Nonil finally writes their reading adventures in 2023
DiscussionsThe Green Dragon
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1nonil
Hi all and happy new year! I've been following various reading threads in the Green Dragon for the last year and a half or so, and thought a new year would be a good time to start my own, which would hopefully also lead me to reading more this year. I'll see how it goes!
I did recieve a box set of the first 4 Murderbot Diaries books for Christmas, so I'll probably start there.
I did recieve a box set of the first 4 Murderbot Diaries books for Christmas, so I'll probably start there.
3haydninvienna
Happy new year! Welcome to the chatter!
4clamairy
>1 nonil: That sounds like an excellent start to your reading year! Welcome, and Happy New Year.
5libraryperilous
Happy reading in 2023!
Murderbot is a great way to kick off your 2023 reading while we all wait for the next one in the series (this November, mayber?).
Murderbot is a great way to kick off your 2023 reading while we all wait for the next one in the series (this November, mayber?).
8jillmwo
*thumbs up* We love getting new book recommendations and just sharing generally in whatever it is that occupies your time.
11Bookmarque
Welcome to the GD chat! Glad you decided to start a thread and join in.
12pgmcc
>1 nonil:
Happy New Year! I wish you many happy reads for 2023. Looking forward to seeing your views on the books you read.
Murderbots get great reviews round here. It is a series I have not tried yet, but I do have a couple of the books lurking in the darker reaches of my Kindle.
Happy New Year! I wish you many happy reads for 2023. Looking forward to seeing your views on the books you read.
Murderbots get great reviews round here. It is a series I have not tried yet, but I do have a couple of the books lurking in the darker reaches of my Kindle.
13nonil
Thank you all for the kind welcome!
Today I reread All Systems Red, which I've actually read a few times before - I got the novella in one of the free Tor budles last year, read it, and when I finished immediately went back to the start to read it again, so I suppose you could say I liked it! It was just as good this time round, but the fact that I have the sequels on my desk made me rush through it a little so I could get to the new stuff. Frankly, the thing I'm most looking forward to about having a physical copy is being able to force it on my friends for them to read.
Today I reread All Systems Red, which I've actually read a few times before - I got the novella in one of the free Tor budles last year, read it, and when I finished immediately went back to the start to read it again, so I suppose you could say I liked it! It was just as good this time round, but the fact that I have the sequels on my desk made me rush through it a little so I could get to the new stuff. Frankly, the thing I'm most looking forward to about having a physical copy is being able to force it on my friends for them to read.
14Sakerfalcon
Happy New Year and welcome! Murderbot is a great way to start the year!
16nonil
Second read of the year is Their Fractured Light, which I'm reading because it's due back at the library tomorrow! I've already renewed it twice and so am finally finishing it.
The book is the third in The Starbound Trilogy, and I read the first two about 7 or 8 years ago. When I first started this one, I did look up plot summaries of the previous two books, but that wasn't really enough. The second half of the book relies strongly on the relationships between the characters established in the earlier books, which makes sense for a trilogy, but unfortunately meant I didn't really enjoy it. There are also many brief passages which only describe characters as "the green-eyed boy" etcetera, which really did not help.
I'm glad I finished it, but that feeling has more to do with the relief of being able to tick a box and mentally mark the series finished, rather than enjoying the book itself, which is a shame. I enjoyed the previous books, but even at the time preferred one of the author's other series, The Illuminae Files.
Overall, reading this book was a reminder that I have definitely outgrown this type of YA romance, which is a more satisfying ending than the book gave me!
The book is the third in The Starbound Trilogy, and I read the first two about 7 or 8 years ago. When I first started this one, I did look up plot summaries of the previous two books, but that wasn't really enough. The second half of the book relies strongly on the relationships between the characters established in the earlier books, which makes sense for a trilogy, but unfortunately meant I didn't really enjoy it. There are also many brief passages which only describe characters as "the green-eyed boy" etcetera, which really did not help.
I'm glad I finished it, but that feeling has more to do with the relief of being able to tick a box and mentally mark the series finished, rather than enjoying the book itself, which is a shame. I enjoyed the previous books, but even at the time preferred one of the author's other series, The Illuminae Files.
Overall, reading this book was a reminder that I have definitely outgrown this type of YA romance, which is a more satisfying ending than the book gave me!
17reading_fox
>16 nonil: happy new year (somewhat belatedly).
I'm also guilty of finishing things just so I can say to myself I've done so.. I keep hoping they'll get better or through in a surprise ending that makes it all worthwhile. It has happened, but not very often.
I'm also guilty of finishing things just so I can say to myself I've done so.. I keep hoping they'll get better or through in a surprise ending that makes it all worthwhile. It has happened, but not very often.
18jillmwo
>16 nonil: You raise an interesting point. I frequently prefer to read a stand-alone novel because it is a complete "thing" all by itself. Waiting for three years to read the full story in subsequent volumes of a trilogy works for the publishing industry because it offers the likelihood of the reader generating revenue over a longer period. But the usual time lag of a year between volumes means one tends to loser track of who and what and why.
19nonil
>17 reading_fox: It's definitely something I do a little too often, but I'm getting better at abandoning books/TV shows/videogames partway through if I've gotten bored of them. And yes, it's pretty rare that they redeem themselves after losing my attention.
>18 jillmwo: Fortunately for me, I usually have enough of a book backlog that I put off reading series until they're finished or close to it, but this isn't exactly a permanent solution. The other option is to reread books as a refresher before the new one, but that does require me to have actually enjoyed the first ones rather than be finishing the series out of a sense of obligation, as in this case.
I have managed to finish another four books, but have been putting off putting down my thoughts about them, so I'm catching up now.
>18 jillmwo: Fortunately for me, I usually have enough of a book backlog that I put off reading series until they're finished or close to it, but this isn't exactly a permanent solution. The other option is to reread books as a refresher before the new one, but that does require me to have actually enjoyed the first ones rather than be finishing the series out of a sense of obligation, as in this case.
I have managed to finish another four books, but have been putting off putting down my thoughts about them, so I'm catching up now.
20nonil
(3) Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
The second novella in the Murderbot Diaries. Murderbot travels to a new moon to investigate the site of its worst memory - and to determine what really happened, with the help of a new bot friend(?) named ART. Don't ask what that stands for.
I loved this book. I really liked the way it fleshed out the worldbuilding by expanding on the different types of bots and constructs and the way they interact, both with each other and with humans. I really liked ART as well (definitely more than Murderbot did), and Murderbot having a partner in crime was great. The smaller details, likeART needing Murderbot's responses to media to understand it were also very good.
The second novella in the Murderbot Diaries. Murderbot travels to a new moon to investigate the site of its worst memory - and to determine what really happened, with the help of a new bot friend(?) named ART. Don't ask what that stands for.
I loved this book. I really liked the way it fleshed out the worldbuilding by expanding on the different types of bots and constructs and the way they interact, both with each other and with humans. I really liked ART as well (definitely more than Murderbot did), and Murderbot having a partner in crime was great. The smaller details, like
21nonil
(4) Whipping Girl by Julia Serano
A book detailing transsexual identity, particularly that of trans women, as well as the way that femininity is disparaged in our culture and the way they intersect.
This is from 2007, so one of the interesting things is how language has shifted over time - transsexual is used where most people would now use transgender, and transgender is used much more broadly than it's usually used now - covering gender diverse and gender non-conforming people such as crossdressers and those who do drag.
I think this is a good book and covers the issues described well. Some of the discussion of femininity, as well as Serano's comparison of trans transformations to the way weight loss surgery is often depicted on TV, were new to me and genuinely interesting. Unfortunately, I'm tired of reading books about trans identity written by trans women. It's an unfortunate reflection of how trans people are treated generally - trans women and transfemme people are hyper scrutinized, discussed, analysed and get most of the attention (a lot of it terrible, to be clear) while trans men and transmasculine people get ignored. Part of how this manifests is that all the popular books on trans identity I know were written by trans women, and I'd really like to read one by a trans man or transmasc person, so if anyone has suggestions please let me know!
A book detailing transsexual identity, particularly that of trans women, as well as the way that femininity is disparaged in our culture and the way they intersect.
This is from 2007, so one of the interesting things is how language has shifted over time - transsexual is used where most people would now use transgender, and transgender is used much more broadly than it's usually used now - covering gender diverse and gender non-conforming people such as crossdressers and those who do drag.
I think this is a good book and covers the issues described well. Some of the discussion of femininity, as well as Serano's comparison of trans transformations to the way weight loss surgery is often depicted on TV, were new to me and genuinely interesting. Unfortunately, I'm tired of reading books about trans identity written by trans women. It's an unfortunate reflection of how trans people are treated generally - trans women and transfemme people are hyper scrutinized, discussed, analysed and get most of the attention (a lot of it terrible, to be clear) while trans men and transmasculine people get ignored. Part of how this manifests is that all the popular books on trans identity I know were written by trans women, and I'd really like to read one by a trans man or transmasc person, so if anyone has suggestions please let me know!
22nonil
(5) The Radium Girls by Kate Moore
The story of the American dial painters who worked with radium and suffered for it - and their fight for justice.
I started this book in September and it took until February for me to finish it due to the very detailed descriptions of radium poisoning. I don't consider myself squeamish, but descriptions of the effect of radiation generally introduce a strong sense of dread. In short,radium replaces calcium in the bones and emits radiation from there, leading to many possible terrible conditions including many types of cancer, osteoporosis and more. Many of the women described in the book had their jawbones crumble to pieces and fall out. Radium poisoning is also incurable.
The book is very good, and I really enjoyed reading about the way the dial painters fought back against the corporations that employed them, and the way their fight and publicisation of the problem with radium underpinned future safety regulations for workers in the US generally and with radiation specifically - their work led to the stringent safety regulations around the Manhattan Project, as one example.
The story of the American dial painters who worked with radium and suffered for it - and their fight for justice.
I started this book in September and it took until February for me to finish it due to the very detailed descriptions of radium poisoning. I don't consider myself squeamish, but descriptions of the effect of radiation generally introduce a strong sense of dread. In short,
The book is very good, and I really enjoyed reading about the way the dial painters fought back against the corporations that employed them, and the way their fight and publicisation of the problem with radium underpinned future safety regulations for workers in the US generally and with radiation specifically - their work led to the stringent safety regulations around the Manhattan Project, as one example.
23nonil
(6) Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells
The third novella in the Murderbot Diaries. The GrayCris trial is catching up to Murderbot, so it decides to see if it can go dig up some dirt so people will stop asking where that pesky SecUnit got to. The usual trials and tribulations follow.
The Murderbot books continue to be very good, but this one is very reminiscent of the trope of "spooky, abandoned space station with a coverup" science fiction which I already know, so felt less interesting than the previous two books. Murderbot continues to be very relatable, especially when it comes to Miki, who I also found quite annoying.
As far as I'm aware, the fourth novella Exit Strategy wraps up the overarching plot of these four books, so I'm looking forward to reading the conclusion, as well as seeingDr Mensah again.
The third novella in the Murderbot Diaries. The GrayCris trial is catching up to Murderbot, so it decides to see if it can go dig up some dirt so people will stop asking where that pesky SecUnit got to. The usual trials and tribulations follow.
The Murderbot books continue to be very good, but this one is very reminiscent of the trope of "spooky, abandoned space station with a coverup" science fiction which I already know, so felt less interesting than the previous two books. Murderbot continues to be very relatable, especially when it comes to Miki, who I also found quite annoying.
As far as I'm aware, the fourth novella Exit Strategy wraps up the overarching plot of these four books, so I'm looking forward to reading the conclusion, as well as seeing
24clamairy
>22 nonil: I have this one on my OverDrive wishlist. Maybe I'll do the audiobook instead of trying to read it. Since I read before sleeping every night I don't want to have radiation poisoning related nightmares.
>23 nonil: Yes, Miki was a tad annoying, but I liked the way Murderbot interacted with her.
>23 nonil: Yes, Miki was a tad annoying, but I liked the way Murderbot interacted with her.
25nonil
>24 clamairy: Audiobook might be a good idea actually, I don't think I'd like sleeping with those images.
And I really liked Miki as a character, and its interactions with Murderbot were very good. I was just very conscious that it was the kind of person I would also find quite annoying in person, but a very good character!
And I really liked Miki as a character, and its interactions with Murderbot were very good. I was just very conscious that it was the kind of person I would also find quite annoying in person, but a very good character!
27nonil
>26 NorthernStar: Thank you for the recommendation! Their work looks really interesting, I'll definitely check it out.
28clamairy
>27 nonil: Tomboy Survival Guide was a great read.
29NorthernStar
>27 nonil: they did a story-telling/reading session here, and it was wonderful. Really glad I had the opportunity to meet them.
30nonil
I made the mistake of wandering into the local Oxfam Bookshop after lunch in town yesterday, and wandered out 15 minutes later with The Secret Commonwealth, Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable, and The Complete Sherlock Holmes Treasury. I spent just under £10, so quite pleased with that trip.
31jillmwo
That's a really interesting combination of titles and at a bargain price! (So it wasn't really a mistake after all!)
32pgmcc
>30 nonil:
Nicely done, and you are helping a charity.
Nicely done, and you are helping a charity.
33Sakerfalcon
>30 nonil: Oxfam bookshops are dangerous! Great finds!
34nonil
(7) Exit Strategy by Martha Wells
The fourth novella in the Murderbot Diaries, and the one where Murderbot has to deal with all those pesky consequences of getting involved in human problems for the last three books. Murderbot decides to return to Dr Mensah, as she's in trouble (and it's kind of Murderbot's fault, oops).
I really liked this book - it was a very satisfying conclusion to the quartet of novellas, and I really liked returning to the PreservationAux crew. It really highlighted how much Murderbot has changed over the series, and having them react to its change in status was great. I liked the ending a lot - it resolved the overarching plot well, and I liked how it dealt with Murderbot's status.
I'm definitely continuing with the series, and I finally successfully persuaded a friend of mine to read them as well, which is fun. Which do I read next - Network Effect or Fugitive Telemetry? I think I remember seeing that they're not in chronological order, but I'm not sure if I'm remembering that right.
The fourth novella in the Murderbot Diaries, and the one where Murderbot has to deal with all those pesky consequences of getting involved in human problems for the last three books. Murderbot decides to return to Dr Mensah, as she's in trouble (and it's kind of Murderbot's fault, oops).
I really liked this book - it was a very satisfying conclusion to the quartet of novellas, and I really liked returning to the PreservationAux crew. It really highlighted how much Murderbot has changed over the series, and having them react to its change in status was great. I liked the ending a lot - it resolved the overarching plot well, and I liked how it dealt with Murderbot's status.
I'm definitely continuing with the series, and I finally successfully persuaded a friend of mine to read them as well, which is fun. Which do I read next - Network Effect or Fugitive Telemetry? I think I remember seeing that they're not in chronological order, but I'm not sure if I'm remembering that right.
35clamairy
>34 nonil: They really aren't chronological, but I read them in publication order.
36Sakerfalcon
>35 clamairy: Fugitive telemetry takes place before the events of Network effect, although NE was written first. I read FT before NE so the story made more sense. But neither way is wrong!
37clamairy
>36 Sakerfalcon: See, I don't even notice... LOL
38nonil
(8) Unnatural Death by Dorothy L. Sayers
The third book in the Lord Peter Wimsey series. Lord Peter encounters a death that by all accounts is innocuous and almost expected, but with some lingering oddities. He then spends most of the book trying to determine if foul play was involved.
I noticed recently that the ebook had permanently dropped to a very low price on Amazon, and after some Googling confirmed my suspicion that it had fallen into the public domain in the US, so I decided to read it. I enjoy the Lord Peter Wimsey series immensely as Lord Peter is an engaging protagonist and I did enjoy this book as well, particularly the number of lesbians that cropped up.
I was, however, slightly shocked by the racist language and multiple uses of the n word, and it’s left me unlikely to recommend this particular book to others. I don’t know if I would describe the book as racist – the black character in the book doesn’t seem to be heavily stereotyped, but I’m white and so not in the best place to judge. I would have still read the book if I’d known in advance about the language, but I would have appreciated the warning.
The third book in the Lord Peter Wimsey series. Lord Peter encounters a death that by all accounts is innocuous and almost expected, but with some lingering oddities. He then spends most of the book trying to determine if foul play was involved.
I noticed recently that the ebook had permanently dropped to a very low price on Amazon, and after some Googling confirmed my suspicion that it had fallen into the public domain in the US, so I decided to read it. I enjoy the Lord Peter Wimsey series immensely as Lord Peter is an engaging protagonist and I did enjoy this book as well, particularly the number of lesbians that cropped up.
I was, however, slightly shocked by the racist language and multiple uses of the n word, and it’s left me unlikely to recommend this particular book to others. I don’t know if I would describe the book as racist – the black character in the book doesn’t seem to be heavily stereotyped, but I’m white and so not in the best place to judge. I would have still read the book if I’d known in advance about the language, but I would have appreciated the warning.
39nonil
(9) The Culture Map by Erin Meyer
A book discussing the cultural differences in communication styles in various countries around the globe and how they should be approached, particularly from a leadership perspective. Countries are placed on 8 different scales based on communication styles, including directness in communication, finality of decision making, and hierarchical or egalitarian leadership styles.
My mum recommended this book after it was recommended to her by a management workshop she took. The information contained seemed fairly self-evident, but having those differences effectively quantified and the types of differences explicitly stated was helpful, as were the examples provided on how one might effectively communicate in those contexts. It was written from a management perspective, a situation I do not expect to find myself in anytime soon, but interesting nonetheless.
A book discussing the cultural differences in communication styles in various countries around the globe and how they should be approached, particularly from a leadership perspective. Countries are placed on 8 different scales based on communication styles, including directness in communication, finality of decision making, and hierarchical or egalitarian leadership styles.
My mum recommended this book after it was recommended to her by a management workshop she took. The information contained seemed fairly self-evident, but having those differences effectively quantified and the types of differences explicitly stated was helpful, as were the examples provided on how one might effectively communicate in those contexts. It was written from a management perspective, a situation I do not expect to find myself in anytime soon, but interesting nonetheless.
40nonil
Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells
The sixth book in the Murderbot Diaries. Murderbot has started to settle in on its new home on the station when a murder occurs, and it has to work together with some pesky human security in an attempt to solve it, and ensure the safety of its favourite humans.
I’m continuing to enjoy these books immensely, and the relationships between Murderbot and other people, construct, bot or human continue to be a huge part of that. The new characters on the station were fun, and I hope Indah and JollyBaby show up again, I also really liked the murder mystery, although I did spot the killer early (and feel quite proud of that) -the fact that Murderbot got a call from Balin as soon as it took Indah to an area it couldn’t surveil was the giveaway.
I’m looking forward to reading Network Effect soon! I’m a lot less excited that I’ll have to wait until November after that, though.
The sixth book in the Murderbot Diaries. Murderbot has started to settle in on its new home on the station when a murder occurs, and it has to work together with some pesky human security in an attempt to solve it, and ensure the safety of its favourite humans.
I’m continuing to enjoy these books immensely, and the relationships between Murderbot and other people, construct, bot or human continue to be a huge part of that. The new characters on the station were fun, and I hope Indah and JollyBaby show up again, I also really liked the murder mystery, although I did spot the killer early (and feel quite proud of that) -
I’m looking forward to reading Network Effect soon! I’m a lot less excited that I’ll have to wait until November after that, though.
41nonil
I ordered Fugitive Telemetry and Network Effect online after finishing the first four novellas, and managed to get a signed bookplate with Fugitive Telemetry as well, which was nice. In attempting to make space on my shelves for them I had the bright idea of pulling out the books I had yet to read to make them a separate pile. It’s quite daunting. On the bright side, I definitely have shelf space now!
42clamairy
>38 nonil: Thank you for the warning. I'm doing this series very slowly, but planned to read this one some time in the next few months. I will brace myself. (I also hate that particular word.)
43jillmwo
>38 nonil: and >42 clamairy: It isn't comfortable to encounter it. I just don't know what the appropriate response from the publishing community ought to be in discussing how such language should be handled now. Scrubbing the language (as per the Roald Dahl conversations elsewhere here in the Pub) is not the right answer. I think (as you note, nonil) that the best thing to do is to mention the issue when you do recommend problematic books to others. Keep in mind who it is that you're recommending the title to and how well that specific individual will be apt to process it.
44Darth-Heather
>43 jillmwo: I think (as you note, nonil) that the best thing to do is to mention the issue when you do recommend problematic books to others. Keep in mind who it is that you're recommending the title to and how well that specific individual will be apt to process it.
this makes perfect sense and would probably address the situation pretty well. I already try to remember to mention hot-button issues when recommending books, since everyone has something they are sensitive to, and it makes sense to factor in racially-insensitive language as well.
for instance, I have to pre-read books before lending them to my mom in case there are any scenes that mention or describe suicide, since that is a sensitive subject in our family and it hurts her to be blindsided by something like that when reading for enjoyment.
this makes perfect sense and would probably address the situation pretty well. I already try to remember to mention hot-button issues when recommending books, since everyone has something they are sensitive to, and it makes sense to factor in racially-insensitive language as well.
for instance, I have to pre-read books before lending them to my mom in case there are any scenes that mention or describe suicide, since that is a sensitive subject in our family and it hurts her to be blindsided by something like that when reading for enjoyment.
45nonil
>43 jillmwo: Agreed, I don't think directly censoring it is the correct move.
With this series, I think I'm more likely to recommend the series as a whole and then mention the language here, as well as the anti-Semitism in Whose Body? (I don't remember the exact details but it also made me uncomfortable, but again I'm not the best judge). I would recommend a favourite but I've only read 3 so far!
>44 Darth-Heather: Yes, mentioning these things (or mentioning that there are potentially sensitive issues, or asking if someone has something specific they'd like warnings for) is my usual approach. I have a friend who doesn't want to encounter sexual harassment or assault in the films and TV they watch, so I make sure to take that into account when recommending things (we don't usually share book recommendations).
With this series, I think I'm more likely to recommend the series as a whole and then mention the language here, as well as the anti-Semitism in Whose Body? (I don't remember the exact details but it also made me uncomfortable, but again I'm not the best judge). I would recommend a favourite but I've only read 3 so far!
>44 Darth-Heather: Yes, mentioning these things (or mentioning that there are potentially sensitive issues, or asking if someone has something specific they'd like warnings for) is my usual approach. I have a friend who doesn't want to encounter sexual harassment or assault in the films and TV they watch, so I make sure to take that into account when recommending things (we don't usually share book recommendations).
46pgmcc
Xenophobia and racism features a lot in Have His Carcase. Sayers’s work is very much of its time and of a particular social mindset, not a mindset that would be totally accepted today, thankfully.
