The Artful Dodger
Member
You get used to it really quick. If you got time and you're at a bookstore just read the first coupla pages and see how you feel then.
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What are you reading? (November 2013)
- Thread starter Maklershed
- Start date
You get used to it really quick. If you got time and you're at a bookstore just read the first coupla pages and see how you feel then.
jakonovski
Member
Long War, the sequel to Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter.
As you could've assumed, I am generally the same way since we tend to share similar taste in books. I generally do prefer writing that is a lot more grounded, but I picked this to read because I knew at its heart it's still a fantasy story that could appeal to all ages, so as beautiful and poetic the writing can be, it's still a very clear story being told so far.
I would recommend this book for anybody that wants to understand the financial crisis. It is very accessible without being reductive. It explains what were the many causes of the crisis and how they came together to form the perfect shitstorm. The fact Blinder writes with an ironic tone is just the icing.
Im waiting for this one to arrive for my annually Discworld fix.
MrOogieBoogie
BioShock Infinite is like playing some homeless guy's vivid imagination
HERE WE GO
Halfway point.
SO FUCKING GOOD
I am captivated by the thoughts and actions of nearly every character, big or small, "bad guy" or "good guy."
Hell, some of my favorite characters are referenced only sporadically, like
the Hound and Bronn, and Sir Gregor and the Goat and Littlefinger, and many others
Bronn's relationship with Tyrion
Only halfway through, but my god a lot of these characters are just becoming more cunning, the story more dark. I nearly welled up at
Stannis naming Davos his Hand
Just finished it, appropriate ending, definitely something I'll be thinking about for a while.
Image broken, but the file says Leviathan Wakes. Great choice =)
20% done The Last Unicorn, I'm now hooked!
Prose is the word used to describe everything in literature that isn't poetry. If you don't like prose and you don't like poetry then you may just not like reading anything that isn't a label on a soup can.
Yep. I'm glad someone clarified that.
You don't? I thought it captured the ephemeral quality that the unicorn is supposed to have - of barely being there; of being almost imperceptible; of suddenly appearing one spot and then disappearing the next. It's a very well-chosen metaphor, though if you don't like metaphors in general I don't know what to say!
OfWhiteSkinOnRedLeather
Member
That's good enough for me. Thanks.
creationtheory
Member
Hyperion.
I'm hoping it doesn't degrade into some spiritual mumbo jumbo.
I'm hoping it doesn't degrade into some spiritual mumbo jumbo.
It doesn't...well, not in the way you're thinking. It has something to do with religion to some degree, just in a very different way. I read that in my early 20s, had a hard time wrapping my head around some of the concepts to be honest.
Johnlenham
Member
Finished Catcher In the Rye. Man I must have laughed out loud like 30 times for the first third.
Friend who sent it my way says I should give this a read. Anyone else heere read it and have much to say on it?
Friend who sent it my way says I should give this a read. Anyone else heere read it and have much to say on it?
British Monsoon
Member
Try some Harlan Ellison - he has a ton of short story collections and all of them are pretty good. I'd recommend 'The Beast that Shouted Love at the Heart of the World', 'Deathbird Stories', 'I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream' and 'Paingod and Other Delusions'.
Recently finished:
First Blood by David Morrell
I've always been really fond of the first Rambo movie, and I finally got around to reading the book that inspired it. It was very different, much darker, much more violent. The book switches off between Rambo and the Sheriff's viewpoint, and I would say that neither of them is really a hero in the story, not in the traditional sense. The Rambo character is much less sympathetic, and so different that I didn't even imagine Sly Stallone while I was reading. And the Sheriff is a much more nuanced and more likable character than he was in the movie. Overall it's a really interesting, thoughtful book, and totally riveting once it gets going, with several fantastic action sequences. It made me want to read more books by the author.
Great Expectation by Charles Dickens
This is one classic that really lived up to its reputation for me, and I thought i would enjoy it since I've liked the movies I've seen based on it, and it deals with several themes I usually find interesting (obsession, rags to riches, etc..) I love the way the story meanders around with so many different interconnected subplots. The layers and layers of coincidence make the whole thing seem very dreamlike in a way, and I feel like there is more to the book than it would be possible to get in a single read-through, so I definitely see myself reading it again, probably several times.
The Stake by Richard Laymon
This is my second Laymon book. He's a splatterpunk author and his books are full of unnecessary and gratuitous sex, stupid characters who always do the dumbest thing possible, unbelievably extreme objectification of women, horrific violence, sometimes with a very mean-spirited slant. And most of his books seem to have a surprisingly right-wing undertone that somehow fits very naturally with all the other quirks even though it seems like it wouldn't. All these things may sound fairly off-putting, and they should be, for some reason his stuff just works. I can see why he's built up a reputation in horror circles. The first few pages of this book made me snigger but the pacing was quick, and it was amusing enough that I kept turning the pages just to see what sort of stupid thing would happen next, and eventually I was invested in the outcome without even meaning to be. He even manages to deliver some genuinely creepy and tense sequences, and they're almost more disturbing because they arise so unexpectedly out of such a sea of crap.
First Blood by David Morrell
I've always been really fond of the first Rambo movie, and I finally got around to reading the book that inspired it. It was very different, much darker, much more violent. The book switches off between Rambo and the Sheriff's viewpoint, and I would say that neither of them is really a hero in the story, not in the traditional sense. The Rambo character is much less sympathetic, and so different that I didn't even imagine Sly Stallone while I was reading. And the Sheriff is a much more nuanced and more likable character than he was in the movie. Overall it's a really interesting, thoughtful book, and totally riveting once it gets going, with several fantastic action sequences. It made me want to read more books by the author.
Great Expectation by Charles Dickens
This is one classic that really lived up to its reputation for me, and I thought i would enjoy it since I've liked the movies I've seen based on it, and it deals with several themes I usually find interesting (obsession, rags to riches, etc..) I love the way the story meanders around with so many different interconnected subplots. The layers and layers of coincidence make the whole thing seem very dreamlike in a way, and I feel like there is more to the book than it would be possible to get in a single read-through, so I definitely see myself reading it again, probably several times.
The Stake by Richard Laymon
This is my second Laymon book. He's a splatterpunk author and his books are full of unnecessary and gratuitous sex, stupid characters who always do the dumbest thing possible, unbelievably extreme objectification of women, horrific violence, sometimes with a very mean-spirited slant. And most of his books seem to have a surprisingly right-wing undertone that somehow fits very naturally with all the other quirks even though it seems like it wouldn't. All these things may sound fairly off-putting, and they should be, for some reason his stuff just works. I can see why he's built up a reputation in horror circles. The first few pages of this book made me snigger but the pacing was quick, and it was amusing enough that I kept turning the pages just to see what sort of stupid thing would happen next, and eventually I was invested in the outcome without even meaning to be. He even manages to deliver some genuinely creepy and tense sequences, and they're almost more disturbing because they arise so unexpectedly out of such a sea of crap.
Maklershed
Member
Friend who sent it my way says I should give this a read. Anyone else heere read it and have much to say on it?
All I know is that the author totally lied about his experiences in that book. But if you can get past that I suppose it must be decent for it to have been picked for Oprah's book club before he was found out.
rudieboy77
Member
I've been reading a Tim LaHaye book, that shits craaaazy, also been reading Clown Atlas.
You will never look at rabbits the same way.
I still cant ever get enough of reading people's impressions of GoT's, especially around the Storm of Swords area. I agree man, there's just so many interconnected relationships and developments and its all done so well.
Its definitely that type of book. 1,000+ pages, but it never felt like it took a long time because it was so engaging and I would easily devour 100-200 pages at a time.
Haven't posted in here for a minute, but I've read:
Which I enjoyed. It wasn't great. Not a lot happens. Its short. But its unique, the dialogue and writing is succinct and measured, only ever saying what it needs to and it delivers a pretty gripping atmosphere, which is where I think it succeeds best. Haven't played The Last of Us, but I get the feeling it might have been inspired a lot by this.
Its possibly my favourite movie ever and I felt I needed to read this at some point. I wish I hadn't. Its one of those rare times where the movie was the better experience. The characters were more unbelievable than ever, the writing is completely devoid of character, and I honestly disliked and disagreed with the 'message' parts so much. The movie does a much better job instilling a sense of awe and fear into you, while getting the point about messing with nature across more naturally.
Finally, while I gave Infinite Jest a few pages try, I feel like I'm going to save that for later when I have more patience and have recently started
Pretty interesting so far. I think the writer needs to calm down with the metaphors a bit, but its otherwise a pretty intriguing and dark premise.
I'm still only in the beginning, but yeah, it's great.
Raising Steam came in the mail today. Doubt I'll be able to start it soon, but at least it's there.
Mackenzie 92
Member
Can't remember if I posted or not, but I finished 8 Bit Christmas a while back. Fun book. It's pretty much a retelling of A Christmas story, which didn't bother me.
Reading this now
A Darkling Sea by James Cambias
Looks interesting. Will have to check it out.
Rubicon by Tom Holland gets a lot of love. I also liked this one
Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of An Empire by Simon Baker
It's a pretty easy read, doesn't get too dry or bogged down.
Reading this now
A Darkling Sea by James Cambias
Looks interesting. Will have to check it out.
Rubicon by Tom Holland gets a lot of love. I also liked this one
Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of An Empire by Simon Baker
It's a pretty easy read, doesn't get too dry or bogged down.
T
Transhuman
Unconfirmed Member
Finally read Neuromancer. For a book written in 1984 it stands up pretty well.
Does anyone know if the other books from the Sprawl trilogy are worth reading?
Johnlenham
Member
Yeah we spoke about that when I was last over and she mentioned how there is an apology in the front. Its odd really but I guess because I haven't yet read it, I cant really see how me knowing the author wasn't really in this situation VS it being completely made up about Joe Blogs time in rehab is any different really?
If you enjoyed Neuromancer, I'd absolutely recommend continuing with Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive. They're only loosely connected, so I'm not saying you need to read these for a direct plot continuation, but they are damn fine reading.
I haven't started reading S. just yet, but, as suggested by a couple of reviewers online, I'm going to try to read the novel portion of S. first and then go back and read through the dialogue in the margins, the additional items in the book, and so forth. We'll see how well that works out, but I figure that's the best way to tackle it. I saw one reviewer suggest that you read one chapter at a time, then go back and read the commentary, but, only selected colors of ink, saving the rest once you're done with the main book. That seems overly complicated to me, but it's another option.
FnordChan
Jag
Member
Thanks guys!
nakedsushi
Member
I finished this last night:
The Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network by Katherine Losse
It's the book that the latest David Eggers book is based off of (allegedly). Written in the perspective of a woman in customer service starting in the early days of Facebook, I found it fairly interesting since I always work at startups. There are some good insights and some ra-ra-Facebook parts. It's worth a read even if I found the chip on her shoulder a little too large. But maybe I'm just showing my engineering bias.
The Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network by Katherine Losse
It's the book that the latest David Eggers book is based off of (allegedly). Written in the perspective of a woman in customer service starting in the early days of Facebook, I found it fairly interesting since I always work at startups. There are some good insights and some ra-ra-Facebook parts. It's worth a read even if I found the chip on her shoulder a little too large. But maybe I'm just showing my engineering bias.
finished listening to this:
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks
I would have given it a 5 if he just
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks
I would have given it a 5 if he just
included a chapter for medical research on the infection. I thought it was lazy to not even try to address it. Underwater tagging and earth radio... hell even space pov but NOTHING from CDC or WHO???
I'm about 50 pages away from the end of War and Peace, which I have been tag teaming in print and audiobook format. I'm not sure what I was expecting out of the book when I started, but it was much different than I would have guessed. Sort of a blending of a novel and an essay on the Napoleonic Wars.
The Culture Vulture
Member
Started out fantastic but is starting to drag a little getting to San Lorenzo, hope if turns around quick since it isn't an overly long read to begin with.
The Culture Vulture
Member
I found my karass.
phisheep
NeoGAF's Chief Barrister
Interesting to have a look at Chinese history and culture from a pre-revolutionary context (the comparison points are equally illuminating about the British Empire at the time).
In parts insightful, in some parts (in hindsight) hilarious or depressing, in some parts interestingly informative and probably even useful, like for example the method of preserving grapes. All thinly layered over with a sort of anticolonial (but colonially-biased and English-biased) but also relatively dispassionate understanding of - emphatically - the variety of Chinese culture rather than the Imperial uniformity that was expected from the outside at the time.
Despite a whole bunch of later scholarship and history and revelations and, yes, disinformation, it is an interesting read.
Also got it free as an e-book from Amazon.
It does
Started out fantastic but is starting to drag a little getting to San Lorenzo, hope if turns around quick since it isn't an overly long read to begin with.
Just keep going
Ravensmash
Member
So I'm getting back into reading for pleasure, and currently working through Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, and also have Game of Thrones due to arrive anyday now. I found a collection of unused book vouchers (which I can handily use online), so was looking for a few recommendations.
Sci-Fi/Fantasy novels that are fairly grounded in reality - set in a near future, or the complete opposite, set in the far far distance. Failing that, I'd love a good read set in a post-apocalyptic future.
Thanks :]
Sci-Fi/Fantasy novels that are fairly grounded in reality - set in a near future, or the complete opposite, set in the far far distance. Failing that, I'd love a good read set in a post-apocalyptic future.
Thanks :]
I didn't realize this was mostly just his Deadspin columns collected, or I wouldn't have bothered picking it up. My fault for not investigating it more closely I guess.
AngmarsKing701
Member
Almost anything by Guy Gavriel Kay. His magic systems are either subtle or non-existant.
Just finished Republic of Thieves.
I enjoyed it, but after three books I have noticed a pattern whereby Locke gets screwed out of any kind of happiness. I know it's a seven book series and its unreasonable to suggestn he gets a bit of reward, but there's only so much abuse Locke can take before you start to question whether you should keep up with the series.
I enjoyed it, but after three books I have noticed a pattern whereby Locke gets screwed out of any kind of happiness. I know it's a seven book series and its unreasonable to suggestn he gets a bit of reward, but there's only so much abuse Locke can take before you start to question whether you should keep up with the series.
Wait, that's a seven books series? Wasn't it originally just a trilogy?