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What are you reading? (May 2013)

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Woorloog

Banned
I've decided The Black Company will be the next book I get after hearing the good things in this thread.

It sounds so good in theory, with recommendations and telling about mercenaries...
But i can't just read it. I'm not sure what's wrong with it but i grew bored after some 150 pages.
Perhaps i should try reading it again, that would be 3rd time... (Have the collection, of the original trilogy, i think)
 

Tenrius

Member
Well, it would be if it was available on Kindle. Shame.

Huh? Where du you live? Because with the strange exception of the fourth book all of them are available on amazon.com and .de

Edit: Oh, UK apparently. Nevermind then.

Why not just buy from amazon.com then?

EDIT:

In the meantime, I finished A Civil Campaign. Cyan, I wouldn't say that this book is past the pinnacle of the series, I think it's a part of it. Really enjoyed it!
 

Nezumi

Member
Why not just buy on amazon.com then?

Changing regions with the Kindle is a pain in the ass. Though I'm not sure if it is possible to buy stuff from another region for the desktop version and get rid with the DRM via Calibre and then put it on your Kindle without having to change the entire profile. Anyone knows if this somehow works? Would be cool for some sales.
 
Changing regions with the Kindle is a pain in the ass. Though I'm not sure if it is possible to buy stuff from another region for the desktop version and get rid with the DRM via Calibre and then put it on your Kindle without having to change the entire profile. Anyone knows if this somehow works? Would be cool for some sales.

sideloading books or other documents with calibre or by dragging and dropping doesn't have anything to do with your account or profile or whatever. Once the book is de-drm'd you can do whatever with it

edit - forgot to mention, the only way I know of to remove DRM requires you to have the book on your actual kindle first
 

Nezumi

Member
sideloading books or other documents with calibre or by dragging and dropping doesn't have anything to do with your account or profile or whatever. Once the book is de-drm'd you can do whatever with it

edit - forgot to mention, the only way I know of to remove DRM requires you to have the book on your actual kindle first

That was my (admittingly bad phrased) question. If I want a book from any other store than the German one, the only way I know is to completly change my Kindle profile. Which would mean that I loose access to all the books I bought on the other one until I change it back, right? I was wondering if it might be possible to download an e-book (Amazon.com) not to my Kindle but to the desktop and then work on it with Calibre to use it on my Kindle (amazon.de).
 

Tenrius

Member
That was my (admittingly bad phrased) question. If I want a book from any other store than the German one, the only way I know is to completly change my Kindle profile. Which would mean that I loose access to all the books I bought on the other one until I change it back, right? I was wondering if it might be possible to download an e-book (Amazon.com) not to my Kindle but to the desktop and then work on it with Calibre to use it on my Kindle (amazon.de).

I just checked, you can choose "Download & transfer via USB" for any book in your library, which gives you an .azw file to download. Didn't try removing the DRM though.

By the way, why not just use a separate account for purchases from the different store? You can deregister the Kindle, then register it with your other account, get the books delivered and remove the DRM, then revert to your original account. Or were you referring to that?
 

Nezumi

Member
I just checked, you can choose "Download & transfer via USB" for any book in your library, which gives you an .azw file to download. Didn't try removing the DRM though.

By the way, why not just use a separate account for purchases from the different store? You can deregister the Kindle, then register it with your other account, get the books delivered and remove the DRM, then revert to your original account. Or was you referring to that?

I think I was. I just tried it with a free book and the download to desktop worked. Now I just have to see if I can get it on my Kindle. Have to check if it works with titles I have to pay for as well.

Edit: Ok. So apparently it is not possible to transfer books from the Kindle desktop app to Calibre (or I'm just stupid. So I have to download them to the Kindle first. Ah well, better than nothing.
 

DagsJT

Member
The problem with me buying from the US is that my bank charges a £1.50 straight off for buying from abroad. So the book immediately becomes a lot more expensive.

Maybe the UK can get it sooner rather than later.
 

i_am_ben

running_here_and_there
Started this book based on GAF recommendations. Still relatively early in the book but I enjoy the creativity and level if science and tech they've gone over so far.

house-of-suns.jpg

i did the same.

Unfortunately, the book is a squandered opportunity.
 
Is there anything to get out of Ready Player One that I can't get from reading a Gamefaqs thread? It started out well enough, but then H and the Ladyhawke conversation happened, kind of making me want to die.

That was followed by just listing off names of things probably taken from the "video games" article of Wikipedia, without then actually having anything to say about them.

No. You can just stop now. If your'e dying already, you're not going to like the rest of the book.
 
medium.jpg


And I'm going back through the Harry Potter series.

polls_Cover_PrisonerOfAzkaban_3035_480807_answer_3_xlarge.jpeg

This is hands down my favorite book in the series, and the one I am currently reading.
 
Edit: Ok. So apparently it is not possible to transfer books from the Kindle desktop app to Calibre (or I'm just stupid. So I have to download them to the Kindle first. Ah well, better than nothing.

They are .azw files in /My Documents/My Kindle Content they probably won't have titles, so guess using file date and size, drag and drop them on Calibre's book list, and convert to .mobi
 

Tenrius

Member
I think I was. I just tried it with a free book and the download to desktop worked. Now I just have to see if I can get it on my Kindle. Have to check if it works with titles I have to pay for as well.

Edit: Ok. So apparently it is not possible to transfer books from the Kindle desktop app to Calibre (or I'm just stupid. So I have to download them to the Kindle first. Ah well, better than nothing.

What could go wrong? I just did this and it was easy. I downloaded one of my books (something I paid for, not sure it matters though), saved the .azw file to desktop, added to Calibre (w/ the deDRM plugin) and it converted the .azw to .mobi removing DRM along the way. After that I was able to read the .mobi using Calibre's internal viewer and do everything else I can do with any DRM-free book.

Again, to download the .azw you'll have to go to amazon.com (or .de or whatever), go to the "manage your kindle" section and use the little "Actions..." button next to your book in the library.

They are .azw files in /My Documents/My Kindle Content they probably won't have titles, so guess using file date and size, drag and drop them on Calibre's book list, and convert to .mobi

Or you could do this. Downloading from the library gives you a coherent filename though. It's not complicated, really.
 

KidDork

Member
And I'm only two books in but I'm also enjoying the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy.

I'd also recommend Memory, Sorrow And Thorn. I think it was Tad Williams' masterpiece. I've read that Williams wrote it in response to certain fantasy tropes, but I never noticed anything like that. It was just a damn fine story.
 

Pau

Member
Might have to pick it up. I remember one of the blu-ray extras said that the book compliments the movie very well.
Do it! If you enjoyed the movie, I can't see you disliking the novel. My favorite scene was also unfortunately cut from the movie. It would have been such an insane visual but I guess it was too hard to do. :(
 

Nymerio

Member
Started Gardens of the Moon. This is really hard to get into. I think someone complained about fantasy novels hitting you with too much info/lore at once in this thread or the previous one. I could not relate to this at all before, I haven't had a problem reading ASoIaF or the Stormlight Archive but Gardens of the Moon is just crazy. Took me till about 20% in that I finally got a grasp on what is basically going on, there's just too many characters, places, names and whatnot to keep track. And he just keeps dumping it on.

41r87zqPjmL.jpg
 

Rael

Banned
Welcome to the NHK. The original novel version. Has anyone else read this or at least seen the anime?

This is actually me second time going through it in a relatively short period.
 

Larsa

Member
Started Gardens of the Moon. This is really hard to get into. I think someone complained about fantasy novels hitting you with too much info/lore at once in this thread or the previous one. I could not relate to this at all before, I haven't had a problem reading ASoIaF or the Stormlight Archive but Gardens of the Moon is just crazy. Took me till about 20% in that I finally got a grasp on what is basically going on, there's just too many characters, places, names and whatnot to keep track. And he just keeps dumping it on.

41r87zqPjmL.jpg

Yes, the first book can be a little rough, but you should stick with it. From the second book and onwards the series get a lot easier to manage and it turns into the best fantasy series ever.
http://www.tor.com/features/series/malazan-reread-of-the-fallen This helped me a lot when I first started reading it. Bill's commentary can be a bit spoilery, but the summary and Amanda's commentary is totally spoiler-free.
 

Bazza

Member
Finished Use of Weapons by Iain M Banks over the weekend, got Excession downloaded and ready to go though im contemplating reading the Game of Thrones books through again before i start on the next culture book.
 

Ratrat

Member
Started Gardens of the Moon. This is really hard to get into. I think someone complained about fantasy novels hitting you with too much info/lore at once in this thread or the previous one. I could not relate to this at all before, I haven't had a problem reading ASoIaF or the Stormlight Archive but Gardens of the Moon is just crazy. Took me till about 20% in that I finally got a grasp on what is basically going on, there's just too many characters, places, names and whatnot to keep track. And he just keeps dumping it on.

41r87zqPjmL.jpg
Doesn't help that it's just not engaging at all with the most boring cast of characters imaginable. I've had the same problem with The Prince of Nothing but that was at least rewarding.
 

Rael

Banned
I've seen the anime, but it's been a while. I remember liking it very much. How is the novel?

Its great. I prefer it to the anime because its much less implicit in declaring the character's drug use, lolicon tendencies and all that good otaku debauchery.
 

Nymerio

Member
Doesn't help that it's just not engaging at all with the most boring cast of characters imaginable. I've had the same problem with The Prince of Nothing but that was at least rewarding.

Yeah, so far it feels kinda meh. I'll read this through and decide if I'll keep reading the other books.
 

Sol1dus

Member
Finishing up The Great Gatsby again before I finish The Dark Tower V.



P.S- Anybody here use Audiobooks? I like reading but I want to try them out. If you do use them, what do you do while listening to them? Do you space out while you're listening to them? Any recommendations would be welcome.
 

Nezumi

Member
Finishing up The Great Gatsby again before I finish The Dark Tower V.



P.S- Anybody here use Audiobooks? I like reading but I want to try them out. If you do use them, what do you do while listening to them? Do you space out while you're listening to them? Any recommendations would be welcome.

I love audio books. I listen to them before I go to sleep, when I go from a to b, while I'm doing housework, etc. Only space out when listening in bed and I fall asleep but that is OK.
 
Finished Barbie Wilde's (the Female Cenobite from Hellraiser) The Venus Complex this past weekend. Comprised of journal entries, it depicts a college professor's transformation into a serial killer. It was a pretty effective, if somewhat pretentious, book. At points the various political insights and diatribes against humanity were a bit much. Overall, I enjoyed it.

I just started this...

1nB2CEU.jpg


I've read it's pretty intense. Looking forward to it.
 

Empty

Member
cold spring harbour by richard yates. it's a brief and sparsely written story about a few people involved or related to an ill-fated marriage. i love how much empathy yates has for his characters and he has a great eye for what makes people tick, but this book feels a bit like a few of his short stories jammed together.

outliers by malcom gladwell. pop sociology book looking at the good fortune and circumstances behind the most successful people. feels like a collection of essays on a theme really, and they vary in quality. i like the more personal ones the most, as i'm a bit suspicious of how accurate the bigger statements are, though the airplane crash piece is just fascinating.
 

KidDork

Member
Started Gardens of the Moon. This is really hard to get into. I think someone complained about fantasy novels hitting you with too much info/lore at once in this thread or the previous one. I could not relate to this at all before, I haven't had a problem reading ASoIaF or the Stormlight Archive but Gardens of the Moon is just crazy. Took me till about 20% in that I finally got a grasp on what is basically going on, there's just too many characters, places, names and whatnot to keep track. And he just keeps dumping it on.

I remember being told that Erikson wrote the first 100 or so pages of the book and then set it aside for ten years. (I've tried to verify this, but can't.) But it made sense, since the quality of the writing seems to improve quite a bit around that point.

I read the first two books and loved them, Deadhouse Gates especially. Once I finish up The Expanse, I'm going to head back and finish this series off.

As for The Prince of Nothing, the author writes in a cafe near here. I always mean to go in and say hello, but have yet to. I met Douglas Adams once and he was in a terrible mood that day, so I'm a little shy about talking to authors I like.
 

ItAintEasyBeinCheesy

it's 4th of July in my asshole
Doesn't help that it's just not engaging at all with the most boring cast of characters imaginable. I've had the same problem with The Prince of Nothing but that was at least rewarding.

I've only read Midnight Tides in the series but Bug and Tehol are easily some of the most enjoyable characters I've ever read in any book.
 

Nymerio

Member
I really don't know about Gardens of the Moon. I'm about a third into the book and he still keeps introducing new characters and I don't even care much about the existing characters.
 

Ratrat

Member
Finishing up The Great Gatsby again before I finish The Dark Tower V.



P.S- Anybody here use Audiobooks? I like reading but I want to try them out. If you do use them, what do you do while listening to them? Do you space out while you're listening to them? Any recommendations would be welcome.
I do! On my way to work or even short walks or before going to sleep. It's become a substitute for listening to music now. Are you buying from audible? The iphone/android app is pretty great.
Some audiobooks I enjoyed:

Lolita
The Road
Enders Game(all the books in the series are well done)
The Lies of Locke Lamora and it's sequel.
 
P.S- Anybody here use Audiobooks? I like reading but I want to try them out. If you do use them, what do you do while listening to them? Do you space out while you're listening to them? Any recommendations would be welcome.

Back when Amazon was advertising the new WhisperSync between Kindle and audiobooks, I snapped up a ton of public domain audiobooks on Audible. I'm enjoying them a lot, but I'd never pay for them when they have such irritating DRM on the files. Just give me straight MP3 or AAC. Dracula has been the one I'm listening to the most.

My library also has CD's of fully acted Shakespeare plays, occasionally with an actor I recognize (David Tennant was on one of them) and I like the radio dramas the BBC used to produce. There's one based on Foundation that can be found on the internet that's very good.
 

ShaneB

Member
Getting Game of Throne'd out. Nearing 50% of Storm of Swords, and now overlapping with the show, ahead in some areas, behind in others, etc etc... but man, I just need a break, after I finish I need to go through some short books and some definitely smaller scale stories.
 

MoGamesXNA

Unconfirmed Member
Bioshock

Its absolutely dreadfully written

I started reading this as well after powering through Bioshock 2 but I've since put it down. I don't think I'm going to waste anymore time on it.

I've moved back on to Gardens of the Moon which a few people in here also seem to be reading. Fantasy isn't typically my preferred genre but I'm really enjoying it. The way Erikson paints scenes is outstanding. I'm actually liking the characters too. Hopefully some of them reoccur throughout the series and aren't just setting the scene for a larger turn of events.

The first book is hot garbage compared to what comes after. Imho.

Comments like that have me excited for the other books in the series.
 
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