Good call.
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What are you reading? (April 2014)
- Thread starter Maklershed
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Good call.
Will check it out.
Also Dr Benton Quest my recomendation is 'Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend' =)
I currently have a decent amount of books half read in my kindle.
The road (C. McCarthy)
The first book that I have read from McCarthy. I'm near the end, but it is not one of those books to read on a random day. I pick it up exclusively when I feel like reading something somber, crude, and beautiful. Definitely one the best things that I have ever read in English, it just feels to only be possible conceived in its original language.
Le petit prince (A de Saint-Exupéry)
Kind of the complete antonym of The Road. Pick it up as a way to work on my french, so it will probably take a long time to read. Currently trying to read one chapter per week-ish (but almost always reading the same chapter twice or more, to see if I remember certain words that I didn't understood last time I read it).
Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)
My science fiction fix of the month. Pick it up just after finishing reading Ready Player One a week ago, and have been thoroughly enjoying it. Definitely a different vibe from any other dystopian cyber punk novel that I have read.
The hitchhikers guide to the galaxy (Douglas Adams)
My current book on life support. Started it almost a month ago and stopped when I was near the end of it. I just need to sit down one evening and finish it but I never seem to find the time. Fortunately it's an easy book to jump back to after a long hiatus, so it should still prove to be fun to read.
The road (C. McCarthy)
The first book that I have read from McCarthy. I'm near the end, but it is not one of those books to read on a random day. I pick it up exclusively when I feel like reading something somber, crude, and beautiful. Definitely one the best things that I have ever read in English, it just feels to only be possible conceived in its original language.
Le petit prince (A de Saint-Exupéry)
Kind of the complete antonym of The Road. Pick it up as a way to work on my french, so it will probably take a long time to read. Currently trying to read one chapter per week-ish (but almost always reading the same chapter twice or more, to see if I remember certain words that I didn't understood last time I read it).
Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)
My science fiction fix of the month. Pick it up just after finishing reading Ready Player One a week ago, and have been thoroughly enjoying it. Definitely a different vibe from any other dystopian cyber punk novel that I have read.
The hitchhikers guide to the galaxy (Douglas Adams)
My current book on life support. Started it almost a month ago and stopped when I was near the end of it. I just need to sit down one evening and finish it but I never seem to find the time. Fortunately it's an easy book to jump back to after a long hiatus, so it should still prove to be fun to read.
AngmarsKing701
Member
Signed up and requested this and Hobb.
Started this one:
Finished this today, might be taking a break for a bit before I tackle the sequel.
Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)
My science fiction fix of the month. Pick it up just after finishing reading Ready Player One a week ago, and have been thoroughly enjoying it. Definitely a different vibe from any other dystopian cyber punk novel that I have read.
My first cyber punk book. Such a great read. I kind of want to there to be a sequel set a decade later just to see where Hiro and Y.T. end up.
Diamond Age is sort of a sequel, apparently set in the same world some 60 years or so later, but no real callbacks to Snow Crash, just some minor hints, and no Hiro or Y.T.
Easystride
Member
I am pretty hooked on The Talisman by Stephen King & Peter Straub right now. I haven't done a whole lot other than read it this weekend.
Wow I did not catch any of that from Diamond Age. Learn something everyday I guess.
Thanks, all! I'm still sort of reeling. Wasn't expecting the nomination.
Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying A Dribble of Ink. The Internet always proves to be a small place (especially among those of similar interests), and I love running into readers on other forums. I've been running the site for almost as long as I've been on GAF!
Read The Hammer and the Blade by Paul S. Kemp.
I have to say to stay away from this book. For most of the tale it's an amusing if uninspired buddy sword and sorcery story, but in the last quarter or so it suddenly takes a turn into the kind of offensive with a
plot that is handled very poorly and completely out of tone with the rest of the book.
I have to say to stay away from this book. For most of the tale it's an amusing if uninspired buddy sword and sorcery story, but in the last quarter or so it suddenly takes a turn into the kind of offensive with a
rape
Murder and Magic by Randall Garrett
Although it's been published second, it was actually the first set of short stories Garrett wrote about our Sherlockian inspector in an alternate-history fantasy universe, and it shows. It's not quite as good as the other collection. Still entertaining and easy reading though. A bit too conventional detective story for my tastes, but pretty good nonetheless.
To be perfectly honest, I didn't really either, just thought it could be, with the conclaves and such being an extension of what you read about in Snow Crash, but reading wiki, did explain some hints on it being the same world
Tragicomedy
Member
I finished reading Grave Peril by Jim Butcher. ★★★ - So, yeah. This was the best Dresden book yet, but that largely stems from me coming to accept this series for what it is: cheesy, pulpy, supernatural "mysteries." I put the category in quotations because either the solution to what is going on is painfully obvious from the offset, OR Butcher haphazardly introduces unforseen new characters or plot elements into the book in attempt to tie things up nicely. You've either solved the mystery early on in the story or there was no way you could have solved it before Butcher revealed crucial, last-minute information into the story.
Harry is a likable protagonist, though by the end of each story I grow annoyed at all the descriptions of how tired he is, how long it has been since he's had a hot meal, how disrupted his sleep cycle is, how gruff his appearance is, how much his head aches, how drained his inner magic has become, how overwhelming the odds are stacked against him, etc. Butcher really falls into an incredibly predictable writing style and abuses the same descriptors and plot patterns ad nauseum. Truthfully, he's not a very good writer.
Not to beat a dead horse, but the worst part of these stories has been the constant reliance on deus ex machina resolution to the story. Harry always has exactly the right spell or tool available to save the day, or the right person fortunately shows up to aid him. Do you need someone to appear from the Nevernever right now? Does the plot call for the sudden appearance of a vampire? Do you need a familiar/spirit to pop up? You're covered!
I've already answered the question of whether or not I'll continue with the series by starting book number four this morning. But I'm rolling into it Friday Night Lights style: "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose."
Harry is a likable protagonist, though by the end of each story I grow annoyed at all the descriptions of how tired he is, how long it has been since he's had a hot meal, how disrupted his sleep cycle is, how gruff his appearance is, how much his head aches, how drained his inner magic has become, how overwhelming the odds are stacked against him, etc. Butcher really falls into an incredibly predictable writing style and abuses the same descriptors and plot patterns ad nauseum. Truthfully, he's not a very good writer.
Not to beat a dead horse, but the worst part of these stories has been the constant reliance on deus ex machina resolution to the story. Harry always has exactly the right spell or tool available to save the day, or the right person fortunately shows up to aid him. Do you need someone to appear from the Nevernever right now? Does the plot call for the sudden appearance of a vampire? Do you need a familiar/spirit to pop up? You're covered!
I've already answered the question of whether or not I'll continue with the series by starting book number four this morning. But I'm rolling into it Friday Night Lights style: "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose."
FUBAR McDangles
Member
I finished American Sniper. It was a good book that left me feeling hella sad toward the end. It's an autobiography so I guess this really can't be spoilers but he ends the book talking about his new company that is for training police for all kinds of situations. He talks about how much he loves his family and now that he isn't deployed overseas for 10 months out of the year he can spend more time with them - and then the book ends. Yet not even a year later he was murdered by one of his friends suffering from PTSD. What a sad, sad story.
After that I started reading The Teeth of the Tiger by Tom Clancy. I'm almost halfway through and really enjoying it so far. My only qualm with it so far is that they are introducing characters (the Carusos + Jr.) and showing these internal conflicts about joining this Black Ops private company and how they may not do it, yet i have read all the books set afterward so far and know that not only do they do it, they also get reinforcements from some of the best in the business in Chavez and Clark.
Also, just looking around Amazon I found five books, for free, that looked good. I already read one of them - Sleepers by Jaqueline Druga - and really enjoyed it. Especially for free. A different take on zombie-esque stuff and it was a decent length book as well. There is also a pretty insane twist about 3/4 of the way through that I had no idea it was coming.
After that I started reading The Teeth of the Tiger by Tom Clancy. I'm almost halfway through and really enjoying it so far. My only qualm with it so far is that they are introducing characters (the Carusos + Jr.) and showing these internal conflicts about joining this Black Ops private company and how they may not do it, yet i have read all the books set afterward so far and know that not only do they do it, they also get reinforcements from some of the best in the business in Chavez and Clark.
Also, just looking around Amazon I found five books, for free, that looked good. I already read one of them - Sleepers by Jaqueline Druga - and really enjoyed it. Especially for free. A different take on zombie-esque stuff and it was a decent length book as well. There is also a pretty insane twist about 3/4 of the way through that I had no idea it was coming.
sixpackrules
Member
Just bought it for the kindle, i lended the fisical one to my sister in law and it disappeared, right now i´m reading endless things, the last one in the aegypt series also by John crowley
Yeah, you've really got to come to terms with that if you're gonna read Dresden books. They're just pulpy fun, in the end. They all kind of blur together for me, but I keep reading them.
Astonishingly, the Iron Druid books manage to one up Dresden in just about every way. Except not in a good way.
SniperHunter
Banned
absolutely fascinating and eye opening book on cancer. if you guys like reading medical books or are simply interested in cancer, I highly recommend it.
To be perfectly honest, I didn't really either, just thought it could be, with the conclaves and such being an extension of what you read about in Snow Crash, but reading wiki, did explain some hints on it being the same world
It makes sense.
Finished up The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison today and thought it was really well done. It was an all round beautiful book that lives and breathes in a deep world the author has created.
Now onto more action oriented steam punk with Expedition to the Mountains of the Moon by Mark Hodder.
Now onto more action oriented steam punk with Expedition to the Mountains of the Moon by Mark Hodder.
Guileless
Temp Banned for Remedial Purposes
Well done.
I'm finally "reading" Game Change via Audible. Trashier than Danielle Steele but undeniably entertaining even though who knows how much is true.
Man, I love these threads so much. They are definitely the best part about neoGAF to me.
And every time I subscribe to the monthly thread I tell myself I'll start contributing but I never really do. Regardless, it's awesome to see people like Mumei and Cyan consistently post the exact kinds of books I like to read but probably have never known about without these threads. On the other hand there's guys like Tragicomedy who post about books I'd normally never even consider and through those posts gets me excited about him enjoying books I'll probably never read.
God damn, books are the best thing in the universe!
(Also a stealthy pledge to try and participate more from now on and start reading more. Last year I ended at something like 120 books read, but what I've read so far this year is probably in the single digits, damn you real life responsibilities!)
And every time I subscribe to the monthly thread I tell myself I'll start contributing but I never really do. Regardless, it's awesome to see people like Mumei and Cyan consistently post the exact kinds of books I like to read but probably have never known about without these threads. On the other hand there's guys like Tragicomedy who post about books I'd normally never even consider and through those posts gets me excited about him enjoying books I'll probably never read.
God damn, books are the best thing in the universe!
(Also a stealthy pledge to try and participate more from now on and start reading more. Last year I ended at something like 120 books read, but what I've read so far this year is probably in the single digits, damn you real life responsibilities!)
Incandenza
Banned
Currently I'm about halfway through rereading Clash of Kings. It's interesting, my memory was that Clash pretty much maintained the pace from the end of AGoT, but that hasn't been the case at all. Martin spends about 200 pages introducing new characters and reintroducing the old ones, and during that time, not a whole lot happens. Compare that to book one, which only has about 80 pages of setup, and treats you with a hell of a payoff at the end of it. Clash is a much slower burn, probably by necessity since the POV characters are so spread out across the world by that point. But now that everything's moving again it's back to excellence.
I finished Hard Luck Hank. It was kind of okay I suppose, glad it only cost a buck. Felt like it was just getting good when it ended.
Started The Black Company because I had it recommended to me after loving the The First Law Trilogy and I'm not feeling it. It just rushes along a bit too quickly and places and characters never feel properly fleshed out so I put it on hold.
Now I've started Nexus and so far so good! Sci-fi techno thriller thing about running an OS in your body and letting the program over-ride your own decision making.
Started The Black Company because I had it recommended to me after loving the The First Law Trilogy and I'm not feeling it. It just rushes along a bit too quickly and places and characters never feel properly fleshed out so I put it on hold.
Now I've started Nexus and so far so good! Sci-fi techno thriller thing about running an OS in your body and letting the program over-ride your own decision making.
Currently reading:
It's a standalone sequel to Lehane's The Given Day, this time focusing on a member of the Coughlin family who turns to a life of crime. The Given Day was a full fledged historical novel about a Boston policeman around 1918 who has to deal with both anarchists and corruption in the police force, this novel is fast paced crime novel about bootlegging gangsters in the late 1920ies. Great fun so far. I can see why it won the Edgar award for best crime novel last year.
It's a standalone sequel to Lehane's The Given Day, this time focusing on a member of the Coughlin family who turns to a life of crime. The Given Day was a full fledged historical novel about a Boston policeman around 1918 who has to deal with both anarchists and corruption in the police force, this novel is fast paced crime novel about bootlegging gangsters in the late 1920ies. Great fun so far. I can see why it won the Edgar award for best crime novel last year.
Hmm.....going to have to disagree. They are just very different people.
Dresden as a character is a lot more interesting and developed than 2000+ year old super druid of space and time Atticus. Dresden to some extent undergoes a transformation through the series compared to Atticus who pretty much stays the same. Yea Dresden whines a lot about his situation, but truth me told most of the time it's pretty shitty and has been done in a light enough manner that it isn't something particularly grating. It seems quite influenced by the whole noir detective movies of old where the detective narrates on his own self problems.
The magic systems are interesting in their own way. I really like both approaches, but if I had to choose the Dresdenverse has a lot more interesting and fun magic compared to Atticus' stab
yourself with thorns tatt magic.
As for mythos, well both are great.
Although why the fuck the Greek pantheon are true immortals is annoyingly unexplained.
Plus..... Bob > any ID secondary character.
Reading that, slow but steady. Love the series. The way it's written is so...life-like? Nothing happens just because and everything feels realistic. Like the author describes things he saw with his own eyes. Really enjoy the world, characters, themes. Really quotable too. No idea why I didn't follow this series while it was still going, it's fantastic. Some people say that it gets worse with every book, I definitely feel like it's only improving, so people be crazy. Each book feels like an important chapter in one massive story, and I love that. And the writing is just so good. Jordan easily stands beside Tim Powers as my favourite author.
It's gets real slow between 8-10 and then picks up again once more after that.
You are lucky that you get to read it now what everything is done, since you don't have to wait for any answers! At the time, it felt like the slowest shit in the world.
I've read the first five books and I'm actually curious about how it continues but seeing that cover made me question if I have the nerves to read the next book. Do you really like the characters? No problems with any of them? I wish I'd like them more but book five actually made me skim through chapters, something I've never done before.
The Horror the horror
Banned
Reading The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan.
I'm a quarter of the way through, and I've yet to read anything really insightful. Basically debunking the myth of UFOs and angels. I was hoping for something deeper.
I'm a quarter of the way through, and I've yet to read anything really insightful. Basically debunking the myth of UFOs and angels. I was hoping for something deeper.
Like insights on the actual demons haunting the world? Lol. That's the problem with popular science: it's never deep.
It really helps to be coming into the series late. I picked up the first one about a year before Knife of Dreams was released. I read them one after the other with breaks only long enough for whichever library in the system had it to ship it to me. This allowed me to plow through the slow books purely through momentum. I might not love the series as much as I do if I had to wait two years each between 8, 9, and 10.
The Horror the horror
Banned
I know, but this is just embarrassing. I'll read up to 50% and if nothing changes, I'm off the ship
i had a similar reaction. i saw it mentioned a lot as a mind-blowing/influential book online and really enjoyed sagan's pale blue dot, but it felt like a waste of time. i gave up a hundred or so pages in. i don't think it's necessarily the book's fault though. i just think it's a weird artifact that's aged poorly because of what it seeks to do: treat people's odd beliefs with sincerity then explain the problems. psuedo-science and supernatural nonsense changes a lot over time and has trends and patterns so what was relevant in the culture in 1985 isn't anymore - plus i'm in the uk so you have a cross-continent problem. the important part is that it's essentially teaching you how to think critically about the world, but if the examples are just patently bullshit and irrelevant then it's very hard to get that message across as you need to buy into its specific world to appreciate it.
i read a book called 'bad science' which does something similar, but because it was about issues relevant in the uk when i read it (in 2009 or so) it struck way more of a chord with me and actually taught me a lot about the scientific method. not saying you should read that, because you may find it just as alienating, just using it as an example as to why i think the sagan book failed me.
One of the ironies about books like that, is that the segment of the populace that would read such a book would probably not need lessons on critical-thinking in the first place, whereas its supposed target audience would probably dismiss the book outright.
You can kind of see this effect with political books too: Republican buying books written by Republicans and Democrats buying books written by Democrats. At the end of the day, these books don't really amount to more than reinforcing pre-existent beliefs and attitudes.
You can kind of see this effect with political books too: Republican buying books written by Republicans and Democrats buying books written by Democrats. At the end of the day, these books don't really amount to more than reinforcing pre-existent beliefs and attitudes.
i think sagan at his best was able to transcend this. aside from the marketing aspect, there's also that people who believe in this stuff like ufo's because it makes the world seem interesting, so attacking it on critical grounds is pointless. yet sagan was often able to make scientific truth as magical as illusions and make-believe. like in pale blue dot he explains how we worked out what we know about the other planets in the solar system, it's a step by step explanation of different experiments in space but it almost reads like a great adventure novel. it's exciting and it really captured my imagination and it does it without contradicting any beliefs, which makes it less political and thus less offputting.
that said i think these kind of books sometimes have merit even if you are pre-disposed to agree with their premise. before reading the bad science book i mentioned i considered myself a euphoric athiest enlightened by my intelligence who would never fall for that stuff blah blah blah but it really helped clarify a lot of things i was actually shakey on. i think generally people are quite arrogant about their own intelligence and level of critical thinking so it's useful to actually engage with the mechanics of it from time to time so you don't get complacent.
phisheep
NeoGAF's Chief Barrister
Tripped across a reference to this in the Penguin History of Economics. Sounds fascinating.
It's available (as in paying for it) on Amazon. Heck, amazon.co.uk even has a copy in Afrikaans for £27. But it is way better to download it for free from the university of Adelaide here.
Promises to be a lot of fun. Even the obligatory celebrity quotes are from Boswell's Johnson, Macaulay, Hazlitt and Browning. Wow.
It's available (as in paying for it) on Amazon. Heck, amazon.co.uk even has a copy in Afrikaans for £27. But it is way better to download it for free from the university of Adelaide here.
Promises to be a lot of fun. Even the obligatory celebrity quotes are from Boswell's Johnson, Macaulay, Hazlitt and Browning. Wow.
rudieboy77
Member
I listened to this, yesterday
Also got half way through this yesterday
Wanted to listen to some nonfiction fiction today so I got half way through this
Also got half way through this yesterday
Wanted to listen to some nonfiction fiction today so I got half way through this
Slightly off topic, but I have actually read a book in Afrikaans once a long time ago and that was one heck of a weird experience. As a native Dutch speaker (and the Flemish variant at that) it's like reading a book in your own language, but kinda like being on a tenstrip of acid at the same time. Really trippy stuff. Can't remember the name of the book though, but it was aimed at adolescents if I remember correctly.Tripped across a reference to this in the Penguin History of Economics. Sounds fascinating.
It's available (as in paying for it) on Amazon. Heck, amazon.co.uk even has a copy in Afrikaans for £27. But it is way better to download it for free from the university of Adelaide here.
Promises to be a lot of fun. Even the obligatory celebrity quotes are from Boswell's Johnson, Macaulay, Hazlitt and Browning. Wow.
Maklershed
Member
Plugging away on Dust yet. Getting near the end. But I just purchased Ancillary Justice and I'm excited to get to it.
I had a dream with a Corgi in it last night and I blame looking at this thread and seeing your avatar right before I went to bed. :b
I had a dream with a Corgi in it last night and I blame looking at this thread and seeing your avatar right before I went to bed. :b
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