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What are you reading? (March 2013)

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M

Masenkame

Member
I finished up Foundation by Isaac Asimov, which was a fun read. It moves along at a quick pace. Asimov's prose is better than I had been led to believe from reading comments online. The conceit of psychohistory ruins
the tension of following the protagonists, as they are always going to come out favorably. The protagonists always know what to do, or they have cooked up a plan that will roll out exactly as they hoped it would.
I'll get around to the sequels eventually, since I'd really like to see what happens next.



I'm going to start on the monstrosity that is Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson, the first novel in the The Malazan Book of the Fallen series. I've heard the horror stories about its difficulty, but it seems to be right up my alley.
 
G

Grenouille

Member
Piecake said:
yup, good stuff. Bout the most dense literature ive ever read though.
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Even though it is complicated, the stories are very short and there is always so many imaginative things being said that I can't call it tiresome (as the word dense or difficult would imply).
I'd consider it dense also in the sense that there are so many ideas in such a small amount of pages. He 'wastes' in a single paragraph ideas that anybody else would wrap a whole book around. It's almost irritating.

Italo Calvino's essay on Borges is worth reading.
 
J

Jenga

Banned
John-Williams-Stoner.jpg


great book, must read
 
C

Ceebs

Member
nakedsushi said:
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.
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I thought it was fantastic. Everything in the 1800's was constantly funny, and the big reveal at the end was very satisfying despite me figuring it out several chapters ahead of time.

It's a really neat book that feels like a set of nesting dolls. A Victorian comedy novel inside a futuristic time travel novel inside an Agatha Christie mystery. I am most impressed that Willis was able to pull the whole thing off because it could have easily been a giant train wreck.
 
S

ShaneB

Member
I started reading Altered Carbon, but I'm not feeling it at all. It seems interesting, and the premise always sounded so awesome to me, but it's just not drawing me in. I'll stick with it for a bit more to see if it hooks me, and maybe it's a bit too bleak for me right now, but I'll try and see where it goes.
 
S

Simplet

Member


It is so bad. I'm only finishing it because I'm already 2 months behind on returning my books to the library and if I'm going to pay a fine I'm damn sure going to read the books to the end!

Also I would really like to understand how ba jin is considered one of the best chinese writers of the 20st century, this shit is terrible. If someone likes this, I would love to talk to you and try to understand why you're such a glutton for punishment.
 
N

nakedsushi

Member
Ceebs said:
I thought it was fantastic. Everything in the 1800's was constantly funny, and the big reveal at the end was very satisfying despite me figuring it out several chapters ahead of time.

It's a really neat book that feels like a set of nesting dolls. A Victorian comedy novel inside a futuristic time travel novel inside an Agatha Christie mystery. I am most impressed that Willis was able to pull the whole thing off because it could have easily been a giant train wreck.
Click to expand...

Wow that was quickly read! I think the Victorian comedy part threw me off. I found some of the characters too bumbling and everyone kept interrupting everyone else, ugh. I did like the time-travel aspect of it, but couldn't really get into the mystery.
 
C

Ceebs

Member
nakedsushi said:
Wow that was quickly read! I think the Victorian comedy part threw me off. I found some of the characters too bumbling and everyone kept interrupting everyone else, ugh. I did like the time-travel aspect of it, but couldn't really get into the mystery.
Click to expand...

This is why I spend too much money one books. Unless it is some super dense 1000 page novel I will probably finish it in a day or two.
 
A

arkon

Member
Grenouille said:
Even though it is complicated, the stories are very short and there is always so many imaginative things being said that I can't call it tiresome (as the word dense or difficult would imply).
I'd consider it dense also in the sense that there are so many ideas in such a small amount of pages. He 'wastes' in a single paragraph ideas that anybody else would wrap a whole book around. It's almost irritating.

Italo Calvino's essay on Borges is worth reading.
Click to expand...

Where might one find this Calvino essay?
 
M

Masenkame

Member
Lumiere said:
Finished The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russel.

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.
Click to expand...

I read that earlier this year, and I thought it was really good. A sequel seems unnecessary, but I'll get around to it sometime.

Number45 said:
Unfounded as far as I'm concerned. It's a joy to read.
Click to expand...

Good to hear. I've read a little past the first chapter so far, around sixty pages in, and it seems pretty interesting. I guess the lack of exposition upfront is the complaint I've seen, but I'm down.
 
L

Lumiere

Neo Member
Masenkame said:
I read that earlier this year, and I thought it was really good. A sequel seems unnecessary, but I'll get around to it sometime.
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I agree that a sequel seems unnecessary, but on the other side I'd love to read more if it comes any close to the quality of The Sparrow.
That said, I have plenty of half-read series that I need to finish first, so I don't think I'll get to it any soon. :)
 
C

Ceebs

Member
So I read this last night/today

replay.jpg


Had seen it posted in one of these threads before and decided to give it a shot. Fantastic read that I could just not put down. Pretty sure I read the whole thing in 2 sittings.

It's pretty much Groundhog Day as a drama and with a longer timeline. Highly recommended.
 
S

ShaneB

Member
Yeah, Replay is awesome. Spread like wildfire here and a bunch of us read it. I think I'm gonna quit Altered Carbon and move on, I'm not connecting to it at all.
 
E

eattomorro

Neo Member
Finished off Carnival by Rawi Hage last night. Overall I enjoyed the book, except for the last act which ended in a rushed sort of way. Too bad since the main character deserved more time...

Now onto Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey. I've heard good things about it here, and want to get the first two books done before the third drops in June.

8855321.jpg
 
M

Maklershed

Member
Mackenzie 92 said:
Hey Mak, was at a booksale yesterday and found a couple noir books if you're still looking for them. Haven't read them yet, but they look good and have decent ratings.



Also picked these up, was a gold mine for New York Review Books, no luck finding Stoner tho.
Click to expand...

Cool thanks. I'll check them out. Coincidentally I'm watching a noir movie right now called Murder, My Sweet .. which btw I'm wondering if The Big Lebowski is a parody of this. A lot of similarities.
 
N

Narag

Member

Make Room! Make Room! by Harry Harrison

Not sure I really cared for this. Overconsumption parable was pushed pretty hard at the beginning, the actual crime stuff felt somewhat underdeveloped, didn't really care for a character apparently becoming some sort of author mouthpiece in the second half, and I think I was a little disappointed with the cast of characters but that might be because the beginning gave me the impression the main storyline was going to bounce along through a different character in each stage it advanced such that it might better portray just how overcrowded NYC was in the book. Can't say I wish I hadn't read it but not something I'd revisit.
 
T

TestMonkey

Member
Reading Witches Incorporated by K.E. Mills. Not the greatest book. Kind of a every man Harry Potter has a mid-life crisis. Got the first three books used and it's an easy read so I'll probably finish them out.
 
E

effzee

Member
Finished the Chaos Walking trilogy. Can't tell if I liked it. It started of so good. The first book was great. But the 2nd and 3rd book venture into a territory where it really dragged and became boring. Not only that but the cool premise it started off with felt like it would be so much more. So much potential and it devolves into a very typical story.

The end of the third book was pretty satisfying.
 
S

ShaneB

Member
Banned for posting in the wrong thread?! well dang.


Anyways, I did bail on Altered Carbon, maybe I'll revisit it someday, or maybe soon since I hate the feeling of not knowing what happens, but oh well.

Started reading Childhood's End. Should be a nice quick read, liking it so far.
 
W

WriterGK

Member
Finished these 2 books last month for a course:

tumblr_lwvpipGwc81r95ywio1_400.jpg


ShippingNews.jpg


It was for a novel writing course... too bad they thought I wasn't good enough. But I liked those books. And I loved the first one from Nabokov. I finished it after two days of reading.

And now I am continuing with this one:

images


Almost at page 500 so still not even halfway yet haha.
 
C

Ceebs

Member
Starting up this one:

349756.jpg


I read Shades of Milk and Honey last year sometime and quite enjoyed it, but never got around to the sequel.
 
M

Mackenzie 92

Member
Started The Expendable Man last night. Liking it, love the setup - dude is driving his mom's Caddi from LA to Phoenix in the late 50s and picks up a hitchhiking girl who later is discovered dead.

Also still reading End of the World Blues, I like it, but keep getting sidetracked with different books.
 
D

Dan

No longer boycotting the Wolfenstein franchise
IqD1NVw.jpg


Finished this and liked it well enough. It was a fun and easy read without being dumb or overly simplistic. Nice change of pace from bigger investments like Alastair Reynolds' novels.

Are the sequels and/or other books in the universe good, too?
 
F

foomfoom415

Member
Dan said:
IqD1NVw.jpg


Finished this and liked it well enough. It was a fun and easy read without being dumb or overly simplistic. Nice change of pace from bigger investments like Alastair Reynolds' novels.

Are the sequels and/or other books in the universe good, too?
Click to expand...

I really enjoyed the next two. The fourth I really didn't care for, though. It's a retelling of the third book from a different perspective, so it's completely skippable (and I'd recommend you do just that). I'm really enjoying the "episodes" of the 5th book that are coming out weekly now.
 
D

Dan

No longer boycotting the Wolfenstein franchise
foomfoom415 said:
I really enjoyed the next two. The fourth I really didn't care for, though. It's a retelling of the third book from a different perspective, so it's completely skippable (and I'd recommend you do just that). I'm really enjoying the "episodes" of the 5th book that are coming out weekly now.
Click to expand...

Interesting, thanks.
 
C

Ceebs

Member
Oops. I kinda just read all of Glamour in Glass in one sitting this afternoon. Very good. It got away from the stuffy formal dinners and parties of Shades of Milk and Honey and replaced them with a bit of intrigue in a small town near Brussels during Napoleon's Hundred Days.

If you like Jane Austen or Alternate history that includes magic really give this one a read.
 
D

drifter444

Member
GAF, recommend me a good fantasy book similar to the Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland. I just finished watching Return to Oz and I'm craving a "girl goes on a fantasy adventure" type of book.
 
N

Nezumi

Member
drifter444 said:
GAF, recommend me a good fantasy book similar to the Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland. I just finished watching Return to Oz and I'm craving a "girl goes on a fantasy adventure" type of book.
Click to expand...

AbhorsenTrilogy.jpg


These might fit your bill, though from what I gathered so far they are a bit darker than your examples.
 
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