Still reading Streams of Silver by R. A. Salvatore.

Also reading some web novels.

What about all of you? What have you been reading or listening to lately?


Book Bingo for this year has officially finished. If you participated in it, check out the Turn in post.

Our next book bingo will be starting soon. Both @JaymesRS@literature.cafe and @misericordiae@literature.cafe are hard at work making it the best Book Bingo yet! Stay tuned!

  • DrCake@lemmy.world
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    10 days ago

    I’ve just finished The Rhine by Ben Coates, which was nice, made me really want to book a holiday and go do the same, traveling from Rotterdam to Basel.

    I’ve also been playing a bunch of Assassins Creed Odyssey recently so thought I’d start reading Odyssey by Stephen Fry. Only just started so will see how it goes, but I’ve read the previous three and thought they were great.

  • zout@fedia.io
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    9 days ago

    Still reading “Neptune’s Brood” by Charles Stross, didn’t get to read a lot during the easter weekend. I’m about half way through, and will probably finish it somewhere in the coming week. After that I’ll have several picks to choose from for the next read, I might return to the Dresden files or to Dungeon Crawler Carl, or I could go search for some writer I haven’t read yet.

  • Wahots@pawb.social
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    8 days ago

    The children of the sky by vernor vinge. It’s the second book in an intriguing sci-fi series combining a high fantasy future with medieval society. Some things are uncomfortably close to today’s news despite being written decades ago.

  • jordanlund@lemmy.world
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    10 days ago

    Ian Fleming’s Secret War:

    https://www.casematepublishers.com/9781473853492/ian-flemings-secret-war/

    Which I picked up as a sort of companion piece to “Churchill’s Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare”:

    https://www.porchlightbooks.com/products/churchills-ministry-of-ungentlemanly-warfare-giles-milton-9781250119032

    and “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare”:

    https://www.quercusbooks.co.uk/titles/damien-lewis-3/the-ministry-of-ungentlemanly-warfare/9781529432336/

    The true stories of which were adapted into the really fun film of the same name:

    https://youtu.be/zvwDen1Wrx8

    Fleming was a bit player in the other books and the film, and I was interested to learn more about what he did during the war.

    I’m about 1/2 way through the Fleming book and the answer seems to be “Well, not much, really.”

    He had a great idea to capture a German encryption device. The plan was to pilot a captured German airplane over the English channel, find a suitable German boat and crash the plane in the water nearby.

    When “rescued”, the soldiers, dressed as Germans, would capture the boat and the encryption device.

    Unfortunately on the day of the mission, there were no suitable boats in the channel and the whole mission was scrubbed. :(

    The other two books are captivating in their telling, the Fleming book? Eh, not so much. But I’m not done yet, it could get better!

  • misericordiae@literature.cafe
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    9 days ago

    Finished Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett. Discworld books are always a delightful read.

    Currently reading London Rules by Mick Herron, which I put down about halfway through, a long time ago, and never got back to. I’m trying to kill time til new bingo starts, and this is going to be the new season of Slow Horses, so I figured now was a good time to finish it. It’s fun.

    • pancake@sopuli.xyz
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      9 days ago

      How fo the Slow Horses books compare to the show? I’ve been curious to give them a try since I’m enjoying the show so much.

      • misericordiae@literature.cafe
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        9 days ago

        The show’s done the usual cutting, streamlining, or tweaking that adaptations do, like making Lamb less of an offensive jerk and River a little more competent than in the books. Otherwise, I think they’re pretty similar, tbh; same story beats, very snarky, fairly quick-paced. There’s something about the first 3 that I liked better than the next couple (which is why I put this one on pause), but I can’t put my finger on it.

        • pancake@sopuli.xyz
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          8 days ago

          Oh interesting! I’m on season 4 now and have been bothered by River’s inconsistent levels of competency. I wonder if he’s more consistent in the books now.

  • Let's Go 2 the Mall!@lemmy.world
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    8 days ago

    Careless People - Sarah Wynn-Williams. I would have never bothered with this book until I heard the Zuck tried to sue the author over it. Now I HAVE to read it. :)

  • Contrariwise@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    8 days ago

    Just finished Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros because of the cliffhanger of the last book, but this one just didn’t grab me. It took me a lot longer to get through, and I had a break in the middle where I wandered off and read other books instead.

    I started Whispering Wood by Sharon Shinn last night (as the 5th and last book in the Elemental Blessings series) and it’s…all right, I guess. Definitely doesn’t feel like the series will conclude with a bang, but that seems to be the case with her other series as well. Having said that, I really enjoyed her stand-alone book Summers at Castle Auburn and have re-read it a few times.

    • That Weird Vegan@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      6 days ago

      I thought it was just me! I tried reading Onyx Storm after reading Iron Flame and Fourth Wing and being mesmerised. I didn’t even finish Onyx Storm.

  • pancake@sopuli.xyz
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    10 days ago

    I am reading Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson (Stormlight book 4). I’m really enjoying this one, it may be my favorite in the series so far!

  • Tatar_Nobility@lemmy.ml
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    9 days ago

    I am reading Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon. Progress isn’t as smooth as with M&D but there is enough time for me to get used to the style and prose.

    • dresden@discuss.onlineOPM
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      8 days ago

      I read The Book Thief quite a while ago, and don’t remember a single thing from it now. Maybe it’s time to revisit the book.

  • readwallah@programming.dev
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    9 days ago

    Tilt by Emma Pattee

    picks & shovels by Cory Doctorow

    The Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology by Dr. Maximo D. Ramos

  • agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works
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    9 days ago

    Re-listening to Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality. It came up in conversation a week ago and since I’ve read it before I can do other things while it plays in the background. Ravenclaw Harry is just so much more compelling than the original.

  • Homefry@infosec.pub
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    9 days ago

    “On Blue’s Waters” by Gene Wolfe.

    If you haven’t heard of the Solar Cycle, or looked into “The Book of the New Sun”, I can’t recommend it enough.

    My brother was finally able to finish the fifth book recently after starting the series roughly 10 years ago, and the fact that he immediately started rereading from the beginning is a testament to how well this series sticks with you.

    • frigidaphelion@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      I made it all the way to “The Sword of the Lictor” last year but got sidelined when Wind and Truth came out so I have restarted. Talk about atmospheric/vibes, this series is prettt unique in my experience.

      • Homefry@infosec.pub
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        3 days ago

        You’ve got to try and go back and finish it. The series was made for the reread. I love the atmosphere and The Vibes, but after you finish the series a bunch of things just click into place and you’ve got to go back and start reading from the beginning again.

        It’s one of those series that would create such a cool show or movie because of the atmosphere, but I don’t think we could be done well because there is so many things hidden in the words that you really couldn’t hide in a visual format.