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What are you reading? (January 2012)
- Thread starter Maklershed
- Start date
I have a question. It's so vague that I don't expect an answer. Fifteen years ago or so, when I lived with my parents, I found and read a book that was really interesting. It was written by an American author, a NASA engineer (or someone with a similarly impressive job), and dealt with time... and the brain. I think. Many short chapters or stories, each with a different take on time. Clever fiction, kind of similar to some of Italo Calvino's books. I haven't been able to find the book again, and have gone through every shelf and cupboard at my parents' with no luck. Don't remember any specific details from the book either. Does anyone have the slightest idea about the title of this book?
Edit: Never mind. Found it on the net, all of a sudden, after years of being irritated at not remembering it. It's "Einstein's Dreams" by Alan Lightman.
Edit: Never mind. Found it on the net, all of a sudden, after years of being irritated at not remembering it. It's "Einstein's Dreams" by Alan Lightman.
AngmarsKing701
Member
Same here. Thought it was boring for long stretches, but I fought through it. Decent ending.
I liked the first book. Though I don't know why, really.
I guess it's the characters. Glokta in particular is rather interesting. There's something behind it all, a motive slowly being revealed. I love those types of books, so I think that's why I enjoy them. The payoff should be excellent.
sazabirules
Unconfirmed Member
I started reading Gomorrah by Roberto Saviano. It is very interesting so far.
It's really great. Didn't care for the Angelina Jolie dress chapter but after that it's really awesome. Well maybe the Kalashnikov wasn't that interesting either. Stopped eating fruits and vegetables from Naples area after this book
Maklershed
Member
Put down 75 pages on my first go. Loving it so far.
perfectnight
Banned
I've got a hundred pages left and yes, you are correct. That's the thing about sic fi.. It's always masturbatory something. However, it's one of the few ones I've read where the aliens really feel like aliens.
its also the first novel I've read that makes a convincing case against consciousness! Even if it does so in a hamfisted way, it's still fascinating.
Starting this after hearing a lot about it.
Yeah, it's an incredible book. I always find Gibson's prose clunky and hard to adjust to in the beginning of every book I start by him, and especially so in the case of Neuromancer, but did end up absolutely loving that book by the end of it. Case and Molly, so good
After having finally test run one for a while, Ereaders are fine. Reading books on a smartphone however, that's some chump shit...;_;
I still have to finish Clash of Kings
After speed-reading through Game of Thrones, and starting Clash immediately afterwards I suffered from an overdose of GRRM, I guess. I really enjoyed what I read, but I got the feeling that the second book kinda dragged and then ... from one day to the next I stopped reading. Definitely have to go back to that soon.Anyway, I'm currently reading "The Book of Lost Thing" by John Connolly.
So far... I'm not sure if I like it. I'm only about a hundred pages in, and on the one hand it's been a very enjoyable read so far and the premise of the story is pretty nice (the combination of a real-life war scenario, and a fantasy scenario reminds me a little of Pan's Labyrinth), on the other hand I'm not sure if I like where the story is heading. The segments of the book that revolved around the real-life and the emotions of the protagonist have been pretty good, but the fantasy segments don't seem to be as good so far.
It's still way too early for a final judgement, obviously.
E-Readers are amazing. I think I actually read faster on my Kindle. Never slammed out so many books in a short period of time.
Aquavelvaman
Banned
I can definitely read faster with a Kindle. Being able to knock a few pages out on the go on my phone helps a lot too.
definitely. also have to admit that I'm fond of the Russians so far in the book, but then, I guess there hasn't been much time for them to do awful shit in the book and the individuals that Hopkirk talks about tend to be an exemplary bunch.
Got to the Kabul/Alex Burnes part before stopping last night, real fascinating stuff coming off my Flashman binge last year.
sparky2112
Member
Me too. But twelve fat bookshelves are an issue. The wife did a little dance when I started e-reading.
Just finished Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. I don't think I've ever felt that frustrated by a book. The story itself was great imo, but the storytelling at many places was just horrible. There were so many events that needed more lines, that should have been drawn out in a captivating way, but were dealt with in one or two sentences. I felt that way in the beginning and certainly at the end. He totally botched the finale imo. Other unimportant things on the other hand were given almost whole chapters (sword training for the women for example, wtf?).
It is admirable that he completed the story in one book, other authors would have probably made a series out of it. That is actually one of the reasons why I bought Elantris, I couldn't be bothered reading another series. But now I actually wish he would have written two books...
But it is still a solid book.
I don't know what I'll read next. 1Q84 or The Darkness That Comes Before maybe.
It is admirable that he completed the story in one book, other authors would have probably made a series out of it. That is actually one of the reasons why I bought Elantris, I couldn't be bothered reading another series. But now I actually wish he would have written two books...
But it is still a solid book.
I don't know what I'll read next. 1Q84 or The Darkness That Comes Before maybe.
Bloodbeard
Member
I just finished Zeitoun
and
I just started reading Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations.
I'm going to be reading both volumes of it (along with other books) for my senior seminar for my philosophy degree. Leisure reading is probably done for the next five months.
and
I just started reading Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations.
I'm going to be reading both volumes of it (along with other books) for my senior seminar for my philosophy degree. Leisure reading is probably done for the next five months.
That almost looks like an infomercial.
I think it's safe to say it probably is.
ShinobiFist
Banned
Mannnnn, 11/22/63 got me hype as fuck!. The way chapter 3 ended was nuts!
Oh man. I'm getting through chapter 5 right now. But the way Stephen King delineated
Was amazing writing by his part, but set the stage for the obvious, of course. The amount of research King put into this book, shows. The slang, description, smell, look and even habits of the era are extraordinary for a fiction book. Simply amazing....Going to read a few more pages now. Oh, I got my NOOK Simple Touch as well
When Al told him about the girl and how he helped her. But because every time you go trough the tunnel, it resets everything, FUCK!
Harry's upbringing and his unfortunate experience to witness such a horrific thing
I love this book so far, but it's kind of hard to describe. This description (and all the praise I kept seeing for it) is what caught my attention...
There's never enough noir sci-fi out there for me, so maybe that's clouding my judgment, but I really like it. Once the story shifts to Empire State it gets really interesting. The characters feel a little flat at times, but the atmosphere and the worldbuilding are top notch. This is the first novel from this guy so I'm excited to see what he does in the future.
This is definitely the case for me. I've been reading a lot more ever since I got a Kindle.
Good choice. One of my all-time favourites. And what an awesome cover. Do you actually have that version? My paperback is pretty boring in comparison.
ShinobiFist
Banned
I love this book so far, but it's kind of hard to describe. This description (and all the praise I kept seeing for it) is what caught my attention...
There's never enough noir sci-fi out there for me, so maybe that's clouding my judgment, but I really like it. Once the story shifts to Empire State it gets really interesting. The characters feel a little flat at times, but the atmosphere and the worldbuilding are top notch. This is the first novel from this guy so I'm excited to see what he does in the future.
I've been reading a lot more ever since I got a Kindle.
.
Like what you describe so far. Don't know if I'm reading this correctly, but the word usage and dialog change once they hit Empire? Similar to 11/22/63 when he goes back in time?
Also, I'm in the same boat as well with my NOOK. Always looking forward to read more now....*Back to 11/22/63*
Boozeroony
Member
200 pages in. This is a dense little bugger, but I'm enjoying it a lot. Covers so much, it makes my head hurt.
Agreed. Best device I have ever bought is my Kindle. I used to read a lot as a child but as I grew older I was drawn more into just playing video games or watching TV to pass my time. All I did was read the new Discworld every year and a few other books here and there, so probably less than 5 books a year. A year and a half ago I bought a Kindle 3 and it changed my whole lifestyle. Now I'm reading so much more, it feels so great.
I think it's even trained me with how fast I read since my normal reading speed is apparently 400 wpm now, and I can tell you it definitely wasn't that fast a few years ago.
Clever Pun
Member
Yeah it definitely is his best work. The way he
slowly pulls you into this supernatural world, in a natural and believable way, until it seems completely reasonable and logical is really impressive
The only thing I disagree with is I would put Kafka On the Shore above Hardboiled and Wild Sheep Chase.
NoTW builds up and ends with enough suspense to drive you right into the next book. Advice for anyone considering reading Wise Man's Fear: put yourself in the shoes of a 17 year old boy who has just discovered that he's absurdly desirable to almost every woman imaginable, as relived by himself less than 10 years later but cripplingly depressed, and you'll understand the reason why the book's content is skewed the way it is. This lens almost helps keep it tolerable during the insufferable "by the way I'm awesome now, BY THE WAY I'M AWESOME NOW, BBBBBBBYYYYYYYYY TTTTTTTTTHHHHHHEEEEEEE WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY, I'M AAAAAAAAWESOME NOOOOOOOOOOOOOW" sections... which are admittedly most of the book. In my opinion, there were enough lore additions and references to massively intricate historical puzzles and intrigue for me to still be fully confident in Rothfuss' ability.
Unreliable Narrator indeed.
How so? My EVO 3D has a huge screen which is great to read on once I set my Kindle app to Sepia and a decent sized font. Absolutely no problem reading on that when I'm on the go and my Kindle at home.
sparky2112
Member
I love this book so far, but it's kind of hard to describe. This description (and all the praise I kept seeing for it) is what caught my attention...
From what I read last week, the publisher is going to use Empire State as a 'platform' for fan fiction and a whole lot of other more 'crowdsourcing' type activity. That's how captivated they were by the setting apparently...
1) Any suggestions on the best dictionary to buy for reading older works?
The authors I am looking at reading in the future are the Greek Philosophers, Sir Francis Bacon, Machiavelli, and probably Adam Smith.
To my knowledge the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) tracks the usage of the word based on time periods. So that seems like a perfect fit.
2) Is there another dictionary other than OED that tracks usage over a given time period and explicitly labels it in that manner?
3) Do you think that the Concise Oxford English Dictionary will do the trick? It's is significantly cheaper than the full version of OED ( $25 vs $1,000 ).
4) Any tips on buying a used version of OED? Best place to buy ( Ebay vs. Amazon used ) and what to watch out for when buying used versions?
Thank you.
The authors I am looking at reading in the future are the Greek Philosophers, Sir Francis Bacon, Machiavelli, and probably Adam Smith.
To my knowledge the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) tracks the usage of the word based on time periods. So that seems like a perfect fit.
2) Is there another dictionary other than OED that tracks usage over a given time period and explicitly labels it in that manner?
3) Do you think that the Concise Oxford English Dictionary will do the trick? It's is significantly cheaper than the full version of OED ( $25 vs $1,000 ).
4) Any tips on buying a used version of OED? Best place to buy ( Ebay vs. Amazon used ) and what to watch out for when buying used versions?
Thank you.
Finished up Way of Kings over the weekend.
I only had the last part left, so I had already read the climax (it was amazing). This section set up a bunch of super interesting threads for the next book to take up.
I'm deciding between a couple of different options as of what to read next. I might just go with Sanderson's Elantris to keep this fantasy kick going.
I'll just read a bunch of samples on my Kindle and pick something. Generally I'm aiming for something a little bit shorter that is mostly standalone. Other options are The Diamond Age or the new Discworld book, Snuff.
One problem is that I'm kind of mad at Kindle prices right now and refuse to buy something where the e-book costs more than the actual book.
I only had the last part left, so I had already read the climax (it was amazing). This section set up a bunch of super interesting threads for the next book to take up.
I'm deciding between a couple of different options as of what to read next. I might just go with Sanderson's Elantris to keep this fantasy kick going.
I'll just read a bunch of samples on my Kindle and pick something. Generally I'm aiming for something a little bit shorter that is mostly standalone. Other options are The Diamond Age or the new Discworld book, Snuff.
One problem is that I'm kind of mad at Kindle prices right now and refuse to buy something where the e-book costs more than the actual book.
Clever Pun
Member
I've really appreciated having the OED that comes with the Kindle while reading older classics. Do you have an eReader that you can read these works on? The instant availability of definitions on the Kindle has really been great. Even words I more or less knew the meaning of are worth looking up because it's so fast.
If it's not an option, the OED seems great, though I don't know the difference between the full and compact (though I wouldn't be surprised if it's the compact version I've been using on the kindle looking at the price differences)
I do not have an e-reader currently. I am thinking of buying my wife some form of the Kindle in the next couple of months.
I didn't know Kindle had a version of the OED. Very cool. Thank you.
EDIT: I could subscribe the OED online. I am currently using the Merriam Webster app on my Android phone anyways
Somewhat on-topic: the book trivia thing on GoodReads is super addicting: http://www.goodreads.com/trivia/
I apologize if I am cluttering up the thread ( assuming you are speaking of my posts). Is there another thread you would suggest I use? Or should I have just created a new thread?
I wasn't suggesting that your post was off-topic at all. Mostly that mine was only somewhat related to what books we were reading.
Apologies then.
I am fairly new to Off-Topic so I am not sure about what is considered proper etiquette for a thread. I don't want to come in and ruin a good thing w/ a long history like this thread.
Thank you.
Finished Pandora's Star a little while back and am currently ~1/3 of the way through Judas Unchained. I have a question for those who have read these regarding a plot point I've forgotten about:
I feel like I'm just not remembering something very obvious.
Why did Paula Myo initially become convinced the Starflyer existed? I seem to remember it had something to do with her not catching Johansson (sp) for 130+ years, but I would think the Starflyer would have a vested interest in her actually catching Johansson so wouldn't it have been helping her, not hindering her?
I feel like I'm just not remembering something very obvious.
I have the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, and while it gives the origin of a word, I don't think it tracks its usage over time. I don't use it much, but I just looked in it now and couldn't see anything like that. $25 is a bargain though, I paid around £50 for mine. Also, they weigh a ton.
Thank you very much for taking a peak at your copy. That is very useful info.
I think I may have a misunderstanding of what is contained in the OED. I was thinking it has usage based on time, but I am beginning to think I am incorrect on that. So I might be asking for something that doesn't exist and probably for a very good reason
.Thank you again Mu Cephei.
Maklershed
Member
If I remember correctly I think it was mostly Mellanie that convinced her that outside forces are influencing humanity - including the AI giving her OCTattoos. And I think she just started to piece it together herself.
i think this is the third book i've heard of that takes place in some "other" new york. chronic city, winter's tale.. i'm missing one more that i can't think of right now.
sparky2112
Member
Don't mean to keep quoting the cover, but just a heads up for Americans, anyway: the Kindle version of this is like $4.79-ish right now. Because of the fanfic aspect (or rather the publisher hosting the fanfic) to this, I jumped in to see what the setting is all about...