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Ha, since this year everyone seems to be slow, I am creating the thread for this year.
(Post shamelessly stolen from thread starters of the prior years)
Previous threads:
2011 (49 pages)
2012 (58 pages)
2013 (165 pages!(!!!))
2014 (back to 75 pages  )
2015 (54 pages We miss you, sam)
Format:
1) What you just finished reading (or gave up half way through)
2) What are you currently reading
3) What you plan to read next
Try to post both the book title in text as well as image. The Amazon images usually work well. The random google images are sometimes too big or too small.
It would also be great if you could post a little something along with the books. Did you like it, why or why not? How was the plot, how was writing style, how was the character development? What makes the book you are currently reading interesting? It’s not 100% necessary that you do so, but it tends to foster lively discussion of books, which is really what this thread is all about.
Also, please try to keep criticism of entire genres out of this thread. If you didn’t like a particular book then feel free to say so, but it’s not terribly productive to state that you dislike all of science fiction or existentialist literature etc.
Use spoilers appropriately, obviously.
Thanks to Cambiumpackrat386Surth for the OP that I basically stole from last year
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Finished:
![[image loading]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/512Ioq5%2BcyL.jpg)
I am mainly reading children's books to my son right now. This is a classic in Germany. I have no idea if there are any translations, but if there are and you ever have kids, go for it 
Reading:
![[image loading]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41A4KAVJNWL.jpg)
Got this as a joke present from my parents a few years back. Surprisingly fun to read. Sorry about the poor image quality.
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Actually read a lot of books since I last posted because I just never updated the other thread again, so lots of books read since last time.
Last Read:
![[image loading]](http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1413706054l/18007564.jpg)
The Martian - Watched the movie and loved it so I decided to read the book. Loved it as well, pure science fiction at it's best. I would recommend this book to anyone honestly. Ended up binging it pretty hard and finished it in like 3 days which I rarely do, it was that good.
![[image loading]](http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348217283l/542389.jpg)
Stalingrad - I've always kinda had an interest in WWII but never really learned about the Eastern front and this book was highly regarded. Never really knew that much about Stalingrad beforehand and this is absolutely full of information to the point of it being somewhat overwhelming, mostly from the amount of characters introduced in the book. Some interesting facts stood out. Like how the russians trained dogs to run under tanks for food and would attach anti-tank mines to them and let them loose on the Germans, or how they constructed sophisticated bunkers. Also I don't think I will ever forgot about the Don and Volga rivers because they are mentioned every page it seemed like. Still, it was a good read, and I have a new found respect for the Russians.
![[image loading]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/0a/Pabloescobook.jpg/200px-Pabloescobook.jpg)
Killing Pablo - Ended up watching Narcos when it came out on Netflix and it was interesting. Most people know who Escobar is but like myself didn't know many details about his life or how his drug empire came to be. It was pretty amazing just how sophisticated his operation was back then and even more so how the DEA was able to catch up to Escobar and eventually corner him.
![[image loading]](http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1385967404l/17573703.jpg)
Parkland - I should preface this saying I never really believed in much of a conspiracy when it came to the Kennedy assassination. Anyways, this is basically a chronological timeline of the morning leading up the assassination and the following 3 days afterwards. There is a lot of information to take in though as you can imagine so I had to read a bit at a time as to not me overwhelmed. Still, it was interesting to learn about Oswald and Ruby from a more personal perspective, not just as murderers.
Reading Now:
![[image loading]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51w9YIIENzL.jpg)
Flags of our Fathers - When my grandfather passed back in August nobody wanted to take his books so my parents ended up giving them to me, this was one of them. I already saw the movie awhile back but I didn't enjoy as it got sidetracked too much, the book is much better in this regard. This book is all about Iwo Jima and the Americans who would eventually storm the island. Only about halfway through right now but it's really good. I knew that the Japanese had dug tunnels Iwo Jima but had no idea they were so advanced. A multilayered system of tunnels many large enough for a man to walk through them and holes dug into the walls where mortars could be fired from. Also interesting was the fact that they bombed the island for weeks beforehand and it didn't make a dent in their defenses as everyone was living underground, and the pillboxes and bunkers were reinforced with several feet of sand and logs each. Anyways yeah, this is way better than the movie so if the movie turned you off but you are still interested in Iwo Jima I would give this a read.
Reading Next:
![[image loading]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51v2BO9mo8L.jpg)
Black Hawk Down - After Killing Pablo I was looking up more Mark Bowden books this of course this came up. Heard of it and have already seen the movie but I am interested to hear what it was really like.
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Last one I read:
![[image loading]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31pCbhldLZL._BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
Alice in Steamland
A spin-off of a classic story. Wonderland is now Steamland (a place that is eternally engulf by a particular steam). Steamland doesn't only exist in the real world but the steam that makes up the whole land induces hallucinations (on the level of a cocktail made with the worst hard drugs). Our Alice will have to deal with the junkies that live in Steamland (their bodies heavily modified by the constant inhale of the steam: making them look like wierd animals on the best of the cases...). In a place that can lead you up, down, foward and backward she looks to find herself.
I belive the book is only in italian, which is a shame as the book is well written and has a fast pace. It was a fun read, the book having some graphic violence and sex made it so the overall "high" experience could be enhanced in the story.
Reading now:
![[image loading]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/412gDaMcpQL._BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
The Stone Gods
Pick it up yesterday for my 3 days trip-vacation on new year's holiday. I heard good things about this puppy and I do like Dystopian worlds and the book is fairly short so a perfect snack.
![[image loading]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51WPBWQqvPL._SX314_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
Firefight
Started it and left it at home before taking off to my holiday. B.S in this "The Reckoners" series wrote an insane fast paced story. Action and Suspense from start to finish!. I'm enjoying a lot the story so far and that's why I decided to not take the book with me, so I can read it at the confort of my home and get the best experience from it.
Reading Next:
Well, I have around 30'ish books on my shelf waiting to get a turn and 3 more inc. I'm still deciding on the next victim but the candidates for reading are:
![[image loading]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Ju8wJ8jML._SX316_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
Promise of Blood
The book had a quote from Brent Weeks and that writter has my respect, so I bought it. Also I belive that the author (Brian Mcclellan) has been influenced a lot by Brandon Sanderson which in my book is also a +.
![[image loading]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31Ei1SbMeNL._BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
Gens Arcana
Another italian exclusive about a story where we have elemental bending (fire, water, earth and air). My jam!
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Recently finished:
"Fatherland" by Robert Harris
+ Show Spoiler +
A crime story set in alternative universe where Germany had won the Second World War. Pretty good, much, much better than "The Man in the High Castle" in terms of worldbuilding.
"Treat Your Own Back" by Robin McKenzie
+ Show Spoiler +
A book on how to self-treat one's lower back pain. Rather useful.
"Carthage Must Be Destroyed" by Richard Miles
+ Show Spoiler +
A comprehensive book on the history of Carthage - from its very beginnings in Levant to its eventual downfall. Very insightful, with a surprisingly enthralling narrative. Out of convenience, I used two bookmarks - one for the main part, and another for the numerous references. A great read, highly recommended to anyone interested in ancient history. After finishing the book I had a sudden urge to kiss it, for some reason...
Currently reading:
"Азазель" ("The Winter Queen") by Boris Akunin
+ Show Spoiler +
A crime story taking place in XIXth century Russia. My first book in Russian, save for a few chapters of a book on physical metallurgy. Hoped for an easy read, but apparently scientific books in a new language are easier (when you're familiar with the topic)...
"Król bólu" ("King of Pain") by Jacek Dukaj
+ Show Spoiler +
A science fiction anthology focusing on life after Singularity, transhumanism, making contact with aliens, etc. Some stories, at 200-300 pages, could've easily been independent books. I'm rereading some of the stories and reading a few I did not read before.
Coming up next:
"Reclaiming Development: An Alternative Economic Policy Manual" by Ha-Joon Chang and Ilene Grabel
+ Show Spoiler +
A book on economic policies alternative to neoclassical mainstream. I've read a couple of books by Chang which criticize neoclassical economics, and now I would like to learn what he would have us rather do.
"Solaris" by Stanisław Lem
+ Show Spoiler +
I've read several articles on Lem and heard many good things about his books, but somehow I've never gotten to read one, until now.
Additionally, I'll probably reread "A Game of Thrones" and all its sequels in preparation for "The Winds of Winter" in the coming months. Just to refresh my memory.
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England2264 Posts
On January 02 2016 10:00 PushDown wrote:Last one I read: Alice in Steamland A spin-off of a classic story. Wonderland is now Steamland (a place that is eternally engulf by a particular steam). Steamland doesn't only exist in the real world but the steam that makes up the whole land induces hallucinations (on the level of a cocktail made with the worst hard drugs). Our Alice will have to deal with the junkies that live in Steamland (their bodies heavily modified by the constant inhale of the steam: making them look like wierd animals on the best of the cases...). In a place that can lead you up, down, foward and backward she looks to find herself. I belive the book is only in italian, which is a shame as the book is well written and has a fast pace. It was a fun read, the book having some graphic violence and sex made it so the overall "high" experience could be enhanced in the story.
Do you have any other recommendations for contemporary Italian books? None of my Italian friends seem to read Italian authors, just translations or recommend the same classic (and ridiculously complex for me) books like Calvino and Dante. I've put "Alice..." on my wishlist. Sounds very interesting!
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I'm currently working my way through Toll the Hounds by Steven Erikson. It's book #8 of Malazan which I've been making my through for the last few years. It's not quite as exciting as the others so far and I'm not fond of the Tiste Andii stories or the way Anomander is talked about but the other bits are interesting. It's really fucking long though so I'm going to be here for a while.
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Toll the Hounds is not that good until the end. When it gets good though it is one of the best parts of the whole Malazan series.
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Just finished:
![[image loading]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51yRlaFIDGL._SX308_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
Reading:
![[image loading]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41fWrNb%2BJoL._SX324_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
Want to read next:
![[image loading]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Of%2B7lHvUL._SX314_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
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currently reading and about halfway through - my mind is still processing the incredible foresight and analytical brilliance:
![[image loading]](https://weltbild.scene7.com/asset/vgw/the-great-transformation-133776258.jpg)
also this gem
![[image loading]](http://s.s-bol.com/imgbase0/imagebase/large/FC/4/0/4/2/1001004009692404.jpg)
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In 2015 I said i wanted to read a lot of books and now that a year has passed I'm proud of myself, I really did read a lot. I will post the list soon, good books.
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Finished :
![[image loading]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/414qEuERiUL._SX347_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
Différence et répétition (Deleuze)
Most obscure book I've finished, especially about the philosophers I didn't read, and the number of philosopher who are quoted is pretty frightening. The critic of the foundations of something one might call Western metaphysics is the best I've read, very respectful hence profound. I guess the biggest ennemy is also the most revered one - Plato. The premises of the building of an alternative are well thought-out and compelling. What I suppose is the actual building is for me mostly impossible to understand.
![[image loading]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51fGDeB1DWL._SX330_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
The Three Body Problem (Cixin Liu). Was really interesting for most of the novel, despite some small problem with narration and a few characters. Really didn't like much the last 50 pages or so. Still a very worthy read imo, and I'll be sure to read the next two.
But please never again try to build suspense based on a physicist guessing what one of the most famous problem in his field might refer to :-(
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The second one is also available in English and I thought it was absolutely amazing, better than the first one definitely.
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I've bought both when I was in Canada, should read it in the coming weeks I think the third one is due very soon too.
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Currently: Gravity's Rainbow, I'm liking it a lot, especially the intersection of philosophy with hard science and statistics.
Next: Count of Monte Cristo, which will take a while at 1200 pages
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The qu'ran.
+ Show Spoiler +Translated, but it still counts, you faggots
It's funny. It claims that some Jews and Christians who received the old and new testaments knowingly corrupted them.
In other words, they knew that they were corrupting the word of the all mighty creator of the universe.
Sounds legit.
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On January 04 2016 15:36 vOdToasT wrote:The qu'ran. + Show Spoiler +Translated, but it still counts, you faggots It's funny. It claims that some Jews and Christians who received the old and new testaments knowingly corrupted them. In other words, they knew that they were corrupting the word of the all mighty creator of the universe. Sounds legit.
It also kind of sucks that by reading it you're bringing God's wrath by not believing despite the undeniable proof of the miracle of what you've read. Oh well.
Finished today:
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - Basically the plot premise is all there is, and in the year 2016 everyone already knows it. Not a good gothic novella and I'm not sure what else you'd be taking from it. Obviously it had a big impact in its time, but continued interest in it is odd.
Fear and Trembling - Can't exactly review works of philosophy in a couple sentences so I'll just say that, even as an atheist, Kierkegaard is a thinker I feel great kinmanship with, which I think says a lot about a religious thinker.
Still reading:
Count of Monte Cristo, Genealogy of Morals.
Sort of still reading but really can't be bothered:
Blood Meridian.
I have plenty non-fiction planned for 2016, but I'm not too sure for my non-fiction. I want more light stuff. Sad about the Winds of Winter (non-)release announcement, but oh well. I'll maybe take some ideas from this thread.
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Canada5346 Posts
Kim Stanley Robinson's next book will be out this year
The image by Wesley Allsbrook used to promote the story[ Oral Argument], the bronze bull at Manhattan covered in moss, algae and all kinds of growing things, could be seen as a teaser to Kim Stanley Robinson's next novel coming in 2016! It will take place in a future with severe climate change and sea level rise, in a Venice-like half-submerged Manhattan. Stay tuned for more, and merry post-solstice festivities!
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that sounds amazing, I want this. I read Aurora a few months ago and really liked it. the AI narrator was really well done. I also got the whole Baroque cycle as a Christmas gift so I'll have a lot of reading to do I guess!
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interesting to see which predictions came true.. and which were wrong...
![[image loading]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51LtbUHTyLL.jpg)
watched apocolypse now so now i'll read the book version
![[image loading]](http://manybooks.net/images/c/conradjo/conradjoetext96hdark12a.jpg)
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Last year's topic, and the topics before it have given me plenty of great recommendations, as I've read all of your reviews and discussions, so thanks for that! In that vein, for me the last book of 2015 was:
![[image loading]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51nMESXEPkL._SX373_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
Which was my first, but surely not last, dip into Vonnegut.
Currently I am reading:
![[image loading]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61wfQt-UfqL._SX324_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
This I too picked up after the interesting discussion in the 2015-thread, and so far this book has delivered. So here is to a new year, and hopefully many new interesting reading opportunities!
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WCS![[image loading]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/511nv3jCQ0L._SS500_.jpg)
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![[image loading]](http://images.thebookstores.net/imagesnew5c/9780141018096.jpg)
![[image loading]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ru/6/60/Azazel_%28book%29.jpg)
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