The B&B Book Review - The Bear and Badger

Raiziel

davyK wrote:

davyK wrote:

Raiziel wrote:

Not reading your Folio edition this year then?

You know, I will.

Perhaps I should have read along with Lord Baker.

Gremill

Started reading a book I found buried in my Kindle list that I must have bought on a fantasy binge ages ago. It's called 'Final Empire: Mistborn Vol 1' by Brandon Sanderson and despite having quite the cliche generic title, it's really fucking good.

Kernowgaz

For the folks who have read A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie, I’ve read the 2 First Law books but can’t remember much to be honest. Do you need to have read them all or does it just help with the setting?

Gremill

They're not really directly connected plot wise, but you'd definitely get more out of the new one if you'd at least finished the original trilogy. I read all of them in prep for the new one and I'm glad I did, it really enriches the overall experience.

Kernowgaz

Cheers. But that’s a lot of reading, I should’ve not bought it on release and read the others again beforehand.

Mind you, where can I read a decent breakdown of the story anywhere?

Kernowgaz

Or maybe I should read them as I bought them again on my Kindle when they were cheap a couple of years ago.

Gremill

Read then again, go on. I've read them all three times and haven't regretted it.

Moot_Geeza

My Hap & Leonard journey is back on after a colleague bought the next two novels. Polished off the superbly named Honky Tonk Samurai yesterday, will be starting Rusty Puppy on the way home. So much fun. They're all more or less the same but they rarely disappoint.

poprock

I’m a massive William Gibson fan and the approach of his next novel means that we’re starting to see some interviews with him springing up around the place. This one by the New Yorker is a really great read.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/12/16/how-william-gibson-keeps-his-science-fiction-real

It’s a profile, but also an interview and it’s also quite insightful in it’s own right – connecting Gibson’s insight with that of K-HOLE (an infamous brand strategy agency who, it turns out, are unapologetically inspired by Blue Ant from Gibson’s last trilogy.)

regmcfly

Dave Eggers "The Parade" has fallen into my lap (you know who you are, cheeky chappy on here) and I look forward to consuming it in one sitting. It looks like a tight, slight, pointed text.

Vela

Finished off The Buried Giant today.

I really enjoy Ishiguro's writing style. He maintains clarity even through dense passages (Remains of the Day) and obscured or imperfect accounts (Buried Giant) so it makes it easier for me to pick out the subtext or the inconsistencies in how a character remembers events.

This story was quite simplistic at its core, and the characters were fleshed out just enough to help you fill in the gaps without spelling things out. I liked the way that the pieces were put together towards the end.

Quite a sad tale in the end, but not dramatically so. Its a soft touch.

Dinostar77

Just finished book two Reign of Madness in the Dark Tidings series. Just wow. What a great series. Cant wait to start book 3.

The Daddy

Just finished Abercrombie's Before They Are Hanged, and it has well and truly left me hanging so I'll be going straight onto book 3.

acemuzzy

I'm trying to remember a book. Can y'all help me? Sci fi, read it not too long back, but the name escapes me...

Starts with like four kids exploring a downed space craft of some sort. Like a really big one.
Plot stuff:

Spoiler:

Then they go their separate ways but paths cross as adults. They become good at different things, one commercial, another fighter pilot type thing.
Also somehow

Spoiler:

so there's like betrayal and stuff.

Ring any bells for anyone?? Banks maybe???

The Daddy

Don’t think it’s Banks. Can’t be any more help than that I’m afraid.

Paul the sparky

The first spoiler rings a Consider Phlebas bell but nothing else does.

The Daddy

Actually now I’ve read the spoilers it is ringing a slight Banks bell.

acemuzzy

Hmm, don't think it is Phlebas. And it's not anything else the Amazon tells me I've read on my Kindle. Thought of Children of Time & Ender's Game both of which I've read recently, but don't think either of those either. This is gonna keep bugging me :cry: may need to go scower my bookshelf and hope I haven't got rid!

Facewon

It's not banks SF. Can't speak for his reg fiction.

Facewon

acemuzzy wrote:

I'm trying to remember a book. Can y'all help me? Sci fi, read it not too long back, but the name escapes me...

Starts with like four kids exploring a downed space craft of some sort. Like a really big one.
Plot stuff:

Spoiler:

one of the kids dies while they're hunting around, falls off
Then they go their separate ways but paths cross as adults. They become good at different things, one commercial, another fighter pilot type thing.
Also somehow

Spoiler:

somebody works out the kids who died got pushed / could have been saved
so there's like betrayal and stuff.

Ring any bells for anyone?? Banks maybe???

Did you work it out @acemuzzy?

I'm finally nearly finished Marx and Marxism. Been an informative read.

Also, probably old news to most, but found it very handy when stuck and bored with only phone on me that google play books has such long free samples.

80 pages of one that I've just started available as sample. That's awesome. Ended up buying it.

acemuzzy

No

And it had stopped bugging me too you reminded me again nnnnggggg

Facewon

*Sets calendar reminder to bump again in a month.*

acemuzzy

I'VE WORKED IT OUT!

Facewon wrote:

It's not banks SF.

is a total lie cos it's THE ALGEBRAIST woo I can sleep easy now.

davyK

I started re-reading LoTR last month. I only read it around the time of the cinematic releases and I remember racing to finish it before Return of the King was released. I remember being very dismissive of Tolkien , finding his prose a bit boring.

But this time I'm really enjoying it. His general descriptions of the environments and how light and shade works on landscapes are really pleasing to read. Have just started part two after taking a break last week. It is moving along more quickly than I remember too.

I've tried reading along with the excellent unabridged audio book but I find a voice reading to me sleep inducing. I will have to try it again though because Rob Inglis' voice is quite superb.

davyK

Picked up a handsome copy of Crusaders by Dan Jones in Easons while doing some shopping - looking forward to getting into that.

Raiziel

Inglis’ readings of The Lord of the Rings books are brilliant. Been through them at least three times. I’ve solved the problem of wanting to drift off to sleep by only listening to audiobooks when I’m out walking, and as a consequence I now do a lot of walking. I’ve almost entirely ditched the car and just walk everywhere.

Paul the sparky

That's a good idea. Mind the roads though.

davyK

There's a 12 hour BBC radio play too - found it on youtube. Might search around for discs though if they are cheap enough.

Raiziel

It’s really good. I’m getting misty eyed just thinking about box set of 13 cassette tapes in their gold foil cases I bought back in the late eighties.

regmcfly

Flora has the full set on CD and they're the most comfort food ever

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