What are you reading?

[Frelga]

I'm rereading Feet of Clay and realized for the first time that not only dwarves use translations of their actual names when in Ankh-Morpork, but Cheery Littlebottom's actual name in Dwarvish is Sh’rt’azs.

[Inanna]

WOW. I need to re-read. I think I should just buy all the Pratchetts on Kindle and resolve this problem for me.

[Frelga]

I picked up something called Peaces. Two men go on a honeymoon train trip in a sort of a moving Wonderland. I was still deciding if it was whimsical or pretentious when Fugitive Telemetry dropped in the queue and I decided I didn't care.

Fugitive Telemetry is great, though. Murderbot is my favorite vulnerable failure at being a killing machine.

[Inanna]

Lol. True description of Murderbot. I was a little disappointed in Fugitive Telemetry because it wasn’t chronologically after the last one. I was thinking it would be Murderbot’s expedition with ART.

Have you read the Ancillary Series?

[Frelga]

Yes, i was a little confused about the chronology. Still not sure when it's supposed to be happening.

What's Ancillary Series, precious?

[Inanna]

Yes, i was a little confused about the chronology. Still not sure when it's supposed to be happening.

What's Ancillary Series, precious?

Hidden text.

I think initial days of when murderbot moves to Preservation with Dr. Mensah. The others, even in station security, don’t trust him yet. And my sense was that situation had improved by the time they left for the expedition and got nabbed by ART.

The Ancillary Series: Amazing amazing AI series by Ann Leckie. Was recommended on Prim’s goodreads. Just brilliant. Murderbot to nth level, with some similarities.

I’m SURE we’ve had this discussion before. But do you listen to me the first time? No. Sniff.

[Jude]

I just reserved the first Murderbot book at my library.

So I shouldn't read them in order? That's what I get from the above conversation.

[Frelga]

I always listen to you. Most of my library queue is based on this thread.

Re Inanna's spoiler - yes, that's what I think too.

Jude, you should definitely read them in order. At least the first three.

[Inanna]

But not the first time.
And you will love the Ancillary series. Ann Leckie is great, and the Ancillary series is her best.

And Jude, I’ll second that - definitely read them in order. It’s only this last one which is hard to place chronologically, but that too only in comparison to the book immediately before that.

[Impenitent]

I've been wrestling with a severe bout of vertigo - my first experience of this debilitating condition - and have been unable to read for any length of time in consequence. As you might imagine, that's frustrating for an avid reader: here I am, tucked up i bed, nothing at all to do, perfect opportunity to indulge and unable to do so.

Audiobooks are clearly the answer, but finances are tight so Audible isn't an option; youtube is unsatisfying (I saved a whole lot of Pratchett audiobooks to my lists only to find them deleted the next day due to copyright flouting).

And then I remembered Librivox! Only books out of copyright are available, but I'm happy. Some of my favourite writers are pre-1950.

[Frelga]

Impish, have you tried Libby or Overdrive? You may be able to get audio books from your library.

Hope you are feeling better!

[narya]

Impy, I enjoy listening to podcasts, and there are plenty of free short story speculative fiction podcasts to choose from out there. For starters, try these:
Beneath Ceaseless Skies
Clarkesworld Magazine
Drabblecast
Escape Pod
Lightspeed Magazine

Vertigo is debilitating - I've had it on-and-off for awhile.

As a further osgilliation, I just heard a podcast (All in the Mind, from Australia) discussing the rare disorder called Superior Canal Dehiscence Syndrome, where there is a window between the inner ear and the brain that shouldn't be there, and I realized OH MY GOSH that might be what I have. I had no idea that all of the things that I experience on a regular basis are not "normal" for everyone, like hearing my heartbeat, hearing my breathing, hearing my muscles - especially the ones in the neck, getting random sudden muffly sound like I'm underwater, small bouts of vertigo, and extreme sensitivity to loud sounds. Or maybe I'm just weird.

[Maria]

There are various kinds of movements/exercises you can do to help with some types of vertigo. The Epley Maneuver worked for my dad.
https://www.webmd.com/brain/home-remedies-vertigo

[Impenitent]

Thank you all for the suggestions (audiobooks and otherwise).

The vertigo is very much improved. I had a CAT scan which indicated no physiological cause so exercises such as Epley maneuvre don't work. Most likely viral.

Unfortunately the scan also found a previously unknown mystery spot in the front of my brain - doc speculated it's vascular tissue and may have been there forever for all we know. We can't leave it a mystery, though, so I'm having an MRI next week to find out more. I'm trying to dampen down my inner catastrophe monitor.

[Inanna]

Imp, fingers crossed it is benign and just one of those things we live with.

[Frelga]

Impish, sounds like one of those things that are probably harmless, but cause an inordinate amount of stress on the way to confirming that. Fingers crossed that stress is the only risk to you.

Speaking of podcasts, LeVar Burton of the Reading Rainbow has one where he reads short science fiction stories from both venerable and new authors. I think I linked in the Quarantine Qulture thread, or I can find it again.

[RoseMorninStar]

I didn't check any of these links out but I thought I'd leave this here: Buzzfeed News: 9 Great places to get Affordable and Free Books Online.

Impy, I hope all your tests come out aces and right as rain.

[Impenitent]

I have to say I'm enjoying the audiobooks inordinately. We went for 2 hr bike ride yesterday, and I was accompanied by Colonel Brandon.

[Inanna]

Colonel Brandon?

I re-read Neal Stephenson’s Anathem ( love that book, bTW). At the end of there was an excerpt from D.O.D.O. A book co-authored by Stephenson, which I actually hadn’t read. I loved that excerpt! Just got the book.

That’s what I will be reading next.

As soon as I finish the latest installment of Bujold’s Penric and Desdemona series.

[elengil]

I was accompanied by Colonel Brandon.

Colonel Brandon?

Character from Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen.