I was playing with Bard last night and gave it a list of books I’ve read and enjoyed recently, and asked it to recommend other books I might enjoy.

Here’s my prompt

The following are the title and author of books that I read and enjoyed recently. Can you recommend other books I might enjoy?

  • Project Hail Mary, Weir
  • Fall, Stephenson
  • The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Gaiman
  • A Memory Called Empire, Martine
  • A Desolation Called Peace, Martine
  • Murderbot Diaries books, Wells
  • The Kingston Cycle trilogy, Polk
  • Ancillary Justice, Leckie
  • Ancillary Sword, Leckie
  • Ancillary Mercy, Leckie
  • Gideon the Ninth, Muir
  • All Clear, Willis
  • Blind Lake, Wilson
  • Nettle and Bone, Kingfisher
  • The Graveyard Book, Gaiman
  • Saturn’s Children, Stross
  • The Anomaly, Le Tellier
  • The Daughter of Dr. Moreau, Moreno-Garcia

Bard response

Based on your reading history, I can recommend several books you might enjoy:

Science Fiction:

  • The Martian by Andy Weir: If you enjoyed Project Hail Mary, you’ll likely appreciate Weir’s other work. The Martian is a gripping story of an astronaut stranded on Mars and his fight for survival.
  • Seveneves by Neal Stephenson: Like Fall, Seveneves explores a near-future disaster scenario where the moon is destroyed and its fragments threaten to destroy Earth.
  • The Bobiverse series by Dennis E. Taylor: This humorous series follows the adventures of Bob Johansson, whose brain is uploaded into a computer and who then travels the galaxy aboard a self-aware spaceship.
  • The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu: This award-winning Chinese science fiction novel tells the story of first contact between humanity and an alien civilization.
  • The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells: If you enjoyed the Murderbot Diaries, you may also like Wells’ Raksura series, which features shapeshifting creatures and political intrigue.

Fantasy:

  • The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch: Like The Ocean at the End of the Lane, this book features a magical setting and a cast of memorable characters.
  • The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin: This award-winning trilogy explores themes of race, gender, and power in a post-apocalyptic world.
  • The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater: This YA series follows a group of teenagers who discover they have magical powers.
  • The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss: This epic fantasy series tells the story of Kvothe, a legendary musician and adventurer.

Other:

  • The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson: This timely novel explores the challenges of climate change and offers solutions for a more sustainable future.
  • Exit West by Mohsin Hamid: This magical realist novel follows the story of a young couple who are forced to flee their war-torn country.
  • Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders: This experimental novel tells the story of Abraham Lincoln’s grief over the death of his son.
  • The Overstory by Richard Powers: This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel explores the interconnectedness of all living things.

In addition to these specific recommendations, I can also suggest some general tips for finding books you might enjoy:

  • Read reviews and recommendations: Look for books that have been praised by critics and readers with similar taste to yours.
  • Explore different genres: Don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone and try something new.
  • Ask for help: Librarians and booksellers can be a great resource for finding new books to read.
  • Join a book club: This is a great way to discuss books with other readers and get recommendations for new titles.

I hope this helps!

  • AFK BRB Chocolate@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
    2·
    4 days ago

    I’m sorry to hear life is having challenges for you at the moment, I hope that resolves soon. A nice thing about a book is that you can put it down for days, weeks, months, whatever, and it’s still waiting for you when you feel like coming back to it.

    I’ve been reading more Gibson lately. I read the first two books of the Jackpot trilogy (the third hasn’t come out yet) and the first in the Blue Ant trilogy. They’ve all been very good.

    You take care and I hope things get better for you.

    • JimmyMcGill@lemmy.world
      2·
      4 days ago

      Thanks for the kind words. You seem like a nice person

      I also wish you all the best. If you haven’t read the teixcalaan duology I can recommend them as well. It has Foundation vibes.

      • AFK BRB Chocolate@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
        2·
        4 days ago

        Oh, good call, I did read those books and liked them quite a bit. Martine’s writing reminds me a bit of Ann Leckie, who I’ve read a lot of and like very much.

        Hey, in know I’m just a guy on the internet who you talk about books with, but if you need to talk about more, I’m happy to listen. You might already have a good support network, which is great, but I know not everyone does.

        • JimmyMcGill@lemmy.world
          2·
          4 days ago

          I’ll have to search Ann Leckie tomorrow. Do they also write sci-fi or a different genre.

          And thanks for asking. I think I’m ok atm, but it does make me happy to read this. It’s a very wholesome moment in Lemmy. I’ll extend that to you as well. Even if you don’t need it now who knows about the future.

          This reminds me of how Freakonomics podcast episodes end which is this quote that I find very moving.

          “…in the meantime, take care of yourself and, if you can, someone else too”

          • AFK BRB Chocolate@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
            1·
            4 days ago

            Yes, Leckie writes SF. If you’re interested, I would start with Ancillary Justice, her first novel. It’s really good, and the first of a trilogy that’s all excellent.

            I think you saw a post by me long ago where I posted my short notes about the books I’d read in that time frame. If you’d like me to pass along those notes for any of the books we talk about, like Leckie or the more recent Gibson novels, I’d be happy to.

            And thanks for the offer. I’m good now, but who knows. An interesting time of change for me coming up: I retire in January after 39+ years at the same company, and sometime after we’re going to move from an area of southern California, where I’ve lived my whole life, to northern Washington State. Will be odd for sure.