. I thought it was worth the read. Nothing too heavy, but an enjoyable enough plot. 

[Paul]

Followed up the Mark Billingham book with Bravo Two Zero by Andy McNabb. Fuck me, the limits of those fellas are insane. Absolutely insane. 
 

After that I read the new Michael Connelly, Fair Warning, which is a Jack McEvoy book. It’s a decent thriller. Only slight disappointment is I wanted Bosch or Haller to wander through the pages at some point even if only fleetingly. 
 

Next was a Max Brooks book of four short stories set in his World War Z world called, Closure, Limited. It’s decent but very short. I really wanted more from it. However, it’ll do until his new book which is out later this year and follows his WWZ template of a non-fiction style as it deals with Big Foot. 
 

I’m now on The World In Winter by John Christopher which I’ve never read before. It’s basically societal breakdown as a permanent winter hits the U.K.  

[polymerpunkah]

A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East

 

David Fromkin

 

Great title for a good book. A tad esoteric, of course, but it does a good job of setting out the diplomatic machinations that went into the post-WWI settlement.

 

Surprised to learn how central Churchill was to the whole process. I thought all he did between South Africa and WWII was Gallipoli. Definitely not the case.

[Bobby Hundreds]

Janet and Allan Ahlbergs classic tale of darkness, life and death, falling apart and putting yourself back together but mostly about family and companionship. Funny bones 10/10.

[Paul]

Re-read the first Sharpe book by Bernard Cornwell, Sharpe’s Tiger. I enjoyed it but not as much as I recall from first time round. 
 

Now on This Is The Way The World Ends: An Oral History Of The Zombie War by Keith Taylor. It’s basically an homage to World War Z and openly so in the preface. It’s good though. Feels very consistent with WWZ. 

 

[Sut]

I used to really enjoy the Sharpe novels. I found them to be a nice counterpoint to the aritoctratic poltroon that is Flashman.

 

I've just reread Mr Mercedes and have started the first short story in Scott Snyder's Voodoo Heart collection. Still also reading that history of cancer and have started reading William Strunk's Elements of Style to freshen up on grammar before getting back to teaching writing when the kids get back in.

[polymerpunkah]

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage

 

Alfred Lansing

 

Southsea voyage goes awry.

 

I think it might've been the inspiration for Gilligan's Island.

 

 

[Sugar Ape]

Reading all the Dresden Files novels again before the new one is released in the middle of July after a 5 year wait. Got 15 novels and two books of short stories to get through before then and currently on book number five.

 

Anyway, I like to plan ahead with my reading so every six months or so I'll put a list together of all the books I fancy and then try and work through them. Been looking at review sites and forums when I get a chance on and off for the last couple of weeks and this is what I've come up with if it's of interest to anyone else. Only really interested in Crime, Horror and Sci-Fi/Fantasy so I'll divide them into those categories.

 

Crime

 

Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke. Was initially drawn to the second book in this series - Heaven, my home - but seems wise to start at the beginning. Synopsis:

 

When it comes to law and order, East Texas plays by its own rules - a fact that Darren Mathews, a black Texas Ranger working the backwoods towns of Highway 59, knows all too well. Deeply conflicted about his home state, he was the first in his family to get as far away from Texas as he could. Until duty called him back.

So when allegiance to his roots puts his job in jeopardy, he travels up Highway 59 to the small town of Lark, where two murders - a black lawyer from Chicago and a local white woman - have stirred up a hornet's nest of resentment. Darren must solve the crimes - and save himself in the process - before Lark's long-simmering racial fault lines erupt.

 

Death in the Dordogne by Martin Walker. There are a decent amount of books in this series if they are any good. Death in the Dordogne is the first one.

 

EU inspectors are causing havoc in St Denis and local tempers are running high, but is it really cause for murder? The first acclaimed and internationally bestselling case for Bruno, Chief of Police.

'Hugely enjoyable and absolutely gripping. Martin Walker has got off to a flying start in what promises to be a great series. Bruno will be the Maigret of the Dordogne' Antony Beevor

Market day in the ancient town of St Denis in south-west France. EU hygiene inspectors have been swooping on France's markets, while the locals hide contraband cheese in their houses and call the Brussels bureaucrats 'Gestapo'. Police Captain Bruno Courreges supports their resistance. Although, here in what was once Vichy France, words like 'Gestapo' and 'resistance' still carry a profound resonance.

When an old man, head of an immigrant North African family, is found murdered, suspicion falls on the son of the local doctor, found in flagrante playing sex games surrounded by Nazi paraphernalia.

But Bruno isn't convinced, and suspects this crime may have its roots in that most tortured period of recent French history - the Second World War, a time of terror and betrayal that set brother against brother. Now it's up to him to find the killer - but will the people of St Denis allow him to go digging through the past in order to do it?

 

The Chestnut Man by Soren Sveistrup.

 

As the leaves fall, he's coming for you. . .

One October morning in a quiet suburb, the police make a terrible discovery.

A young woman is found brutally murdered with one of her hands missing.

Above her hangs a small doll made of chestnuts.

Examining the doll, Forensics are shocked to find a fingerprint belonging to a young girl, kidnapped and murdered a year ago.

Can a new killer be the key to an old crime?

And will his spree be over when winter arrives - or is he only just getting started?

 

The Puppet Show by M.W.Craven.

 

 A serial killer is burning people alive in the Lake District's prehistoric stone circles. He leaves no clues and the police are helpless. When his name is found carved into the charred remains of the third victim, disgraced detective Washington Poe is brought back from suspension and into an investigation he wants no part of. Reluctantly partnered with the brilliant, but socially awkward, civilian analyst, Tilly Bradshaw, the mismatched pair uncover a trail that only he is meant to see. The elusive killer has a plan and for some reason Poe is part of it. As the body count rises, Poe discovers he has far more invested in the case than he could have possibly imagined. And in a shocking finale that will shatter everything he's ever believed about himself, Poe will learn that there are things far worse than being burned alive

 

The last good guy by T.Jefferson Parker.

 

When hired by a beautiful and enigmatic woman to find her missing younger sister, private investigator Roland Ford immediately senses that the case is not what it seems. He is soon swept up in a web of lies and secrets as he searches for the teenager, and even his new client cannot be trusted. His investigation leads him to a secretive charter school, skinhead thugs, a cadre of American Nazis hidden in a desert compound, an arch-conservative celebrity evangelist--and, finally, to the girl herself.

 

IQ by Joe Ide.

 

East Long Beach. The LAPD is barely keeping up with the high crime rate. Murders go unsolved, the elderly are being mugged, children go missing. But word has spread: if you've got a case the police can't - or won't - touch, Isaiah Quintabe will help you out.They call him IQ. He's a loner and a high school dropout, his unassuming nature disguising a relentless determination and a fierce intelligence. His clients pay him whatever they can afford, a new set of tyres or some homemade muffins. But now he needs a client who can pay. And the only way to that client is through a jive-talking, low-life drug dealer he thought he'd left behind...

 

Horror

 

Been looking at an author called Grady Hendrix. His books sound a little strange and almost like YA books but they've got great ratings from what I've seen and look fun so I'm definitely going to give them a try. One called Horrorstor has just been optioned for a movie. So, Horrorstor, My Best Friend's Exorcism and The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix.

 

Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring wardrobes, shattered Bracken glassware, and vandalized Liripip sofabeds-clearly, someone or something is up to no good. To unravel the mystery, five young employees volunteer for a long dusk-til-dawn shift-and they encounter horrors that defy imagination

 

The year is 1988. High school sophomores Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fourth grade. But after an evening of skinny-dipping goes disastrously wrong, Gretchen begins to act different. She s moody. She s irritable. And bizarre incidents keep happening whenever she s nearby. Abby s investigation leads her to some startling discoveries and by the time their story reaches its terrifying conclusion, the fate of Abby and Gretchen will be determined by a single question: Is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil?

 

Patricia Campbell's life has never felt smaller. Her ambitious husband is too busy to give her a good-bye kiss in the morning, her kids have their own lives, her senile mother-in-law needs constant care, and she's always a step behind on thank-you notes and her endless list of chores. The one thing she has to look forward to is her book club, a close-knit group of Charleston women united by their love of true crime and paperback fiction. At these meetings they're as likely to talk about the Manson family as they are marriage, motherhood, and neighborhood gossip. This predictable pattern is upended when Patricia meets James Harris, a handsome stranger who moves into the neighborhood to take care of his elderly aunt and ends up joining the book club. James is sensitive and well-read, and he makes Patricia feel things she hasn't felt in twenty years. But there's something off about him. He doesn't have a bank account, he doesn't like going out during the day, and Patricia s mother-in-law insists that she knew him when she was a girl an impossibility. When local children go missing, Patricia and the book club members start to suspect James is more of a Bundy than a Beatnik but no one outside of the book club believes them. Have they read too many true crime books, or have they invited a real monster into their homes?

 

The Saturday night book club by Craig Davidson. Seen this described as a mix between Stranger Things and Stand by me.

 

Growing up in 1980s Niagara Falls - a seedy but magical, slightly haunted place - Jake Baker spends most of his time with his uncle Calvin, a kind but eccentric enthusiast of occult artifacts and conspiracy theories. The summer Jake turns twelve, he befriends a pair of siblings new to town, and so Calvin decides to initiate them all into the "Saturday Night Ghost Club." But as the summer goes on, what begins as a seemingly light-hearted project may ultimately uncover more than any of its members had imagined.

 

Sun Down Motel by Simone St.James.

 

Upstate NY, 1982. Every small town like Fell, New York, has a place like the Sun Down Motel. Some customers are from out of town, passing through on their way to someplace better. Some are locals, trying to hide their secrets. Viv Delaney works as the night clerk to pay for her move to New York City. But something isn't right at the Sun Down, and before long she's determined to uncover all of the secrets hidden there. Upstate NY, 2017. Carly Kirk has always been fascinated by her aunt Viv who disappeared from the Sun Down before Carly was born. Using a small inheritance from when her mom dies, Carly leaves college to go to Fell to figure out what happened to her aunt thirty-five years ago. Soon, Carly is mirroring her aunt's life, working as the night clerk at the motel, which hasn't changed since 1982. The guest book is still handwritten, the rooms still have actual keys, and a haunting presence still lingers. Carly discovers that Viv had been trying to unravel mysteries of her own - including a possible serial killer working in Fell. If Carly can find the answers Viv was searching for, she might be able to solve the mystery that has haunted her family for years.

 

The Plague Stones and Hekla's Children by James Brogden.

 

Fleeing from a traumatic break-in, Londoners Paul and Tricia Feenan sell up to escape to the isolated Holiwell village where Tricia has inherited a property. Scattered throughout the settlement are centuries-old stones used during the Great Plague as boundary markers. No plague-sufferer was permitted to pass them and enter the village. The plague diminished, and the village survived unscathed, but since then each year the village trustees have insisted on an ancient ceremony to renew the village boundaries, until a misguided act by the Feenans’ son then reminds the village that there is a reason traditions have been rigidly stuck to, and that all acts of betrayal, even those committed centuries ago, have consequences…

 

A decade ago, teacher Nathan Brookes saw four of his students walk up a hill and vanish. Only one returned - Olivia - starved, terrified, and with no memory of where she'd been. After a body is found in the same woodland where they disappeared, it is first believed to be one of the missing children, but is soon identified as a Bronze Age warrior, nothing more than an archaeological curiosity. Yet Nathan starts to have terrifying visions of the students. Then Olivia reappears, half-mad and willing to go to any lengths to return the corpse to the earth. For he is the only thing keeping a terrible evil at bay...

 

A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamill.

 

Noah Turner's family are haunted by monsters that are all too real, strange creatures that visit them all: His bookish mother Margaret; Lovecraft-obsessed father Harry; eldest sister Sydney, born for the spotlight; the brilliant but awkward Eunice, a gifted writer and storyteller - the Turners each face their demons alone.

When his terminally-ill father becomes obsessed with the construction of an elaborate haunted house - the Wandering Dark - the family grant his last wish, creating themselves a legacy, and a new family business in their grief. But families don't talk about the important things, and they try to shield baby Noah from horrors, both staged and real.

As the family falls apart, fighting demons of poverty, loss and sickness, the real monsters grow ever closer. Unbeknownst to them, Noah is being visited by a wolfish beast with glowing orange eyes. Noah is not the first of the Turners to meet the monster, but he is the first to let it into his room...

 

The Hunger by Alma Katsu

 

After having travelled west for weeks, the party of pioneers comes to a crossroads. It is time for their leader, George Donner, to make a choice. They face two diverging paths which lead to the same destination. One is well-documented – the other untested, but rumoured to be shorter.

Donner’s decision will shape the lives of everyone travelling with him. The searing heat of the desert gives way to biting winds and a bitter cold that freezes the cattle where they stand. Driven to the brink of madness, the ill-fated group struggles to survive and minor disagreements turn into violent confrontations. Then the children begin to disappear. As the survivors turn against each other, a few begin to realise that the threat they face reaches beyond the fury of the natural elements, to something more primal and far more deadly.

Based on the true story of The Donner Party, The Hunger is an eerie, shiver-inducing exploration of human nature, pushed to its breaking point.

 

The Reddening by Adam Nevil.

 

One million years of evolution didn't change our nature. Nor did it bury the horrors predating civilisation. Ancient rites, old deities and savage ways can reappear in the places you least expect.

Lifestyle journalist Katrine escaped past traumas by moving to a coast renowned for seaside holidays and natural beauty. But when a vast hoard of human remains and prehistoric artefacts is discovered in nearby Brickburgh, a hideous shadow engulfs her life.

Helene, a disillusioned lone parent, lost her brother, Lincoln, six years ago. Disturbing subterranean noises he recorded prior to vanishing, draw her to Brickburgh's caves. A site where early humans butchered each other across sixty thousand years. Upon the walls, images of their nameless gods remain.

Amidst rumours of drug plantations and new sightings of the mythical red folk, it also appears that the inquisitive have been disappearing from this remote part of the world for years. A rural idyll where outsiders are unwelcome and where an infernal power is believed to linger beneath the earth. A timeless supernormal influence that only the desperate would dream of confronting. But to save themselves and those they love, and to thwart a crimson tide of pitiless barbarity, Kat and Helene are given no choice. They were involved and condemned before they knew it.

 

Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey. 11 books in this series and good ratings, so should keep my going a while if it catches my fancy.

 

Life sucks and then you die. Or, if you’re James Stark, you spend eleven years in Hell as a hitman before finally escaping, only to land back in the hell-on-earth that is Los Angeles.

Now Stark’s back, and ready for revenge. And absolution, and maybe even love. But when his first stop saddles him with an abusive talking head, Stark discovers that the road to absolution and revenge is much longer than you’d expect, and both Heaven and Hell have their own ideas for his future.

Resurrection sucks. Saving the world is worse.

 

Sci-Fi/Fantasy

 

Burn by Patrick Ness.

 

“

On a cold Sunday evening in early 1957, Sarah Dewhurst waited with her father in the parking lot of the Chevron Gas Station for the dragon he’d hired to help on the farm.”

This dragon, Kazimir, has more to him than meets the eye. Sarah can’t help but be curious about him, an animal who supposedly doesn’t have a soul but is seemingly intent on keeping her safe from the brutal attentions of Deputy Sheriff Emmett Kelby.

Kazimir knows something she doesn’t. He has arrived at the farm because of a prophecy. A prophecy that involves a deadly assassin, a cult of dragon worshippers, two FBI agents – and somehow, Sarah Dewhurst herself.

 

Pelquin's Comet by Ian Whates.

 

In an age of exploration and expansion, the crew of the freetrader Pelquin’s Comet – a rag-tag group of misfits, ex-soldiers and ex-thieves – set out to find a cache of alien technology, intent on making their fortunes; but they are not the only interested party and find themselves in a deadly race against corporate agents and hunted by the authorities. Forced to combat enemies without and within, they strive to overcome the odds under the watchful eye of an unwelcome guest: Drake, agent of the bank funding their expedition, who is far more than he seems and may represent the greatest threat of all.

 

Eden by Tim Lebbon.

 

In a time when Earth's rising oceans contain enormous islands of refuse, the Amazon rainforest is all-but destroyed, and countless species edge towards extinction, the Virgin Zones were established in an attempt to combat the change. Off-limits to humanity and given back to nature, these thirteen vast areas of land were intended to become the lungs of the world.

Dylan leads a clandestine team of adventurers into Eden, the oldest of the Zones. Attracted by the challenges and dangers posed by the primal lands, extreme competitors seek to cross them with a minimum of equipment, depending only on their raw skills and courage. Not all survive.

Also in Dylan's team is his daughter Jenn, and she carries a secret - Kat, his wife who abandoned them both years ago, has entered Eden ahead of them. Jenn is determined to find her mother, but neither she nor the rest of their tight-knit team are prepared for what confronts them. Nature has returned to Eden in an elemental, primeval way. And here, nature is no longer humanity's friend.

 

 

Stormblood by Jeremy Szal.

 

Vakov Fukasawa used to be a Reaper: a bio-enhanced soldier fighting for the Harmony, against a brutal invading empire. He's still fighting now, on a different battlefield: taking on stormtech. To make him a perfect soldier, Harmony injected him with the DNA of an extinct alien race, altering his body chemistry and leaving him permanently addicted to adrenaline and aggression. But although they meant to create soldiers, at the same time Harmony created a new drug market that has millions hopelessly addicted to their own body chemistry.

Vakov may have walked away from Harmony, but they still know where to find him, and his former Reaper colleagues are being murdered by someone, or something - and Vakov is appalled to learn his estranged brother is involved. Suddenly it's an investigation he can't turn down . . . but the closer he comes to the truth, the more addicted to stormtech he becomes.

And it's possible the war isn't over, after all . . .

 

The Gutter Prayer by Gareth Hanrahan.

 

The city of Guerdon stands eternal. A refuge from the war that rages beyond its borders. But in the ancient tunnels deep beneath its streets, a malevolent power has begun to stir.

The fate of the city rests in the hands of three thieves. They alone stand against the coming darkness. As conspiracies unfold and secrets are revealed, their friendship will be tested to the limit. If they fail, all will be lost and the streets of Guerdon will run with blood.

SET IN A WORLD OF DARK GODS AND DANGEROUS MAGIC, THE GUTTER PRAYER IS AN EPIC TALE OF SORCERERS AND THIEVES, TREACHERY AND REVENGE, FROM A REMARKABLE NEW VOICE IN FANTASY.

 

Trail of lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse.

 

While most of the world has drowned beneath the sudden rising waters of a climate apocalypse, Dinétah (formerly the Navajo reservation) has been reborn. The gods and heroes of legend walk the land, but so do monsters.

Maggie Hoskie is a Dinétah monster hunter, a supernaturally gifted killer. When a small town needs help finding a missing girl, Maggie is their last best hope. But what Maggie uncovers about the monster is much more terrifying than anything she could imagine.

Maggie reluctantly enlists the aid of Kai Arviso, an unconventional medicine man, and together they travel the rez, unravelling clues from ancient legends, trading favours with tricksters, and battling dark witchcraft in a patchwork world of deteriorating technology.

As Maggie discovers the truth behind the killings, she will have to confront her past if she wants to survive.

 

The Oracle Year by Charles Soule. This looks interesting and he's done some comics I've liked like Darth Vader - Dark lord of the Sith and a run on Daredevil.

 

Knowledge is power. So when an unassuming Manhattan bassist named Will Dando awakens from a dream one morning with 108 predictions about the future in his head, he rapidly finds himself the most powerful man in the world. Protecting his anonymity by calling himself the Oracle, he sets up a heavily guarded Web site with the help of his friend Hamza to selectively announce his revelations. In no time, global corporations are offering him millions for exclusive access, eager to profit from his prophecies.

He's also making a lot of high-powered enemies, from the President of the United States and a nationally prominent televangelist to a warlord with a nuclear missile and an assassin grandmother. Legions of cyber spies are unleashed to hack the Site--as it's come to be called--and the best manhunters money can buy are deployed not only to unmask the Oracle but to take him out of the game entirely. With only a handful of people he can trust--including a beautiful journalist--it's all Will can do just to survive, elude exposure, and protect those he loves long enough to use his knowledge to save the world.

Delivering fast-paced adventure on a global scale as well as sharp-witted satire on our concepts of power and faith, Marvel writer Charles Soule's audacious debut novel takes readers on a rollicking ride where it's impossible to predict what will happen next.

[Dr Nowt]

On 04/06/2020 at 07:18, Paul said:

I’m now on The World In Winter by John Christopher which I’ve never read before. It’s basically societal breakdown as a permanent winter hits the U.K.  

Interested to hear what you made of this one.

[Karl_b]

I haven't read as much as lockdown promised at the start (apply that to most things, other than gardening and jobs around the house!) but the standout book of the last few weeks was The Secret Commonwealth, the second in the Book of Dust trilogy by Philip Pullman. 

 

I don't know if it's because I read it in only 3 days and for the first time in a long time felt properly immersed in a book, making it the focus of my my days (being in hospital will help), but I enjoyed it more on first reading than my first impression of the other books in the series - which is a big deal! It felt like a proper, grown up continuation of the story; it brought back the characters and developed them in an interesting way and, as Pullman does, dealt with big ideas and themes in a dynamic and intelligent manner all superbly written. I absolutely loved it. Of course, I'll need to re-read it to see how it compares in the series but I think I'll wait for the final book and then do the whole lot again. Absolutely genius, 10/10.

[Karl_b]

A couple of things that tickle my fancy there @Sugar Ape - nice list.

[Karl_b]

I also picked up Jaron Lenier's book Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now, after @Section_31 posted a video of his the other day. I don't actually need convincing as I have no social media accounts ('BUMMER' accounts specifically, as her refers to them. One caveat is that I could be more mindful of avoiding Google's services for sure) but I thought it would be an interesting read. Unsurprisingly, I'm in full agreement, he argues that our lives are being manipulated by algorithms, we're becoming less tolerant and empathetic and whilst individuals may be able to cope and benefit from social media, humanity as a whole cannot.

 

It's definitely helped articulate my instincts against social media and it's made me think about my internet usage more generally. I'm addicted to it, that's obvious, we all are. I spend a lot of time here and on a few news, sports, architecture and other general interest sites but to what end? Actually TLW still feels like a great use of the internet to me, this can be a great place for discussion, finding out new bits of culture (I cannot begin to count the music, books TV and films I love because of, or leading from, recommendations from you lot) and learning something new. It isn't 'social media' in the sense that we're not limited by what the platform wants us to see, we're not being manipulated by anyone other than Usher and Don Remmie but it's also a bit of an echo chamber sometimes and acknowledging that is a good first step. Actually what sets this place apart is, for the most part, empathy. We don't always get it right but this does feel like a community and has genuinely shown the best of internet communities in the 16 years I've been here. 

 

Anyway, it's a thought provoking, important book although his writing style grates on me a little, it's a bit too buddy-buddy, informal.

 

[Paul]

4 hours ago, Captain Milk said:

Interested to hear what you made of this one.

I actually gave up, mate. It felt very, very dated - and not in a good way. It also just took far too long to get where it was going. The relationship stuff that dominates the start is just ponderous and unrealistic, for me. It’s the only book of his I’ve not loved. I was really disappointed. 

[Paul]

1 hour ago, Karl_b said:

A couple of things that tickle my fancy there @Sugar Ape - nice list.

Agreed. I had a few of those already pegged, but lots more to dig into. 

[Edward.]

10 hours ago, Sugar Ape said:

Reading all the Dresden Files novels again before the new one is released in the middle of July after a 5 year wait. Got 15 novels and two books of short stories to get through before then and currently on book number five.

 

 

 

 

Just done the same thing. Turns out there are two Dresden books coming out this year.

 

https://www.tor.com/2020/03/24/jim-butcher-announces-new-dresden-files-book-battle-ground/

[Sugar Ape]

2 hours ago, Edward. said:

Just done the same thing. Turns out there are two Dresden books coming out this year.

 

https://www.tor.com/2020/03/24/jim-butcher-announces-new-dresden-files-book-battle-ground/

Yeah I seen a while back, I think I read somewhere that Peace Talks was a massive book so he split it in two and added some of the next book he’d started writing to create Battle Ground. Just hope they live up to my expectations. 

[Dr Nowt]

7 hours ago, Paul said:

I actually gave up, mate. It felt very, very dated - and not in a good way. It also just took far too long to get where it was going. The relationship stuff that dominates the start is just ponderous and unrealistic, for me. It’s the only book of his I’ve not loved. I was really disappointed. 

Cheers mate. Will give that one a miss then, I know you’re a big fan of his.

[Edward.]

1 hour ago, Sugar Ape said:

Yeah I seen a while back, I think I read somewhere that Peace Talks was a massive book so he split it in two and added some of the next book he’d started writing to create Battle Ground. Just hope they live up to my expectations. 

To be honest I enjoyed them more reading them again. 

[Sut]

Great list that @Sugar Ape, thank you. I've a couple on my shelf from there that I've not gotten round to - Hekla's Children and The Hunger, definitely, and I might have a copy of The Reddening. I've read My Best Friend's Exorcism and can wholeheartedly recommend it - it's a really fun book.

 

My Kindle is absolutely killing me as I'll see a book recommended and pick it up "for later", or dip into the deals section and grab two or three reduced titles. My to read list just keeps getting bigger and bigger. I've even gotten to the point where I'll see a book mentioned, go to buy it and get the "You bought this book on [...]" notification. I'm fighting the urge here to grab some more based on your list, mate.