Iron_Scimitar
Banned
Just got this today.
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What are you reading? (February 2011)
- Thread starter Maklershed
- Start date
Just got this today.
Just finished Atlantis by David Gibbins but wasn't very impressed so I will wait with Crusader Gold and three others in the series.
Norwegian friend of mine recommended this to me. Haven't had much experience with Icelandic writers before.
Digging the TV series so I thought the book would be fun to read (and I heard a "rumor" that the story is slightly different).
This is more as a necessity to get some theoretical background before I start writing my thesis.
Norwegian friend of mine recommended this to me. Haven't had much experience with Icelandic writers before.
Digging the TV series so I thought the book would be fun to read (and I heard a "rumor" that the story is slightly different).
This is more as a necessity to get some theoretical background before I start writing my thesis.
Harken Raiser
Banned
I loved the first book, and this one seems so be just as good so far.
Max, dearest of all my friends, if you toil for the love of the art I try to be supportive--though always critical, for how will one improve with a chorus of aplomb.Cyan said:Hey, awesome! From you I will take that as high praise.Thanks for reading!
It's when you move on to GRODT stage that I mercilessly attack your flaws in an unproductive manner.
coldvein said:
You, sir, are a turd. Respectfully.
The Abercrombie covers with the maps were very good. Fresh, clever, iconic. Abercrombie's work immediately stood out from everything else on the bookshelves. The publisher should give the designer a bonus for doing such a good job.
sparky2112
Member
And the thread turns to shit...nice. But, on the bright side, book covers are a life-and-death thing, so at least the ugly is directed at something important.
Attackthebase
Member
I finished Mhudi. A fantastic novel for anyone interested in African history.
Next on my list:
Next on my list:
BrokenFiction
Member
UraMallas said:
The folks at tor.com have been doing a Erikson re-read that they blog about weekly:
http://www.tor.com/blogs/2010/04/malazan-re-read-of-the-fallen
There are some spoilers, but it's not bad. It was immensely helpful in making sure I didn't miss anything.
I thought there was some steampunk in the book. The ash waste that is a result of the factory work, descriptions of the nobility and the way people use their powers is why I think the books are steampunk.aidan said:
Err, don't get your hopes up. There's no Mistborn movie in sight.
nakedsushi
Member
charsace said:
I could be wrong, but I thought one of the bullet points of steam punk is a Victorian or neo-Victorian society. I don't remember Mistborn being that Victorian, but it's been a while since I read it. Also...doesn't technology have to be steam-driven?
Finished this much-acclaimed book. I think it was too hyped up for me.
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
I really, really, really wanted to like this book. I liked it, but not *that much*. To Say Nothing of the Dog is first and foremost a book about time travel, its repercussions and most importantly, its rules. The plot could be described as the space-time-continuum trying to maintain order.
All this is revealed through pages and pages and pages of dialogue, comedic misunderstandings, and people interrupting each other. The humor's very British. Maybe a little too British for me. The first couple hundred pages made me think fondly of a Monty Python episode. The last hundred pages made me want to tear my hair out. I had already gotten to "the point" of the book and just wanted it to end.
One of my pet peeves is getting interrupted while I'm still talking. Considering this book is full of interrupted dialogue and characters not paying attention to what the other is saying or doing, I'm surprised I didn't dislike this book more.
Other than those gripes, To Say Nothing of the Dog is actually quite good as a science fiction novel. The rules set up for time travel are fascinating and realistic. I think if the book were a bit shorter and there were fewer asides and misunderstandings, I would have enjoyed reading it more.
Now onto:
Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser
For our bookclub
nakedsushi said:
That's always more-or-less how I've defined it. Mistborn might share some minor similarities with some Steampunk, but that's about it. It's Fantasy through-and-through.
Now, the upcoming Mistborn: The Law of Allomancy, sounds like it might be moving towards a Steampunk aesthetic.
Just finished. Pretty typical Preston novel. It turned into a real page-turner for me in the 2nd half-ish. Suspension of disbelief is needed
Still working on..
Pretty good read, it can get a bit dry at times but I find it typical of this genre. It starts pretty far back in time from the battle and really introduces a wide scope. Tends to jump around too much for my taste, both in terms of timeline and person being followed.
The title is accurate and it does a great job of portraying how the "great win" at LBH became a death knell for the victors. Public opinion is something you never want to sway against you in either direction.
Still working on..
Pretty good read, it can get a bit dry at times but I find it typical of this genre. It starts pretty far back in time from the battle and really introduces a wide scope. Tends to jump around too much for my taste, both in terms of timeline and person being followed.
The title is accurate and it does a great job of portraying how the "great win" at LBH became a death knell for the victors. Public opinion is something you never want to sway against you in either direction.
charsace said:
From what I remember the ash that covers that world is the result of volcanoes. That whole world is falling apart. It was The descriptions of nobility fit in with a feodal society. The only science in the book is the magic of allomancy. I didn't see any steampunk elements.
British Monsoon
Member
Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch;
Enjoying this one so far - the premise of a Police Officer who can see ghosts and is drafted into the Met's hush-hush one-man paranormal investigations branch is a bit silly on the surface, but Aaronovitch glides the reader past any misgivings with his wonderful scene setting, full of detailed descriptions of London's unique quirks and twisting maze-like streets. The world he's crafted is undeniably of the fantasy genre, with spirits, ghosts, vampires and much more holding an uneasy truce with each other and the long arm of the law, but it's also a good old-fashioned murder mystery, a dark and gritty procedural police case that just happens to be somewhat more occult than usual.
Enjoying this one so far - the premise of a Police Officer who can see ghosts and is drafted into the Met's hush-hush one-man paranormal investigations branch is a bit silly on the surface, but Aaronovitch glides the reader past any misgivings with his wonderful scene setting, full of detailed descriptions of London's unique quirks and twisting maze-like streets. The world he's crafted is undeniably of the fantasy genre, with spirits, ghosts, vampires and much more holding an uneasy truce with each other and the long arm of the law, but it's also a good old-fashioned murder mystery, a dark and gritty procedural police case that just happens to be somewhat more occult than usual.
Accidentally necro'd an old thread, reposting
Jintor said:
Got interested in what inspired Max Brooks to write WWZ. I teared up quite a bit at this book - the sheer scale of WWII is fucking unimaginable to me, and the stuff with the Nagasaki/Hiroshima survivors... The cultural differences threw me for quite a loop, too, especially with the casual racism of the day. Highly recommended.
ClovingWestbrook
Banned
Welp I finally purchased a Kindle and have been reading more in the last 3 days than I have the last couple of years.
Really enjoyed it and I was surprised how much of an impact it left me with after completing the book.
Downloaded the sample and will purchase the complete book. The author does a magnificent job of explaining the roots of Al Qaeda, Islamifascism, and why the U.S. has found itself in decade long 'War on Terror' (whatever that means) that it's currently fighting.
TOTALLY digging this one. I am fascinated by the 19th century in the U.S. The California and Klondike gold rush. The trek west from the Mississippi to California. The wars. The founding of Utah by the Mormons. Such an amazing century for the development of this country and the author does a MAGNIFICENT job of explaining it in a way that isn't boring.
As a Lakers fan its my God given duty to despise Simmons but as a basketball fan I can't help but enjoy reading his words. Totally enjoying this one and for anybody interested in sports you owe it to yourself to get this (even if it means supporting a Celtics fan financially =/ )
Really enjoyed it and I was surprised how much of an impact it left me with after completing the book.
Downloaded the sample and will purchase the complete book. The author does a magnificent job of explaining the roots of Al Qaeda, Islamifascism, and why the U.S. has found itself in decade long 'War on Terror' (whatever that means) that it's currently fighting.
TOTALLY digging this one. I am fascinated by the 19th century in the U.S. The California and Klondike gold rush. The trek west from the Mississippi to California. The wars. The founding of Utah by the Mormons. Such an amazing century for the development of this country and the author does a MAGNIFICENT job of explaining it in a way that isn't boring.
As a Lakers fan its my God given duty to despise Simmons but as a basketball fan I can't help but enjoy reading his words. Totally enjoying this one and for anybody interested in sports you owe it to yourself to get this (even if it means supporting a Celtics fan financially =/ )
nakedsushi
Member
Stopped reading this 1/3 of the way in:
Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser
Just couldn't continue. The main character's an ass and never has to face any real consequences. (longer review in the bookclub thread)
I may cleanse my palette with Nabokov instead.
Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov
Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser
Just couldn't continue. The main character's an ass and never has to face any real consequences. (longer review in the bookclub thread)
I may cleanse my palette with Nabokov instead.
Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov
Maklershed said:
Starting this tonight.
I also found A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace in an upstairs guest room. I've never read any Wallace, so this will be my first foray.
nakedsushi said:Stopped reading this 1/3 of the way in:
Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser
Just couldn't continue. The main character's an ass and never has to face any real consequences. (longer review in the bookclub thread)
hahaha. broken by Flashman.. i am surprised.
I would agree that Flashy does not face consequences proportionate to his crimes, but he doesparticularly in later novelshave an abominable psychological and physical time. He genuinely suffers.
Of course, he rises, smirking and triumphant in the end. But he does get battered.
Of course, he rises, smirking and triumphant in the end. But he does get battered.
nakedsushi
Member
Salazar said:
Noo, that's what I was afraid of (him always rising). Glad I stopped reading then.
Let me know what you think of Pale Fire; Lolita had such terrific prose so I have that one on my to-read list, as my 2nd Nabokov novel.nakedsushi said:
I'm currently reading Flashman, 3 chapters in. It's good but yea, Flashman is such a bad character!
nakedsushi said:
Please, for the love of things unholy, try this at some point:
http://www.amazon.com/Mortdecai-Trilogy-Kyril-Bonfiglioli/dp/0141003774/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1297052839&sr=8-1
He is less of a rascal, more raffish. Considerably more literary-minded, being crime novels of a sort, whereas Fraser was going very cleverly through the motions of a not terribly or necessarily clever genre.
Guileless
Temp Banned for Remedial Purposes
Bootaaay said:Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch;
I finished this over the weekend (the US edition is called Midnight Riot.) It is a good premise and I enjoyed the plot twists. Some things bothered me though, for example Molly and whatever it is she did to Peter at the end. I didn't understand the description of that at all. And the way his female friend accepted the existence of magic so readily seemed weird.
The books has lots of British idioms, no big deal nowadays with google. It is heavily steeped in London-centric locations and descriptions. The author's blog has a map so you can better visualize things if you aren't familiar with the area.
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
I finished:
It was quite incredible, especially considering it's a translation. I really enjoyed the tale of Orm's adventures. Is there anything else out there like this? Just really intriguing tales of Viking adventures (or otherwise circa 1000 A.D. adventures in Europe).
Anyway, I'm finally starting this now that it's released on Kindle:
I only had a chance to read the first 3% or so, but so far I like it a lot. I love Abercrombie's style.
It was quite incredible, especially considering it's a translation. I really enjoyed the tale of Orm's adventures. Is there anything else out there like this? Just really intriguing tales of Viking adventures (or otherwise circa 1000 A.D. adventures in Europe).
Anyway, I'm finally starting this now that it's released on Kindle:
I only had a chance to read the first 3% or so, but so far I like it a lot. I love Abercrombie's style.
LocoMrPollock
Banned
Zefah said:
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
LocoMrPollock said:You might enjoy -
Thanks, I'll have to check that out. Sadly, there isn't a Kindle edition, so I'll swing by some local libraries to try to find it.
nakedsushi
Member
Salazar said:
That's been sitting in my to-read list for a while. I keep waiting for the kindle/ebook version, but maybe that's not likely to happen. And my local library is totally useless in this case =(
Maklershed
Member
I second this recommendation. Phenomenal book. The Long Ships definitely reminded me of it.LocoMrPollock said:You might enjoy -
@coldvein - its about a young Aztec warrior and follows him over the course of his life through a series of adventures that takes him all over South America.
LocoMrPollock
Banned
coldvein said:
From Wikipedia:
Really good books.
