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What are you reading? (November 2014)
- Thread starter Maklershed
- Start date
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Reading a few books at the moment:
The New Jim Crows: Mass Incarceration.
About 3/4th of the way through this precious gem, and my opinion remains the same that it is a must read to understand America's current criminal justice system, and the ill, racist effects of The Drug War.
Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?
A finalist for this year's National Book Award in nonfiction. A New Yorker Comic artist draws up a memoir involving her family's final years and how she dealt with their upcoming death and the aftermath. Only about fifty pages in, but it's some terrific stuff so far.
An Unnecessary Woman
A finalist in fiction for the 2014 National Book Award. I decided to read through the finalists and the runner ups. I am barely into this work, so I don't have much to say about it at this time
Naruto
An end of an era is about to occur, so I am plowing through the manga. Currently on volume 58.
The New Jim Crows: Mass Incarceration.
About 3/4th of the way through this precious gem, and my opinion remains the same that it is a must read to understand America's current criminal justice system, and the ill, racist effects of The Drug War.
Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?
A finalist for this year's National Book Award in nonfiction. A New Yorker Comic artist draws up a memoir involving her family's final years and how she dealt with their upcoming death and the aftermath. Only about fifty pages in, but it's some terrific stuff so far.
An Unnecessary Woman
A finalist in fiction for the 2014 National Book Award. I decided to read through the finalists and the runner ups. I am barely into this work, so I don't have much to say about it at this time
Naruto
An end of an era is about to occur, so I am plowing through the manga. Currently on volume 58.
The next book you should read is The Warmth of Other Suns. It is a fantastic book and it will give you a deeper understanding why the drug war and mass incarceration ended up being such effective tools of social control. It had quite a bit to do with policies enacted in response to The Great Migration.
Great suggestion!
BlueDogAnchorite
Member
Right now I'm reading Rise High The Roofbeam, Carpenter, and Seymour: An Introduction by J. D. Salinger. I'm a huge fan of his stuff. I really am enjoying it so far.
Mumei, what books do you recommend? I'm looking for something fantasy, or science fiction based.
Mumei, what books do you recommend? I'm looking for something fantasy, or science fiction based.
The only good option for The Count of Monte Cristo in English is Robin Buss' translation for Penguin. Anything else is going to be bowdlerized, abridged, or both.
I'm really loving Paladin of Souls at the moment, so I'll suggest The Curse of Chalion for fantasy. And for science fiction... have you read The Fifth Head of Cerberus?
His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
As Mumei noted (on my goodreads review), this novel involves dragons, so people who liked dragons may be interested.
In any case - thoroughly enjoyed this. Forgot how much I liked dragons. Very evocative view of the 'reality' so to speak of what aerial warfare might look like given advancement beyond swords and sorcery, though without any sorcery to speak of. A tad overly convenient for the hero sometimes, but it can't be all great all the time.
To expand a little, it captures perhaps the best parts of fantasy - a completely thrilling experience carved entirely out of whole cloth, in this case, aerial combat with entire crews of people riding dragons and using them as bombadiers/mobile gunneries and so on (instead of single riders as in ye olde classic dragons) while also having familiar-sounding locations and references like Nelson v Napoleon, various English towns, and so on. A very different kind of fantasy, though admittedly I don't read much alternate fiction.
Finished Cryptonomicon, definitely my new favourite book.
Currently reading:
Infinite Crab Meats - Byron Crawford
Your favourite rappers least favourite blogger, definitely a funny read but absolutely offensive in most aspects.
Mort - Terry Pratchet
This was my first Discworld Novel and I'm rereading it as a break between more heavy literature.
After I finish these I'm going to read:
Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut
I've never read this before and have no idea what it's about, but as its highly recommended I'm gonna give it a go.
Then something from the Gutenburg project as they have a wide selection of books completely free to read!
Currently reading:
Infinite Crab Meats - Byron Crawford
Your favourite rappers least favourite blogger, definitely a funny read but absolutely offensive in most aspects.
Mort - Terry Pratchet
This was my first Discworld Novel and I'm rereading it as a break between more heavy literature.
After I finish these I'm going to read:
Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut
I've never read this before and have no idea what it's about, but as its highly recommended I'm gonna give it a go.
Then something from the Gutenburg project as they have a wide selection of books completely free to read!
turnbuckle
Member
Been meaning to read this book for years and finally got around to it. So far it's better than I expected, and I had my expectations set pretty damned high from all the praise.
Excellent book - very enjoyable for even non-fans of the sport. I can see why MLB and several players were so pissed off about it. Would love to learn about a more modern account from a player's perspective, but dunno who would be able to top this.
Finished:
I liked it, overall, but what it really needed was an editor to wrangle and rein in Vandermeer's own ego. Unfortunately, oh-so-clever Vandermeer wrote the story from perspective of a lonely, bitter and tired old woman rambling to herself. A concise narrative would be actually be out of character. To add insult to injury, he has a second narrator concurrently critiquing the first, pointing out her digressions (dohohoh) and transgressions (do you see what he did there what a card that Vandermeer).
God damn you Vandermeer, God damn you to heck.
(At least the wankery was better integrated than in City of Saints and Madmen. It's the small blessings that make all the difference.)
Starting:
Fungal noir. I can dig it. Much more original than zombie noir in OUTER SPACE.
I liked it, overall, but what it really needed was an editor to wrangle and rein in Vandermeer's own ego. Unfortunately, oh-so-clever Vandermeer wrote the story from perspective of a lonely, bitter and tired old woman rambling to herself. A concise narrative would be actually be out of character. To add insult to injury, he has a second narrator concurrently critiquing the first, pointing out her digressions (dohohoh) and transgressions (do you see what he did there what a card that Vandermeer).
And for his final magic trick, he reveals that the entire story was "published" by an acquaintance of the main narrator, who just happens to be an editor. The autobiography was left as-is, for plot-related reasons, except for the main narrator's "grammatical mistakes".
God damn you Vandermeer, God damn you to heck.
(At least the wankery was better integrated than in City of Saints and Madmen. It's the small blessings that make all the difference.)
Starting:
Fungal noir. I can dig it. Much more original than zombie noir in OUTER SPACE.
I'm so glad I kept up with it. I didn't care much for the first two, but it honestly does pick up tremendously with the third and hasn't let up the gas yet (Ghost Story was my least favorite, but still not bad).
I started on The Martian yesterday and really liking it so far. Got a ton of books on my to-read list over the winter!
Generals Die in Bed by Christian Yale Harrison.
Admittedly this is a book I have to read for a history class, but it is fantastic so far. It's a great Canadian novella about the Great War, written by an American who fought for the Canadian Army in WWI. It does a great job sharing the experience of being a soldier in the war, somehow doing a much better job at this than the diaries of a soldier (which I've also had to read for this class). I think this might be because often soldiers were writing to record what happened, and to share their experience with their family back home (a lot of self-censorship would happen because of this, I'd imagine). Harrison meanwhile, is more focused on relaying how it felt to be a soldier in the war, better conveying the internal struggles of the infantry. It helps that he main character is very relateable to me, allowing me to imagine how I might feel in the character's shoes.
It's a very short book (~130 pages) and I highly recommend it, based on what I've read so far. It's also available for free through project Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.ca/ebooks/harrisoncy-generalsdieinbed/harrisoncy-generalsdieinbed-00-h.html.
Admittedly this is a book I have to read for a history class, but it is fantastic so far. It's a great Canadian novella about the Great War, written by an American who fought for the Canadian Army in WWI. It does a great job sharing the experience of being a soldier in the war, somehow doing a much better job at this than the diaries of a soldier (which I've also had to read for this class). I think this might be because often soldiers were writing to record what happened, and to share their experience with their family back home (a lot of self-censorship would happen because of this, I'd imagine). Harrison meanwhile, is more focused on relaying how it felt to be a soldier in the war, better conveying the internal struggles of the infantry. It helps that he main character is very relateable to me, allowing me to imagine how I might feel in the character's shoes.
It's a very short book (~130 pages) and I highly recommend it, based on what I've read so far. It's also available for free through project Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.ca/ebooks/harrisoncy-generalsdieinbed/harrisoncy-generalsdieinbed-00-h.html.
Christoff Yurievich
Member
Just read the unabridged robin buss translation of the Count of Monte Cristo for the first time since I was 14 or 15...my god it is such a fantastic book. May be my favorite of all time. I forgot how philosophical the book gets at points, and how quickly the story moves along. I also forgot what a dick the count was (understandable considering what he went through). What do I even read now that can match up??
I got the audiobook of this due to the last thread. 47 hours. Holy fuck.
I'm 1/3 of the way through Acceptance and it's downright brisk compared to the other two.
Christoff Yurievich
Member
His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
As Mumei noted (on my goodreads review), this novel involves dragons, so people who liked dragons may be interested.
In any case - thoroughly enjoyed this. Forgot how much I liked dragons. Very evocative view of the 'reality' so to speak of what aerial warfare might look like given advancement beyond swords and sorcery, though without any sorcery to speak of. A tad overly convenient for the hero sometimes, but it can't be all great all the time.
To expand a little, it captures perhaps the best parts of fantasy - a completely thrilling experience carved entirely out of whole cloth, in this case, aerial combat with entire crews of people riding dragons and using them as bombadiers/mobile gunneries and so on (instead of single riders as in ye olde classic dragons) while also having familiar-sounding locations and references like Nelson v Napoleon, various English towns, and so on. A very different kind of fantasy, though admittedly I don't read much alternate fiction.
Would you say that a 4th grader who is reading at a 6th grade level be OK with this? It's really hard finding something that challenges him at this point.
Give him Finnegans Wake or Gravity's Rainbow.
Really, you should give him A Game of Thrones, Berserk ,or Blood Meridian.
Mexican Sting
Member
About to finish this:
It's almost depressing. You can feel the defeatism mounting on every page as he deals with mishap after mishap with the soldiers there. Extremely interesting to see how everything applied during the Cuban revolution failed to work in the Congo.
A co worker lent me Gone Girl (I loved the film), and I'm probably going to finish that before I delve into the Bolivian diary.
It's almost depressing. You can feel the defeatism mounting on every page as he deals with mishap after mishap with the soldiers there. Extremely interesting to see how everything applied during the Cuban revolution failed to work in the Congo.
A co worker lent me Gone Girl (I loved the film), and I'm probably going to finish that before I delve into the Bolivian diary.
Doesn't "fourth grader reading at a sixth grade level" mean that he's reading fourth grade material about as well as a sixth grader would, and not that he's necessarily able to confidently read material written for someone at a sixth grade reading level?
In any case, I'd suggest:
Well, you're wrong.
Mumei's right.
I guess tastes can vary, but I've always thought Le Guin's writing style was a strong point. She has such a beautiful gift for painting with words.
Reading that book (for me) was like being sucked into someone else's dream.
bengraven
Member
He does it himself. His lies, despite his good intentions, hurt him in the end, over and over again. I mean, yes, he's a bastard that many hate, but if he wanted to take a part in the ruling, declare himself, and be more proactive I don't think there's a single major character that wouldn't let him - big fucking deal if there's a stable hand or some lesser lord three duchies away who know he's "witted". But instead, he hides in his self pity and humble purgatory.
TetraxShards
Member
Mine is the Kindle UK version, I believe it has Book of Merlin included.
So ... last month I started Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia.
I had a difficult time starting it, then, nearly 50-60 pages in, I put it down. Such a poorly written book (but my first reading rule states that I can't begin a book without finishing it, damn me!)
Now I started Luck in the shadows by Lynn Flewelling, a "classic fantasy directly from the 90s" (I recently discovered it came out in the same year I was born)
I'm 150 page in and it's quite difficult to go on. Infodumps, infodumps everywhere.
The story is about a young boy who escapes from a prison thanks to a legendary thief (yes, I f-ing love the Badass Thief Trope, that's why I chose this book) and become his apprentice. I won't drop this one as I'm too far in it, hope it get better soon
I had a difficult time starting it, then, nearly 50-60 pages in, I put it down. Such a poorly written book (but my first reading rule states that I can't begin a book without finishing it, damn me!)
I dropped after that the Forgettable Protagonist (who sounds like a caustic old woman) has a "prediction", takes the car and finally talks to his soon-to-be love interest. Dude, WTF? Just let them meet in the hallway of the school!
Now I started Luck in the shadows by Lynn Flewelling, a "classic fantasy directly from the 90s" (I recently discovered it came out in the same year I was born)
I'm 150 page in and it's quite difficult to go on. Infodumps, infodumps everywhere.
The story is about a young boy who escapes from a prison thanks to a legendary thief (yes, I f-ing love the Badass Thief Trope, that's why I chose this book) and become his apprentice. I won't drop this one as I'm too far in it, hope it get better soon
Incandenza
Banned
Had a false start with Blood Meridian. I got about 50 pages in and then put it down. I'm sure it's great and all but I realized I'm definitely not in the mood for a few hundred pages of grisly violence. I wanted something that's more of a story, sooo...
The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
Pretty engrossing so far. Plus I'm learning all sorts of new British slang.
The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
Pretty engrossing so far. Plus I'm learning all sorts of new British slang.
Christoff Yurievich
Member
But then I'd have to read it first to be sure it's OK and I don't want to hate myself right now.
Doesn't "fourth grader reading at a sixth grade level" mean that he's reading fourth grade material about as well as a sixth grader would, and not that he's necessarily able to confidently read material written for someone at a sixth grade reading level?
In any case, I'd suggest:
I base that on his teacher's statement at the last parent/teacher meeting. I like the suggestions and have put them on hold at the library.
Tragicomedy
Member
I like you.
In [undeserved] fairness, he might have come to it expecting to be something other than what it was. I had to adjust my expectations after first coming to it having read comparisons to Harry Potter. And if you come to a book with the wrong expectations, sometimes the gap between what you were expecting and what you got can make it harder to appreciate a book for what it is, on its terms.
Yeah, that's a grade equivalent reading score:
And this is a more elaborate explanation of how this works. I first learned about this through talking with a neighbor about her kids' reading levels, and how she learned what that phrase "reading at X grade level" means.
Yeah, I expected a whole different type of animal than what I was given. This isn't the first time expectations has ruined a form of media (i.e. Bug). I may attempt to reread Earthsea in a year or so, now I have some idea what to expect from Guin's writing style.
Also, I just completed The New Jim Crow. A must-read work. Now it's time to complete Preacher.
BlueDogAnchorite
Member
I never read that book. I'll check it out ^^
Red to Black Alex Dryden
The Power of Habit Charles Duhigg
I love Soviet fiction, so this one has been enjoyable so far. It opens with a spike and then quickly lowers itself back down to a simmer as we learn the origins of a KGB/SVN spy who's in love with a M16 agent who's planted in Russia during the beginning of Putin's succession to power. Hoping that I'll get over the hump soon and the plot will pick up where the story initially opened on or else I may drop it soon.
The Power of Habit Charles Duhigg
Tearing through this one. Duhigg's ability to weave multiple realworld narratives -- ranging from business to sports -- in with findings from psychological studies is fascinating. Reading about things like how toothpaste became an American sensation due to a pointed marketing campaign is amazing, as is finding out how simple changes in approaches to marketing completely changed the fate of P&G's once-nosediving Febreze into what it is today.
My gf is currently going to college and is sometimes too tired to do anything. Instead of watching tv, I figured we could cuddle on the couch and I could read to her. The first book we chose was some 60's sci-fi novel that really didn't roll off the tongue well. Plus she likes to ask silly questions about unimportant stuff cuz she's a dork, which makes us laugh and breaks up the flow of an already dry book. So, wondering if there were any recommendations for a easy to read, humorous, sci-fi or fantasy book out there. Don't care for Hitchhikers, but I've heard Pratchett is good, but open to suggestions.
Finished with this, I know why my soccer and FM addict friend called it as bible of soccer books. It's really well written and thoroughly researched book all around. Jonathan Wilson wrote not only the tactics, but also the people behind it as their background is particularly important to the innovation they brought to the game. This what makes Inverting The Pyramid feels so rich in knowledge it presented. Even when you're not really used to soccer tactic jargon, let alone put a great deal of interest in the tactic, Inverting The Pyramid is still a very good book to read for the knowledge itself if soccer caught your interest. Because to be honest, I'm not really used to the jargon, but the knowledge beside the tactics is so rich that it doesn't let me wholly confused.
People have said great things about Le Guin, but her work is many and it kinda makes me overwhelmed. Could you give me a good starting point for her works?
FUBAR McDangles
Member
Just got the new Star Wars book, Tarkin. Plan on starting that tonight or tomorrow.
The translated version here have "Novel that inspired Harry Potter" label on its cover. Should I laugh or burned it?
AngmarsKing701
Member
Good Omens
That looks awesome, thanks!
O.DOGG
Member
This sounds interesting. Will check it out. Thanks!
Grudging tolerance, I guess, because it implies Harry Potter is simply an imitation (and a poor one at that).
Haly:
Make sure to get the novel-length version, which includes three novella length stories (The Fifth Head of Cerberus, "A Story," by John V. Marsch, and V.R.T.), which are interconnected. You won't get the full experience if you just read the titular story.
Inverting the Pyramid is a great book, yes. I'm glad it was suggested to me.
Well, you could start with A Wizard of Earthsea, which is the first book in her Earthsea series. The first three books in that series form something of a trilogy, though there are more books after that. I haven't read them yet, myself. Or you could start with one of her Hainish Cycle novels, if you aren't interested in fantasy, which is a set of science fiction novels largely unconnected except that they are all within the same universe. The best known (and best) books in that group are The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed. I don't think that The Word for World is Forest is quite as good as those, but it is still very, very good.
There are also several great short story collections, like Four Ways to Forgiveness or The Wind's Twelve Quarters, which might be a fine starting point as well.
Make sure to get the novel-length version, which includes three novella length stories (The Fifth Head of Cerberus, "A Story," by John V. Marsch, and V.R.T.), which are interconnected. You won't get the full experience if you just read the titular story.
Inverting the Pyramid is a great book, yes. I'm glad it was suggested to me.
Well, you could start with A Wizard of Earthsea, which is the first book in her Earthsea series. The first three books in that series form something of a trilogy, though there are more books after that. I haven't read them yet, myself. Or you could start with one of her Hainish Cycle novels, if you aren't interested in fantasy, which is a set of science fiction novels largely unconnected except that they are all within the same universe. The best known (and best) books in that group are The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed. I don't think that The Word for World is Forest is quite as good as those, but it is still very, very good.
There are also several great short story collections, like Four Ways to Forgiveness or The Wind's Twelve Quarters, which might be a fine starting point as well.
In line with how I feel about Harry Potter. It was fun until it went into self parody territory. Any favorable comparison with Earthsea would uplift Potter, but diminish Earthsea.
They both have wizards and schools and schools of wizards. That's about it.
Mexican Sting
Member
Hey thanks, this looks perfect for us.
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