this post was submitted on 04 Jul 2025
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[–] Norin@lemmy.world 13 points 23 hours ago (3 children)

Rereading Le Guin’s Earthsea saga.

Personally, I think she might be on par with Tolkien and actually surpasses him in a few ways. The 4th book (about a tired mom just trying to get by and care for people in a fantasy world) is the best one, but you need to work your way there.

[–] TheMinions@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 23 hours ago

These are on my to do list. Currently been reading through Wheel of Time, which has been on my fantasy to do list for a while.

[–] tal@lemmy.today 3 points 23 hours ago

I liked the first book a lot, and recall liking the series less as it went on.

[–] matte@feddit.nu 2 points 17 hours ago

My experience was that the first book was fine, say 6,5/10. Just enough to move on to the the second, which I absolutely loved 9,5/10. Started reading the third with high expectations but it just didn't engage me at all. Didn't get through more than perhaps 25% of it.

Reading American Midnight, about how civil liberties were absolutely fucked after the US entered World War I.

[–] Klear@lemmy.world 8 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

Not reading it right now, but I'll take this opportunity to recommend people read Project Hail Mary before watching the trailer for the upcoming movie adaptation which spoils major plot twists.

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[–] Duke_Nukem_1990@feddit.org 7 points 18 hours ago (3 children)

For the past, idk, one or two decades I have only read books very sparingly and if I did, it was fantasy. Right now I am devouring The Expanse books and having a great time. I watched the tv series first (awesome) but was somewhat bummed by the ending.

[–] Nefara@lemmy.world 3 points 8 hours ago (5 children)

Love those books. Extremely easy to read and reread and set the standard for modern hard sci fi.

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[–] pruwybn@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Nearing the end of When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi, which came out a few months ago. It's a bit silly but I'd recommend it. The premise can be summed up as, "What would happen if the moon turned into cheese?"

[–] tal@lemmy.today 2 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

I guess...uh...that it'd be less dense, so that'd dick up tides on Earth.

https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/moonfact.html

Mean density (kg/m³): 3344

https://eurekamag.com/research/001/061/001061121.php

At 8 deg C, mean densities of blockformed and conventionally-hooped cheeses were, resp., 1.094 and 1.091 g/ml.

So that's 1094 kg/m³.

Basically, Earth's tides would be about a third as strong, which I imagine would affect a bunch of things, especially coastal ecology. Dunno how much tides affect weather.

Also, probably alters the reflectivity of the Moon, so would affect the brightness of the Moon. Might affect a lot of nocturnal critters and such. Hard to estimate, since that depends a lot on what cheese is involved.

[–] pruwybn@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

In the book, it kept the same mass and got a lot bigger. And of course much brighter.

[–] tal@lemmy.today 2 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Ah, gotcha. What type of cheese did it turn into, out of curiosity?

[–] pruwybn@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 18 hours ago

I think that might be too much of a spoiler 😄

[–] funkydutch@feddit.nl 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

How to read a book, by Mortimer Adler

[–] SassyRamen@lemmy.world 4 points 23 hours ago

"How to read a book." Pg. 1

"Turn back to page 1" Pg. 2

[–] leraje@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 23 hours ago (2 children)

Re-reading Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House" because its the best haunted house novel ever written.

[–] iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 2 points 23 hours ago

Got this one on my list.

[–] iturnedintoanewt@lemmy.world 2 points 18 hours ago

I just put this one into my reader, after several quotes from Stephen king reminded me i have it pending...

[–] theskyisfalling@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

If you like fantasy and haven't read any Brandon Sanderson then do yourself a favour and get on it!

My personally favourites are the Mistborn books but it isn't exactly an easy choice because literally everything he writes is great in my experience.

I just finished Tress of the Emerald Sea which is a shorter standalone book but still great!

[–] cyberpunk007@lemmy.ca 2 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Almost done stormlight archives. Have you done that? I have the first mistborn book but haven't started it yet. Looking forward to it though.

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[–] UnfairUtan@lemmy.world 2 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

I'm also all in on the Cosmere books, I'm halfway through the Stormlight Archive and it's amazing!

[–] theskyisfalling@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

I've got "Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians" to read next but I'm not sure if that is a cosmere based novel or not. Either way I'm sure it'll be good though!

[–] UnfairUtan@lemmy.world 2 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

From what I know, it's not Cosmere based. It's also targeted to a younger audience, so the writing might feel different.

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[–] DirigibleProtein@aussie.zone 5 points 1 day ago

Gilgamesh the King, by Robert Silverberg

[–] JustTesting@lemmy.hogru.ch 4 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

"Seeing like a state". It could be half the length without losing anything, but it's a very interesting perspective on states and central planning that I haven't thought about before and am enjoying.

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[–] catharso@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 23 hours ago

Master of the Five Magics by Lyndon Hardy.

Because i wanted to know what Megadeth and Rothfuss based their stuff on.

[–] Duke_Nukem_1990@feddit.org 3 points 4 hours ago

If you like horror I can highly recommend the Christopher Snow Novels by Dean Koontz.

I reread Seize The Night almost yearly.

[–] iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 3 points 23 hours ago

Just finished The Cutting Room by Louise Welsh. It was 3/5 for me. Pretty dark, explicit. The pitch was interesting to me but I didn't feel it delivered too well.

I'm currently reading The Thursday Murder Club and it's a delight at far, 37% in. No final judgement yet based on that.

[–] impudentmortal@lemmy.world 3 points 23 hours ago

Everything All at Once by Bill Nye. It's a great guide on how to make a positive change in the world from a scientific perspective.

Though it was written in 2017, I'd say it is more relevant now than ever.

[–] dermanus@lemmy.ca 3 points 15 hours ago

I just finished Oryx and Crake the first of a trilogy by Margaret Atwood, I quite enjoyed it. It's a short of dystopian sci-fi. I was put off by her at first because I was forced to read her in high school but I'm glad I gave her another chance.

I'm starting Les Misérables in French in the hopes of improving my written French.

Also working my way through Weapons of the weak which is about forms of peasant resistance.

[–] TheTimeKnife@lemmy.world 3 points 23 hours ago

Im reading The Bridge on the Drina, and the first Ahriman omnibus from the warhammer universe right now. Id recommend the first to anyone, its an absolute classic. The second I would recommend to anyone who likes warhammer or weird sorcerer bull shit.

[–] Akasazh@feddit.nl 3 points 8 hours ago

I'm currently reading Anthony Beevors 'D-Day'... But I'm also in Normandy, so I just read that book whilst sitting on Omaha Beach, which is pretty special.

[–] Curious_Canid@lemmy.ca 3 points 11 hours ago

I'm reading Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London series. They fit modern fantasy into a British police procedural framework. What makes them exceptional are the characterizations, plus the wit and snark of the dialog. They are both good stories and a lot of fun to read.

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 3 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago)

mtg has well written books based on its lore if your into that. its best to start on early sets, because each blocks have books as sorty of "trilogy", because you wont be able to get the context without reading the 1st volume of a set.

[–] jballs@sh.itjust.works 3 points 23 hours ago

No Flinching by Stephen King. It's a good book, but you really have to go back and start with the Mr. Mercedes series.

[–] Michal@programming.dev 3 points 7 hours ago

The Last Juror by John Grisham

[–] myrmidex@belgae.social 3 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago)

Currently reading: James Acaster's Classic Scrapes. A funny collection of stories from his childhood, an enjoyable read. I'd recommend it if you're looking for something light and funny.

Before this, I gave up on the book All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai, after about a hundred pages. I just couldn't get into it, the story kept halting in favor of flashbacks and setting the MC's backstory. I hate stories not starting soon enough with the actual story. Unnecessary to say, but I would not recommend this :)

[–] moobythegoldensock@infosec.pub 2 points 14 hours ago

The Wild Robot Protects

Not quite as good as The Wild Robot and The Wild Robot Escapes, but the entire series is an excellent set of children’s novels.

[–] cyberpunk007@lemmy.ca 2 points 21 hours ago

Last book of the stormlight archives by Branden Sanderson.

Really good, but for some reason I'm having a hard time finishing the last one 😅.

[–] thelsim@sh.itjust.works 2 points 20 hours ago

I’m busy working my way through Steven Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen series.
It’s a very dense set of books with a ton of lore, but I’m enjoying it a lot (I’m at the sixth one so far).

The only downside is that I read them on an e-reader and can’t quickly look at all the detailed maps and glossaries whenever I want.

[–] Gutek8134@lemmy.world 2 points 19 hours ago

The Experimental Log of The Crazy Lich by Angry Squirrel

It's a combination of xuanhuan, comedy, and political drama. Keep in mind that it's looong - I've been reading it since March, finished 215 chapters out of 841

[–] irelephant@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

I'm reading how to blow up a pipeline by Andreas Malm, I'd recommend it.

[–] squirrel@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 17 hours ago

Trocken (Sober) by Daniel Wagner. Written in german, I don't know if there's an english translation. It's about himself struggling with heavy alcoholism and his way out of the addiction.

[–] Cocodapuf@lemmy.world 2 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago)

I'm reading the Percy Jackson books with my kid right now and I have to say, they're very well written. For kid/teen literature, i'd say there's a lot to like in the series, fun dialogue, characters with a lot of personality a fascinating and magical, yet recognizable fantasy world. I'm certainly enjoying it much more than I did the Harry Potter series.

Also the percy Jackson TV series is great too. The movies are hot trash though, wouldn't recommend them.

[–] Pulptastic@midwest.social 2 points 15 hours ago

Moon of the Crusted Snow and the sequel Moon of the Turning Leaves. Post apocalyptic novel following an Anisinaabe community. Well written and captivating stories.

[–] hmmm@sh.itjust.works 2 points 13 hours ago

Rereading Berserk Manga(it's a book😤)

[–] Nefara@lemmy.world 2 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago) (1 children)

Finally got around to the Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan and it's more relevant than ever. It absolutely predicted the world we're in politically now and has some insight and analysis as to how and why and what to do to help. Definitely worth a read or reread if you haven't read it or it's been a while.

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[–] Smushem@lemmy.world 2 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

The Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman. Great story, easy reading, relatable characters, and soon to be made into a series. There are 7 books so far, but rumors say there might be up to 10 eventually.

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[–] raptore39@lemmy.ca 2 points 6 hours ago

Just finished Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. It made me go hug my partner very tightly.

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