Five for Friday!
Posted on: August 16, 2019
Welcome to Five for Friday! The concept is simple – it’s a Friday, and I post a photo of 5 books, and then we chat about them in the comments.
The only things these books have in common are:
– they were on my bookshelf
– I’m interested in your thoughts on them.
have you read any of these? if yes, did you like them? If you’ve not read them, does the cover make you interested in learning more about the book?
Want to join in? Post a picture of 5 random books you own, with the tag #5ForFriday and get your friends talking.
Upgraded, edited by Neil Clarke (2014) – I bought this anthology because of one or two stories it had in it that I wanted to read at the time. I thought it was worth buying, just for those stories, at it was! I picked this up again recently. . . only to realize that in 2014 I had no idea how many other wonderful authors are hiding in this anthology! This is a cyborg/robot themed anthology. I think I might dip back into this collection in the upcoming weeks, just to see what Yoon Ha Lee was up to in 2014.
Zodiac by Neal Stephenson (2007) – bet you didn’t think Stephenson could right something that was just over novella length and tightly plotted! Damn is this book good! Annoyed with Baroque Cycle and Stephenson’s newer stuff? give this little guy a try.
Redemption Ark by Alastair Reynolds (2004) – This is the sequel to Revelation Space. . . which I think I have maybe read? I don’t remember. I’m pretty sure I haven’t read Redemption Ark. This is a series, have you read it? did you like it? Should I scare up a copy of Revelation Space and give it a whirl?
Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov (1988) – ok, so it is SUPER weird for me to see a 1980s publication date on a Foundation book! so, SO WEIRD! I’ve not read these new fangled Foundation books, I also think there were some co-written with some more contemporary authors? I’m old school, anyone read these new ones? how are they?
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (1945) NOT SCIENCE FICTION OR FANTASY. this is the book everyone reads in high school. You see that paper bookmark in the photo? believe it or not, that is the receipt from when I bought this book, to read in high school, in 1995. I must have used the receipt as a bookmark. I wrote some notes in the back of the book, something about ducks, and hats, and kings in the back row. Anyone know what those mean? I literally have not read this book since 1995. What in the heck is this book doing on a five for Friday with a bunch of science fiction books? This lovely story on NPR about Salinger’s books finally being available in e-book and audio, that’s what.
19 Responses to "Five for Friday!"
August 16, 2019 at 8:42 am
I agree about Zodiac! I prefer shorter, snappier books, so this one was paced well for me. Stephenson’s longer works tax my patience, but Zodiac was fun and fast and so, so good.
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August 17, 2019 at 7:57 pm
agreed!!! I wish Stephenson would do more short stuff like this. his long stuff, I’m like “would you get to the freakin’ point already!”
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August 16, 2019 at 9:39 am
I read Zodiac after reading most of Stephenson’s more well-known work, and quite liked it! I loves me some eco-thrillers. Plus, Pöyzen Böyzen, who are apparently not bad for a two-umlaut band.
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August 17, 2019 at 7:57 pm
I loved how fast paced Zodiac was, compared to his other work. and yeah, best band name ever!
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August 16, 2019 at 12:55 pm
I read Catcher In the Rye in high school too…in 1961.
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August 17, 2019 at 7:56 pm
any idea what the heck my notes were all about? hats? ducks? people in a back row???
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August 16, 2019 at 2:24 pm
I didn’t read Catcher in the Rye in high school; I read it as an older adult. Can’t say I was impressed. If you’re gonna read Salinger, try his Bananafish.
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August 16, 2019 at 10:54 pm
I only read Catcher as an adult. First time around, I disliked Holden. Second time, with some mom years under my belt, I mostly noticed that he needs a sandwich, a glass of milk, a shower, and a good night’s sleep. (He goes the entire 3-day weekend without sleep, ingesting only alcohol. No wonder he’s a mess.) Now I get that he’s supposed to be an unlikable mess for a reason, but I still mostly want to feed him.
August 17, 2019 at 7:55 pm
maybe that’s why they make teens read it? because looking at him as an adult, we just see someone who makes one terrible decision after another. to teens reading it, all those awful decisions look cool? or something?
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August 18, 2019 at 11:46 am
I have never understood quite why they make teens read it, except that lots of teachers older than I am really identified with Holden and his problems, and it became a habit. I think modern teens probably find Holden baffling and unlikable; my kids did. But I’ve had older folks tell me that it was a groundbreaking novel for them, stunning in its subversion and whatnot.
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August 17, 2019 at 6:40 pm
Well, Zodiac goes straight on the list (a short Stephenson??!!) 😀
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August 17, 2019 at 7:54 pm
lol, I know, right? Nice to know he can write something that’s less than 900 pages! (and tbh, most of his long books should really be shorter.)
August 22, 2019 at 9:06 pm
There were some later Foundation novels co-written but I doubt Asimov contributed much to them. Just milking a cash cow. The original Foundation books I enjoyed as a teen in the 60’s but find them unreadable now. Asimov just wasn’t a very good writer. His dialogue is wince inducing.
Liked the Reynolds but never read the Stephenson.
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the Little Red Reviewer 
August 16, 2019 at 8:42 am
My copy of The Catcher in the Rye looks just like that, sans receipt. I’m not sure where I picked up my copy because I didn’t read it in high school. I think I’m going to take it with me to the cabin this weekend and finally read it.
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August 17, 2019 at 7:58 pm
lol, maybe you got it at a B&N in the 90s? If you do get around to reading it, let me know what the whole “ducks” and “hats” thing is all about. because i have no idea.
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