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What are you reading? (June 2014)
- Thread starter Maklershed
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Smith's follow up to Gorky Park is even better: Polar Star, wherein our favorite ultra-cynical Soviet detective is working on a factory ship in the arctic. Absolutely top notch and my favorite of the Renko novels.
Briefly:
I liked Words of Radiance, but I wanted it to be over about 800 pages in and then it went on for another novel or so. I mean, I still enjoyed the remaining 300 pages, but I probably would have enjoyed the book even more if it had just been trimmed by that much. I'll have forgotten all this by the time the next book comes out, which is for the best because I expect the same thing to happen again.
I really enjoyed Dresden's Eleven, aka Skin Game, wherein, yet again, Butcher demonstrates an impressive ability to write a self-contained adventure while progressing the ongoing plot threads enough to whet your appetite for the rest of the series. I'm glad Butcher has a firm finale in mind for the series but I'm not in any hurry for him to get there.
A friend of mine told me that the book that turned him onto Donald Westlake was Who Stole Sassie Manoon? (1969), so I checked it out of the library and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's about a group of young men who, with the aid of a computer (which, in the late 60s, is obviously magic) plan to kidnap a Hollywood starlet at a film festival. Cue zany hijinx. This was, as expected, a hoot, even if about half of the film gags were flying over my head.
Finally, I just finished Hounded, the first of Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid novels, and liked it enough to immediately turn around and start reading Hexed, which is off to an okay start. I'd had Hounded sitting on my shelf for ages patiently waiting for me to give it a whril, so when a friend of mine wondered if it was my fault she'd just read seven or eight of those in a row I figured I'd dust it off and hope for a nice addictive series to tear thorugh. So far, so good. The schtick - he's a super old, super hip druid/smartass who has direct interaction with assorted pantheons, Irish or otherwise - is a nice riff on the sort of pan-mythologial cosmology that the Dresden Files does so well. The dog is the best part of the series so far, and I'm not even a dog person.
I also spent some time earlier tonight flipping through the second of Joe Bob Briggs' Drive-In review compilations. Man, Joe Bob is awesome.
FnordChan
Beaniedude
Member
I recently came across the new hardcovers for Pratchett's books. The Discworld Collector's Library.
Needless to say I caved and am currently rereading Sorcery.
I should branch out more but Pratchett is just too good.
Needless to say I caved and am currently rereading Sorcery.
I should branch out more but Pratchett is just too good.
Just finished leviathan wakes. Picked it up on a whim because the cover looked neat. Had no clue so many people enjoyed the series so much. Finished it in a week, which is pretty quick for my usual pace. Really liked it. It took a bit to grow on me, but once it did I couldn't put it down. Ordered the second expanse book, while I'm waiting for that in the mail I read a copy of The Road my girlfriend loaned me, and I borrowed 1Q84 from the library. I'll be starting that tomorrow.
I don't think there's anything left to say about The Road, but it's a fantastic book. I actually finished it when I woke up on Father's day. And then immediately called my dad.
Been a lot of decent reading lately. I'm trying my best to avoid "wasting" time. Not as though I must always be working, but I'm trying to avoid coming home and killing time on reddit etc. When I could be doing something better like reading, biking, or playing games I've been meaning to play. Not the noblest pursuits, but playing Persona 4 certainly is a better use of time than being bored on reddit until I go to bed.
I don't think there's anything left to say about The Road, but it's a fantastic book. I actually finished it when I woke up on Father's day. And then immediately called my dad.
Been a lot of decent reading lately. I'm trying my best to avoid "wasting" time. Not as though I must always be working, but I'm trying to avoid coming home and killing time on reddit etc. When I could be doing something better like reading, biking, or playing games I've been meaning to play. Not the noblest pursuits, but playing Persona 4 certainly is a better use of time than being bored on reddit until I go to bed.
Tragicomedy
Member
Laird Barron - The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All (2013) - ★★★★
This book is insane. I can't really define it by genre since it jumps all over the place, but it's always creepy and borderline horror in its elements. The short stories are all consistently good, and are loosely tied in their settings and underlying themes. The self-titled closer is the highlight of the book, providing the perfect bookend to an excellent read.
I hesitate to go into the specifics of any of the stories because once a person knows what's behind the curtain, the journey to that unveiling loses steam. Suffice it to say you won't be disappointed if you give this a read.
TheKaeptain
Banned
Is it that good? I've been wanting to buy it for a while.
Thanks FnordChan for the info!
Unrelated, I finished up The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey tonight and give it around 3 outta 5. It's got some good ideas, but the story is in a genre that's been beaten to death and the characters other than Melanie were ho hum. Still fun to read tho!
Now onto some hopefully insane fun with Koko Takes a Holiday by Kieran Shea.
Unrelated, I finished up The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey tonight and give it around 3 outta 5. It's got some good ideas, but the story is in a genre that's been beaten to death and the characters other than Melanie were ho hum. Still fun to read tho!
Now onto some hopefully insane fun with Koko Takes a Holiday by Kieran Shea.
HerrPalomar
Neo Member
Just a joy to read!
Horseticuffs
Full werewolf off the buckle
Laird Barron - The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All (2013) - ★★★★
This book is insane. I can't really define it by genre since it jumps all over the place, but it's always creepy and borderline horror in its elements. The short stories are all consistently good, and are loosely tied in their settings and underlying themes. The self-titled closer is the highlight of the book, providing the perfect bookend to an excellent read.
I hesitate to go into the specifics of any of the stories because once a person knows what's behind the curtain, the journey to that unveiling loses steam. Suffice it to say you won't be disappointed if you give this a read.
I hear this author is making a name for themselves in modern Cosmic horror. So far I've relegated my cosmicism reading to things pretty much pre-WW2. Would you consider this a good jumping-off point to a more modern look at the genre?
I'm looking for some history, specifically about the Netherlands.
No tomes or textbooks, I just want to familiarize myself with their history, culture and socio-political landscape. Something that spans their emergence, to trade dominance, to where they are today as a modernized European nation.
Any suggestions?
No tomes or textbooks, I just want to familiarize myself with their history, culture and socio-political landscape. Something that spans their emergence, to trade dominance, to where they are today as a modernized European nation.
Any suggestions?
Send Kabouter a PM!
Just finished 1984 and wow. I wish I read the physical copy I had in high school now but damn what a ride. It really does make you think and man the images going through my mind were nuts.
It was the book I used to christen my Kindle when I got it back in early April. It was the first time I had reread it in about 8 years so it was pretty amazing to see how a book written in 1949 had actually become even more relevant in that period of time. It ignited my love of dystopian fiction and I still haven't gotten rid of that.
I just finished Mr. Mercedes last night. I really enjoyed the first two-thirds, but the ending felt pretty sloppy. Without saying too much, the pacing switch from a calculated game of cat and mouse to race against time just felt too abrupt. I supposed it fits with the chaotic nature of the antagonist and the event that sparks it, but it just didn't sit right. Overall I still enjoyed it, but it's not the ending that will stick with me.
The next book on my list is Under the Skin by Michael Faber. The concept seems pretty interesting and I'm trying to go in without too much foreknowledge even though the synopsis seems to give a lot away. And I've obviously been reading too many Maklershed posts because after that's finished I've got a queue of several James Ellroy books to go through, starting with The Big Nowhere.
Horseticuffs
Full werewolf off the buckle
Just finished up "The Devil in Iron" by Robert E. Howard. Having previously only known him by his friendship with Lovecraft I must say I'm really enjoying his work. I've also enjoyed "Beyond the Black River". His work is much more action packed than what I'm used to from the genre but still contains the really cool, mind-bending stuff I dig in Cosmic Horror.
It kind of makes me want to watch the Conan films again. I always enjoyed them growing up and Arnie was awesome in them. I always picture him as Conan even though Conan is described as big but more sleek and lithe like a jungle cat, and with black hair.
Definitely a very cool world that Howard created but, man, if Lovecraft was racist in "The horror at Red Hook" then Howard must have been super duper mega-racist because this shit is full of nonsense about pure blood and the savage, dark-skinned hoards.
It kind of makes me want to watch the Conan films again. I always enjoyed them growing up and Arnie was awesome in them. I always picture him as Conan even though Conan is described as big but more sleek and lithe like a jungle cat, and with black hair.
Definitely a very cool world that Howard created but, man, if Lovecraft was racist in "The horror at Red Hook" then Howard must have been super duper mega-racist because this shit is full of nonsense about pure blood and the savage, dark-skinned hoards.
sixpackrules
Member
Right now i´m listening travelling in space by Steven Paul Leiva, is a good first contact story but in this one we are the other life and man what a great performance by Jeff cannata, hope he does more of this
Well, I finished Red Planet Blues. Kind of reads like self-insert fanfiction? The guy is wearing a fedora and blazer on the dust jacket and at the end of the book
(light ending spoilers) not to mention all the
(light.. sex spoilers?). It has some good ideas and a couple nice twists but ultimately I felt disappointed by it.
I just started reading
and I'm about 40 pages in and very confused. Approximately 35 pages have been pure exposition.
I understand this book is the first in a trilogy, but set in an already-established universe - for anyone who's read both, should I stop and find the earlier books in this series or will it end up making more sense? It's explaining a lot so I don't feel too lost, but at the same time I feel like this is mostly recap stuff for if you've read his other books.
the main character, who has been tipping an imaginary hat in almost every encounter (I shit you not) gets a fedora from the chick he has been banging throughout the book
women the main character bangs/sees naked/describes breasts and features of/calls "hot little biologicals" (a phrase I didn't want to read once but I am pretty sure I read two or three times in this book)
I just started reading
and I'm about 40 pages in and very confused. Approximately 35 pages have been pure exposition.
I understand this book is the first in a trilogy, but set in an already-established universe - for anyone who's read both, should I stop and find the earlier books in this series or will it end up making more sense? It's explaining a lot so I don't feel too lost, but at the same time I feel like this is mostly recap stuff for if you've read his other books.
obin_gam
Member
Just finished reading Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King which also was utterly awesome!
So glad that King has found his way back to the throne with 11/22/63 a copule of years ago and now this! (I didnt really care for Doctor Sleep)
His next book
cant come soon enough! Hype is through the roof!
So glad that King has found his way back to the throne with 11/22/63 a copule of years ago and now this! (I didnt really care for Doctor Sleep)
His next book
cant come soon enough! Hype is through the roof!
Have you read Joyland? It's not really a horror or crime novel (although it most certainly contains those elements), it's mostly about the characters. I liked that one an awful lot for the fully realized characters and laid-back storytelling.
![51LWkhjGTUL.jpg](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51LWkhjGTUL.jpg"]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51LWkhjGTUL.jpg)
obin_gam
Member
Have missed that one, will check out!
Am I right in assuming it will read like Desperation, which had a fun "direct-to-dvd/late-night-cinemax-movie" feel to it?
Tragicomedy
Member
This book is a great starting point. As far as timeline goes, it's actually all over the place. Some of the stories are set pre-WW2, some are set immediately in the aftermath, and some are modern day. It's a very eclectic mix and very enjoyable.
Maklershed
Member
Does anyone know of a good summary of The Expanse Saga to fellow readers for Cibola Burn? I know I forgot a lot of stuff.
I was going to make a post that echoes your thoughts as well. Basically was going to say how awesome it is to dive back into a series I enjoy and see familiar characters and environments etc etc... but I don't exactly have the greatest memory, so a lot of details are pretty vague for me now since reading it last year. I asked around for a summary then before AG came out and got nowhere.
OfWhiteSkinOnRedLeather
Member
Grabbed this from the library today. How far are you and how does it compare so far? It's probably way too early for that question. lol
Leviathan Wakes:
Caliban's War:
Abaddon's Gate:
Plucky, young Space Cowboy meets broken, gruff Space Noir Detective and bond over Truth, Justice and the American Way. Discover a conspiracy involving an alien protovirus that turns organic life into zombies which try to build a biomachine to do some space magic.
Caliban's War:
Protovirus engineered war machines freak the fuck out on Ganymade outpost, planetary relations break down, they save some kids who were being experimented on to make aforementioned war machines. Laughably naive and thinly veiled socio-political commentary abound.
Abaddon's Gate:
Mai kawaii waifu Mao needs to restore her family's name, because honor and shame are huge parts of Japanese culture, of which the authors are no doubt experts. Meanwhile, space magic from book one turns into a wormhole gate at the edge of the solar system that leads to an interuniversal quest hub, except all the zones are empty because Blizzard's content cycle is too fucking slow. Everyone's ready to fight over it but then Holden becomes Moses and leads them to the Space Opera Promised Land of FTL travel.
BOND CO STOOGE
Member
I've been lurking these threads for forever, and of course I decide for my first post to be something quasi-erotica.
AngmarsKing701
Member
The First Law trilogy
Yeah, too early for any opinion. I've just read a couple chapters is all. See below what Angst shared earlier.
A little over halfway through. So far it's the second best book in the series, tied with Leviathan Wakes. Much better than the third book, which I didn't like very much.
Tragicomedy
Member
Tragicomedy
Member
Syfy has ordered the first ten episodes of a TV series based on it already, so we're well on our way.
I never specifically thought of it in that context, but yeah. My favorite writers (Vonnegut, Neal Stephenson, Philip K. Dick) all crush the cool factor for me. If I had an inkling of talent and knew what the heck I was doing, I'd want to write books set in their worlds. Conversely, you have books like Ready Player One which strive so hard to be cool and come across like the 60 year old guy in the biker jacket you see at every punk show. We get it, you're super hip and cool...now move on.
I somehow read all 7 of The Witcher novels/short story collections over the last week. 3 with official English translations, and the rest with fan translations. That was what I got out of last week's big E3 hypefest that took over the gaming side.
Now I have no clue what to start. I was jumping around through a few things that never stuck before this. I hate spending 100-150 pages on a book always hoping it will hook me, but it just never does. Sometimes feels like wasted time.
Amazon keeps reminding me there are several books coming out this summer I am eagerly awaiting though.
Now I have no clue what to start. I was jumping around through a few things that never stuck before this. I hate spending 100-150 pages on a book always hoping it will hook me, but it just never does. Sometimes feels like wasted time.
Amazon keeps reminding me there are several books coming out this summer I am eagerly awaiting though.
Wiktor
Member
Yeah,reading Promise of Blood now and loving it.Great steampunk setting, extremely well done magic systems and great action scenes. Reminds me a lot of Dishonored game.
Its definitely reminiscent of video games. And not in a good way.
Reading: Books of Blood vol.3
I finished Cibola Burn yesterday due to somehow getting it delivered to my Kindle 2 weeks early. I really enjoyed it, much better than Abbadon's Gate. I did miss the political side of the story (spoiler about character chapters
Avasala has only one chapter, the epilogue
AngmarsKing701
Member
Finished Cornwell's Death of Kings last night. Very good final third of the book elevated it to 4/5 stars for me.
Now reading The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making.
Now reading The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making.
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