Having finished Imagined Communities I am returning to Paul Fussell’s The Great War and Modern Memory to finish that up.
Also queuing up Robert Tombs’ The English and their History.
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I enjoyed Fussell’s Class quite a lot. Have you run across that one?
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I have not. I will add that to the to obtain list.
I re-read Robert Massie’s Dreadnought and Castles of Steel recently after Max Hastings’ Catastrophe 1914 and Modris Eksteins’ Rites of Spring. I’d had Fussell on the shelf for some time and have had false starts on the text but Eksteins left me feeling more prepared for him.
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Currently reading Last Argument of Kings.
Reached the point where I feel like I’m actively reading slower so as not to draw out finishing the book.
Just finished the first Murderbotbook which was alright but not gonna be rushing to read the series.
In comics I am reading Something is Killing the Children but lockdown means i’m not getting the issues.
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Just now I’ve picked up The Martian Named Smith, a critical study of Stranger in a Strange Land as an “anatomy” (in the sense defined by Northrop Frye) or “Menippean satire.”
Borrowing this from pillbox over on the film review thread:
because I think it applies to books too. In particular, I’ve been reading the Hugo-nominated novels (though I’m not a voter this year) and Gideon the Ninth is my favourite of the four I’ve read… but it seems the least Hugo-worthy. It’s a good story told well, but it leans heavily on the structure of The Hunger Games and Divergent; it doesn’t bring anything innovative to the field, but it’s got more joy in it than any of the others.
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Oh, it definitely applies to books. I love Jim Butcher’s books, especially Dresden Files, but they are not “good” books.
But, I’ve read all of them, and Codex Alera and The Aeronauts Windlass and enjoyed (almost) every minute of them.
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My favorite author, but even I can admit his books are pure brain candy.
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I’ve long been of the view that if you don’t sometimes say “That’s good art, but I don’t like it” and “I like that, but it’s not good art” then you aren’t serious about art. Though my example of the latter category would be S.M. Stirling rather than Jim Butcher.
He’s my favorite author too. Some stuff makes me cringe, like any time Harry mentions his “glands” when he’s around women, but I love his books.
I think it was when I was devouring Codex Alera that I started realizing why I liked Butcher so much. He’s not a great writer, at least in the technical sense. He’ll never be, say Rothfuss, who I think has an amazing gift for words. What he does well, though, and better than any writer I know (at least in my limited exposure to fantasy books) is write amazing characters.
I think The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece, but Kvothe is such a Gary Stu male power fantasy (especially in Wise Man’s Fear) that it actively detracts from the book.
Dresden however, feels real. He’s flawed. He struggles. And sure, he almost always prevails against forces stronger than him, but it usually feels natural and it frequently costs him.
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And sometimes it is just sheer luck! I do like how Harry has evolved as a character, going from just reacting to events to actually engaging in some plotting, making contingencies, and showing some outright chicanery to come out on top.
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Yup, I love his evolution, even though I sometimes groan at his stubbornness, but that’s why I love him. Haha.
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Also, speaking of Dresden I can’t wait for July 14th. It’s been so long. Haha. Though, not quite as long as waiting for The Doors of Stone.
Also, I don’t read George R. R. Martin, so I really can’t complain about waiting.
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This reminds me that I haven’t yet got hold of The Mirror and the Light, which I’ve been looking forward to for… well, for years. And it comes out when I suddenly have zero Audible time. I guess I can wait a few more months to get started on the 38 hours it’ll take to listen to.
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A friend who Audibles tells me that Network Effect (Martha Wells’ continuation of the Murderbot Diaries) is now available for download, at least in the UK. Not out in proper book till next month.
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I picked up the four Murderbot shorts when they were freebies, but still haven’t got around to reading any. Maybe now that I’ve finished the Dragon Age anthology Tevinter Nights I’ll give them a try.
The real problem is that there are still too many scientific romances I’ve not read… and Brian Stableford shows no signs of slowing down with his translations of the French ones!
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I’ve read at least 2 of the Murderbots, not sure if I read the third, I definitely have it though. I enjoyed the first but the second one even more due to a “fun” new character that was introduced.
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Im now reading the adventure books for the Starter Set (WHFRP) and Waterdeep: Dragon Heist (D&D) because I seem to have agreed to run two campaigns at once for different groups.
Chassepot to FMAS, French Military Rifles, 1866-2016.
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Ah! I enjoy Ian Mccollum‘s channel on YouTube.
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