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[Necrovex]

I haven't read it, but I have read this.

That was a solid ass article. I kind of want to read Goldfinch after this. Alas my current focus is now on Station Eleven.

 

[Tragicomedy]

And just what's wrong with that? Christ. "If you're not reading Proust in the original French you should just go kill yourself." I get his point but he could have phrased it better.

Personally, I love it. There's absolutely nothing wrong with anyone of any age reading and enjoying Harry Potter. I've read and enjoyed a decent amount of YA stuff these past few years.

I just find it hilarious when people reference the series or her writing as if it's some sort of high literature. I have in-laws that to this day discuss how amazingly written the books are, and compare traits of the characters with their own personalities, etc. Come on, it's fast food children's fantasy.

Since you reference him: have you read Proust in any language? I haven't, so I don't really get your reference. Elitist snobbery stuff?

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

Totally. Haven't read it either, I just pulled the name from "Little Miss Sunshine":

Frank: Do you know who Marcel Proust is?

Dwayne: He's the guy you teach.

Frank: Yeah. French writer. Total loser. Never had a real job. Unrequited love affairs. Gay. Spent 20 years writing a book almost no one reads. But he's also probably the greatest writer since Shakespeare. Anyway, he uh... he gets down to the end of his life, and he looks back and decides that all those years he suffered, Those were the best years of his life, 'cause they made him who he was. All those years he was happy? You know, total waste. Didn't learn a thing. So, if you sleep until you're 18... Ah, think of the suffering you're gonna miss. I mean high school? High school-those are your prime suffering years. You don't get better suffering than that.

 

[sparky2112]

Since you reference him: have you read Proust in any language? I haven't, so I don't really get your reference. Elitist snobbery stuff?

I've read the entire thing. The knock is that the original translation by Moncrieff, while considered to be a brilliant work, is not necessarily a brilliant translation. Proust's French was more modern than Moncrieff's English. The subsequent translations by Kilmartin and Enright relied to some extent on the Moncrieff, so the claim has been made that the entire thing was like throwing good money after bad.

I started the Moncrieff and switched early to the Kilmartin. I love Victorian lit, so I actually prefer the Moncrieff for the 'purpuleness' of the prose, even if that wanders a bit from Proust's voice.

Or something like that...

 

[arglebargle]

https://review.oysterbooks.com/p/CsJZWweDo3pnr3cFHXfu9k/100-best-books-of-the-decade-so-far

I've only read three on the list, although another three are already on my reading list. What about the rest of you? How does the list seem to you?

I've read 4: thinking fast and slow, flash boys, sixth extinction, and freedom. I'd recommend all of them for mostly different reasons. Can't comment on the list as a whole because I've read so little. I have been reading more non fiction than fiction lately so I may mine this list for some ideas.

 

[Plasticine]

Tore through Creekers in short order. If you had to pick a novel that was prototypical Edward Lee, this one fits the bill. Every single Edward Lee trademark can be found within its pages. Crazed backwood rednecks, grotesque horror, graphic sex, twisted humor and occult activities are all wrapped up in a twisted variation on Lovecraft. Lee has particular fun describing the titular characters. Creekers are a bunch of inbred hill folk who's deformities have become so extreme they make the radioactive mutants from The Hills Have Eyes remake seem like supermodels. Oh yeah, the women Creekers happen to work strip clubs and work as prostitutes much to the perverse delight of the rednecks that populate Lee's book. It's some really perverse shit. Not my favorite book by Lee (that remains Flesh Gothic, but it comes pretty darn close.

Up next:

I've previously read Southard's Lights Out and really enjoyed it. So far this one seems like it'll be another winner.

 

[Cade]

https://review.oysterbooks.com/p/CsJZWweDo3pnr3cFHXfu9k/100-best-books-of-the-decade-so-far

I've only read three on the list, although another three are already on my reading list. What about the rest of you? How does the list seem to you?

Station Eleven and Annihilation is all so far. Seems like a good list, though, I'd like to read a lot more.

The Lies of Locke Lamora is different than I expected. Good, but not like any other fantasy stuff I've read. Only a little ways in though.

 

[Grimalkin]

I want to learn more about how to read and understand literature but I don't have the time to take an actual college course (with classes and deadlines). I've been looking online for resources and so far have found:

Open Yale: Introduction to Theory of Literature
Study.com: English 101: English Literature
MIT Open Courseware: Reading Fiction

Does anyone have any opinion on these? Are there better resources out there to learn about literature, theory and criticism?

 

[mu cephei]

Recently finished:

A Little Life was fantastic. Although possibly flawed: Whatevermort tweeted this today, which amused me and is quite accurate: '...you distance yourself from the text, and it becomes melodrama; it's suddenly a literary Eastenders about depression, sexuality, pain'. Something happens about halfway through, and then a few other somethings, and I got emotionally thrown out, and never really became as immersed again; it felt like I'd been living with the characters up till then. But it was still really amazing and I loved it.

The Examined Life was ok. I have a bit of a prejudice against psychotherapy which I was hoping this would overcome, but other than a few insights, it was pretty shallow and reinforced my doubts. But it was a short book, so I don't suppose it should be expected to offer anything really detailed.

The Stranger's Child was a bit of a disappointment. I wanted to read something really English, and it delivered that, and it had some interesting stuff to say about memory, class, Englishness, interpreting the past, whether we can ever really know anyone else, and other things. But I just got a little bored with it.

 

[TheOnlyOneHeEverFeared]

 

[Dispatch]

I finally finished Hobb's Assassin's Quest. I normally enjoy a hero who has less than heroic characteristics, but Fitz sort of left me cold.

 

[Mumei]

Recently finished:

A Little Life was fantastic. Although possibly flawed: Whatevermort tweeted this today, which amused me and is quite accurate: '...you distance yourself from the text, and it becomes melodrama; it's suddenly a literary Eastenders about depression, sexuality, pain'. Something happens about halfway through, and then a few other somethings, and I got emotionally thrown out, and never really became as immersed again; it felt like I'd been living with the characters up till then. But it was still really amazing and I loved it.

How did it compare to The People in the Trees for you? I went about ten days without reading it, when I was about a hundred pages in, and I had that feeling of disconnection, where it felt like melodrama, especially when we were dealing with the lives of characters like JB. But ever since I've continued, I've felt fully immersed in it; I still feel as if I've been living with the characters. What happened around the halfway point that brought you out of it?

 

[ClosingADoor]

Quick update from here. Recently finished:

Annihilation
Really nice read. It is about an expedition being sent into Area X where strange stuff is going on. Anything more will be spoiling the story. Finished it in four evenings I think.

The Girl On The Train
Had this one on my Kindle still. Easy read, nothing really special. It tells about a woman who takes a train every day and watches this couple in their house (bit creepy, but yeah... she's a bit off anyway). One day the woman she has been watching disappears and she gets caught up in it. The characters are all pretty unlikable. It kept you guessing a bit to what happened, but nothing really interesting.

Now on to Authority (sequel to Annihilation). Pretty good so far.

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

My boss just told me to read some S.M. Stirling, specifically the Emberverse series. It sounds interesting.

The Emberverse series[edit]

Main article: The Emberverse series

Dies the Fire (2004) shows the effects on the planet—a world Nantucket left—of something called "The Change". Electricity, guns, explosives, internal combustion engines, and steam power no longer work. The series mostly deals with the Willamette Valley area of Oregon, with some description of the United Kingdom. After describing how people in those places survive the loss of 600 years of technological progress, the primary focus of this series turns to a conflict between a Portland-based neo-feudal dictatorship created by a sociopathic history professor, and the free communities of the Willamette Valley, most notably the Wiccan Clan Mackenzie and a group led by a former Marine, the Bearkillers.

Of course, we live/work in the Willamette Valley so that may be why he read it.

 

[mu cephei]

How did it compare to The People in the Trees for you? I went about ten days without reading it, when I was about a hundred pages in, and I had that feeling of disconnection, where it felt like melodrama, especially when we were dealing with the lives of characters like JB. But ever since I've continued, I've felt fully immersed in it; I still feel as if I've been living with the characters. What happened around the halfway point that brought you out of it?

Spoiler

It was Caleb. I read up to the point where Caleb goes home with Jude, and I was thinking of events up to that point, and particularly how incredibly brave Jude was, and I was fully immersed in it as usual. And then, when I’d psyched myself up to continue (as I always had to, as it was so gruelling), Caleb hits Jude.

It was one thing too much to keep me believing. I’m not sure why it was that thing particularly; possibly it was that I spent quite a while thinking about what artistic reasons Yanagihara had for this, and then the story seemed too artificial, and not as lifelike as it had before. I was pulled back in to an extent, as that section was psychologically very convincing, but it was never quite the same. It seemed to me part of the point of A Little Life was that complete immersion, and once I stopped to look at the strings, as it were, it didn't completely work - although still considerably more than almost any other book I can think of!

I haven’t read The People in the Trees yet. I doubt there will be another Yanagihara book for a few years, and the combination of psychological insight plus anthropological shenanigans has me expecting great things, so I want to save it for a bit. Although the fact it’s been longlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke award is making it so intriguing as to be almost irresistible.

 

[Mumei]

Spoiler

It was Caleb. I read up to the point where Caleb goes home with Jude, and I was thinking of events up to that point, and particularly how incredibly brave Jude was, and I was fully immersed in it as usual. And then, when I’d psyched myself up to continue (as I always had to, as it was so gruelling), Caleb hits Jude.

It was one thing too much to keep me believing. I’m not sure why it was that thing particularly; possibly it was that I spent quite a while thinking about what artistic reasons Yanagihara had for this, and then the story seemed too artificial, and not as lifelike as it had before. I was pulled back in to an extent, as that section was psychologically very convincing, but it was never quite the same. It seemed to me part of the point of A Little Life was that complete immersion, and once I stopped to look at the strings, as it were, it didn't completely work - although still considerably more than almost any other book I can think of!

I haven’t read The People in the Trees yet. I doubt there will be another Yanagihara book for a few years, and the combination of psychological insight plus anthropological shenanigans has me expecting great things, so I want to save it for a bit. Although the fact it’s been longlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke award is making it so intriguing as to be almost irresistible.

Ah, I see. I can understand that. It was a gut check for me. I think that has to do with my personal situation, though; I wouldn't expect everyone to have that same reaction. I sort of wish I could disengage emotionally and approach it with critical distance, because I don't think I go more than a segment without something - usually some one-off line that completely speaks to me and makes me feel like I really ought to go to therapy - really getting to me. I mean, when I'm not in the process of reading I can think about it like that, but in the moment I'm completely absorbed in the characters' inner lives.

When I read it, in my more composed moments I'm actually reminded of a chapter from a book of cultural history I read a few years ago, The Great Cat Massacre: And Other Episodes in French Cultural History, called, "Readers Respond to Rousseau: The Fabrication of Romantic Sensitivity." Among other things, it quotes readers who wrote letters to Rousseau about their extreme emotional reactions to the epistolary novel La nouvelle Héloïse. It's actually a fascinating chapter (and has something to say about your reaction to "seeing the strings," I think), but I remember reading the visceral, unfiltered quality of the reactions to those letters - and feeling a disconnect myself. I'm not an emotionally distant, uninvolved reader; this is hardly the first novel that has made me catch myself. But I hadn't had that experience. To some degree, I imagine this is because the form was so new that a more visceral emotional reaction is to be expected, especially with norms of how reading was supposed to be experienced. But for me, I think that A Little Life captures a bit of that; I understand the emotional effusiveness of those readers writing to Rousseau in a way that I don't think I did before. It's been an experience that feels cathartic for me in a way that I can't remember having had before.

 

[Meteorain]

A second attempt at the book really. Got sidetracked a while back in the middle of this one.

 

[mu cephei]

Ah, I see. I can understand that. It was a gut check for me. I think that has to do with my personal situation, though; I wouldn't expect everyone to have that same reaction. I sort of wish I could disengage emotionally and approach it with critical distance, because I don't think I go more than a segment without something - usually some one-off line that completely speaks to me and makes me feel like I really ought to go to therapy - really getting to me. I mean, when I'm not in the process of reading I can think about it like that, but in the moment I'm completely absorbed in the characters' inner lives.

When I read it, in my more composed moments I'm actually reminded of a chapter from a book of cultural history I read a few years ago, The Great Cat Massacre: And Other Episodes in French Cultural History, called, "Readers Respond to Rousseau: The Fabrication of Romantic Sensitivity." Among other things, it quotes readers who wrote letters to Rousseau about their extreme emotional reactions to the epistolary novel La nouvelle Héloïse. It's actually a fascinating chapter (and has something to say about your reaction to "seeing the strings," I think), but I remember reading the visceral, unfiltered quality of the reactions to those letters - and feeling a disconnect myself. I'm not an emotionally distant, uninvolved reader; this is hardly the first novel that has made me catch myself. But I hadn't had that experience. To some degree, I imagine this is because the form was so new that a more visceral emotional reaction is to be expected, especially with norms of how reading was supposed to be experienced. But for me, I think that A Little Life captures a bit of that; I understand the emotional effusiveness of those readers writing to Rousseau in a way that I don't think I did before. It's been an experience that feels cathartic for me in a way that I can't remember having had before.

I see why you’ve been taking it quite slowly It did unearth things I thought I’d successfully smothered, although that seemed like a good thing, or at least enlightening, and definitely cathartic, as you say. It felt like something had happened, when I finished it.

I read as much of the chapter from The Great Cat Massacre as Google would let me, but it cut out before I got to the reader reactions. I’ll try to hunt down a cheap copy of the book so I can read it properly, it looks very relevant, and interesting in its own right. From what I can gather, I do think that A Little Life aims to do a similar thing to the Rousseau novel - a direct emotional connection with the reader. It occurred to me that's why it takes the form it does, with the summarisation and jumping about, recalling a memory.

 

[Jintor]

Anyone more active in the literary prize scene know what's going on with the Hugo awards? A bunch of articles just flooded my facebook/twitter feeds from various friends alleging it's become another gamergate battleground

 

[Nappuccino]

Anyone more active in the literary prize scene know what's going on with the Hugo awards? A bunch of articles just flooded my facebook/twitter feeds from various friends alleging it's become another gamergate battleground

Some gamergate types are spreading misinformation. Others responded. There's a pretty decent thread on neogaf about it.

 

[Jintor]

That's pretty dumb. I'll keep an eye on that thread.

Fucking gamergate

 

[whatevermort]

Spoiler

It was Caleb. I read up to the point where Caleb goes home with Jude, and I was thinking of events up to that point, and particularly how incredibly brave Jude was, and I was fully immersed in it as usual. And then, when I’d psyched myself up to continue (as I always had to, as it was so gruelling), Caleb hits Jude.

It was one thing too much to keep me believing. I’m not sure why it was that thing particularly; possibly it was that I spent quite a while thinking about what artistic reasons Yanagihara had for this, and then the story seemed too artificial, and not as lifelike as it had before. I was pulled back in to an extent, as that section was psychologically very convincing, but it was never quite the same. It seemed to me part of the point of A Little Life was that complete immersion, and once I stopped to look at the strings, as it were, it didn't completely work - although still considerably more than almost any other book I can think of!

Exactly the same point where the book lost me. That's where I went, This is all far too much. It was just recentless. And after that, the emotional pile on just keeps going, and becomes a little silly. Amazing writing, hugely indulgent and manipulative.

 

[Osahi]

Finished Als een Brandend Huis, dutch translation of Antonio Lobo Antunes latest (original title: Caminho Como uma casa em chamas. "I run like a burning building")

Enjoyed it a lot, even though it was a dense read (as I said in an earlier post, every chapter is a stream of consciousness of a tenant of a Lisbon apartmentbuilding, and together they seem to form and tell the history of Portugal in the 20th century). Some chapter were tougher than others, but overall, I liked it. I own three more of his books and plan to read them soonish.

Now I started in:

It's for research, but I expect an interesting read

 

[FUBAR McDangles]

Guys, this is the best book series most of you are not reading. It is just balls to the walls action and hilarity and pure fun from beginning to end. I cannot praise this series enough. It is witty, smart, and has a lot of its outlandish concepts at least based in reality.

The writer, Jon Maberry, really does his research and gets tons of experts to consult on the series as he writes. Sure, the main character Joe Ledger fights zombies and vampires and genetically modified gorilla-people, but the way it's done makes you think there might be a smidgen of a possibility of it actually happening.

To give a brief summary of the series:

Patient Zero - Cop (former military) Joe Ledger gets recruited into a special secret government agency called the Department of Military Sciences. He works to stop some rich playboy philanthropist psycho from releasing a zombie plague (with the intent to later stop it and make money).

The Dragon Factory - Joe and his team get to go head to head against some brilliant genetic scientists that are trying to both get rich and also eventually complete a several decades old idea from a certain famous World War. Features genetically modified soldiers that turn them into ape-people with the strength of a gorilla and the smarts of a professional soldier. And dragons. And other animal hybrids created in test tubes.

The King of Plagues - Some villains from the first novel come back and join up with a global secret council, the Seven Kings, that are hellbent on basically destroying the world economy to come out on top as the richest/most powerful group left standing. They use pathogens/viruses/smarts to recreate the Biblical ten deadly plagues.

Assassin's Code - Joe faces off against a group of men with very rare genetic disorders that gives them extended lives + incredible blood lust. Basically vampires but with pseudo-scientific backings that make you wonder if it could be possible. Joe gets an attack dog that is incredibly badass.

Extinction Machine - UFOs have been crashing on Earth for centuries, and their remains are traded around on black markets around the world with no group or country coming close to fully recreating a UFO or unlocking the technology to do so - which, obviously, would be a catastrophe. But, of course, one group manages to get close to the point where Joe has to get involved in stopping them.

Code Zero - A group of technophiles with delusions of grandeur decide to square off against the DMS and recreate all of their old enemies by releasing it all at once. Zombies, gorilla-men, and deadly plagues, oh my.

Predator One - Some old enemies resurface and wage war specifically targeted at the DMS with the idea of revenge. Simple, elegant plot with very real implications on what could potentially happen if some very tech-savvy and evil people got hold of the military's drone systems.

Yeah, the plots are outlandish. The characters are a bit over the top. But it is fun from beginning to end with action that is both incredibly realistic and written in a way that is easy to imagine. The author has a martial arts background and incorporates very real techniques into the fighting styles of the characters.

The books are almost James Bond-esque in the way that each book features new plots and new villains and new love interests/teammates.

I highly highly recommend. Check these books out, people.

 

[mu cephei]

Exactly the same point where the book lost me. That's where I went, This is all far too much. It was just recentless. And after that, the emotional pile on just keeps going, and becomes a little silly. Amazing writing, hugely indulgent and manipulative.

I found it too sincere to be silly, but I know what you mean. In my less charitable moments I did wonder about all the big romance tropes it had. I don't want to be criticizing it though, it was fantastic.

 

[Deleted member 125677]

Since I'm going to Berlin in May, I decided to finally read one of the Great Berlin classics: Alfred Döblin's Berlin Alexanderplatz. Going in with high expecations!

 

[Rug Monkey]

Guys, this is the best book series most of you are not reading. It is just balls to the walls action and hilarity and pure fun from beginning to end. I cannot praise this series enough. It is witty, smart, and has a lot of its outlandish concepts at least based in reality.

The writer, Jon Maberry, really does his research and gets tons of experts to consult on the series as he writes. Sure, the main character Joe Ledger fights zombies and vampires and genetically modified gorilla-people, but the way it's done makes you think there might be a smidgen of a possibility of it actually happening.

To give a brief summary of the series:

Patient Zero - Cop (former military) Joe Ledger gets recruited into a special secret government agency called the Department of Military Sciences. He works to stop some rich playboy philanthropist psycho from releasing a zombie plague (with the intent to later stop it and make money).

The Dragon Factory - Joe and his team get to go head to head against some brilliant genetic scientists that are trying to both get rich and also eventually complete a several decades old idea from a certain famous World War. Features genetically modified soldiers that turn them into ape-people with the strength of a gorilla and the smarts of a professional soldier. And dragons. And other animal hybrids created in test tubes.

The King of Plagues - Some villains from the first novel come back and join up with a global secret council, the Seven Kings, that are hellbent on basically destroying the world economy to come out on top as the richest/most powerful group left standing. They use pathogens/viruses/smarts to recreate the Biblical seven deadly plagues.

Assassin's Code - Joe faces off against a group of men with very rare genetic disorders that gives them extended lives + incredible blood lust. Basically vampires but with pseudo-scientific backings that make you wonder if it could be possible. Joe gets an attack dog that is incredibly badass.

Extinction Machine - UFOs have been crashing on Earth for centuries, and their remains are traded around on black markets around the world with no group or country coming close to fully recreating a UFO or unlocking the technology to do so - which, obviously, would be a catastrophe. But, of course, one group manages to get close to the point where Joe has to get involved in stopping them.

Code Zero - A group of technophiles with delusions of grandeur decide to square off against the DMS and recreate all of their old enemies by releasing it all at once. Zombies, gorilla-men, and deadly plagues, oh my.

Predator One - Some old enemies resurface and wage war specifically targeted at the DMS with the idea of revenge. Simple, elegant plot with very real implications on what could potentially happen if some very tech-savvy and evil people got hold of the military's drone systems.

Yeah, the plots are outlandish. The characters are a bit over the top. But it is fun from beginning to end with action that is both incredibly realistic and written in a way that is easy to imagine. The author has a martial arts background and incorporates very real techniques into the fighting styles of the characters.

The books are almost James Bond-esque in the way that each book features new plots and new villains and new love interests/teammates.

I highly highly recommend. Check these books out, people.

Oooh love me some Joe Ledger

(I've mentioned him before but he doesn't get much love )

ditto Charlie Higson's The Enemy series. Cracking plot, great characters and non-stop action

 

[FUBAR McDangles]

Oooh love me some Joe Ledger

(I've mentioned him before but he doesn't get much love )

ditto Charlie Higson's The Enemy series. Cracking plot, great characters and non-stop action

Never heard of this series but if it's similar to Joe Ledger, hell yeah I will check it out. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Mumei]

I found it too sincere to be silly, but I know what you mean. In my less charitable moments I did wonder about all the big romance tropes it had. I don't want to be criticizing it though, it was fantastic.

I find it curious that quite possibly the most mundane thing is what lost both of you. I was thinking about this while I was driving around, and I think you'll agree that there are a great many circumstances that are, if not unrealistic, then at least unlikely. For instance, it is unlikely that

Spoiler

the circle of friends would all make their way to the top of their fields

. It is even more unlikely that

Spoiler

Jude's childhood would consist of him being raised by emotionally and physically abusive monks, followed by his being kidnapped by the only one of those monks to treat him with kindness and then subsequently forced into prostitution, followed by his being at a home where he is again sexually assaulted, followed by his escaping and again being in a situation where he is again made into a sexual prisoner by a male figure who at first seems to be offering salvation.

Compared to this, what is unlikely about his

Spoiler

relationship with Caleb turning out to be abusive?

. Nothing particularly, I don't think. That's certainly far more likely than the idea that a person like Jude would form a pseudo-filial relationship with

Spoiler

a man with Harold's history and in his situation.

Anyway, I came to the conclusion that the reason that this didn't bother me - the reason that the fact that it was unlikely didn't remove me from the experience - is that while the circumstances themselves are implausible, the characters' reactions to those situations are believable to me. And as long as the characters are believable, I'm flexible on the situation.

I'm also curious about something:

Spoiler

Caleb hitting Jude came as a shock to me. I was so invested in Caleb's self-evident interest in Jude, in Jude taking a chance, in Jude being brave for once, that when it happened I felt numb. I think I was so invested in Jude taking that chance, and thinking about the chance he was taking in light of what I knew of his history at that point. What was your reaction to that situation before it crossed the Rubicon? Were you invested in it? And if you were invested in it, is your pulling back on your emotional investment in some way a sort of emotional bulwark? I'm the sort of emotional masochist who leans into the punches, but I wondered if perhaps your reaction was sort of the opposite approach, even if subconsciously.

Thoughts?

 

[Maklershed]

Watching Wolf Hall and a doc about Henry the Eighth has me wanting to read fiction set in the Tudor era. Any recs?

 

[Maklershed]

You should read Wolf Hall! Wait, damn. It's really good though.

Actually I already have it purchased.

Edit: Is there a place to search topics in Listopia in the Goodreads app? I can only seem to find a handful of topics.

 

[TTG]

There's a thread here: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1026142

Short version is that a bunch of conservative scifi folks decided that Hugos were being given only to SJW books and/or literary books instead of fun books with lots of guns. And got together a nomination slate, which because of the small size of the voting pool and the way nominations are handled, enabled them to sweep a bunch of categories on the Hugo ballot.

It's... not fun.

Where are all of these literary contemporary sci fi books? The relatively new stuff I liked(The Peripheral by Gibson and Quantum Thief by Rajaniemi) are certainly not it.

 

[Piecake]

I get the impression they consider anything that tries to have a theme, or anything that is written in an unusual way, to be high-falutin and elitist.

So like, Brandon Sanderson is ok. But Jeff Vandermeer would not be.

Don't stupid people who don't like to think, but like comfortable safe books that reinforce their conceptions and have a lot of pew pew action also deserve a voice and our respect and understanding too?

Spoiler

I fully admit that I am that reader for a lot of my fiction reading, but certainly wouldnt hijack an awards thing to get my pew pew books nominated

 

[mu cephei]

I find it curious that quite possibly the most mundane thing is what lost both of you. I was thinking about this while I was driving around, and I think you'll agree that there are a great many circumstances that are, if not unrealistic, then at least unlikely. For instance, it is unlikely that

Spoiler

the circle of friends would all make their way to the top of their fields

. It is even more unlikely that

Spoiler

Jude's childhood would consist of him being raised by emotionally and physically abusive monks, followed by his being kidnapped by the only one of those monks to treat him with kindness and then subsequently forced into prostitution, followed by his being at a home where he is again sexually assaulted, followed by his escaping and again being in a situation where he is again made into a sexual prisoner by a male figure who at first seems to be offering salvation.

Compared to this, what is unlikely about his

Spoiler

relationship with Caleb turning out to be abusive?

. Nothing particularly, I don't think. That's certainly far more likely than the idea that a person like Jude would form a pseudo-filial relationship with

Spoiler

a man with Harold's history and in his situation.

Anyway, I came to the conclusion that the reason that this didn't bother me - the reason that the fact that it was unlikely didn't remove me from the experience - is that while the circumstances themselves are implausible, the characters' reactions to those situations are believable to me. And as long as the characters are believable, I'm flexible on the situation.

I'm also curious about something:

Spoiler

Caleb hitting Jude came as a shock to me. I was so invested in Caleb's self-evident interest in Jude, in Jude taking a chance, in Jude being brave for once, that when it happened I felt numb. I think I was so invested in Jude taking that chance, and thinking about the chance he was taking in light of what I knew of his history at that point. What was your reaction to that situation before it crossed the Rubicon? Were you invested in it? And if you were invested in it, is your pulling back on your emotional investment in some way a sort of emotional bulwark? I'm the sort of emotional masochist who leans into the punches, but I wondered if perhaps your reaction was sort of the opposite approach, even if subconsciously.

Thoughts?

When you put it like that, it does seem an odd place to lose it. However, some of those events are good things, and good things never seem too unlikely to happen!

Spoiler

Regarding the abuse, although we’d had hints and some details, I think we still didn’t know the extent of it at that point.

It had crossed my mind that my being thrown out at the point I did was an ‘emotional bulwark’, although usually the more a book can make me feel, the better I like it. When it happened, I wasn’t numb, I was angry, but I can’t tell if I was angry at the event, or at knowing I’d lost that incredible immersion.

Spoiler

Regarding the lead up, I thought it seemed precipitous for Jude to go so quickly from thinking such a thing is ridiculous, to deciding he wanted someone, to taking them home. There were textual warning signs it was a bad idea: at Rhodes’ dinner, Caleb’s voice is described as menacing; Caleb only sees Jude seated. After their date, these phrases are used: ‘didn’t give him a chance to object’, ‘Caleb’s arms made a cage about him’ and a few other things. They could have been signifiers of Jude’s fear, or something else. I was convinced about how brave Jude was, I was worried for him, and I was still immersed at that point. The start of the next bit confirmed my fears. It was a steady build-up of awfulness which was quite bad enough. And the line ‘The first time Caleb hit him’ was just too much (that ‘first’!)

After that, many things seemed too unlikely. But I did always find the character reactions completely convincing, and that’s why I still love the book.

 

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

I haven't read it, but I have read this.

What a great many words to say nothing of any consequence. Terrible ending, to boot.

And just what's wrong with that? Christ. "If you're not reading Proust in the original French you should just go kill yourself." I get his point but he could have phrased it better.

If you get what he's saying, why be indignant about it? I'd rather more people call out the puerility of contemporary society, not fewer.

 

[You Know Nothing]

If you get what he's saying, why be indignant about it? I'd rather more people call out the puerility of contemporary society, not fewer.

Because maybe sometimes I want to read a childish fantasy?

Not everything has to be ultra deep and contemplative. Shit can serve different purposes. If everything was deep and contemplative, the world would be a pretty boring place.

 

[obin_gam]

Downloading Dan Simmons' newest historical horror off of Audible as we speak:

In the tradition of Drood, a historical mystery in which Sherlock Holmes and Henry James team up to solve a literary puzzle.

In 1893, Sherlock Holmes and Henry James come to America together to solve the mystery of the 1885 death of Clover Adams, wife of the esteemed historian Henry Adams--member of the Adams family that has given the United States two Presidents. Clover's suicide appears to be more than it at first seemed; the suspected foul play may involve matters of national importance.

I love that guys historical books.
Drood = Fantastic all the way through
The Terror = Chilling as hell until the ending
The Abominable = Great first half

So I'm a little reserved when it comes to hype for this one, but I feel Simmons is the best historical fiction writer today so I trust in his ability to at least get me hooked

 

[Maklershed]

Downloading Dan Simmons' newest historical horror off of Audible as we speak:

In the tradition of Drood...

Sold!

EDIT: Wow $14.99 for Kindle huh? Oh well, if its half as good as Drood its worth it.

 

[Axelstream]

Downloading Dan Simmons' newest historical horror off of Audible as we speak:

The synopsis sounds fascinating -- I'm definitely going to give this one a look.

I'm currently reading Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie, by way of the recommendations I've seen in this thread, but I'm only about sixty pages in and I'm finding it hard to maintain interest. I'm not really a sci-fi guy and I'm having some difficulty keeping up with the racial politics, though the groundwork is certainly being laid out for something interesting. I've also heard that it's slow at the start but picks up later on. Anyone have a good word to put in about it?

 

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

Because maybe sometimes I want to read a childish fantasy?

Not everything has to be ultra deep and contemplative. Shit can serve different purposes. If everything was deep and contemplative, the world would be a pretty boring place.

I don't see anything in that quote to indicate that the critic thinks "everything has to be ultra deep and contemplative". I may be wrong, but I'm fairly certain his point is that we have a reading culture in which adults read Harry Potter and other YA crap to the exclusion of better, more challenging work, and that that general strain of puerility is what leads to something like The Goldfinch being acclaimed.

Now, I'm not certain that The Goldfinch has anything to do with contemporary YA shit, but my point to that poster is that if he understood generally what the critic was getting at, nitpicking the phrasing is kinda silly.

 

[Razmos]

Just finished reading Doctor Sleep, the sequel to The Shining.

It was amazing, probably taken the number 1 spot on my list of favourite King books (and there's a lot of them)
I kept reading and it just kept getting better.

I love how much of a slow burn it was, with the way the story kept jumping from 3 different points of view, and how they all eventually collided.

Considering it was a sequel, I had my doubts. But it was totally worth it/

 

[You Know Nothing]

I don't see anything in that quote to indicate that the critic thinks "everything has to be ultra deep and contemplative". I may be wrong, but I'm fairly certain his point is that we have a reading culture in which adults read Harry Potter and other YA crap to the exclusion of better, more challenging work, and that that general strain of puerility is what leads to something like The Goldfinch being acclaimed.

Now, I'm not certain that The Goldfinch has anything to do with contemporary YA shit, but my point to that poster is that if he understood generally what the critic was getting at, nitpicking the phrasing is kinda silly.

And I certainly don't disagree with the sentiment.

I mainly take umbrage with his phrasing. He says it as if any adult who can read and enjoy Harry Potter and other YA books must only read those types of books and couldn't possibly go out of their way to find less mainstream, more challenging literature. It just reeks of elitism and generalization.

But yes, ultimately it's a nitpick over something that he could have said with more tact.

 

[aidan]

The synopsis sounds fascinating -- I'm definitely going to give this one a look.

I'm currently reading Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie, by way of the recommendations I've seen in this thread, but I'm only about sixty pages in and I'm finding it hard to maintain interest. I'm not really a sci-fi guy and I'm having some difficulty keeping up with the racial politics, though the groundwork is certainly being laid out for something interesting. I've also heard that it's slow at the start but picks up later on. Anyone have a good word to put in about it?

I had a hard time connecting with it until about the 30% mark, then it was all hands on deck and I couldn't put the book down. Turned out to be one of my favourite books of the year, and I think the sequel is even better.

 

[Rug Monkey]

Never heard of this series but if it's similar to Joe Ledger, hell yeah I will check it out. Thanks for the suggestion.

It's not similar really it's a zombie apocalypse scenario written for young adults but it's much MUCH better than it sounds Well written, well plotted, no one's safe

Brutal, blood-soaked, full of zombies...it's ace (FHM)

The Enemy scores with its brutal vision of a post-apocalyptic world (FT)

Gruesome entertainment of the highest calibre (Books Quarterly)

 

[Mackenzie 92]

Going through Replay by Ken Grimwood for the 2nd time. It's still awesome.

 

[arglebargle]

I finished the Martian in less than a week. I couldn't put it down and actually think it cost me two good night's sleep. Great read. I was surprised at how funny I found it. Also very smart-seems the guy did his homework.

Haven't decided what's next. I've never read the road so it may be that. Other contenders are the new David Mitchell and the swerve, a history of early modernity. Anyone read the bone clocks? How is it? Assume I liked cloud atlas (haven't seen the movie).

 

[Axelstream]

I had a hard time connecting with it until about the 30% mark, then it was all hands on deck and I couldn't put the book down. Turned out to be one of my favourite books of the year, and I think the sequel is even better.

Well, that's a ringing endorsement if I've ever heard one. Thanks -- I'll stick with it!

 

[Mr.Swag]

Amy modern day Hemingways?

Like, an author who's novels are interesting because you get the feeling that the author themselves is interesting.

Basically, any modern day authors with a voice?

Like, if you showed me a page out of a random Kurt Vonnegut novel, I would be able to tell its Vonnegut. Hemingway as well.

Plz n thx

 

[NEO0MJ]

Just started reading the first half of the Book of the new Sun, Shadow and Claw. There is a lot to take in. Gonna start again later after I get home and can focus well enough to take it all in. Gonna need a dictionary on the side as well.

 

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

Amy modern day Hemingways?

Like, an author who's novels are interesting because you get the feeling that the author themselves is interesting.

Basically, any modern day authors with a voice?

Like, if you showed me a page out of a random Kurt Vonnegut novel, I would be able to tell its Vonnegut. Hemingway as well.

Plz n thx

Nope. All the interest was mined dry at the end of the 1980s.