What are you reading? (November 2012)

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KidDork said:
Finished this yesterday.

Still processing it. I am going to miss it. It's been four months of just me and this book. I'm going to miss the stupid footnotes, the characters, and the resolve to not put it down and move onto something else. Is it great? Yes. Is it frustrating? At times. Is it funny? Yes, and also goddamn horrific at times also.

Like, I said, still processing.
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I've started several re-reads that always seem to stall around 200 pages in, but I will say that on subsequent reads it is *amazing* how much stuff ties together that you just gloss over on a first read. One of these days, IJ. One of these days....
 
Gloomfire said:
It's pretty good, wouldn't call it amazing or anything. Amped: A Novel (his follow up, not in the same universe) is what I am reading now. It's okay-ish also.
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not even close to robopocolypse. Found amped really uninspired compared.

robopocolypse I've heard called 'world war z with robots' Agree. In a good way.

I'm reading 'red country' by Joe abercrombie. As with all things he writes, it's great.
 
eattomorro said:
If you like that, you'll love this. Some truly classic noir in it.

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Thanks, will definitely check it out after I make my way through this.

Maklershed said:
Just a heads up - the Mercury trilogy is $1.99 ea ($5.97 for whole series) today on Amazon. Seems well reviewed:



Also the Post-Human trilogy is free right now and that also has decent reviews (Note: Post-Human was published first, Trans-Human was 2nd, and Sub-Human was 3rd)
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Sweet, thanks for the heads up.
 
Finished:

tK4bD.jpg


Meh. Decent enough book but the ending kind of ruined it for me with the whole
oh by the way none of that actually happened but it would have been cooler if it did, right? Right?
thing.

Started:

RqGSe.jpg
 
Definitely not the only one, but in the midst of my latest rereading of The Hobbit:

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Also intermittently reading Daniel Levitin's This Is Your Brain On Music. Recommended for biologists, psychologists, or anyone with even a vague interest in music.

BbYYr.jpg
 
Monroeski said:
Finished:

tK4bD.jpg


Meh. Decent enough book but the ending kind of ruined it for me with the whole
oh by the way none of that actually happened but it would have been cooler if it did, right? Right?
thing.

Started:

RqGSe.jpg
Click to expand...

Oh no. I was inspired to read the Pi book after seeing the trailer, but I couldn't resist clicking on the spoiler and now I'm done for. I hate it when stories do that. Oh well, I guess that saved me some time.
 
I trudged through the last half of Ready Player One. It showed promise every time they left the game world, but those parts were way too far and few in between. Simply awful.

To wash the taste out of my mouth I decided to return to a classic I know and love but haven't read in many years.



As with the last couple of books I've read, I picked up the audiobook version while to listen to in the car. I picked up the version with a full cast, with different actors/actresses for each character. It was outstanding, and I was seriously considering listening to the whole thing via audiobook. But unfortunately for some weird reason, every 3 or 4 chapters it seems like they forgo the full cast, and have the narrator do all the voices as in a regular audiobook. It's utterly baffling why they would do it like this. The single narrator portions aren't bad, but the change is always really jarring, especially when the single narrator's take on a character differs greatly from the character's voice actor's take. I've reluctantly given up on the audiobook. It's such a shame.

When I revisit the rest of the series I'll either stick to the single narrator versions, or skip the audiobook versions all together.
 
Those big short story books look so cool. I love noir fiction.

Not sure if I should get The Big Book of Pulps or the Black Mask book first.
 
foomfoom415 said:
I finished up The Passage and loved it.

I'm currently reading:
51bE6SBNroL.jpg


And YIKES, it's absolutely terrible. Easily one of the worst books I've read all year. I'm kind of taken aback at how miserable everything about it is. Mercifully it's short, and I'll be done with it very soon.
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foomfoom415 said:
I trudged through the last half of Ready Player One. It showed promise every time they left the game world, but those parts were way too far and few in between. Simply awful.
Click to expand...

B7Dpm.jpg
 
Did the zombies in World War Z have any vampire characteristics at all? A guy on another board I go to mentioned that they did but I don't recall any. It's been years since I read the book.
 
Re-reading The Pale King by DFW:

books


I stalled out last time during the 100 page (?) conversation...I will make it through this time. Certain chapters are just crushing me, even more than the first time.
 
Started reading Childhood's End. Very interesting concept. Not far into it though. Are there are other Clarke books I should hunt out? Rama?
 
Yenrot said:
Started reading Childhood's End. Very interesting concept. Not far into it though. Are there are other Clarke books I should hunt out? Rama?
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Yeah, Rama and 2001: A Space Oddysey are essentials, especially if you enjoy Childhood's Ends.
 
KidDork said:
infinitejest.jpg


Finished this yesterday.

Still processing it. I am going to miss it. It's been four months of just me and this book. I'm going to miss the stupid footnotes, the characters, and the resolve to not put it down and move onto something else. Is it great? Yes. Is it frustrating? At times. Is it funny? Yes, and also goddamn horrific at times also.

Like, I said, still processing.
Click to expand...
I'm currently reading this myself. Only a few pages in. Looking forward to it.
 
Continuing with my theme of reading enormous books this year:

518YH-SiP1L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-64,22_AA300_SH20_OU02_.jpg

Great Expectations. I read Oliver Twist early this year (I think, might have been late last year) and was genuinely surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Having read LOTR and The Hobbit again over the last few months I fancied delving back into Dickens' bleak imagination.
 
Yenrot said:
Started reading Childhood's End. Very interesting concept. Not far into it though. Are there are other Clarke books I should hunt out? Rama?
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My dad recommended this to me and I have it sitting on my shelf, I may make it one of my next 4-5 books. He always thought 2001 (the movie) was overrated and just nonsensical towards the end but apparently reading Childhood's End made it 'click' with him, and made it easier for him to appreciate the movie.
 
Reading this at the moment:

VSwPR.jpg


I love it. The only Planet of the Apes movie I've seen is the one from 2001, so I can't really compare.
 
Yenrot said:
Started reading Childhood's End. Very interesting concept. Not far into it though. Are there are other Clarke books I should hunt out? Rama?
Click to expand...

I really liked Childhood's End, hope you enjoy it too. I haven't read 2001 yet, but Rama was very interesting as well.
 
Lumiere said:
I really liked Childhood's End, hope you enjoy it too. I haven't read 2001 yet, but Rama was very interesting as well.
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I will second Rama. It is a really interesting read. Rama II is about twice as long and contains a lot of detail. Childhood's End was a great read. I enjoyed it a lot.
 
KafkaontheShore.jpg


I completed Kafka on the Shore tonight. I really enjoyed the novel overall. I was far more interested in Nakata's and Hoshino's stories rather than Kafka's tale. The majority of the cast had a satisfying conclusion. Though, there is one thing that really stood out for me:

(Ending spoilers)
I thought there would be more about Johnnie Walker and Crow. The crow chapter in the end made me think there would be a bit more involving Walker and his flutes. I was a little surprised it wasn't brought back up. Could anyone let me know what I'm missing here?
 
Finished Snow Crash yesterday, really loved it - just a fun sci-fi romp with a great pace.

Now I've started on Pirate Cinema which I got in the Humble book bundle recently.
 
finished

YhklE.jpg


good shit.

Didn't strike me just how dour and grim the second half of Leviathan Wakes was until I got to this one. Better cast, better pacing, less zombies. Glad I stuck with it.

---

Picked up Swamplandia! on the side, looking forward to it.
 
sparky2112 said:
I've started several re-reads that always seem to stall around 200 pages in, but I will say that on subsequent reads it is *amazing* how much stuff ties together that you just gloss over on a first read. One of these days, IJ. One of these days....
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I've been given a few 'Just hold on until you hit this page and it gets easier' lines from friends. I think once you get past page 300 or so, then it all starts to click. I'm not sure if it gets easier, but by that point your brain has been rewired by Wallace so it just seems easier.

Rez said:
I'm currently reading this myself. Only a few pages in. Looking forward to it.
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Good luck. It's really quite the journey.
 
Finished -

RqGSe.jpg


Not bad. Won't keep it or recommend it over his two great books but I don't regret it. After Never Let Me Go and The Remains of the Day this was my third Ishiguro book, after A Pale View of the Hills (which I review similarly to An Artist of the Floating World) and The Unconsoled (which I didn't finish). Trying to decide if I want to bother with When We Were Orphans, which I already own but am thinking about selling off to help clear out my unbeatable backlog. After the last three books I just don't know that I like him enough to spend the time.

Started -

cLj1r.jpg


Going from Japanese author to Japanese author is just a coincidence. Seems like all the shorter books I have right now (~200 page range) are written by Japanese authors and I'm trying to get some of the shorter ones out of the way.
 
Monroeski said:
Not bad. Won't keep it or recommend it over his two great books but I don't regret it. After Never Let Me Go and The Remains of the Day this was my third Ishiguro book, after A Pale View of the Hills (which I review similarly to An Artist of the Floating World) and The Unconsoled (which I didn't finish). Trying to decide if I want to bother with When We Were Orphans, which I already own but am thinking about selling off to help clear out my unbeatable backlog. After the last three books I just don't know that I like him enough to spend the time.

Started -


Going from Japanese author to Japanese author is just a coincidence. Seems like all the shorter books I have right now (~200 page range) are written by Japanese authors and I'm trying to get some of the shorter ones out of the way.
Click to expand...

Ishiguro is British. Just sayin.

'course I'm british mate.
 
I have finished the Wool Omnibus from Hugh Howey and was a little bit disappointed because i thought that there were a lot of questions that haven't been answered completely. But then I found out that there is a sixth book too - I hope that I get the remaining answers in this part.

A few days ago I started with "Furies of Calderon" from Jim Butcher. I'm halfway through the first book of the Codex Alera series and I really like it so far. Butcher created a really fascinating world based upon the ancient Rome. The stories concerning the main characters are very interesting and I never had the urge to skip a chapter and jump to the next one. I hope the second half is as good as the first one.
 
Red Country sounds so awesome. Can't wait to get to that.

I remember reading before it came out that it's almost like Abercrombie's take on the Western genre. Is that true? Or is it more just regular fantasy?
 
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