What are you reading? (May 2010)

91b34n.jpg


It's good, but makes me wish Neverwhere was as long as this.
 
Beowulf28 said:
Just started this and I'm hoping it starts to get interesting soon.


the_gunslinger.jpg
Click to expand...
That book starts with one of the most awesome sentences ever.



I just finished House of Leaves, and i'm not really sure what to think of it. I found it an entertaining read, but I had expected more from it. It was never really creepy or unsettling for me, although i'm not sure if the book ever intended for it to be that. I liked the dissertation style of presenting the story though, but i missed why the hell the book decided to have such weird layout at times. I did appreciate, towards the end, the layout taking the form of how the house looked, that was well done. Ah well, maybe i'm just not smart enough to understand what's so special about the book. :lol


Going to read some lighter material now:

wj8f8p.jpg


I really liked the game, so looking forward to read the book it's based on.
 
Beowulf28 said:
Just started this and I'm hoping it starts to get interesting soon.


the_gunslinger.jpg
Click to expand...

It gets very interesting. I'm on Book 5 now, Wolves of the Calla. Starts out slow but like all of the Dark Tower books I'm sure I'll be loathe to set it down once it gets going.

516ZAHNHRHL_SS500_.jpg
 
41QWQ1yjWqL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg


In Search of Time: The Science of a Curious Dimension

Pretty good and easy read thus far, actually discusses time from culturally, anthropologically, historically, and scientifically.
 
lgiver.gif


Great so far. It's short, so I'll probably finish it tomorrow. I certainly would have loved it if I had to read it for school when I was younger--hard to believe I've never read it.
 
I just started A Clash of Kings again. It's probably the fourth or fifth time I've read it. After that I'll probably read The Name of the Wind again.
 
I'm about to finish A Confederacy of Dunces. I'm gonna move on to one of the books that's been sitting on my shelf for a while. I'm thinking Oliver Twist... I've never read it, or any Dickens for that matter.
 
Just finished:

6a00c2251e620a549d00d41441deb26a47-500pi


And wept like a little bitch.

DoornicK said:
Tomorrow I'll start:

book-cover-pillars-of-the-earth.jpg
Click to expand...

You'll love it. One of my favorites.

ItAintEasyBeinCheesy said:
Starz is making a TV show about The Pillars of the Earth if you didnt know. Has Ian McShane in it.
Click to expand...

Starz?..Ah man really? Well that sucks.
 
bigcheese said:
lgiver.gif


Great so far. It's short, so I'll probably finish it tomorrow. I certainly would have loved it if I had to read it for school when I was younger--hard to believe I've never read it.
Click to expand...

I read this with the class when i was in middle school, and have re-read it recently. It really is pretty great. A fun look into a radically different society. My first real exposure to the idea i suppose
 
Finished Diamond Dogs, Turguoise Days by Alastair Reynolds. The second of the two stories was more interesting, though both were a bit lacking.

Back home now so I'm catching up on my backlog of comics trades. Just finished The Walking Dead: Vol. 9, probably run through 10 and 11 next.
 
Reading The Girl Who Played with Fire right now, hoping to finish before the third one comes out.

Is the sequel to Pillars of the Earth any good??
 
BruceLeeRoy said:
That really didn't fill me with confidence :(

I only watched a couple episodes of Spartacus but I thought it was pretty terrible has it gotten better?
Click to expand...

Yeah about 4 or 5 eps in the show really hit its stride and turned incredible.
 
Last month someone asked if reading Stand on Zanzibar is worth it and it is if you don't read much that isn't ashamed that its a book, which is to say works that experiment with form. The problem with that though is that you probably have since that category runs the gamut from something like Dracula all the way up to A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Loss of Steam. If you have, then no it's not really worth it unless you want to reinforce your tinfoil hat Malthusianism or something.
 
i50tco.jpg


Not Palahniuk's best work, but the individual short stories are all enjoyable in their own way. It contains the now infamous "Guts" short story.
 
under-heaven-by-guy-gavriel-kay1-494x749.jpg


About halfway through Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay. I've always considered myself a fan of Kay's, but I wasn't prepared by how fantastic it would be.

Also, thanks for including a link to my blog in the OP! :D
 
abercrombie_before_they_are_hanged.jpg


I'm about 400 pages in at the moment. This series is really quite amazing. The first book, The Blade Itself, was excellent and it only gets better in this book.
 
DesertEater said:
image-5F42_4BDDC402.jpg

In the last chapter. A prefect combination of great characters, great mood,
and an awesome story:D .
Click to expand...

Check out another book by Murakami, "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running". It's a great look into the his mindset and a quasi-autobiography. As a runner myself I enjoyed his anecdotes about training for marathons and triathlons. Murakami's views on the different places he seems to spend his time (Japan, Hawaii, Boston) are interesting as well.
 
moojito said:
the-blade-itself.jpg
Just started it. After just finishing the name of the wind, this book has a tough act to follow!
Click to expand...

I know what you're saying. Read them in that same order. Had a hard time thinking TFL could match up to Name of the Wind, which I loved. In my opinion TFL not only stood up to it, it quite comfortably eclipsed Name of the Wind. So, so good.
 
giri said:
Currently reading this too. It's................ eye opening. I'm only about 60 pages in and it centres aroudn the life of one or 2 familys so far and the short history i've gotten. It paints an unfavorably portrait of communist life in North Korea for sure. It might not be the most descriptive retelling you read, but the pace of the book so far is good, Demick keeps the stories going to the point that it seems a very light read, whilst it is a very solid retelling.

I'd reccomend it if you were interested in the topic matter at all, but as i said, i'm only 60 pages in. It might get worse/better as i go.

It was how ever, completely sold out at my local borders, had to go to 2 other book stores, so it's proving popular.
Click to expand...


I'll expand on this now that i'm over half way through, people seemed interested in the Book ( Nothing to Envy, Barbarra Demick).

Demick was the Korean Correspondant for an american newspaper for decades (LA Times i think) based out of South Korea, and towards the end of her days started interviewing defectors from North Korea. The book re-tells those peoples stories as she pastes them together to try to give as much of an understanding of daily life in NK, and in a communist country, as is possible for a country that doesn't let outsiders in to visit at all. It does tend to lean towards the negative view of NK and communism, but it's not overly blatant in your face criticism, just a majority of the stories lean that way.

It's certainly no biography, but it is an extremely interesting read none the less. I found my self reading it every spare moment i had on the weekend.
 
51poa-6PqCL.jpg


Crescent by Phil Rossi

Just picked this one up, it's a book version of a podcast novel from a little while back (if you want to listen to the podcast instead of picking up the physical book, it's still free, www.crescentstation.com is the site, I think). Very creepy. It's in the same vein as Event Horizon or Dead Space, which is why I was immediately intrigued. I'm about 60-70 pages into it.

Book description:

Darkness has inspired fear since mankind first watched the sun go down. Bad things hide in the dark feral beasts with mouths full of razors waiting for a taste of flesh. But now, the darkness is stirring with a life of its own. Crescent Station is the last bastion of civilization, floating in the cold, outer systems where colonized space gives way to the sparser settlements of the Frontier. Like the boom towns of distant Earth s Old American West, Crescent Station is a gateway to power, wealth, and opportunity for anyone who isn't afraid to get his or her hands dirty. But deep within the station s bowels, in Crescent s darkest and most secret places, an ancient evil is awakening and hungry, and it threatens the very fabric of space and time. Will the residents of Crescent Station find a way to stop it before the terror drives them insane? Or is it already too late?
Click to expand...
 
Karakand said:
good man i was afraid books on tape were becoming a trend (it happened last month)
Click to expand...
That's how I experienced the first 6 or so books of the Discworld series. I thought it was incredibly enjoyable.

Then I tried to listen to Anathem...holy shit that was impossible.
 
Lagspike_exe said:
No, I'm reading it. This was just a random image I picked up at Google. :lol
Click to expand...

What translation? The Pevear and Volokhonsky seems to be the best one now. I started reading the Constance Garnett one, and although I enjoyed it, it stopped at one point. Really want to get back into it.

Karakand said:
good man i was afraid books on tape were becoming a trend (it happened last month)
Click to expand...

Huh? Books on tape can be some of the greatest things, especially when on long car rides.
 
Aklamarth said:
f395828fd7a001f1d6dc5110.L._AA300_.jpg


Hope it's (much) better than the last trilogy.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't expect much. The first two books aren't very good but the last one is pretty decent. I'm interested to see where he goes from here. I would recommend reading the Demon Wars series if you're a fan of Salvatore.
 
Karakand said:
good man i was afraid books on tape were becoming a trend (it happened last month)
Click to expand...

Jesus Christ, no. :lol

VistraNorrez said:
What translation? The Pevear and Volokhonsky seems to be the best one now. I started reading the Constance Garnett one, and although I enjoyed it, it stopped at one point. Really want to get back into it.
Click to expand...

I don't have an English version of the book, my native language is Serbian. :P
 
Finishing tonight:

41p4zHIloCL._SL500_AA300_.jpg



I am taking a Children's Lit course over the summer which focuses on Harry Potter, so I have to read all seven books and the short novel in six weeks. Getting a start on them now. I forgot how good Rowling is at crafting a story, even if her writing in this one is a bit flawed in certain parts. Such a fun, whimsical story, though. Next up: Book 2.
 
eznark said:
That's how I experienced the first 6 or so books of the Discworld series. I thought it was incredibly enjoyable.

Then I tried to listen to Anathem...holy shit that was impossible.
Click to expand...
VistraNorrez said:
Huh? Books on tape can be some of the greatest things, especially when on long car rides.
Click to expand...
this is a what are you *reading* thread hence my issue with posting audio books that you are *listening* to
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

  • Locked
What relaxes you the most?
0
4K
Halo is Back replied
New All You Can Eat Sushi Thread — So Full I May Not Survive the Night
25
2K
eddie4 replied
Thank You Forr Neogaf Gold
14
8K
Virex replied
  • Locked
What is the most painless way to commit suicide?
3
4K
EviLore replied
Nutrition and studies - what does the science say?
10
8K
mekes replied
Top Bottom