What is on the bedside table: Favourite books

[AndyP]

Does anyone here use Goodreads? Awesome app/site if you are a book lover.

Yes, I use it. I was looking at it last night to see what other books Brent Weeks has, after reading a series of his a while ago, from a recommendation here. He is 3 books through a tetralogy, so I'll wait a couple of years.

I am currently reading the Shadowmarch tetralogy by Tad Williams. I'm only on the first one, but it is slow going so far.

[billp]

Just finished reading the Matt Reily books again for about the 4th time, love the action he packs into them, never gets old.

Also looking on the net to download some Leo Kessler books. He wrote about WW2, but from the German soldiers perspective. Read them about 20 years ago when I was 16 and really liked them. Hopefully I can find them again.

[jimandr]

Goodreads is usually the first non-retail (Amazon, etc) listing that comes up when you google a title, so I always have a look. The similar titles feature looks quite useful, but I've never actually selected one of those titles to see whether there is a genuine similarity.

I usually have a look through the first page of reviews of the book I've just read. I shouldn't be surprised, but it is the internet. Some people must be absolute literary geniuses who haven't been discovered yet, because some of the criticism is just laughable, and others are just fanboys.

[LeftyHoges]

Seeing as this is (kinda) my field of expertise I probably should chime in with a few things here...

Some other good sites that may help with choices for reading:
Fantastic Fiction - Author biographies and bibliographies
Librarything - Similar to goodreads
Literature-map - Type in an authors name to find other authors who write in a similar style and genre. The closer the name to the original author, the more similar they write.
Stop, you're killing me! - an index of mystery, crime, thriller, spy, and suspense books.

[AndyP]

Literature Map is cool.
You can add your whole book library into the Goodreads app by scanning the book barcode with your phone.

[Buzz]

Bimp.... Was just reordering my Goodreads "to read" list. Always good to have more friends on there to get more ideas for books so if anyone wants a friends invite, shoot me a PM

[AndyP]

This is me, Buzz: https://www.goodreads.com/friend/i?i...MxOTg0NTI6NDI3

[Buzz]

Added!

[AndyP]

The Tad Williams' Shadowmarch series is what I have recently started. The first book has been slowish going with several vaguely related storylines. I'm wondering how long it will be before they come together.

[Buzz]

I just read Brandon Sanderson's first standalone novel, Elantris, which I really enjoyed. The Stormlight Archive series which he is currently writing is superb.

[AndyP]

I just read Brandon Sanderson's first standalone novel, Elantris, which I really enjoyed. The Stormlight Archive series which he is currently writing is superb.

His Mistborn series was really good, and he did a great job of finishing off the Wheel Of Time. He really pumps some books out. I don't want to start a series that isn't finished, but I didn't know there was a standalone, so I will look at Elantris.

[Dangals]

Really enjoy his work. The mistborn books are great and I loved the first two stormlight books till I read that it was going to be 2 series of 5 books each taking 10+ years to finish.... No doubt I won't bother waiting.

Currently reading the Brent Weeks lightbringer trilogy which is quite good.

[Buzz]

Yeah I agree I was 50/50 on starting Stormlight Archive but on balance I am glad I did.

Is Mistborn a completed series? If so I might read while I wait on the Stormlight books.

Problem is I already have over 400 books on my to read list ... even at one a week thats almost eight years worth!

[AndyP]

Currently reading the Brent Weeks lightbringer trilogy which is quite good.

That's not finished either, as I said at the top of the page. One more to go.

Is Mistborn a completed series? If so I might read while I wait on the Stormlight books.

It is a completed series, although he has started writing another Mistborn series.

[Dangals]

That's not finished either, as I said at the top of the page. One more to go.

It is a completed series, although he has started writing another Mistborn series.

oh well, I read the first when it was originally released so it probably serves me right

Another mistborn series... awesome hopefully it is as good as the last one.

[BenM]

Bimp.... Was just reordering my Goodreads "to read" list. Always good to have more friends on there to get more ideas for books so if anyone wants a friends invite, shoot me a PM

And this is me (I think) http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/18878168-ben-morison - you'd find me on Andy's friend list too I reckon. I don't tend to read a lot of fantasy though - more of a crime/thriller guy

[Buzz]

All good, I read a wide range of genres. I've added you

[nadg63]

At the moment, Robin Hobb, 'Fool's Assassin'.

[AndyP]

I recently finished the first Assassin series, nadg. By the end I was a bit over it. Here's my comments about the last book from Goodreads.

I did want to keep reading the book, but it did start to get depressing with the amount of things that go wrong for the main character, often because of his own stupidity. After all of that, the end wasn't that satisfying.

I will return to her books, but I needed a break from it.

[LarryLong]

I really like Robin Hobb's books, but she certainly does put Fitz through the wringer in those books. She hates him like an ex-husband.

[jimandr]

This thread has been quiet for a while. Certainly I've got through a couple of very large tomes since my last post in here.

Following Courty's recommendation from quite some time ago, I have now completed the first two volumes of Peter F Hamilton's Commonwealth Universe, Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained.

I really enjoyed these books right from the start until the end. I cared about the characters, I wanted to know how the story was going to progress, and I wasn't sure which directions the story was going to go to. For me these are the criteria that need to be met for a long story over a number of volumes to work, and these two books did it.

Much better than The Void Trilogy, set in the same universe. Another book in this Universe has been released recently, so that will be essential reading for me if I ever see it going cheap somewhere.

I also read Century Rain by Alistair Reynolds not too long ago. This isn't part of a longer series, and it is probably just as well. It was OK, but it didn't really grab me, either in its overall concept or in its execution.

I've got two other books ready to go. I'll probably leave Marauder by Gary Gibson for a bit. Google tells me many of his books are set in a common universe, and this one may not be the best place to start, so I'll look for something else by him to start with.

Which means Illium by Dan Simmons will probably get a start next time there is a day that looks like rain all day. Anybody read him?

[Hux]

Bit more of a non fiction reader here. The Longest Winter, a fairly good analysis of the major players, countries and leaders in the Korean War and how it set the stage for the USA intervention into Indochina.
Get a bit weighty on the analysis of US politics, but an eye opener on just what a "player" and egocentric person Macarthur was. However. plenty of blood and guts too with interviews of low ranks etc - if you are into military history, consider that both the Chinese and US considered that a US Division if properly sited and supplied could sustain itself against 4 or 5 chinese divisions or more (the chinese believed a US division was equivalent to 9 Chinese).
At Choisan Reservoir a single US Marine division was estimated to have left 40,000 Chinese casualties for @ 2500 of their own.

The forgotten war may have been in fact forgotten for a reason - the memories were just too painful for those in it.

[Courty]

Following Courty's recommendation from quite some time ago, I have now completed the first two volumes of Peter F Hamilton's Commonwealth Universe, Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained.

I really enjoyed these books right from the start until the end. I cared about the characters, I wanted to know how the story was going to progress, and I wasn't sure which directions the story was going to go to. For me these are the criteria that need to be met for a long story over a number of volumes to work, and these two books did it.

Much better than The Void Trilogy, set in the same universe. Another book in this Universe has been released recently, so that will be essential reading for me if I ever see it going cheap somewhere.

Agreed with most of those. His trilogies are very good, but IMO his standalone works are the best. Fallen Dragon is outstanding (I still rate it as the best sci-fi book I've ever read.. the ending is simply brilliant), and Great North Road is also a very good book.

I also read Century Rain by Alistair Reynolds not too long ago. This isn't part of a longer series, and it is probably just as well. It was OK, but it didn't really grab me, either in its overall concept or in its execution.

His stuff is hit & miss. Some of it os excellent, and some is pretty forgetful. I can;t recall all the titles I've read, so I can't tell you which ones fit into which category.

I've got two other books ready to go. I'll probably leave Marauder by Gary Gibson for a bit. Google tells me many of his books are set in a common universe, and this one may not be the best place to start, so I'll look for something else by him to start with.

Gary Gibson's first few books are great (Against Gravity & Angel Stations). Stealing Light was also very good but I haven't got around to reading the rest of the Shoal Sequence yet.

I'm on the last few chapters of the final book of the Paradox sci-fi trilogy by Rachel Bach. She usually writes romance, which makes it an even more impressive effort.

I started a Dan Simmons book some years ago (Hyperion?), but I gave up early on as the language it was written in made it really hard work.

Not sure what I'll pick up next. I've got a few to chose from.

[dee cee]

Gallipoli Peter Fitzsimons

[Ferrins]

Went to a garage sale on the weekend and scored a mint Wilson Live Fibre Trophy 10"6' 2 pc for $20 without haggling. Also scored some books at a buck a pop.
Golf for Dummies by Brian McCord
Five Months in a Leaky Boat by Ben Kozel
The Well at the World's End by A.J.Mackinnon
The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow by A.J.Mackinnon