I'm halfway through the first Murderbot book (which is very short). I'm not seeing what all the praise was about. What am I missing?

dc509 said:

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TXTransplant said:

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Diggity said:

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Yeah, his more "recent" stuff (read last 15 years) is pretty forgettable.

I'll still read it occasionally and it's mildly entertaining, but he never seems to be able to finish his books in a satisfying way.

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I probably have only read one book of his in 20 years. I think the last one was Sycamore Row. I liked that one pretty well. Before that, I think it was The Brethren (which actually has a plot point in common with a real Biloxi/Dixie Mafia scandal from my childhood).

I actually didn't mind the ending of this book. But it was the 400+ pages in between that seemed to just rehash the same few plot points and themes over and over.

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I use to be a big John Grisham fan, but you're right about his last 15 years. Unfortunately I think he has run out of stories.

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Sooley was amazing. He still has some in the tank.

yeah, I read it based on this thread and don't have much interest in reading the rest.

it wasn't terrible but the writing and character development are pretty amateurish .

Anyone have any recommendations for non romance, non science fiction/fantasy humorous books?
Not police procedural, not laywers, not spys, etc?

Deacon King Kong by James McBride fits your requirements and was very good

mrsbeer05 said:

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Deacon King Kong by James McBride fits your requirements and was very good

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Thanks...i'll put on on my waitlist from the libraries.

So to be sure - you're looking for humor / comedy?

713nervy said:

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So to be sure - you're looking for humor / comedy?I

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I like funny, but anything outside the typical books...sci/fantasy, legal thrillers, thrillers, war, romance, etc.

John Irving, Graeme Simision, etc.

But that being said, there are authors outside of my preferred styles I love.

Scott Sigler, Andy Weir, Grisham and a few more.

I'm a girl, so this might be a lot of humor / comedy that interests women. Here's what I've enjoyed in the last year+. Depending on your taste…

- Chris Moore has been recommended to me a lot.
- Memoirs / essays by Samantha Irby
- Unqualified by Anna Faris
- Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling… really anything by her.
- Anything by Jenny Lawson
- Start Without Me by Gary Janetti
- Well, This Is Exhausting by Sophia Benoit
- A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost
- Kevin Hart's books
- I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy
- Born A Crime by Trevor Noah
- Bossypants by Tina Fey

Just wrapped up Brandon Sanderson's The Alloy of Law, first book in the 2nd Mistborn series. It started out slow for me when compared with the first series. I think the characters in the first series were more interesting out of the gate, but as the book neared its conclusion it started to really kick into gear and I enjoyed it very much. Solid A for me.

I have just started James Patteron's Kill Alex Cross novel. It's been a couple of years since I read any of his books but his characters are familiar and easy to pick up again.

Chuck Cunningham said:

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713nervy said:

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So to be sure - you're looking for humor / comedy?I

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I like funny, but anything outside the typical books...sci/fantasy, legal thrillers, thrillers, war, romance, etc.

John Irving, Graeme Simision, etc.

But that being said, there are authors outside of my preferred styles I love.

Scott Sigler, Andy Weir, Grisham and a few more.

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Have you ever read the Elvis Cole novels by Robert Crais? He's a private eye and I found those books to be hilarious and witty. Not your typical thrillers. I've read about the first dozen or so books but I think there something like 20 now.

Chuck Cunningham said:

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dc509 said:

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TXTransplant said:

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Diggity said:

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Yeah, his more "recent" stuff (read last 15 years) is pretty forgettable.

I'll still read it occasionally and it's mildly entertaining, but he never seems to be able to finish his books in a satisfying way.

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I probably have only read one book of his in 20 years. I think the last one was Sycamore Row. I liked that one pretty well. Before that, I think it was The Brethren (which actually has a plot point in common with a real Biloxi/Dixie Mafia scandal from my childhood).

I actually didn't mind the ending of this book. But it was the 400+ pages in between that seemed to just rehash the same few plot points and themes over and over.

---

I use to be a big John Grisham fan, but you're right about his last 15 years. Unfortunately I think he has run out of stories.

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Sooley was amazing. He still has some in the tank.

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I need to check that out then.

I found it very enjoyable, definitely a unique spin on time travel and the way it integrated literature into the entire thing. Might have to check out some more from the series.

Started on Snow Crash. Been wanting to read it for a while, and saw they had dropped the kindle price, so snatched it up.

Currently Reading:
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

Finished:
The Library by Casey White (3/5)
Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden (4/5)
City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty (3.5/5)
The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany (3/5)
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde (4.5/5)

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
Mistborn 1: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
Mistborn 2: The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson in-progress


Really enjoyed Mistborn book 1. I started off a bit slow (tired from work) but devoured the last half of the book in the last 72 hours. Some general info follows without spoiler tags, but more specific info is tagged.

The most intriguing things at first were the magic system and the mentions of the Deepness that the Lord Ruler had supposedly beaten. My only exposure for Sanderson so far is Elantris and this, but both magic systems were really cool.

The next thing to grab me was that the intros to each chapter were actually about/from the Lord Ruler (or who I thought was Lord Ruler), including one that named him as the Hero of Ages.

The break in at the palace where Vin is almost killed started to ramp up the action.

No idea if the "Conclave of Worldbringers" will play out further in the Cosmere, but it was definitely a group that sounded important.

I know a lot of people don't like when authors painstakingly describe the scenery, so I laughed when one of the characters said "If only he'd put in more detail about what things looked like!" in reference to something they read. Not sure if that was an intentional joke or not, but I assume it was.

It seemed like Kelsier might die in the series, but I wasn't ready for how abrupt it was. It was odd enough to make me question what may be going on, especially with the Lord Ruler's comment about killing him before and with what we knew about Renoux. I guess any speculation was quickly put to bed though with the Renoux reveal.

It seemed likely that the Lord Ruler didn't just wear metal as a symbol but that he was using Feruchemy to be so powerful. I didn't expect it to end up being Rashek though. Really interested to learn more about how all of that played out.

The Inquisitors guarding him while he stores up the energy was intriguing. I don't know if they would ever move against the Lord Ruler or if they just have other desires, like running the ministry. I guess that doesn't really matter as much now, although the remaining Inquisitors may be one of the immediate threats if they stay loyal to the idea of the prior regime (and holding power). I hope the Deepness is real and is the Big Bad, but the Inquisitors and other players could definitely serve as another obstacle immediately. Interested to see if the politics of the nobles & skaa are a significant focus as well.

Have some flights coming up, so I'm hoping to start a bit stronger with book 2. I read Wheel of Time in about 9 months a few years ago, so I thought the Cosmere would be easy. I'm behind that pace though as I had finished 3 of those by this point that year.

Chuck Cunningham said:

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Anyone have any recommendations for non romance, non science fiction/fantasy humorous books?
Not police procedural, not laywers, not spys, etc?

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Have you tried A Confederacy of Dunces?

TAMU-93 said:

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Chuck Cunningham said:

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Anyone have any recommendations for non romance, non science fiction/fantasy humorous books?
Not police procedural, not laywers, not spys, etc?

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Have you tried A Confederacy of Dunces?

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Yep, like 20 years ago!

Dune Messiah by Herbert. I've previously read Dune a couple of times but never made it to any of the subsequent books. (I don't intend to read any of his sons'a books). Thought the pace was a little slow at times but not excessively so, and the payoff was absolutely worth it. The last couple of chapters we'd fantastic. Overall probably 8/10 just a scoche below the original.

Metro 2033 on audible. The reader was very good. Story was about B+. Could have used some more editing.

Solid read.

Finished 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson. It was good with interesting ways of looking at things, but not earth-shattering.

Starting Blood and Treasure, by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin. Biography on Daniel Boone.

Completed Tender is the Flesh by Auguatina Bazterrica.

Dystopia future where animals infected with a virus so they can't be eaten. Society slowly starts to allow for humans to be raised as stock for slaughter. Main chatacter work in the Before in a slaughterhouse,
So now has to adjust his methods for new "stock".

Absolutely disgusting.

I loved it.

Re-read a series of Children's books, the Hachet series.

John Grisham's Sparring partners
Ken Follett Never

Currently reading The Family Fang. This is the type of book I most enjoy.

Philo B 93 said:

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I'm halfway through the first Murderbot book (which is very short). I'm not seeing what all the praise was about. What am I missing?

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I finished Murderbot #1. Short, easy, and meh. B-

I'm 1/2 way through "Elantris" by Brandon Sanderson. Very good book so far. I feel like I'm in that world when I'm reading. Who needs a TV when you've got a book like this? Not me. A+

Started reading Anxious People by Fredrik Backman. It's actually the first book in 2023

Read Ready Player One, would give it a B- to B+.

Read books 4 and 5 of Red Rising which I have very mixed opinions about.

Book club at work read Verity and that was the biggest pile of dog **** I've ever read.

Really trying to trudge through the Blade Itself but the beginning third of the book has been really really boring and too many view points to create any sort of attachment. Only one character even seems mildly likable.

Madmarttigan said:

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Read Ready Player One, would give it a B- to B+.

Read books 4 and 5 of Red Rising which I have very mixed opinions about.

Book club at work read Verity and that was the biggest pile of dog **** I've ever read.

Really trying to trudge through the Blade Itself but the beginning third of the book has been really really boring and too many view points to create any sort of attachment. Only one character even seems mildly likable.

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Your book club at work made you read a romance novel? Besides it being a romance novel, what made it "pile of dog $#!+? Hoover seems to be incredibly popular nowadays.

Madmarttigan said:

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Read Ready Player One, would give it a B- to B+.

Read books 4 and 5 of Red Rising which I have very mixed opinions about.

Book club at work read Verity and that was the biggest pile of dog **** I've ever read.

Really trying to trudge through the Blade Itself but the beginning third of the book has been really really boring and too many view points to create any sort of attachment. Only one character even seems mildly likable.

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I also found Blade Itself to be slow and poorly written. But I had heard so many positives from others I fought through it (very nearly didn't). But glad I did. Books 2 and 3 are much better written and you do strt t form relationships with the complex characters.

Tried to read Apollo Murders. It's one of the worst written books ever published by a major publisher.

I wouldn't classify it as romance, a little bit of smut mixed in with a pretty disturbing story, particularly if you are a parent.

StinkyPinky said:

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Madmarttigan said:

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Read Ready Player One, would give it a B- to B+.

Read books 4 and 5 of Red Rising which I have very mixed opinions about.

Book club at work read Verity and that was the biggest pile of dog **** I've ever read.

Really trying to trudge through the Blade Itself but the beginning third of the book has been really really boring and too many view points to create any sort of attachment. Only one character even seems mildly likable.

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I also found Blade Itself to be slow and poorly written. But I had heard so many positives from others I fought through it (very nearly didn't). But glad I did. Books 2 and 3 are much better written and you do strt t form relationships with the complex characters.

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I generally like Abercrombie's world-building, but just can't get through all of the unlikeable characters. I get that deconstructing heroic fantasy is kind of his thing, but just not what I want spend my time with.

Claude! said:

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StinkyPinky said:

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Madmarttigan said:

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Read Ready Player One, would give it a B- to B+.

Read books 4 and 5 of Red Rising which I have very mixed opinions about.

Book club at work read Verity and that was the biggest pile of dog **** I've ever read.

Really trying to trudge through the Blade Itself but the beginning third of the book has been really really boring and too many view points to create any sort of attachment. Only one character even seems mildly likable.

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I also found Blade Itself to be slow and poorly written. But I had heard so many positives from others I fought through it (very nearly didn't). But glad I did. Books 2 and 3 are much better written and you do strt t form relationships with the complex characters.

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I generally like Abercrombie's world-building, but just can't get through all of the unlikeable characters. I get that deconstructing heroic fantasy is kind of his thing, but just not what I want spend my time with.

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Agreed, hard to find yourself vested in the story when you don't have any moral investment in any of the characters. Even anti-hero's can be likeable (see Jorg in Lawrence's Broken Empire Trilogy).

Thanks. Just curious. Wifey really likes Mitch Albom and Nicholas Sparks books but has recently started reading Hoover books (said they are too racy for my Mom whom she shares the NS books with) but I don't know if she has read that one. Just assumed it was romance stuff, sounds more like 50 Shades kind of stuff?

Probably not that bad, mostly normal sex stuff but that isn't what bothered me. Lot of child abuse type stuff.

Finished Tress and the Emerald Sea today.

Excellent book. Vintage Sanderson with a great sanderlanche at the end.

Finished book #10 for the year, the Daniel Boone biography "Blood and Treasure" by Robert Drury and Tom Clavin. Gave a good picture of his life, especially in the context of the American frontier in the 18th century. Made no bones about the raw deal that the Native Americans got from the white Europeans and Americans, but not in a preachy way and didn't make them out to be Rousseau's Noble Savages. Kind of meandered in places, but was also really gripping at times, especially when discussing Boone's activities during the Revolution.

Starting "Cold Copper Tears" by Glen Cook - another in the Garrett, P.I. series about a hard-boiled detective in a fantasy world. On deck after that is "Games People Play" by Eric Berne about interpersonal relationships and transactional analysis.

Love most everything Dan Simmons writes. Ilium/Olympus is also great and original sci-fi story telling. I am currently listening to Rabbits by Terry Miles. Don't know yet how I feel about it. Kind of a darker Ready Player One.