Toribash
Original Post
What books are you currently reading/listening to?


It might be presumptuous, but I assume there are some of you here that enjoy the lost art of book-reading? At the very least, I'm sure some of you listen to audiobooks. So what are you reading? Tell us a bit about it. No manga (post that in Lisa's thread).

I'm currently reading Persian Fire by Tom Holland (not Loki), and listening to Heroes by Stephen Fry.

Persian Fire is a dramatized retelling of the story of the Persian empire. It's a piece of popular history, but it doesn't sacrifice historicity for the sake of a good narrative. It's an enjoyable and engaging read that I'd recommend for anyone interested in ancient history. Holland's probably one of the best authors of popular history around nowadays -. Would also recommend Rubicon (about the fall of the Roman Republic), Millennium (about Europe from 900-1100AD in the context of apocalyptic, millennial angst) and In The Shadow Of The Sword (how Islam got started and spread). All very good.

Heroes is Stephen Fry's second book on Greek mythology. The first one, Mythos, was about the deities of Greek mythology (from the Titans to the Olympians) and his second, Heroes, are about the humans (or half-humans) that these deities play with. Heracles, Jason, Orpheus, Achilles... The list goes on and on. Fry is a spectacular orator, so deciding between his audiobook and the written version was an easy choice. Great to put on before bed to zone out to. If there's one criticism, it's that he could go into a bit more depth with some of the stories, but given the sheer amount of epics he's condensing, I think that's forgivable.
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So whaddaya reading?
Last edited by Ele; Dec 31, 2019 at 09:08 AM.
I was trying to read Salem's Lot by Stephen King, but I've recently stopped reading books and more focused on reading mangas.
Oh wow! Heroes sounds pretty cool. Also didn't know Stephen Fry wrote fiction... Well, not like I read many books, either way.

I put Phantom of the Opera on hold some time ago; should pick it up again. I've read some classics, including Frankenstein, The Count of Monte Cristo and some shorts by H. P. Lovecraft. These are all classics that everyone knows about, but I still recommend reading them. They're surprisingly good!

Gonna read Dracula after Phantom of the Opera. Also recently found out about Carmilla, which predates Dracula. Pretty neat.
Yes, novels are books Sora. Whatcha reading?

@NokiaI remember reading them as they came out when I was younger. That's the series about the dude with psychic preminitions and telekinesis right? Something to do with burning bread?? Don't remember reading past the 3rd though. Does it hold up to your memory of it?

Anyone read that Amulet of Samarkand series? That was some real good shit.

@Tonakai
Quite a classic collection of books you're reading thar. I've never read them, but of-course seen adaptations. Dracula (by BBC)just came to Netflix and it's pretty enjoyable. Haven't heard of this Carmilla lady, who's she?

I was considering getting one of the many audiobook collections of Lovecraft's works, but apparently each of them misses some key stories. Which are your favourite ones that you'd recommend?
I'm currently reading Conqueror, a semi-fictitious series about Genghis Khan, written by Conn Iggulden. It's pretty nicely written (I have the swedish translation though, can't speak for the english counterpart) and what I like about it is that the author tries his hand at being relatively historically correct, which is kind "take-it-or-leave-it" since the original texts about the Khan apparently didn't stand the test of time very well.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_of_the_Plains
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lords_of_the_Bow
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bones_of_the_Hills
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_of_Silver_(novel)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conque...ggulden_novel)


4/5 would recommend. I'm only at book #2 so take it with a pinch of salt.
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I like sci-fi books and/or academic books. The Expeditionary Force series, and Galaxies Edge series are pretty good. Galaxies Edge starts off good but gets worse as you go, the spin offs aren't bad though. Expeditionary Force can also get repetitive. I mostly listen to books if they're not academic as i'm driving or walking to and from class as I don't have a lot of time to sit down and read mostly but I do spend a lot of time walking lol.

Need help? PM me!
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Currently on my second read-through of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Dr Robert Cialdini and I would recommend it to anyone regardless of their background. It is a fantastic piece of literature that discusses how people are influenced, how to influence others and how to stop yourself being influenced if needs be.

I’m not a big fan of fiction, although I will often invest myself to the book if it does not venture far from the truth. But if there is a lesson to be learned- I am all over it!
[21:55] Icky: How the fuck can i make witty lines about blossoms without going full weeb