They are an excellent series though and you can read them in any order as they’re not related, other than for the overall setting with no one book explaining the universe but each one adding to it.
At about the halfway point of "Reclaiming History". Oswald did it. Seriously, though - an incredible feat of research and entertaining to boot - Bugliosi has no time whatsoever for conspiracy theorists or crackpots and clearly takes great pleasure in debunking every single one of their claims.
Finished The Alchemist this morning. A fantastic wee read, really enjoyed that one.
Next up Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon. Then Babel by RF Kuang! Living across the road from a library is both a blessing and a curse 😀.
@LN78 Sounds like a good read, maybe one for when I need something that isn't fiction.
@MightyDemon82 I was about to "complain" about The Alchemist being yet another book added to the reading list, but lo and behold, when I went to add it it was already on there Will keep that on hand for the next time I fall behind on the reading challenge and need a short book to keep me on pace
@FuriousMachine it's a nice read. You could do it in an evening.
The Culture books are pretty much Stand alone. Only one character appears across 2
Different books but it's more of an Easter egg than anything else. The Culture and Special Circumstances are prominent across the books though!
@FuriousMachine As @MightyDemon82 says, they're very much standalone and set across different parts of the galaxy and across quite different timeframes too so there is pretty much zero overlap.
But that's what makes the series so interesting as there are so many parts to explore. One I read (I forget which) barely features space at all to the point where you wonder how it's actually related to the other books until it reveals itself. It also means there is little lore you have to worry about as it never gets bogged down in politics or significant canon that crosses over and no matter where you start it should make sense as to what is going on in the grand scheme of things.
It's just some of the silly names I struggle to keep up with, particularly the hilariously convoluted names the ships have in the books (something Musk/SpaceX have used for their own rockets and equipment).
I've just finished 'Numbers in the Dark' by Italo Calvino and I'm currently reading his 'The Complete Cosmicomics' a collection of science fiction-based works which have varied in quality thus far. But the first tale is very good.
"I think the best art doesn’t preach the truth, but encourages viewers to discover what truth is on their own." - Shinique Smith
I've moved on from The Complete Cosmicomics to Italian Folktales by the same author now, and it is much better, although the consistency of happy endings is getting a bit repetitive, but it's still quality, heartening stuff. It's a bit different from the Brothers Grimm!
Finished Upgrade by Blake Crouch (Goodreads page) and I quite enjoyed it. With a title and premise similar to the brilliant Leigh Wannell film from 2018, I worried that it would feel like a rip-off, but it was very much its own thing and poses some interesting questions about what humanity is and how we react when we're coming face-to-face with our own extinction. I gave it four stars in my Goodreads review.
Now I'm almost halfway into The Reversal by Michael Connelly (Goodreads page), the third book in the Lincoln Lawyer series and the first proper Mickey Haller/Harry Bosch crossover (they have had cameos in each other's series before, but here they share the whole novel, it seems). Very solid so far
I recently finished Babel which was a truly fantastic book. Loved it. I DNF Gravity's Rainbow, got about 120 pages in but there was no way I was finishing that Babel and The Alchemist before they were Due back. Enjoyed
What I read so will buy a copy of my own to chip away at.
@TheBrandedSwordsman I just finished reading Invisible Cities which I really enjoyed. Thanks for bringing Italo Calvino to my attention, definitely will check out his other works.
Next up I'm reading the Southern Reach trilogy, Slaughter House 5 and of Mice and Men.
@FuriousMachine Dark Matter is the only Blake Crouch book I’ve read and I thought it was fine. A clever premise but dragged on a bit. I should check out more of his stuff though.
@MightyDemon82 Is Slaughterhouse 5 your introduction to Vonnegut? I love his books but they are pretty mad.
Still reading Italo Calvino's retellings of Italian Folktales, about 100 pages deep so far, it's a good book if you are interested in that sort of thing.
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