Pure junk food this week. Listening to RPGlit, “Dungeon Crawler Carl”… I can’t believe I got sucked into this series, but the voice acting for Donut the cat just gets me every time.
Do you read a lot of LitRPGs? Earlier this year I tried to read “Oh Great! I was Reincarnated as a Farmer” but I couldn’t really get into it and I had to DNF it. Maybe I just read the wrong one for me though
LitRPG is almost entirely unreadable. Incredibly cringe dialogue, amateur writing, etc.
It’s never, ever great. But, sometimes it’s just a lot of stupid fun. I feel deep shame at how much time I’ve spent on Eric Ugland’s Good Guys and Bad Guys series.
and J.R. Mathews did a good job with his book Jake’s Magical Market.
Seriously, this stuff has no literary value. For each of these series I went in with the attitude that the moment I get bored, I’m out … And with all of the ones I’ve mentioned, they sucked me in very effectively.
Note: they all almost universally suffer from really rushed and stupid beginnings… there’s no subtle or elegant way to start a story in this genre.
Ahhh, I get it. I read fanfiction for the exact same reason. Sometimes I feel lazy and I want to read but turn my brain off, so I’ll open up AO3
Also (back in my sad cringe era) I did read a couple “gamer” fics which are like the fanfiction version of LitRPGs but worse. The problem with those was (other than the terrible writing and the sexism) the lack of a clear ending, so they go on forever and eventually fizzle out
I needed a break from Paradise Lost so I started reading Zadie Smith’s White Teeth. I’m really enjoying her characters so far. There’s something larger than life about them.
Currently on a bit of a reading binge (check out my comment from last week for short reviews of new-to-me stuff) but I’m mostly just doing re-reads. The theme seems to be “good people reluctantly do good things and are unhappy about it”. First I went through the first 2 Murderbot Diaries novellas, now I’m doing a full re-read of Naomi Novik’s Scholomance trilogy (I maintain that the first book is the best one but they are all quite good). Planning to start The Fifth Season when I’m done, haven’t read this one before.
I’m still on Percy Jackson and the Chalice of the Gods. I’m only able to listen to it when my kid isn’t in the car. When she’s in the car, the required audio is the Blippi Essentials station on Apple Music…
I’m reading The Consolations of the Forest, a cozy but bizarre book about a writer who decides to do a Thoreau-inspired hermitage, except the cabin is in the Russian tundra. The level of vodka drinking is wild, I’d never survive!
Also reading/referencing a bunch of Vietnam travel guides to prepare for a trip! Just finishing up Eat Vietnam, so I can learn what I can eat, lol. Food allergies in foreign countries are always an adventure!
I’ve been struggling to motivate myself to read lately, so I’m still reading The Bright Ages
Some weeks I read a crap ton, some weeks I don’t. What’s matter is you’re reading what you enjoy. Know that reading at least one book in a year is more than most people, so that’s an accomplishment in of itself!
Definitely true!
After I finish this book I’m going to pick up some novellas, that’ll at least give me the satisfaction of finishing something
Still on Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie. It’s pretty good but I’m starting to feel that it’s now quite what I’m in the mood for at the moment. Going to finish it though since it is good and I’ve read the whole trilogy in a row.
I’m longing for some new Peter F. Hamilton though!
Just started the daevabad trilogy with the city of brass. So far it’s really great, the characters are likeable and the setting is really interesting. I fully expect to love this series.
Of course 2 of my holds became available within a day of each other! Just started The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff, which is quite captivating and then headed to the library today or tomorrow to pick up House of Leaves. Luckily it seems like The Vaster Wilds will be a fast read so hopefully I can get thru both before they’re due.
2+ holds ready at the same time always happens to me, too!
I decided that the best way to motivate myself to read again is to read something short, so I just read Rabbit Test by Samantha Mills. It’s very good and I wasn’t expecting the history aspect of it, which I also loved!
Been listening to Spinning Silver and reading a bit more of the Seven Moons of Maali Almeida. Slowly but surely leaving my reading slump!
Eyyyy, I love Spinning Silver (and Naomi Novik’s later works in general, I’m meh on her Temeraire series). Added Seven Moons to my TBR based on your previous comments, looks very interesting!
