Grand unified books thread

[KRonn]

I've been plodding through Brandon Sanderson's The Final Empire. Man his writing style is... rough.

I skipped massive chunks of his books finishing off the Wheel of Time series.  One entire book was about just one battle.  As you say, rough going (and for a crap finish, at that, though that was probably Jordan's fault).

I haven't finished the Wheel of Time series. I really liked the first few books, probably read into about book five. But stopped and haven't gotten back into the series for a while now.

[Eddie Teach]

I generally find Sanderson in the pretty decent category. What he lacks in quality he makes up for in volume.

Is this joke? 

Why would it be a joke? Being able to consistently produce is a nice quality for an author, especially one who you can generally expect to be a fun read. It is not like he is publishing academic tomes or something.

If he's a fun read, then he's not lacking in quality.

[jimmy olsen]

As someone who has taught elementary school in Asia, I found this very authentic.

https://www.marycagle.com/letsspeakenglish/prologue-1-off-we-go

[Tamas]

I am quite a fan of the Stormliggt archive series. Not the depth of characters of which there is very little, but the world building and that the story is not telegraphed.

Was Mistborn where the main protagonist was this teenage girl? I kind of liked the first book but the second seemed to go all in on the teenage girl angst angle and I gave up.

[garbon]

Was Mistborn where the main protagonist was this teenage girl? I kind of liked the first book but the second seemed to go all in on the teenage girl angst angle and I gave up.

Yes, where as a street urchin, she has been abused her whole life and is wary of strangers (even the rest of the protagonists) but as soon as she has some banter with a nobleman at a party (supposedly her enemy), she starts falling in love. Everytime she goes to a ball at first she has a few paragraphs where she is paralyzed about whether the nobility know she is a fake but then remembers they just see her fictional persona not her but where is the dividing line between her persona and herself. Then in approximately 6 months or so of the good life, she opines about how bored she is when she can't go to a ball but thinks well things could be worse and as a reader you're like well yes, you knowing it could be fucking worse, your whole life until recently was worse than boredom. Then as we whip toward the conclusion, though she knows the noble she loves is nothing more than a [spoiler]dilettante (and we even get a POV chapter for him showing how naive he is), she ensures no one kills him and he is crowned king with her narrating that he'll be a good king. Umm, why?[/spoiler]

And that's not even touching on Kelsier's plotline...

[Tamas]

Yeah, still, I would recommend the Stormlight series. There are weaker parts for sure and the characters are kind of paper thin, but the word building is really cool, the confusing /seemingly random things at the start all fall into place eventually. Plus there are twists and such. The good parts well worth going through the weaker ones. Latest one was book 5 in November, once I discovered it was out I read through it very quickly.

[Agelastus]

Yeah, still, I would recommend the Stormlight series. There are weaker parts for sure and the characters are kind of paper thin, but the word building is really cool, the confusing /seemingly random things at the start all fall into place eventually. Plus there are twists and such. The good parts well worth going through the weaker ones. Latest one was book 5 in November, once I discovered it was out I read through it very quickly.

Book 4 was released last November; I had had it on pre-order for months. Sadly no release date yet for book 5, although I think he takes between 2 and 2.5 years per release as he is writing a large number of other series.

Although there are technically six books/releases - two novellas have been released, one takes place between books 2 and 3, and one that occurs between books 3 and 4.

[crazy canuck]

I liked book 1 of Stormlight.  I picked up book 2 sometime last year and found that I had no idea what was going on in the opening two chapters so just put it down and haven't picked it back up. 

[Josephus]

Highly recommend Midnight in Chernobyl. Excellent rundown of what happened that fateful day and the following months.

[Eddie Teach]

As someone who has taught elementary school in Asia, I found this very authentic.

https://www.marycagle.com/letsspeakenglish/prologue-1-off-we-go

Aren't you qualified to teach in US?

[jimmy olsen]

Yeah, still, I would recommend the Stormlight series. There are weaker parts for sure and the characters are kind of paper thin, but the word building is really cool, the confusing /seemingly random things at the start all fall into place eventually. Plus there are twists and such. The good parts well worth going through the weaker ones. Latest one was book 5 in November, once I discovered it was out I read through it very quickly.

Book 4 was released last November; I had had it on pre-order for months. Sadly no release date yet for book 5, although I think he takes between 2 and 2.5 years per release as he is writing a large number of other series.

Although there are technically six books/releases - two novellas have been released, one takes place between books 2 and 3, and one that occurs between books 3 and 4.

Two novellas? I read the one about Lift, What's the other one about? 

[jimmy olsen]

As someone who has taught elementary school in Asia, I found this very authentic.

https://www.marycagle.com/letsspeakenglish/prologue-1-off-we-go

Aren't you qualified to teach in US?

Yes, to teach middle and high school social studies in RI and any state that accepts that certification.

I have taught at a middle school, a high school, an elementary school, a middle school and now a University in Korea.

[Agelastus]

Two novellas? I read the one about Lift, What's the other one about?

Well, too quote Amazon as I am a little lazy -

When a ghost ship is discovered, its crew presumed dead after trying to reach the storm-shrouded island Akinah, Navani Kholin must send an expedition to make sure the island hasn't fallen into enemy hands. Knights Radiant who fly too near find their Stormlight suddenly drained, so the voyage must be by sea.

Shipowner Rysn Ftori lost the use of her legs but gained the companionship of Chiri-Chiri, a Stormlight-ingesting winged larkin, a species once thought extinct. Now Rysn's pet is ill, and any hope for Chiri-Chiri's recovery can be found only at the ancestral home of the larkin: Akinah. With the help of Lopen, the formerly one-armed Windrunner, Rysn must accept Navani's quest and sail into the perilous storm from which no one has returned alive. If the crew cannot uncover the secrets of the hidden island city before the wrath of its ancient guardians falls upon them, the fate of Roshar and the entire Cosmere hangs in the balance.

[Razgovory]

Does anyone know any books about extinct North American Pleistocene?

[KRonn]

As someone who has taught elementary school in Asia, I found this very authentic.

https://www.marycagle.com/letsspeakenglish/prologue-1-off-we-go

Aren't you qualified to teach in US?

Yes, to teach middle and high school social studies in RI and any state that accepts that certification.

I have taught at a middle school, a high school, an elementary school, a middle school and now a University in Korea.

Very nice, that's a great career you have. I remember when we were all a lot younger and several of us met up at the King Richard's Fare. Caliga and his wife were there with you and me. That Fare is a good time!