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What are you reading? (January 2014)
- Thread starter Maklershed
- Start date
Maklershed
Member
Amazon has 75 kindle books on sale today for $1.99
http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-eBooks...7EWVVV3PPHZ5W51&pf_rd_i=20&pf_rd_p=1671394142
I didn't see a whole lot to get excited about but I did pick up Dreams of Bunker Hill
Dreams from Bunker Hill by John Fante
http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-eBooks...7EWVVV3PPHZ5W51&pf_rd_i=20&pf_rd_p=1671394142
I didn't see a whole lot to get excited about but I did pick up Dreams of Bunker Hill
Dreams from Bunker Hill by John Fante
AngmarsKing701
Member
And not a single one of the ~50 books on my wish list are part of it. Sadness
Easystride
Member
Finished The Long Walk, and started up Desperation the next day. I am on a Stephen King kick since reading 11/22/1963.
Just finished Jurassic Park, which had at least eight misspellings, had one really annoying character, and had dinosaurs that used their tongues to scent. But I really enjoyed it, like summer read... but in January.
Now I'm reading Salt: A World History, I'm only 80 pages in but I've learned so much and the author jumps locales and time in a easy-to-follow fashion.
Now I'm reading Salt: A World History, I'm only 80 pages in but I've learned so much and the author jumps locales and time in a easy-to-follow fashion.
Finished reading My Antonia by Willa Carter. It was pretty damn good, but it didn't emotionally move me as much as I felt it should though despite having all the elements (unrequited love, majestic view of nature and the countryside, romanticism of memory etc) but the prose was genuinely beautiful and the mood very much reminded me of a Malick film in the best way possible.
Now Reading: How to Read Moby Dick by Nathaniel Philbrick before I start diving in to my yearly re-read of MOBY DICK!
Now Reading: How to Read Moby Dick by Nathaniel Philbrick before I start diving in to my yearly re-read of MOBY DICK!
Interested to hear what you think about the second half.
Motherless Brooklyn is my favorite Lethem book. You should read that if you haven't. Also his essays are fantastic.
fredrancour
Member
Listening to mistborn as an audiobook. Really enjoying it so far.
The Culture Vulture
Member
Just finishing JP and enjoyed it as well. Very easy read but I think I prefer the film. The book gets kind of goofy and preachy at times.
crimsonheadGCN
Banned
I finished Divergent by Veronica Roth. The book was good overall, but there were times in the beginning that I wanted to just give up. I really thought all the descriptions about the Dauntless way of life was annoying and they seemed like idiots.
Next up is either The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson, Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, or The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. I am not quire sure if I ready to read through another book based on a futuristic setting, even though I loved Ender's Game when I first read it about 12-13 years ago. I might just go with one of the fantasy books.
Next up is either The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson, Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, or The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. I am not quire sure if I ready to read through another book based on a futuristic setting, even though I loved Ender's Game when I first read it about 12-13 years ago. I might just go with one of the fantasy books.
Maaan did those covers get crappier.
lastflowers
Banned
The second half of the novel was really solid. The first half was wearing out its welcome at times, with quick cuts of years gone by in a couple of pages and repeats of experiences over and over again. Letham has some gorgeous prose, but tends to drone ad nauseam over the same metaphysical experiences his protagonists exhibit. At times, and especially in Dissident Gardens, there were entire sections that felt like Letham's needless indulgence.
That being said, the second half of the novel justified some of the indulgences in the first half, and made the novel a powerful experience. I barely put it down for that entire third act. I put it below Chronic City in my enjoyment of the novel, but it certainly seems to be a well-executed encapsulation of a era in Brooklyn. I assume this novel was written based off of his experiences growing up in New York (not autobiographical, but based on observation perhaps). Even if it isn't, it was still powerful.
I've got Motherless Brooklyn (along with 4 or 5 others of his that I haven't read), which will probably be the next Letham novel I tackle.
Now I'm attempting to tackle:
Last time I abandoned rocket at about 200 pages. It'll take me a while as this text requires a very slow, intricate read. I'm also attempting to connect Pynchon's themes from other novels, so I'm marking it up in the margins as I progress.
Also started Latro in the Mist today. I'll probably finish it this week. Also the second time I've attempted to read this, though I don't remember why I quit the first time. It was probably Guild Wars 2 or something....
The sad thing is, that I've seen worse. Far worse.
I can't say I loved any of the new ebook covers, but I'm not sure how the term crappier can apply here considering the original ones by Sweet are so awful.
Have you SEEN the original covers?
i saw the covers 10ish years ago. assuming those were the originals .. the big painting type deals
Tragicomedy
Member
Maklershed
Member
Making my way through Chronicles of the Black Company, by Glen Cook.
Nice
Dude, that cover is horrible. Very, very bad.
i'm not saying the old ones are high art or some shit, just that theyre better than the new ones.
Mackenzie 92
Member
Finished
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North
Great book. Really loved the scope and scale of it. Harry is a great character as well.
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North
Great book. Really loved the scope and scale of it. Harry is a great character as well.
Making my way through Chronicles of the Black Company, by Glen Cook.
sogood.gif
I love that series. After I finish WoT I think I'll read something else by Cook
Pandahammer
Neo Member
I'm a big reader, so I love these threads.
This year it started off with Ben Elton's new book 2 brothers which is amazing and based in Berlin, a great serious book from Elton.
I read Steven kings new book 11/22/63 - fictional book of what's if involving JFKs assassination. A good read, and I never liked steven kings writting till now. And now I'm on to The Book Thief.
This year it started off with Ben Elton's new book 2 brothers which is amazing and based in Berlin, a great serious book from Elton.
I read Steven kings new book 11/22/63 - fictional book of what's if involving JFKs assassination. A good read, and I never liked steven kings writting till now. And now I'm on to The Book Thief.
fredrancour
Member
Finished mistborn at a really unreasonable time of the night. Had no idea absurd magical combat on the individual scale could be done in writing so enjoyably. The fights were more satisfying than 99 percent of the movie, tv, and comic book fights I've seen. Also liked all the major characters, and enjoyed the plot. I'm sure I could have guessed most of the plot twists if i had wanted to, but everything was too damn cool for me to worry about second guessing it.
It was my first sanderson book. I picked it up after listening to writing excuses. It was cool to see his ideas from those podcasts in action. I'll be reading more of him and checking out stuff from his writing excuses cohosts.
It was my first sanderson book. I picked it up after listening to writing excuses. It was cool to see his ideas from those podcasts in action. I'll be reading more of him and checking out stuff from his writing excuses cohosts.
Ah, The Book Thief is such a fantastic novel. Enjoy!
I reread the first four books in 2011 with the intention of reading A Dance with Dragons when it came out.
... I still haven't read it.
Welcome! Have you made yourself a Goodreads account? Joined the NeoGAF group? You should!
Welcome aboard! These reading threads have become my favourites too since I started reading more, love the diversity here.
Just spotted pterry's short story collection in a bookstore and it was relatively cheap so I grabbed it. What a treat. Three were quite a few prototype stories in there, especially one that makes me want to read the long earth or whatever the thing is that he did with baxter. I spotted a truckers prototype, a hogfather prototype, and two rather good short stories about death and about a writer which I thought was kind of Nell gaiman-y. Also, discworld short stories, yay.
Seriously. This Egwene is annoying me without end. She's such a hypocrite:
Talking to Rand about trust and manners but having no qualms about trying to enter his dreams. Then looking at Kadere's dreams and judging him for them. I don't care that he is a darkfriend, she doesn't know at this point so she should just stfu. And the whole pretend Aes Sedai thing is the cherry on top. I understand Elayne and Nynaeve pretending to be full Aes Sedai, but fucking Egwene? She has no reason for this beside her own self importance. I don't even know why no one has called her out about it yet, how anyone can believe her to be a full sister is beyond me.
Egwene again:
WTF is wrong with her.
spying the dreams of one of her best friends and even rationalizing that it isn't even spying. Then saying that she won't do it again with her but everyone else is still fair game. Judging Mat for his dreams as well.
they should've kept that leash on her.
Just finished Prince of Thorns.
Honestly I hated it. Jorg isn't an antihero as much as he's just some vindictive brat. None of the characters get enough facetime or backstory to care for yet he murders them on a whim. The idea of a 10 year old rolling around the countryside as a leader of a band of brigands is hilarious when you consider some of the feats he accomplishes.
It feels like no characters develop through Jorg's short, shallow journey. Everything is punctuated by grit and violence. Most of it just feels like Jorg is trying to prove how incredibly edgy or hard he's become for no reason at all.
Honestly I hated it. Jorg isn't an antihero as much as he's just some vindictive brat. None of the characters get enough facetime or backstory to care for yet he murders them on a whim. The idea of a 10 year old rolling around the countryside as a leader of a band of brigands is hilarious when you consider some of the feats he accomplishes.
It feels like no characters develop through Jorg's short, shallow journey. Everything is punctuated by grit and violence. Most of it just feels like Jorg is trying to prove how incredibly edgy or hard he's become for no reason at all.
Finished the Mistborn trilogy. I saw some of the answers before they were revealed, but was still surprised by the ending! I'm curious to see where the world goes so I got Alloy of Law. Hopefully that has more female characters that aren't just love interests.
But first:
Unfortunately, I started classes yesterday and for whatever reason I have four humanities courses even though I'm a STEM major. Going to be reading quite a bit so I won't be able to "blast" through these books like I have. I put "blast" in quotation marks because I am forever jealous of Mumei's efficiency.
But first:
Unfortunately, I started classes yesterday and for whatever reason I have four humanities courses even though I'm a STEM major. Going to be reading quite a bit so I won't be able to "blast" through these books like I have. I put "blast" in quotation marks because I am forever jealous of Mumei's efficiency.
I read the prologue(kindle sample function is nice) and it didn't keep my interest. Maybe I'm too busy with other reading at the moment, but there were tangible things there I found odd. For example, he refutes one of the supposedly popular theories as to why certain cultures developed technology and others didn't with scientific data(which he doesn't cite, but whatever) and then immediately proceeds to postulate the opposite of what that theory asserted to be true based solely on his anecdotal experience with some indigenous people. A glaring inconsistency to start things off. Then, while exploring the possible causes for one culture's standstill in developing tools etc. he casually mentions that their island nation, Papa New Genia, is responsible for about 1000(his number) languages of the world's remaining 6000. It doesn't occur to him to even address that as a possible cause.
I don't read much history anymore, so I was warm to the idea and that book is a popular one. Maybe it just starts off awkwardly or I misunderstood something.
I saw you started reading that. I'm quite excited. It's an amazing book.
I finished reading Peter Daniels Dispossession: Discrimination Against African American Farmers in the Age of Civil Rights today. I didn't know how racist white people were going to manage to surprise me in their dedication to white supremacy (and what I can only describe as pure pettiness in going about achieving it), but they managed to do it again and again in this book. Over the course of the period the book describes, we went from having over 900,000 African American farmers in possession of over 16 million acres of farmland, to less than 18,000 black farms with 3 million acres. And this decline was no mistake, but the direct result of the denial or delay of black loan applications, of inequitable loan arrangements, of conspiracies to break black farmers and cause them to default. Even in the 1980s, the number of black-operated farms in North Carolina dropped from 4,413 to 2,640, a forty percent drop, in the space of five years.
I am also reading 3500: An Autistic Boy's Ten-Year Romance with Snow White. It's a really light read, and the author is pretty clearly not "a writer," but it did make me cry in less than forty pages. So there's that. I'm really enjoying it.