Books Read 2023

[hitbyambulance]

Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro - Interesting novel that was apparently made into a film several years ago - a bit too romantic for my tastes but was recommended by a friend. I can see why some people really love it, just not my cup of tea.

I've never read that one, but I read Klara and the Sun, and didn't like it at all. Maybe it was the intent, but everything about it felt very stilted and flat, which made it hard to care about any of the characters.

i'd counter-argue that Ishiguro's writing is extremely understated (even soothing, much of the time, even when recounting some pretty disturbing stuff) and certainly doesn't over-explain. e.g. both _Never Let Me Go_ and _Klara and the Sun_ take place in some highly messed-up 'humanity has gone way wrong here' futures and i myself consider both to be part horror novel, but you don't get that impression just breezing over the text, and i really wonder at some of the press reviews for these books that completely don't mention this aspect. it's a highly idiosyncratic style. he is one of my favorite living authors.

Interesting observation. They are definitely messed up futures, and most of the comments on the jacket seem to imply, with Klara and the Sun for instance, that it's an inspiring and touching story, but at the same time, there's a lot of dark subtext that reveal themselves once you get deeper into the story. The character of the Mother, for instance was so oddly manipulative, saying one thing then negating it with her actions, and often lashing out with inexplicable reasons. She felt like the opposite of caring to me to the point of feeling like she was holding her daughter back from her true potential, to the point that the daughter feels the need to escape. It's really not the 'sweet' story that the press would like to pretend.

and also, for both books,

Spoiler:

АF (AI) / clone rights now! - they have the perennial 'are non-naturally born/created people 'people'?' theme that never gets old for me.

so while these books have the 'creds' to be bandied about in Literary Fiction circles, they really are operating within a long-time SF theme that goes back at _least_ to Mary Shelley's _Frankenstein_. there's someone in my book group who can't stand reading science fiction, but i still recommended Klara and the Sun to her, and i am sure she will enjoy it.

_Never Let Me Go_ was the first Ishiguro novel i read and i had a hard time getting through it due to the disturbing subtext, but when i thought about it later, i realized the writing quality was fantastic and i started reading his other books. (aka 'the Cormac McCarthy effect') just like with Orwell's _1984_, i thought i +hated+ that book, but i realized later it was because this was due to my own feelings, and it was soo good it affected me greatly. i had to overcome my revulsion to realize just how effective it was.

[Rumpy]

[
and also, for both books,

Spoiler:

АF (AI) / clone rights now! - they have the perennial 'are non-naturally born/created people 'people'?' theme that never gets old for me.

so while these books have the 'creds' to be bandied about in Literary Fiction circles, they really are operating within a long-time SF theme that goes back at _least_ to Mary Shelley's _Frankenstein_. there's someone in my book group who can't stand reading science fiction, but i still recommended Klara and the Sun to her, and i am sure she will enjoy it.

Spoiler:

Interesting. Never thought of it that way before, but there is a simplistic nature to it much like early sci-fi

_Never Let Me Go_ was the first Ishiguro novel i read and i had a hard time getting through it due to the disturbing subtext, but when i thought about it later, i realized the writing quality was fantastic and i started reading his other books. (aka 'the Cormac McCarthy effect') just like with Orwell's _1984_, i thought i +hated+ that book, but i realized later it was because this was due to my own feelings, and it was soo good it affected me greatly. i had to overcome my revulsion to realize just how effective it was.

Well, you got that right. I did feel Klara and the Sun to be disturbing. No doubt the writing was good, even poetic at times. I had to kind of wonder if some of it was based on personal experiences.

[ImLawBoy]

Finished Holly by Stephen King. Holly Gibney is a recurring character in King's later works, starting with Mr. Mercedes and throughout that trilogy, in The Outsider, and in the novella Let It Bleed. I think King is saying that this is his farewell to Holly, who he says is one of his favorite characters.

Holly starts off in King's world as a mousy, shy woman under the thumb of her dominating mother. I don't think the books come right out and say it, but she shows characteristics that are pretty stereotypical for autism. As she helps Bill Hodges through the events of Mr. Mercedes and the next two books, she is able to use her determination and eye for detail to become an investigator of some skill. She's still extremely quirky, but by the time she's on her own in The Outsider, she can hold her own in sticky situations that would have cause the original Holly to shut down.

Holly is largely set in the summer of COVID, and there's almost a sense of PTSD when reading through the interactions of characters - bumping elbows instead of handshaking; removing masks when everyone says they are double vaccinated; etc. I read somewhere that Holly was King's most overtly political book, and it certainly reads like it. Unsurprisingly, if you're familiar with King's political leanings, he's very much pro-masking and vaccination. He also doesn't shy away from George Floyd-type discussions in this book. Holly's best friends and sometimes assistants are a young Black brother and sister team, and they're acutely aware of issues like Driving While Black and appearing safe and docile when first meeting up with police. All of that adds a lot of interesting (YMMV) context to the story, but the real meat (heh) of the story is the hook here.

Holly runs a private investigation company, and she's hired by a mother trying to find out what happened to her 20-something daughter. The police are currently overwhelmed and just assumed she ran off somewhere, but Holly does her due diligence. As part of this diligence, she discovers other cases of missing people in the same general area, and she thinks they may be connected.

The book doesn't keep you in suspense here - we know who is snatching people and what is being done to those people. Still, I'll leave out those (gory) details just to prevent potential spoilers. The fun is in Holly putting together the pieces and trying to put an end to things. This is another solid ending by King, and I continue to enjoy his late career work as much as his early stuff.

[Jaymann]

And now for something completely the same:



I watched Sawyer in an interview with Moid, and I liked some of the ideas he was putting down. For instance: Most Sci-Fi writers claim discovering alien life would be the most important event in history and would change everything. Sawyer contends that nothing would change and humanity would still be caught up in all its petty BS. The guy is a multiple award-winning author, so I decided to start with some of his lighter fare.

Flash Forward was apparently made into a TV series which I never heard of. It posits what would happen if everyone on earth got a brief peek 20 years into the future. This happens early on, and then the characters wonder if the future is written in stone or mutable. Then the world must decide if the experiment should be repeated. The story bogs down a bit as it mutates into a murder mystery. It picks up at the end, but I wasn't especially satisfied by the ending. 5/8 Higgs bosons.

[Rumpy]

I haven't read very much stuff by him, but I did read FlashForward, and a trilogy called The Neanderthal Parallax. I liked FlashForward, but I liked the trilogy more. The trilogy takes place in my city down underground in the Neutrino Observatory (a real place) when an accident happens and opens a rift into an alternate universe that posits Neanderthals as still living. I found the characterizations of them to be quite interesting.

[Scuzz]

I have read Flash Forward and Starplex by Sawyer. I don’t remember the end of Flash Forward, but I think of Sawyer as a good idea guy.

Now I am going to have to find my review of it.

[ImLawBoy]

Two-fer!

Finished The Sign of the Unicorn by Roger Zelazny on Kindle. This is book three of the Chronicles of Amber, and it upped the fun factor a bit from the previous two books. There was a bit of an Agatha Christie vibe going on for a while as the siblings tried to figure out who was responsible for stabbing one of their own. The book also started providing some answers and explanations for what had been happening previously, although it also introduced some new posers along the way.

I also picked up and read The Mysteries by Bill Watterson and John Kascht. Yes, Bill Watterson of Calvin and Hobbes fame. This is his first new work in ages, and it's billed as a fable for adults. The text is pretty brief, so I won't go into much detail beyond saying that the people of the kingdom are trying to come to terms with the feared Mysteries. The illustrations are a collaboration between Watterson and Kascht, the latter of whom is apparently a renowned caricaturist, and they're quite striking. They're nothing at all like Calivin and Hobbes, but the faces in particular (drawn by Kascht, I assume) will stick with you for a while. I need to re-read it a few times (it's quite brief), but it's very interesting.

[Jaymann]

Finished The Sign of the Unicorn by Roger Zelazny on Kindle. This is book three of the Chronicles of Amber, and it upped the fun factor a bit from the previous two books. There was a bit of an Agatha Christie vibe going on for a while as the siblings tried to figure out who was responsible for stabbing one of their own. The book also started providing some answers and explanations for what had been happening previously, although it also introduced some new posers along the way.

I especially liked the

Spoiler:

Oberon reveal.

I definitely did not see that coming.

[hitbyambulance]

I also picked up and read The Mysteries by Bill Watterson and John Kascht. Yes, Bill Watterson of Calvin and Hobbes fame. This is his first new work in ages,

i've been waiting for this one, so thanks for the reminder - just put it on hold at the library

[Isgrimnur]

Flash Forward was apparently made into a TV series which I never heard of.

It lasted all of one season.

[Jolor]

Speaking of Sawyer, I enjoyed the WWW (Wake, Watch, Wonder) trilogy. I'd say he's a good author with great ideas.

[disarm]

I typically use this thread only to track my reading and don't tend to comment on what I've finished, but my latest read is something I enjoyed so much that I feel compelled to say something...

Fairy Tale by Stephen King

I've never been much of a King fan. I tried reading some of his books 20+ years ago and struggled to get into them because his writing was "too wordy." Because of this, I mostly wound up reading his short story collections over the years and really enjoyed them. The guy is clearly a creative genius, but it was rare that I found one of his novels that really pulled me in. I decided to give Fairy Tale a try after a few glowing recommendations from friends, and it's one of the more enjoyable reads I've had in a long time.

I don't want to give much detail at risk of spoiling such a unique and surprising story, but the book is a first-person account of a teenager with a rough childhood whose life is forever changed by the chance friendship he develops with the grumpy old man (and his dog) who live at the other end of his small-town Illinois street. A large section at the begining of the book focuses entirely on the developing friendship between Charlie (the protagonist) and the mysterious Mr Bowditch. Of course something goes wrong and where the story goes from there is one surprise after another, but the way King weaves traditional fairy tales into the fantasy world that Charlie encounters is brilliant. It's a fast-paced tale with plenty of action, engaging relationships between the characters big and small, and a satisfying conclusion that left me with a contented smile on my face. I can't recommend Fairy Tale enough.

[Scuzz]

Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson

This is the first book in the Baroque Cycle, a trilogy that begins in the mid-1600's. The story follows three main characters whose stories take us from Massachusetts to Vienna to Paris, London and the Hague. As one of our main characters is a member of the Royal Society in London we encounter Isaac Newton and many other influential men of science. Stephenson of course takes advantage of those meetings and characters to explain to us the scientific developments of the day. He also has a field day explaining more about cryptography, a subject his book Cryptonomican dealt with.

As for this book, it is less plot driven than character driven and while it does follow the lives of our protagonists it does so with a history of Europe as a background. We meet Kings and those who would be king. The picture he draws of 1680's (plus or minus) Europe is interesting to follow. And while our main characters are fictional the book is full of real characters of the time.

This is a Stephenson book, so if you have had trouble with other Stephenson books this may not be for you. But I found it to be one of the more accessible books as the characters are well developed and fun to read about.

[Rumpy]

I liked the trilogy as a whole, but looking back on it now, it's certainly a massive trilogy that might not be for everyone. But the fictional island and its backstory he created was quite interesting. The whole thing serves as a prequel to Cryptonomicon.

[hitbyambulance]

haven't been posting here much, so in more or less reverse chronological order to my last update:

Sol Yurick - The Warriors
Robert W. Service - The Shooting of Dan McGrew and Other Poems [Dover Thrift Edition]
various authors - Great Ghost Stories [Dover Thrift Edition]
Alexandr Solzhenitsyn - One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
Tariq Ali, Phil Evans - Trotsky for Beginners

a whole lot of manga (including the entire first story arc of Chainsaw Man)


currently reading:

Philip K. Dick - In Milton Lumky Territory
Leo Tolstoy - War and Peace
Frances Hodgson Burnett - A Little Princess
Lord Dunsany - Fifty-one Tales

[hitbyambulance]

can i say the original book version of The Warriors (from 1965) is SO VERY DIFFERENT from the Walter Hill movie 'adaptation' from 1979 - especially the tone. Hill took many, many liberties with the source material - it went from bleak social commentary to Hollywood action film

[Jaymann]

CAN YOU DIG IT?

[Jaymann]

Just finished:



This is the third installment of A Chorus of Dragons trilogy (although I did not see it referred as such in the books). It was a decent enough story, but suffers from what I think of as Thick Tome Syndrome TM. I liked the main characters well enough, but it seems the story could have been wrapped up in one volume, or two at most. The series took me a couple years to finish because I kept putting it down to read something else.

For me a great book is one that has me savoring each word. This is not that. By the time I reached the finish I just wanted it to end. 5/8 reincarnations.

[El Guapo]

The Handmaid's Tale (audio book) by Margaret Atwood

I feel a little stupid when I've read (or in this case listened to) a classic book, coming in here and being like "hey guys, have you heard of The Handmaid's Tale"?

But anyway, the book is great - strongly recommend. Also the audiobook is read by Claire Danes, which is great - I think really helped bring the character to life.

[Scuzz]

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

This is the first in a series. The author wrote three and promised more but I think it has been at least 10 years since he wrote the last one. All of that is fine however as this book could easily be a standalone. It is a fantasy adventure that takes place in the city of Camorr. Locke Lamora is an orphan.

We follow Lamora through two story lines told with basically alternating chapters. The first is current time and the second is Lamora as a child and how he became what he is in the current time. Early on that is annoying but soon both stories become interesting. The other creates a nice back story and the characters are interesting.

I liked the book. It has limited bad ass magic, it has good and evil and it is at time humorous. The world the author creates seems real and full of it's own characters. The book has some of that old movie swashbuckler feel, and I enjoyed that. I liked the book enough to want to read the second book.

[Jaymann]

The latest book by Rothfuss, a thin tome, weighing in at just over 200 pages. I got it from the library as soon as it was available. It tells a day in the life of Bast, a character from The Kingkiller Chronicle, who is Kvothe's elvish assistant at the latter's inn. Bast holds court with the children of the area at the Lightning Tree, granting boons in return for secrets and favors. Wonderfully illustrated by Nate Taylor. In the author's note he talks about how difficult writing is - no shit Sherlock.

This is a good book. Rothfuss is a master at creating tension and mystery concerning everyday events. It does leave you wondering:

Spoiler:

Did he bang Rike's mother?

If this were his first book he would be applauded as a budding genius with a bright future. But we have waited over a decade for book 3 of his trilogy and this is what we get? 6/8 embrils.

[Rumpy]

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

This is the first in a series. The author wrote three and promised more but I think it has been at least 10 years since he wrote the last one. All of that is fine however as this book could easily be a standalone. It is a fantasy adventure that takes place in the city of Camorr. Locke Lamora is an orphan.

We follow Lamora through two story lines told with basically alternating chapters. The first is current time and the second is Lamora as a child and how he became what he is in the current time. Early on that is annoying but soon both stories become interesting. The other creates a nice back story and the characters are interesting.

I liked the book. It has limited bad ass magic, it has good and evil and it is at time humorous. The world the author creates seems real and full of it's own characters. The book has some of that old movie swashbuckler feel, and I enjoyed that. I liked the book enough to want to read the second book.

I loved that book and the world that was created. I also read the 2nd, but not the 3rd, anticipating followups before getting into the 3rd. I suspect the author ran out of steam. But the first book definitely started it out strong.

[Jaymann]

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

This is the first in a series. The author wrote three and promised more but I think it has been at least 10 years since he wrote the last one. All of that is fine however as this book could easily be a standalone. It is a fantasy adventure that takes place in the city of Camorr. Locke Lamora is an orphan.

We follow Lamora through two story lines told with basically alternating chapters. The first is current time and the second is Lamora as a child and how he became what he is in the current time. Early on that is annoying but soon both stories become interesting. The other creates a nice back story and the characters are interesting.

I liked the book. It has limited bad ass magic, it has good and evil and it is at time humorous. The world the author creates seems real and full of it's own characters. The book has some of that old movie swashbuckler feel, and I enjoyed that. I liked the book enough to want to read the second book.

I loved that book and the world that was created. I also read the 2nd, but not the 3rd, anticipating followups before getting into the 3rd. I suspect the author ran out of steam. But the first book definitely started it out strong.

My experience was quite the same. While I loved the first book, the second one did not leave me hungry for more.

[Scuzz]

I read somewhere yesterday that the author suffered from depression and basically quit writing. He wrote a text to someone saying he was starting up again.

[coopasonic]

I am on the third book of Brent Weeks night angel trilogy. I know I've mostly been reading Sanderson lately which is very, very PG by comparison, but damn who the hell hurt Brent that he writes like this? Everyone has a hair trigger reaction to any slight. It's all so over the top it seems almost comical (like the Muppet scene in Gen V).

[Jaymann]

I am on the third book of Brent Weeks night angel trilogy. I know I've mostly been reading Sanderson lately which is very, very PG by comparison, but damn who the hell hurt Brent that he writes like this? Everyone has a hair trigger reaction to any slight. It's all so over the top it seems almost comical (like the Muppet scene in Gen V).

I read and enjoyed the Lightbringer series. How do you think this one compares?

[coopasonic]

I am on the third book of Brent Weeks night angel trilogy. I know I've mostly been reading Sanderson lately which is very, very PG by comparison, but damn who the hell hurt Brent that he writes like this? Everyone has a hair trigger reaction to any slight. It's all so over the top it seems almost comical (like the Muppet scene in Gen V).

I read and enjoyed the Lightbringer series. How do you think this one compares?

I've never looked at Lightbringer so I am unable to shed any light.

[Jaymann]

I am on the third book of Brent Weeks night angel trilogy. I know I've mostly been reading Sanderson lately which is very, very PG by comparison, but damn who the hell hurt Brent that he writes like this? Everyone has a hair trigger reaction to any slight. It's all so over the top it seems almost comical (like the Muppet scene in Gen V).

I read and enjoyed the Lightbringer series. How do you think this one compares?

I've never looked at Lightbringer so I am unable to shed any light.

It's like 6 volumes, but IMO well worth it.

[Isgrimnur]

History of Science: Antiquity to 1700
By: The Great Courses

Midnight in Chernobyl
By: Adam Higginbotham

[El Guapo]

I loved Midnight in Cherynobyl.

White Nights by Menachim Begin

My wife picked this up at a lending library IIRC. It's a memoir by Menachim Begin, who would go on to be Prime Minister of Israel in the late 1970s / early 1980s, about his time as a political prisoner in the Soviet Union at the outset of World War II. The title is a reference to his time at a gulag in northern Siberia near the Arctic Circle, so the 'nights' were light / white. It was a very interesting read - Begin's a good writer, and it's a pretty straightforward account of his time getting arrested by the KGB, interrogated and held, and then being shipped off to the Gulag (eventually getting released when the USSR pardoned Polish prisoners after Germany declared war). Definitely worth a read.

[Scuzz]

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

This is a sci-fi book in what I would call the tradition of Michael Crichton mixed with some Stephen King. Crouch himself lists Crichton as a influence and I can see it. As for the King part I have read only one Stephen King book (11-23-63) and while Crouch doesn't mention any influence from King this book reminds me of some aspects in the King book.

The first 2/3 of this book are really good. Crouch presents a mystery and leaves the protagonist to figure it out. While time travel isn't involved there is a good deal of travel in the book. No spoilers here. The end of the book isn't bad, I just think perhaps Crouch wrote an ending that isn't as satisfying as the story that got you there. I would recommend it as others may not feel about the ending as I did.

There is a good deal of science in the book that Crouch tries to explain through one of his characters and I didn't think it was as confusing as some have described it. He doesn't go into Neal Stephenson depth on it but he gives you enough.

[Jaymann]

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

This is a sci-fi book in what I would call the tradition of Michael Crichton mixed with some Stephen King. Crouch himself lists Crichton as a influence and I can see it. As for the King part I have read only one Stephen King book (11-23-63) and while Crouch doesn't mention any influence from King this book reminds me of some aspects in the King book.

The first 2/3 of this book are really good. Crouch presents a mystery and leaves the protagonist to figure it out. While time travel isn't involved there is a good deal of travel in the book. No spoilers here. The end of the book isn't bad, I just think perhaps Crouch wrote an ending that isn't as satisfying as the story that got you there. I would recommend it as others may not feel about the ending as I did.

There is a good deal of science in the book that Crouch tries to explain through one of his characters and I didn't think it was as confusing as some have described it. He doesn't go into Neal Stephenson depth on it but he gives you enough.

It is right in my wheelhouse and I wanted to like it more than I did, but it seems like a near miss.

[disarm]

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

It is right in my wheelhouse and I wanted to like it more than I did, but it seems like a near miss.

I haven't read Dark Matter yet, but I have read Recursion and thought it was really good...very cool concept and definitely worth checking out.

[Scuzz]

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

It is right in my wheelhouse and I wanted to like it more than I did, but it seems like a near miss.

I haven't read Dark Matter yet, but I have read Recursion and thought it was really good...very cool concept and definitely worth checking out.

As that is a standalone I thought I would try it out.

[Hipolito]

I have a humble suggestion for next year's thread:

1) The person who started the current thread decides by mid-December whether to do so next year. If they prefer not to, they choose another person to start next year's thread.

2) Whoever's doing next year's thread, they post it a week before New Year's Day, and only open it to those who want to reserve places for their lists. That way, the list-makers can have all their lists together and at the start of the thread, uninterrupted by discussion.

3) On New Year's Day, the thread-poster opens the thread up to everyone. All the lists are in place, and discussion can begin.

[Carpet_pissr]

Someone convince me to keep reading "The Name of the Wind" by Rothfuss. It's been one of many on my "to read" in the fantasy genre forever, but I am not loving it so far. And it's not really the story, which is fine, to very good, but the writing, gah.

I guess my question to the board is: is the story worth putting up with the mediocre and sometimes cringe-worthy writing? I think I am very close to halfway through, and have been reading it off an on for several months.

Because I can and will totally do that, for a great story!

[Blackhawk]

I really liked it, but it's been a while, so I don't remember the beats or if it changes pace, but I can't imagine having to work that hard to enjoy a book for that long without deciding it's time to give it up for one of the millions of others.

[Scuzz]

Someone convince me to keep reading "The Name of the Wind" by Rothfuss. It's been one of many on my "to read" in the fantasy genre forever, but I am not loving it so far. And it's not really the story, which is fine, to very good, but the writing, gah.

I guess my question to the board is: is the story worth putting up with the mediocre and sometimes cringe-worthy writing? I think I am very close to halfway through, and have been reading it off an on for several months.

Because I can and will totally do that, for a great story!

I really liked the book. I know some people don’t care for the main character and the means of telling his story. But as I said I loved the book.

However, I really disliked the second book and of course there is a great deal of doubt as to whether the third book will ever be published.

[Carpet_pissr]

I really liked it, but it's been a while, so I don't remember the beats or if it changes pace, but I can't imagine having to work that hard to enjoy a book for that long without deciding it's time to give it up for one of the millions of others.

I’m committed, dammit!

And TBH it’s been so glorified on here (I think), that I’ve been more patient with it than I would have normally been.

Even had it not been popular here, I *probably* would still be reading it, just to see what happens. It’s just right on the line for me, hoping that the story continues to engage.

[Jaymann]

Someone convince me to keep reading "The Name of the Wind" by Rothfuss. It's been one of many on my "to read" in the fantasy genre forever, but I am not loving it so far. And it's not really the story, which is fine, to very good, but the writing, gah.

I guess my question to the board is: is the story worth putting up with the mediocre and sometimes cringe-worthy writing? I think I am very close to halfway through, and have been reading it off an on for several months.

Because I can and will totally do that, for a great story!

A decade ago I would have enthusiastically endorsed it. I even trudged through the way-too-long tangent of the second book with nary a king much less a regicide in sight. But I was hooked on the story and wanted the conclusion. Even if/when the third book comes out I will check it out of the library, no $$ for Rothfuss.