• 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? (August 2010)

6a00d414219e89685e00d09e7e9833be2b-500pi

on Audiobook

GoodOmens-Soft-2000.jpg

real book, pretty hilarious so far
 
I just started book 10 of Jordan's Wheel of Time today (Crossroads of Twilight). Had meant to have been through the whole series by now, but I took a vacation that involved no reading, and then got distracted by games once I got home. I am planning to have the series finished by the end of the month if possible. It's been a good run for the last month and a half though, made it through 9 of them already, 3 to go.
 

movie_club

Junior Member
Just finished 1984. I have read it two times before but i wanted to mainly reread when Winston reads the book and the essay at the end on newspeak. God Orwell is amazing. I hope to start my reread of The Hobbit tomorrow. How quick of a read is it again? :lol
 
Do you guys listen to audiobooks? DOes it work? I tried once but always get distracted and just can't remember what I was listening to :/
 

Salazar

Member
Melhisedek said:
Do you guys listen to audiobooks? DOes it work? I tried once but always get distracted and just can't remember what I was listening to :/

I do. Borrow 'em from the library, rip to itunes, put on ipod, listen.

Terry Pratchett audiobooks are especially good.
 
I don't mind audio books, but I tend to prefer dramatizations like the BBC's Terry Pratchett plays or their version of Lord of the Rings (which blows the movies out of the water, imo) - although, I second the Pratchett audio book reccomendation, Tony Robinson does a great job narrating.
 
mote-in-gods-eye.jpg


Just finished Eon and started on this today. Much quicker read. Eon was a good book but some sections really dragged. This seems a lot smoother.
 

thomaser

Member
So I might get to meet Haruki Murakami in three weeks :D There's a "Murakami Festival" in Oslo, Norway from August 20th to 23rd, with lots of lectures, films and discussions. And the man himself comes on the 23rd to round off the whole thing with a talk. I got two tickets (only 200 available), and if I'm lucky I'll get to talk to him. I'm a Murakami-fanboy, so this is exciting!
 

thomaser

Member
Salazar said:
You know, I'm sure, the envy that post will arouse :lol

I guess I know! Stayed up ALL night so I could order the tickets the exact moment they were laid out for sale online early this morning. Even got a friend in Oslo to stand in line to buy the same tickets just in case. So we ended up getting two sets out of it, but she'll give the tickets she bought to other friends.

If there are other Norwegians here, they still have tickets left for a simultaneous big screen-showing of the Murakami-meet. It's obviously in another hall, but almost as good as the real thing.
 

vareon

Member
Wait, The Book Depository ships free worldwide, including my country? This is like the best news ever to me :O
 

KingGondo

Banned
thomaser said:
So I might get to meet Haruki Murakami in three weeks :D There's a "Murakami Festival" in Oslo, Norway from August 20th to 23rd, with lots of lectures, films and discussions. And the man himself comes on the 23rd to round off the whole thing with a talk. I got two tickets (only 200 available), and if I'm lucky I'll get to talk to him. I'm a Murakami-fanboy, so this is exciting!
Very cool, make sure to get a picture with him if possible! He seems like a very down-to-earth kind of guy.

-------

As for me, I took the Bar Exam about a week ago, so I haven't done any leisure reading recently. Still working on:

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy (between this and Red Dead Redemption, I'm completely immersed in hyper-sylized Wild West Mythos... :D)

The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. Excellent, would eventually like to read everything he's done, but especially Unweaving the Rainbow and Climbing Mount Improbable.

Need to read A Feast for Crows as well, but I'll probably just wait until GRRM announces A Dance With Dragons. TV series is looking incredibly promising, though!
 

RyanDG

Member
Just finished Chuck Hogan/Del Toro's The Strain. About to work on the Boy with the Cuckoo Clock Heart (my wife picked it up for me at the library - I'm a little 'meh' about it so far).
 

KingGondo

Banned
RyanDG said:
Just finished Chuck Hogan/Del Toro's The Strain. About to work on the Boy with the Cuckoo Clock Heart (my wife picked it up for me at the library - I'm a little 'meh' about it so far).
Curious as to what you thought of The Strain... I thought it was absolutely terrible, honestly. Lots of half-baked characters, the "vampires" aren't really all that scary... I'm surprised I even managed to finish it.
 

thomaser

Member
KingGondo said:
Very cool, make sure to get a picture with him if possible! He seems like a very down-to-earth kind of guy.

No cameras allowed, unfortunately... but they can't confiscate our mobile phones, so we'll see!
 

Carlisle

Member
Finally finished the behemoth that is Cryptonomicon. I've been slowly reading it off an on for over a year. Finally laid it to rest last week. 1100 pages.

Now reading Nothing to Envy. Completely fascinating book.

nothing.jpg


Afrodium said:
1tE2e.jpg


I'm halfway through this and I am loving it. I was really intimidated by it before I stared, and didn't think I would make it to the end, but I'm finding it surprisingly readable and easy to follow. I will definitely be reading more Dostoevsky.
Enjoy that. It's my favorite book of all time.
 

SolKane

Member
apocalidiot said:
Just read Slaughterhouse Five... Awesome stuff! I also checked out Breakfast of Champions so I'm excited for the tie ins

thats probably his worst book, IMO. try cat's cradle, mother night or god bless you mr. rosewater instead. breakfast of champions gets very outre and for me doesnt have much of an impact.
 

Kuraudo

Banned
Began Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World last night. First Murakami and only a quarter of the way in, but loving it so far.
 

KingGondo

Banned
SolKane said:
thats probably his worst book, IMO. try cat's cradle, mother night or god bless you mr. rosewater instead. breakfast of champions gets very outre and for me doesnt have much of an impact.
Yeah, Breakfast of Champions fell flat for me, too. It's amusing for the first few dozen pages, and then the schtick wears thin. It was also horribly depressing, but not in a cathartic or enlightening way.
 

Jarlaxle

Member
Currently reading The Talismans of Shannara by Terry Brooks.

At least this is the last one of this four part set and it's definitely better than the first "trilogy" but it is by no means good. I'm definitely going to take a break after this and try and read something better before going back for the final four Shannara books that I own.
 

Burger

Member
KingGondo said:
Curious as to what you thought of The Strain... I thought it was absolutely terrible, honestly. Lots of half-baked characters, the "vampires" aren't really all that scary... I'm surprised I even managed to finish it.

I totally agree. I asked a friend what they thought after I finished it and they said "Awesome" and I was like "Really??? Reaaalllyy??"

I thought it was a bit Young Adult. I enjoyed "The Passage" by Justin Cronin much much more.
 

KingGondo

Banned
Burger said:
I totally agree. I asked a friend what they thought after I finished it and they said "Awesome" and I was like "Really??? Reaaalllyy??"

I thought it was a bit Young Adult. I enjoyed "The Passage" by Justin Cronin much much more.
I'm pretty sure the only reason I finished it is because I bought it in hardcover, and felt obligated to get my money's worth. Ugh.
 

Iceman

Member
Fever Dream by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child (my favorite authors)

These guys are really ticking me off by dangling the lives of two major recurring characters by a friggen thread. Taking characters to within a millimeters of their lives is nothing new for these guys, but they also kill some of their most popular characters with regularity. 3/4 of the way through. I'll be on the knife's edge until the last page I'm sure.

Funny, unhinged Special Agent Pendergast doesn't behave that differently than the comfortably distant agent we've become used to. But that may be a bit of a mis-characterization, half of the Pendergast books have involved threats to/from family and friends: Cabinet of Curiosities, Dance of Death, Book of the Dead, Cemetery Dance and now Fever Dream (five out of ten).

BTW, if you're looking for a recommendation for getting into these novels, you can start with The Relic or with Cabinet of Curiosities. Either way, Cabinet is a must read, and then Still Life with Crows and then the Book of the Dead trilogy (Brimstone, Dance of Death and the Book of the Dead). You can skip Wheel of Darkness and Cemetery Dance. Fever Dream is a worthy addition to the series, very similar to Dance of Death IMO.
 
I'll finish it this week.
63uib9.jpg


The trailer for The Social Network peaked my interest so I figured I'd read the book before the film came out. It's an OK book. It's entertaining but it sort of reads like a geek's fantasy and not real life. I can't help to shake the feeling Ben Mezrich made some shit up just to make the story more interesting. It makes for an entertaining read for sure but I'm entirely sure how accurate it is.

Once that's done I'm on to this:
169rwxl.jpg


I enjoyed Boneshaker so I'm looking forward to cracking this one open.
 

RyanDG

Member
KingGondo said:
Curious as to what you thought of The Strain... I thought it was absolutely terrible, honestly. Lots of half-baked characters, the "vampires" aren't really all that scary... I'm surprised I even managed to finish it.


I didn't like any of the characters and there was not a single time in the entire novel that I felt any sort of real fear for any of their safety (looking at the main characters that is). There was a lot of hype about this making vampire's scary again, but I ended up being left with something that felt cheeky and not very satisfying at all.

With that said - has anyone read the Passage yet? After the Strain, I'm a little iffy on picking it up, but I've been hearing a lot of good things about it and the Passage seems to be plastered all over the book stores/best seller lists (which can be a good thing or a bad thing). I don't want any spoilers, just curious if it can sate my apetite for a 'horrifying' vampire.
 

ilikeme

Member
BorkBork said:
The Dispossessed is much much better.
Getting me hyped! It's arriving some day this week.. omg! :D

I finished Revelation Space and the ending was.. not really what I expected and left me, a bit disappointed. And a lot of the space/time physics in the end flew over my head. Oh well, let's hope the next book at least follows up on the Brannigan/Ana/Volyova stuff and hopefully some of the ideas talked about actually amount to something other than loose ideas floating around in space. It IS a trilogy so I guess things are coming up in the next episode!

While waiting for Le Guin I'm gonna read

1699_400x600-1.jpg


Enjoyed the first one a lot so it should be a good time!
 

SephCast

Brotherhood of Shipley's
So, I'm about 20% into Game of Thrones and I'm absolutely addicted. I find myself reading the e-book on my iPhone on the way to work, on the crapper, and at home at various times. It's a great read for someone who just started to get back into reading.
 

Combichristoffersen

Combovers don't work when there is no hair
ilikeme said:
While waiting for Le Guin I'm gonna read

1699_400x600-1.jpg


Enjoyed the first one a lot so it should be a good time!

You reading Sandman for the first time? If so, prepare to be blown away. It's quite possibly one of the best comics ever.
 
0575079754.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg


The Lies of Locke Lamora

Starts off slow imo but its a really good read once things start rolling.I want to jump into sci fi but the fantasy genre has been hitting on all cylinders lately...
 

kaskade

Member
So The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo basically got be back into reading. That plus Amazon Prime. I just ordered Tokyo Vice. I remember reading an excerpt in a magazine and it was pretty interesting. I think I may get a kindle.

NBquE.jpg
 
You reading Sandman for the first time? If so, prepare to be blown away. It's quite possibly one of the best comics ever.
Seconded. The volumes Season of the Mists, Brief Lives, and The Kindly Ones are just.... Well, it's hard to put into words.
 
torfatal_bg.jpg


Ugh what a nerd i am
:D
blood_meridian.jpg


If they do make a movie i think it might qualify as oneof the most violent films ever. Almost every scene involves death in some way. Its excellently written though
 
If they do make a movie i think it might qualify as oneof the most violent films ever. Almost every scene involves death in some way. Its excellently written though
Once you hit a certain part in the book (last third or around theres) I doubt you'll be able to put it down. It might contain the single greatest third act of all time.
 

BobsRevenge

I do not avoid women, GAF, but I do deny them my essence.
afternoon delight said:
Once you hit a certain part in the book (last third or around theres) I doubt you'll be able to put it down. It might contain the single greatest third act of all time.
I stopped reading about 2/5ths the way into it because I couldn't take all the violence and the characters anymore. It is easily the most fucked up book I've read. Todd Field has some balls picking it up. I'm going to read the book before that movie comes out, I guess, but I'm not sure how much I'll enjoy it.
 
I stopped reading about 2/5ths the way into it because I couldn't take all the violence and the characters anymore. It is easily the most fucked up book I've read. Todd Field has some balls picking it up. I'm going to read the book before that movie comes out, I guess, but I'm not sure how much I'll enjoy it.
I have serious doubts that a movie will ever be made. They've been talking about it for years and yes, it is pretty much never going to be a true adaptation due to the content.
 

BobsRevenge

I do not avoid women, GAF, but I do deny them my essence.
afternoon delight said:
I have serious doubts that a movie will ever be made. They've been talking about it for years and yes, it is pretty much never going to be a true adaptation due to the content.
I, have some doubt too. Todd Field does have balls though. He took a pedophile that randomly started to jack off in front of a date and made you sympathize with him. That's about as ballsy as film making gets. :lol

At least until he shows dudes smashing babies against rocks in Blood Meridian. Then he will have one-upped himself.
 

Combichristoffersen

Combovers don't work when there is no hair
afternoon delight said:
Seconded. The volumes Season of the Mists, Brief Lives, and The Kindly Ones are just.... Well, it's hard to put into words.

Yeah. I really like A Game of You too. It's so.. different. It's like a mindfuck horror fairytale on acid. And Martin Tenbones is boss.
 
At least until he shows dudes smashing babies against rocks in Blood Meridian. Then he will have one-upped himself.
Or simply naked men bathed in blood and dirt, adorning themselves with people's skins and scalps, strolling into town atop horses. I'll believe it when I see it. :lol

Yeah. I really like A Game of You too. It's so.. different. It's like a mindfuck horror fairytale on acid. And Martin Tenbones is boss.
Completely forgot about that. The Cuckoo is sublime.

Also, which one had the serial killer convention?
 
joeyjoejoeshabadoo said:
I'll finish it this week.
63uib9.jpg

I thought this was total garbage - not necessarily the main story, but the fact that it's really nothing more than a magazine article padded to hell and back with detail and conjecture that has nothing to do with Zuckerman stealing/not-stealing Facebook. Seriously, I don't see how the movie CAN'T be better than the book...

It's very much a 'get from the library and skim'. But only if you must.
 
The Brothers Karamazov--Was hung up on making sure my version was the best translation, but stopped caring once I got started. I adore this book (it's the McDuff translation if anyone's wondering).
 
Top Bottom