Recently finished Hyperion, by Dan Simmons.
I really liked the premise of each character telling their own story. It was a lot of variety and very interesting ideas were explored in different ways in each of them.
this post was submitted on 05 Jun 2023
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Just finished Ada, or Ardor.
If you want something with brilliant prose, multilingual puns on every page, occasional invasions of other styles, a distorted but familiar world, obsession-driven narrative balancing between passion and transcendence, it might be something for you - unless, like Martin Amis, you find it hysterical and yourself unable to ignore the dark reality of several characters, narrator included, having too much resources to care about morals or most laws.
picked up yellowface by rf kuang and finished it the same day. recommended it to my partner, who also devoured it in three days.
highly recommend if you’re looking for an easy, juicy (in the way of reality tv, so a little anxiety inducing also) read that’s about ego, publishing, the literary establishment’s treatment of minority authors, the actual mechanisms of being cancelled, and the perils of being Extremely On Twitter. a very fun summer read.
Oh! She's on my to-read list with Babel, I'll have to check this one out as well.
I just picked up a really nice hardcover edition of Kipling. It has both Jungle Book 1 and 2 and a selection of Just So stories (not complete, the Amazon listing LIES!)
Hardcover with a die-cut cover and, green ink and full color illustrations from the 1930s editions. Gilt green edges, it's a fantastic copy to have!
Just finished Alone Together, by Sherry Turkle.
It's a book that dives into our relationship with technology, and each other. It's a decent read for these times we are living, although the author didn't get to live the massification of social media before writing it.
It dives into how we turn to machines to fullfil our connection needs, while avoiding the disappointments of connecting with other humans. It showcases a bunch of stories to illustrate its point, as usual for non-fiction books, but I felt it gave good nuances to the point, and even identified a little with some scenarios. She goes just a little overboard with how little she thinks about online communities, and I feel she doesn't state very clearly that communities online doesn't have to be the same as communities in real life. My opinion diverges from what related to that assumption, but it was a great read overall!
I just finished up Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty. It's the last in her Daevabad Trilogy, an immensely entertaining work drawing from legends and myths from the Middle East. It's filled with political intrigue, memorable characters with well developed internality, and detailed world building.
It's good stuff! I had a lot of fun reading it, it's a little different than typical fare with the Middle Eastern background, and Chakraborty has an eye for plotting and characters that kept me going through a lengthy tale. I'm looking forward to reading her collection of short stories in the universe, River of Silver, and the Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, a novel set a thousand years before this trilogy.
I finished reading Love's Executioner by Irvin Yalom recently, and it has immediately become one of my favorites! Yalom is one of the foundational thinkers behind Existential Psychotherapy, and the book is a collection of ten case studies presented in a short-story format revolving around themes of love, grief, and authenticity.
It's pretty refreshing to read case studies where the therapist doesn't present themselves as an all-seeing, all-knowing genius; Irvin Yalom is very open about his uncertainties and mistakes with his clients. The cases he presents are fascinating, and he does a great job of illustrating his philosophical and therapeutic principles throughout. I highly recommend it for anybody interested in psychology, the human condition, or personality-centered short stories!
I've been posting thoughts on the wheel of time as I go through my first read of the series. I had made a post before, but I'll see about posting my current thoughts here.
I just finished The Great Hunt! Spoilers following
Great Hunt Spoilers
Wow, what a fantastic listen. Enjoyed it much much more than eye of the world. I didn't dislike the first book at all, but found it hard to really get into the world. This book has solved all that for me. I understand a little more about the different lands, the different factions.
The end of this book was super exciting in a way I didn't really feel in the first one. Matt blowing the horn, Rand fighting the dark one. The picture of Rand finally accepting his place among the legion of shienarans. Listening to it all got me giddy.
I was, at first, apprehensive about the idea of parallel worlds. But I think so far it has been handled well. The other worlds, at least so far, don't seem to be playing a huge part on the main world. I loved the whole sequence of all them living through a ton of their alternate lives.
Overall I must say I am much more excited about continuing than I was at the end of the first book. I'm super eager to keep listening!
I found a WoT fan! Which group were posting to during your read? I found a page but it was all about the tv show, not the books. I just read Warrior of the Altaii and was really hoping to find some Jordan fans who might be able to discuss it with me.