-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
What are you reading? (November 2012)
- Thread starter Maklershed
- Start date
- Status
Finished Red Country by Joe Abercrombie yesterday and I thought it was mediocre.
Abercrombie is still great at characters, but some of the returning ones felt off, as though he couldn't quite get them right. Some of the new ones were very good, though. I found the actual story itself tedious more often than not, though.
Abercrombie is still great at characters, but some of the returning ones felt off, as though he couldn't quite get them right. Some of the new ones were very good, though. I found the actual story itself tedious more often than not, though.
Mattdaddy
Gold Member
Based on your name I don't doubt it haha.
sparky2112
Member
Further proof that a miserable piece of shit can still sell like nuts. Seriously, for all the buzz, WHAT was redeaming about this?
I was looking at Amazon's best of 2012 list which had this on it. Every single book on their list sounded dull and similar to every other highly acclaimed bit of contemporary fiction I see rack up awards. Was kinda disappointed since I found like 10 fantastic books from their list last year.
Further proof that a miserable piece of shit can still sell like nuts. Seriously, for all the buzz, WHAT was redeaming about this?
Mackenzie 92
Member
Yeah it was more about the journey for me. Regarding the characters
It might've been because we didn't get a POV from Nicoma or Lamb, so we were seeing them through Temple's and Shy's eyes mostly. I was really disappointed that there wasn't a Bloody Nine POV, felt like such a tease to finally get him back and then no awesome blood curdling POV.
Wish You Were Here: The Official Biography of Douglas Adams by Nick Webb
Finished. Neil Gaiman's biography was better; this one has a bit too much of the author in it, but it does get satisfyingly yet uncomfortably deep into DNA's various personality problems (even if the author is kind of excusing them half the time).
Currently finishing up Heart of Darkness. What's next for me, ReadGAF; Fahrenheit 451 or Slaughterhouse 5?
nakedsushi
Member
Further proof that a miserable piece of shit can still sell like nuts. Seriously, for all the buzz, WHAT was redeaming about this?
It wasn't high literature or anything, but I found that it was an entertaining read. It is pretty polarizing though. I thought the end was pretty redeeming and satisfying, but others who read it really disliked it because the characters were so hateful.
Spoiler about the story:
I thought the guy got what he deserved.
British Monsoon
Member
Haven't posted in one of these for a while - I've read recently;
. Dodger by Terry Pratchett - loved this one, a classic Pratchett story even if it is free of the Discworld, with an excellent ensemble of characters. If I had one complaint it's that, while I found the novel to be a good page turner, in the final stages the novel seems to very calmly amble to it's conclusion.
. A Blink of the Screen by Terry Pratchett - a collection of Pratchett's short story work, I wasn't overly enthralled with this. There are few memorable stories, and the Discworld content is disappointingly slim, yet does include an excellent Granny Weatherwax short story that I thoroughly enjoyed.
. King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence - the second book in Lawrence's 'Broken Empire' series, I found this novel to be a great improvement on his début work. While the first book concerned itself with introducing us to the main character of the series, the story felt rough around the edges and overly dark. This time around Lawrence does a much better job, crafting an intriguing story that jumps back and forth through events and builds good anticipation to a sequel, while still managing to feel a complete story in itself.
. Moon Over Soho & Whispers Underground by Ben Aaranovitch - the second and third entries to Aaranovitch's 'Rivers of London' series. I very much enjoyed the tone of the original, but steered clear of the second after it received middling early reviews. The reception of the third title convinced me to jump back in, and I'm not disappointed I did. Moon Over Soho, the difficult second novel, does feel somewhat rushed and that it's more concerned with setting up events for the third book than telling a great story. Whispers Underground is a return to form, and one that I found hard to put down. Aaranovitch brings a great tone to his world, and really brings his vision of London to life, even if at times the prose falls short of describing the action.
Also, I just finished;
The Continuous Katherine Mortenhoe by D.G. Compton - an excellent, if somewhat forgotten, 70's science fiction novel set in a future where technology has made death by anything other than natural causes extremely rare, and deals with the encroachment of the media into a dying women's final hours. We are led through the story by the titular Katherine Mortenhoe, the woman dying of a terminal disease, Vincent, the TV executive bargaining for the rights to broadcast her death, and Roddie, or 'the man with the TV eyes', the cameraman who chronicles the events, and through those events Compton's disdain for the increasingly pervading touch of the media is forced home, drawing obvious parallels to our own lives that are still pertinent today. The prose is largely excellent, and the story well paced with some nicely drawn characters, but while the themes of the novel are all too evident at the beginning, Compton does an great job of making them seem incidental to the experience of the continuous Katherine Mortenhoe and those that have known her, and come to know her.
. Dodger by Terry Pratchett - loved this one, a classic Pratchett story even if it is free of the Discworld, with an excellent ensemble of characters. If I had one complaint it's that, while I found the novel to be a good page turner, in the final stages the novel seems to very calmly amble to it's conclusion.
. A Blink of the Screen by Terry Pratchett - a collection of Pratchett's short story work, I wasn't overly enthralled with this. There are few memorable stories, and the Discworld content is disappointingly slim, yet does include an excellent Granny Weatherwax short story that I thoroughly enjoyed.
. King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence - the second book in Lawrence's 'Broken Empire' series, I found this novel to be a great improvement on his début work. While the first book concerned itself with introducing us to the main character of the series, the story felt rough around the edges and overly dark. This time around Lawrence does a much better job, crafting an intriguing story that jumps back and forth through events and builds good anticipation to a sequel, while still managing to feel a complete story in itself.
. Moon Over Soho & Whispers Underground by Ben Aaranovitch - the second and third entries to Aaranovitch's 'Rivers of London' series. I very much enjoyed the tone of the original, but steered clear of the second after it received middling early reviews. The reception of the third title convinced me to jump back in, and I'm not disappointed I did. Moon Over Soho, the difficult second novel, does feel somewhat rushed and that it's more concerned with setting up events for the third book than telling a great story. Whispers Underground is a return to form, and one that I found hard to put down. Aaranovitch brings a great tone to his world, and really brings his vision of London to life, even if at times the prose falls short of describing the action.
Also, I just finished;
The Continuous Katherine Mortenhoe by D.G. Compton - an excellent, if somewhat forgotten, 70's science fiction novel set in a future where technology has made death by anything other than natural causes extremely rare, and deals with the encroachment of the media into a dying women's final hours. We are led through the story by the titular Katherine Mortenhoe, the woman dying of a terminal disease, Vincent, the TV executive bargaining for the rights to broadcast her death, and Roddie, or 'the man with the TV eyes', the cameraman who chronicles the events, and through those events Compton's disdain for the increasingly pervading touch of the media is forced home, drawing obvious parallels to our own lives that are still pertinent today. The prose is largely excellent, and the story well paced with some nicely drawn characters, but while the themes of the novel are all too evident at the beginning, Compton does an great job of making them seem incidental to the experience of the continuous Katherine Mortenhoe and those that have known her, and come to know her.
Read both of them.
Boss Riovane
Member
Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson
I tried reading the first book but it bored me into quitting. I'd start at Use of Weapons personally. Everything after that is at least fun.
torta_smasher
Member
Hi guys this is my first post in this thread
Anyway just got through the first part of Heart Shaped Box and am enjoying it. Will start World War Z after I'm done.
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
I haven't read any novels in a while, but I'm kind of in the mood to read something once all my papers and stuff are done. Can anyone recommend any fun crime/caper/con novels? Something in the vein of Castle or Leverage is what I'm looking for. It's around the time for my quarterly Amazon books order.
Have you read Out of Sight before?
Not sure if this is the correct thread, but here is an excerpt from The Unholy Consult (third part of The Aspect-Emperor trilogy, sixth part of The Second Apocalypse saga) by Scott Bakker:
http://secondapocalypse.forumer.com/excerpt-the-unholy-consult-chapter-one-t1246331.html
major spoilers obviously. I haven't read it yet.
http://secondapocalypse.forumer.com/excerpt-the-unholy-consult-chapter-one-t1246331.html
major spoilers obviously. I haven't read it yet.
Finished -
Thought it was pretty good overall. Expected the stories to have a bit more of a direct connection with the earthquake but I loved how they didn't.
Now on to either
or
though I went a few pages into Anna Karenina earlier while killing 5 or 10 minutes so that has a bit of a leg up. May end up going with some other third option also since both are fairly long and I'm not sure that I want to commit right now.
Thought it was pretty good overall. Expected the stories to have a bit more of a direct connection with the earthquake but I loved how they didn't.
Now on to either
or
though I went a few pages into Anna Karenina earlier while killing 5 or 10 minutes so that has a bit of a leg up. May end up going with some other third option also since both are fairly long and I'm not sure that I want to commit right now.
foomfoom415
Member
I finished Dune (for the 3rd or 7th time) and went on to read:
I absolutely adored it. I finished it in two sittings, and could have easily done it in one had I not forced myself to try and spread it out. I really hope we see a return to this universe.
I absolutely adored it. I finished it in two sittings, and could have easily done it in one had I not forced myself to try and spread it out. I really hope we see a return to this universe.
And if you've finished the book, you know they pretty much have to have a second one. I have to say, if there's one thing I didn't like it's the TV-episode-esque cliffhanger they ended on. It's a little much for a book. It was almost cheesy. Still, I enjoyed the ride and I believe they've already announced a second book.
I finished Dune (for the 3rd or 7th time) and went on to read:
I absolutely adored it. I finished it in two sittings, and could have easily done it in one had I not forced myself to try and spread it out. I really hope we see a return to this universe.
And if you've finished the book, you know they pretty much have to have a second one. I have to say, if there's one thing I didn't like it's the TV-episode-esque cliffhanger they ended on. It's a little much for a book. It was almost cheesy. Still, I enjoyed the ride and I believe they've already announced a second book.
They are doing a second book in the universe. Pratchett was talking about it in an AVclub interview while doing press for Dodger.
I was actually pretty disappointed by the book myself. I felt it really lacked his unique voice, unlike Good Omens which felt like he had his mitts all over it.
Finished -
Thought it was pretty good overall. Expected the stories to have a bit more of a direct connection with the earthquake but I loved how they didn't.
Now on to either
or
though I went a few pages into Anna Karenina earlier while killing 5 or 10 minutes so that has a bit of a leg up. May end up going with some other third option also since both are fairly long and I'm not sure that I want to commit right now.
Your choice is between a literary masterpiece and one of gaf's most recommended books.
I'd go with Anna Karenina myself.
Ha ha. I was just about to edit in. Salazar would choose the other path. Till I saw your post beneath mine.
I say read both as each of them are fantastic.
Read one, or the other, and/or read both.
The reading thread is, I guess you could say unsurprisingly, the most civilised thread.
I'll add to the chorus of you'll not go wrong with either.
It can get a bit testy when unmarked questionable spoilers for 100+ year old books are brought up.
legend of huma. my nigga. that book defined my childhood. His tale was one of greatness and tragedy. The best !
Finished all of these recently:
Now not so patiently waiting for this tomorrow:
I'm definitely going to, I'm just not going to read them concurrently.
Have to decide which one to go with first. Probably Anna Karenina.BrokenFiction
Member
After Red Country I was in the mood for a traditional Western, so based on recommendations by Mr. Abercrombie (sourced from when he was researching RC), I picked up this on Kindle:
It's by I Am Legend's Richard Matheson which immediately intrigued me. About half way in it's been interesting. It's written in a combination 3rd person/1st person style looking back at the life of a gunfighter and at the surface it feels very straightforward, but it feels like something is there under the surface. Matheson feels like he's simultaneously parodying and paying homage to those old timey western serials of much larger than life cowboys from the late 1800s.
It's by I Am Legend's Richard Matheson which immediately intrigued me. About half way in it's been interesting. It's written in a combination 3rd person/1st person style looking back at the life of a gunfighter and at the surface it feels very straightforward, but it feels like something is there under the surface. Matheson feels like he's simultaneously parodying and paying homage to those old timey western serials of much larger than life cowboys from the late 1800s.
I'm about halfway through and loving it. It mostly deals with the personal side of the war from German and Soviet soldiers' diaries. Books about the Eastern Front are usually dry and analytical, but this weaves both the emotional and tactical side of the invasion together so that you get a sense of what the war was really like.
Easystride
Member
I am actually enjoying it a lot. About 33% through the Kindle version (just started book 2). Looking forward to seeing where the story goes from here.
foomfoom415
Member
The book definitely had more of a Pratchett-influenced Baxter feel than a Baxter-influenced Pratchett, and to be honest that's kind of what I'd prefer. People expecting a more pure Pratchett experience may be let down, though I'd still recommend they give it a shot as it's a fine book.
Currently debating what to start next. Caliban's War, Hull Zero Three, and John Dies at the End are the most likely victims.
though I went a few pages into Anna Karenina earlier while killing 5 or 10 minutes so that has a bit of a leg up. May end up going with some other third option also since both are fairly long and I'm not sure that I want to commit right now.
I cannot compare it to Anna Karenina, but it is excellent.
In the last few days, I read:
Chess: The Immortal Game or, How 32 Carved Pieces on a Board Illuminated Our Understanding of War, Science, and the Human Brain
Sexual Violence and American Manhood
They were both pretty great. I am also reading Toshiro Kageyama's Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go and Richard Bozulich's Winning Go: Successful Moves from the Opening to the Endgame. I suspect that they are both a bit above my level (though the former is really nice in terms of how to approach things), so I'm going to try to get Kano Yoshinori's Graded Go Problems for Beginners: Vol. 1 soon, so I can nail down the fundamentals better.
And I am going to read The Stories of Vladimir Nabokov, a collection of short stories by... Nabokov! Shocking, I know. I haven't read anything by Nabokov since March, after all.
A bit late to the thread this month but, so far, have been zipping through various books, starting with -
Finished this towards the beginning of the month and felt that it was weaker than Night of Knives. NoK was a nice, compact aside to the main branch of Malazan novels and kept the number of viewpoints down a handful, whereas RotCG had a huge cast and I felt the story suffered for it. We never seemed to stick with one character long enough to really get a feel for their situation and so I didn't feel as attached to the characters as I would have liked.
That said, though, I did love the Crimson Guard themselves.
Also found time on my commutes to listen to the audiobooks of -
These were / are a fairly easy listen and enjoyable enough for me to commit to listening to the entire trilogy one after the other. The plot twists towards the end of the book seemed very contrived, however, and it has a bit too much deus ex machina going on for its own good, but enjoyable all the same. If I had these books when I was 13/14/15 I would have been all over them.
Also noticed everyone seemed to be all over the sequel to -
So decided to give the first book a shot. Tremendous, is the only word I can think of to describe it. How I missed this for so long, I don't know. It's gripping, amusing (occasionally laugh out loud), action packed and it really doesn't let up from the very start. So very tempted to move straight on to the sequel afterwards, but then I almost feel like I'd have nothing left to look forward to.
Finished this towards the beginning of the month and felt that it was weaker than Night of Knives. NoK was a nice, compact aside to the main branch of Malazan novels and kept the number of viewpoints down a handful, whereas RotCG had a huge cast and I felt the story suffered for it. We never seemed to stick with one character long enough to really get a feel for their situation and so I didn't feel as attached to the characters as I would have liked.
That said, though, I did love the Crimson Guard themselves.
Also found time on my commutes to listen to the audiobooks of -
These were / are a fairly easy listen and enjoyable enough for me to commit to listening to the entire trilogy one after the other. The plot twists towards the end of the book seemed very contrived, however, and it has a bit too much deus ex machina going on for its own good, but enjoyable all the same. If I had these books when I was 13/14/15 I would have been all over them.
Also noticed everyone seemed to be all over the sequel to -
So decided to give the first book a shot. Tremendous, is the only word I can think of to describe it. How I missed this for so long, I don't know. It's gripping, amusing (occasionally laugh out loud), action packed and it really doesn't let up from the very start. So very tempted to move straight on to the sequel afterwards, but then I almost feel like I'd have nothing left to look forward to.
I am actually enjoying it a lot. About 33% through the Kindle version (just started book 2). Looking forward to seeing where the story goes from here.
First book was awesome, less of Tengo noticing Fuka-Eri's small breast would made the first book even better. Second book starts out great but then it hits a wall where basically same things are repeated time after time. I finished the second books and then took about 9 months off until I returned and finished the 3rd book and that was pain in the ass. Be sure to give Kafka and Wind up bird a chance, both great books and less repetition.
hardcastlemccormick
Banned
I was sick and wanted something easy so I polished off Looking for Alaska in a few hours.
Better than I expected. John Green might make a fan out of me yet.
I'm diving back into Cryptonomicon. I'm in the middle of about five massive books still, but Cryptonomicon seems like the most fun I've had in years. Somewhere around page 450 out of 1100. It took me a good month to read Anathem and it was worth every minute.
After that (which might be in a while) I think it might be finally time for me to finish Good Omens after starting and stopping it five times for various reasons unrelated to the book, and then maybe finish Clash of Kings, which I stopped somewhere at the 60% point on my Kindle.
Just wait until the third one if you think that's bad. Ugh. The third one makes me mad just thinking about it.
Better than I expected. John Green might make a fan out of me yet.
I'm diving back into Cryptonomicon. I'm in the middle of about five massive books still, but Cryptonomicon seems like the most fun I've had in years. Somewhere around page 450 out of 1100. It took me a good month to read Anathem and it was worth every minute.
After that (which might be in a while) I think it might be finally time for me to finish Good Omens after starting and stopping it five times for various reasons unrelated to the book, and then maybe finish Clash of Kings, which I stopped somewhere at the 60% point on my Kindle.
Just wait until the third one if you think that's bad. Ugh. The third one makes me mad just thinking about it.
Oh no, really? What a shame. I enjoyed the first one (niggles and occasional DEM aside) but it seems to have gone downhill from there.
I'm just about done with Catching Fire now and it's starting to grate a little, particularly some of the plot contrivances that occur, but I put that down to it being the awkward middle-book-of-a-trilogy syndrome and hoped it might resolve itself with the third book. Disappointed to hear that it perhaps doesn't.
On a slightly related topic, though, I have become addicted to audiobooks - I was never a big fan of them originally, but since having picked up the Brandon Sanderson one that was free on Audible a little while back, I've starting really enjoying them. So if anyone has any particular recommendations for well done audiobooks, then I'd love to hear them.
nakedsushi
Member
Finished this while waiting for stuff to bake:
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, And Hope In A Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo
It was only ok, for how much people were going on and on about it. I couldn't get into it because of the tone. It was non-fiction but read like fiction, which kind of bothered me.
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, And Hope In A Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo
It was only ok, for how much people were going on and on about it. I couldn't get into it because of the tone. It was non-fiction but read like fiction, which kind of bothered me.
Almost done with Nabokov's Lolita. I just love how Humbert Humbert very gradually grows obsessive and unhinged. Any other books doing the same, showing a descent into madness, preferably also with a first-person perspective? I know Dostoyevsky and Kafka do similar things, but are there others?
- Status