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[Christoff Yurievich]

Okay found what I'm reading next. Oddball book choice I got from a library sale:

Picked it up because the cover intrigued me and so far it's good. I didn't read the jacket so when the

Spoiler

meta-human(?)

stuff started I was caught off-guard at first.

Still listening to The Golem & The Jinni every time I'm doing something where I can't read.

Finished this Saturday night. Almost finished it on the 31st to add one more book to my July total but oh well. I really enjoyed the book at time, but then there were other occasions where I didn't like where it was going because it talked a lot about something but never actually went there. It was so odd.

Quick synopsis: The Pilipino X-Men with one messed-up Xavier, Cyclops, and Wolverine, but all of that is hidden in a story of a guy whose dad is kidnapped to be sold to the highest bidder and the P-Men are sent in to rescue him.

Listening to The Golem & The Jinni right now and my next library book is A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again, which will be my first attempt at Wallace.

 

[Maklershed]

I saw this recommended on Reddit and figured it's exactly my cup of tea.

Question: I'm interessted in catching up with some older stuff by Michael Crichton. Are Jurassic Park (Dino Park) and Sphere still enjoyable when you are familiar with the movies? (I love Jurassic Park and know it by heart, and I like the Sphere movie more than most people do.)

I just read both recently. Jurassic Park is good. It's a lot darker and more violent than the movies and has a real message about being careful with gene manipulation and not doing things just because you can, which I don't think comes across quite as well in the movie. Sphere however was pretty boring imo. I didn't love it. You're probably better off just watching the movie and leaving it at that.

 

[KidDork]

Question: I'm interessted in catching up with some older stuff by Michael Crichton. Are Jurassic Park (Dino Park) and Sphere still enjoyable when you are familiar with the movies? (I love Jurassic Park and know it by heart, and I like the Sphere movie more than most people do.)

If you love the films, then you'll enjoy the books. I've always admired Crichton's ability to create these marketable page turners that are often far smarter than they need to be. His work can get snagged on out of date pop culture references, though (I recently re-read Sphere and noticed that), which is the price you pay for wanting to be topical when your book is released.

 

[Manmademan]

Still chugging through The Brothers Karamazov, but I was in Indigo today and thought of putting this next on my list:

Anybody have any comments about it? Read the first chapter and seems interesting.

picked this up on the reccommendation of the thread. I'm not a nonfiction guy but this is easily the best thing I've read this year.

 

[Mackenzie 92]

Been busy, but did pick up Armada. I really liked Ready Player One, Armada, not so much. Cringeworthy is all I can say.

I saw this recommended on Reddit and figured it's exactly my cup of tea.

Question: I'm interessted in catching up with some older stuff by Michael Crichton. Are Jurassic Park (Dino Park) and Sphere still enjoyable when you are familiar with the movies? (I love Jurassic Park and know it by heart, and I like the Sphere movie more than most people do.)

Alienist is great.

 

[ryseing]

Finished up 'Out of my League' last night. Enjoyed it plenty, but took a bit to really hit a stride, and Bullpen Gospels was much funnier throughout. Really enjoying Dirk Hayhurst's books, so I'll certainly read the third sometime too, especially since it picks up with his Blue Jays days, so I'll have even more familiarity with it.

Moving onto this next since Golf is just about the only thing on my mind lately.

Slaying the Tiger: A Year Inside the Ropes on the New PGA Tour by Shane Ryan

Oh shit, this is Shane Ryan's new book?! Love his Grantland pieces. Will have to check this one out.

 

[Fou-Lu]

I want to read something with a heavy, dark, foreboding and mysterious atmosphere, recommendations?

 

[Piecake]

I want to read something with a heavy, dark, foreboding and mysterious atmosphere, recommendations?

Its been a long time since I read it so I could be wrong, but The Trial by Kafka might fit your needs.

 

[Necrovex]

What's a fantastic book in understanding the nuances of Mao's Cultural Revolution? Considering China's continued growth in today's market, it'd be invaluable reading up on its recent history.

 

[Maklershed]

I want to read something with a heavy, dark, foreboding and mysterious atmosphere, recommendations?

Drood!


Drood by Dan Simmons

 

[Protome]

Finished Howl's Moving Castle. It was outstanding, loved it completely.

Now I'm going to start reading Deathless by Catherynne M Valente

 

[Maklershed]

Just finished Winters Bone. Really enjoyed it. The bleak, rural setting. It ended kind of abruptly though. Seems like a chapter is missing at the end. Oh well. If anyone has recs for books like Winters Bone I'd gladly accept them.

For now, I'm returning to John Dies at the End. I don't love it but I'm halfway through so I might as well finish it.

 

[RepairmanJack]

Made it about 20% through yesterday, which for me is a lot in one day. Maybe too early to say, but I am REALLY liking this.

 

[Maklershed]

*fist bump*

 

[RepairmanJack]

*fist bump*

Thanks for the recommendation!

 

[GavinUK86]

Finished up 'Out of my League' last night. Enjoyed it plenty, but took a bit to really hit a stride, and Bullpen Gospels was much funnier throughout. Really enjoying Dirk Hayhurst's books, so I'll certainly read the third sometime too, especially since it picks up with his Blue Jays days, so I'll have even more familiarity with it.

Moving onto this next since Golf is just about the only thing on my mind lately.

Slaying the Tiger: A Year Inside the Ropes on the New PGA Tour by Shane Ryan

Never heard of this book but that cover is a hilarious mess lol.

 

[kinoki]

Just finished up Snabba Cash (Easy Money) which was far better than expected. Was expecting pulpy pulp but got good pulp. Too bad that there were no female characters that weren't damsels in distress.

Next up I finished Disturbing the Peace by Richard Yates. A really good book, atleast for those who love Yeats like me. Doesn't quite reach the heights of Revolutionary Road but I like the play-within-a-play narrative. I dig anything that's folded.

 

[sparky2112]

Never heard of this book but that cover is a hilarious mess lol.

Mess is right. As is the title, really. Tiger was the player of the year in 2013 and then he got hurt. Slay him? Only two guys on that cover have a chance - one of whom is on crutches and will probably miss the rest of the season. The other is barely old enough to shave or drink, so we'll see how he pans out...

 

[Alucard]

Started this a couple of days ago. (these are the covers I have. Got them at a used book store...yes, the second and third books are out of order in this picture)

Just under 100 pages into Foundation. I'd read it years ago because I'd loved the robot stories, but Foundation just felt so different that I wasn't really sure how to approach it. The way the narrative jumped generations was weird to me, and I didn't quite understand much of the political stuff going on. Now that I'm older and arguably wiser, this book is really clicking with me.

Also, I love this series of Asimov book covers...

 

[Alucard]

Finished Howl's Moving Castle. It was outstanding, loved it completely.

Now I'm going to start reading Deathless by Catherynne M Valente

I've never read either book, but I'm really intrigued based on your posts and the fact that I do love a good fantasy adventure.

 

[Ashes]

Still reading three men in a boat. It really is very funny.

 

[old]

I'm about to start Dhalgren.

I like books that seem like they were written by an author tripping on LSD.

 

[ShaneB]

Mess is right. As is the title, really. Tiger was the player of the year in 2013 and then he got hurt. Slay him? Only two guys on that cover have a chance - one of whom is on crutches and will probably miss the rest of the season. The other is barely old enough to shave or drink, so we'll see how he pans out...

It's just a bit of clever word play. The book is not about taking Tiger Woods out back and putting him down, it's just about the new crop of young players that are really taking the PGA by storm. Only a couple chapters in and it'll be a fun and interesting read.

 

[sparky2112]

It's just a bit of clever word play. The book is not about taking Tiger Woods out back and putting him down, it's just about the new crop of young players that are really taking the PGA by storm. Only a couple chapters in and it'll be a fun and interesting read.

Oh, I'll probably read it. All the pre-release dirt on Reed was interesting, if not terribly shocking.

 

[Verdre]

I've given up on The Genome by Sergei Lukyanenko.

I made it half way through, but I don't understand how the person who wrote Night Watch also published this extraordinary piece of trash.

 

[Mumei]

Is anyone else planning on biting on Augustus?

 

[Maklershed]

Also, I love this series of Asimov book covers...

That middle one is awesome.

Is anyone else planning on biting on Augustus?

Yeah I intend to read it.

 

[Nymerio]

Is anyone else planning on biting on Augustus?

It's been on my list since I found out that it's by the same author as Stoner. Not sure if I'll get around to it this month, but I'm pretty sure I'll read it this year at least.

 

[Hanzou]

Is anyone else planning on biting on Augustus?

I was going to but my library doesn't seem to have it. Probably only a few cases ever where my library did not have a book I was looking for.

 

[Hisoka]

I read Bartimäus right now. I love it. I'm not reading that much honestly, but i really like this. Is there a book which is similar?
Already afraid of not having fun with another book after this. It's the first time (in a long time) that i really enjoy reading that much again.

 

[TTG]

Is anyone else planning on biting on Augustus?

I'm waiting on first impressions, although if they don't start coming in soon I may get started regardless. I feel like the book I'm reading now needs a complement to keep going.

Speaking of which: A Brief History of Seven Killings. Interesting premise, "The novel spans several decades and explores the attempted assassination of Bob Marley in Jamaica in the late 1970s and its aftermath through the crack wars in New York City in the 1980s and a changed Jamaica in the 1990s." Written not poorly at all, but it's just missing a spark. I thought I was really connecting with one character(this is one of those one character per chapter deals), but now we've jumped forward in time and place and I don't know if she's coming back. It's ok, I wish it was more exciting or revelatory or something.

 

[Frosty Droid]

I just finished my first Discworld book, Guards! Guards! and it was hilarious and highly entertaining. I've been reading through io9's Guide to Discworld and I'm not sure if I'll stay with The City Watch series or jump around to Mort, Monstrous Regiment, or Going Postal.

 

[Piecake]

What's a fantastic book in understanding the nuances of Mao's Cultural Revolution? Considering China's continued growth in today's market, it'd be invaluable reading up on its recent history.

Mao's Last Revolution by Roderick MacFarquhar.

Honestly, I havent read it, but the author is one of the leading dudes in the field. I am personally going to wait until Frank Dikötter comes out with his book on the Cultural Revolution since I thought his book on the early Mao period was fantastic (still need to read his book on the Great Famine). Plus, I am guessing it will be quite a bit shorter

Is anyone else planning on biting on Augustus?

I'll be reading it after I finish up the book I am currently on

 

[Maklershed]

Question for kindle owners: can you still share kindle books? And if so, how do you do it? My sis-in-law was wondering if she'd be able to share books with my mom (who doesn't own a kindle yet but I'd buy one for her).

 

[kswiston]

I finished Never Let Me Go today by Kazuo Ishiguro. It might be my favourite read so far this year. It is such a sad read though. I'm now feeling a bit melancholic.

I am also back to my perpetual problem of figuring out what to read next.

Question for kindle owners: can you still share kindle books? And if so, how do you do it? My sis-in-law was wondering if she'd be able to share books with my mom (who doesn't own a kindle yet but I'd buy one for her).

If you make it so that both of the kindles are on the same account, there shouldn't be an issue sharing books.

 

[RDreamer]

Interested in more opinions when you are ready. Thinking back, atmosphere (book 1 and 3) was strongest point of the books.

Just finished Acceptance.

The atmosphere was definitely back in book 3. Considering what I think he was going for, I think overall it was a pretty good ending. There's still a ton not answered, but I think that kind of works. He made enough interesting connections between the characters in the third book to make it kind of worthwhile and intriguing in that way. Anyone that really wants everything answered, though, should stay the fuck away from this series. Also, I suppose anyone who really wants books where things happen should stay away, lol.

I'm really intrigued that at least the first book is getting a movie done. That's actually the entire reason why I picked it up. Alex Garland is one of my favorite movie writers, and I was interested when it was announced he was writing this. This series as a whole feels like one of the hardest to adapt. Because the vast majority of it is feelings and atmosphere, it almost feels like it'd be one of the hardest things to adapt out there. It relies on using words as fog to create even more mystery and ominousness. It also relies a lot on that instead of actual events, like a movie would have to.

 

[Haly]

Question for kindle owners: can you still share kindle books? And if so, how do you do it? My sis-in-law was wondering if she'd be able to share books with my mom (who doesn't own a kindle yet but I'd buy one for her).

The easiest way to do this is just to register your mom's PC's reader (standalone application) on her kindle account. She gets access to all the books your sis-in-law has although perhaps this isn't ideal.

 

[Nappuccino]

I just finished The Body Artist by Don Delillo and, while there's a lot to like, I'm not sure I'd recommend it to anyone. As for just being an interesting study on mood, the book does a fine job conveying what it's like to be out of step with others and your surroundings, but I'm not convinced it builds to anything all that meaningful. Part of this might have been my own trouble getting through it. The book is 120 pages of pretty big font, yet took me more than 2 hours to read. I felt pushed out of the book more than brought into it, which may have been intended. However, by the end I didn't feel the threads coming together and I wasn't motivated to tie them myself either.

All of this is made rather ironic because Delillo's main character puts on a stage play that, as another good reads reviewer said, scream "This is the book's theme, did you miss it?" On the one hand, this sequence faltered because the I wasn't told anything that I hadn't already picked up. On the other hand, this scene is fantastic because it's written as a newspaper or magazine review/conversation with the main character and the turn at the end of the article is haunting.

I wanted to like this more, but even with the book laying out its own themes, I had a hard time perceiving what they meant for the narrator and it never quite came together for me.

 

[RepairmanJack]

Question for kindle owners: can you still share kindle books? And if so, how do you do it? My sis-in-law was wondering if she'd be able to share books with my mom (who doesn't own a kindle yet but I'd buy one for her).

If you use the same account usually books have a set number of devices it can be on. I'm pretty sure it varies by publisher or book. I haven't run into an issue with it so far.

 

[Mumei]

I'm waiting on first impressions, although if they don't start coming in soon I may get started regardless. I feel like the book I'm reading now needs a complement to keep going.

Speaking of which: A Brief History of Seven Killings. Interesting premise, "The novel spans several decades and explores the attempted assassination of Bob Marley in Jamaica in the late 1970s and its aftermath through the crack wars in New York City in the 1980s and a changed Jamaica in the 1990s." Written not poorly at all, but it's just missing a spark. I thought I was really connecting with one character(this is one of those one character per chapter deals), but now we've jumped forward in time and place and I don't know if she's coming back. It's ok, I wish it was more exciting or revelatory or something.

Well, if you want first impressions:

"Augustus is a masterpiece." —Los Angeles Times

"The finest historical novel ever written by an American." —The Washington Post

"A novel of extraordinary range, yet of extraordinary minuteness, that manages never to sacrifice one quality for the other." —Financial Times

"Williams has immersed himself in ancient history, its conflicts, its complicated intrigues, and its often primitive turmoil. In his vivid panorama, The Golden Age sparkles with an eloquence, at times, approaching the poetic." —The Plain Dealer

Spoiler

it's really, really great

 

[TTG]

Yes, but how good is the magic system?

I'll try to find some time for it tonight.

 

[Haly]

*goes on Goodreads to see what piercing insight people have on A Little Life*

*sees most of the lower reviews complain about length and implausibility, or were just put off*

Worthless wastes of space!

 

[Mumei]

Yes, but how good is the magic system?

I'll try to find some time for it tonight.

<3

*goes on Goodreads to see what piercing insight people have on A Little Life*

*sees most of the lower reviews complain about length and implausibility, or were just put off*

Worthless wastes of space!

Or else they complain that details that were explained were actually explained

Spoiler

(e.g. I saw someone complaining that she didn't understand how Jude was educated. It's not like this isn't explained many, many times...)

It's just tragic. I hope you enjoyed Carlos' insights, though.

 

[Haly]

Lol, Carlos. What a nutso.

But you know, the thing these reviews really have in common is the noticeable absence of: "I found it hard to believe because Jude's experience doesn't follow my own as an outcast".

Even a "well my best friend is gay/disabled/abused" would've given them more credibility but, nope.

I like to think most people would be able to empathize with Jude, but for the people that can't, it's just a bit of an insult they think their relatively charmed lives should be the metric with which to measure the art of tragedy.

This one stood out to me in particular:

There are millions of people in this country and in this world for that matter who have suffered horrendous child abuse. Most are treated as damaged goods and seldom get the help they need. Jude, however, manages to go to Harvard and somehow gather the best and the brightest into his circle of caregivers and friends and lives a luxurious life among the wealthy and privileged. All this without uttering a word about his background for fear he would be rejected. This book was totally implausible and takes away from the true suffering of victims of child abuse. Fear of rejection usually does not matter to a truly hurt and broken soul. What matters is being cared about and loved.

Yes, tell me more about what it feels like to have a truly hurt and broken soul. Clearly this reviewer is speaking from a vast well of experience and expertise, as indicated by their "millions of people in this country" statistic.

 

[kswiston]

I don't bother with random goodreads reviews. Anything with some complexity to the writing, characters, or theme is full of 1/2 star ratings by people who blame the book for the fact that they completely missed the point.

 

[You Know Nothing]

I think I should read some Goodreads reviews for A Little Life.

Just for a good laugh.

[edit]: Y'all didn't lie about Carlos' review. Lord.

 

[Necrovex]

Well, if you want first impressions:

"Augustus is a masterpiece." —Los Angeles Times

"The finest historical novel ever written by an American." —The Washington Post

"A novel of extraordinary range, yet of extraordinary minuteness, that manages never to sacrifice one quality for the other." —Financial Times

"Williams has immersed himself in ancient history, its conflicts, its complicated intrigues, and its often primitive turmoil. In his vivid panorama, The Golden Age sparkles with an eloquence, at times, approaching the poetic." —The Plain Dealer

Spoiler

it's really, really great

I'm in. Just rented the book. I'll start reading once I finish this Carl Sagan novel. Thanks for the needed push, Mumei!

Piecake, I'll stick with Frank Dikötter then. His early stuff should be a good prelude for the Cultural Revolution era when he publishes it. Plus you haven't steered me wrong yet! I also need your Goodread account name so I can stalk your reading selections.

 

[Jimothy]

I own literally 50 books I haven't read but I still feel like I have nothing to read most of the time so I just buy more books. Anyone else have this problem?

 

[Uzzy]

Finished Never let me go yesterday, felt down about it all day. Such a tragic story.

Ordered Brandon Sanderson's The Emperor's Soul from my library, so I'm waiting for that to arrive. In the meantime it's time for some lighter reads in the form of some manga, specifically No matter how I look at it, It's you guys' fault that I'm not popular!

 

[Kamion]

I finished Never Let Me Go today by Kazuo Ishiguro. It might be my favourite read so far this year. It is such a sad read though. I'm now feeling a bit melancholic.

Yes, yes, yes! I read that last month and I loved it. Also my favourite book I've read this year. Maybe even including last year. I dunno. It was great.

I'm now 94% into Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. So I'll be finished on the train ride home. I don't think the final 6% will change my opinion of it too much, so eh: I enjoyed it despite it being very predictable and implausible.
I guess if the book had focussed on the "survival of mankind" instead of the "survival of humanity's culture" I wouldn't have liked it as much. It's "new" and "different" in some way and really makes the book.

Would still recommend it. It's not expensive on Kindle right now, is an easy read and interesting in its own right.

Next Read: I dunno. Either Black Dahlia, Wayward Pines 1 or something else (man, such a big backlog). I feel like reading a crime novel next. Might also do Power of the Dog because my partner praises it to the heavens.