# What are you reading? **URL:** \ **Category:** Not Games\ **Created:** [28 April 2020 21:48 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/what-are-you-reading/643 "2020-04-28T21:48:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 75
**Author:** ![Marx](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/marx/32/28667_2.png) [@Marx](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/Marx)\ **Post date:** [2 May 2023 13:16 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/what-are-you-reading/643/1496 "2023-05-02T13:16:05Z")
I finished **A Psalm for the Wild-built** by Becky Chambers which was a joy, but also really depressing in a very good way. It’s fundamentally a book about the meaning of life, or finding meaning in your life, and… I dunno, I wanted _an answer_, but that’s impossible of course. But such a beautiful, thoughtful read. Really lovely. Going to order the sequel. I think I’m also going to order **Westmark** based on @WolfeRJ’s recommendation above. I read the **Black Cauldron** and **Tristan Wanderer** when I was too young to understand them (although the scene where Tristan forges his sword three times has stuck with me), and I think giving some YA a stab now might be nice. Plus, some fantasy to mix things up will be welcome. Also need to figure out a good sci-fi I can read that’s more cyberpunk or space opera. Haven’t read either in a bit, so if anyone has any recommendations, they’d be appreciated! ---
**Author:** ![Griffster77](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/griffster77/32/1048_2.png) [@Griffster77](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/Griffster77)\ **Post date:** [2 May 2023 17:24 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/what-are-you-reading/643/1497 "2023-05-02T17:24:24Z")
![IMG20230502182210](https://discussion.tekeli.li/uploads/default/original/3X/7/f/7f9dea809a3a854162cba8fe3320ad146a132bce.jpeg) Doing a reread of this. 7 books, all circa 1000 pages long. Great stuff ---
**Author:** ![Chewy77](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/chewy77/32/1035_2.png) [@Chewy77](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/Chewy77)\ **Post date:** [3 May 2023 00:11 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/what-are-you-reading/643/1498 "2023-05-03T00:11:08Z")
They are likely my favourite novels about the later Republic ---
**Author:** ![Boronian](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/boronian/32/1607_2.png) [@Boronian](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/Boronian)\ **Post date:** [6 May 2023 12:12 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/what-are-you-reading/643/1499 "2023-05-06T12:12:21Z")
I read 2 more books of **Cradle** by Will Wight and enjoyed them a lot! Very interested in reading more but I feel I should dig into something else now 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![lalunaverde](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/lalunaverde/32/28591_2.png) [@lalunaverde](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/lalunaverde)\ **Post date:** [22 May 2023 23:53 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/what-are-you-reading/643/1500 "2023-05-22T23:53:50Z")
Finished **Foundation** by Asimov. I like that the author emphasises that socio-economic forces are what drives the fate of society, rather than the “Great Man” Theory. But I’m still bemused that while Asimov is doing this, the novel starts with psycho-historians somehow calculating the trend of history. Calculating the fate of history is also I find very problematic because history is very chaotic, and thus, unpredictable. It felt like a Deus Ex Machina before the story even developed. ---
**Author:** ![RogerBW](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/rogerbw/32/3_2.png) [@RogerBW](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/RogerBW)\ **Post date:** [23 May 2023 09:47 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/what-are-you-reading/643/1501 "2023-05-23T09:47:10Z")
Something of a counterpoint to that is Michael Flynn’s _In the Country of the Blind_ (1987), in which something like psychohistory gets invented in the 19th century. Warning, I haven’t read it in 30+ years and Flynn is a Baen author, so the Suck Fairy may have visited while I was away. ---
**Author:** ![Phil](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/phil/32/1508_2.png) [@Phil](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/Phil)\ **Post date:** [23 May 2023 14:12 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/what-are-you-reading/643/1502 "2023-05-23T14:12:55Z")
> [@Phil](#): > > (Case in point: I am approximately half way through the book I started at the very beginning of the year.) I have finally finished reading **Entangled Life** , and can highly recommend it. It’s a book about fungi, and it’s utterly fascinating. I think that if you are not already well-read on the subject, your understanding of the world will be expanded in many surprising ways. (And don’t assume from my reading speed that the book must be very dry – that’s genuinely just me being an astonishing slow coach; the writing is very engaging and evocative, and I’m sure there are people who could devour this in a day :‍) I’ve started re-reading **Does Anything Eat Wasps?** but that’s a dip-in-and-out kind of book, and it must be about time I picked up some fiction from my bookshelf of opportunity. ---
**Author:** ![Marx](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/marx/32/28667_2.png) [@Marx](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/Marx)\ **Post date:** [27 May 2023 22:32 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/what-are-you-reading/643/1503 "2023-05-27T22:32:35Z")
I just finished the delightful (and short!) **All Systems Red** by Martha Wells. Firstly? What a fantastic name for a series. “The Murderbot Series.” Gosh, that’s good. Wish I had thought of that! Second, it’s good! Clever, snappy, the pacing is excellent, and it’s long enough that I felt a sense of attachment to the characters but _just barely_ longer than a short story. A really solid novella. Further evidence that short-form sci-fi is among the best of either thing. Next up is… **A Prayer for the Crown-Shy** by Becky Chambers. I suspect I’m going to really like it. ---
**Author:** ![SteveB\_uk](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/steveb_uk/32/26030_2.png) [@SteveB\_uk](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/SteveB_uk)\ **Post date:** [28 May 2023 08:07 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/what-are-you-reading/643/1504 "2023-05-28T08:07:20Z")
There’s not a single bad Murderbot book, they’re all really great. ---
**Author:** ![bort](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/bort/32/29061_2.png) [@bort](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/bort)\ **Post date:** [29 May 2023 07:58 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/what-are-you-reading/643/1505 "2023-05-29T07:58:27Z")
Re-reading (but it’s been a while) Dan Simmons “Carrion Comfort” ---
**Author:** ![yashima](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/yashima/32/21481_2.png) [@yashima](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/yashima)\ **Post date:** [30 May 2023 07:39 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/what-are-you-reading/643/1506 "2023-05-30T07:39:31Z")
which reminds me to read more of them. I think I have only read the first couple 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Marx](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/marx/32/28667_2.png) [@Marx](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/Marx)\ **Post date:** [30 May 2023 12:55 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/what-are-you-reading/643/1507 "2023-05-30T12:55:24Z")
Sadly, my local library doesn’t have any of the others. Nor does it have the last two books in the **Phule’s** series ( **Phule’s Errand** and **No Phule like an Old Phule** ). It’s old sci-fi, and it has its problems, but it was foundational for me growing up… back when the term “billionaire” didn’t even exist in sci-fi (Willard Phule, the protagonist, is a “mega-millionaire,” which is considered a ridiculous, staggering amount of wealth). Anyway. I blitz-read the original ( **Phule’s Company** ) for reference material for the novel I’m writing (Phule’s initial muster with his new company is pretty interesting), and it reminded me that I really like these fluffy, cotton-candy sci-fis. But, as mentioned, can’t get them right now (and they’re $30 _each_ on Amazon, so even if I was okay with supporting Evil, I can’t afford them!). I may power up the old Kindle and get them through that… But lots of reading to do before that’s an issue. ---
**Author:** ![Phil](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/phil/32/1508_2.png) [@Phil](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/Phil)\ **Post date:** [30 May 2023 15:52 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/what-are-you-reading/643/1508 "2023-05-30T15:52:51Z")
Tate Fountain’s [**Short Films**](https://www.tatefountain.com/publications) is my current “something to read before bed”. It’s a long time since I’ve bought a book of poetry, but everything about this appealed to me as I was browsing in the book shop. ---
**Author:** ![COMaestro](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/comaestro/32/1030_2.png) [@COMaestro](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/COMaestro)\ **Post date:** [31 May 2023 19:26 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/what-are-you-reading/643/1509 "2023-05-31T19:26:47Z")
I had to read _Phule’s Company_ for my freshman year of high school, and willingly followed up with _Phule’s Paradise_, and then much later the next two for certain. I’m not sure if I ever got to the last two or not. It is easy to miss new releases in series that don’t seem to have annual sequels. ---
**Author:** ![dscheidt](https://discussion.tekeli.li/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@dscheidt](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/dscheidt)\ **Post date:** [1 June 2023 14:03 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/what-are-you-reading/643/1510 "2023-06-01T14:03:41Z")
I read the first two when I was in high school, and enjoyed them. I read on the later ones, probably when it came out, because I bought it at an airport bookstore. I don’t remember if I finished it or not, but I do know I left it in the library of the place I was staying that trip. The experience left my worried about rereading the Myth books…. ---
**Author:** ![bruitist](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/bruitist/32/31788_2.png) [@bruitist](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/bruitist)\ **Post date:** [2 June 2023 16:20 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/what-are-you-reading/643/1511 "2023-06-02T16:20:00Z")
![image](https://discussion.tekeli.li/uploads/default/original/3X/2/2/2213a337d60a0c42387287394e094d826faf3e1b.jpeg) Everything I read in May! Not a lot this month. ---
**Author:** ![Marx](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/marx/32/28667_2.png) [@Marx](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/Marx)\ **Post date:** [3 June 2023 12:36 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/what-are-you-reading/643/1512 "2023-06-03T12:36:18Z")
Okay, so I am now reading **Diving the Wreck** by Karistine Kathryn Rusch and **Phule’s Errand** by Robert Aspirin in parallel (Phule’s is my at-home reading, Wreck is my at-work reading). Both enjoyable so far, but I forgot to some extent that Phule is a: 1. Multibillionaire 2. Weapon manufacturer 3. Protagonist Like. That’s a _choice_ through a modern critical lens. Which isn’t to say I’m not enjoying it (I’m only a few chapters in, but it’s like putting on a comfortable pair of jeans that you’d be slightly embarrassed to be seen in public wearing but are great for around the house). The one Japanese character is named “Sushi” because of course he is. The one South Asian character is named Mahatma and asks questions constantly. The one black character talks like dis, chief, and he wuz with a gang of bad hombres. All the women are attractive. And so on. But hey, I’ve read worse. And Aspirin seems to be _trying_, which honestly counts for a heckuva lot. Anyway. It was a little bit of a shock, but I should’ve remembered. I’m still looking forward to reading the rest. As for Wreck… fascinating perspective, and a lot slower paced, but really compelling. I decided to hold off on the next Chambers ( **A Prayer for the Crown-Shy** ) until I can read the whole thing in a single sitting. It deserves no less. ---
**Author:** ![RogerBW](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/rogerbw/32/3_2.png) [@RogerBW](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/RogerBW)\ **Post date:** [3 June 2023 14:53 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/what-are-you-reading/643/1513 "2023-06-03T14:53:28Z")
> [@Marx](#): > > As for Wreck… fascinating perspective, and a lot slower paced, but really compelling. I’m now most of the way through the series (reviews on my blog) and I’ll confess to some disappointment: many of the books have little or no wreck diving, which was what I came for. Still enjoying them though. ---
**Author:** ![Chewy77](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/chewy77/32/1035_2.png) [@Chewy77](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/Chewy77)\ **Post date:** [4 June 2023 00:23 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/what-are-you-reading/643/1514 "2023-06-04T00:23:49Z")
I was very grateful to find on Thursday the library by my children’s school had the last Rivers of London series book available, _Amongst Our Weapons_. So I am going through it this long weekend. ---
**Author:** ![dscheidt](https://discussion.tekeli.li/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@dscheidt](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/dscheidt)\ **Post date:** [4 June 2023 04:00 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/what-are-you-reading/643/1515 "2023-06-04T04:00:35Z")
The total stereotyping of everyone is the big thing that threw me off when I picked up the later book in the series. I couldn’t decide if this was laziness, incompetence, or something worse. Whichever (, it soured me on nostalgic reading. [Previous page](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/what-are-you-reading/643.md?page=74) [Next page](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/what-are-you-reading/643.md?page=76)