Glad to see that people still read for fun and escape from daily life! Nothing to be ashamed of. Been reading all my life (76 yrs) and enjoy alot of books not up to the new standards. If I have enjoyed the experience, it's a good book! I love most of your content, so please keep it up.
@@secretsauceofstorycraft Reading is FUNdamental! My book library is huge, and I swear that if I leave several books in a stack, they reproduce when I'm asleep. Giving some away doesn't help...somehow, there are always more. I'm a very happy woman!
To Say Nothing of the Dog is one of my favorite books of all time. I convinced my mom to read it and have tons of inside jokes related to it. Cyril is the bestest doggie. And it is my sense of humor.
I'm surprised to finally see a booktuber finally mentioning Julie Czerneda. I always found it odd that almost no one talks about her books, and all major booktubers pretty much always talk about the same books/authors. I've read that Species Imperative trilogy some years ago, recommended by a friend. I loved it! You'll find the next 2 books in the series even more interesting than Survival. IMO no one else comes with aliens so interesting and credible as Czerneda, with a good sense of humor as well. Her background as a biologist clearly stands out and she makes the most of it. I'm actually finishing her series "Web Shifters" (another trilogy), about 40 pages left to finish the third book, and it's amazing, I think I prefer it over Species Imperative. Both series are awesome.
Another great List. Really enjoyed Titanium Noir so glad you liked that too. First Sister has just been added to my list on your recommendation. Thank you.
Really glad you liked Permutation City! I read it first in the 90s and it really expanded my mind. To me it's a prime example of a 'pure' SF book - choke full of interesting ideas and extrapolations, dialled up to 11, and then the novel explores the consequences ;-)
I'm working my through the Hugo Best Novel winners this year. A lot of real stinkers in the early years, so I'm glad to see a couple winners made your list (The Snow Queen, and To Say Nothing of the Dog). Gives me something to look forward to.
Nice mix of old and contemporary! Harkaway’s book sounds interesting. I’ve read a few on this list. Definitely agree with ‘The Day of the Triffids’. So many other books I could add. How about three more. ‘Flowers for Algernon’ by Daniel Keyes, ‘The Palace of Eternity’ by Bob Shaw and a more contemporary read ‘Robopocalypse’ by Daniel H. Wilson.
Ooh i would say flowers cant be satiafying because i was a crying mess at the end. And because it was a 5 star for me for sure! I havent read bob shaw, he is hard to get ahold of for some reason…. I do own robopocalypse tho… its 👀 ing at me now
I loved Greg Egan when I was a child. I have to read Permutation City and Darwin's Radio, they've been on my unreasonably large to read list for ever. Trail of Lightning seemed to be too convoluted for no good reason, but when something was supposed to happen, you quickly got a clue or something to help the plot further. I wonder if you read Obsidian and Blood. It was similar, but with Aztecs and I liked it more. Most of the rest don't really appeal to me, but I appreciate putting them on my radar.
I recently read Agatha Christie for the first time and I loved it. Orent Express had me guessing the whole time and how it came together in the end was satisfying. after I read one of your suggestions, I'm going after more Agatha Christie.
My most recent big satisfying read was Jonathan Norrell and Mr. Strange by Susanna Clarke. I'd put off reading it forever, it's such a big book and I just thought it would be one of those chores that I thought I "should" read. Well my goodness, I loved it. I combo listened to the audio book (narrated by Simon Prebble) in my car, and read it at night. So it flew by. A real treat. I'm glad to see Snow Queen on your list. I reread it recently. I may reread the Summer Queen, but I seem to remember it being upsetting (in a colonialization and resource extraction sense, and I can't remember if it has a "happy" ending lol). I have Permutation City on my bookshelf, intimidating me...
Darwin's Radio is currently sitting on my shelf, and am definitely intrigued to read it. I recently read Wyndham's 'The Chrysalids' but have not read Triffids - I've heard Wyndham's work described as "cosy catastrophe" and can see why. A lot of it is certainly very English. I personally didn't get on with 'To Say Nothing of the Dog', which was a shame as I like Jerome K Jerome's 'Three Men in a Boat' (of which it is a homage). It just came across as a little bit flippant and too absurd for me.
Thanks for this. I need a fun read to reset my mind. I just published my 8th novel, the Adventures of Tom Conley, and I need to get my head out of it before I start writing the next book.
I've recently bought a copy of Greg Egan's "Permutation City", alongside the same author's early short story collection - "Axiomatic". Going by what I've read about it, Permutation City seems like a book one needs to re-read at some point.....looking forward to reading both books....
Have you read the ww2 books, Blackout/All Clear, by Connie Willis? So good! Good list, a colleague was telling me about the Harkaway book the other day.
Great list. I'm finally out of the hospital and can read again and will start with Permutation City then Darwin's Radio. Recommendations: Mission- Paul Kidd (escape Earth / politics / android love), Last Man on Earth Club (the last survivor of Earths from the multiverse undergo therapy. Sounds wacky but of course, there's more than meets the eye. Inquisitor's Progress - one of my top five. An inquisitor dies and discovers he is a character in a video game... created in a VR world...created in another VR world... He rises thru levels only to discover the aliens in charge who give him a mind-blowing task. So original, the ending is fabulous. Surprisingly, you've never mentioned Patricia Anthony, one of my faves. Brother Termite - DC politics with aliens in the White House helping the president, Happy Policeman - Aliens isolate Comey, Texas but after six years a Mary Kay rep is found murdered. Cold Allies -Arabs are unstoppable through Europe until an alien is encountered an alien in the Pyrenees. The General demands to speak to Linda, a UFO writer, who's closest companion is her barking poodle. God's Fires - in 1662 aliens crash in Portugal. The retarded Afonso VI thinks it's god but the ship confirms Galileo's heretical ideas so the Inquisition sets to burn it and torture the aliens. A study in belief, reason and truth. Good Reading.
If you enjoyed Connie Whills, you have to try The Chronicles of St. Mary's!!!! It takes this concept and runs with it! Time Travelling historians and you really stay for the characters...
Have you read Fire watch by Connie Willis, it’s a short story / novella in the same series as Say Nothing of the Dog? I wondered if it was similar in tone given your comments about the other book in the series
@@secretsauceofstorycraft that up to you I do use discord, how was the discussion on gateway, I really enjoyed it and I now have the 2nd one to read the forever war, maybe do one vid at end of tge year on all four book I will be reading 1-3 last want to read older books the expanse
@@secretsauceofstorycraft well I'm on chapter 10 and I'm not sure. I'm going to point you to Borges's Library of Babel which is online in PDF. I think you'll see a connection. I am looking forward to the plot lines of Permutation City converging but at the same time I'd like for a bit less introspective searching for the meaning of a self. Still, both of the world's are well thought out.
