Dominion Strategy Forum
Miscellaneous => General Discussion => Topic started by: raerae on March 04, 2019, 06:15:48 pm
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Just a thread for book recommendations. Maybe we can get real crazy and start a forum book club someday? Today is not that day, for me at least. I've apparently been jamming on series lately and below are a few I really enjoyed.
- The Hatching Series - Ezekiel Boone (three books, about spiders, horror, suspense, easy read but good writing)
- The Passage Series - Justin Cronin (three books, about zombie vampires? he doesn't go into super detail which is part of what makes this extra creepy, our minds are always more terrifying than anything that can be written down)
- The Dark Tower Series - Stephen King (eight books, different for King, kind of a modern/futuristic/apocalyptic Western, incredibly moving, I absolutely cried at the last book, don't you judge me)
- Immortality & Chaos Series, Chaos & Retribution Series, Ace Lone Wolf Series - Eric T. Knight (5, 6 and 4 books, respectively, the Chaos books are medieval fantasy and just suck you right in, the Ace series is kind of campy Western-ish, reminds me of a standard detective novel but with a different flavor)
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- The Books of Babel- Josiah Bancroft. A steampunk adventure story with amazing worldbuilding, focusing on a giant tower with mysterious origins and the cloud of airships surrounding it. Three books so far, one more coming next year.
- The Murderbot Diaries- Martha Wells. The story of a security robot (technically a construct, there's a difference) in a corporate dystopia who breaks free of its programming and wanders the galaxy helping the helpless. Except all it really wants to do is watch TV. Four books so far but they're each very short. Delightful.
- Temeraire- Naomi Novik. The Napoleonic wars the dragons. And the greatest human/dragon bromance of all time. Complete at nine books. Totally worth it.
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I wish that I had both the time, and the attention span to read like I did when I was younger. Maybe it’s that I need a better prescription on eye glasses, but concentrating on text that small exhausts me in a way that simply didn’t occur years (and years) ago.
I read mostly non-fiction now, as I have a natural love for learning, and whenever I cross paths with something that truly piques my interest I want to know every little detail about it. But I used to be an avid Sci-Fi & Fantasy reader. I don’t think I’ve read a book in those genre’s in 10-15 years though. 😢 Definitely makes me sad that I find myself unable to get lost in stories as I could when I was younger.
Still, I highly approve this thread! Everybody should read more, regardless of how much they read now!
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Relevant older thread with some excellent (<- purely objective) recommendations:
http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=5655.0
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Some recently read stuff that I enjoyed:
- Here I Am, Jonathan Safran Foer - reminded me why I love everything by Jonathan Safran Foer. It's about the inner workings of an American family and also the Middle East conflict.
- Half of a Yellow Sun, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - tells the story of the Nigerian civil war in the 60s from three perspectives. While some plot points seemed a bit clichéd, I always enjoy it when a books explores something that I know little about, and the writing is excellent.
- The Chinese Typewriter, Thomas S. Mullaney - non-fiction which is, yes, about the history of the Chinese typewriter. I picked this one up on a whim and found it utterly enjoyable.
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I wish that I had both the time, and the attention span to read like I did when I was younger. Maybe it’s that I need a better prescription on eye glasses, but concentrating on text that small exhausts me in a way that simply didn’t occur years (and years) ago.
I read mostly non-fiction now, as I have a natural love for learning, and whenever I cross paths with something that truly piques my interest I want to know every little detail about it. But I used to be an avid Sci-Fi & Fantasy reader. I don’t think I’ve read a book in those genre’s in 10-15 years though. 😢 Definitely makes me sad that I find myself unable to get lost in stories as I could when I was younger.
Still, I highly approve this thread! Everybody should read more, regardless of how much they read now!
Give us some deets on your interest books! shraeye just finished reading Golden Ticket, it's a math book!
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Relevant older thread with some excellent (<- purely objective) recommendations:
http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=5655.0
Thank you! I did a cursory glace for book threads and didn't see this one.
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Anything by brandon sanderson.
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Anything by brandon sanderson.
Hey I just finished that first book; trying to decide how quickly I want to get the rest read.
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Anything by brandon sanderson.
Hey I just finished that first book; trying to decide how quickly I want to get the rest read.
Which first book? Mistborn? Stormlight Archive?
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Any time it comes to book recommendations, I have exactly one.
Read "The Stones Cry Out" by Hikaru Okuizumi. It's a quick 140 page book (not with super minuscule font). It's not the start of a 20-part epic series, so everybody should have time to read it. It's not quite fiction; not quite non-fiction. It's just. so. good.
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Anything by brandon sanderson.
Hey I just finished that first book; trying to decide how quickly I want to get the rest read.
Which first book? Mistborn? Stormlight Archive?
Uhhh, oh yeah; details...The Way of Kings...not sure which one it kicks off.
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Anything by brandon sanderson.
Hey I just finished that first book; trying to decide how quickly I want to get the rest read.
Which first book? Mistborn? Stormlight Archive?
Uhhh, oh yeah; details...The Way of Kings...not sure which one it kicks off.
That's the Stormlight Archive. No huge rush to read them, he has only published 3 of those so far. Of 10....
But they are totally worth reading. And rereading.
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Anything by brandon sanderson.
Hey I just finished that first book; trying to decide how quickly I want to get the rest read.
But I would also recommend Anathem by Neal Stephenson. I think you might enjoy it. It was also a recommendation in that other thread
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Any time it comes to book recommendations, I have exactly one.
Read "The Stones Cry Out" by Hikaru Okuizumi. It's a quick 140 page book (not with super minuscule font). It's not the start of a 20-part epic series, so everybody should have time to read it. It's not quite fiction; not quite non-fiction. It's just. so. good.
Seconded.
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a few books I've enjoyed recently:
- Whispers from the Depths by C.W. Briar. genre: dark fantasy/horror-with-a-light-at-the-end. A slave water-mage (a practical description, even though it's a misnomer in the story world) and a group of soldiers investigate the aftermath of a castle which has been attacked by a powerful water spirit who has turned violent and vengeful. (This book is indie-published and just came out two months ago.)
- The Forbidden Library series by Django Wexler. genre: dark middle grade portal fantasy. Since Harry Potter, a ton of MG fantasy has main characters who are students of magic in one way or another, but this series stands out. It has heart, an interesting magic system, lots of monsters, and is all-around very well done and generally smack in the middle of the kind of thing I like.
- Coraline by Neil Gaiman. genre: dark middle grade portal fantasy. Yeah, I listed the same genre for this and the Forbidden Library (it's pretty much my favorite genre), but besides the genre, they're very different and I loved them both. This one is less "magic and monsters" and more "creepy bedtime story"-type thing. I really liked The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman also and have more of his books on my to-read list.
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Anything by brandon sanderson.
Hey I just finished that first book; trying to decide how quickly I want to get the rest read.
Which first book? Mistborn? Stormlight Archive?
Uhhh, oh yeah; details...The Way of Kings...not sure which one it kicks off.
That's the Stormlight Archive. No huge rush to read them, he has only published 3 of those so far. Of 10....
But they are totally worth reading. And rereading.
I'm planning on running a Stormlight Archive rmm when I have more time.
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Starting at the top, I've put a request in for book one in The Books of Babel!
- The Books of Babel- Josiah Bancroft. A steampunk adventure story with amazing worldbuilding, focusing on a giant tower with mysterious origins and the cloud of airships surrounding it. Three books so far, one more coming next year.
- The Murderbot Diaries- Martha Wells. The story of a security robot (technically a construct, there's a difference) in a corporate dystopia who breaks free of its programming and wanders the galaxy helping the helpless. Except all it really wants to do is watch TV. Four books so far but they're each very short. Delightful.
- Temeraire- Naomi Novik. The Napoleonic wars the dragons. And the greatest human/dragon bromance of all time. Complete at nine books. Totally worth it.
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Oh! I just found this! Thank you, Raerae
I appreciate the recommendations! Neal Stephenson (Cryptonomicon), Zadie Smith (White Teeth), and Murakami (a wild sheep chase) are my favorite authors.
I have a super long commute (75 minute of driving each way) and usually listen to nonfiction for that. The standout from that was a book about Gengis Kahn, the Signal and the Noise, and the History of the World in 7 glasses. Next up: Sapiens
My book club is reading The Maid, and I get the feeling I am going to feel bad for housekeepers. We’ll see...
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I recently had nothing better to do than to read Håkan Nesser's The Darkest Day. I did finish it, and it was alright I guess, but I was pretty disappointed.
I actually liked the family drama which takes like 200 pages before the detective even enters the picture, which some people online seemed to complain about, but the characters and their relationships were interesting enough that I was pretty hooked at that point. The whole detective story aspect of it made it fall flatter than expected when it kicked in though, since there was like... nothing of substance to the mystery whatsoever. I guess it wasn't even supposed to be the point of the book since the solution was not only super simple and obvious from the get-go, but also explicitly revealed to the audience like halfway through the book, way before the detective figured it out, but for something that wasn't supposed to be the point, it took the spotlight a ton. The family drama did continue on the side as the investigation progressed (or mostly, didn't progress), and that continued to be interesting, but honestly I would have rather just read the exact same story told completely from the family members' perspectives without even an attempt to include a mystery at all.
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Technically still a book but different than we've been talking about so far...
I just got One Pot (From the Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living) from the library and this thing is great. Definitely recommend seeing if your local library has it.
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Technically still a book but different than we've been talking about so far...
I just got One Pot (From the Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living) from the library and this thing is great. Definitely recommend seeing if you're local library has it.
What did you make? Was it delicious?
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Technically still a book but different than we've been talking about so far...
I just got One Pot (From the Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living) from the library and this thing is great. Definitely recommend seeing if you're local library has it.
What did you make? Was it delicious?
Nothing yet but I'm super impressed by it. I have very strict rules for cookbooks (or our house would literally be made out of them and rain would be a serious problem). For starts, I need to know that I would make at minimum 1/3 of the recipes in the book before I can even consider buying it, they need to be semi-unique recipes (I don't need another beef stroganoff recipe in my life thank you very much), and the ingredients needs to be mostly easy to come buy. Bonus points if the book has some tips/tricks/teaching sections. I also prefer savory to sweet so I don't appreciate books with a gazillion dessert recipes. This breaks it down by the pot (Dutch Oven, Skillet/Saute Pan, Slow Cooker, etc.) and discusses how-tos, things to avoid, and general tips for that particular cooking method. It also has pressure cooker recipes that I'm really excited for since I've only ever canned with a pressure cooker, never actually cooked with one. It definitely has some recipes that I'm rolling my eyes at (looking at you roast beef with carrots and potatoes in a dutch oven...) but there's some neat stuff too like Irish Beef Stew with Stout (as in the beer) and a Black Bean and Almond Soup.
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Technically still a book but different than we've been talking about so far...
I just got One Pot (From the Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living) from the library and this thing is great. Definitely recommend seeing if you're local library has it.
What did you make? Was it delicious?
Nothing yet but I'm super impressed by it. I have very strict rules for cookbooks (or our house would literally be made out of them and rain would be a serious problem). For starts, I need to know that I would make at minimum 1/3 of the recipes in the book before I can even consider buying it, they need to be semi-unique recipes (I don't need another beef stroganoff recipe in my life thank you very much), and the ingredients needs to be mostly easy to come buy. Bonus points if the book has some tips/tricks/teaching sections. I also prefer savory to sweet so I don't appreciate books with a gazillion dessert recipes. This breaks it down by the pot (Dutch Oven, Skillet/Saute Pan, Slow Cooker, etc.) and discusses how-tos, things to avoid, and general tips for that particular cooking method. It also has pressure cooker recipes that I'm really excited for since I've only ever canned with a pressure cooker, never actually cooked with one. It definitely has some recipes that I'm rolling my eyes at (looking at you roast beef with carrots and potatoes in a dutch oven...) but there's some neat stuff too like Irish Beef Stew with Stout (as in the beer) and a Black Bean and Almond Soup.
We made Carnitas Tacos and they are AMAZING!! Pork shoulder cut into bites, in a Dutch Oven covered by 1/2" of water, simmer until the water's gone, salt+pepper (generously), let them crisp up. Inhale copious amounts.
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- The Books of Babel- Josiah Bancroft. A steampunk adventure story with amazing worldbuilding, focusing on a giant tower with mysterious origins and the cloud of airships surrounding it. Three books so far, one more coming next year.
- The Murderbot Diaries- Martha Wells. The story of a security robot (technically a construct, there's a difference) in a corporate dystopia who breaks free of its programming and wanders the galaxy helping the helpless. Except all it really wants to do is watch TV. Four books so far but they're each very short. Delightful.
- Temeraire- Naomi Novik. The Napoleonic wars the dragons. And the greatest human/dragon bromance of all time. Complete at nine books. Totally worth it.
On the first book, just got to New Bable, loving it so far. It's got intrigue, a little humor, suspense, a hero with flaws but you root for his nerdy butt anyway. I'm jamming on it. Also, bonus feature, might be great flavor for a mafia game.
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Rae, do you think it would be a good audiobook? I’m looking for commute fodder.
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We made Carnitas Tacos and they are AMAZING!! Pork shoulder cut into bites, in a Dutch Oven covered by 1/2" of water, simmer until the water's gone, salt+pepper (generously), let them crisp up. Inhale copious amounts.
Oh, neat! We do that in the crockpot with chicken! Cover in onions, Fos Equis beer, chili powder and Cumin. Cool all day, shred and then crisp under the broiler. Hit it with lime. So easy and so delicious!
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We made Carnitas Tacos and they are AMAZING!! Pork shoulder cut into bites, in a Dutch Oven covered by 1/2" of water, simmer until the water's gone, salt+pepper (generously), let them crisp up. Inhale copious amounts.
Oh, neat! We do that in the crockpot with chicken! Cover in onions, Fos Equis beer, chili powder and Cumin. Cool all day, shred and then crisp under the broiler. Hit it with lime. So easy and so delicious!
Holy crap, I'm down for that. Yummmmmmmm!!
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Rae, do you think it would be a good audiobook? I’m looking for commute fodder.
I think so! My commute is significantly shorter than yours but I was thinking about trying it with the second book.
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ooohhh...they are each like 14 hours. I like long audiobooks! I'm getting the first one!
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Malazan Book of the Fallen series is great, also has a lot of standalone novellas written in the universe. I've probably brought it up before.
The main series has ended, but Erikson is writing a prequal trilogy (The Kharkanas Trilogy) involving the history of some of the races involved in the main series (covering events that are referenced in there). The first two have been written, and I've recently started the second one.