-
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 2013)
- Thread starter Maklershed
- Start date
- Status
anyone have any short story recommendations? particularly anthologies so i can sample a bunch of authors? i am looking more for early to mid 20th century stuff.
i have the norton anthology of contemporary short fiction but i almost gave up on the form after making my way through half of that book because nothing really grabbed me.
salinger and hemingway's stuff has been really great though, and i know they are heavy hitters but i get the sense that i probably prefer stuff from that era and not so much modern stuff. for instance i like junot diaz a lot, or his novel oscar wao at least, but 'this is how you lose her' didn't do much for me (and that seems to be considered an instant modern classic so far i believe). i also have fitzgerald's collection on deck.
but i am mostly wondering if there is an anthology from the early to mid 20th century. that seems to be a really fertile era. but so far i've found nothing but modern anthologies.
anyone have any short story recommendations? particularly anthologies so i can sample a bunch of authors? i am looking more for early to mid 20th century stuff.
i have the norton anthology of contemporary short fiction but i almost gave up on the form after making my way through half of that book because nothing really grabbed me.
salinger and hemingway's stuff has been really great though, and i know they are heavy hitters but i get the sense that i probably prefer stuff from that era and not so much modern stuff. for instance i like junot diaz a lot, or his novel oscar wao at least, but 'this is how you lose her' didn't do much for me (and that seems to be considered an instant modern classic so far i believe). i also have fitzgerald's collection on deck.
but i am mostly wondering if there is an anthology from the early to mid 20th century. that seems to be a really fertile era. but so far i've found nothing but modern anthologies.
I dunno about antologies, but for general short story recommendations, O. Henry's stories are neat (early twentieth century) and Robert Sheckley is an awesome author as well (sci-fi and absurdist stuff from mid to late twentieth century).
I thought After the Quake by Haruki Murakami was pretty good though IIRC there aren't too many stories in it (5 or so?). I haven't read The Elephant Vanishes or Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by him yet but I would assume it's pretty good.
Future Foundation
Member
I finally took the plunge and bought this bad boy on a B&N visit:
1100+ pages, needless to say I'll be busy for a little while.
I've been meaning to try that book out for a while now. I've heard really amazing things about it, but it'll have to wait.
1100+ pages, needless to say I'll be busy for a little while.
I've been meaning to try that book out for a while now. I've heard really amazing things about it, but it'll have to wait.
Maklershed
Member
Are you sure you don't have a bootleg copy?
It's interesting, but really poorly written IMO. Is it intentional?
No punctuation, everything is "and then we....and then this happened....and then along came...." It's like an over excited 8 year old trying to tell you about his trip to the zoo.
NinjaBoiX
Member
I'm not sure. I've read around 20 pages, and he hasn't used speech marks once. There has been about 10 commas total over those pages. He also seems to use the word "and" an awful lot.
I know it's a literary classic, so I presume it meant to look like it was written by a child or something?
But the first line is "he reached out to the child lying next to him", so I doubt that.
Maklershed
Member
Hmm something definitely sounds wrong there. I don't remember anything like that at all.
blainethemono
Member
Is it the first McCarthy book you've read? If so, I would probably suggest you read Blood Meridian first instead. Not because I think The Road is bad or anything, but i've seen way too many people give up on McCarthy forever because they didn't like The Road. Which sucks because Blood Meridian is one of my favorites
His style is very different from pretty much any other author out there. I love his style but I can understand why it would bother some people
His style is very different from pretty much any other author out there. I love his style but I can understand why it would bother some people
Maklershed
Member
Has anyone read this and if so, how is it?
L.A. Noir: The Struggle for the Soul of America's Most Seductive City by John Buntin
Yeah Blood Meridian is gooood.
L.A. Noir: The Struggle for the Soul of America's Most Seductive City by John Buntin
Yeah Blood Meridian is gooood.
Mackenzie 92
Member
It's interesting, but really poorly written IMO. Is it intentional?
No punctuation, everything is "and then we....and then this happened....and then along came...." It's like an over excited 8 year old trying to tell you about his trip to the zoo.
That's just the way it's written, turned me off too, but it was more his prose than his lack of punctuation. I liked Blood Meridian more, but still not a fan.
Picked up Lathe of Heaven from the library today and about halfway done with it. Good stuff, started a tad slow but then got really interesting.
The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
Also read this while I was there, reminded of a gaf girl-age topic ha.
Empire State: A Love Story by Jason Shiga
No, not at all. It's McCarthy's style, and the dismissal of frippery like punctuation is just a part of that package.
Nappuccino
Member
Yeah . . . I really did not like The Road. Others will defend it for thematically fitting the story but that never outweighed my dislike of his style.
I enjoyed the style a lot after I got used to it. There's something very real about it. The way he writes seems somehow closer to the way thoughts run through a person's mind. There is a rhythm to the way the words flow, and it grew on me pretty fast.
The lack of punctuation is a little annoying admittedly. McCarthy just leaves it out because he doesn't think it's worth bothering with, doesn't like his page littered with squiggly little lines all over the place, which is not a very good reason. But the actual way the prose flows is pretty brilliant. Even though it may seem rudimentary at first glance, it's really more sophisticated than what most other writers are doing, and I think you'll probably agree if you finish the book, though some do disagree.
But, as you said, the imagery is very powerful. I feel like i can close my eyes right now and drift right into the world of that story. As it unfolds, you inhabit the mind of the protagonist in a very intimate way. It's different. It breaks lots of rules, but it works IMO.
angelkimne
Member
Just started Michael Lewis' Boomerang. Great writer! Even if I don't feel that my knowledge of the financial crisis is increasing exponentially, I do feel like I'm getting the entertainment of a thriller. Problem with these books is that they get outdated so quickly... hmph.
Also chugging through William Doyle's Oxford History of the French Revolution. He's definitely the go-to author for anyone who's interested, although his Very Short Introduction is more interesting and concise. Even Furet is a comparably poor writer. So. FYI for all of the five people in the world who are curious about these things.
Also chugging through William Doyle's Oxford History of the French Revolution. He's definitely the go-to author for anyone who's interested, although his Very Short Introduction is more interesting and concise. Even Furet is a comparably poor writer. So. FYI for all of the five people in the world who are curious about these things.
So I just finished reading:
Warriors organized by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois
The book is a collection of short stories of various genres featuring warriors.
Some of the stories where excellent and some were very bad. For example: Out of the Dark is very interesting, but
. Still, a solid read.
Warriors organized by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois
The book is a collection of short stories of various genres featuring warriors.
Some of the stories where excellent and some were very bad. For example: Out of the Dark is very interesting, but
has one of the most WTF endings
dream
Member
It doesn't focus exclusively on the 20th century (there are some 19th-century stories in it), but The Art of the Short Story is probably my favorite short story anthology.
nakedsushi
Member
Just started this after browsing Amazon for like an hour looking for something to read.
I'm curious what you think of it if you finish it. I read it thinking it would be right up my alley, but didn't really enjoy it as much as I thought.
Just finished this:
Winterblaze by Kristen Callihan
It was ok. Pretty much what I expected, but maybe got a little too alpha male for me. And for once, I thought there was way too much sex going on and detracted from the plot.
Probably going to start this next. Save me.
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
Mackenzie 92
Member
hate to admit it, but I read that a while back and kinda thought... it was ok, at least not terrible. has some interesting sci-fi elements that I enjoyed about (not really any spoilers, but just in case)
the invading alien race and the other worlds and species they have conquered.
Just started this after browsing Amazon for like an hour looking for something to read.
I liked that book a lot and have it on my menu for a re-read, which I only do for VERY few books. Also got me to read the original Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) which is also great; I can't imagine that too many other comedy novels from that era (published in 1889) hold up as well.
Doomsday Book, another novel by Connie Willis, is really great.
Finished The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russel.
Now reading The Well of Ascension.
At about 150-ish pages in, it's feeling kinda slow. I enjoyed the first book, but I'm not sure if I like the direction this one is taking. It probably doesn't help that
Really liked it, although I felt that the pacing was a bit odd at times. I think I'll probably also pick up the second book in the series.
Now reading The Well of Ascension.
I read The Final Empire a few months ago - for some reason the library hold list for the second volume was really long and I swear most people in queue before me brought it back late!
At about 150-ish pages in, it's feeling kinda slow. I enjoyed the first book, but I'm not sure if I like the direction this one is taking. It probably doesn't help that
for some reason Elend really bores me 
Confidence Men
Read this on my vacation. It´s really, really interesting (and well written).
If you think that the government is an ineffective apparatus that ultimately bows to the will of wall street, you´ll find your ideas supported. Though all the way through I felt like I got one, skewed perspective on the inner workings of the Obama administration and would really, really benefit from another book taking the side of Summers, Geithner and Emanuel. Suskind seems to be disappointed by the results of Obamas first two years and blames the president and his economic staff for failing to take advantage of the financial crisis.
Additionally, after reading, I found it hard to see why so many people adore Obama. He comes off as weak, unprepared and partially unfit to be a president. Which was surprising and disheartening.
I think more passages about the president, his character and political believes would have made for a more complete book. This way I feel there is a lot of information missing to give me a complete understanding of this administration. (Book recommendations?)
Last Visible Dog
Banned
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis, is an eye opening look at the recent financial crisis.
.
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis, is an eye opening look at the recent financial crisis.
.
Read it about a year ago. Loved it.
Looking for books about Obama (possibly Obamacare) right now.
Still, thank you. Maybe more people will pick it up, seeing this.
nakedsushi
Member
Also finished:
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth: Updated With New Material by Ina May Gaskin
Pretty good, non-scary information about natural childbirth. I read the 2nd part first, which was more informational, then went back to the 1st part, which were birth stories.
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth: Updated With New Material by Ina May Gaskin
Pretty good, non-scary information about natural childbirth. I read the 2nd part first, which was more informational, then went back to the 1st part, which were birth stories.
I finished The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin, and really liked it. When Orr
, it's tragic. I watched the PBS movie version from 1980, which was interesting but not great.
That's the copy I have of the Foundation trilogy by Isaac Asimov. I'm halfway through Foundation, at "The Mayors" part, and I am really enjoying it so far. It moves at a pretty quick speed, which was surprising to me.
loses LeLache
That's the copy I have of the Foundation trilogy by Isaac Asimov. I'm halfway through Foundation, at "The Mayors" part, and I am really enjoying it so far. It moves at a pretty quick speed, which was surprising to me.
Maklershed
Member
Taking a real quick time out from Red Country to read Raised Eyebrows (based on the recommendation of Wombat of CAGcast fame). Don't know if I've seen a Marx bros. movie. If I have its been a loooong time. But I'm enjoying the book none the less and really burning through it fast.
Raised Eyebrows: My Years Inside Groucho's House by Steve Stoliar
Raised Eyebrows: My Years Inside Groucho's House by Steve Stoliar
Having finished Komarr, I decided to take a break from perils of Miles Vorkosigan and read something new. The Dresden Files talk earlier got me interested, so I decided to get the first book. Not very far into it, but the beginning and the overall tone kinda remind of me The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler, which I read not so long ago. I'm pretty excited, actually!
Mackenzie 92
Member
You might wanna spoiler that ^
I finished it today to, was just alright for me. It had a great premise, but I don't think it ever really lived up to it. And Orr kinda irritated me, as did Haber, and
I couldn't understand why Orr just kept on letting Haber take them down the path to hell.
If you enjoyed it, you might wanna check out Replay by Ken Grimwood. It explores a lot of the same themes and is far superior in my opinion.
Thanks, I thought the lack of context might've been OK for that line.
I felt that Orr's passivity bore out the theme of the futility of playing God.
Thanks for the recommendation, Replay has been on my to-read list since posters have been praising it in these threads.
Finished Small Favor yesterday. I liked this one a lot, though
I was hoping Lash was about to come back when Harry's hand started to act up. I was also glad that Murphy turned down the sword, it seemed far too predictable that she could be a knight. I'm thinking though that Toe-moss may eventually pick up a sword. He is kind of a prince and seems proficient enough with a sword. Nevermind that he's a vampire though...
Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
I love his distinct style.
It's interesting, but really poorly written IMO. Is it intentional?
No punctuation, everything is "and then we....and then this happened....and then along came...." It's like an over excited 8 year old trying to tell you about his trip to the zoo.
I read one interpretation that in this world, punctuation and sentence structure aren't really important anymore. He writes only what is important, and it comes out sparse and a little poetic.
I really like it myself.
Chairman Yang
if he talks about books, you better damn well listen
Finished these two recently:
Night was hugely affecting. I haven't read any Holocaust fiction that can approach the compact, brutal impact of this.
Sum starts out incredibly strong, but the ideas get weaker the further you get. Still very worthwhile, and a must-read if you like Einstein's Dreams or Invisible Cities.
Now I'm reading these:
The Tell-Tale Brain is great so far. I don't know if I'd recommend it as an intro to neuroscience (Steven Pinker's How the Mind Works is better, if somewhat outdated) but it's not inaccessible or anything, just not very comprehensive.
I started The Heroes long ago, stopped reading it, but restarted it recently. I don't know what it is with Joe Abercrombie's books, but they're a bit hard to get into at first. That said, he's only second to George R. R. Martin among fantasy writers, in my opinion, and depending on the quality of this, he might reach the top. I'm expecting brilliant action scenes, vivid characters, clever dialogue, and a great awareness (and willingness to overturn) genre tropes. Let's see if I get it here!
Night was hugely affecting. I haven't read any Holocaust fiction that can approach the compact, brutal impact of this.
Sum starts out incredibly strong, but the ideas get weaker the further you get. Still very worthwhile, and a must-read if you like Einstein's Dreams or Invisible Cities.
Now I'm reading these:
The Tell-Tale Brain is great so far. I don't know if I'd recommend it as an intro to neuroscience (Steven Pinker's How the Mind Works is better, if somewhat outdated) but it's not inaccessible or anything, just not very comprehensive.
I started The Heroes long ago, stopped reading it, but restarted it recently. I don't know what it is with Joe Abercrombie's books, but they're a bit hard to get into at first. That said, he's only second to George R. R. Martin among fantasy writers, in my opinion, and depending on the quality of this, he might reach the top. I'm expecting brilliant action scenes, vivid characters, clever dialogue, and a great awareness (and willingness to overturn) genre tropes. Let's see if I get it here!
Devil Theory
Member
I've probably made a huge mistake just starting this beast of a series when I have other books in queue.
Translated though. A fantasy novel set in Soviet Russia sounded intriguing and I had a gift card to use. Never heard about it before.
Edit: Ok started actually reading this a bit more, and it's not exactly Soviet Russia but definitely like Soviet Russia. Seems good. Definitely has potential.
A lot of Le Guin's work is influenced by Taoist philosophy, and Orr is portrayed as a Taoist protagonist. Check out the analysis here if you're interested:
http://www.sfra.org/Coyote/daoistnovels.htm
Mackenzie 92
Member
Last Visible Dog
Banned
The Inflatable Volunteer by Steve Aylett
Oh fuck Wow
The clerk tripped on the carpet, hit a window and went through, carrying with him a vase which had been on the sill. His skull broke like the vase and the vase broke like his skull, and both burst forth water mainly, and from the vase some flowers. If I could choose a death Id make it something like that, except Id add a good woman and some lard.
.
Oh fuck Wow
The clerk tripped on the carpet, hit a window and went through, carrying with him a vase which had been on the sill. His skull broke like the vase and the vase broke like his skull, and both burst forth water mainly, and from the vase some flowers. If I could choose a death Id make it something like that, except Id add a good woman and some lard.
.
- Status