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[sindbadthesailor]

Just finished Endymion and The rise of Endymion. Went through the Hyperion duology shortly before that.

Hyperion was fantastic. An absolute must read. It's all down hill after that though, unfortunately.

 

[CMojicaAce]

Started reading The Martian today. So far I really dig it, although I'm only on chapter 3.

 

[Burger]

Looking forward to starting this. I thought Three Body Problem was one of the standouts of the year for me.

 

[TTG]

Finished CivilWarLand in Bad Decline: Stories and a Novella by George Saunders. Here's a thought: it's still 1.99 on Kindle, why don't you go and buy it, like now.

I don't usually read short stories. I find it hard to get invested somehow. I can't think of a strong argument for why this is so, but with the exception of like two books, I'll read one story and never return to a collection. Anyway, this is different. I count 3 absolute gems and that's out of like 7 stories. That's a hell of a batting average. Want me to sell it some more? Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction! I think both qualify. Look, it's really sharp and funny and a bit cruel.

 

[Switch Back 9]

My friend lent me his kobo so I could finally read The Book of the New Sun, but I'm pretty sure the copy he got is some crap homemade rip or something, because there's a lot of weird fuck ups with the words and spelling. I knew this was going to be a tough read to begin with and this is just compounding the difficulty.

I just finished the first book and really don't want to just stop, but I might have to bite the bullet and order an actual book copy from Amazon because it's frustrating as hell. It's just annoying because I live in the middle of nowhere and Amazon orders take fooorrreevverr.

edit: A Kobo is like a crappy Canadian Kindle, for those who are confused.

Double edit: This is my first time reading an E-Book, and I have to admit, I'm not a big fan. I don't want to come off as one of those snobby hipster types, but I really really prefer the feeling of a regular book.

 

[Jintor]

Double edit: This is my first time reading an E-Book, and I have to admit, I'm not a big fan. I don't want to come off as one of those snobby hipster types, but I really really prefer the feeling of a regular book.

I used to think this way, but then I moved countries and it was severely impractical to carry a bookcase with me. It's whatever fits your use scenario y'know

 

[Switch Back 9]

I used to think this way, but then I moved countries and it was severely impractical to carry a bookcase with me. It's whatever fits your use scenario y'know

Oh for travelling it would be invaluable, no doubt. I don't hate it, but given the option and the atmosphere of my house I'd rather the real thing. Can't argue with the awesomeness of being able to fit a billion books on something smaller than an iPad though.

 

[Protome]

About 3/4s of the way through Deathless. I'm still enjoying it a lot but haven't had a lot of time to read over the last week.

My next read came through the post yesterday though:

Spoiler

I didn't even realise there were third and fourth books, super happy that there is though.

 

[Mumei]

My friend lent me his kobo so I could finally read The Book of the New Sun, but I'm pretty sure the copy he got is some crap homemade rip or something, because there's a lot of weird fuck ups with the words and spelling. I knew this was going to be a tough read to begin with and this is just compounding the difficulty.

I just finished the first book and really don't want to just stop, but I might have to bite the bullet and order an actual book copy from Amazon because it's frustrating as hell. It's just annoying because I live in the middle of nowhere and Amazon orders take fooorrreevverr.

edit: A Kobo is like a crappy Canadian Kindle, for those who are confused.

Double edit: This is my first time reading an E-Book, and I have to admit, I'm not a big fan. I don't want to come off as one of those snobby hipster types, but I really really prefer the feeling of a regular book.

What sort of weird fuck-ups are we talking about?

 

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

how did you kn-

You can change tags, but you can't change reputations. First tags are 4eva.

 

[kswiston]

I finished Currency (book 7 of the Baroque Saga) yesterday, and decided to just dive into the System of the World to finally finish off the series.

 

[Easystride]

I have no idea what your taste is, but you should read The Goblin Emperor.

I usually don't spend $9 on an eBook, and I've been burnt out on fantasy for the last few years, but I decided to read the sample. It was a very refreshing break from the typical fantasy books I had been reading, and it kind've gave me a bit of a FF9 vibe. Consider the book purchased. It will be nice to have a good book during my upcoming PTO

 

[fakefaker]

Took me a month, but finally got through A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth. Though a little dry in parts, it kept me interested though out the whole book and I'm pretty happy and yet sad to have finished it. An amazing undertaking if you're up for it.

Now for something a little shorter and more WTF with Apocalypse Now Now by Charlie Human.

 

[Maklershed]

Does anyone remember a few months ago someone was singing the praises of a post apocalypse book with a blue cover and I think a person wearing crafted wings. It wasn't out at the time and I think I remember it was gonna be for sale around now or September. Any remember that or what it was called?

 

[Necrovex]

I'm about halfway through the Pultzer's general nonfiction winner Devil in the Grove. Some truly fascinating stuff about Thurgood Marshall, the NAACP, and my little racist as hell state, Florida. Each new chapter brings a new sense of horror.

 

[Atraveller]

Oh for travelling it would be invaluable, no doubt. I don't hate it, but given the option and the atmosphere of my house I'd rather the real thing. Can't argue with the awesomeness of being able to fit a billion books on something smaller than an iPad though.

I am on a trip now, can confirm e-reader is great

Seriously, it's light, it can fit in a pocket, immensely useful when you're on transportation.

 

[survivor]

Yeah, it's a really uncomfortable read, especially since it's semi-autobiographical. I really recommend picking up Rouse Up, O Young Men of the New Age! now, since it deals with some of the same issues (of raising a profoundly brain-damaged son), but when his son is much older. It's really quite beautiful.

Yeah, the semi-autobiographical part made the events of the book seem surprising since it didn't give him a flattering portrait. Will look into that other book since it seems like what I expected out of A Personal Matter.

Trying my luck again with poetry, I read Love Poems by Pablo Neruda. I was looking around for recommendations and saw couple of youtube videos of Neruda's poems and they seemed something I can understand. It seemed about right since I was able to enjoy reading most of the poems in the collection.

 

[linkboy]

Finished Dune a few days ago, started The Hound of the Baskerville's.

Picked up a kindle paperwhite and I totally love it, so much better then my nexus 7 for reading books.

 

[Mumei]

I usually don't spend $9 on an eBook, and I've been burnt out on fantasy for the last few years, but I decided to read the sample. It was a very refreshing break from the typical fantasy books I had been reading, and it kind've gave me a bit of a FF9 vibe. Consider the book purchased. It will be nice to have a good book during my upcoming PTO

It self-consciously eschews the (decades-long) trend of darker-and-more-cynical fantasy, definitely.

Yeah, the semi-autobiographical part made the events of the book seem surprising since it didn't give him a flattering portrait. Will look into that other book since it seems like what I expected out of A Personal Matter.

Mm. It felt like in A Personal Matter he was exaggerating the worst of his reaction to finding out about his son's condition, almost as a way of exorcising his guilt. That was how I'd interpreted it, anyway.

 

[Number45]

So, if you're burned out on fantasy, maybe go with something relatively short and stand alone? Neuromancer(launched cyberpunk), The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy(comedy), Fahrenheit 451(classic), Roadside Picnic/Solaris(first encounter) or The Quantum Thief. The last had sequels, but it's contemporary and the first book works on its own.. and I'm partial to it.

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll check them out. Interested to see how I'd get on with Hitchhiker's Guide - I'm actually not big into comedy of any format but it's something I've always meant to check out.

 

[Piecake]

I'm about halfway through the Pultzer's general nonfiction winner Devil in the Grove. Some truly fascinating stuff about Thurgood Marshall, the NAACP, and my little racist as hell state, Florida. Each new chapter brings a new sense of horror.

Yea, that is a very good book.

I always found it fascinating (in a how fucked up and disgusting you can be sense) that Southern whites were so obsessed about black men sleeping or raping their wives and daughters even though that rarely rarely happened, but white men raping black women, at least in the slave holding era, was commonplace (I honestly don't know how common or uncommon it was during the Jim Crow era though). It really seems like a societal case of massive psychological projection.

 

[RepairmanJack]

Finished Black Dahlia. I ended up really liking it but once the time started jumping often it kind of felt like it was just trying to rush to the end. The first half of the book is so great with all the interactions and seeing how everyone deals with everything that when it all drops off it didn't feel like the same book. I still really enjoyed it and liked how it wrapped everything up. Just wished the character aspect and interactions held up throughout.

Not really sure what's next.

 

[Switch Back 9]

What sort of weird fuck-ups are we talking about?

Just little spelling errors, like it was scanned or something.

d become c l, things like that. Breaks the immersion.

 

[Haly]

Oh, it's probably one of those scanned versions that rely on automatic image processing to detect letters.

Yeah it's awful.

 

[Atraveller]

Oh, it's probably one of those scanned versions that rely on automatic image processing to detect letters.

Yeah it's awful.

Most older books on Amazon are like that.

 

[Maklershed]

Finished Black Dahlia. I ended up really liking it but once the time started jumping often it kind of felt like it was just trying to rush to the end. The first half of the book is so great with all the interactions and seeing how everyone deals with everything that when it all drops off it didn't feel like the same book. I still really enjoyed it and liked how it wrapped everything up. Just wished the character aspect and interactions held up throughout.

Not really sure what's next.

The Big Nowhere!

 

[nailbombxx]

I just finished Star Maker by Olaf Stapleford. Absolutely amazing piece of SF.

I wrote a gushing review on goodreads if anyone wants to check it out.

 

[AngmarsKing701]

Does anyone remember a few months ago someone was singing the praises of a post apocalypse book with a blue cover and I think a person wearing crafted wings. It wasn't out at the time and I think I remember it was gonna be for sale around now or September. Any remember that or what it was called?

Hmm... The only two I remember as coming soon (thanks, Aidan) I put on my wish list.

One was Sorcerer to the Crown which comes out September 1.

The other was All the Birds in the Sky which doesn't come out til January.

 

[Plasticine]

Finished Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry. I've had this on my list forever. When I bought it, I honestly didn't know it was an action novel. I thought it was more of a pure zombie novel, with some procedural elements. It's almost exactly the opposite, so it fell down my reading list. I finally gave it a shot, and I'm pretty happy with the results. It definitely reads like 24, only with zombies as the bio-weapon. Fast paced, with a lot of twists, even if some of them are rather obvious. It's a fun book, and I'll check out some of his other Joe Ledger books.

Up next:

Joe Ledger fired up my interest in military horror. I thought I'd explore the sub-genre a bit more.

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

They're making a Seal Team 666 movie with the Rock. Then again, his name is getting attached to so many projects nowadays it's impossible to know what is and isn't actually getting made.

I enjoyed the book for what it was - The X-Files on steroids.

Hmm... The only two I remember as coming soon (thanks, Aidan) I put on my wish list.

One was Sorcerer to the Crown which comes out September 1.

The other was All the Birds in the Sky which doesn't come out til January.

Same two I was thinking of but neither fits the cover description. I'm so glad that Goodreads has a 'to-read' section, helps me keep them in line. It also helps me remember that I'll never make that list approach zero, but hey I'll have fun trying.

 

[aidan]

Does anyone remember a few months ago someone was singing the praises of a post apocalypse book with a blue cover and I think a person wearing crafted wings. It wasn't out at the time and I think I remember it was gonna be for sale around now or September. Any remember that or what it was called?

Are you thinking of Aliette de Bodard's House of Shattered Wings?

 

[Error]

Just finished reading The Way of Kings

Those last 200 pages...

Changed my avatar to Dalinar Kholin because the guy is just on a whole other level of badassery.

Now I'll probably read another book of The Dresden Files before jumping back into Stormlight Archive with Words of Radiance.

 

[Maklershed]

Hmm... The only two I remember as coming soon (thanks, Aidan) I put on my wish list.

One was Sorcerer to the Crown which comes out September 1.

The other was All the Birds in the Sky which doesn't come out til January.

Are you thinking of Aliette de Bodard's House of Shattered Wings?

No, these aren't it. I'll keep looking.

 

[RepairmanJack]

I think I'm going to jump into The Luminaries next. I'm not in a mood to read anything specific so for once I'll just read something from my to-read pile rather than buying something new.

Was between this and Inherant Vice and the first couple pages of this really grabbed me.

 

[sparky2112]

I think I'm going to jump into The Luminaries next. I'm not in a mood to read anything specific so for once I'll just read something from my to-read pile rather than buying something new.

Great minds...I think I'm about to start this too. Won the Booker and is supposed to be fantastic...

 

[Nuke Soda]

Finished 2nd reading of A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole last night. It surprised me how well connected everything is in the book, it may seem random at first, but by the end you can see how directly or indirectly everybody is connected to Ignatius J. Reilly and how he altered all their lives for good or ill.
Ignatius J. Reilly is quite a character, he is like one giant contradiction for the reader, he is the type of character you boo and cheer at the same time, you want him to successful and losing. Such a unique and strange character.
It doesn't hurt that this book is funny, like really funny. There are one of two boring moments, but on the whole it is a hugely enjoyable book.

Starting on It by Stephen King.

 

[kswiston]

I finished System of the World today, which wraps up the nearly 2700 page Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson. Volume 3 get a little more fantastical than the previous volumes and was perhaps not as strong, but still had some great bits in it. I'd definitely recommend the series to someone who loves science and historical fiction. You can get a 3 volumes/8 books in an ebook bundle for $20 on Amazon.


I am not sure what to read next.

 

[Mumei]

Currently reading:

The Moor's Account so far is much more interesting than Satin Island was. Shakespeare's Sonnets are still <3.

I am not sure what to read next.

I swear, people do this just to tempt me! So, I'm going to suggest several recent books that I haven't read and then you can read one and tell me if I should try it.

Good luck!

 

[TTG]

I think I'm going to jump into The Luminaries next. I'm not in a mood to read anything specific so for once I'll just read something from my to-read pile rather than buying something new.

Was between this and Inherant Vice and the first couple pages of this really grabbed me.

Great minds...I think I'm about to start this too. Won the Booker and is supposed to be fantastic...

Dug my copy up from the depths of Kindle oblivion. It was a daily deal at one point, which is how I got it, I think I looked at the page count after buying it and promptly ignored it. Also reading A Scanner Darkly and A History of Western Philosophy, haven't committed to one entirely yet.

Post some impressions when you get the chance please etc.

 

[Switch Back 9]

Gave up on the crappy e-book and picked up The Way of Kings. Haven't read an epic fantasy book in time so I'm super excited.

Also picked up

I really enjoyed "The War That Ended Peace" so I'm looking forward to this quite a bit.

 

[Wensih]

I'm finishing up The Crying of Lot 49. It's been quite a fever dream.

 

[Necrovex]

For our next few reading clubs, we should try to read acclaimed international novels, not just books from America.

Once I finish Groveland and Wolf in the White Van, my next book shall be Defiance! Can't wait to read another Coetezee book.

 

[Haly]

Let's read Kokoro, then.

 

[Necrovex]

Let's read Kokoro, then.

Let's be artsy fartsy and read Midnight Children. We have a severe lack of Indian reading here!

 

[kinoki]

Just finished In Search of Lost Time, Volume 5: The Prisoner.

So, before marching on towards Volume 6: The Fugitive I'll be doing a detour with two Hemingways (The Old Man and the Sea and The Sun Also Rises) and one (or two) of Lena Anderssons books (Egenmäktigt förfarande and/or Utan personligt ansvar).

 

[Ashes]

Let's be artsy fartsy and read Midnight Children. We have a severe lack of Indian reading here!

Hey now. No offence to India, but Midnight Children is ours. It's a UK novel.

 

[survivor]

Let's be artsy fartsy and read Midnight Children. We have a severe lack of Indian reading here!

Or anything by Jhumpa Lahiri. Preferably The Namesake as I haven't read that yet.

 

[MashKing]

I just started reading Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakam.

I have been trying to get out my comfort zone book wise.

I just finished Lords of the Sith by Paul S. Kemp, I had never read a starwars book before. I enjoyed it.

 

[Necrovex]

Hey now. No offence to India, but Midnight Children is ours. It's a UK novel.

I stand corrected. I always thought Rushdie was Indian. The more you know.

Still, he isn't American, so I would love an extra push to read his supposed masterpiece. :-D

Also completed my read of Devil in the Groveland. Thurgood Marshall is awesome. Love that man. Screw McCall. Now to move on to Wolf in the White Van before I go back on my SA reading kicks.

 

[kinoki]

So, I finished The Old Man and the Sea. While it wasn't as engaging as I thought it would be. But damn, the core story. The feeling of just losing yourself to the struggle and through sheer determination see a thing through no matter the stakes. I know the feeling and it was accurately depicted. Scavengers be damned.