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[JustAnotherMike]

I finished listening to the Mistborn series a week ago. That was pretty good.

Now I'm reading

It's like watching a Jason Statham movie in book form.

 

[Silver Arrows]

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carre.

I'll be completely honest, I'm a sucker for espionage novels, and I've been trying to get through the ones I've been meaning to read (Powered through a three pack of Robert Ludlum novels last month and thoroughly enjoyed all of them) but this one isn't hitting the right notes for me. I love the world building Le Carre does, especially in relation to the 1970's British intelligence services...but everything else is so dreary, dull, and droning. There's no real action, and it just makes the plot plod along. I'm not expecting thrilling action on every page, but come on, at least give me something. I'm 147 pages in, and I hope that my opinion changes.

 

[sparky2112]

2/3 through Seveneves. Loved the first part, cannot bring myself to keep going after he transition.

Huh. What happened?

 

[Mumei]

Reading:

Rereading:

 

[Prototype]

The Familiar by Mark Z Danielewski

 

[Haly]

Sometimes I have the sneaking suspicion that someone hacked my kindle and replaced my copy of the Great American Novel with a cetology textbook.

 

[kswiston]

I am about 50 pages from the end of the Autumn Republic (book 3 of the Powder Mage trilogy). I should finish it up tonight or tomorrow.

I really liked the cast of this trilogy, and the powder mages themselves are a cool concept. McClellan also writes some really engaging action sequences which make the books hard to put down (I finished all three novels in a little over 3 weeks. Usually it takes me twice as long to get through 1600 pages or so of reading).

The series does sometimes fall into the common fantasy pitfall of giving the main characters epic plot armor though. After awhile, those dozens of nick of time saves and fortuitous circumstances start to stretch the suspension of believe.


While epic fantasy/sci fi is my junkfood media of choice, I think I will pick something more literary for my next book.

 

[Freeza Under The Shower]

 

[Mumei]

Sometimes I have the sneaking suspicion that someone hacked my kindle and replaced my copy of the Great American Novel with a cetology textbook.

This has always been the aspect of Moby Dick that most intrigued me. I find whales very interesting!

While epic fantasy/sci fi is my junkfood media of choice, I think I will pick something more literary for my next book.

So, what are you thinking of reading?

 

[kswiston]

So, what are you thinking of reading?

I'm not sure yet. Someone here recommended The Name of the Rose to me, but Crime and Punishment has also been calling to me lately. The only Russian lit I have read is Tolstoy (specifically War and Peace and the Death of Ivan Ilych)

 

[Mumei]

I'm not sure yet. Someone here recommended The Name of the Rose to me, but Crime and Punishment has also been calling to me lately. The only Russian lit I have read is Tolstoy (specifically War and Peace and the Death of Ivan Ilych)

Personally, my favorite work of Russian literature- unless we're counting émigrés, I suppose - is Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov.

Then again, I haven't read Crime and Punishment since 2008, and I was not as practiced a reader than as I am now.

 

[Septimus Prime]

I'm roughly halfway through.

 

[Matty77]

I say that about a lot of King shows.

I didn't watch Under the Dome, though - was it any good? Does it reflect well on the book?

As a huge fan of the book I think I got to the third episode before I checked out for good.

 

[Piecake]

Sometimes I have the sneaking suspicion that someone hacked my kindle and replaced my copy of the Great American Novel with a cetology textbook.

You should read Les Miserables so I can learn the proper scientific term for knowledge of sewers.

 

[dab0ne]

Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris

 

[Mumei]

I think it's Mansfield Park, which is hated on a lot more than her other novels. People think Fanny Price is weak and meek and conservative but I think she's one of her most complex creations. The book has the sexiest Austen 'antagonists' in brother and sister Crawford, and there's a lot of sex in general between the lines of this book. The intertextual qualities of the book (in particular the play) can get you re-reading it again and again.

Persuasion is great, though. For pure laughs you can't beat Northanger Abbey. If you have any interest at all in gothic literature you'll laugh your head off, and even if you don't, its parody of literary tropes is hysterical.

I neglected to respond to this in the previous topic! I would probably have to explore more gothic literature in order to get Northanger Abbey, but Mansfield Park sounds interesting. I actually first heard of Mansfield Park when reading about Nabokov's opinions of Austen, now that you mention it.

 

[Ashes]

I neglected to respond to this in the previous topic! I would probably have to explore more gothic literature in order to get Northanger Abbey, but Mansfield Park sounds interesting. I actually first heard of Mansfield Park when reading about Nabokov's opinions of Austen, now that you mention it.

What is his opinion generally speaking?

 

[Haly]

You should read Les Miserables so I can learn the proper scientific term for knowledge of sewers.

I gave up on Les Miserables before ever reaching the sewer digression. I imagine that falls under the purview of "civil engineering", however.

This has always been the aspect of Moby Dick that most intrigued me. I find whales very interesting!

My guess 70% of the book is dedicated to talking about whales, the history of whales, the cultural impact of whales, a defense of whaleman as a noble profession and the whaling industry (and also its history).

Another 10% is this kind of stuff.

Squeeze! squeeze! squeeze! all the morning long; I squeezed that sperm till I myself almost melted into it; I squeezed that sperm till a strange sort of insanity came over me; and I found myself unwittingly squeezing my co-laborers' hands in it, mistaking their hands for the gentle globules. Such an abounding, affectionate, friendly, loving feeling did this avocation beget; that at last I was continually squeezing their hands, and looking up into their eyes sentimentally; as much as to say,— Oh! my dear fellow beings, why should we longer cherish any social acerbities, or know the slightest ill-humor or envy! Come; let us squeeze hands all round; nay, let us all squeeze ourselves into each other; let us squeeze ourselves universally into the very milk and sperm of kindness.

 

[Mumei]

Haly, are you sure you weren't just waiting for the perfect post to segue into posting that?

What is his opinion generally speaking?

I wouldn't feel comfortable speaking authoritatively, but this post is something to read.

 

[Haly]

Haly, are you sure you weren't just waiting for the perfect post to segue into posting that?

 

[Maklershed]

I'm embarrassed to say I've never read Moby Dick - is that really in there? If so, that makes The Rocking Horse Winner's innuendo look tame in comparison.

 

[FutureZombie]

Any recommendations for fantasy books or series without magic in them?

 

[Haly]

I'm embarrassed to say I've never read Moby Dick - is that really in there? If so, that makes The Rocking Horse Winner's innuendo look tame in comparison.

If there yet lurked any ice of indifference towards me in the Pagan's breast, this pleasant, genial smoke we had, soon thawed it out, and left us cronies. He seemed to take to me quite as naturally and unbiddenly as I to him; and when our smoke was over, he pressed his forehead against mine, clasped me round the waist, and said that henceforth we were married; meaning, in his country's phrase, that we were bosom friends; he would gladly die for me, if need should be. In a countryman, this sudden flame of friendship would have seemed far too premature, a thing to be much distrusted; but in this simple savage those old rules would not apply.

...

How it is I know not; but there is no place like a bed for confidential disclosures between friends. Man and wife, they say, there open the very bottom of their souls to each other; and some old couples often lie and chat over old times till nearly morning. Thus, then, in our hearts' honeymoon, lay I and Queequeg— a cosy, loving pair.

You have no idea.

 

[Ashes]

I wouldn't feel comfortable speaking authoritatively, but this post is something to read.

Thank you. That was in of its self a great read.

 

[AngmarsKing701]

Any recommendations for fantasy books or series without magic in them?

Go with Guy Gavriel Kay. Either very little magic or none at all usually. A Song for Arbonne is amazing.

 

[kswiston]

Any recommendations for fantasy books or series without magic in them?

do you want fantasy creatures (dragons, other races, etc), or just a straight medieval setting? If it is the later, you could just check out some historical fiction.

 

[Ashes]

Any recommendations for fantasy books or series without magic in them?

Alice in Wonderland? Chronicles of Narnia? That kind of thing?

I have The Owl Service on books to read in a few weeks time... I think that may qualify for Low Fantasy.

 

[Pau]

Finished The Good Women of China. Spent a good deal of my time reading it crying, but I've found that my favorite things to read nowadays are just interviews with all sorts of people.

Moving on to Oblivion: A Memoir, which is gonna be even harder to read because of how close it hits to home. I've pretty much stayed away from anything about Colombia except for research and more traditional history books, but I figure one of these days I'm gonna have to learn how to come to terms with what happened to my family.

I enjoyed Shadow of the Wind well enough and bought The Angel's Game, but I didn't get past the first page. I'm such a lazy reader in Spanish and the more I stay away from it, the worse it becomes. And then I remember how I used to be able to read Don Quixote without much of a problem. D:

 

[FutureZombie]

do you want fantasy creatures (dragons, other races, etc), or just a straight medieval setting? If it is the later, you could just check out some historical fiction.

I'm fine with fantasy creatures; I'm just a little tired of reading books with magic because of the deus ex machina factor.

Alice in Wonderland? Chronicles of Narnia? That kind of thing?

I have The Owl Service on books to read in a few weeks time... I think that may qualify for Low Fantasy.

Something along those lines as long as it's not for children might be okay.

 

[Haly]

You want Between the Rivers, by Harry Turtledove.

 

[FutureZombie]

You want Between the Rivers, by Harry Turtledove.

Thanks for the recommendation, but after reading the synopsis, I'm worried about the gods. That's still "magic" to me.

 

[Verdre]

Any recommendations for fantasy books or series without magic in them?

Maybe Peter S Beagle's A Fine and Private Place

Edit: And Naomi Novik's Temeraire series.

 

[VanWinkle]

Currently reading two books as I decide which to really dedicate my time to first.

The first book I started is Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb. Quite interesting so far (about 10% in), but actually a little hard for me to read comfortably. I assume it's just her writing style, and there's nothing wrong with it - she's clearly a great writer - but it doesn't flow quickly for me like the books I'm more used to. I'm also a little weary of starting a book that is part of such a huge overarching series for this character. Nonetheless, I am actually liking it and will read it at some point soon if I don't do it now.

Next is a new fantasy novel from debut author Jonathan Renshaw called Dawn of Wonder. It's about 700 pages and is self-published on Amazon! That normally makes me weary, as you never know how the editing will be, but I'm really, really impressed. First of all, the book is very well-written, with a unique voice and a nice, flowing prose. Second, the idea of a new author self-publishing a 700 page fantasy novel that's the first in a series is absolutely fascinating. Third, it's getting fantastic reviews. Currently sitting at 4.8/5 on Amazon and 4.48/5 on Goodreads, which is a hard average to accomplish.

I think I'm leaning towards Dawn of Wonder, as it's really clicking for me. Apparently it's doing pretty well on Amazon, where it has a debut sale price of $2.99. He also is already done with the rough draft of book 2 and is currently in revision mode, so I'm not too scared of him flaking out and going away suddenly.

It's interesting to me that I for some reason am in this coming-of-age fantasy kick. Started with The Name of The Wind which I finished about a week ago, and these two, which are both in the same vein.

 

[Piecake]

Currently reading two books as I decide which to really dedicate my time to first.

The first book I started is Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb. Quite interesting so far (about 10% in), but actually a little hard for me to read comfortably. I assume it's just her writing style, and there's nothing wrong with it - she's clearly a great writer - but it doesn't flow quickly for me like the books I'm more used to. I'm also a little weary of starting a book that is part of such a huge overarching series for this character. Nonetheless, I am actually liking it and will read it at some point soon if I don't do it now.

Next is a new fantasy novel from debut author Jonathan Renshaw called Dawn of Wonder. It's about 700 pages and is self-published on Amazon! That normally makes me weary, as you never know how the editing will be, but I'm really, really impressed. First of all, the book is very well-written, with a unique voice and a nice, flowing prose. Second, the idea of a new author self-publishing a 700 page fantasy novel that's the first in a series is absolutely fascinating. Third, it's getting fantastic reviews. Currently sitting at 4.8/5 on Amazon and 4.48/5 on Goodreads, which is a hard average to accomplish.

I think I'm leaning towards Dawn of Wonder, as it's really clicking for me. Apparently it's doing pretty well on Amazon, where it has a debut sale price of $2.99. He also is already done with the rough draft of book 2 and is currently in revision mode, so I'm not too scared of him flaking out and going away suddenly.

I read Dawn of Wonder and I enjoyed it. My only real complaints was that it DRAGGED in a few parts. That is saying something since I am usually perfectly fine with not a whole lot happening if that time is spent developing characters and building the world/atmosphere. He could have used an editor. My other complaint might be a spoiler so I won't mention it. I will be reading the next book.

 

[jtb]

really interested in reading the meursault investigation, which is a reimagining of the stranger from the Algerian perspective; I think the English translation is released tomorrow

 

[tiebreaker]

Reading:

Rereading:

Just finished the book last month. It's weird, not as I thought it would be, but a wonderful book nonetheless.

I'm not currently reading anything, I will probably pick up another work from Murakami.

 

[Mumei]

I'm fine with fantasy creatures; I'm just a little tired of reading books with magic because of the deus ex machina factor.

Something along those lines as long as it's not for children might be okay.

For an example of a fantasy series that uses magic and the divine in an intelligent way that shouldn't irritate you, check out The Curse of Chalion and The Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold. There are elements of deus ex machina, in the form of actual gods, but it's fairly limited and well-constructed. It's not a novel where those appearances or interferences are presented flippantly but actually engages in an interesting way with the numinous:

Lois McMaster Bujold is a science fiction writer, so perhaps it’s not surprising that when she came to write fantasy she thought about this sort of thing. She thought about the economics of wormhole systems in the Miles books, and she thought about how technology changes over time, so it’s only reasonable when she turned to fantasy that she should have thought about how magic is woven through the world in a really deep way. In the Chalion books, and especially in Paladin of Souls we have it all woven seamlessly together, the gods, the magic, the history, curses, demons, life and death, all in the story of a retired mad queen who goes on a pilgrimage.

Spoiler

No link, because spoilers otherwise.

It's fantastic stuff.

For something completely eschewing magic or the divine, try A Natural History of Dragons and its sequels by Marie Brennan. It's a series of fictional memoirs of the life of Lady Trent, a dragon naturalist-cum-famous and infamous adventurer. Curse / Paladin is better, but this better fits what you want, I think.

Just finished the book last month. It's weird, not as I thought it would be, but a wonferful book nonethrless.

I'm not currently reading anything, I will probably pick up another work from Murakami.

Have you read any of his works previously?

 

[VanWinkle]

I read Dawn of Wonder and I enjoyed it. My only real complaints was that it DRAGGED in a few parts. That is saying something since I am usually perfectly fine with not a whole lot happening if that time is spent developing characters and building the world/atmosphere. He could have used an editor. My other complaint might be a spoiler so I won't mention it. I will be reading the next book.

Cool, thanks. I have heard a few people mention it drags a bit in sections. That usually doesn't bother me either, but we'll see. And having an editor is always a great idea, but he had to work within the confines of his position. Maybe this book will do well enough to earn him a publisher. It's definitely good enough to, from what I've read so far and the reviews indicate.

 

[FutureZombie]

Thanks for all the recommendations!

 

[besada]

Reading:

I bought this for my wife on your say so.

 

[aidan]

Thanks for all the recommendations!

Just to complicate things a bit further, try K.J. Parker's stuff—subversive, funny, dark fantasy set in a world with very little or magic, but filled with lots of politicking sword fights and the other fun fantasy tropes. Sharps and The Folding Knife are both standalone novels

 

[Rug Monkey]

Any recommendations for fantasy books or series without magic in them?

1632 (Ring of Fire) - Eric Flint is great fun, AND is free for Kindle on Amazon.

 

[arglebargle]

Sometimes I have the sneaking suspicion that someone hacked my kindle and replaced my copy of the Great American Novel with a cetology textbook.

I would guess most cetology textbooks these days don't insist whales are fish. Great book though.

 

[obin_gam]

I'm embarrassed to say I've never read Moby Dick - is that really in there? If so, that makes The Rocking Horse Winner's innuendo look tame in comparison.

Read it. The first time I read it was this January, so I too had waited too long
What makes it the best book in the world, is that 90% of it are
environment descriptions. The actual story itself is secondary to this imo.

 

[Haly]

I would guess most cetology textbooks these days don't insist whales are fish. Great book though.

It is, in some ways, very funny reading what Melville thought about whales with the hindsight provided by modern marine biology.

 

[KingGondo]

Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East

This is a very very good book and fits your criteria quite well.

Thanks! It's on my list now.

 

[tiebreaker]

Have you read any of his works previously?

Nope. That was the first one I've read.

I'm contemplating on ordering this book.

Any thoughts on this particular book?

 

[Salsa]

grab Kafka on the Shore tiebreaker

 

[Mumei]

Nope. That was the first one I've read.

I'm contemplating on ordering this book.

Any thoughts on this particular book?

That is one of a couple (along with The Elephant Vanishes, After Dark, and... something else?) that I haven't read, actually. My friend absolutely loves it, though.

I read Dance Dance Dance after A Wild Sheep Chase, because it shares some characters in common, though that did not end up as one of my favorites (Norwegian Wood, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, maybe Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World or Sputnik Sweetheart. I think Kafka might be a favorite on reread, as well).

 

[Item Box]