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[Nymerio]

Still making my way through The Skull Throne and I'll maybe even finish it tonight. I really like it but some characters, namely the gatherers and especially Leesha are really starting to grate my nerves.

Spoiler

She's carrying Jardir's bastard and was hoping the kid might pass as Thamos' offspring and still she manages to be judgemental about every goddamn thing anyone does. I'm glad Arlen ended up with Renna instead of Leesha. She may be a bit crazy but at least she doesn't have her head up her ass.

 

[O.DOGG]

School is just finishing up for me so I picked up this for the summer...already 100 pages in and loving it so far. The first fiction (is it a true story?) I've read in a while as I've been on a quantum physics kick that past couple months

A superb book. I wish I could read it again for the first time. To answer your question, it is loosely nased on a true story.

 

[Lupin the Third]

Destination: Void, The Jesus Incident, The Lazarus Effect by Frank Herbert

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destination:_Void

There's actually a fourth that takes place twenty five years after the trilogy, The Ascension Factor, but it's not necessary to enjoy the trilogy.

Looking like the right thing! I'm sure he'll be thrilled to hear the answer. Thanks a lot! (For some reason I wasn't expecting it to be a well-known author...)

 

[BearPawB]

just finished

[

I like king, but I don't understand for a second why this book got rave reviews.
What a waste of a great idea

Spoiler

I guess i just wanted more JFK/Oswald stuff. It seemed like 75% of the book was taken up by awful relationship filler. The final scenes with Oswald are rushed and predictable. I really don't get why people like this one at allll

 

[Baldassare Castiglione]

About a hundred pages away from the finish of this.

Surprised by how much I've enjoyed it so far. Difficult book to put down. The only part that slowed me down a bit was

Spoiler

the reading of Goldstein's book.

.

Probably going to start the Golem and the Jinni next, as a family friend recommended it to me!

 

[Nuke Soda]

School is just finishing up for me so I picked up this for the summer...already 100 pages in and loving it so far. The first fiction (is it a true story?) I've read in a while as I've been on a quantum physics kick that past couple months

420 pages into this one myself. Really good. Though that cover is much more awesome than the one I have.

 

[kamineko]

just finished [

I like king, but I don't understand for a second why this book got rave reviews.
What a waste of a great idea

Spoiler

I guess i just wanted more JFK/Oswald stuff. It seemed like 75% of the book was taken up by awful relationship filler. The final scenes with Oswald are rushed and predictable. I really don't get why people like this one at allll

You might enjoy Libra by Don Delillo

 

[KidDork]

Still plugging away on The Shadow Rising. My usual problems with Jordan's work persist: unevenness, blunt mishandling of female characters, and difficulty in depicting believable relationships, especially among couples. I have been surprised by a few things in this book, to be fair. But I'm ticking off the volumes until I finally hit Sanderson's work.

I'm also reading Dan Abnett's Eisenhorn, which so far has been a joy.

 

[Piecake]

Still plugging away on The Shadow Rising. My usual problems with Jordan's work persist: unevenness, blunt mishandling of female characters, and difficulty in depicting believable relationships, especially among couples. I have been surprised by a few things in this book, to be fair. But I'm ticking off the volumes until I finally hit Sanderson's work.

I'm also reading Dan Abnett's Eisenhorn, which so far has been a joy.

Just pretend that all characters have the mental faculties of 5 year-old children and things start making more sense

 

[Nymerio]

Finished The Skull Throne. Shit got real towards the end:

Spoiler

Thamos dead, Jayan killed, Abban in the hands of Hasik, Asome on the throne, assassination attempt at Inevera, Rhinebeck and Mickael killed and the mountain guys defeated the Krasian army with rifles. Nice

Not sure what to start next.

 

[Bazza]

Finished these over the last 2 weeks, Really enjoying the world and characters Glen cook has created with his Garret books.

Looking forward to getting started on this at lunchtime, unfortunately after this I will have a 1-3 week break while I wait for the next book to be dispatched and delivered from the US so I will need to find something to fill the gap.

 

[Blue Ninja]

Reread Hyperion and the Fall of Hyperion first, since I'd never gotten a chance to continue the saga when I first read it five or so years ago. Enjoyable book, with some atypical (imo) science fiction. Pretty well thought-out.

 

[Ryan_]

I must say that I was rather skeptical of such a long non-fiction book being easy and enjoying to read but I stand corrected. It reads like one big, amazing story. I really recommend it.

 

[Nymerio]

Finished these over the last 2 weeks, Really enjoying the world and characters Glen cook has created with his Garret books.

Looking forward to getting started on this at lunchtime, unfortunately after this I will have a 1-3 week break while I wait for the next book to be dispatched and delivered from the US so I will need to find something to fill the gap.

Garrett P.I. <3

 

[Protome]

After a bit of a hiatus from reading I finished

The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led The Revels There by Catherynne M. Valente

I enjoyed this every bit as much as the first Fairyland book, Catherynne M. Valente has rapidly become one of my favourite authors since I read the first Fairyland a year ago.

The Taxidermist's Daughter by Kate Mosse

This was the first time I have read a Kate Mosse book and I really liked it. The amount of detail she goes into about taxidermy without getting dull, the gruesomeness of the murders and just the fantastic descriptions of everything are fantastic. I need to read more of her stuff now!

Not sure what I'm going to read next. My Kindle backlog is massive...Leaning towarding Before The Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie though.

 

[Mumei]

After a bit of a hiatus from reading I finished

The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led The Revels There by Catherynne M. Valente

I enjoyed this every bit as much as the first Fairyland book, Catherynne M. Valente has rapidly become one of my favourite authors since I read the first Fairyland a year ago.

You are good people.

 

[Necrovex]

You are good people.

Does she lessen her metaphorical proses for this book?

 

[IronRinn]

I need to read more...

Right now I'm reading:

It's another interesting book from Ronson. His style is very engaging, which makes his books a quick read.

Get a little sad when people don't dig The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. It's probably my favorite book. That's not to discount any of your criticisms, Necrovex, I just really like the book. I've read it at least a dozen times now and I feel like I always get something new from it.

 

[moojito]

I just finished Speaker for the dead, the follow up to Ender's game. It was not bad at all. As mentioned in the foreword, you could almost treat it like a standalone book. Like Ender's game though it started to bring a bit of the weird in towards the end.

Are the rest of the books good as well? I remember hearing that the first 2-3 are good then it takes a dip in quality, though I might be getting confused with the Dune series for some reason...

 

[Dedication Through Light]

Its so nice when authors like my reviews of their books on amzn or goodreads (or RT them on twitter), most of the nonfictions writers I read do, only one fiction writer did .

Trying to read through all my Light Novels now, Finished Accel World 3 this weekend, starting The Devil Is A Part Timer 1 once it arrives tomorrow.

 

[Necrovex]

Get a little sad when people don't dig The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. It's probably my favorite book. That's not to discount any of your criticisms, Necrovex, I just really like the book. I've read it at least a dozen times now and I feel like I always get something new from it.

I'm surprised I'm not liking the novel as much as I thought I would. I love his other works I have read, from Kafka, to Norwegian Wood, and even 1Q84. So I thought this would translate well, but this novel seems to drag even more than 1Q84!

 

[Althane]

Its so nice when authors like my reviews of their books on amzn or goodreads (or RT them on twitter), most of the nonfictions writers I read do, only one fiction writer did .

Trying to read through all my Light Novels now, Finished Accel World 3 this weekend, starting The Devil Is A Part Timer 1 once it arrives tomorrow.

Is there a good place to find e-book versions of light novels? Kindle store doesn't appear to have many, and I've been wanting to read Log horizon and The Devil Is A Part timer.

 

[Dandy Crocodile]

Are the rest of the books good as well? I remember hearing that the first 2-3 are good then it takes a dip in quality, though I might be getting confused with the Dune series for some reason...

Xenocide and Children of the Mind have some interesting ideas but aren't nearly as good as the first two in the quartet. Speaker for the Dead was probably my favorite of the four.

I remember liking Ender's Shadow a lot, and it's probably the one most similar to Ender's Game in terms of tone, since it covers some of the same material from Bean's perspective.

 

[IronRinn]

I'm surprised I'm not liking the novel as much as I thought I would. I love his other works I have read, from Kafka, to Norwegian Wood, and even 1Q84. So I thought this would translate well, but this novel seems to drag even more than 1Q84!

Weird. I did not care for 1Q84. It seemed like he couldn't figure out which of his type of novel he wanted to write: Boy Loses Girl and is Really Sad/Confused or Boy Loses Girl and Weird Shit Happens and sort of split the difference. I'm not nearly as much a fan of the former which is why I tend to gravitate towards the aforementioned TWUBC, Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (which was the first thing I ever read by him), A Wild Sheep Chase, Dance, Dance, Dance, etc. To each their own!

 

[Mumei]

Does she lessen her metaphorical proses for this book?

It's a children's book.

Xenocide and Children of the Mind have some interesting ideas but aren't nearly as good as the first two in the quartet. Speaker for the Dead was probably my favorite of the four.

I remember liking Ender's Shadow a lot, and it's probably the one most similar to Ender's Game in terms of tone, since it covers some of the same material from Bean's perspective.

Speaker for the Dead was my favorite of the quartet.

 

[Dedication Through Light]

Is there a good place to find e-book versions of light novels? Kindle store doesn't appear to have many, and I've been wanting to read Log horizon and The Devil Is A Part timer.

YenON seems to be trying to get them on there, of tomorrows releases it seems No Game No Life is getting a kindle version, the other two dont

 

[Necrovex]

Weird. I did not care for 1Q84. It seemed like he couldn't figure out which of his type of novel he wanted to write: Boy Loses Girl and is Really Sad/Confused or Boy Loses Girl and Weird Shit Happens and sort of split the difference. I'm not nearly as much a fan of the former which is why I tend to gravitate towards the aforementioned TWUBC, Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (which was the first thing I ever read by him), A Wild Sheep Chase, Dance, Dance, Dance, etc. To each their own!

1Q84 had the potential to be a masterpiece. The first book in the trilogy was love at first sight. I wished it didn't stumble. Though I liked it in the end.

I want to read his obscure stuff in the latter part of the year. I hear nothing but Hard boiled wonderland and Dance Dance Dance. Sometimes something doesn't click properly. He still remains as one of my favorite Japanese writers!

It's a children's book.

Maybe I'll give it a shot then. The topic itself seems more interesting and Valentine had some superb stuff in Prester John when I wasn't overtaken by her proses.

 

[Samus is a Boy]

Dan Rykert's book on anxiety.
It's a cute read.

 

[Masenkame]

It looks like we might find out who K.J. Parker really is. Pornokitsch has the scoop tomorrow, per a Orbit books tweet.

Parker will also be on the Coode Street Podcast tomorrow, which Jonathan Strahan just posted about.

 

[aidan]

It looks like we might find out who K.J. Parker really is. Pornokitsch has the scoop tomorrow, per a Orbit books tweet.

Parker will also be on the Coode Street Podcast tomorrow, which Jonathan Strahan just posted about.

I'm convinced they're going to 'reveal' that Parker is Alex Marshall, another Orbit author with a pseudonym that just released the first book in new series, A Crown for Cold Silver.

The covers for Marshall's book and Parker's upcoming serialized novel (both published by Orbit Books) even look the same:

 

[BrokenFiction]

I'm convinced they're going to 'reveal' that Parker is Alex Marshall, another Orbit author with a pseudonym that just released the first book in new series, A Crown for Cold Silver.

The covers for Marshall's book and Parker's upcoming serialized novel (both published by Orbit Books) even look the same:

So is Alex Marshall their real name or another pseudonym?

 

[Masenkame]

They're being a bit sneaky, and Jonathan Strahan's post made me a little suspicious.

This week's episode features the first ever "live" interview/chat with World Fantasy Award winning author K.J. Parker.

Well, are they really going to talk? Maybe I'm reading too much into the use of quotes there.

 

[jtb]

Just finished Leaving the Atocha Station by Ben Lerner. at first, insufferable and really unfocused but after 50 pages or so, it really picked up. Very funny, enjoyed it.

On to 10:04.

 

[Pilgrimzero]

James Cavills "Shogun". I'm about 10 hours into the 50+ hour audio book.

 

[aidan]

So is Alex Marshall their real name or another pseudonym?

https://twitter.com/orbitbooks/status/590190830159319042

I mean, they could be lying.

They're being a bit sneaky, and Jonathan Strahan's post made me a little suspicious.

Well, are they really going to talk? Maybe I'm reading too much into the use of quotes there.

I feel like there's a lot of clever language being used in the way Orbit is leading up to the "reveal", like Masenkame points out, and the timing with Cross' release is way too convenient. I'll eat my hat if it doesn't somehow tie into A Crown for Cold Steel.

 

[sparky2112]

Wasn't it assumed that Parker was a well-known author? Is this 'Marshall's' debut? This is weird.

Also, Parker is more than well-established in the genre. Why keep up the pretense?

 

[aidan]

Eh. Based on some information I just got about Parker's identity, I'm going to have to play my obnoxious blogger card and go back on my initial certainty re: Marshall and Parker. I still think there's a connection there, but tomorrow's reveal isn't likely to connect the two.

 

[nemesun]

I'm still trudging through:

Ten pages a night.

In the meanwhile, I finished:

Review:

James M. Cain simply is the writer of the finest order. There are not many books out there that I ever finished in one sitting, and felt obliged to turn to the first page once again, and reread the whole thing all over.

5/5

________

Review:

A decent time waster, not much substance in it other than the author's constant whining about his sentence and an occasional preachiness about the need for overhaul of the British penal system.

2.5/5

 

[Pau]

Cyan, Mumei, you guys win. Can't get enough of Vorkosigan stuff.

Also ordered my first Octavia E. Butler book, Lilith's Brood. My boyfriend thinks I'm just reading porn because of the cover. :c

 

[Maklershed]

Cyan, Mumei, you guys win. Can't get enough of Vorkosigan stuff.

Also ordered my first Octavia E. Butler book, Lilith's Brood. My boyfriend thinks I'm just reading porn because of the cover. :c

I love Octavia Butler. I think I need to get back to her soon.

 

[Mumei]

Cyan, Mumei, you guys win. Can't get enough of Vorkosigan stuff.

Also ordered my first Octavia E. Butler book, Lilith's Brood. My boyfriend thinks I'm just reading porn because of the cover. :c

*looks at your Goodreads updates*

You didn't even need to say anything.

 

[commish]

School is just finishing up for me so I picked up this for the summer...already 100 pages in and loving it so far. The first fiction (is it a true story?) I've read in a while as I've been on a quantum physics kick that past couple months

One of my favorite books, if not #1. Each time I read it, it's better and better. His other books are also good but none match Shogun.

 

[Mumei]

Oh, and Pau: I saw that you are on Borders of Infinity / Brothers in Arms / Mirror Dance. Make sure you don't skip Memory when you finish those. It isn't collected in one of the omnibus editions, so you'll have to look for it specifically. You can't skip it!

 

[Maklershed]

Speaking of the Vorkosigan Saga - what's the order for them again for someone that wants to get into them? I remember a big mclargehuge post someone made explaining it a long time ago and I even had it bookmarked but have lost my bookmarks file since then. I have a vacation coming up and it'd be a perfect time to burn through a bunch of books.

 

[TripOpt55]

I finished Red Country (the third First Law spinoff) and thought it was really good. It is a sort of fantasy/western hybrid. I normally wouldn't be too interested in a Western, but with the fantasy elements and characters/world I already have attachment too, it ended up really landing for me. They also brought back a major character from the main series and put them in a big role which was cool and the other spinoffs didn't do.

I really enjoyed this series and wanted to say thanks to the people who suggested I give it a try however long ago in these threads (probably like a year ago, sorry I don't remember who specifically!). I never read much fantasy until Game of Thrones motivated me to try ASoIaF. And then I came in here for suggestions for more stuff to try. The Black Company and First Law series were both suggested to me here among some others, but those are the two I ended up enjoying the most. If anyone had any more good darker fantasy like those three series, I'd love some suggestions. Otherwise, just wanted to say how much I enjoyed those recommendations!

Now I will probably dig into some non-fantasy stuff. Not sure what is first, I have a pile of books I bought but I haven't gotten into yet here.

 

[ShaneB]

Finished up The Secret Wisdom of the Earth, really liked it, just took a bit longer since I've been so distracted. Felt like a few different books all in one, some coming of age, some small town blue collar mining story, mystery, survival, etc. Great characters.

On a different note, I saw this at the bookstore the other day, and it really seemed fascinating to me... has anyone read this? Thought I would point it out, seems like it could be a really fun read and an interesting take on a Western.

Nunslinger

I'm not sure what I'll read next. I recently saw that Ivan Doig passed away, and I've got a couple of his books on my to-read list, so maybe it's time I look into one of those.. RIP Ivan Doig

 

[KidDork]

Just pretend that all characters have the mental faculties of 5 year-old children and things start making more sense

Ha! Explains the foot stomping and braid pulling.

I'm determined to finish it, Cyan. I've paid my ticket and I'm seeing this ride to the end!

 

[Mumei]

Speaking of the Vorkosigan Saga - what's the order for them again for someone that wants to get into them? I remember a big mclargehuge post someone made explaining it a long time ago and I even had it bookmarked but have lost my bookmarks file since then. I have a vacation coming up and it'd be a perfect time to burn through a bunch of books.

An excellent decision!

Ha! Explains the foot stomping and braid pulling.

I'm determined to finish it, Cyan. I've paid my ticket and I'm seeing this ride to the end!

And it helps to read this to get insight into Jordan's perspective on writing women:

Jordan was never anything but unapologetic. “I’ve seen a lot of comment, apparently from men, that my female characters are unrealistic,” he once wrote. “That’s because women are, for the most part, consummate actresses who allow men to see exactly what they intend men to see. Get behind the veil sometimes, boys, and your hair will turn white. I’ve been there, and mine went white and didn’t stop there; a great deal of it actually turned dark again, the shock to my system was so great. Believe me, I mild it down so as not to scare any males into mental breakdowns.” This is as indicative as any other passage Jordan penned regarding women: he seemed to regard a healthy mix of fear and condescension as a decent proxy for respect, and left it at that.

They're deranged because he writes them that way intentionally!

 

[Maklershed]

*looks around for Mumei*

Ok, here we go. With some minor editing since this was originally in response to someone who'd already read Shards:

Fantastic. Thank you. Rebookmarking!

Just bought Shards for now to see if I like it. I'm guessing Free Fall, which Amazon lists as book 1, is a prequel more than a true book 1.

An excellent decision!

I have to see what the fuss is all about. Been meaning to get to it for a long time now. Not sure why I havent yet.

 

[Piecake]

An excellent decision!



And it helps to read this to get insight into Jordan's perspective on writing women:



They're deranged because he writes them that way intentionally!

It really makes you wonder what his marriage was like.