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[KuroNeeko]

Finished Assassin's Quest yesterday evening. Damn was it good. Fitz is one of the best characters I've read in quite some time, can't wait to get started on the Tawny Man books.

Ending spoilers:

Spoiler

I always thought that Burrich and Molly may actually end up falling in love so it didn't really surprise me that it happened in the end, what did surprise me though was that it was actually the fool who "betrayed" them to Regal. Ever since the chapter where he mentioned the betrayal to Fitz, I thought it had to be Burrich because he was the only one who new where they were, but then the fool came to Fitz and started asking him about her and broke down in tear when he became aware of what he was doing and I knew what was up . What I really liked was when Fitz reached through Will to Regal to kill him and I thought it would've been cool if the ferret had already managed to kill him. I was grinning ear to ear when I read that Regal didn't live too long after that because the ferret actually did kill him and ended up with Chade.

Spoiler

I don't know about you, but I always thought the Fool was female. Could just be how I read it. What really got me was the sense of fatigue I felt at the end of the series. I thought Cook did a good job making the weight of Verity's struggle and the burden Fitz shoulder when he became his man.

The Burrich / Molly thing was bittersweet, but not entirely unexpected. I felt like there was too much damage for Fitz to get back with Molly. I really wanted him to get back with his daughter though.

I still need to read the Tawny Man and the Ship of Magic series, I just need them to become available on our local Amazon first. :/

 

[DBT85]

I have just restarted one of my favourite collections with Guards Guards.

I do so love a Watch story.

 

[O.DOGG]

Finishing up Crime and Punishment, moving on to The Conspiracy Against the Human Race right after.

 

[Nymerio]

Spoiler

I don't know about you, but I always thought the Fool was female. Could just be how I read it. What really got me was the sense of fatigue I felt at the end of the series. I thought Cook did a good job making the weight of Verity's struggle and the burden Fitz shoulder when he became his man.

The Burrich / Molly thing was bittersweet, but not entirely unexpected. I felt like there was too much damage for Fitz to get back with Molly. I really wanted him to get back with his daughter though.

I still need to read the Tawny Man and the Ship of Magic series, I just need them to become available on our local Amazon first. :/

Spoiler

I'm not sure what gender he is, I just say he because that's how Fitz refers to him. The thing with the fatigue is true, I thought I'd go straight to the Tawny Man trilogy but decided to throw in different books before I start reading it.

I really like that I can relate to most of the characters because their motives and everything feel so human. It really hit home when I compared it to the Wheel of Time series where almost everyone seems to be borderline retarded and make decisions accordingly. While with Fitz and everyone most of the decisions thoughts and rationalizations are sound and I can see how and why they think what they think and do what they do. Reading The Wheel of Time I'm usually left scratching my head and wondering why these people are so stupid.

 

[ShaneB]

I write blurbs too--a lot of them are nonsense mind--I just think giving Belkin Tales (something I reviewed, I'm only using it for example) 3/5 stars takes a level of arrogance I don't possess. Who the fuck are you? (Rhetorical you, not you ShaneB.)

Here's another way of putting it, I don't consider it a coincidence that cultural refuse is the most frequently scored stuff on Goodreads.

Eh, fair enough. I guess I just try not to bother with reviews too much (edit: to clarify I mean I don't bother to wade through reviews to see if I should read a book), if a book description is good enough to suck me, I'm tempted enough to check it out. I suppose I'm more inclined to write reviews for lesser known books and get those out, as opposed to writing more about a classic that everyone knows about anyway.

Same here. I try to be honest and not give everything 5 stars either. As an author I want honest feedback from my critics so that I can continue to improve. Slapping 5 stars on everything that's read just makes the system worthless.

Yeah, I always wonder how much I want to let out when reviewing a book from a smaller author. I know it's all about self improvement, so I do try to at least be constructive!

Just finished Something Missing, the first novel from the author of Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend. I don't think it's quite up there with the latter but I think Dicks's main strength is coming up with interesting premises. This one is a thief who only steals small items (and in small quantity) so they're not noticed and takes from the same people over and over again. He knows so much about his "clients" that he realises when they're in real trouble and helps em out. Becomes their guardian angel!


I think he got better at finding the voice for his main characters as he went on (not in the novel in terms of his career) but it's still a fun read.

Thanks for the reminder on this, and a solid review. I need to check this out soon in that case. Sounds like I'll enjoy it more than 'Unexpectedly, Milo'

 

[Mumei]

I write blurbs too--a lot of them are nonsense mind--I just think giving Belkin Tales (something I reviewed, I'm only using it for example) 3/5 stars takes a level of arrogance I don't possess. Who the fuck are you? (Rhetorical you, not you ShaneB.)

Here's another way of putting it, I don't consider it a coincidence that cultural refuse is the most frequently scored stuff on Goodreads.

I'm a bit nonplussed by the assertion that scores are somehow arrogant.

When I score things, it's simply a subjective representation of how much I enjoyed it. I don't think that a book I gave 5/5 stars to is necessarily better than a book I gave 3/5 to; it just means that I liked it more, or perhaps got more out of it.

 

[Faith]

The Singularity Is Near

Good stuff

 

[Ashes]

I've decided to read The Long Ships.

 

[Nymerio]

I've decided to read The Long Ships.

Good decision.

 

[fakefaker]

Good decision.

Ditto.

 

[Nezumi]

I've decided to read The Long Ships.

Good decision.

Ditto.

It is still one more day unti this book finally comes to Kindle in my region.

 

[Tragicomedy]

I'm a bit nonplussed by the assertion that scores are somehow arrogant.

When I score things, it's simply a subjective representation of how much I enjoyed it. I don't think that a book I gave 5/5 stars to is necessarily better than a book I gave 3/5 to; it just means that I liked it more, or perhaps got more out of it.

Exactly! The scores I assign to books reflect how *I* felt about the book. Yes, that is a mark of the overall book's quality, but only when framed under my viewpoint.

ShaneB is my bud and I read every review he posts on Goodreads. We don't always like the same books, but it's always worthwhile to see his perspective on stuff since we do share some similarities in reading taste.

I don't want my previous comments about Goodreads to come across as too inflammatory or get misconstrued. I love the site and use it every day. I just think it's very important to realize that the membership seems to slant towards a young, female demographic. If you look at which books have the most five-star reviews, those tend to be YA supernatural romances with teenage female leads. The vast majority of those books do nothing for me, so it's important to not take the overall Goodreads score at face value.

If you happen to love YA supernatural romance novels, then the site is a goldmine. If you don't, you have to be a lot more discerning with how you use the site. I find the Goodreads Choice Awards particularly ridiculous. Inferno by Dan Brown is a book of the year winner? Allegiant by Veronica Roth, one of the worst books many of us read last year, takes a category? It's just insane.

 

[fakefaker]

Exactly! The scores I assign to books reflect how *I* felt about the book. Yes, that is a mark of the overall book's quality, but only when framed under my viewpoint.

ShaneB is my bud and I read every review he posts on Goodreads. We don't always like the same books, but it's always worthwhile to see his perspective on stuff since we do share some similarities in reading taste.

I don't want my previous comments about Goodreads to come across as too inflammatory or get misconstrued. I love the site and use it every day. I just think it's very important to realize that the membership seems to slant towards a young, female demographic. If you look at which books have the most five-star reviews, those tend to be YA supernatural romances with teenage female leads. The vast majority of those books do nothing for me, so it's important to not take the overall Goodreads score at face value.

If you happen to love YA supernatural romance novels, then the site is a goldmine. If you don't, you have to be a lot more discerning with how you use the site. I find the Goodreads Choice Awards particularly ridiculous. Inferno by Dan Brown is a book of the year winner? Allegiant by Veronica Roth, one of the worst books many of us read last year, takes a category? It's just insane.

well said.

 

[Meteorain]

Finished Assassin's Quest yesterday evening. Damn was it good. Fitz is one of the best characters I've read in quite some time, can't wait to get started on the Tawny Man books.

Ending spoilers:

Spoiler

I always thought that Burrich and Molly may actually end up falling in love so it didn't really surprise me that it happened in the end, what did surprise me though was that it was actually the fool who "betrayed" them to Regal. Ever since the chapter where he mentioned the betrayal to Fitz, I thought it had to be Burrich because he was the only one who new where they were, but then the fool came to Fitz and started asking him about her and broke down in tear when he became aware of what he was doing and I knew what was up . What I really liked was when Fitz reached through Will to Regal to kill him and I thought it would've been cool if the ferret had already managed to kill him. I was grinning ear to ear when I read that Regal didn't live too long after that because the ferret actually did kill him and ended up with Chade.

Having read the Tawny Man Trilogy and not wanting to spoil, all I'm going to say is:

Fuck Burrich. What a dick.

Spoiler

Banging Molly so much he produces like 7 kids after Fitz just asked him to look after her having sacrificed his happiness for the kingdom. Not cool. Not cool at all. Bitch got what he deserved though.

 

[Maklershed]

Can I ask what is a good book to start with by James Ellroy? Always wanted to read some of his novels but didn't know what was his best / easiest to get into his style.

You might as well start at the beginning of the LA Quartet with The Black Dahlia


The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy

He had The Lloyd Hopkins trilogy before it and a few one offs that I also recommend getting around to but the LA Quartet is so good you might as well just get right to it and if you like it go back and read his older stuff later.

 

[The Artful Dodger]

Finished The Samurai by Shusaku Endo

and now i'm reading Jack London: An American Life by Earle Labor

 

[KidDork]

Finished The Dragon Reborn. That's it. I'm done with that series. There'll be a bonfire in my backyard tonight. You're all invited.

Moving onto Mistborn by that young Sanderson fellow.

 

[BriareosGAF]

Finished The Dragon Reborn. That's it. I'm done with that series. There'll be a bonfire in my backyard tonight. You're all invited.

Moving onto Mistborn by that young Sanderson fellow.

I've been trying to convince my wife to read all the (mostly dreadful) fantasy series I read as a teenager but she bailed after the first Shannara. Sissy. She'll never know the glory of Dragons of Autumn Twilight, and that summer I went around for a week pretending I was Raistlin to everyone...

 

[KidDork]

I've been trying to convince my wife to read all the (mostly dreadful) fantasy series I read as a teenager but she bailed after the first Shannara. Sissy. She'll never know the glory of Dragons of Autumn Twilight, and that summer I went around for a week pretending I was Raistlin to everyone...

I read the first Shannara when I was 12 and thought it was awesome. My joy quickly faded with the searing disappointment that was Elfstones. I was 14 then, and wise to the ways of the world.

 

[rudieboy77]

I quit listening to The Wolf of Wall Street half way through, what self serving rubbish. I started listening to this today.

 

[Mumei]

I've been trying to convince my wife to read all the (mostly dreadful) fantasy series I read as a teenager but she bailed after the first Shannara. Sissy. She'll never know the glory of Dragons of Autumn Twilight, and that summer I went around for a week pretending I was Raistlin to everyone...

Shannara really is fantastically bad. A friend of mine suggested it and I still don't know what he sees in it. I think he just has the nostalgia goggles fixed on so tight he can't see it for what it is.

 

[disappeared]

Hunger, Knut Hamsun - enjoying it so far, halfway through. An acquaintance of mine may or may not have spoiled something that happens later on. But otherwise enjoying every page.

Civilization and its Discontents, Freud - first I've read from him. So far so good.

 

[BriareosGAF]

I read the first Shannara when I was 12 and thought it was awesome. My joy quickly faded with the searing disappointment that was Elfstones. I was 14 then, and wise to the ways of the world.

I have a dream/nightmare of an adolescent fantasy Ironman, where I force myself to reread

- David Edding's Belgariad
- Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time
- Weis & Hickman's Dragonlance Chronicles
- Terry Brooks' Shannara trilogy
- Anne McAffrey's Dragonriders of Pern
- Piers Anthony Xanth novels (pick any 12)
- Stephen Donaldson's Thomas Covenant Chronicles

Dunno what you'd do for detox, though.

Shannara really is fantastically bad. A friend of mine suggested it and I still don't know what he sees in it. I think he just has the nostalgia goggles fixed on so tight he can't see it for what it is.

Wife just now: "It is a very small world with one woman, and the power of the sword is basically a pop psychology book."

To show I'm not just being mean to fantasy we're visiting Oxford in a few months and intend to visit the Bird and the Baby...

 

[nakedsushi]

I often do, when I see you in my feed.

Same here. I usually just look at my feed and that's where I get a lot of suggestions of what to read.

If you have a hard copy of your book available, you can run a giveaway. But beyond that, I don't think there's any real secret. You'll want to join a bunch of relevant groups and post frequently in the various topics. Keep yourself visible, but never promote your work unless its relevant to the subject at hand. Eventually people will check you out, or maybe they won't. It's not an exact science. It could ultimately lead to nothing, but you never know until you give it a shot.

Yep, that's exactly right. Especially about the part about "never promote your work unless its relevant." I think if you're active in the right Goodreads communities, it pays off.

Spoiler about Assassin's Quest:

Spoiler

I don't know about you, but I always thought the Fool was female. Could just be how I read it. What really got me was the sense of fatigue I felt at the end of the series. I thought Cook did a good job making the weight of Verity's struggle and the burden Fitz shoulder when he became his man.

Spoiler

I don't know where I read it, but I thought Fool was a hermaphrodite?? It's been a while since I read those books, but I remember thinking Fool was male until one point and then thinking he/she was a hermaphrodite but identified with female b/c in those times, anything that was not male was automatically female?

 

[EverythingShiny]

You are my evil twin!

Spoiler

You just happen to be about 300 pages ahead of me in Words of Radiance.

I'm going to finish WoR in the next week or so, then finish Mother Night, and then I might even tackle the next Vorkosigan book!

Great minds do think alike and all that jazz.

Finished Words of Radiance last night. Now I get to read the thread, woo! What a beast of a book.

Onto:

 

[Jarlaxle]

I've been trying to convince my wife to read all the (mostly dreadful) fantasy series I read as a teenager but she bailed after the first Shannara. Sissy. She'll never know the glory of Dragons of Autumn Twilight, and that summer I went around for a week pretending I was Raistlin to everyone...

Ugh. Why would you have her start with Shannarra

Spoiler

should never read Shannara under any circumstances

? Do you hate her? Almost any other fantasy besides maybe Piers Anthony would have been a better choice. Hell, I still would have given her Anthony over Shannarra. Maybe The Apprentice Adept trilogy if she mildly annoys you.

 

[disappeared]

Onto:

http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1344621657l/9592.jpg

How I would love to read that for the first time again. Enjoy it.

 

[ShaneB]

Settled on my next read, should be fun.

Now reading..Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Road Trip into the Heart of Fan Mania

 

[Nuke Soda]

That cover is really really awful.

What's even going on? What a mysterious cover.

 

[Haly]

He's supposed to be sneaking into some rich guy's villa.

And he's a priest.

 

[Mackenzie 92]

I quit listening to The Wolf of Wall Street half way through, what self serving rubbish.

Yeah the movie was pretty good, but the book didn't work for me at all.

I started listening to this today.

That is also pretty terrible.

 

[disappeared]

Finished Hunger.

Onto - or back to, rather - Rum Punch.

 

[grounded_dreams]

You might as well start at the beginning of the LA Quartet with The Black Dahlia

Thanks, will have a look into it.

 

[Ashes]

Finished Hunger.

The Knut Hamsun novel? One of the best books ever written that not enough people read.

 

[cdkee]

Finished Words of Radiance, so now I've started:

 

[roosters93]

Thanks for the reminder on this, and a solid review. I need to check this out soon in that case. Sounds like I'll enjoy it more than 'Unexpectedly, Milo'

I hope so!
I'll read Unexpectedly, Milo some day and then we can both rank his bibliography.

 

[Wurst]

Finished Words of Radiance, so now I've started:

Ha, me too! Just couldn't pass this opportunity after WoR.
I'm about halfway through and I think this might be Brandon's worst book yet. Still kind of interesting, but not near as exciting as his other efforts.

Spoiler

I love seeing Vasher with Nightblood, though. Wonder what he's up to. Also liked the twist with the God King.

 

[Meteorain]

Recently finished Warbreaker. It's definitely not as good as his Stormlight books, but it made for some interesting characters. Also, after Words of Radiance I just had to see where some of the stuff came from

Currently reading:

 

[Rootbeer]

People are really on the Sanderson bandwagon lately... guess I should see what the fuss is about.

 

[Meteorain]

People are really on the Sanderson bandwagon lately... guess I should see what the fuss is about.

I think it's mostly due to the fact that his new book has some links to his other books, and so people want to see where those characters come from.

He has an overarching "Cosmere" and with his new much anticipated book Words of Radiance being finished recently by many readers, they are checking out Warbreaker due to involvement of elements from that book.

 

[Bazza]

My reading of the Dresden Files is going well this month, currently reading Small Favor. Really enjoying the books so far but unfortunately im now over half way through the series and running out of titles, only 5 left after Small Favor

 

[moojito]

I decided to finish the book I already started before getting busy with words of radiance. Unfortunately I'm a very slow reader and the book I'm currently a third of the way through is:

Maybe I'll get started with WoR in June sometime.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Read through Saga Volume 2 last night and I absolutely loved it. Better than the first volume for sure and I can't wait for volume 3 (already pre ordered! ). The scene immediately following

Spoiler

Barr's death - the one where Marko remembers his father teaching him how to ride the grasshopper - was extremely touching and I don't think I've ever seen something like that in a comic before (not that I'm the most well versed in the medium, mind).

What a great series.

 

[Tragicomedy]

My reading of the Dresden Files is going well this month, currently reading Small Favor. Really enjoying the books so far but unfortunately im now over half way through the series and running out of titles, only 5 left after Small Favor

Don't worry! Just when you think you've run out of books to read and the villains will win, Harry will remember he has one more book in his coat pocket and will conveniently save the day!

 

[Haly]

I've determined that Nic Pizzalattor is a one trick pony and True Detective was a fluke.

Feast your eyes on these choice excerpts:

Miyamoto says the true bushi divorces himself from desire, but in tonight’s shadows her eyes tugged at something in my lungs that ran down to the place behind my abdomen where chi is stored, and I’m compelled to think of Mabel, so I spend the rest of my shift practicing guided meditation. In the lotus position, I close my eyes and focus on the Blue Triangle where I store the egoless self, trying not to remember Mabel’s laugh and the cleft at the base of her spine, the taste of her sweat or the purple bathwater that covered her on our last night together.

THE SOUL OF A WARRIOR.

The morning grows noisy, feels too bright. “What?” If I keep lying, what are my odds? She’s much smaller than me, and I consider a yonkyo nerve pinch to make her unconscious. But I’d still have a problem when she woke up. “What do you want?”

KUNG FU DEATH GRIP

He seemed genuinely aghast. “Are you saying, Mom, that if there’s no heaven, there’s no reason to be good?”

She shrugged. She hadn’t thought that was what she said, but maybe she had. It sounded dumber when he said it.

“Being good means doing so without thought of reward, Mom. You’re the one who’s supposed to teach me that.”

Masterful religious commentary, courtesy of r/Atheism

“We’ll have to get you riding. You would love it. I bet you’d love a fox hunt. I’ll cut your hair and teach you to ride. I know you would love that. It’s just the kind of thing a man like you enjoys.”

This paragraph simultaneously sums up all his adult male characters and all his adult female ones.

 

[EverythingShiny]

How I would love to read that for the first time again. Enjoy it.

I can see why. I'm 25% in and it's amazing. I'm ashamed to say I haven't read Vonnegut before. I had a copy of Slaugherhouse Five lying around for years and never got to it. I'll have to read more of his books after I finish Mother Night.

I've determined that Nic Pizzalattor is a one trick pony and True Detective was a fluke.

I liked Galveston a lot, not sure if you've read that yet. I also have Between Here and the Yellow Sea and I agree the first story wasn't great. I have yet to read the others. Also, this was first thing he published, I think. Not everyone writes amazing stories or novels at first. It'll be interesting to see if he writes another novel to see how it compares.

 

[Jintor]

The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman

I wasn't expecting the meta-narrative about Art and his dad to be such a large part of the book, but I'm glad it was. I really stopped noticing the mouse metaphor by like 3 pages in though... I guess that's just how I read comics.


Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes

Only 40% of the way through, but jesus christ, what an incredibly detailed and well-told book. Even if I don't understand the physics of it completely, I'm at least grasping it better than I have before - though I'll still need to plot out some notes to make it all certain in my head, I reckon.

 

[The Culture Vulture]

Finished 1984 and started 2030 by Albert Brooks.

 

[AngmarsKing701]

finished The Golem and the Jinni tonight. Added a 5-star review to Goodreads.

Soaked in history and always aware of the cultural background of its characters, The Golem and the Jinni is a masterpiece. That it is the debut novel of Helene Wecker excites me that we'll see more of similar quality in the future. I was reminded strongly of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, for it contains that supernatural yet historical theme, along with two main characters of such poise, who are so different and yet share so much. This book proves that modern fantasy can be rich and character-driven.

Highly recommended.

Moving on to The Burning Land by Bernard Cornwell, book #5 in the Saxon series.

 

[SniperHunter]