still making my way through money by martin amis and still thoroughly enjoying it but have also started "when you are engulfed in flames" by david sedaris. not great but certainly a lot more commute-friendly than amis for me, in fact i should be done with it by the end of week and then i'll concentrate on money or start volume 1 of the paris review interviews
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
What are you reading? (March 2011)
- Thread starter Maklershed
- Start date
HiroProtagonist said:
10th and final book! I haven't been this excited in probably a decade.
Best new fantasy out. Amazing. If you haven't read The Name of the Wind, you must.
Best release day ever. I'm seriously geeking out right now.
Edit: I'm(?)
I just got both today too. Which should I read first? I'm thinking Erikson since it ends the series.
Currently reading The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Everywhere I read suggested reading these short stories first even though they come later in the time-line. I've always liked Sherlock Holmes and I'm really enjoying them so far, though from a modern readers perspective the casual mention of cocaine abuse is a little bizarre. It's just something Sherlock and Watson bicker about from time to time. These days if someone wrote a character who abused drugs it would take up the whole of their character and be a major plot point. I can't imagine anyone writing about it casually. It makes me wonder what sort of things people write about today that will be considered strange in a hundred years time.
HiroProtagonist
Member
hiryu said:
They're both amazing, but I've come so far with Erikson I feel compelled to read his first.
DanDeschain
Member
Second time through this. Rereading the whole series in hopes that Dance is coming soon.
Going through the DT trades at the moment. Pretty decent.
HiroProtagonist
Member
DanDeschain said:
I imagine his series will air on HBO, the books will all jump back up to the top 10, and suddenly Dragons will be done just in time to take advantage of his new expanded audience. It seems like a smart move, but it's still shitty for those of us who have been waiting forever. I guess we'll know soon enough.
MacGurcules
Member
I'm still suffering through the last 150 pages or so of this beast.
It comes so highly regarded, but I can't really understand why. It's like a Jane Austen novel but without any of the legitimate historical value. It's chock full of manners and customs of the period, but very little actual substance.
This is my fourth attempt at it and I'm determined to finally make it through, but I'm starting to get impatient. I wanna read that new Rothfuss joint. I know it's tropey and stereotypical but at least dude writes good prose.
It comes so highly regarded, but I can't really understand why. It's like a Jane Austen novel but without any of the legitimate historical value. It's chock full of manners and customs of the period, but very little actual substance.
This is my fourth attempt at it and I'm determined to finally make it through, but I'm starting to get impatient. I wanna read that new Rothfuss joint. I know it's tropey and stereotypical but at least dude writes good prose.
MacGurcules
Member
That's a pretty good one. If you get around to reading more than a couple Palahniuk books, you may find him to be kinda one-note. But most of them are a pretty easy and generally enjoyable read. I think Survivor may be my favorite of his.udllpn said:
MacGurcules said:
I can feel your pain with this one. Though I honestly thought it would have been a good book if she had cut out about half the pages. She just went on too long on really useless details that didn't forward the plot or characters in the slightest. Some authors really need a lesson in brevity. It took me several sessions spread out over half a year to finally finish it. It is interesting that the book comes so highly praised, as I've never met a person who enjoys it. Most people I meet say "This is a book that I wanted to love but I just couldn't quite do it..."
Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter. It's quite long and quite dense at times, but I'm really enjoying it nonetheless. I've had it on my shelf for years - I'm not sure what prompted me to finally start reading it properly, but I'm glad I did! I would recommend it to anyone who is even remotely interested in Gödel's theories (although, as the title suggests, it's not only about that!).
After this heavy dose of non-fiction, I'll probably get The Wise Man's Fear. I absolutely loved The Name of the Wind when I read it last winter, after all.
MacGurcules said:I'm still suffering through the last 150 pages or so of this beast.
It comes so highly regarded, but I can't really understand why. It's like a Jane Austen novel but without any of the legitimate historical value. It's chock full of manners and customs of the period, but very little actual substance.
This is my fourth attempt at it and I'm determined to finally make it through, but I'm starting to get impatient. I wanna read that new Rothfuss joint. I know it's tropey and stereotypical but at least dude writes good prose.
If it's any consolation, I thought the last 1-200 pages were by far the best parts of the book.
TheChewyWaffles
Member
HiroProtagonist said:
10th and final book! I haven't been this excited in probably a decade.
Best release day ever. I'm seriously geeking out right now.
Edit: I'm(?)
Tell me more about this.
I've already bought A Wise Man's Fear and am currently reading it.
Wow, it's been years since I read any Dragonlance. I used to collect the series between the ages of 12-14. I didn't read them anymore after that, until I was 18 and feeling nostalgic. I didn't read the original trilogy which I hear isn't so bad, just one of the other trilogies... I think having to do with elves, I can't remember specifically which one. It was so badly written, my memories were forever tarnished. Not only was the writing bad, but the plotting was terrible. Plot points that they'd bring up which would suddenly disappear into the ether. The experience has made me very wary about which books I decide to re-read.
MacGurcules
Member
I'm kinda feeling that. In general, it seems to gradually increase in quality as you go. Unfortunately, it seems to be on track to follow this curve.thomaser said:
blazinglord
Member
I'm reading a couple of good books at the moment. The first is about British Hong Kong and its handover to China in 1997:
The second book is about a British journalist living in Buenos Aires during 1993-1996:
The second book is about a British journalist living in Buenos Aires during 1993-1996:
Nassimoluc
Neo Member
I finished The Big Sleep a few days ago. Very good stuff, but I was ready to get back into some sci-fi:
I bought this years ago and got maybe 80 pages in, but never ended up getting too far into it. I honestly can't remember why I got bored of it, seems crazy now. After dusting it off yesterday and starting over from the beginning I'm already 230 pages in. I love the Canterbury Tales style with all of the individual stories and the mystery of the Shrike and the Time Tombs is fascinating to me. I also like the backdrop that the Hegemony provides. I already have The Fall of Hyperion on my Kindle since I know I'll be tearing through this fairly quickly.
I bought this years ago and got maybe 80 pages in, but never ended up getting too far into it. I honestly can't remember why I got bored of it, seems crazy now. After dusting it off yesterday and starting over from the beginning I'm already 230 pages in. I love the Canterbury Tales style with all of the individual stories and the mystery of the Shrike and the Time Tombs is fascinating to me. I also like the backdrop that the Hegemony provides. I already have The Fall of Hyperion on my Kindle since I know I'll be tearing through this fairly quickly.
Bloodbeard
Member
Monocle
Member
Not my picture.
Also scanning Elbow Room: The Varieties of Free Will Worth Wanting by Daniel Dennett. (Someone on a different forum said this is expensive and hard to find. Not on Amazon it's not.)
Mgoblue201
Won't stop picking the right nation
Adam Smith is about the epitome of bland academic style, so it can get quite boring in places (I don't particularly care about the state of agriculture in 18th century England), but it can be very interesting at times to witness the foundation being laid of modern economic thought.
Night_Trekker
Member
I'm reading both The Gripping Hand (alright so far, very different from The Mote in God's Eye) and Lucifer's Hammer (better in some ways), both by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. It's been a long time since I read any science fiction, so I'm especially enjoying the reading.
Maklershed
Member
Are you gonna read The Year of the Flood? Its good. Not so much a sequel to Oryx and Crake but the stories are kind of intertwined. You'll notice a few nods to Oryx and Crake if you pay attention.phage said:I'm actually reading SIASL right now (just reached the midpoint of the story). What a coincidence.
This is what I read before that. I thought it was brilliant:
Hari Seldon
Member
Crovax33 said:
Best book I ever read. I got the Audible version which was outstanding.
HiroProtagonist
Member
BigNastyCurve said:
This is the tenth book of the "Malazan Book of the Fallen" series written by the Canadian Elf Steven Erikson. It's epic, (legit epic, not internet-era epic) dark, high fantasy with a few *cough*hundred*cough* characters including: gods, demons, multiple races(Non-Tolkien), mages, dragons, and assassins - all strewn across multiple continents.
Some people love it, and some can't get past the first book - Gardens of the Moon. I don't really remember much of Gardens, but obviously I enjoyed it enough to move on, and 9,500 pages later here I am at the last. I've read a lot of fantasy, not everything - but I'm trying (well, the good stuff atleast), and I'm putting this series first on my long list of favorites. Suck it GRRM! Put down the pizza and suck it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malazan_Book_of_the_Fallen
Gardens of the Moon (1999)
Deadhouse Gates (2000)
Memories of Ice (2001)
House of Chains (2002)
Midnight Tides (2004)
The Bonehunters (2006)
Reaper's Gale (2007)
Toll the Hounds (2008)
Dust of Dreams (2009)
The Crippled God (2011)
Well, in the last few days I finished The Sheltering Sky, which I really got to loving in the second half, and started and finished One Foot in Eden by Ron Rash. It's a fantastic book if you like contemporary Southern fiction.
I haven't decided what to read next. Might be another Southern novel or I may continue brushing up on my required reading. I'm on my way towards an Education degree and am not as well read in High School reading lists as I'd like to be.
So, GAF, what were some of your favorite books from your required reading lists?
I haven't decided what to read next. Might be another Southern novel or I may continue brushing up on my required reading. I'm on my way towards an Education degree and am not as well read in High School reading lists as I'd like to be.
So, GAF, what were some of your favorite books from your required reading lists?
Esnel Pla said:
Slaughterhouse 5 - Vonnegut
Fahrenheit 451 - Bradbury
To Kill a Mockingbird - Lee
The Poisonwood Bible - Kingsolver
To name a few. I'm sure there are some more favorites that I had to read during high school but these few stick out. I know many people here really dig some Austen and Bronte so they are probably good places to hit up if you haven't read them extensively. I know Crime and Punishment used to be the staple book for 12th grade English and most people find it wonderful.
As for what I'm reading, I'm absolutely thrilled to be reading The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss like many others in the thread. I'm finding it to be just as enjoyable as the first was when I read it two years ago, although I am a little hazy on the specific details from The Name of the Wind. I am enjoying it immensely regarldless.
Also thinking about reading the book club book, but with three exams and a problem set due before Friday and then Spring Break arriving, I don't know if I will have the time to read that in addition to Wise Man's Fear.
CF_Fighter
Member
Haven't gotten that far in due to school, but have enjoyed it so far.
finowns
Member
The sequel was good. Liked the Name of the Wind better though.
Being really picky: I was disappointed about a huge scene that Rothfuss just kind of ignores
Kvothe on trial.
Some of the conversations were a little wonky for example the man-mother argument and Denna interactions
Surprisingly there is little to no relationship development between them. Denna chapters are very repetitive covering the same ground we have read before over and over again.
Interesting Theories:
Lady Lockless (sp?) being Kvothes Aunt. His mother being the elder sister who ran off with the Ruh.
Ambrose becoming the King Kvothe Killed.
Pollux
Member
Just finished The Wise Man's Fear, and i'm afraid that I'm going to have to wait another 3 years to find out what happens to Kvothe next. Good news is that Pat Rothfuss is having a book signing here in Boston in 2 weeks so I can ask him if he plans on trying to get that book written any faster. I just need to know what happens next lol.