There’s a thread about how people find new books, and one of my favorite ways to find things to read was browsing comments from the weekly ‘What are you reading’ threads in r/truelit and r/books. So what is Lemmy reading?

I’m finishing The Passenger, and about to jump into John Williams’ Stoner. Excited to see what is next!

  • FearTheCron@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin. I love reading science fiction from people with engineering and science backgrounds. Another good book I finished recently was Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.

    • dynamism@beehaw.org
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      1 year ago

      Project Hail Mary was such a fun read for me! I loved how concrete the engineering problems were throughout the book. It kept me tied to the stakes of the story.

      Haven’t been able to finish Three Body Problem, unfortunately, it kind of lost me within the first 100 pages. May have to give it another shot! I hear a lot of good things about it.

      • thematrixisdown@beehaw.org
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        1 year ago

        I personally think the author wrote The Three Body Problem as a prequel to set up for the sequel book, The Dark Forest. Maybe I was just more invested in the world they built at that point?

    • Maerman@beehaw.org
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      1 year ago

      If that’s your vibe, try Blindsight by Peter Watts. It’s a very technical examination of the phenomenon of consciousness which isn’t afraid to get into the weeds, but never quite gets lost in them.

    • Higlerfay@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      This book seems to have an equal measure of haters to fans but I loved the entire series. As it goes on it gets weird but imo was soo worth the read. Enjoy!

    • ABoxOfNeurons@lemmy.one
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      1 year ago

      Greg Egan is another great author like that. Diaspora is a posthumanist acid trip with a ton of esoteric math thrown in. Absolute blast.

    • Sneezycat@sopuli.xyz
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      1 year ago

      That book (three-body) was weeeeird. Really thought it was going to go in a very different direction during the introductory chapters.

      I don’t know if I liked it but it sure made me think about stuff!

      • FearTheCron@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I still haven’t finished it so I am still forming an overall opinion, but its certainly interesting so far.

      • dave_r@reddthat.com
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        1 year ago

        Yeah - the opening section really sets you up for something entirely different. I’m glad I stuck with it. 3 Body & the sequels kept me thinking new things during the pandemic

    • dave_r@reddthat.com
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      1 year ago

      Man - 3 body problem (and the whole series) were a great read. What kind blowing shifts in perspective.

  • Firefox@midwest.social
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    1 year ago

    I just picked up a copy of house of leaves. Saw it referenced a few times in some other media I liked and figured I may as well check out the book itself.

      • Firefox@midwest.social
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        1 year ago

        Yes! I splurged for the hardcover because I thought it would be a book I’d want to go back to a few times later on, and I’m really happy with how high quality it is.

    • postscarce@fedia.io
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      1 year ago

      I don’t even know if “reading” is the right verb for engaging with that book. It’s practically a different kind of activity.

    • Profilename1@sopuli.xyz
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      1 year ago

      It’s a dense read, but I enjoyed it. I’ll admit that I enjoyed it more when I became willing to skim over spots when it got a little too tedious. I’ve got my own theory on what’s going on, and I’d talk about it if I knew how to insert spoilers.

      • Firefox@midwest.social
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        1 year ago

        I feel like this is gonna be one I’ll need to make a few passes on to really get everything that’s going on

    • Deebster@beehaw.org
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      1 year ago

      You’re a few ahead of me on the re-read; Lords and Ladies is my next one. I’m taking my time though, I started in 2019.

      GNU Terry Pratchett.

  • Witch@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    Just got a few books from my local library that I’m excited to start. I’m starting off with “Focused Forward: Navigating the Storms of Adult ADHD” by James M. Ochoa which I picked out because it was the smallest book in the ADHD category, ha.

    I also got a book on Linux/Unix, Diabetes, a workbook for Bipolar, a healthy snack book, and an organization book. Not too too sure if I’ll be able to finish it all by the time they’re due, but its a nice varied selection.

    • ice9@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Amazing series, be sure to check out the novellas as well! There are some guides online that will tell you where they happen chronologicaly

  • theDuesentrieb@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    Just finished Children of time by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Absolutely amazing uplift-scifi, but you better stay away from it if you have arachnophobia

  • Kebab@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    Currently I’m finishing the fifth book of the Wheel Of Time by Robert Jordan. Next will be the sixth book of the Wheel Of Time by Robert Jordan :)

  • lardasshardass@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    Though I’m not much of a reader anymore, my wife has been absolutely obsessed with Sarah J Maas’ Throne of Glass series. I enjoy listening to her talk about it and sum up the stories, wouldn’t be surprised if it ended up on Netflix soon.

    Any recommendations for audiobooks to listen to at work? I’m big on science/science fiction and philosophy, anything that challenges my way of thinking really.

    • BlueDiamond@rammy.site
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      1 year ago

      All hail SJM 😂 I love the theory (quickly becoming canon) that TOG, ACOTAR and CC are connected. I’m so excited for the future of the universe.

      Recommend Meditations by Marcus Aurelius - changed my outlook on life. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor e. Frankl had me ugly crying - and again, changed my outlook.

  • ice9@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I really enjoyed the Expanse books, so just started one of the Author’s other series, the Long Price Quartet

  • Stalinwolf
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    1 year ago

    H.P. Lovecraft - Tales of Horror

    I’ve been blown away by all of this, up until the one I’m currently powering my way through (Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath). It isn’t terrible, though. It just feels very out of place after the overall tone and flow of all his other stories within the volume.

    • fraser@sopuli.xyz
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      1 year ago

      I love his dream cycle stuff, it’s so vivid, but it’s definitely jarring read alongside the horror.

      • Stalinwolf
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        1 year ago

        It certainly has its moments, when his description of something really stirs something inside of you and lights up your imagination. I loved this one:

        “There is a great canal which goes under the whole city in a tunnel with granite gates and leads to the inland lake of Yath, on whose farther shore are the vast clay-brick ruins of a primal city whose name is not remembered. As the ship drew into the harbour at evening the twin beacons Thon and Thal gleamed a welcome, and in all the million windows of Baharna’s terraces mellow lights peeped out quietly and gradually as the stars peep out overhead in the dusk, till that steep and climbing seaport became a glittering constellation hung between the stars of heaven and the reflections of those stars in the still harbour.”

        That one really put me there. But then you get to the space cats and it kind of brings you out again.

  • oscillonoscope@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    I just finished up reading The Return of the King for the first time since childhood. I like it a lot more than I remember. I think two things stuck out at me most: how dense it was compared to modern fantasy and how great the hobbits were portrayed. Fantasy tends to portray great heroes that came from nothing (ex. the chosen one/orphan trope). However, the hobbits were solely because they were common that they were able to do things the great heroes of their age couldn’t.

    Since then I’ve started reading Vineland by Thomas Pynchon. I kept hearing Pynchon’s name come up for about a month at random and figured I should pick up one of his books. He has a very frenetic style that can be a bit difficult to parse but I’m loving his sense of humor.

  • adi@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Just finished Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer (loved it, just discovered the “new weird” genre and it’s totally my vibe). Now started reading The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, the structure of the book and the setting seems cool and intriguing.

    • AnonStoleMyPants@sopuli.xyz
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      1 year ago

      Man, I read the book maybe two years ago and it just… sort of left no impression. The world was neat and weird but fuck it was weird. Maybe I need to consider a re-read at some point.

    • dave_r@reddthat.com
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      1 year ago

      If you liked Anniliation and the rest of the trilogy (well worth it!), Check out Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfeild.

    • lyam23@beehaw.org
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      1 year ago

      Both great reads. I’d also recommend the second and third books following Annihilation, just know they are quite different. Good, but different.

  • styxbane@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    I am deciding between finishing the long way to a Small angry planet or starting howls moving castle