While we surely spend the bulk of our time in nerdy fare, the Nerds on Earth crew has varied backgrounds and interests, so our reading list might surprise you. Take a quick glance at our nightstands and you’ll see a mixture of sci-fi, fantasy, leadership, theology, and even some technical titles.
So we wanted to take a moment to share what we’ve been reading lately, because it’s always helpful to get some reading recommendations for nerds.
What We’re Reading at Nerds on Earth: Reading Recommendations for Nerds
Clave Star Wars: Before the Awakening by Greg Rucka.
Sure, it’s a YA title and I’m a grown up, but I’m wearing a Star Wars t-shirt as I type this, bringing my maturity into question.
Before the Awaking is a fast, fun read by Greg Rucka, one of my favorite writers. The book consists of three short stories, one each for Rey, Poe, and Finn. I enjoyed all three, each of which adds a little more flavor to the character as they are set in the time just before The Force Awakens.
You want more of Rey’s life on Jakku, Finn with his Stormtrooper comrades, or Poe as a Republic pilot? Then read this book!
Ross Channel Zero by Brian Wood.
It’s been on my shelf forever, but I finally got around to checking it out. It’s got all of Wood’s favorite tropes–the oppressive authority controlling the mass media, the plucky punk-rock underdogs, and social criticism that goes beyond overt.
What’s interesting is that CZ was his first comic, so it’s kind of neat to see it as a foundation for the rest of his work. And from a visual standpoint, it’s pretty fascinating; Wood completed it as a project for a graphic design course, and his background in advertising provides some of the books most awesome scenes.
Joseph Off to Be the Wizard by Scott Meyer.
It’s a light, fun novel about a guy who discovers that all of reality is a computer simulation. He realizes that he can manipulate the portion of the file that controls his life, gets into some shenanigans, and ends up fleeing to medieval England to live as a wizard while he figures out how to fix things. But is he really the only one who has discovered this amazing secret?
I’m loving this book right now because it’s got that combination of an interesting, surprisingly deep premise mixed with a light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek sensibility that made me love books like Ready Player One or Redshirts.
Adkins The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson.
Last year I didn’t do a great job of marking as completed many (if any, to my great shame) novels from the NPR Top 100 Sci-fi/Fantasy List. So this year I resolved to remedy that and tackled a behemoth at the outset. Clocking in at over 1,200 pages, I figured it to be a standalone work…but closer inspection of the cover proved me wrong.
It is the first in what is called The Stormlight Archive series, and so far it reads like an overly long prologue. Hints are dropped, questions are raised, and characters are developed, but it all feels like a foundation and not a ton more. But a very promising foundation! I’ll definitely stick around for the second in the series, Words of Radiance, which boasts a 1,300+ page count!
Jason Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud.
A friend recently pointed out that when I recommend comics, I always talk about the stories and rarely do I ever talk about the art. (The one thing my English undergrad degree left me was confidence to talk about stories.)
In looking for books to expand my ability to talk about art, the overwhelming top pick seemed to be Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. Thus far, it is a really interesting take and helping me understand art and the history of art in comics, storytelling and different approaches. If you like comics, it is definitely worth checking out.
Now that we’ve told you ours, tell us yours! What are you currently reading? What is queued up next? Share your recommendations in the comments!
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