Off-Topic Summer Reading

[lizh]

I am reading "Homeland elegies: a novel" by Ayad Akhtar. I'm not sure what to make of it yet. I saw it recommended somewhere and requested it from the library months ago and by the time it was my turn I forgot why I wanted to read it!

I just finished "Pachinko" by Min Jin Lee which I highly recommend. Set in Japan during and after WWII.

Beth/Toaster: I would recommend "War and Peace"! I also hated "Crime and Punishment" but loved "Anna Karenina" and "The Age of Innocence". It is a commitment though! ...it is a long one. I'll always remember it because I read it on my honeymoon!

[toaster]

lizh, that's a good recommendation for War & Peace!

Pam, that sounds like a cool contest! I've actually been thinking about reading more science fiction, or at least returning to some of the classics. I used to read sci fi when I was younger. A couple by Robert Heinlein that I liked included The Door Into Summer and Podkayne of Mars. What sci fi have you read in the past?

[Pam]

Originally Posted by toaster; Pam, that sounds like a cool contest! I've actually been thinking about reading more science fiction, or at least returning to some of the classics. I used to read sci fi when I was younger. A couple by Robert Heinlein that I liked included [I

The Door Into Summer[/I] and Podkayne of Mars. What sci fi have you read in the past?

Thanks for the suggestions toaster! It's been so long since I have read any science fiction, I don't remember what any of the titles or author were, but Heinlein sounds familiar.

[alisoncooks]

Originally Posted by Pam

If you have a favorite science fiction book, plz post the title.

Every summer our small rural library has a Bingo contest for adults and the grand prize is a ipad, which I would love to win. So, to increase my chances I am trying to complete as many Bingo lines as I can. Smaller prizes are for Gift Cards to local restaurants, which I have won a couple in the past summers.

The contest is to mark off squares for reading different kinds of books, i.e. read a book and watch the movie, read a nonfiction book and the one I am struggling with, is to read a science fiction book. It's been ages since I have read a science fiction book, so could use some help choosing one. TIA

I don't read much sci-fi, but I really enjoyed Ready Player One and Ender's Game. Both are pretty well-known (with modern movie remakes!) and are quick reads.

[Laura S.]

Originally Posted by toaster

I had a very quick read of a novel, Untraceable - the author (Laura ?) reminded me of Tami Hoag.

I just started Trevor Noah's Born a Crime.

Griffin. Laura Griffin. I remember people with the first name of Laura and I tried one of her books at some point.

[BunnyHop]

Sci-fi? Try something by Becky Chambers. The Long Way to A Small Angry Planet is very good, but she's written a number of others. They're set in the same universe, but you don't have to read them in the order written. IIRC To Be Taught, if Fortunate is the shortest, but kinda bleak, IMO.

Her Monk and Robot series has not yet been published.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/sho...Becky_Chambers

Or, try the first Murderbot novella by Martha Wells, All Systems Red.

[annette]

Originally Posted by Sissy B

I finished The Boys in the Boat

Now I’m reading The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner.

I picked this one up from the library a few days ago but need to finish another book first. Can't wait to get started. How do you like it so far?

[Sissy B]

Originally Posted by annette

I picked this one up from the library a few days ago but need to finish another book first. Can't wait to get started. How do you like it so far?

I finished The Lost Apothecary last night. I really liked it.

[Rivercat]

Originally Posted by Pam

If you have a favorite science fiction book, plz post the title.

I don't read much science-y sci fi, but really enjoyed Martha Wells' Muderbot Diaries series, which is 4 novellas and 2 full length novels. It's about an artificially constructed human/robot serving as a kind of bodyguard/security system who is super uncomfortable dealing with humans and just wants to be left alone to watch tv. There's a lot of action but the technical bits are not hard to follow, and Murderbot's internal dialogue is very dry and funny.

This weekend I started The Count of Monte Cristo and it's riveting. Never really considered it before but keep hearing people with a wide range of reading tastes say it's one of their favorite books.

[Pam]

Thanks alisoncooks and Becky Chambers for your sci-fic suggestions! I may end up satisfying some of the Bingo Card wildcard squares with sci-fic.

I recently finished reading The Only Woman in the Room, by Marie Benedict. A biography of Hedy Lamarr. I don't frequently watch movies, so I had never heard of her. A remarkable woman! Besides a great actress, an inventor. An invention of her's is used in, among other places, in our cell phones! Plan to watch a couple of her movies this week.

Also recently finished The Dressmaker's Gift, by Fiona Valpy. A great story of 3 women in the WWII French Resistance.