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What are you reading? (March 2013)
- Thread starter Maklershed
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Read this and some of his short fiction in school. Probably my least favorite writer ever. Can't stand his style and after visiting the Kafka museum in Prague I'm pretty sure that I would not have liked him as a person as well.
hardcastlemccormick
Banned
You Deserve Nothing by Alexander Maksik. Predictable and occasionally underwritten, but still and excellent and quick read with a lot to think about.
nakedsushi
Member
Finally finished!
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Really long and needlessly repetitive in some parts, but I enjoyed it as a whole. Loved the whole pagan vs. Christians struggle and the perspective of the Court from the female characters in the story. I never knew that Gwen was such an uptight, self-righteous, whining lady! Also, I never knew that
. These courtly folks were racy!
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Really long and needlessly repetitive in some parts, but I enjoyed it as a whole. Loved the whole pagan vs. Christians struggle and the perspective of the Court from the female characters in the story. I never knew that Gwen was such an uptight, self-righteous, whining lady! Also, I never knew that
Arthur did it with his sister and fathered a son from that!
Mainly, it felt like I was reading a different book all of a sudden. Like you mentioned earlier, the characters underwent some pretty drastic changes without any plausible explanation, and I just didn't enjoy the whole cult idea. I wonder if the abridged version cuts down a lot from the second part, maybe I would have liked it better.
maxheadwound
Member
I have sorted myself out with a kindle and busy ploughing through the Harry Potter series.
Really enjoying at the moment
Really enjoying at the moment
RustyNails
Member
Amazon
I'm not a big reader at all. Only book I've read cover to cover was Da Vinci Code (lul), and some books required for studies. But I've been meaning to read this for a while and finally got the chance to do so. It...transports you to this really different world and just learning about this world is fascinating. I mean you have tribes going to war with each other and dying for the smallest of slights. Such a crazy time period.
The book takes great care in quoting from sources deemed trustworthy through the science of hadiths, so the miracles that were said to have happened are taken at face value. The book begins with Abraham's second wife leaving his home with her newborn son Ishmael. It recounts how the city of Mecca was formed and became the sanctuary of worship. Then Muhammad is thrust into this world and you see how he was the outsider, just like his grandfather the patriarch Abd-al Muttalib. I'm at chapter 10 right now. Although the first few chapters can overwhelm you with the names of all the extended family of Muhammad, his great grandfathers, their wives, children, etc., it gets easier and focuses on a sole group of people after Chapter 8 or 9.
If you are ever hankering for a true understanding of the Islamic Prophet, the world he inhabited and the characters that inhabited his world, his views and his personality, this is the book to get.
I read The Trial and The Castle. It was interesting, to a certain degree, but I wouldn't call either of them a particularly good read. They are both very similar, depicting a man getting desperate under the pressure of absurd bureaucracy, but unfortunately they are not that good technically, hard to get through and the latter is unfinished. Both novels are rather short though, so go for it if you're in the mood.
I'd rather recommend looking into adaptations because it's a much better way to delve into those stories, at least in case of The Trial. There is an excellent Orson Welles film based on it, which follows the novel very closely, essentially doing a better job of telling its story and creating the atmosphere. It also had a Blu-ray re-release last year.
That's interesting feedback! I liked Dune but had similar thoughts regarding the world.
That also was a bit of a shock for me when I came across it while reading The Once and Future King! I didn't know much about Arthurian legends to start with, but it was very unexpected.
Read the last two Hunger Games books, Catching Fire and Mockingjay.
Eh. The first book was the highlight, which isn't saying much as it was solid at best. The "romance" between any of the characters is right up there with Twilight. The rest of the story did interesting things at times, but never enough to hold everything together.
Eh. The first book was the highlight, which isn't saying much as it was solid at best. The "romance" between any of the characters is right up there with Twilight. The rest of the story did interesting things at times, but never enough to hold everything together.
Mackenzie 92
Member
Finished
Wasteland of Flint by Thomas Harlan
Enjoyed this quite a bit. Will definitely be reading the sequels.
In an alternate future, the Aztec Empire never got destroyed and in fact conquered the world and are now in total control of the space faring human empire. This serves to give the story an interesting style and flavor that was kind of nifty and refreshing. Having read Aztec a couple years back, this made it even more enjoyable for me and easier to pick up on some of the Aztec lingo and terms that the author used throughout the book.
Won't get too specific, but the story is about a lost survey team that has gone missing on a far away planet. Another team is sent in to discover what has happened to them and all is not as it seems on this seemingly dead world.
In terms of writing, Harlan reminds me a lot of Alastair Reynolds, very similar styles.
Wasteland of Flint by Thomas Harlan
Enjoyed this quite a bit. Will definitely be reading the sequels.
In an alternate future, the Aztec Empire never got destroyed and in fact conquered the world and are now in total control of the space faring human empire. This serves to give the story an interesting style and flavor that was kind of nifty and refreshing. Having read Aztec a couple years back, this made it even more enjoyable for me and easier to pick up on some of the Aztec lingo and terms that the author used throughout the book.
Won't get too specific, but the story is about a lost survey team that has gone missing on a far away planet. Another team is sent in to discover what has happened to them and all is not as it seems on this seemingly dead world.
In terms of writing, Harlan reminds me a lot of Alastair Reynolds, very similar styles.
Two annoyances with The Hobbit...
1. As mentioned before, I still hate long chapters
2. Stop reminding me I'm reading a book! I don't want a narration saying "Of course he escaped, and here is how he did it!", or "and they would never meet again, until later, which I can't tell you about until later!" ..... shut up!
Still though, I am enjoying it because it is such a great adventure, and while it's obviously fantastical, it's still just rooted in being a fun read going along with Bilbo on this adventure.
1. As mentioned before, I still hate long chapters
2. Stop reminding me I'm reading a book!
I don't want a narration saying "Of course he escaped, and here is how he did it!", or "and they would never meet again, until later, which I can't tell you about until later!" ..... shut up! Still though, I am enjoying it because it is such a great adventure, and while it's obviously fantastical, it's still just rooted in being a fun read going along with Bilbo on this adventure.
Beermeister
Banned
Stephen King: The Tommyknockers.
Macmanus
Member
Cute animal stories are my guilty pleasure.
Once that's done it'll be back to finishing off the Murakami books for me
cat 2[/QUOTE]
Kafka On The Shore is one of my favorites. Though if you love cute animals... you might not be in for a good time.
Currently reading [IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c7/DWCity.jpg
Love it so much! Larson does such a great job crafting a narrative.
Buckethead
Banned
You Deserve Nothing by Alexander Maksik. Predictable and occasionally underwritten, but still and excellent and quick read with a lot to think about.
I looked into that book in the past when it's been mentioned in one of these threads and there's apparently a bit of controversy surrounding it as there are a lot of allegations about it not being a fictitious story at all.
Lots of stuff on Google like this article.
Amazon
I'm not a big reader at all. Only book I've read cover to cover was Da Vinci Code (lul), and some books required for studies. But I've been meaning to read this for a while and finally got the chance to do so. It...transports you to this really different world and just learning about this world is fascinating. I mean you have tribes going to war with each other and dying for the smallest of slights. Such a crazy time period.
The book takes great care in quoting from sources deemed trustworthy through the science of hadiths, so the miracles that were said to have happened are taken at face value. The book begins with Abraham's second wife leaving his home with her newborn son Ishmael. It recounts how the city of Mecca was formed and became the sanctuary of worship. Then Muhammad is thrust into this world and you see how he was the outsider, just like his grandfather the patriarch Abd-al Muttalib. I'm at chapter 10 right now. Although the first few chapters can overwhelm you with the names of all the extended family of Muhammad, his great grandfathers, their wives, children, etc., it gets easier and focuses on a sole group of people after Chapter 8 or 9.
If you are ever hankering for a true understanding of the Islamic Prophet, the world he inhabited and the characters that inhabited his world, his views and his personality, this is the book to get.
Judging by the glowing accounts on Amazon (most of them by avowed muslims) and a few critical commentaries by non-muslims, this is not a critical biography but a hagiography. Unsurprisingly, the author is a muslim convert.
BTW "the science of hadiths"?? In what way is there science involved in purported sayings by Mohammed that were written down at least 100 years after his death. Would you put trust in a modern book of sayings by Teddy Roosevelt published this year with the author stating he collected those quotes by talking to people whose father remembered hearing from his grandfather how his father heard Teddy say something memorable? There's no science, it's only make belief - or in this case blind faith.
Syracuse022
Member
Just finished:
T-Rex and the Crater of Doom by Walter Alvarez
A nice insight into the scientific debate that crystallized our current explanation for the end of the reign of dinosaurs. 65 million years ago, a 10 km (diameter) meteor or comet pulverized the Yucatan, set off an unprecedented tsunami in the Gulf of Mexico, and set the Americas ablaze. It was one fateful collision with orders of magnitude more destructive power than the world's nuclear arsenal at the height of the Cold War.
On The Road: The Original Scroll by Jack Kerouac
At his best, Kerouac bursts forth in an uncontrollable burst of imagery and emotion. At his worst, he's kind of just rambling. I'm glad I read it, but it wasn't life-changing.
In progress:
Death By Black Hole and Other Cosmic Quandaries by Neil deGrasse Tyson
A modern intellectual hero provides incredibly succinct and fascinating insights into the key discoveries and tenets of astrophysics.
The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology by Ray Kurzweil
Kurzweil is absolutely brilliant, but in the small portion of this that I've read, he's tiptoeing dangerously close to developing a new religion. I'm excited to get deeper and really dissect his vision of the future.
How Music Works by David Byrne
Not overly scientific, but incredibly insightful observations about music and how we as a species relate to it. How could anyone who has ever experienced the magic of this man performing live not pick this up to try and glean where his power comes from?
On deck:
To Save Everything, Click Here: The Folly of Technological Solutionism by Evgeny Morozov
I'm hoping this provides a nice set of counter-arguments for Kurzweil's vision of the future.
For work:
Hacking and Securing iOS Applications by Jonathan Zdziarski
T-Rex and the Crater of Doom by Walter Alvarez
A nice insight into the scientific debate that crystallized our current explanation for the end of the reign of dinosaurs. 65 million years ago, a 10 km (diameter) meteor or comet pulverized the Yucatan, set off an unprecedented tsunami in the Gulf of Mexico, and set the Americas ablaze. It was one fateful collision with orders of magnitude more destructive power than the world's nuclear arsenal at the height of the Cold War.
On The Road: The Original Scroll by Jack Kerouac
At his best, Kerouac bursts forth in an uncontrollable burst of imagery and emotion. At his worst, he's kind of just rambling. I'm glad I read it, but it wasn't life-changing.
In progress:
Death By Black Hole and Other Cosmic Quandaries by Neil deGrasse Tyson
A modern intellectual hero provides incredibly succinct and fascinating insights into the key discoveries and tenets of astrophysics.
The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology by Ray Kurzweil
Kurzweil is absolutely brilliant, but in the small portion of this that I've read, he's tiptoeing dangerously close to developing a new religion. I'm excited to get deeper and really dissect his vision of the future.
How Music Works by David Byrne
Not overly scientific, but incredibly insightful observations about music and how we as a species relate to it. How could anyone who has ever experienced the magic of this man performing live not pick this up to try and glean where his power comes from?
On deck:
To Save Everything, Click Here: The Folly of Technological Solutionism by Evgeny Morozov
I'm hoping this provides a nice set of counter-arguments for Kurzweil's vision of the future.
For work:
Hacking and Securing iOS Applications by Jonathan Zdziarski
Lamb and Fool are probably the closest you will get to Sacré Bleu.
I would still suggest you try A Dirty Job. It is another SF based novel featuring the Emperor with some cameos from the vampire books, but it has a very different tone. It is probably his best book.
Yeah, every season you watch makes the books a little less fun in a way. They're still worth reading though. Fortunately, a lot of changes were made in season two and a lot of stuff was left out, so book 2 should at least be more fun to read. Good thing season three isn't out yet, because I've heard the thirth book is pretty crazy.
Now I'll just have to reach that book before the 31st...
Switch Back 9
a lot of my threads involve me fucking up somehow. Perhaps I'm a moron?
I personally thought Heroes was the best of his latest "trilogy"
but
Logen is a motherfuckin G in this book
I love how quickly he's getting these out as well, unlike certain other fantasy writers *cough Martin and Lynch cough*
I need more Glokta in my life, I hope he's featured more in the next couple of books.
Personally I started this today, need something a bit easier on the brain after Blood Meridian (as much as I loved it)
Switch Back 9
a lot of my threads involve me fucking up somehow. Perhaps I'm a moron?
It reads so much like a western it's hard to imagine everyone with swords and shit instead of revolvers and lever action rifles.
UK cover
In February, I finished In the Shadow of the Sword: The Birth of Islam and the Rise of the Global Arab Empire by Tom Holland, and really enjoyed the great narrative history. There is some very amusing writing in here. The book is a history of Late Antiquity mostly set in the Near East, covering the third to eighth centuries. It follows the history of the Roman/Byzantine empire, Persian-Iranshar empire, and the formation of the Arab-Islamic empire.
The first fifty pages or so describe the traditional narrative of Mohammad and early Islam. This early portion delves into the biographies and hadiths compiled within the next couple hundred years, and discusses their veracity. The book next describes the Sasanian Iranshar empire, and Zoroastrianism. After that is a portion of the book devoted to New Rome and Byzantium, Christianity and Judaism.
Holland does this to set up the beginnings of the Arab empire, which took great advantage of the ruins of the Roman and Persian empires following devastating wars and plagues. Mohammad seemingly never stepped foot in Mecca, nor was there a bustling city there until Islam came into its own around a hundred years after the death of the prophet, which was in 632. This is a very intriguing section of the book.
One of the main takeaways from the book is that the empires and religions of the Near East influenced the Arab empire and the formation of Islam quite a bit. An even more interesting point Holland makes is that the Arab empire essentially created Islam as we know it, and not the other way around.
The research seems to be sound, and Holland stresses that there are many more questions than answers about this period of history. I recommend checking it out. Perhaps it'll be more fuel for the discussion from the previous posts in this thread regarding Mohammad and Islam.
Next up I read Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller. This was pretty darn good, and not what I had been expecting, especially the final part of the graphic novel, involving another DC universe character.
I am currently reading The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin, and and close to finishing it up. The novel revolves around a man whose dreams affect reality, and is absolutely terrified by it. It gets more and more interesting as I go on, and stranger as well. I'm having a lot of fun with Le Guin's prose.
Light - M. John Harrison
Just finished reading it and thus my thoughts are somewhat rambled. There's a certain bit of bile about it, a degree of misanthropy (or perhaps, more overtly, misogyny) that permeates the whole thing. There's so much sex. Sex, sex, sex. At times it just feels gratuitous. At other times it takes on a parodic edge, like a provocative fling at a genre where sex has become a quest reward, the endgoal for a staid romance.
Still not sure what happened plot-wise, exactly, although I can grasp the bare shape of it. Some lovely, lovely sentences. Harrison writes about the beauty of chaos in a way that few others have matched, like an endless cacophony of colors and fractals and explosions. Then you read about a hand sliding into a vagina. One after another. The narrative hangs up on its voyeurism as if that was the extent of its ambition. It's a work that doesn't quite succeed, I feel, at whatever the author intended. The barrier posed by the page upon page of effusive praise before you can even start reading the book doesn't help. There's a sense of reaching out for greatness but it falters before it even reaches halfway through. In the end it's really just a series of regurgitations about flashbacks you've known the contents about for half the novel.
At the same time I want to move onto the sequel, to see how this thing wraps up. I'll probably pick up Nova Swing soon.
Just finished reading it and thus my thoughts are somewhat rambled. There's a certain bit of bile about it, a degree of misanthropy (or perhaps, more overtly, misogyny) that permeates the whole thing. There's so much sex. Sex, sex, sex. At times it just feels gratuitous. At other times it takes on a parodic edge, like a provocative fling at a genre where sex has become a quest reward, the endgoal for a staid romance.
Still not sure what happened plot-wise, exactly, although I can grasp the bare shape of it. Some lovely, lovely sentences. Harrison writes about the beauty of chaos in a way that few others have matched, like an endless cacophony of colors and fractals and explosions. Then you read about a hand sliding into a vagina. One after another. The narrative hangs up on its voyeurism as if that was the extent of its ambition. It's a work that doesn't quite succeed, I feel, at whatever the author intended. The barrier posed by the page upon page of effusive praise before you can even start reading the book doesn't help. There's a sense of reaching out for greatness but it falters before it even reaches halfway through. In the end it's really just a series of regurgitations about flashbacks you've known the contents about for half the novel.
At the same time I want to move onto the sequel, to see how this thing wraps up. I'll probably pick up Nova Swing soon.
My goodness this sounds interesting, think I may read this next. I thought I had decided on Altered Carbon after I finish The Hobbit, but that premise sounds pretty intriguing.
Mackenzie 92
Member
The lack of no Bloody Nine POV made me sad
That does sound interesting and ah, no kindle version. Looks like my library has it though.
Read this today
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison
Pretty dark and disturbing shit.
I thought The Lathe of Heaven was fantastic. It's also a quick read - less than 200 pages, I read through it in one sitting. You should give it a try!
Yeah, I'm kinda hooked. It really picks up after the first book. I was about to drop the series after the second book because I couldn't stand Murphy at all. But she really comes around and I ended up really liking her. If you're willing the give it another chance I'd recommend you do
DieUnbekannte
Member
The first Dresden File book was okay but nothing special. Fool Moon was a lot better than its predecessor but I heard that the series really starts with the third one. I haven't read it yet but I'm going to after I've finished the book I'm currently reading. Maybe you should give it a try once more?
Just finished Small Gods from Terry Pratchett. It's a great discworld novel but couldn't keep up with my favourites of this series. I needed a little change in genre so I started The Scarlet Letter from Hawthorne yesterday. It was on my reading list for a long long time but I never read it. Only read a few pages but I'm really looking forward to it.
Just finished Small Gods from Terry Pratchett. It's a great discworld novel but couldn't keep up with my favourites of this series. I needed a little change in genre so I started The Scarlet Letter from Hawthorne yesterday. It was on my reading list for a long long time but I never read it. Only read a few pages but I'm really looking forward to it.
D
Deleted member 1235
Unconfirmed Member
First book is the worst, but I still enjoyed it enough to carry on. it's my favourite series now. each ones a quick read. I enjoy the books the most related to the fae, those guys are badass. White vampires are pretty awesome as well.
KingofGourds
Member
Read this once before, but I'm reading it again because I have to do a comparative analysis of literature to screenwriting.
I'm enjoying it so much more this time around, probably because I'm older *shrug*.
Probably gonna try to finish off the couple of Murakami novels I haven't gotten around to. I read most of them back to back over a period of a month and I got completely burnt out on the thematic repetition.
Yeah, I'm kinda hooked. It really picks up after the first book. I was about to drop the series after the second book because I couldn't stand Murphy at all. But she really comes around and I ended up really liking her. If you're willing the give it another chance I'd recommend you do
Interesting. Yeah, I'll probably try out the second book.
The first book wasn't bad, I just wasn't crazy about the dialogue and the supernatural characters that get introduced just felt...undercooked to me. Only character I really had a strong impression of was Dresden himself. Felt like everyone else just came and went without being memorable or making much impact on the story.
GasProblem
Member
I'm now at the part where the movie stopped, so excited to see what happens next. And the book I'm reading has illustrations as well, adds to the experience.
Next up is:
The movie was my favorite when I was a kid (was 4 when it came out). Watched it dozens and dozens of times. But, I never read the books. Excited to read it, heard it's quite different from the movie. Will probably read the Lost World after that.
After that it's time to re-read the first three books of Song of Ice and Fire, then it's time for A Feast For Crows and A Dance With Dragons wich I've never read.
And after that I want to read the First Law Trilogy.
Enough to do :lol
Mackenzie 92
Member
hardcastlemccormick
Banned
This was posted quite a bit earlier in the thread (about You Deserve Nothing by Alexander Maksik), but I just wanted to say two things:
1) Thanks for telling me this.
2) Holy shit.
I'm currently jumping between books, trying to find something gripping.
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
Reappearance as a kindle daily reminded me I bought it last year or so and I gave it a reread. Think I liked it much better this time as I was more attentive to how it was written rather than wrapped up in the plot.
Maklershed
Member
That sounds very intriguing. I think I have the hard copy version from a book sale but if I recall its as big as a cinder block. Might have to just pony up for the Kindle version.
Mackenzie 92
Member
Yeah it was pretty unwieldy, with small print to boot. I'm gonna go with the kindle version for the sequels.
PlayALLtheGames
Banned
Very early in but it's pretty wild.
Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
Halfway through. I like it so far, but I think from what I've read so far, it could be cut in half and be a better read.
have you guys considered .. i dont know .. MAYBE READING THE BOOKS BEFORE YOU WATCH THE SHOW ON TELEVISION!?
I've only read Lamb but the next Moore I read will be either Fluke or A Dirty Job as I already own both.
RepairmanJack
Member
A Dirty Job. A lot better than Fluke, but I may be a little biased as A Dirty Job is my favorite Moore book.
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