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It occured to me the other day that we have a thread like this for music, one for video games and one for anime, but not one for good ol' fashioned paperbacks/hardbacks/these newfangled e-reader thingys. So it's time to restore balance to the force, so to speak.

So, Dakka folks, talk books! What are you reading now/have read recently? Got any recommendations, or looking for any? Try and keep it on topic, but I see no issue with branching out to non-fiction, graphic novels, anything printed basically.

Personally, I'm 2 books into the prequels of Phillip Reeve's Mortal Engines series, just the last one (Scriveners Moon) to go, which I should finish today or tomorrow. I'm not sure they're quite as good as the 10/10 original series, but they're still very, very good.

After that, I plan to re-read Inkheart and then work through the sequels to that.

Over to you...

"Monster Hunter: Nemesi"s just came out, so I'm reading that.
After that, I'll probably continue with Weber's "Honor Harrington" series.

Thinking of reading Lord of the Flies again. I LOVE that book. Might get to Dune as well if I ever get the time.

At the moment I am re-reading Jingo by Terry Pratchett. Then I'll crack on with a new read (for me) - The Master and margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov.

Ripped through the First Law trilogy last week. What a amazing if horrifically depressing series that was.

Now I'm going to go through all the Dresden Files books.

After that it's going to be some Dark Ages with James Nelson's Dubh-Lin and Bernard Cornwell's The Pagan Lord.

My last book was pretty long ago but it was Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein. It's really different from the movie and is a thoughtful read so I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a new book to read.

With a new job and all that, I'm finding much of my reading materials dominated by work stuff...

However, I have found time to read some pretty awesome stuff lately.

Just finished Planet Hulk, as well as a "complete" compilation of Deadpool by Daniel Way (i know, they're comics, but theyre still books!)

Just finished 50 Shades of Grey.

It was spanktastic.

Been reading The Futures End weekly comic staring Batman Beyond's Terry McGinnis, the Red Lantern Corps series and book 2 of the Broken Empire trilogy by Mark Lawrence. Pretty solid series for the most part... The protagonist is a bit of a prick though, but the few scenes with his father completely explain why he's that way (as his father is worse).

Anxiously waiting until my next batch of Audible credits comes in to finish off the Lost Fleet series. Might move on to "JAG in Space" next. I like the author's style, although he isn't the best I've read, but I like the perspective he brings having actually served in the Navy.

Until then I'll finish off actually reading the anthologies that come between 1632 and 1633. Such a complicated reading order for that series...

Re-reading all my old BattleTech novels

Unrelated to what I'm actually reading, but I've discovered Thug Notes on YouTube.

That channel is the best explanation of every book I have ever read!

I think the last book I finished was '25 for 25'... I'm trying to get through 'Innocence Proves Nothing'... I'm like 2/5 through the book... I might just toss it aside to get started on the Horus Heresy.

Just finished the three sequels to Ex-Heroes - basically a superhero/zombie apocalypse mashup. Solid

Before that it was Gridlinked by Neal Asher - solid sci fi, liked the world building and the main protagonist.

Before that it was Queen of Wands by John Ringo - preachy, but that was kind of the point I guess?

Before that it was Event by David Lynn Golemon, the first of the Event Group series. It was okay, I'm not a huge fan of the spy-action hero thriller genre but the sci fi twist might bring me back to check out the rest of the series.

Before that it was Skin Game - Jim Butcher - newest Dresden Files (read it overnight after it arrived, back to the waiting game)

Before that it was Elantris, Warbreaker, and the Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson - I wanted to round out his work so I finished these as they are everything I hadn't read. All good in their own ways, Elantris was a little weak compared to the rest of his stuff but still enjoyable.

Before that it was book two of the Mongoliad - interesting and a really solid read, but it hasn't sunk it's claws into me yet, holding off on the third book for the moment.

Before that it was the first three books of the Iron Druid series - not really a fan, it didn't work for me. There was no tension as the protagonist is capable of slaughtering more experienced and powerful creatures than himself with ease, and the comedic elements weren't there for me.

Before that it was Words of Radiance, second book of the Stormlight Archive - really, really good. Hopefully Brandon Sanderson learned from the Wheel of Time stuff that he did how to keep an epic fantasy series moving at a decent pace and not get bogged down in minutiae and an unnecessary level of POV character bloat (also looking at you, ASOIAF).

That covers the last couple months.

I also read free E-books I get through the kindle app, most of which aren't worth mentioning.

and currently reading Titus Groan, rereading The Way of Kings (stormlight archive book 1) on my phone, and poking around the Myth series by Robert Asprin which I haven't read since like high school.

The King in Yellow, by Robert W. Chambers.

I heard this guy influenced HP Lovecraft and certain themes/names/images from the anthology appear in HBOs True Detective, so I figure I'd give it a shot. It was pretty weird.

Also that segued into my purchase of Blackwater Lights, by Michael M Hughes. He did reviews of True Detective on some blog and I noticed he is a B-more based writer. Gotta show the locals some love. Was a decent read with occultism, sex, drugs, small town shenanigans and murder. It's the first of a trilogy.

Most of my recent purchases/reads have been art tutorials and collections. But I just started reading Dune for the first time. I'm only 80 pages in so far, but it's already really interesting.

Finished Skin Game a couple weeks ago. Before that I was halfway through Candide, but my kindle had an unfortunate "me forgetting it was in my back pocket" accident, and I didn't have the heart to start it back up again.

My War at Sea, 1914-1916 by Rear Admiral Heathcoat Grant.

An interesting if old-fashioned read of the battleship Canopus that fought in the Battle of the Falklands and the Gallipoli campaign.

Free on Kindle, it comes bundled with the journal of one of the junior officers of Canopus, so you get two viewpoints on the same events.

milkboy wrote:My last book was pretty long ago but it was Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein. It's really different from the movie and is a thoughtful read so I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a new book to read.

That's been on my list for a while, once I've worked through my backlog of stuff I've amassed but haven't read, I'll certainly be looking for that.

Ensis Ferrae wrote:Just finished Planet Hulk, as well as a "complete" compilation of Deadpool by Daniel Way (i know, they're comics, but theyre still books!)

Planet Hulk certainly counts, almost undoubtedly my favourite comic series of all time. Great art, great writing, and a plot that managed to be so much more than 'Gladiator in space'. And the ending.... It's awesome.

Kilkrazy wrote:My War at Sea, 1914-1916 by Rear Admiral Heathcoat Grant.

An interesting if old-fashioned read of the battleship Canopus that fought in the Battle of the Falklands and the Gallipoli campaign.

Free on Kindle, it comes bundled with the journal of one of the junior officers of Canopus, so you get two viewpoints on the same events.

This sounds very interesting. I'm usually averse to reading stuff on tablets (I do have one, but rarely use the kindle app) but I'll certainly have a look for this, it seems very fascinating.

I'm still enjoying a leisurely stroll through American history. I've just finished a biography of Stonewall Jackson and next on my list is Andrew Jackson - the white house years!

I've always wondered why I don't move to other aspects of American history or culture, or even social history, but for some strange reason, there's always some battle or war going on in America! Can anybody explain that?

 Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:

I've always wondered why I don't move to other aspects of American history or culture, or even social history, but for some strange reason, there's always some battle or war going on in America! Can anybody explain that?

"Americans are from Mars, Europeans from Venus" by Robert Kagan.

Currently reading Les Miserables.

If you ever get the chance to read it, don't, it will burn your eyeballs if you are not careful.

The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham. One of those books I'd been meaning to read for years but never quite around to.

The High-Velocity Edge, a book about continuous improvement and learning in manufacturing.
Currently reading Disney U, a book about employee develop.ment

 Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:
I'm still enjoying a leisurely stroll through American history. I've just finished a biography of Stonewall Jackson and next on my list is Andrew Jackson - the white house years!

I've always wondered why I don't move to other aspects of American history or culture, or even social history, but for some strange reason, there's always some battle or war going on in America! Can anybody explain that?

Well, we had three wars in our country, Revolutionary, 1812, Civil War. It just so happened that the Civil War was friggin' HUGE. Some people spend their entire lives learning about it and still don't learn everything. I live in Virginia currently and you can't walk five feet without seeing a historical marker.

As a yank I've been studying the 100 years war. Now that's a long bit of history there.

 MWHistorian wrote:


As a yank I've been studying the 100 years war. Now that's a long bit of history there.

Agreed... I tend to gravitate to the 100 years war, or if I'm forced to write about something more modern, but still military, I automatically go WW1.

The 100 Years War is something I've been meaning to look into now I have a little more spare time for research. Any good recommendations for introductions to it, but still going to a goo level of detail?

 Paradigm wrote:
The 100 Years War is something I've been meaning to look into now I have a little more spare time for research. Any good recommendations for introductions to it, but still going to a goo level of detail?

Couple good ones that I personally have are:

"The Hundred Years War, The English in France 1337-1453" by, Desmond Seward.

"Medieval Warfare" by, Peter Reid

"Agincourt, Henry V and the battle that made England" by, Juliet Barker

"Armies and Warfare in the Middle Ages, The English Experience" by Michael Prestwich

This history is modern and highly regarded. I confess I have not read it myself, but I have read his history of the Albigensian Crusade, and it was very readable, complete and scholarly.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hundred-Years-War-Vol-Battle-ebook/dp/B004ZWNQWI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1404671667&sr=8-3&keywords=100+years+war

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Albigensian-Crusade-Jonathan-Sumption-ebook/dp/B004ZWNQMI/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404671729&sr=1-1&keywords=albigensian+crusade

Thinking i might read again Julius Caesar. Maybe Marius Mules