What are you reading? (August 2013)

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Just finished A Feast for Crows and holy shit is this the biggest step down in a sequel ever? The whole book I was waiting for it to reach a climax but it never did. And the thing is the writing was still brilliant for what was there, but i dont know how he read that book and thought it was a good SoS followup. And then lol at him getting ADWD out in 2006. How the hell did it take him til 2011 to get out a book he was done with? Someone please tell me Dragons is much better because i really don't want 1000 pages of sidestories and useless wandering.
 
Espresso said:
I'm reading On Her Majesty's Secret Service by Ian Fleming. Should I be reading the James Bond novels in chronological order, or does it not matter?
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Going through the series mysetf at the moment. Early ones somewhat build continuity and establish Bond's character but I imagine after a certain point, it'd hardly matter.
 
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metalslimer said:
Just finished A Feast for Crows and holy shit is this the biggest step down in a sequel ever? The whole book I was waiting for it to reach a climax but it never did. And the thing is the writing was still brilliant for what was there, but i dont know how he read that book and thought it was a good SoS followup. And then lol at him getting ADWD out in 2006. How the hell did it take him til 2011 to get out a book he was done with? Someone please tell me Dragons is much better because i really don't want 1000 pages of sidestories and useless wandering.
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AFfC was garbo. 1000 pages of little to nothing happening. The momentum from the first three books just gets drawn to a complete halt.

ADWD is better but you'll want to find GRRM and strangle him for what he does
or doesn't do, with Dany.
 
metalslimer said:
Just finished A Feast for Crows and holy shit is this the biggest step down in a sequel ever? The whole book I was waiting for it to reach a climax but it never did. And the thing is the writing was still brilliant for what was there, but i dont know how he read that book and thought it was a good SoS followup. And then lol at him getting ADWD out in 2006. How the hell did it take him til 2011 to get out a book he was done with? Someone please tell me Dragons is much better because i really don't want 1000 pages of sidestories and useless wandering.
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I thought it was much better. In fact, comparing it to the early books I personally may have liked Dance of Dragons better than Clash of Kings which didn't entirely satisfy me.

As for popular consensus, if you look at Goodreads, you'll see that Feast of Crows was the lowest rated book in the series so far. Dance with Dragons is the second lowest but was generally very close to the ratings for the other books in the series, and was recieved pretty well by most with fewer people that really hated it.
 
I'm currently swapping between two books:

-American Psycho. I love it. So demented and repelling, so 80's, it's like watching a snake coil up and get ready to strike. I'm around 30% done. I haven't seen the movie but I'm looking forward to see how the material is adapted.

-Reamde by Neal Stephenson. I was wondering where it was going in the beginning, because it was light and kind of normal for Stephenson (like the first half Randy sections of Cryptonomicon, funny but not much happens). But then we get the plot and the book barrels ahead like no other, and it's pretty damn gripping and unpredictable. And of course it remains as funny as any other Stephenson book (minus Anathem, which wasn't funny).

I'm around 40% to 50% done and I would say it's the lesser of the NS books I've read but I still think it's worth reading if you like unpredictable nerdy thrillers.
 
The Golden Khan said:
I haven't read any of his longer works but you might want to check out The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allen Poe, it's his only Novel, and there are some odditites about it, plot holes and the like but it's really fantastic if you get through it.

I really enjoy Lovecraft, it's always great to hear someone else is enjoying his works.
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Arthur Gordon Pym is fantastic, but sort of doesn't come together in the end in a completely satisfying way. Still worth reading for some of the most haunting scenes at sea I've come across.

I always recommend William Hope Hodgson as well. His entire works have been collected in a few volumes recently, available on Kindle too.
 
Still working myself through Ulysses. It's a rather slow process, since some chapters are quite hard to follow. I never got into the Aeolus chapter for instance. It never really becomes a page turner, and when it grabs you it's more of a 'neat' read than anything else.
 

The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis

Bought all these when they were a daily deal earlier in the year as I was curious what my opinion of them would be today. Read The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe first and enjoyed that as much as I remembered. This I cared as little for as the first time I read it, I think. Thought it really dragged until the Narnia stuff which makes me wonder if I'm more enamored with the setting than anything. Religious themes were a little more overt in this one too.

I would have read this first had I been aware that the reading order had changed. The box set I initially read had it listed as #6 which sort of dates everything!
 
Currently reading The Affirmation by Christopher Priest. First time I've tried his work. It's been fascinating and confusing in equal measure. I'm wondering how it's going to come together at the end or even if it will.
 
Lee Child 'The affair'
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Been making my way through he Reacher novels the past 3 years. Really enjoy them, though they do vary in quality. Just started this one.

James Sallis: Drive
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Got this on kindle for 99p. Quite liked the film, 30% of my way through and enjoying it ok so far. Should finish this one today or tomorrow as its only a short book.

Also like to have a little non fiction going on that i can dip in and out of when i'm not in the mood and currently some way through this.
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Love charley brooker, really makes me laugh. Found this in a charity shop for a quid
 
Been listening to:

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I really enjoy it so far. It's not overly innovative or anything and so far most twists have been more or less predictable but the main characters are likable enough to keep me interested. And who knows I might be getting surprised yet since I'm at a part of the book which feels a bit like the final showdown but is not even halfway through the book.

I'll also re-started:

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I started this some months back but got side-tracked a bit and decided to lay it aside for a while because if the first book was any indication this is something that needs to be read with full focus. I really liked the first book though, even though sometimes I wasn't quite sure what was going on. Especially when,
Severian and Agia go to get that strange plant in the Botanic Gardens and they find Dorcas in the water (who may or may not be the wife of the man that had lead them before).
I don't know if that part and what happend before was some sort of symbolism or allusion that I just didn't get or if I wasn't supposed to get it yet. I guess I have to keep reading to find out.
 
UraMallas said:
Is ' The Brothers Karamazov' a tough read? Is it dry? I speak English exclusively, btw.
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Brothers Karamazov is a surprisingly easy read, don't let the length of the novel deter you. There is a lot of humor and some of the scenes near the end; i.e The Grand Inquisitor are about as good as you are going to get in literature. The book doesn't read that old becomes the themes of faith, intellectualism, punishment and redemption are about as universal as it gets. Just take your time with the book, don't burn yourself out right away, and I think you will really enjoy it.
 
metalslimer said:
Just finished A Feast for Crows and holy shit is this the biggest step down in a sequel ever? The whole book I was waiting for it to reach a climax but it never did. And the thing is the writing was still brilliant for what was there, but i dont know how he read that book and thought it was a good SoS followup. And then lol at him getting ADWD out in 2006. How the hell did it take him til 2011 to get out a book he was done with? Someone please tell me Dragons is much better because i really don't want 1000 pages of sidestories and useless wandering.
Click to expand...

Its better. It feels more like the first 3 books but still lacks a good climax. Some characters diddle around others don't.
 
Nezumi said:
I'll also re-started:

conciliator.jpg


I started this some months back but got side-tracked a bit and decided to lay it aside for a while because if the first book was any indication this is something that needs to be read with full focus. I really liked the first book though, even though sometimes I wasn't quite sure what was going on. Especially when,
Severian and Agia go to get that strange plant in the Botanic Gardens and they find Dorcas in the water (who may or may not be the wife of the man that had lead them before).
I don't know if that part and what happend before was some sort of symbolism or allusion that I just didn't get or if I wasn't supposed to get it yet. I guess I have to keep reading to find out.
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You are absolutely right. The Book Of The New Sun is incredibly dense and you should definitely pay attention to everything that's being said and not said, what is shown and what is alluded to if you connect the pieces.
 
FourMyle said:
You are absolutely right. The Book Of The New Sun is incredibly dense and you should definitely pay attention to everything that's being said and not said, what is shown and what is alluded to if you connect the pieces.
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and then once you're done with the series, read it again to make it all make sense!

Love those books.
 
Just finished the incredible Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson. Wow that was a roller-coaster of the read. Highly recommended. heard about it through a interview Mark Strong did recently and said he has just finished filming the adaptation and raved about the book

Maklershed said:
My $30 haul from the Hershey book sale yesterday ...
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I would like to ask if the Lee Child Jack Reacher book are all very similar. I read the first book in the series, Killing Floor and didn't really get into it. But if they improve as they progress or there are books in the series which are are far superior I may carry on reading.
Any suggestions would be most grateful.
I was recommended his books after reading Judge and Jury by James Patterson [which I thought was outstanding] but Killing Floor seemed a very by the numbers read.
 
jacobs34 said:
Brothers Karamazov is a surprisingly easy read, don't let the length of the novel deter you. There is a lot of humor and some of the scenes near the end; i.e The Grand Inquisitor are about as good as you are going to get in literature. The book doesn't read that old becomes the themes of faith, intellectualism, punishment and redemption are about as universal as it gets. Just take your time with the book, don't burn yourself out right away, and I think you will really enjoy it.
Click to expand...

Wow. This is exactly the kind of recommendation I was looking for. Downloading now. Thanks.
 
grounded_dreams said:
Just finished the incredible Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson. Wow that was a roller-coaster of the read. Highly recommended. heard about it through a interview Mark Strong did recently and said he has just finished filming the adaptation and raved about the book



I would like to ask if the Lee Child Jack Reacher book are all very similar. I read the first book in the series, Killing Floor and didn't really get into it. But if they improve as they progress or there are books in the series which are are far superior I may carry on reading.
Any suggestions would be most grateful.
I was recommended his books after reading Judge and Jury by James Patterson [which I thought was outstanding] but Killing Floor seemed a very by the numbers read.
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Killing floor is not the best (not even close) but not the worst either. I liked it a lot myself.

As the stories go on, Reacher gradually becomes more and more like a vigilante superhero. He generates huge body-counts in some of the books. Whether you like them will depend on what you want to get out of them. They're mystery stories, but they're also definitely testosterone fueled hero fantasies as well.

And the books vary a lot. Some are very simple mystery novels, others delve into international intrigue, others read like noir fiction, others are basically simple revenge stories where Reacher goes in search of people who did something bad to one of his old army buddies.

There is very little continuity to worry about, so you can read them in almost any order. Three that I really loved (and they're all very different) are Echo Burning, Persuader, and Gone Tomorrow.

None of the books are super-serious. They're definitely pure escapist fiction. And some are absolutely terrible, but you can usually spot that pretty quick and stop before you get too far in.
 
Just finished a crap sci-fi novel bolstered by fake reviews called "Forging Zero". Terrible.

I now need some good sci-fi to cleanse my palate. Can anyone recommend something to me?
 
Victarion said:
Will be starting this tonight.
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Heard good things about this series. Added to the wish list.

Edit: Also added Before I Go to Sleep based on post above. I am definitely adding more books to the list than I am completing books I'm already reading! Still not even 1/3 of the way through Bear's Eon.
 
Maklershed said:
My $30 haul from the Hershey book sale yesterday ...
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Nice haul for sure, my recommendation of course is Into The Wild :)

hardcastlemccormick said:
-Reamde by Neal Stephenson.
I'm around 40% to 50% done and I would say it's the lesser of the NS books I've read but I still think it's worth reading if you like unpredictable nerdy thrillers.
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I was just checking out Reamde while at the bookstore actually, seemed cool enough and I've heard plenty about it. I think I'll check it out sometime.

Bauhaus said:
Does anybody know where I can buy audiobooks online?
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I know Audible gets lots of love.

As for what I'm reading... I was in the mood for some light summer reading, and some light science fiction/action in a series that actually has an ending.. so I'm diving into The Hunger Games books. Now reading...
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Bauhaus said:
Does anybody know where I can buy audiobooks online?
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Definitly audible. Their subscription deal is great because it allows you to get audiobooks that would be quite expensive for under ten bucks. It is also flexible and can be canceled or paused anytime you want.
 
Cyan said:
Can it be paused? I was just looking for that option and can't find it anywhere.

That would actually be kind of handy since I have several credits and don't really need any more right now. But I'm not sure if you lose them by canceling a membership. :?
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I always thought it was so, but I just checked and you are right. Credits will be lost if the subscription is canceled. While that blows I still think it is not that bad because technically you can just get a subscribtion, get a credit and cancel right away if you know that you only want to buy one book. It only sucks if you have a lot of credit and don't know what to by before canceling your subscription.
 
Blasted through Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk. Great book from beginning to end. Just really entertaining to read. Highly recommended.

Started Forge of Darkness
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I was trying to wait until at least the next book was out, but seeing so many people reading Malazan lately I couldn't hold out any longer....It feels good to be back. I love this world so much.
 
Just finished Flesh Gothic by Edward Lee. This was the second Lee novel I've ever read, and I liked it much better than the first, Header. While Header was pretty one note, Flesh Gothic was much more interesting. Lee did a great job building the mood and atmosphere of the house, and the characters seemed reasonably sketched out. The story may have been a riff on Hell House, but Lee's willingness to get very bloody and sleazy really made the book unique. I enjoyed it so much, I decided to tackle some more Lee.

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Although he wrote a couple of other books under the name Phillip Straker, Lee considers Ghouls his debut novel.
 
Currently reading
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Very enjoyable and insightful!

Probably going to read some Kafka biography or something more by Hemingway after that.
 
UraMallas said:
Wow. This is exactly the kind of recommendation I was looking for. Downloading now. Thanks.
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Not for nothing, but if you find it too dense or whatever and this is your first Dostoevsky, I would try Crime and Punishment. It's the most entertaining, in a page turner sort of way. With very few exceptions, his stuff is all amazing. It's really too bad he didn't finish the sequel.
 
Just finished

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last night. It was a breezy decent read, though I didn't find it particularly compelling. It was much too short though, and as a result, none of the characters were very well developed and the storyline jumped around a lot when I would have preferred the opposite.
 
Nezumi said:
I always thought it was so, but I just checked and you are right. Credits will be lost if the subscription is canceled. While that blows I still think it is not that bad because technically you can just get a subscribtion, get a credit and cancel right away if you know that you only want to buy one book. It only sucks if you have a lot of credit and don't know what to by before canceling your subscription.
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Yep. I only used it during a free trial period and snagged a book I wanted to listen to on a road trip. If you are currently subscribed and have credit available, you should spend them prior to cancelling. If not, they're gone.
 
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I started and finished Ender's Game in the last week of July, but since they are a series I included it. I read through Ender's Shadow and Speaker for the Dead since the beginning of August. 2 novels in 5 days is a personal best for me.

Next novel will either be Shadow of the Hegemon or Supergods by Grant Morrison to give myself a break from the Ender's Series
 
ShaneB said:
As for what I'm reading... I was in the mood for some light summer reading, and some light science fiction/action in a series that actually has an ending..
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This. Still kicking myself for starting The Kingkiller Chronicle. I loved the first book and want to blow through the rest of the series.

When's this thing wrapping up, 2014?
 
I'm getting further into Memories of Ice. I keep getting more amazed at how Erikson weaves everything together. I'm really getting sucked into the world, and finding the journey pretty fantastic, and all of the characters continue to grow in my mind.
 
Finished The Algebraist over the weekend, really enjoyable book but at the same time it was quite sad finishing it as its was the last of Iain Bank's science fiction books i hadn't read.

Started on Terry Pratchett's Discworld books at the weekend, pretty much polished off The Colour of Magic, expect to finish that off at lunch today, quite glad i never picked up this series till now, just going off what i have read so far in the first books its gonna be a fun read and just what i need to get over the fact there will never be another new Bank's Scifi book to read.
 
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