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What are you reading? (March 2013)
- Thread starter Maklershed
- Start date
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D
Deleted member 1235
Unconfirmed Member
but I like that as well! Think of all the suffering I must endure to enjoy my favourite books.
Jim Butcher is a champ though, I'm just cursed with fast reading ability and pretty much nail one of his books in less than a week, then I have to be sad again. I wish I could go back to the time I found out about these books and had a stretch of seemingly endless books ahead of me
I think it kind of shows his aloneness and fractured thoughts of a survivor.
I. It was. Nice book.
BUT..
etc.
D
Deleted member 1235
Unconfirmed Member
almost missed this! man thanks, all 'want to read' on my goodreads now, based off the dog stars being on there. fucking great book so great.
Mackenzie 92
Member
Finished. Second half was way better than the first. Wild ride.
End of the World Blues by Jon Courtenay Grimwood
End of the World Blues by Jon Courtenay Grimwood
Easystride
Member
I was thinking of starting that, but it is seems pretty daunting.
By the way, Way of Kings is on sale for the Kindle for $2.99. Any fantasy fans who haven't read it yet owe it to themselves to check it out for that price.
FutureZombie
Banned
Fifth of ten books. It's possible each book has been better than the last, but this one appears to be a big departure from the rest of the series. From the rundown of dramatis personae, 99% of the characters in this book are brand new. That's certainly odd, and I will admit I'm a little worried about that. Still, Erikson has delivered with the other four books. I love how he seems to have planned out everything from the beginning.
Last Visible Dog
Banned
It does feel like a big departure at first, but don't worry, some the best characters in the series are about to come into your life, and the others will be back
Oh he has, which is why you can trust him when he starts new story arcs on the other side of the world ... it's all necessary and makes things even more epic...
.
It is actually anything but. Yes it is long, but it just flies by. I was hard pressed to put it down at 3AM some nights. By the end you are just wanting more of it to read.
Forsaken82
Member
Just finished Gone Girl and moved on to Wool. Hoping to have Wool finished by the end of the month, but my reading pace is extremely slow lately. Probably going to start Blood Meridian next.
Chasm City is very good. I haven't read The Prefect yet.
I just finished this:
It was good but oddly anticlimactic. As usual, lots of mysteries and revelations coalesce in the end, but the characters don't do much with them. The element that proves most influential is given very little development. Kinda feels like there could have been a 4th novel (in the main series) built out of a combination of Absolution Gap's epilogue and some of the things covered in the Galactic North novella.
nakedsushi
Member
Finished this last night:
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
It wasn't as bad as I was fearing. The alien occupation part was actually kind of cool, but I wish the resolution had gone a different direction. The odd love quadrangle at the later half of the book was definitely different, but seemed to have been solved way too easily. And a little creepily in the barely-legal kind of way.
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
It wasn't as bad as I was fearing. The alien occupation part was actually kind of cool, but I wish the resolution had gone a different direction. The odd love quadrangle at the later half of the book was definitely different, but seemed to have been solved way too easily. And a little creepily in the barely-legal kind of way.
Just finished:
Third book in the series, only one to go. The second book was a bit of a letdown, but this book was a lot of fun, in particular in the final stretch with multiple plot points coming together and a couple of surprising plot twists.
Now reading:
It's a sort of sequel to The Stress of Her Regard. I've always been interested in the Preraphaelite Brotherhood. This book is about the Rossetti family (Gabriel Rossetti the painter and Christina Rossetti the poetess) and it's a good fit for Powers' particular brand of alternate historical fiction.
Third book in the series, only one to go. The second book was a bit of a letdown, but this book was a lot of fun, in particular in the final stretch with multiple plot points coming together and a couple of surprising plot twists.
Now reading:
It's a sort of sequel to The Stress of Her Regard. I've always been interested in the Preraphaelite Brotherhood. This book is about the Rossetti family (Gabriel Rossetti the painter and Christina Rossetti the poetess) and it's a good fit for Powers' particular brand of alternate historical fiction.
Mackenzie 92
Member
yeah the bits about the other aliens and stuff was pretty cool i thought. would have liked to hear more about them.
I thought it was excellent, albeit lengthy.
Mackenzie 92
Member
damn that dude is a writing machine. i just pre-ordered this a week or so ago based on patrick rothfuss' review of it and it just sounded cool
Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
Easystride
Member
Well, I went ahead and bought the Penguin version on the Kindle store, and I am already 10%. I usually have a little trouble getting into older books, but I am hooked.
Lionheart1827
Member
Always wanted to read the Thrawn trilogy. Currently about a quarter through this one. Pretty good so far.
Burger
Member
It's about an astronaut trying to survive on Mars as long as possible. I like the scientific approach to the different problems (food, water, air, energy) and how resourceful the protagonist is. Very informative and entertaining imo.
God this was pretty bad. Did Not Finish.
This might be a fun book for engineers to read but in terms of a piece of fiction it's terribly boring. There are many places where I visibly cringed reading, this guy is using techniques I would use in my high school English class. Terrible attempts at humour and obvious overuse of tropes (end a chapter with "I think I'm going to make it!" begin next chapter with "I'm fucked!").
Avoid.
RepairmanJack
Member
Finally got around to finishing Good Omens. I don't think this was the book for me, there were parts I really loved but then there were parts I just hated. Really couldn't get into the stuff with Shadwell or the kids. I also wish there were more interactions with Crowley and Aziraphale, the first half with them running around is the book at its best.
Yeah, something about Ghost Story just felt off for me. I don't know. I have not finished Cold Days yet (I decided to stop so the wait for the next one wouldn't be so long), but as far as I got I was really happy because it goes right back to Harry being Harry as we know and love him. Oh and the lack of
Thomas
I hate admitting that I don’t GET a book, makes me feel like I’m a moron missing something Feeling that way with The Dog Stars. I just am finding it hard to even try and get through it. The disjointed writing I’m finding hard to follow, the lack of quotations make conversations confusing, and I just don’t have any connection to a story with any progression. It’s all over the place and I just don't have that sense of “oh man, I have to find out what happens here!!”
Feeling that way with The Dog Stars. I just am finding it hard to even try and get through it. The disjointed writing I’m finding hard to follow, the lack of quotations make conversations confusing, and I just don’t have any connection to a story with any progression. It’s all over the place and I just don't have that sense of “oh man, I have to find out what happens here!!”Started last weekend:
And finished tonight.
Was my first time reading it, and am now upset it took me so long to read. I do not think there was a single moment in the book where I was bored or felt the story dragging. So yeah, absolutely loved it.
Excellent!
Now read The Book of the New Sun.
Mackenzie 92
Member
Really? I laughed out loud a couple of times. In terms of writing I wasn't expecting much for a self-published $1 book, but I thought it was serviceable. Kept me reading anyway and the story was pretty interesting in my opinion. Maybe it just wasn't for you and I don't think it's meant to be taken super seriously.
Cool. If I like Lonesome enough, I'll be sure to check it out, I'm sure.
Honestly, I enjoyed the ideas presented more than the story and characters themselves in the series. Not that those were bad, but the actual science behind everything is just so damn believable and well-thought out.Chasm City is very good. I haven't read The Prefect yet.
I just finished this:
It was good but oddly anticlimactic. As usual, lots of mysteries and revelations coalesce in the end, but the characters don't do much with them. The element that proves most influential is given very little development. Kinda feels like there could have been a 4th novel (in the main series) built out of a combination of Absolution Gap's epilogue and some of the things covered in the Galactic North novella.
I'm gonna have to get Chasm City at some point, definitely.
I'm about 250 pages into Leviathan Wakes. Definitely enjoying it. Lots of stuff is happening and there's this overwhelming air of something much bigger and darker going on, so its been a nice page-turner overall.
Yeah, something about Ghost Story just felt off for me. I don't know. I have not finished Cold Days yet (I decided to stop so the wait for the next one wouldn't be so long), but as far as I got I was really happy because it goes right back to Harry being Harry as we know and love him. Oh and the lack ofin Ghost Story was also almost unbearable. Need to have my favorite character, how else can I write dirty fan fiction in my mindThomas
It kinda felt like a side story, I found it overall a bit pointless. The lack of Toe-moss was indeed a bit disappointing and I also missed Sanja quite a bit. He's so awesome.
Tiny, but fierce!
nakedsushi
Member
I hate admitting that I dont GET a book, makes me feel like Im a moron missing something
Eh, I think it's just different strokes for different folks. You shouldn't beat yourself up for it. I finished The Dog Stars but didn't Get what was so great about it either. I found his style of writing distracting and took away from the enjoyment of the story, which was decent, but not great. Sometimes I feel that way about Cormac McCarthy too.
I went about halfway through it a while back and have it put on hold now. Sure it is inspirational and overall enjoyable, but the writing is rather weird most of the time and it's way too long.
I hate admitting that I dont GET a book, makes me feel like Im a moron missing something
If you're not enjoying it, stop reading it and either
a) leave it for later, maybe marking where you stopped. Come back to it a week later or so.
b) forget about it.
Life's too short to waste it reading something you don't like/enjoy.
Read Slaughterhouse Five again recently, so good. One day I will run through Vonnegut's works again.
Picked up Annie Proulx's Close Range:
Slowly going through the stories and there's been some stunning prose--there's a passage that comes to mind in the opening story, 'The Half-Skinned Steer,' wherein the protagonist is driving through a winter storm and the flurries of snow turn into a wall and blindness sets in. Wonderful.
Also picked up Kelly Link's short story collection, Pretty Monsters. I'll have that and Bacigalupi's The Drowned Cities to go through soon.
Picked up Annie Proulx's Close Range:
Slowly going through the stories and there's been some stunning prose--there's a passage that comes to mind in the opening story, 'The Half-Skinned Steer,' wherein the protagonist is driving through a winter storm and the flurries of snow turn into a wall and blindness sets in. Wonderful.
Also picked up Kelly Link's short story collection, Pretty Monsters. I'll have that and Bacigalupi's The Drowned Cities to go through soon.
Read Nabokov. Now.
Finished reading Anne of Green Gables - it was pretty good, but it's no-where near as incredible as the isao takahata anime adaptation. Takahata really enhanced certain aspects of the story like the matthew x anne relationship.
Now (re)-reading Lolita - it's use of the english language still blows me away at times, man I feel like re-reading Pale Fire afterwards.
^ I've dropped like 3 or so books in the past couple of weeks or so because I couldn't enjoy them or was in the right frame of mind to read them - nothing wrong with it due to the nature of reading as a medium. Plus I always go back and give things a second chance when I get in the mood.
Now (re)-reading Lolita - it's use of the english language still blows me away at times, man I feel like re-reading Pale Fire afterwards.
^ I've dropped like 3 or so books in the past couple of weeks or so because I couldn't enjoy them or was in the right frame of mind to read them - nothing wrong with it due to the nature of reading as a medium. Plus I always go back and give things a second chance when I get in the mood.
arts&crafts
Member
2 different friends told me to read Ready Player 1, should I buy it Gaf?
It's very a faithful 50-episode adaptation directed by one of the main ghibli directors (Isao Takahata) who is well-known amongst most for directing Grave of the Fireflies, it was released originally in the 1970s. Was never officially released in english though.There's an Anne of Green Gables anime?
arts&crafts
Member
1989!
I really enjoyed it, good fun.
arts&crafts
Member
Maybe a bit late.
I think I will try it out, can't hurt. Thanks for the input!
Most of the book is just references to various 80's stuff and if you don't feel nostalgic about that, there's really not much else. It can still be fun, but I didn't think it deserved the massive amounts of hype it got (1990 here).
Yeah, I'm going to bail out for now and see what's next. Knowing GoT season 3 is starting this sunday will likely make me want to read the books, so maybe those are soon on my plate. But given my mood lately, perhaps I should look into something a little light hearted, or uplifting. Any suggestions are welcome!
I loved RPO. It was great fun, and able to poke fun at itself for moments of ridiculousness, but was a fun read start to finish.
No.
Main character is too perfect and it takes away any suspense, the references usually just take the form of being huge lists instead of anything clever, "tells you" instead of "shows you" to a spectacular degree, the characters are caricatures, etc. I realized when I was thinking of the book recently after it was mentioned in another thread that what it reminds me more of than anything else is long-form fan fiction.
Mackenzie 92
Member
Tragicomedy
Member
I really enjoyed Ready Player One. 1981 here, for reference. Very nostalgic, decent overall premise and story.
Reamde by Neal Stephenson is arguably better, if you enjoy the MMO flavor sci-fi stuff.
Reamde by Neal Stephenson is arguably better, if you enjoy the MMO flavor sci-fi stuff.
foomfoom415
Member
Maybe a bit late.
Not necessarily*. The author goes into obnoxiously excruciating detail for nearly every reference, which, as someone who grew up in the 80s (sort of, 1981) I found to be a real momentum killer. It didn't help that the part of the book that isn't clumsily referencing something from the 80s or 90s read like a 200 page Kickstarter project from a clueless 13 year old's plan for the "BEST MMORpG EVER!!11 WOW + EQ + STAR TREK + ANIME + LOTR + MATRIX IT WILL HAVE EVERYHTING!! "
Because of the insufferable method by which these pop culture references are made, I feel like the book was, in fact, meant to be some sort of guidebook for the post-90s generation, to help them grasp all the weird shit their parents and Seth McFarlane keep referencing.
Either that, or for people born in the mid to late 70s who have a really specific form of selective memory loss.
*This post brought to you by my continued saltiness to be the only one who got absolutely zero joy from the book. By no means should anyone heed my advice to AVOID AVOID AVOID because, by all other accounts, you're bound to have a total blast with the book.
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Took a while. Was alright, felt it was mechanically excellent but I never felt a great sense of emotional resonance or a driving urge to keep reading until nearly the last few halves.
Not sure what to read next. Reading Remix by Lawrence Lessig, but apparently I already read it in 2011 and forgot that I had. So I think I'll be reading The Road next, and then I'm not sure what. Lolita? The Big Sleep? I'm about due for a big Book Depository order so I've got to restock my reading shelf. I'm down for classics, but not classics so classic I could just get it from Gutenberg.
Maklershed
Member
Mackenzie 92
Member
Taking a little break from House of Reeds and reading this since I'm feeling the itch and missing the NFL.
The Starter by Scott Sigler
The Starter by Scott Sigler
Started the Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi and this is really goddamn entertaining. The YA label put me off but as far as I can tell, with all the blood and violence so far the only thing separating it from the 'normal' label is marketing, and perhaps the age of the protagonist.
It's been lambasted by quite a few people, you're not alone.
It's been lambasted by quite a few people, you're not alone.
Mackenzie 92
Member
I have the first one Ship Breaker, but haven't got to it yet. Did you read that one, or starting with Drowned Cities?
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