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What are you reading? (November 2013)

C

cdkee

Banned
Just got myself a Kindle for my birthday two weeks ago :)

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Pretty good book, definitely inspirational and useful for a recent college grad like myself. I find that there is a bit of hubris in the author's writing but if you can overlook that and apply it to your life I have no doubts you will be more successful in your career.
 
A

arkon

Member
eLZhi said:
I'm planning on starting Daniel Abraham's The Dragon's Path after my current read. Has anyone read it? Is it as good as The Long Price Quartet?
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I'm reading the third book in that series now and it's good, but so far not as good as the Long Price quartet for me. It's more traditional and the concepts that are introduced aren't as interesting as things like the Andat. Might be a bit too early to judge though, because the Long Price took on a life of its own towards the end and once I'd finished the series it made me appreciate the previous books a lot more. It's the whole is greater than the sum of its parts thing.
 
A

AngmarsKing701

Member
Okay, dilemma time. I just finished Day By Day Armageddon, which I thought was pretty good. This wrapped up a couple months of Halloween reading. The Stress of Her Regard, I Am Legend, Seed and then this last one.

Now I need a change of pace. I'm kind of looking for something that's either stand alone or book one of a completed series. I have some stuff on the shelf, like Tad Williams' Shadowmarch, Fred Saberhagen's First Book of Swords or Ken Follett's World Without End. The problem with Follett is the book weighs about 18 lbs., so dragging it around all over creation will be a pain in the ass.

As for things on Kindle wish list, Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Sanderson's Alloy of Law, Abraham's Long Price Quartet or Corey's Leviathan Wakes, or Lawrence's The Prince of Thorns.

I guess I'm also keeping in mind that at this point almost whatever I read will blend on into Christmas so I'd like it to not be too gritty or dark. So that likely rules out Prince of Thorns.
 
J

Jimothy

Member
Pau said:
Finished The New Jim Crow (which everyone living in the USA should read) and started on King Leopold's Ghost. So far it's told in a very engaging manner, even if the subject matter is tough. Hochschild isn't a historian but a journalist, hence the style, but he still manages to be very accurate. Anyone have recommendations for other history books written in this style?
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Overthrow by Stephen Kinzer
 
S

ShaneB

Member
AngmarsKing701 said:
Hmmm. Just checking it out on Amazon and it's actually not a complete series. Does the trilogy stand by itself or will it just be another series that goes on and on and on and ...
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It was originally planned as a Trilogy, and the ending of the third book does satisfy that in my opinion. I only found out there were more books AFTER I finished book 3. But yes, more deals have been done, so it's turning into a 6 book series.
 
T

Tragicomedy

Member
AngmarsKing701 said:
Hmmm. Just checking it out on Amazon and it's actually not a complete series. Does the trilogy stand by itself or will it just be another series that goes on and on and on and ...
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As Shane said, it stands alone very well and is an incredible read. That series makes other recent science fiction seem boring.
 
A

arkon

Member
ShaneB said:
It was originally planned as a Trilogy, and the ending of the third book does satisfy that in my opinion. I only found out there were more books AFTER I finished book 3. But yes, more deals have been done, so it's turning into a 6 book series.
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Not according to the authors it wasn't. To hear them tell it, they know where the series is going and how it ends (even the final sentence apparently) but the stuff between that was always designed to be open-ended in a manner of speaking. Limited obviously by how many books Orbit were willing to give them a contract for. Given the authors' respective sales records previously it's not surprising Orbit didn't commit to more books at the start. They mention things occurring in books 5 and 6 which are apparently hinted at back in book 1, as an argument against it being a trilogy originally.

All of that is taken from this podcast: http://www.adventuresinscifipublishing.com/2013/11/aisfp-238-james-s-a-corey/ and also what I've seen the authors mention on twitter and the blog.
 
T

Tragicomedy

Member
arkon said:
Not according to the authors it wasn't. To hear them tell it, they know where the series is going and how it ends (even the final sentence apparently) but the stuff between that was always designed to be open-ended in a manner of speaking. Limited obviously by how many books Orbit were willing to give them a contract for. Given the authors' respective sales records previously it's not surprising Orbit didn't commit to more books at the start. They mention things occurring in books 5 and 6 which are apparently hinted at back in book 1, as an argument against it being a trilogy originally.

All of that is taken from this podcast: http://www.adventuresinscifipublishing.com/2013/11/aisfp-238-james-s-a-corey/ and also what I've seen the authors mention on twitter and the blog.
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Interesting. The more, the merrier in this series.
 
S

ShaneB

Member
arkon said:
Not according to the authors it wasn't. To hear them tell it, they know where the series is going and how it ends (even the final sentence apparently) but the stuff between that was always designed to be open-ended in a manner of speaking. Limited obviously by how many books Orbit were willing to give them a contract for. Given the authors' respective sales records previously it's not surprising Orbit didn't commit to more books at the start. They mention things occurring in books 5 and 6 which are apparently hinted at back in book 1, as an argument against it being a trilogy originally.

All of that is taken from this podcast: http://www.adventuresinscifipublishing.com/2013/11/aisfp-238-james-s-a-corey/ and also what I've seen the authors mention on twitter and the blog.
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My apologies on my case, poor word choice! :) I don't mean to imply to state that it was 3 books originally and then all of sudden they started to write more. I do remember reading Abraham stating with the extended book deal "they could tell the entire story as planned", I just felt like they knew it might have to be a trilogy, and therefore the ending of book 3 does feel complete in a sense.

Ah well, it's all good. I can't wait for Cibola Burn!

I still can't decide what to read next =/
 
P

Pau

Member
Piecake said:
Good book. Well, this one isnt really told in a journalist style, more of a narrative history style, but it is well-written, easy to follow, and the subject matter is interesting. So yea, no complex analysis or boring detailed information. He just tells you the story you need to know as entertainingly as he can make it (I think - its been a while).

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393315568/?tag=neogaf0e-20

So yea, the purpose isnt to uncover some social injustice and bring to live the shittiness of colonialism, its to tell history. You still get to see the shittiness of Colonialism while reading it though (i think)
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Jimothy said:
Overthrow by Stephen Kinzer
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Thanks guys! Both sound exactly like what I'm looking for. I'm trying to slowly fill the huge gap I have of historical knowledge since school has only ever been about Western Europe and the USA.
 
T

TheWraith

Member
Finished! :
The+Republic+of+Thieves.jpg


So great to finally visit this world and its characters again, really felt like meeting up with old friends again. Was slightly surprised by the difference in terms of plot and story flow with the previous books, and can see how some people might not like this one as much because of the fact that t
here is not so much a focus on a long con and total lack of real heists
, but I was totally engrossed in the story the whole time. Let's hope the wait for book 4 won't be that long!
 
H

huxley00

Member
no3QdOl.jpg


Really enjoying it, anyone who is a fan of dystopian will probably like it. Really shows how fragile all our roles in society are.
 
J

jacobs34

Member
Recently Finished:

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Stoner was one of those books that I just kept hearing great things about, and finally decided to give it a read. It was one of those rare cases where the hype is well-deserved. Easily one of the best books I've ever read, such restrained yet beautiful prose.

I also really enjoyed Vampires In The Lemon Grove, and look forward to reading more Russell. It's rare that a book makes me laugh out loud, this book managed to get quite a few laughs out of me.

Currently reading:

18989.jpg
 
E

Easystride

Member
Recently finished Devil in the Grove. This was a very interesting read. I think it is the first biography that I've ever read on my own time. I will definitely be looking in to some more biographies down the line.

I started on John Green's Paper Towns. I am such a sucker for his books, and this is the only one I haven't read yet.
 
F

Fjordson

Member
Started reading The Rebel by Albert Camus last night. Always enjoy Camus, been a while since I've picked up something by him.
 
R

roosters93

Member
38447.jpg


Just finished The Handmaid's Tale. It took me a little bit longer than usual to get into it, but it really picked up and raised my interest in the second half. That ending. Perfect.

Next I'm reading 1984 and then Neuromancer.
 
T

The Artful Dodger

Member
I had trouble reading for the last few months, it's been kinda strange for me lately.

I finished that book on Titanic Thompson. Fantastic read, and super easy.

Am going back to Victor Hugo's Toilers of the Sea

Since I never finished it.
 
L

Lafiel

と呼ぶがよい
Just finished reading Atonement by Ian Mcewan - while it took me around 100-pages to really "get" the narrative structure. Once I got it, I couldn't stop reading it till I was finished, really great novel, and the ending is far more effective in the novel than it was in the film (although the film was a very faithful adaptation based on what I've read of this). Any other Ian Mcewan novels I should read?

Now Reading - Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. Read around 20-pages so far, seems good, in the right mood for it since I just re-read Persepolis and re-watched the film recently.

icarus-daedelus said:
Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle. You are most likely to know the author from her infamous short story "The Lottery," which earned her a lifetime of hate mail though it is a mere eight pages long, or from The Haunting of Hill House, which was adapted twice on film.
*stuff*
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Just booked a copy of this at my library. I trust your taste enough that I'll probably enjoy it.:p
 
D

DyslexicAlucard

Member
huxley00 said:
no3QdOl.jpg


Really enjoying it, anyone who is a fan of dystopian will probably like it. Really shows how fragile all our roles in society are.
Click to expand...

roosters93 said:
38447.jpg


Just finished The Handmaid's Tale. It took me a little bit longer than usual to get into it, but it really picked up and raised my interest in the second half. That ending. Perfect.
Click to expand...

It really is a fantastic book. I recently saw the first-ever ballet adaptation of it and was really impressed.
Next I'm reading 1984 and then Neuromancer.
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1984 is my favourite book. I really need to read Neuromancer, too. But, unfortunately, I'm in school so I pretty much have to stick to assigned reading for the forseeable future.
 
J

Johnlenham

Member
Finished High Fidelity on friday.
I liked it in places and the bit with top songs for your funeral had my in tears of laughter but at the end I just felt like "ok" and put the book down.
The main guy never really changed and his gf basicaly said "fuck it I cant be arsed to do this again so Ill settle for you"

Not quite what I was expecting.

Anyway will be cracking onto Catcher in the Rye at lunch!
 
M

Maklershed

Member
A few Kurt Vonnegut on sale for $1.99 today on Amazon ...

Slaughterhouse Five
The Sirens of Titan
God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater
Galapagos
Mother Night
Player Piano
Timequake
If This Isn't Nice, What Is? Advice for the Young
Palm Sunday
 
B

British Monsoon

Member
Finished The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson;

TNx3ERB.jpg


I picked this up after reading that Michael Moorcock cited it as a big influence behind his Elric series and that he believed it should have been Anderson's Broken Sword and not Tolkien's Lord of the Rings that became the standard for fantasy literature. Both books were released the same year, 1954, and while I wouldn't go quite so far as Moorcock in my praise, it is remarkable to find a novel in The Broken Sword that deals with much more mature themes than you're likely to find in other fantasy works from the period, LotR included. The story itself is part fairy-tale, part Viking saga and all prototypical dark fantasy. Much like Moorcock's Elric, the main characters struggle with their predestined fates, but Anderson's writing ensures that the story doesn't ever suffer for knowing the outcome ahead of time. If there's one weakness to be found it's in the occasional tendency to drift into flowery prose, but that's a small nitpick at an otherwise very taught and enjoyable read, with strong characters and a great story. Very much enjoyed this, well worth a read for fans of the genre.
 
A

AngmarsKing701

Member
Bootaaay said:
Finished The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson;

I picked this up after reading that Michael Moorcock cited it as a big influence behind his Elric series and that he believed it should have been Anderson's Broken Sword and not Tolkien's Lord of the Rings that became the standard for fantasy literature. Both books were released the same year, 1954, and while I wouldn't go quite so far as Moorcock in my praise, it is remarkable to find a novel in The Broken Sword that deals with much more mature themes than you're likely to find in other fantasy works from the period, LotR included. The story itself is part fairy-tale, part Viking saga and all prototypical dark fantasy. Much like Moorcock's Elric, the main characters struggle with their predestined fates, but Anderson's writing ensures that the story doesn't ever suffer for knowing the outcome ahead of time. If there's one weakness to be found it's in the occasional tendency to drift into flowery prose, but that's a small nitpick at an otherwise very taught and enjoyable read, with strong characters and a great story. Very much enjoyed this, well worth a read for fans of the genre.
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Sounds great. There's no Kindle edition sadly, so I'll have to check the used book stores in my area.
 
S

ShaneB

Member
After reading The Princess Bride, and then watching the movie, I’ve wanted to keep things light hearted and dive into a fantasy series, but I couldn’t really decide what to start. Then I realized there’s another fantasy classic I haven’t read that has gotten lots of attention lately from appearing in that bundle earlier this year. I’ll read this first, and then pick a series to read. I want to get back to a fantasy series, just to get sucked into a world and get lost in there. Maybe the Mistborn trilogy.

Now reading….


The Last Unicorn
29127.jpg
 
T

The Artful Dodger

Member
ShaneB said:
After reading The Princess Bride, and then watching the movie, I’ve wanted to keep things light hearted and dive into a fantasy series, but I couldn’t really decide what to start. Then I realized there’s another fantasy classic I haven’t read that has gotten lots of attention lately from appearing in that bundle earlier this year. I’ll read this first, and then pick a series to read. I want to get back to a fantasy series, just to get sucked into a world and get lost in there. Maybe the Mistborn trilogy.

Now reading….


The Last Unicorn
29127.jpg
Click to expand...

That's a good one. I enjoyed it.
 
T

TetraxShards

Member
Finished:
memoirs-of-an-imaginary-friend.jpg
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An amazing book. Manly tears were shed at the ending.

Now starting the Star Wars: Darth Bane books that were lended to me by a friend. I think I'll be alternating with something else, but not sure what.
 
T

Tragicomedy

Member
ShaneB said:
After reading The Princess Bride, and then watching the movie, I’ve wanted to keep things light hearted and dive into a fantasy series, but I couldn’t really decide what to start. Then I realized there’s another fantasy classic I haven’t read that has gotten lots of attention lately from appearing in that bundle earlier this year. I’ll read this first, and then pick a series to read. I want to get back to a fantasy series, just to get sucked into a world and get lost in there. Maybe the Mistborn trilogy.

Now reading….

The Last Unicorn
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Yes, yes, YES!!!
 
M

Mumei

Member
ShaneB said:
:)

Chapter 1 finished earlier, and it's off to a great start.
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<3

I loved the prose; it somehow manages to be simultaneously ordinary - in the choice of individual words, if not their particular combinations - and beautiful. It all seems so perfectly chosen:

"The unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived all alone. She was very old, though she did not know it, and she was no longer the careless color of sea foam but rather the color of snow falling on a moonlit night. But her eyes were still clear and unwearied, and she still moved like a shadow on the sea."​

I think there's something about the sparseness of the prose that is quite elegant. I had a similar reaction to Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea or The Left Hand of Darkness, though it's not completely the same. The Last Unicorn seems to have more levity, and irony, and feels more like a fairy tale than a legend (which A Wizard of Earthsea has always felt like to me).

... I wish I knew how to describe what I'm talking about!
 
A

AngmarsKing701

Member
Mumei said:
<3

I loved the prose; it somehow manages to be simultaneously ordinary - in the choice of individual words, if not their particular combinations - and beautiful. It all seems so perfectly chosen:

"The unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived all alone. She was very old, though she did not know it, and she was no longer the careless color of sea foam but rather the color of snow falling on a moonlit night. But her eyes were still clear and unwearied, and she still moved like a shadow on the sea."​

I think there's something about the sparseness of the prose that is quite elegant. I had a similar reaction to Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea or The Left Hand of Darkness, though it's not completely the same. The Last Unicorn seems to have more levity, and irony, and feels more like a fairy tale than a legend (which A Wizard of Earthsea has always felt like to me).

... I wish I knew how to describe what I'm talking about!
Click to expand...

It's lyrical. It carries you along, almost like poetry in a way. There's a rhythm to it that is soothing regardless of what you are reading.

I get the same sensation reading Guy Gavriel Kay. It feels wrong to rush through one of his books.
 
V

Verdre

Unconfirmed Member
Everything Mumei just said.

In The Last Unicorn Beagle reaches near perfection, as far as I'm concerned. He manages to make turns of phrase that should really just be a bit silly come out beautifully. It's a story that's transformed by the prose.
 
M

Mr.Swag

Banned
Started reading Slaughterhouse Five
I attempted it once, but the beginning didnt catch my attention much.

Taking my time with it this time tho.
 
D

DagsJT

Member
Hmm, I was going to add The Last Unicorn to my "to read" list but not sure now. Can't really get into all of this "prose", "poetry" and descriptions like something moving like a shadow on the sea. Just not my style, unfortunately.
 
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