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What are you reading? (May 2014)

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wilflare

Member
anyone can suggest how I can get back into the habit of reading?
(undergraduate arts course (history) has made me avoid reading where I can... with all those notes/books and stuff I already have to go thru)
 

Haly

One day I realized that sadness is just another word for not enough coffee.
anyone can suggest how I can get back into the habit of reading?
(undergraduate arts course (history) has made me avoid reading where I can... with all those notes/books and stuff I already have to go thru)

1) Pick up a Kindle or some other e-reader
2) Try to remember what kinds of books you enjoyed as a kid and then ask here for those kinds of books
3) ???
4) Become a lit snob
 

Nezumi

Member
anyone can suggest how I can get back into the habit of reading?
(undergraduate arts course (history) has made me avoid reading where I can... with all those notes/books and stuff I already have to go thru)

Gonna second (or third) the e-reader suggestion. I already read a lot before i got my kindle but ever since then i have doubled my reading.
 

wilflare

Member
1) Pick up a Kindle or some other e-reader
2) Try to remember what kinds of books you enjoyed as a kid and then ask here for those kinds of books
3) ???
4) Become a lit snob

buying an ereader fixed that problem for me.

I posted in the Kindle thread
I used to have a Kindle Keyboard... but it has stopped working :/ (the Keyboard I mean.. so I can't key in my new WiFi password lol)

although I finished a few books on the Kindle (while commuting), there's something about it that make me not read it at home, etc... makes me think that eReaders are just not meant for me -shrugs-
 

Haly

One day I realized that sadness is just another word for not enough coffee.
I posted in the Kindle thread
I used to have a Kindle Keyboard... but it has stopped working :/ (the Keyboard I mean.. so I can't key in my new WiFi password lol)

although I finished a few books on the Kindle (while commuting), there's something about it that make me not read it at home, etc... makes me think that eReaders are just not meant for me -shrugs-

This is interesting, I never considered this. You bring up a good point. I don't read often at home unless I"m already engaged in a book, at which point I use the Kindle reader for PC.

Your either choice is rekindling (dohohohoho) a past interest. What kind of books did you like, fantasy? Mystery? Nonfiction? History? Well, maybe not history. But I'm sure someone here knows about the kind of stuff you like and can give you a guiding hand.

My recommendation, knowing absolutely nothing about you, would be a short story collection like Stories of Your Life and Others. by Ted Chiang or Smoke and Mirrors, by Neil Gaiman. Short stories anthologies usually have a little something for everyone so you can pick and choose.
 

wilflare

Member
This is interesting, I never considered this. You bring up a good point. I don't read often at home unless I"m already engaged in a book, at which point I use the Kindle reader for PC.

Your either choice is rekindling (dohohohoho) a past interest. What kind of books did you like, fantasy? Mystery? Nonfiction? History? Well, maybe not history. But I'm sure someone here knows about the kind of stuff you like and can give you a guiding hand.

My recommendation, knowing absolutely nothing about you, would be a short story collection like Stories of Your Life and Others. by Ted Chiang or Smoke and Mirrors, by Neil Gaiman. Short stories anthologies usually have a little something for everyone so you can pick and choose.

never really sat down to think about that.
the series I finished on Kindle Keyboard was Narnia (I kinda enjoyed that, and books by C.S. Lewis)
physical books that I finished years back (decade?) and enjoyed - books by Mitch Albom, etc
books I kinda enjoyed - Freakonomics? but I don't think I'm super into those Gladwell books
ah. not forgetting Harry Potter -loved them, stretched my imagination, took me into another world.

Kinda thinking of reading GoT and the Hunger Games... but I'm not sure if I can finish reading them on a Kindle (or ever)

yea.. the thing is when I'm at home, I wouldn't want to read on the Kindle
and the sad part is... I'm only freer during sch vacations... and those are mostly spent at home >< (rather than commuting daily to sch, etc)
 

Haly

One day I realized that sadness is just another word for not enough coffee.
A better bet would be to start with something smaller then work your way up to a tome like GoT.

Out of curiosity, why the Hunger Games?
 

Nezumi

Member
never really sat down to think about that.
the series I finished on Kindle Keyboard was Narnia (I kinda enjoyed that, and books by C.S. Lewis)
physical books that I finished years back (decade?) and enjoyed - books by Mitch Albom, etc
books I kinda enjoyed - Freakonomics? but I don't think I'm super into those Gladwell books
ah. not forgetting Harry Potter -loved them, stretched my imagination, took me into another world.

Kinda thinking of reading GoT and the Hunger Games... but I'm not sure if I can finish reading them on a Kindle (or ever)

yea.. the thing is when I'm at home, I wouldn't want to read on the Kindle
and the sad part is... I'm only freer during sch vacations... and those are mostly spent at home >< (rather than commuting daily to sch, etc)

Try the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett especially the City Watch books starting with Guards, Guards. I gave the book to two of my friends who weren't really into reading before and this book managed to convert them.

Edit: Also the Artemis Fowl books and stuff from Garth Nix might also be up your alley.
 

wilflare

Member
A better bet would be to start with something smaller then work your way up to a tome like GoT.

Out of curiosity, why the Hunger Games?

hmm I guess it's the hype :X I watched and enjoyed the first movie too.
I don't mind something like George Orwell's 1984 too.
my taste is really varied :/

Try the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett especially the City Watch books starting with Guards, Guards. I gave the book to two of my friends who weren't really into reading before and this book managed to convert them.

Edit: Also the Artemis Fowl books and stuff from Garth Nix might also be up your alley.

thanks for the recommendations! I'll check them out!
hmm - I just thought I should be reading more non-fiction (don't ask how I got this strange stigma) as I grow older

so I should keep my Paperwhite? (still sealed...)
 

Haly

One day I realized that sadness is just another word for not enough coffee.
hmm - I just thought I should be reading more non-fiction (don't ask how I got this strange stigma) as I grow older
Social expectations and conflation of nonfiction with "maturity".

so I should keep my Paperwhite? (still sealed...)
Paperwhite is the bomb.
 
Since nobody else have your a recommendation, how about my book?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IV3JTPA/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Done ..

ieO8oM5lrO7OJ.JPG



Paperwhite is the bomb.

seconded
 

LProtag

Member
I'm debating upgrading from my Kindle Touch to a Paperwhite. There's not going to be a new version right when I decide to get one, is there?
 

Haly

One day I realized that sadness is just another word for not enough coffee.
I'm debating upgrading from my Kindle Touch to a Paperwhite. There's not going to be a new version right when I decide to get one, is there?

There was this huge targeted Paperwhite deal recently (meaning only select accounts saw the deal), and you could pick one up for like $80 if you were lucky enough to get one of these deals, implying they're dumping stock for a newer revision.
 

LProtag

Member
There was this huge targeted Paperwhite deal recently (meaning only select accounts saw the deal), and you could pick one up for like $80 if you were lucky enough to get one of these deals, implying they're dumping stock for a newer revision.

I saw that and didn't get any offers, which I was angry about.

I guess I'll hold off.
 

Christine

Member
Working through Lord Foul's Bane by Stephen R. Donaldson very slowly, only 15 minutes a day at lunch. It's my third time through and I'm reading for enjoyment, so I'm making it last. It is one of the high points of my day but today was particularly excellent.
 
There was this huge targeted Paperwhite deal recently (meaning only select accounts saw the deal), and you could pick one up for like $80 if you were lucky enough to get one of these deals, implying they're dumping stock for a newer revision.

80?

My Paperwhite was 40ish with the deal.
 

i_am_ben

running_here_and_there
To give you a counter opinion from the GAF massive love fest of Gene Wolfe, I did not like it and stopped about a 1/4th of the way through the first one. I thought the characters were underdeveloped and the writing style and plot confusing for the sake of being confusing. Thats about the two biggest sins a book can make in my view. Perhaps the characters become awesome later and the shit actually starts to make sense, but I wasn't enjoying myself and there are a lot of other books out there to read.

I'm with you Pieface except I actually made it to the end of the first one. It was atrocious. The plot went absolutely no where and the characters remained paper thin.
 

Nelo Ice

Banned
Oh, well, la dee da for you!

In that case I was one of those lucky jerks who got a paperwhite and the older model for $25 total.


Also so I read Asa Akira's memoir and it was actually pretty good. And of course hilariously NSFW. She can write and her stories were pretty entertaining to read. Also went to her book signing last Saturday and she signed signed my kindle cover and the exclusive shirt they sold only at the signings.

fpgCGV0.jpg
 

Jintor

Member
Also so I read Asa Akira's memoir and it was actually pretty good. And of course hilariously NSFW. She can write and her stories were pretty entertaining to read. Also went to her book signing last Saturday and she signed signed my kindle cover and the exclusive shirt they sold only at the signings.

Sounds/looks interesting. I'll give it a shot
 

commish

Jason Kidd murdered my dog in cold blood!
You got it. As much as I loved A Promise of Blood and the novellas, this was on an entirely new level. The wait for the third book is already excruciating.

Never heard of Promise of Blood, so I'll give it a shot. Currently in the middle of a not so interesting Brandon Sanderson novel, Warbreaker. I loved everything else of his I've read but this... not so much.
 

Jag

Member
Never heard of Promise of Blood, so I'll give it a shot. Currently in the middle of a not so interesting Brandon Sanderson novel, Warbreaker. I loved everything else of his I've read but this... not so much.

Funny. I just went from Elantris to Promise of Blood then I was going to Warbreaker.

How does Warbreaker compare to Elantris? I'm trying to read all of Sanderson's "Cosmere" books.
 

commish

Jason Kidd murdered my dog in cold blood!
Funny. I just went from Elantris to Promise of Blood then I was going to Warbreaker.

How does Warbreaker compare to Elantris? I'm trying to read all of Sanderson's "Cosmere" books.

Haven't read Elantis yet. What did you think? Many folks do like Warbreaker, and I haven't finished it yet. It's just that, so far, it just seems... meh... and I'm not really into the magic system. I'm sure it will pick up.

Have you read Emperor's Soul yet? I thought that was terrific.
 
Finished reading The Ocean at the End of the Lane and enjoyed it a lot. I tend like to most Gaiman books I guess.

I'm not sure what to read now though.
 

Jag

Member
Haven't read Elantis yet. What did you think? Many folks do like Warbreaker, and I haven't finished it yet. It's just that, so far, it just seems... meh... and I'm not really into the magic system. I'm sure it will pick up.

Have you read Emperor's Soul yet? I thought that was terrific.

I liked Elantris. Like much of Sanderson, it took awhile to get into it, but I was pretty vested in the characters towards the end. It was a decent stand alone that is worth the read for his fans. Not his best, but he set the bar pretty high with Stormlight and Mistborn.

Emperor's Soul is also on my 'to read' list.
 

Nelo Ice

Banned
Sounds/looks interesting. I'll give it a shot
Hope you enjoy it. I was surprised at how candid it was. When I got interviewed during the book signing I even told the interviewer that I felt like I knew her after reading about half the book.
 
it is :/ just not sure/certain if ereaders are really for me
I was like you for the longest time, ever since amazon announced their FIRST ereader. My mom just bought me paperwhite as a gift and it's amazing! It's very comfortable to read using it. Has many options for font size, type face, and glow. Instant dictionary, and wiki if you're online, is gold for me. Jumping through pages is a breeze. It's also very small easy to carry and charge. For $100 I should have bought it myself when it paperwhite first came out.
 

Alebeard

Neo Member
reading Malzan Book of the Fallen just finished Bonehunters
Basically the best fantasy out there. I've done all of Glen Cooks work, Abercrombie and ASoIaF and Malazan blows them all out of the water. Except maybe Black Company. but thats just because The Black Company is well, The Black Company
 

X-Frame

Member
Not sure if anyone saw, but we launched a Q&A feature at Goodreads. One of the authors we've included in the launch is Hugh Howey of Wool fame. So if you have a question to ask him, feel free to here and he can pick which ones he wants to answer:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/3064305/questions

This looks pretty cool! It certainly makes me want to dive into Wool soon, especially if there is an easy place for me to communicate with the author beyond Twitter.
 

NateDog

Member
The Gathering by Anne Enright. Forgot how much I liked her writing and her ability to depict little normalities of life.
 

ShaneB

Member
This looks pretty cool! It certainly makes me want to dive into Wool soon, especially if there is an easy place for me to communicate with the author beyond Twitter.

I do take note when an author is a "goodreads author". I have messaged quite a few after reading a book just thanking them for writing something I enjoyed so much, and it's been great to have conversations with them.
 

Bazza

Member
Funny. I just went from Elantris to Promise of Blood then I was going to Warbreaker.

How does Warbreaker compare to Elantris? I'm trying to read all of Sanderson's "Cosmere" books.

I thought Warbreaker was much better than Elantris, I though Elantris while good was quite predictable, Warbreaker had me guessing to the end. It also has a talking sword which gains it plus points with me.
 
I do take note when an author is a "goodreads author". I have messaged quite a few after reading a book just thanking them for writing something I enjoyed so much, and it's been great to have conversations with them.



Yeah like this too. Scott Sigler, Mark Lawrence, Patrick Ness and Patrick Rothfuss are all pretty fan friendly.
 
I do take note when an author is a "goodreads author". I have messaged quite a few after reading a book just thanking them for writing something I enjoyed so much, and it's been great to have conversations with them.

Wow really? I never even thought of contacting the author like that. I always feel like I'm infringing and that they have tons of fanmail or something. Aw this makes me happy.
 

Jag

Member
Wow really? I never even thought of contacting the author like that. I always feel like I'm infringing and that they have tons of fanmail or something. Aw this makes me happy.

I never thought of doing that either. When I was really young, we wrote a program on the Commodore 64 to decipher some secret language used by Piers Anthony in his Xanth books. We mailed the dot matrix print out of the code to him with the translations and got a letter back thanking us. I thought it was the coolest thing at the time.
 
reading Malzan Book of the Fallen just finished Bonehunters
Basically the best fantasy out there. I've done all of Glen Cooks work, Abercrombie and ASoIaF and Malazan blows them all out of the water. Except maybe Black Company. but thats just because The Black Company is well, The Black Company

The Black Company is the only Cook I've read. I'm on book seven now, and the series is so consistently good.
 
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