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[Jedeye Sniv]

I finished The Fermata yesterday -

I was after a good book about sex and I think I got 3/4 of what I was after. It's about a man who can stop time and takes ladies' clothes off. I found that the subject matter made the book a little lonely, time being turned off means that only the narrator is cognizant most of the time, meaning that the book had the feel of a long masturbation session rather than the rabble and noise that comes from good sex.

That said, it was very explicit and fairly funny to boot. The best bit was the anally-fixated rot the main character writes for the women he sees, those bits were genuinely hot, and the reactions to them were funny and imaginative.

In all, good stuff. If anyone else knows some good books about fucking, hit me up!

 

[Moobabe]

In all, good stuff. If anyone else knows some good books about fucking, hit me up!

Depends what you mean - I recently read 69 things to do with a dead princess by Stewart Home for my course and while it's about fucking, a lot of it in fact, it might not be what you're looking for based on your reaction to the text you've just read. It's about the monotony of 'pornographic' sex in an age of visual consumption. It's ok, I'd recommend it only if you REALLY like descriptions of sex or are really into literary theory enough to give Home a chance.

 

[Kraftwerk]

Gonna start this later today.Camus <3

 

[Jedeye Sniv]

Depends what you mean - I recently read 69 things to do with a dead princess by Stewart Home for my course and while it's about fucking, a lot of it in fact, it might not be what you're looking for based on your reaction to the text you've just read. It's about the monotony of 'pornographic' sex in an age of visual consumption. It's ok, I'd recommend it only if you REALLY like descriptions of sex or are really into literary theory enough to give Home a chance.

Basically, I'm coming to the realisation that I like a good story with my porn. Videos are well and good, but watching those 'actors' try to muddle their way through is torturous. I'd rather read some good rot and use my imagination than watch some veiny necked steroid case pretending to be a doctor or something.

I really enjoyed the Fermata but it was just a little lonely without any other voices in there. and I've found some good stuff on Literotica but most of it is as embarrassing and amateurish as video porn (and not amateurish in the good way).

I'm starting to think that what I'm looking for doesn't exist. Fun, dirty, sex-positive literary porn.

 

[Salazar]

I'm starting to think that what I'm looking for doesn't exist. Fun, dirty, sex-positive literary porn.

Martin Amis' London Fields is really quite dirty in parts.
So too is Luke Rhinehart's The Dice Man.
Francois Rabelais' Gargantua and Pantagruel is an epic, unparalleled, annihilating exercise in literary dirtiness, but it is a trial.
Updike's Couples and Roger's Version are a little dirty.

EDIT - Martin Amis' The Rachel Papers would probably be a reasonable choice. It's not pornographic in a terribly direct or sustained way, but it has an intensely comic perspective on sex that makes it (as well as being redolent of GAF) quite an erotic book.

 

[Jedeye Sniv]

Martin Amis' London Fields is really quite dirty in parts.
So too is Luke Rhinehart's The Dice Man.
Francois Rabelais' Gargantua and Pantagruel is an epic, unparalleled, annihilating exercise in literary dirtiness, but it is a trial.
Updike's Couples and Roger's Version are a little dirty.

EDIT - Martin Amis' The Rachel Papers would probably be a reasonable choice. It's not pornographic in a terribly direct or sustained way, but it has an intensely comic perspective on sex that makes it (as well as being redolent of GAF) quite an erotic book.

Thanks! I'll add these to my wishlist on Amazon, see if I can't get any unsuspecting relatives to buy me a few (as with last year where my nan bought me Alan Moore's Lost Girls and I had to explain what it was!)

 

[Monocle]

George Orwell essays, and I'm skimming various works by the Marquis de Sade.

 

[demon]

Reading some HST.

Currently reading The Rum Diary. Very good read, probably my favorite from HST. Kemp's pointless, alcohol filled life kinda reminds me of my own life at the moment (well my life isn't as crazy but still) so the book is even better read now then it was back when I first read it.

Next:

Probably my favorite HST book as well. It's a great summer read.

 

[sparky2112]

Finished Girl Who Played With Fire today. Pretty good. Someone who has read the third book, please tell me that the trilogy has a somewhat satisfying ending. I've been reading that it was meant to be a much longer series and I don't want to finish the third book on a cliffhanger. :-/

I finished Dragon Tattoo yesterday. Not what I would typically read, but the hype and all got me curious, so I gave it a spin. So: Meh, I dunno. Frankly, I don't see what all the fuss is about. Yes, the 'shopping list' writing was annoying, but not overly so. I was MUCH more turned off by the fact that there's like 70-or-so pages AFTER the main conflict was resolved. Tedious, to say the least. Still, I *might* read the next one, provided the mood strikes me down the line, but for now, it's on to other stuff...

 

[Jedeye Sniv]

IMO the next one is even better and it doesn't have the same ending problems as Dragon Tattoo, it keeps going right up to the final word. Gripping stuff!

 

[Ptaaty]

Just finished Caves of Steel and Naked Sun by Asimov. (Awesome!)

Also capped off A Cold Moon by Deaver. I have to say a bit disappointing, too many twists...too much effort to weave a tale of all kinds of implausibility into a single story.

Starting Endymion by Dan Simmons. Hyperion is still in my top 3 books ever...I don't expect this to match it, but hopefully will be enjoyable.

 

[Keylime]

Continuing my read of Wizard and Glass from the Dark Tower series, as well as finally picking up The God Delusion from Dawkins.

I find reading Dawkins' book much easier if I read it in the cadence of his speaking voice as well as put in the british accent in my head :lol Great read, but his phrasing and articulation of his arguments wouldn't sit with any believer.

...like I've already told my wife that she'd hate the book because it's both hard to read (as in, lots of science/philosophy jargon mixed into long sentences) and would easily come off as condescending to someone who believes.

 

[Monroeski]

I need to read that thread. It changed a life? Perdido Street Station?

Think about what that means in the GAF sense, though, where any Youtube clip someone sees that elicits a chuckle is worth creating a "BEST _______ EVER!" thread.

I just picked up the "how to read a book" book because I feel like I'm missing something sometimes when I read.

Hey, that sounds interesting, maybe I'll che- OH MY GOD it's $48 on Amazon.

and what did you think of the two books? there are parts where it seems he's in love with words and writes a lot more than is needed.

Late response on this one, but I liked the books overall. Nothing amazingly great or memorable, and I thought the payoff at the end of Spook Country was a bit underwhelming

Spoiler

(The container just has money in it? Really?)

, but I enjoyed the reads. I'll pick up the third one when it's released.

 

[Monroeski]

::edit::

Crap.

 

[Wellington]

Finished WWZ on Friday, started Gladwell's "The Tipping Point" today. Is it just me or is the text in this book like, enormous? Pages are flying by haha.

After wrapping up WWZ, I can see why GAF is all over it. It was a fun fast read, but it didn't leave me thinking too hard about anything. Brooks does try and poke holes in a couple of issues but falls short of actually getting me to care about them.

 

[Maklershed]

Can anyone recommend some books set in the South in the 1800s? I particularly enjoy stuff by Charles Frazier, Zora Neal Thurston, Alice Walker, Madison Smartt Bell, etc. Anything similar to the stuff they write about would be appreciated.

And in a completely unrelated vein, could someone recommend some really good zombie books? :lol (I've already read World War Z, The Rising, and The Walking Dead series)

 

[chuckddd]

Can anyone recommend some books set in the South in the 1800s? I particularly enjoy stuff by Charles Frazier, Zora Neal Thurston, Alice Walker, Madison Smartt Bell, etc. Anything similar to the stuff they write about would be appreciated.

And in a completely unrelated vein, could someone recommend some really good zombie books? :lol (I've already read World War Z, The Rising, and The Walking Dead series)

Does it have to be set in the south? How about southern England? If so, then we can kill 2 birds with one beheading!

 

[Maklershed]

Gah the image is blocked. What is it?

EDIT: Now I see it. I heard good things but I rather keep my genres seperate. Thanks though.

 

[sparky2112]

Can anyone recommend some books set in the South in the 1800s? I particularly enjoy stuff by Charles Frazier, Zora Neal Thurston, Alice Walker, Madison Smartt Bell, etc. Anything similar to the stuff they write about would be appreciated.

And in a completely unrelated vein, could someone recommend some really good zombie books? :lol (I've already read World War Z, The Rising, and The Walking Dead series)

South: Ever heard of a guy named Faulkner? Also, Shelby Foote - he wrote fiction, too, not just the massive Civil War trilogy.

Zombies: I've heard good things about Patient Zero, and there's a new follow-up to that as well.

 

[Kuraudo]

Does it have to be set in the south? How about southern England? If so, then we can kill 2 birds with one beheading!

"They might be dead, Godammit, but they're still Englishmen."

 

[Mifune]

I finished Joe Hill's Heart-Shaped Box. Damn I feel bad for recommending it based on the first third. It starts out creepy and effective, but on the whole it kinda blows. Oh well.

So I started...

And Borges. Always Borges.

 

[Karakand]

Just another way for folks to measure their e-peen. Salazar and Karakand put gaf TV snobs to shame!

I would never cut you down for reading a book because its politics were disagreeable. I would however cut you down for reading a book about ZOMBIES. Why don't you pick up World War Z next? Or maybe make an inappropriate graphic novel post of FVZA: Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency? (I don't know if this has a TPB yet you might have to wait on that.) I hear someone is actually trying to charge money for inserting zombie chapters into public domain books too if you're interested. Zombies!!!!!

 

[Karakand]

Dude's a freakin genius. The bulk of the book already existed, so all he had to do was add in a few zombie scenes, which probably took like a week tops. The internets' love for zombies (and the wackiness of the juxtaposition) did the rest.

get rich or die tryin'

 

[Burger]

I need to read that thread. It changed a life? Perdido Street Station?

Nobody said any such thing.

The original quote from Amir0x was:

I don't think a book has literally changed my life, but I've read some ones that have really made my eyes open wide with wonder.

And I merely agreed with him.

 

[HiroProtagonist]

Nobody said any such thing.

The original quote from Amir0x was:



And I merely agreed with him.

Oh, it only made your eyes open wide with wonder. Well that's less dramatic.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Just finished Snow Crash. Great moments and spurts of insight into everyday things and scenarios here and there. I felt the third part of the book was a bit disjointed (when the whole translation of a virus to real life and whatnot was brought into play). I came for the Cyberpunk and ended up staying for Y.T and Hiro Protagonist.

 

[Mdeezy]

 

[_Isaac]

I'm going to start this one in a couple of minutes.

 

[grumble]

I'm reading the Jerusalem Quartet. This series of books is really extraordinary.

They were written by a man called Edward Whittemore. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Whittemore

He went to Yale and got a history degree, then joined the Marines. He was recruited into the CIA, and worked undercover as a reporter for the Japan Times during which time he traveled all over the world. He wrote these books after his career with the CIA, and eventually died in poverty.

His books (he wrote five) were all given rave reviews by critics, but sold poorly; only about 15,000 of each book were sold. They were recently put back into print.

These books are some of the most well-written and far-reaching I have ever read. I'm not sure if he's a genius or insane, but each word is coated in meaning and insinuation. These books are absolute masterpieces and everyone should read them. They challenge and inspire me at the same time, and are amazing in a world where almost all books are cookie-cutter crap.

Check them out.

EDIT: I'm not sure if these books wil leave me enlightened or in drooling insanity, but I'm willing to find out.

 

[Dresden]

I'm tempted to insert zombies into the Iliad and make a killing that way. "Lo, man-killing Achilles strode from the tent, where Patroclus, oft-lamented, stood in the sun, recently returned from the bowels of Hades."

Really liking this one. It presents a different picture of the First Crusade from what I've read about in class, and it's very readable, to boot. On the siege of Antioch right now, Bohemond is kicking butt yo.

 

[_Isaac]

Well, I just started The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz like half an hour ago. I am only a couple pages in, but I can already tell this is going to be something special. I know nothing about this book. Have any of you read it? I don't even know what the premise is. Don't tell me I'd rather go in blind.

 

[Kuraudo]

I'm tempted to insert zombies into the Iliad and make a killing that way. "Lo, man-killing Achilles strode from the tent, where Patroclus, oft-lamented, stood in the sun, recently returned from the bowels of Hades."

You don't even need to insert new material into these books. My plan is to take Dickens, take Lovecraft and merge them together into something profitable.

 

[joeyjoejoeshabadoo]

Can anyone recommend some books set in the South in the 1800s? I particularly enjoy stuff by Charles Frazier, Zora Neal Thurston, Alice Walker, Madison Smartt Bell, etc. Anything similar to the stuff they write about would be appreciated.

And in a completely unrelated vein, could someone recommend some really good zombie books? :lol (I've already read World War Z, The Rising, and The Walking Dead series)

For zombies: I thought Boneshaker by Cherrie Priest was pretty good. It's a steampunk zombie story about a woman who is trying to save her son in the walled off city of Seattle. It's got zombies, air pirates, poisionous fog, shady characters, and a little bit of mystery thrown in for good measure.

The book does have some pacing problems and the resolution seems a little out of left field but it was actually a fun read and I'd recommend it.

 

[KdoubleA]

Currently reading this. I'm really liking it so far (about 150 pages in) and it's well written. When I was reading the Painted/ Warded man, I got worried when I found out that the "Desert Spear" referred to Krasia, knowing that the sequel's title is named after that. I feared that a book shifting in focus might not grab me as much as the first book, especially after how Brett deeply developed the three main characters of the first and made me invest in (and equally enjoy) all three of their stories. Thankfully, it didn't turn out that way and right from the beginning I was hooked. Love how much Brett dedicates his novels to building the characters and at the same time enriching the world's mythology and moving the story forward!

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

Are you talking about the bomber jacket? I can't think of any other trademark she uses.

I could be wrong as I didn't Google all of them but I just figured that everything that was written with a capital letter was a name brand. I wish I hadn't taken the book back yet so I could get some good examples but there was the Baggage Label (or something similar), the iBook (he's a Mac guy, isn't he?), the dress/skirt/tube thing she wears, the clothing she picks up in Japan (mostly the shoes since they are always referred to by name).

Some cursory research revealed:

This one particularly caught my eye, because it calls out a foible I’ve always noticed in Gibson’s writing (and Chairman Bruce’s, too, though to a different degree) – his fetish for explicitly dropping in brand names and obsessional detail about clothing, hardware and vehicles.

Q Why do you seem obsessed with brand name apparel et al in Pattern Recognition and Spook Country?
A You ain't seen nothing, yet! Actually the new one may explain that, a bit. Or just further convince some people that I'm obsessed. It's one of the ways in which I feel I understand how the world works, and there aren't really that many of those. It's not about clothes, though, or branding; it's about code, subtext. I was really delighted, for instance, to learn who made George Bush's raincoats. A company in Little Rock (now extinct, alas) but they were made of Ventile, a British cotton so tightly woven that you can make fire hoses (and RAF ocean survival suits) out of it. Which exists because Churchill demanded it, because the Germans had all the flax production sewn up. No flax, no fire hoses for the Blitz. The cultural complexities that put that particular material on Bush's back delight me deeply; it's a kind of secret history (and not least because most people would find it fantastically boring, I imagine).

Hey, that sounds interesting, maybe I'll che- OH MY GOD it's $48 on Amazon.

Local library, free.

Late response on this one, but I liked the books overall. Nothing amazingly great or memorable, and I thought the payoff at the end of Spook Country was a bit underwhelming

Spoiler

(The container just has money in it? Really?)

, but I enjoyed the reads. I'll pick up the third one when it's released.

Third one? Hmm. I like some of the characters, so I'll give it a go.

Just finished Snow Crash. Great moments and spurts of insight into everyday things and scenarios here and there. I felt the third part of the book was a bit disjointed (when the whole translation of a virus to real life and whatnot was brought into play). I came for the Cyberpunk and ended up staying for Y.T and Hiro Protagonist.

Funny, posting right after Hiro Protagonist. I loved the book when I read it a few years ago, and I just picked it up from the library today to read it again. This time I think I might actually get my wife to read it as well because I believe she'll enjoy some of the themes and ideas presented in it.

So to the person who said they read The Hunger Games, I just finished it today, and have the second one on my wait list at the library. It was pretty good, but I couldn't help but think of Battle Royale (the book, haven't seen the movie) the whole time I was reading it. If you haven't read it, you should pick it up.

Speaking of The Hunger Games, I see from Wikipedia that they're thinking of making a movie of it. The movie would have to be rated "R" due to the content, but they won't make an "R"-rated movie starring kids because they won't be able to advertise it to anyone. The book is clearly 'mature' - naked teenagers, gory violence, etc. - but the movie won't be because they won't be able to get that audience in. I have hopes, but only because the author is the one working on the script.

 

[ItAintEasyBeinCheesy]

Currently reading this. I'm really liking it so far (about 150 pages in) and it's well written. When I was reading the Painted/ Warded man, I got worried when I found out that the "Desert Spear" referred to Krasia, knowing that the sequel's title is named after that. I feared that a book shifting in focus might not grab me as much as the first book, especially after how Brett deeply developed the three main characters of the first and made me invest in (and equally enjoy) all three of their stories. Thankfully, it didn't turn out that way and right from the beginning I was hooked. Love how much Brett dedicates his novels to building the characters and at the same time enriching the world's mythology and moving the story forward!

Yeah im at, i guess part 2, where it jumps characters again back to Arlen etc, thought i wouldn't like the Krasian part but it was incredibly well done and i enjoyed it immensely, to the point where i want them to go back :lol . The Arlen stuffs good so far, im only a chapter or so into it but already Brett's mixing up the possibilities of the "Deliverer" so its all good.

 

[Wellington]

I'm going to start this one in a couple of minutes.

I'm blazing through Tipping Point and this is the next book I am jumping into. Let me know what you think. I should be getting into it on Monday.

All my friends swear by Junot (We are all Dominican) so I am excited.

 

[Amory]

Just started it. Seems like it'll be a rather interesting read.

 

[Space Cadet]

I could be wrong as I didn't Google all of them but I just figured that everything that was written with a capital letter was a name brand. I wish I hadn't taken the book back yet so I could get some good examples but there was the Baggage Label (or something similar), the iBook (he's a Mac guy, isn't he?), the dress/skirt/tube thing she wears, the clothing she picks up in Japan (mostly the shoes since they are always referred to by name).

Those are called CPU's (Cayce Pollard Units): clothing with the tags ripped off and without logos. I don't remember the others. Good observations, though. I'll have to re-read it now!

I loved the first chapter of Snow Crash; the rest of it? Not so much.

EDIT: Zero History by William Gibson comes out Sept. 7th. Also, I read somewhere that Win Pollard shows up, or is at least alluded to, in Spook Country. Anyone have the exact page?

 

[Maklershed]

Done with The Brethren and on to The World Made by Hand

 

[ymmv]

Currently reading this ...

I've enjoyed quite a number of his novels. They're immensely readable and always feature clever magic systems. This one's different: it's a historical who-dunnit with fantasy trappings set in 15th century Venice. I'm only 130 pages in so the fantasy aspect will probably play a larger role later on. It starts off a bit slow compared to other Duncan novels but the plot is starting to take off in a nice way.

 

[gutterboy44]

I dearly hope some Gaffer didn't shack up with an insect.

Or take-up the hobby of scat art.

:lol
Did you guys enjoy the book though? The whole "changed your life" aspect of that thread was up for interpretation, as in simply changing your view on an entire genre could qualify as "life changing" I have never really read a fantasy book like this. I am thoroughly enjoying the immersion.

 

[CryptiK]

A hell of a lot of Love lost threads on GAF April must be a horrible month.

 

[Xapati]

Love these monthly threads, it's been supplying me with reading material for a while now

My current book is:

Hilarious series, and it goes well with my current replay of Vampire Masquerade Bloodlines.

 

[aidan]

Currently reading this. I'm really liking it so far (about 150 pages in) and it's well written. When I was reading the Painted/ Warded man, I got worried when I found out that the "Desert Spear" referred to Krasia, knowing that the sequel's title is named after that. I feared that a book shifting in focus might not grab me as much as the first book, especially after how Brett deeply developed the three main characters of the first and made me invest in (and equally enjoy) all three of their stories. Thankfully, it didn't turn out that way and right from the beginning I was hooked. Love how much Brett dedicates his novels to building the characters and at the same time enriching the world's mythology and moving the story forward!

The Krasia part is far and away the best part of the novel.

 

[Nymerio]

:lol
Did you guys enjoy the book though? The whole "changed your life" aspect of that thread was up for interpretation, as in simply changing your view on an entire genre could qualify as "life changing" I have never really read a fantasy book like this. I am thoroughly enjoying the immersion.

I kinda liked the first book, though it was a little bit too weird for my taste. The second was ok except the ending, that just felt like a huge letdown. Why I bothered to read the third book I will never know. That ending just left me wondering how I could get my wasted time back. I think the whole world the books play in is really interesting, it's just that he doesn't really do any interesting things with it. I always wanted to know more about the stuff he only mentions on the side, I really wish he would have gone into more detail about some of the locations. Like the place where those lizard things from the second book come from, or the stain, the continent that insect race fled from, or even the that bird land from the second book (I kinda forgot all the names :/ ).

 

[Maklershed]

Just bought a Kindle. Can't wait to have it in my hands.

 

[Guileless]

I just finished George, Nicholas and Wilhelm: Three Royal Cousins and the Road to World War I by Miranda Carter. "These three monarchs, in what they didn’t realize were the waning days of the institution of monarchy, handled foreign diplomacy as if it were a family business."

It boggles the 2010 mind that these guys (not really George, though he was heavily involved in diplomacy) were in charge of great powers in modern times. They make terrible decision after terrible decision, but it's almost hard to blame them based on how they were brought up (in a bubble, and very poorly educated, all of them) to believe they were ordained by divine right to lead their nations.

 

[Karakand]

You don't even need to insert new material into these books. My plan is to take Dickens, take Lovecraft and merge them together into something profitable.

Not to shit on your unfinished, not even started actually, cash grab, but combining unreal horror with realistic-ish horror(s of society) isn't really that interesting. In fact the more I thought about it the lives of Innsmouthians were already pretty Dickensian to begin with.

As an alternative I would have suggested mixing with the navel-gazing of Regency lit but that's already been done by 50 Cent Is What You Should Pay for P&P&Z. I might think of something but you should probably stay away from the parodies and satires people might think you were saying something other than GRODT with that.

 

[Wellington]

Any impressions so far Isaac?