[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

Tsundoku, on 22 August 2023 - 07:40 AM, said:

TPoD is a close second last though. My God for such a (comparatively) short book it dragged on and oooooonnnnn ... So many generic bitchy magic chicks.

I'm up to nearly the end of WH in earbook.... generic bitchy magic chicks could be a tagline for the series at this point. I think because I'm using it as pleasant background while I work it's not bothering me too much. If I was giving it 100% focus I'd be slightly insane by now.

I've just started Unwell Women by Eleanor Cleghorn. It's about the prevailing sexism in medicine and the history thereof, from Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece (which can be predominantly summed up as "the adventures of the wandering womb") up to the present day, with a focus on the experiences of women with chronic pain conditions and how much more difficult these trends make it to access diagnosis and treatment. Having finished only the preface I can tell already it's going to be a heady mixture of empowering, and at the same time making me absolutely furious.

This post has been edited by TheRetiredBridgeburner: 22 August 2023 - 08:14 AM

[QuickTidal]

Tsundoku, on 22 August 2023 - 07:40 AM, said:

stone monkey, on 21 August 2023 - 09:30 PM, said:

Tiste Simeon, on 21 August 2023 - 08:44 PM, said:

Finished The Eye of the World and quite enjoyed it. Going to read The Great Hunt but I think I'll have a break to read Forge of the High Mage first. I can't wait because I love every new adventure in the Malazan world ♥️

The Great Hunt is the start of the improvement. The Fires of Heaven - 3 books later - is where it all starts to go downhill imo; which continues until the absolute nadir of Winter's Heart. Knife of Dreams and the Sanderson books are fine, but I'd argue they don't hit the heights that books 2, 3, and 4 did. I just realised that I haven't read The Eye of the World since the last millenium... No idea whether I'll ever read it again.

See, there you go. I find TFoH to be my favourite, with LoC as "not too bad" but definitely the start of the slide.
But for me the absolute nadir is CoT. WH at least had some excitement toward the end as a few big things actually happened.
TPoD is a close second last though. My God for such a (comparatively) short book it dragged on and oooooonnnnn ... So many generic bitchy magic chicks.

I agree with ALL of this, and especially that TFoH was my fave in the whole series.

[QuickTidal]

Finished ELF QUEEN OF SHANNARA. I always liked this one, it's so offbeat for the typical Shannara fare...it's almost Disney-like in it's execution with two animal familiars, one of whom talks like a grizzled old man...but it all works. Did we NEED a whole side trip to have Wren find the elves? No. Was it fun? It was. The only part that's a tad annoying is the opening (the shadow that was chasing them across the Four Lands in the previous book needs resolved) and the first 60 pages or so trudging thorough the jungle and encountering multiple creatures that want to kill them, after they arrive at Arbolon, it takes off like a shot.

Pausing in my Shannara re-read for...

NEUROMANCER re-read. I lucked out into the whole trilogy (COUNT ZERO, MONA LISA OVERDRIVE and the short story book; BURNING CHROME) in these sweet ass covers (on the cheap)

 .jpg (111.4K)
Number of downloads: 0

So I thought it might be time for a Gibson SPRAWL re-read (is 2023 the year of series re-reads for me? Perhaps!), so once again I strolled into that phenomenally evocative opening line again "The sky above the port was the colour of television, tuned to a dead channel." on my way to the rest of the trilogy. I've also never read the BURNING CHROME shorts, so that will be good to finally get to. And the last time I read these books I was like 16 and understood them way less than I probably will as an adult....so funnily enough I'm 60 pages in and already glommed onto the fact that these books feel fucking CONTEMPORARY with our world, barring some of the finer details which might still be a TAD into our future/not fully realized yet....but Capitalism, cyberspace, Neuro and gene splicing, cybernetics, hackers, the constantly online, ect...fuck me if that's not just "life" in 2023. And to be fair to Gibson (who wrote this is the 80's) it takes place in 2035, so he's not far off date wise...LOL

[Tiste Simeon]

Thanks all for the input at least I'm going in knowing what I'm up against hah.

Special thanks to TRB who I'm bothering about it elsewhere as well as in here

[QuickTidal]

TheRetiredBridgeburner, on 22 August 2023 - 08:12 AM, said:

I've just started Unwell Women by Eleanor Cleghorn. with a focus on the experiences of women with chronic pain conditions and how much more difficult these trends make it to access diagnosis and treatment. Having finished only the preface I can tell already it's going to be a heady mixture of empowering, and at the same time making me absolutely furious.

I was just speaking with my wife about this stuff as she's been talking about perimenopause symptoms and how she has some of them at only 43, and that dove us into my comment that women go through SO MUCH MORE from a biological standpoint than men do...and that spun off into the fact that the medical industry was (and is?) dominated by men, and so you hear all kinds of stories about male physicians not believing a lot of chronic conditions women report experiencing, thinking it's all in their heads. I think stuff like Endometriosis was at one time considered a fiction (Historically, women with endometriosis symptoms were treated with leeches, straitjackets, bloodletting, chemical douches, genital mutilation, pregnancy [as a form of treatment....the fuck?], hanging upside down, surgical intervention, and even killing due to suspicion of demonic possession (the FUCK?!).

That all comes off the fact that men simply do not have the same type of bodies women have, nor the same massive set of possible traumas that can occur as a result...FFS women MAKE WHOLE ASS HUMANS inside them...but Dr. Fuckstick can't fathom that they have some chronic pain since he can't readily identify with so it must be invented or exaggerated.

So yeah, the patriarchy is largely to blame for this stuff. We are moving the paradigm but holy shit is it slow.

FWIW the BEST doctors I've encountered in my life have been women....every single one. Their bedside manner alone is untouchable. And every male doctor has been varying shades of asshole, barring possibly my childhood paediatrician who was nice. But like my current doctor? Yeah, he's a fucking prick. If my wife doctor ever tales new patients (she's a lovely older Irish woman) I'll be in there like a shot.

[polishgenius]

polishgenius, on 10 July 2023 - 07:47 PM, said:

polishgenius, on 08 July 2023 - 08:54 PM, said:

Now I'm reading The Spear Cuts Through Water, by Simon Jimenez. It's got some Catherynne Valente vibes to it- both the writing and the slightly convoluted setup (there's a framing story for the framing story)- which isn't gonna be to everyone's tastes but I love this sort of thing.

Oh man, 100 pages in and I'm loving this. It's still got those Valente-esque threads to the writing, but it's also a kick-ass action epic, and the action is bombastic (and not a little brutal). Good guys bad guys and explosions. But, like, super-stylishly and with wizards and godesses and shit. There's a lot going on and it's really fucking cool.


Hope it keeps up over the length, but it's hooked me.

Got distracted from this by life and other stuff but I finally finished it. Excellent. It's kind of hard to do it justice but if 'some kind of mix of Matthew Stover and Gene Wolfe' sounds interesting to you I'd heartily recommend giving it a look. It's got all the requirements: epic action, inventiveness coming out its ears, big old love story, bastards and brutality, weird shit, magic, mayhem, weird shit... it's probably not gonna end up being for everyone just because it is so odd, but I reckon everyone should at least give it a try.


I also read Blade of Dream, Daniel Abraham's latest. I enjoyed it but for some reason this latest series isn't hitting me the same way his previous series have.

This post has been edited by polishgenius: 23 August 2023 - 05:44 PM

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

QuickTidal, on 22 August 2023 - 04:53 PM, said:

TheRetiredBridgeburner, on 22 August 2023 - 08:12 AM, said:

I've just started Unwell Women by Eleanor Cleghorn. with a focus on the experiences of women with chronic pain conditions and how much more difficult these trends make it to access diagnosis and treatment. Having finished only the preface I can tell already it's going to be a heady mixture of empowering, and at the same time making me absolutely furious.

I was just speaking with my wife about this stuff as she's been talking about perimenopause symptoms and how she has some of them at only 43, and that dove us into my comment that women go through SO MUCH MORE from a biological standpoint than men do...and that spun off into the fact that the medical industry was (and is?) dominated by men, and so you hear all kinds of stories about male physicians not believing a lot of chronic conditions women report experiencing, thinking it's all in their heads. I think stuff like Endometriosis was at one time considered a fiction (Historically, women with endometriosis symptoms were treated with leeches, straitjackets, bloodletting, chemical douches, genital mutilation, pregnancy [as a form of treatment....the fuck?], hanging upside down, surgical intervention, and even killing due to suspicion of demonic possession (the FUCK?!).

That all comes off the fact that men simply do not have the same type of bodies women have, nor the same massive set of possible traumas that can occur as a result...FFS women MAKE WHOLE ASS HUMANS inside them...but Dr. Fuckstick can't fathom that they have some chronic pain since he can't readily identify with so it must be invented or exaggerated.

So yeah, the patriarchy is largely to blame for this stuff. We are moving the paradigm but holy shit is it slow.

FWIW the BEST doctors I've encountered in my life have been women....every single one. Their bedside manner alone is untouchable. And every male doctor has been varying shades of asshole, barring possibly my childhood paediatrician who was nice. But like my current doctor? Yeah, he's a fucking prick. If my wife doctor ever tales new patients (she's a lovely older Irish woman) I'll be in there like a shot.

Endometriosis was one of the first specific examples - it's increasingly common and yet the average time to be diagnosed is still terrifying (around ten years). Most of the symptoms would have been written off as hysteria until modern times (it was only removed from the DSM in the 1980s). The deeper you go the more baffling and infuriating it all is.

The last specialist I went to for my Fibromyalgia (having resisted for around a decade) was an absolute arsehole who clearly believed all chronic pain conditions are just different flavours of malingering. He'd have made Victorian workhouse owners proud with some of the nonsense he spouted. I'd say I've found the same as you, on the whole, that the best doctors and specialists I've seen have been women - with a notable exception for the ENT consultant surgeon who removed my benign tumour. He was an absolute legend.

Currently enjoying The Adventures of the Wandering Womb... apparently Ancient Egyptian and Greek physicians thought the womb got up and wandered aroundt the body, causing a whole host of symptoms. WILD.

This post has been edited by TheRetiredBridgeburner: 22 August 2023 - 08:29 PM

[Abyss]

Just Finished....

LIGHT BRINGER by Pierce Brown, comments in the Red Rising ded-thread.

YUMI AND THE NIGHTMARE PAINTER by Brandon Sanderson. Another 'cute' book in the same flavour as TRESS OF THE EMERALD SEA... i think it could have been cut by about a third, but it was an entertaining read/ear. The Cosmere bits were fun if inconsequential.

MEGALODON: BLOOBATH by Michael Cole. Did what it said in the title.

Now... currently halfway thru DRY GALLOWS, book 9 in the THE TIDE zombpocalypse series. Depending on my state of brain at the end of this i'll either roll into bk 10 and finish the series, or join the current read of the next SUN SWORD book.

[Tiste Simeon]

I have finished reading Forge of the High Mage and it was excellent as I knew it would be.

Onto The Great Hunt, book two of the Wheel of Time series.

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

I have been reading through Martha Wells' Books of the Raksura series. I had seen them recommended as "aliens that are truly alien!", though I don't really understand where that characterization comes from. I feel like I should like them more, but I find them sort of shallow, repetitive, and boring. Despite that, I do like the world she has created. I've stalled out about 1/4 of the way in to book 4 and I can't make any more progress on them.

I've also read through Marlene Winell's Leaving The Fold, as my partner is an ex-religious person who is dealing with trauma from their upbringing. I highly recommend this book if you are close with anyone who either is ex-religious or is still religious.

I'm currently reading Rachel Aaron's Legends of Eli Monpress series. These are a lot of fun! I zipped through the first book and am progressing nicely through the second. They sort of feel like One Piece (which I'm only reminded of due to having just watched the live-action Netflix adaptation and Eli's drive to increase his bounty) meets Hadrian & Royce from Riyria meets a Miyazaki-esque world in which every object and creature has a sentient spirit. If you're looking for some fun romping, these are a good place to go.

[stone monkey]

I'd literally forgotten about Crossroads of Twilight. Like I'd erased it from my memory for some reason. And now it's all coming back to me. Yeah, that's the low point. It may actually be one of the worst books I've ever read.
I know Jordan had other things on his mind by that point, but it was as if he remembered how to write grammatically correct English sentences but, at the same time, had completely forgotten how to write a book.

This post has been edited by stone monkey: 04 September 2023 - 10:37 PM

[Tiste Simeon]

stone monkey, on 04 September 2023 - 10:36 PM, said:

I'd literally forgotten about Crossroads of Twilight. Like I'd erased it from my memory for some reason. And now it's all coming back to me. Yeah, that's the low point. It may actually be one of the worst books I've ever read.
I know Jordan had other things on his mind by that point, but it was as if he remembered how to write grammatically correct English sentences but, at the same time, had completely forgotten how to write a book.

Looking forward to that one haha though I'm enjoying The Great Hunt so far (20% or so)

[worry]

I don't know how you guys remember what happens in any of these books individually. I'm not even dissing them, they're mostly fine-to-good, but it's the anti-Malazan. Every book has the same ingredients, the same recipe, and the same flavor.

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

stone monkey, on 04 September 2023 - 10:36 PM, said:

I'd literally forgotten about Crossroads of Twilight. Like I'd erased it from my memory for some reason. And now it's all coming back to me. Yeah, that's the low point. It may actually be one of the worst books I've ever read.
I know Jordan had other things on his mind by that point, but it was as if he remembered how to write grammatically correct English sentences but, at the same time, had completely forgotten how to write a book.

I'm surviving the audiobook purely on the basis that I know it gets better from when Sanderson takes over.

[QuickTidal]

TheRetiredBridgeburner, on 05 September 2023 - 09:16 AM, said:

stone monkey, on 04 September 2023 - 10:36 PM, said:

I'd literally forgotten about Crossroads of Twilight. Like I'd erased it from my memory for some reason. And now it's all coming back to me. Yeah, that's the low point. It may actually be one of the worst books I've ever read.
I know Jordan had other things on his mind by that point, but it was as if he remembered how to write grammatically correct English sentences but, at the same time, had completely forgotten how to write a book.

I'm surviving the audiobook purely on the basis that I know it gets better from when Sanderson takes over.

Indeed. There's a moment in THE GATHERING STORM where Egwene for me went from "she's alright, she's better than she was when she started" to "Holy gods she's a force to be reckoned with and is a total badass I'm rooting for"

I hinge that on the difference between how Jordan ramped things up, and how Sanderson does it...the Sanderlanche that exists in that book is what really showed me that I was in a treat for the last three books.

[Abyss]

TheRetiredBridgeburner, on 05 September 2023 - 09:16 AM, said:

stone monkey, on 04 September 2023 - 10:36 PM, said:

I'd literally forgotten about Crossroads of Twilight. Like I'd erased it from my memory for some reason. And now it's all coming back to me. Yeah, that's the low point. It may actually be one of the worst books I've ever read.
I know Jordan had other things on his mind by that point, but it was as if he remembered how to write grammatically correct English sentences but, at the same time, had completely forgotten how to write a book.

I'm surviving the audiobook purely on the basis that I know it gets better from when Sanderson takes over.

Playback Speed + is your friend.

[QuickTidal]

I finished a re-read of SAILING TO SARANTIUM at the cottage on the weekend and it's still as good as it always is.

And amusingly, this AM a surprise on my kindle...I had preordered the re-release of the out-of-print 1995 Martha Wells standalone book CITY OF BONES and forgotten about it....so bam there it was, so I started that and I'd already pretty damned good at page 50.

[Abyss]

amphibian, on 07 August 2023 - 10:13 PM, said:

Glen Cook is gonna Glen Cook all the way. Here's hoping some fun endings come our way someday.

so basically... 'Let him Cook.'.

*puts on sunglasses, walks offscreen, Roger Daltrey screams on the soundtrack*

[Abyss]

QuickTidal, on 10 August 2023 - 12:25 PM, said:

Mentalist, on 10 August 2023 - 06:51 AM, said:

Abyss, on 10 August 2023 - 04:03 AM, said:

Mentalist, on 09 August 2023 - 11:30 PM, said:

JFC, is this whole book gonna be Kaladin's existential crisis: part 4?

I don't think I'm in the right headspace to deal with for another 1030 pages

Do you want encouragement or cold hard truth?

truth, obv.

I feel like it's important to note that Kal DEFINITELY turns a corner in RoW and that arc you're/we're annoyed by with him ends in this book. IF that helps. That said, it DOES continue till at least the last 3rd, at which point you FINALLY get resolution for 3.75 books worth of whiny/unsure/angreyatdad/angryateveryone/angryathimself Kaladin.

Agreed, except w way more Kalangst and me getting way more annoyed than QT did.
It's a good book, solid Sanderson Cosmere, but the Kalangst is way way higher than it needed to be or else than i was willing to read, and i was skimming by about halfway.
...and i'm not convinced we've seen the end of it.
I love the series, i will continue to pre-order it in ear AND ebook format and devour it, but the characters' mental health issues are by far the weakest writing, imnsho.

[Abyss]

Abyss, on 31 August 2023 - 04:26 AM, said:

...
Now... currently halfway thru DRY GALLOWS, book 9 in the THE TIDE zombpocalypse series. Depending on my state of brain at the end of this i'll either roll into bk 10 and finish the series, or join the current read of the next SUN SWORD book.

Just Finished DRY GALLOWS, Melchiorri is consistent and good at steadily upping the threat levels. This book is basically one long insane fight scene for the MCs with the occasional pause to check in with how various supporting characters are dying or in trouble. I had to laugh a few times as the author rolls out new beasties for the characters to fight that are essentially mashups of previous beasties, it's so very FPS videogame in formula but it works. the series remains predictable and fun and I'll take a break for something deeper but look fwd to bk 10.

Am an hour or so into SUN SWORD bk 3, THE SHINING COURT, comments in the ded-thread.

For an occasional break from Michelle West's character driven drama about characters being characteristically characterish, I've been ear'ing the podcast drama TRANSMISSIONS FROM COLONY ONE on spotify. It's an audiodrama, full cast w fx and soundtrack, about astronauts sent on what is supposed to be a one-way trip to start a colony on Mars. I can't really go into any detail w/out spoilers but - duh - things go wrong. All the things. It's very well done generally. The scripts are done as audio recordings from the astronauts' suits/computers - basically the same way a 'real' space mission would have hundreds of hours recording everything said - which works nicely. The events and challenges and tensions are effectively built, the actors make the characters' reactions believable, and it would be hard not to find this gripping. The story also takes major shifts every few episodes so nothing feels like filler. If i'm going to be somewhat critical, the writer seems to be taking a 'women in refrigerators' approach to the cast, offing female characters to give the male characters drama. I think they're going somewhere interesting w that tho'. Will see. It's not offputting, but feels a bit blunt given the size of the cast and storylines that are more interesting than 'you accidentally killed my wife you bastard!'.