-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
What are you reading? (April 2013)
- Thread starter Maklershed
- Start date
Alligatorjandro
Banned
Mackenzie 92
Member
Finished
Mad Dog House by Mark Rubinstein
Pretty good. Felt like it followed a formula and never really strayed from it though, still enjoyed it quite a bit.
Another quick read
Why Do Men Have Nipples? Hundreds of Questions You'd Only Ask a Doctor After Your Third Martini by Mark Leyner
Mad Dog House by Mark Rubinstein
Pretty good. Felt like it followed a formula and never really strayed from it though, still enjoyed it quite a bit.
Another quick read
Why Do Men Have Nipples? Hundreds of Questions You'd Only Ask a Doctor After Your Third Martini by Mark Leyner
On The Edge of Insanity
Member
Just finished reading:
Bought this in an Amazon sale back around Christmas time but hadn't got round to reading it. With the sixth series of Mad Men starting I thought now was a good a time as any.
I thought it was a well written, insightful overview of the advertising scene in the time Mad Men is set, but because of its breadth it was unable to cover some of the more interesting characters in sufficient depth. I will certainly be dipping into a few of the titles in the bibliography.
It was also a much easier read than the novel I am currently struggling through:
I can't quite work out whether this has become a slog (been stuck at between 40-50% for a couple of weeks) because of the amount of 19th century / jewellery-related words I have to keep looking up or because the book is indeed "a novel without a plot," as it was subtitled upon its original English publication.
I intend to persevere for now, but it is starting to make my reading time a chore rather than a pleasure. If I don't make significant progress over the next week or so then I might have to ditch it.
Bought this in an Amazon sale back around Christmas time but hadn't got round to reading it. With the sixth series of Mad Men starting I thought now was a good a time as any.
I thought it was a well written, insightful overview of the advertising scene in the time Mad Men is set, but because of its breadth it was unable to cover some of the more interesting characters in sufficient depth. I will certainly be dipping into a few of the titles in the bibliography.
It was also a much easier read than the novel I am currently struggling through:
I can't quite work out whether this has become a slog (been stuck at between 40-50% for a couple of weeks) because of the amount of 19th century / jewellery-related words I have to keep looking up or because the book is indeed "a novel without a plot," as it was subtitled upon its original English publication.
I intend to persevere for now, but it is starting to make my reading time a chore rather than a pleasure. If I don't make significant progress over the next week or so then I might have to ditch it.
Finished The House on the Borderland yesterday. Not exactly my cup of tea but I liked it nonetheless.
I started Sweet Silver Blues (Glenn Cook) from the Garret P.I. series yesterday. It took me till 50% to realize that I just went from one supernatural PI series to another. I also don't quite get the order in which I should read these books. Wikipedia says Sweet Silver Blues is the first book but Amazon says it's the third.
I started Sweet Silver Blues (Glenn Cook) from the Garret P.I. series yesterday. It took me till 50% to realize that I just went from one supernatural PI series to another. I also don't quite get the order in which I should read these books. Wikipedia says Sweet Silver Blues is the first book but Amazon says it's the third.
Picked up a ton of books for the Kindle after Amazon matched B&N's sale.
The Strain - Del Toro & Hogan $1.99
Reconstructing Amelia -Kimberly McCreight $7.49
Dead Witch Walking - Kim Harrison $2.99
John Dies at the End - David Wong $4.99
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury $4.63
Angels & Demons - Dan Brown $3.99
City of Bones - Cassandra Clare $4.63
The Sea of Monsters - Rick Riordan $4.59 (not on sale)
The Titan's Curse - Rick Riordan $3.99
The Battle of the Labyrinth - Rick Riordan $3.99
The Last Olympian - Rick Riordan $3.99
Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut $1.99
Other things I noticed:
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card $3.49
Speaker for the Dead - Orson Scott Card $3.99
The rest of the Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices books from Cassandra Clare $4.99 or $4.63
The Strain - Del Toro & Hogan $1.99
Reconstructing Amelia -Kimberly McCreight $7.49
Dead Witch Walking - Kim Harrison $2.99
John Dies at the End - David Wong $4.99
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury $4.63
Angels & Demons - Dan Brown $3.99
City of Bones - Cassandra Clare $4.63
The Sea of Monsters - Rick Riordan $4.59 (not on sale)
The Titan's Curse - Rick Riordan $3.99
The Battle of the Labyrinth - Rick Riordan $3.99
The Last Olympian - Rick Riordan $3.99
Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut $1.99
Other things I noticed:
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card $3.49
Speaker for the Dead - Orson Scott Card $3.99
The rest of the Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices books from Cassandra Clare $4.99 or $4.63
PaleFolklore
Member
Just finished The Bell Jar by Plath. Absolutely loved it.
Picked up 5 books the other day at the book store.
Women by Bukowski
Post Office by Bukowski
Ham on Rye by Bukowski
The Virgin Suicides by Eugenides
Steppenwolf by Hesse
Probably going to start reading through the Bukowski books first since I've never read Bukowski before.
Picked up 5 books the other day at the book store.
Women by Bukowski
Post Office by Bukowski
Ham on Rye by Bukowski
The Virgin Suicides by Eugenides
Steppenwolf by Hesse
Probably going to start reading through the Bukowski books first since I've never read Bukowski before.
OK! Now that I'm in the right thread let's try this again.
Just finished:
I really loved this book. Chabon has a real talent for writing about relationships, and I really fell in love with the characters. The plot never stagnates, and even though it gets a bit surreal in parts, it never feels gimmicky - especially in a book that is so steeped in comic book lore. I've read 15 books so far this year, books that I've cherry picked from reading lists and suggestions from friends, Kav and Clay is definitely in the top three, right up there with Infinite Jest and The Brothers Karamazov.
This morning I started reading:
Only 50 pages in, but I'm enjoying it so far.
Just finished:
I really loved this book. Chabon has a real talent for writing about relationships, and I really fell in love with the characters. The plot never stagnates, and even though it gets a bit surreal in parts, it never feels gimmicky - especially in a book that is so steeped in comic book lore. I've read 15 books so far this year, books that I've cherry picked from reading lists and suggestions from friends, Kav and Clay is definitely in the top three, right up there with Infinite Jest and The Brothers Karamazov.
This morning I started reading:
Only 50 pages in, but I'm enjoying it so far.
CyclopsRock
Member
I just downloaded the 56 hour audiobook of Infinite Jest. Here we go!
I wonder. How does an audiobook tackle the problem of footnotes in a book like Infinite Jest?
So good. I was up til 2AM reading it last night and had to force myself to stop so I could get some sleep.
I can see the series being made into a movie series at some point. The mystery/action/horror aspects and the focus on a somewhat small cast of characters would fit the Hollywood format really well.
Yeah, I kept thinking the same thing, despite the immense scale of things, the story does feel very compact and tight, with terrific characters. I'm so excited for Abbadon's Gate.
I'm slooooowly making my way through Game of Thrones
A reminder why I tend to prefer shorter books that aren't filled with names upon names. lol. I think it's great, but I don't think I'll be able to marathon the series, but who knows.CyclopsRock
Member
Rather annoyingly - they supply it as a pdf. There's a little note on the download saying that they decided to do this rather than put it with the audio as having it where they appear on the page would disrupt the flow of the story, and having it as a giant audio file at the end would make finding bits you want too hard. I understand their reasoning and really, there's no much of a useful solution I think.
It's about 1.2GBs in all!
I loved those books! Only read them once, though. Is this your first time?
My 3rd or 4th time going through them.
Finished up:
So definitely one of the weaker entries in the series, felt that it dragged pretty bad at times, but still not as bad as how its represented by most people. It still only took me a few days and a pretty decent cliffhanger that seems to progressive the White Tower plotline finally after a few books.
Having a hard time choosing between reading the prequel "A New Spring" next or going straight into Knife of Dreams, the next main series entry.
But for now I'm having a hilarious time reading through:
Holy crap, Pratchett is probably the funniest writer I've read. I have already found myself chuckling several times in just the first 40 pages or so. I think I like this better than Guards! Guards! which is saying something cause I really enjoyed that one.
Also, I don't know whats going on with Amazon right now, but so many Kindle books have ridiculous prices right now. I went ahead and bought all of the eBooks for the rest of the Wheel of time as they are 3 to 4 bucks cheaper a pop than they usually are. I also picked up Speaker of the Dead and Ender's Shadow for 4 and 5 dollars respectively. Crazy sales going on right now.
So definitely one of the weaker entries in the series, felt that it dragged pretty bad at times, but still not as bad as how its represented by most people. It still only took me a few days and a pretty decent cliffhanger that seems to progressive the White Tower plotline finally after a few books.
Having a hard time choosing between reading the prequel "A New Spring" next or going straight into Knife of Dreams, the next main series entry.
But for now I'm having a hilarious time reading through:
Holy crap, Pratchett is probably the funniest writer I've read. I have already found myself chuckling several times in just the first 40 pages or so. I think I like this better than Guards! Guards! which is saying something cause I really enjoyed that one.
Also, I don't know whats going on with Amazon right now, but so many Kindle books have ridiculous prices right now. I went ahead and bought all of the eBooks for the rest of the Wheel of time as they are 3 to 4 bucks cheaper a pop than they usually are. I also picked up Speaker of the Dead and Ender's Shadow for 4 and 5 dollars respectively. Crazy sales going on right now.
Going to start the Gormenghast Trilogy by Mervyn Peake. It's been a series I've wanted to read since the mini-series came out long ago. I feel old now.
I still have this sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be read at somepoint in the near future. I had no idea there was a miniseries. I'll have to check that out after reading it if it's any good.
I recently finished "The Wind Through the Keyhole" by Stephen King. It was such a delight to go back to the world of the Dark Tower even if it was for just a little bit. I actually the book and the narrative within a narrative within a narrative structure. I would definitely read more if King ever decided to come back to it again in the future.
Now I just started this "The Wise Man's Fear" by Patrick Rothfuss. I loved The Name of the Wind and am looking pretty forward to this. I know the popular opinion is that this book wasn't that good but my tastes don't always match up entirely with GAF and I also have no problem with Kvothe being a Mary Sue. Still very, very early (only 35 pages in) but I'm excited to read more.
This and the sequel are incredible. Seriously read for like 30 hours in 3 days.
Finished:
Next:
Finished these last month:
Loved them all and ended up reading his newer stories as well
Not bad. I felt the second half was a bit rushed though
decided on a change of pace and picked this up.... interesting insight on the case but it progresses very slowly. At one point I actually checked wikipedia because it was so slow.
Looking for some recommendations now. GAF inspired short list:
The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)
Rothfuss, Patrick
Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos, #1)
Simmons, Dan
The City and the City
Miéville, China *
Loved them all and ended up reading his newer stories as well
Not bad. I felt the second half was a bit rushed though
decided on a change of pace and picked this up.... interesting insight on the case but it progresses very slowly. At one point I actually checked wikipedia because it was so slow.
Looking for some recommendations now. GAF inspired short list:
The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)
Rothfuss, Patrick
Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos, #1)
Simmons, Dan
The City and the City
Miéville, China *
Finished up:
So definitely one of the weaker entries in the series, felt that it dragged pretty bad at times, but still not as bad as how its represented by most people. It still only took me a few days and a pretty decent cliffhanger that seems to progressive the White Tower plotline finally after a few books.
Having a hard time choosing between reading the prequel "A New Spring" next or going straight into Knife of Dreams, the next main series entry.
I haven't read the prequel, but I can tell you right now that Knife of Dreams is excellent, and a total return to form.
Also, the rest of the series from here on is basically golden. Not perfect, but you're gonna like most of it.
Read:
I love Moers' Zamonia novels (well OK, his last one wasn't that good but the rest is exellent). This was the only one I hadn't read so far and it too is really good. It is loosly based on the fairytail Hansel and Gretel. I don't think there is an english translation for this one, but I recommend checking out some of his other Zamonia novels. (Though I'm not sure how good they are translated especially because I can imagine that those books aren't easily trasnlated in the first place.) Be warned though, Moers does get carried away by his own imagination sometimes which leads to somewhat excessive descriptions or lists of, well, stuff...
I love Moers' Zamonia novels (well OK, his last one wasn't that good but the rest is exellent). This was the only one I hadn't read so far and it too is really good. It is loosly based on the fairytail Hansel and Gretel. I don't think there is an english translation for this one, but I recommend checking out some of his other Zamonia novels. (Though I'm not sure how good they are translated especially because I can imagine that those books aren't easily trasnlated in the first place.) Be warned though, Moers does get carried away by his own imagination sometimes which leads to somewhat excessive descriptions or lists of, well, stuff...
That's awesome to hear. It's pretty much unanimous that Crossroads of Twilight and Parh of Daggers are the slowest and I've gotten through both with out too much pain so I'm looking forward to getting to the epic conclusion. I've heard nothing but praise for the last three volumes courtesy of Sanderson.
I think I'll probably read the prequel next though as its only like 400 pages so by comparison a novella practically haha. And I think it will provide some nice back story.
TestMonkey
Member
Read:
I love Moers' Zamonia novels (well OK, his last one wasn't that good but the rest is exellent). This was the only one I hadn't read so far and it too is really good. It is loosly based on the fairytail Hansel and Gretel. I don't think there is an english translation for this one, but I recommend checking out some of his other Zamonia novels. (Though I'm not sure how good they are translated especially because I can imagine that those books aren't easily trasnlated in the first place.) Be warned though, Moers does get carried away by his own imagination sometimes which leads to somewhat excessive descriptions or lists of, well, stuff...
I'm reading Rumo right now. It sucks that only 4 of his books are generally available in the U.S.. Are there common links through all of them that you've read? I'm guessing Nightingale at the very least.
grounded_dreams
Member
Just started reading The Great Gatsby, first time reading F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Going to try and finish it prior to the Baz Luhrmann adaptation is released.
Going to try and finish it prior to the Baz Luhrmann adaptation is released.
Nightingale gets mentioned some more times, yes. There is also Optimus Yarnspinner who is mentioned as the author of some books (Moers being only the "translator" of the books) and is the protagonist and narrator of "The city of dreaming books" and "The labyrinth of dreaming books". The later being the only book I did not enjoy as much as the rest ( truth be told it is downright boring most of the time) but the first one is one of his best books.
SniperHunter
Banned
Halfway thru the book so far. Great stuff, what if Japan and Germany won the war? Feels almost realistic, and having an alternate history novel be a major plot device within an alternate history novel, that's just the genius of PKD. Can't wait to see how this unfolds.
Oh yes, such a good book.
Maklershed
Member
Halfway thru the book so far. Great stuff, what if Japan and Germany won the war? Feels almost realistic, and having an alternate history novel be a major plot device within an alternate history novel, that's just the genius of PKD. Can't wait to see how this unfolds.
I'll be interested to see what you make of the ending.
I've been interested in this since ShaneB mentioned it in a past thread. Does it cover a lot of the business and wastes of money aspect?
Mackenzie 92
Member
SniperHunter
Banned
the book is AMAZING, you just buy it right now and start reading it. Or you could just try the sample on kindle to see if you would like it or not.
I have never been into reading. Something about required reading in high school kind of soured me on it, but I have been getting into it lately. I started with A Song of Ice and Fire. I am now on A Feast for Crows. Certainly not as good as ASOS, but I am still enjoying it. Once I get through what is out there of this series, I will definitely be using this thread to find some suggestions on where to go next.
It's weird, I went from not reading any novels for about five years after college until I started these up, but when I had finished up A Storm of Swords and didn't have a book to open up and read the next couple of nights before bed, I was kind of bummed out.
It's weird, I went from not reading any novels for about five years after college until I started these up, but when I had finished up A Storm of Swords and didn't have a book to open up and read the next couple of nights before bed, I was kind of bummed out.
eattomorro
Neo Member
I'm 118 pages into the Gormenghast Trilogy and it's a lot different then many of the books I've read lately; it needs to be bitten gently, chewed slowly, and digested at a leisurely rate. One of my fav lines in the book so far:
"Above the turrets, like a wing ripped from the body of an eagle, a solitary cloud moved northwards through the awakening air quilled with blood."
Gives me shivers...
"Above the turrets, like a wing ripped from the body of an eagle, a solitary cloud moved northwards through the awakening air quilled with blood."
Gives me shivers...
Switch Back 9
a lot of my threads involve me fucking up somehow. Perhaps I'm a moron?
It's pretty bad so far. I wanted some Fantasy because I've been reading other stuff lately, and this was all that was at the library and the reviews sounded good.
I don't like it, the short chapters and bland writing are killing me. The magic system is kind of neat and I really have nothing else at the moment so I'll probably stick with it.
I finished up Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, and I thought it was a good read. Achebe uses simple prose to follow the life of a hard and angry man in the midst of personal and colonial upheaval in Nigeria. The colonial aspect shows up late in the novel. I really liked the complex portrayal of the Ibo people and the colonialists.
I'm currently reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy and I'm almost done. This one has been a quick read.
I'm currently reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy and I'm almost done. This one has been a quick read.
BlazingDarkness
Member
Just finished The Bell Jar by Plath. Absolutely loved it.
I'd say The Bell Jar is required reading for everybody, it's really good.
I'm currently reading
and
and for a college assignment,
Well, I have to read this asap. Thanks for pointing this out.
It's terrific, read it dammit! lol
Maklershed
Member
Ok well I've goofed around long enough. Purchased. As soon as I finish The Big Nowhere I'll read Masters of Doom.
I feel the same. Got almost half way through and completely lost interest.
ElectricBlue187
Member
Just finished Nothing to Envy on Audiobook. It was incredible. This quote sums up my feelings on it
The last time I read a book with something truly harrowing or pitiful or sad on every page it was Cormac McCarthys The Road, and those characters had the good fortune to not be real.
St. Louis Magazine
I'm now reading Richard Morgan's Broken Angels, seems pretty similar in style to Altered Carbon and Woken Furies so far
The last time I read a book with something truly harrowing or pitiful or sad on every page it was Cormac McCarthys The Road, and those characters had the good fortune to not be real.
St. Louis Magazine
I'm now reading Richard Morgan's Broken Angels, seems pretty similar in style to Altered Carbon and Woken Furies so far
Maklershed
Member
Don't know how good it is but since I've seen it mentioned a few times in this thread I thought I'd mention that Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon is a $1.99 Kindle Daily Deal today.
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
Tragicomedy
Member
I'll take the opposite stance on this one. Despite numerous warnings, I'm currently reading the series in the chronological order it was written. I'm about six novels in so far, and there is clearly some value added to sticking with the sequence they were written.
The first two books were a little slower, perhaps, but they introduce characters and themes that reappear in the later books. I don't think there are any deal breakers if you start elsewhere, but there are lots of little moments I appreciate more from hitting them in order.
Tragicomedy
Member
One of my favorite books ever, and highly recommended!
Finished:
I liked the first one but I have to say that in comparision to this it fell quite flat. Characters and plot are far better introduced and developed in this book and the overall pacing also improved. Will start Abhorsen right away since the ending obviously left me wanting for more.
I liked the first one but I have to say that in comparision to this it fell quite flat. Characters and plot are far better introduced and developed in this book and the overall pacing also improved. Will start Abhorsen right away since the ending obviously left me wanting for more.