Does the queen/autarch/emperor have a prominent role? Because if we're off to explore a backwater world for the most part, I'm not so interested. If she is the catalyst then bring it on.
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What are you reading? (June 2015)
- Thread starter Maklershed
- Start date
Does the queen/autarch/emperor have a prominent role? Because if we're off to explore a backwater world for the most part, I'm not so interested. If she is the catalyst then bring it on.
Thank you very much, adding that to my to read list: ).
Fantastic short story collection about love and cheating. Took me a while to realize that almost all of them except for one were about the same character, but I blame that on the breaks I took between reading it and the fact that it wasn't told in chronological order. Also I can't seem to remember the last time I read a book utilizing second person form, but it seemed very effective here, made it easier to relate to the characters.
It will be 80 days from my last book read finished date. Or so I will claim on Goodreads. That claim is most likely untrue. But I never put my last update on good reads, and I think I finished my last book in March, so it'd be nice to take advantage of that.
I suppose I could find my post in the fifty/fifty thread. But I can't be bothered. So eighty days after my last finished book it will be!
Edit: 25th April. I was off by 40 days. There is no justice in the world! Because that's exactly 40 days ago of course, dammit. Why can we not get our future selves to tell us these things. Then we could read The Forty Days of Musa Dagh or something. smh
arglebargle
Member
Glad to see earthsea getting some love in this thread . I loved those books when I was younger.
Nappuccino
Member
Fantastic short story collection about love and cheating. Took me a while to realize that almost all of them except for one were about the same character, but I blame that on the breaks I took between reading it and the fact that it wasn't told in chronological order. Also I can't seem to remember the last time I read a book utilizing second person form, but it seemed very effective here, made it easier to relate to the characters.
If you haven't, you should read Drown (directly follows the same characters and honestly sets the stage for a number of stories in this collection) and Brief and Wounderous Life of Oscar Woa, which is--in some ways--also directly connected to these characters.
What edition of The Iliad? I couldn't decide on one.
The Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition translated by Robert Fagles.
User 479360
Banned
I got it from the library again. I had to return it before because someone placed a hold after I'd only gotten 50 pages into it. I started from where I'd left off.
Atraveller
Banned
Reading Fellowship of the Ring, read 1/3 years ago before I got sidetracked, now I'm returning to it.
You Know Nothing
Member
A Little Life is fantastic so far. The way the prose manages to be fairly simple and eloquent while managing to subtly elicit emotion is masterful.
I already find myself caring so much about these characters and what happens to them, what challenges they face, what ambitions they manage to fulfill as they navigate the chaos of life. Willem's struggle with his familial baggage, JB's struggle for artistic recognition, Malcolm's struggle with his racial and sexual identity and independence from his stifling parents, Jude's struggle with life in general. I already feel as if I know them so well yet still have so much to learn about them. They seem like real, grounded people with very real, believable problems. I can't wait to read more (and be subsequently emotionally crushed in the process!)
Addendum:
"It's DeeAnn!"
Smegma Cake 2
I wasn't expecting to laugh out loud while reading this book, but that happened.
I already find myself caring so much about these characters and what happens to them, what challenges they face, what ambitions they manage to fulfill as they navigate the chaos of life. Willem's struggle with his familial baggage, JB's struggle for artistic recognition, Malcolm's struggle with his racial and sexual identity and independence from his stifling parents, Jude's struggle with life in general. I already feel as if I know them so well yet still have so much to learn about them. They seem like real, grounded people with very real, believable problems. I can't wait to read more (and be subsequently emotionally crushed in the process!)
Addendum:
"It's DeeAnn!"
Smegma Cake 2
I wasn't expecting to laugh out loud while reading this book, but that happened.
I'd even go as far and state Jude is one of the most well developed character I have ever read.
The Austen talk in the last thread got me reading this hysterical little 'novel' from her teenage juvenilia. It will take you about 5 minutes to read through http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/henreliz.html
Maklershed
Member
From a review in Bookforum (not available online, annoyingly) by Jenny Davidson.
Yes, absolutely. There's such a deep sense of interiority to the primary cast. How far are you now?
Oh, yes. There are some very funny moments. And New Zealand couldn't have come at a better time.
Beaniedude
Member
I just finished reading Douglass Adam's Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.
I thoroughly enjoyed it. It did feel like it was jumping all over the place in the beginning. I enjoyed how it ramped up seemingly out of nowhere to include
.
I didn't quite understand the resolution but I blame that on a two week break I took from it forcing me to forget a seemingly unconnected piece of information.
Pretty good.
I thoroughly enjoyed it. It did feel like it was jumping all over the place in the beginning. I enjoyed how it ramped up seemingly out of nowhere to include
time travel, ghosts, aliens, and ALIEN GHOSTS
I didn't quite understand the resolution but I blame that on a two week break I took from it forcing me to forget a seemingly unconnected piece of information.
Pretty good.
The TV series is airing now in the UK.
Atraveller
Banned
Another one to my read list then. I've found my self revisiting books I've read(Chinese version) when I was younger, writing styles are nearly always lost in translation.
Finished The Scarlet Gospels by Clive Barker, it was disappointing. The Prologue was tense and disturbing with some eye rolling directed at the dialogue but it was a great start. Harry D'Amour's story was just completely uninteresting to me, the dialogue between him and his friends were stupid and them going to on this journey to hell and the reason for it were ridiculous. Barker's depiction of hell was interesting a lot of the time but was tied by a shoddy story.
For anyone who has not read any Clive Barker books Imajica is as well crafted and imaginative as any book at there, Weaveworld isn't as good on the story front but is still great.
Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett I'll start next.
For anyone who has not read any Clive Barker books Imajica is as well crafted and imaginative as any book at there, Weaveworld isn't as good on the story front but is still great.
Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett I'll start next.
AngmarsKing701
Member
Yep things move along swimmingly until about book 7. That's where I bailed. Most folks say it picks up again around book 10.
I haven't gone back to it because... pulls braid...
BronzeWolf
Banned
I guess somebody looked at you with a stare that could kill suns and said "wool-headed men are useless!"
Jag
Member
Need to give a routine shout out to The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtsson
I discovered this book awhile back because of the GAF reading thread and haven't seen it mentioned in awhile, so I'm bringing it up again and heartily encourage you to go a-viking with Orm the Red.
I discovered this book awhile back because of the GAF reading thread and haven't seen it mentioned in awhile, so I'm bringing it up again and heartily encourage you to go a-viking with Orm the Red.
sparky2112
Member
PassiveObserver
Member
Going story by story in this great volume.
Also trying to get back into this after taking a prolonged break.
Also trying to get back into this after taking a prolonged break.
sparky2112
Member
Also trying to get back into this after taking a prolonged break.
This is another one I have and haven't yet read. I know it's well thought of, and it had better be if you're gonna have the stones to call your novel that...
trying to start programming again so my old programming book to refresh my memory
haha true, my bad
haha true, my bad
Nappuccino
Member
trying to start programming again so my old programming book to refresh my memory
sorry about the picture size
If you put the image in quote tags, it'll be reasonably sized for the rest of us.
PassiveObserver
Member
It's certainly ambitious. I can't say why I put the book down for so long, well over a year in fact, because I've certainly enjoyed the first 1/3rd. This book was rapturously recommended to me so I have to follow through. I haven't read Karamazov though.
I am finished with Words of Radiance.
What an incredible book!
5 out of 5, can't wait for Skybreaker
Now onto
I'm just about to finish "The Way of Kings" and am eagerly looking forward to "Words of Radiance". I very much like the characters in this book even though I don't understand a lot of what is going on.
I love Lois McMaster Bujold. The "Miles" books are pretty much all great and the Curse and Paladin books are some of my favorite magic/sci-fi books ever.
More importantly, have you read The Story of the Stone?
The Vorkosigan Saga is fantastic. <3
AngmarsKing701
Member
Finally (after 5+ months) finished Words of Radiance.
I'm going to go against most of GAF here and say "meh." 3/5 stars in my Goodreads review, but really 2.5 stars from me.
Some of my issues:
- It's too long. There's a solid 600-700 page book here, but it's mired in:
- Kaladin brooding. I don't need 200 pages of Kaladin brooding. Really. I get it.
- Shallan being clever. She's not really that clever. And her quips aren't funny.
- The biggest issue is that I felt I couldn't actually believe Sanderson's world. There was so much I felt he contrived to have occurred for the sake of making the book longer, rather than telling the story.
Anyway, I'm sure stones will be cast at me. There were parts that were amazing. Scenes that really hyped me up. The last 100 pages or so were actually really intense and had some "fuck yeah!" moments. Those who have read it know which ones I mean. But I really really could have handled the build up to those moments being about 40% fewer "words in abundance."
That and the whole dueling thing was a stupid strategy. My opinion, obviously.
Now onto something much shorter:
I'm going to go against most of GAF here and say "meh." 3/5 stars in my Goodreads review, but really 2.5 stars from me.
Some of my issues:
- It's too long. There's a solid 600-700 page book here, but it's mired in:
- Kaladin brooding. I don't need 200 pages of Kaladin brooding. Really. I get it.
- Shallan being clever. She's not really that clever. And her quips aren't funny.
- The biggest issue is that I felt I couldn't actually believe Sanderson's world. There was so much I felt he contrived to have occurred for the sake of making the book longer, rather than telling the story.
Anyway, I'm sure stones will be cast at me. There were parts that were amazing. Scenes that really hyped me up. The last 100 pages or so were actually really intense and had some "fuck yeah!" moments. Those who have read it know which ones I mean. But I really really could have handled the build up to those moments being about 40% fewer "words in abundance."
That and the whole dueling thing was a stupid strategy. My opinion, obviously.
Now onto something much shorter:
I started reading this (on and off) a week or two ago. I chose the Fagles because it seems a nice balance between poetry and readability, and I want to actually finish it. I liked it the best out of all the samples on sites like these. The Lattimore is closest to the original work, though, and I gather it's the translation used by those studying Homer.
Maybe your library will have a few of them. Get all of them out, and see which one takes.
Ok, I actually laughed out loud at that tweet. She is a fantastic writer, there were moments in John Prester where I thought the book was pure genius. Just those adjectives and pretty turns are the devil. Hahaha.
I also really thought your link was an announcement for an official localization of Oyasumi PunPun. :-(
BlueDogAnchorite
Member
I am about 500 pages into Way of King. I really like the book so far..
Atraveller
Banned
Yes, the original Chinese version.
I'm also re-reading the Witcher series in English. The translator for the Chinese version only knows how to translate, but not write. Different versions read like completely different books.
TestMonkey
Member
After the revelation at the end of Damned, I'm not sure how this book is supposed to go.