AngmarsKing701
Member
Thanks!
What are you reading? (November 2015)
- Thread starter Maklershed
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Thanks!
<3
I saw there was a new chapter over the weekend, and then it was fairly short.
Glad he's found a schedule he can handle, at least.
kinoki
Illness is the doctor to whom we pay most heed; to kindness, to knowledge, we make promise only; pain we obey.
Finished Snow by Orham Pamuk. It's an interesting read. I didn't find it very entertaining and at times I really struggled to keep reading but it has a subject matter that I feel is important even though I don't have a stake in the conflict. So, a boring interesting read.
Now for The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide.
Now for The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide.
Man, I lose this thread every month. >_<
Finished The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. I liked it, even if large chunks of the book are rather soul-destroying, but I have mixed feelings on the messages it must have sent out to impressionable young women/girls. On the one hand it does a great job of making your feel her suffering, and on the other it preaches duty to the husband over almost everything else.
Obviously I appreciate the impact now is far reduced, but back then... I don't even want to believe that kind of expectation was in place for women.
I've read them before, but I'm going to re-read 1984 and Animal Farm I think next.
Finished The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. I liked it, even if large chunks of the book are rather soul-destroying, but I have mixed feelings on the messages it must have sent out to impressionable young women/girls. On the one hand it does a great job of making your feel her suffering, and on the other it preaches duty to the husband over almost everything else.
Obviously I appreciate the impact now is far reduced, but back then... I don't even want to believe that kind of expectation was in place for women.
I've read them before, but I'm going to re-read 1984 and Animal Farm I think next.
Very different. It was harder for me to get into, but once they started getting into magic and all, I hit a stride. Looks like it's more of a political and sneak story than Worm was (although Worm had its moments). Overall, the feel of the story would best be compared to the Slaughterhouse 9 arc in Worm, or at least the first half of it. Constant fear, terror, and winning by the skin of your teeth (if that).
Wildbow doesn't like to write happy things, that's for sure.
I should have known it was you, Cyan. Bastard.
I didn't realize a new one was posted; I should add it to my feeds. BRB, ignoring hygiene to read MoL.
Really? I think it preaches the horrors of the lack of rights for women in marriage above anything else. Or just horrors of marriage, for many (most?) women. I didn't find any suggestion of duty to husband in the moral -
that she goes back to attend him on his deathbed is more a sign of her belief in universal salvation and general good nature
--
Speaking of Brontë - this kind of discovery, even now, gets me impossibly giddy:
Makes me a) hyped to read it and b) crazy thinking about what other stuff might be out there.
I agree with liking Snow Crash better but I do think one should read Neuromancer first. It's more descriptive and with a certain style, expecting you to be a novice in that genre. It was a new world back then and nowadays, it has already lost some value (same with Snow Crash). I wouldn't want to dimish it further by reading other books of the same genre first.
Head of Vengarl
Banned
I'm exactly halfway through Neil Gaiman's American Gods audiobook. I'm really enjoying it. The audio cast is fantastic too.
Funyarinpa
Member
Apparently the pocket books I came across is a pretty new format called a "flipback".
Tragicomedy
Member
Traitor's Blade by Sebastien de Castell, and it's absolutely amazing. Only 15% in but I'm loving it so far.
I've only just about started with part two but I'm totally digging it so far. I think I've read almost all the books you've recommended and so far your recommendations have been spot on. I'll be sure to write something up once I'm done with it.
Just finished reading Amsterdam Stories by Nescio. Great collection of short(er) stories, his descriptions of the passion of being young and the subsequent melancholy tones as the characters reminisce are fantastic. The last two stories were lacking though, I found them very messy and hard to read at points.
Onto Wait Until Spring Bandini by John Fante
Onto Wait Until Spring Bandini by John Fante
Maklershed
Member
Nice. Hopefully you enjoy it as much as I did. Fante is great. I highly recommend the whole Bandini saga.
Switch Back 9
a lot of my threads involve me fucking up somehow. Perhaps I'm a moron?
Book five of The Expanse
Ehhhh. I don't care to read a whole bunch of chapters from Amos' POV. He's a fun side character but man I don't give two shits about his personal life. I get it, he's a big tough guy that was raised in a shitty environment. He likes to fight and hurt people and feels protective of children. *yawn*
Having said that, I've barely started the book so who knows, I might change my tone.
Ehhhh. I don't care to read a whole bunch of chapters from Amos' POV. He's a fun side character but man I don't give two shits about his personal life. I get it, he's a big tough guy that was raised in a shitty environment. He likes to fight and hurt people and feels protective of children. *yawn*
Having said that, I've barely started the book so who knows, I might change my tone.
I just gave up on Franzen's Freedom maybe a quarter of the way in. The opening chapter is amusing and well written, but past that is a bog of cartoonish, unbelievable characters(there's a conceit here that this bit is narrated/written by one of the characters, but that doesn't make it any easier going down) and the onus of the following 100+ pages is to delve into their their pasts and relationships. This amounts to doubling down on a dubious foundation. It seems to be a book that takes a relatively wide cast of characters through a generation's length of time that is about who they are and what they mean to each other to "paint a portrait of our time." So, when the starting point is a cast that... has many problems, that's hard.
I'm a bit sorry to drop it because there's talent there, but there's only so much eye rolling I can stand.
I'm a bit sorry to drop it because there's talent there, but there's only so much eye rolling I can stand.
I appreciate the difference in culture back then (hell, I have relatively recent family history that has been brushed under the carpet that nobody would bat an eyelid about now), and I agree it does a good job of conveying what must have been a horrible position for women back then but it felt at times that a sense of moral duty kept her where she was - if there were any legal ramifications to her running away they weren't touched upon in the book at all.
Killer Queen
Banned
Necronomicon-H.P Lovecraft
Eldrich Tales-H.P Lovecraft
Fellowship of the Ring (I want to love it but its so hard)
The Jabberwocky- Lewis Carol
Eldrich Tales-H.P Lovecraft
Fellowship of the Ring (I want to love it but its so hard)
The Jabberwocky- Lewis Carol
nailbombxx
Member
Right now is an amazing time to be a fan of "Lovecraftian" horror and "weird fiction" of all sorts. There is a blooming renaissance of the stuff and its incredible.
Junji Ito is a genius. In fact, I had just read through all of Uzumaki not too long ago. I would really recommend that manga in particular as well. Quite creepy and unsettling, with beautifully grotesque artwork as well as being absurdly humorous at times. I hope more of his work gets translated and brought over.
Uzumaki is number 1 on my list, but the store didn't have it. Gyo is pretty interesting so far.
Chaper 3 features Land Shark, welp humanity had a good run lol.
Puck Beaverton
Banned
After reading (and loving) A Brief History of Seven Killings I decided I'll go with something light and easy and got back into the Dresden Files with Turn Coat.
kinoki
Illness is the doctor to whom we pay most heed; to kindness, to knowledge, we make promise only; pain we obey.
Finished The Guest Cat and impressions: nice and easy. Cute and sentimental. Not really my cup of meat.
Now to Bond, James Bond and On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Felt that's a perfect place to start reading after where Spectre left off.
Now to Bond, James Bond and On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Felt that's a perfect place to start reading after where Spectre left off.
So there IS a book thread on Neogaf too, thank god
Anyway, started reading the Farseer trilogy yesterday. I've been trying to find a new finished or nearly finished fantasy series to read, but the few I've tried in the last couple of months never really grabbed me.
I'm a bit less than halfway through the first book and surprisingly hooked. It's been a very ordinary start so far, but I still find myself wanting to read more every time I finish a chapter. So yeah, really liking it.
Anyway, started reading the Farseer trilogy yesterday. I've been trying to find a new finished or nearly finished fantasy series to read, but the few I've tried in the last couple of months never really grabbed me.
I'm a bit less than halfway through the first book and surprisingly hooked. It's been a very ordinary start so far, but I still find myself wanting to read more every time I finish a chapter. So yeah, really liking it.
sparky2112
Member
Just started:
Murray is the author is Skippy Dies, which 1) is an incredible, hilarious, touching novel that you should have already read, and B) Skippy does indeed die.
Anyway, this is about the financial crash as seen from an Irish bank. Ireland was apparently hit extra hard. I'm sure it'll be brilliant.
Murray is the author is Skippy Dies, which 1) is an incredible, hilarious, touching novel that you should have already read, and B) Skippy does indeed die.
Anyway, this is about the financial crash as seen from an Irish bank. Ireland was apparently hit extra hard. I'm sure it'll be brilliant.
Well she couldn't legally get a divorce, so if she ran away and was found out her husband could force her back. But then she did run away.
iceblade997
Member
Such a good book. Obviously he takes some artistic license, but the basics seem to be quite correct and the story is good enough to keep me wanting to read. It remains so shocking and amazing that this stuff actually happened to real people - reading it (and the previous book in the series) honestly sounds like something out of a Crusader Kings 2 playthrough.
Gyo by Junji Ito- I enjoyed this book. It has some really bizarre and sometimes really gross imagery and the whole mystery of trying to figure what in the hell was happening was interesting, wisely, I think, there was no 100% sure explanation, there was one that seemed to make some sense except that it sort of falls apart when you stop to think about it. On the negative side the characters were mostly basic and the only one who had dimension was Kaori, but she was annoying. The ending while making sense from a character stand point was very abrupt and left me wanting more. My biggest gripe it with the characters, I won't remember any of them after a few days, but I will remember the monsters. Back to the positives, great horror images on top of a story that goes ape shit 4 chapters into the book and doesn't let up. Also as a totally awesome bonus The Enigma of Amigara Fault is a bonus story at the back of the book and it is really creepy, it is the story with the human sized holes and it is damn unsettling. Gyo is not the type of horror that leaves you shaking or peeking into shadows, it is the type of horror that comes to you when you are dreaming or that pops into your head at odd moments and screws with your head. It was well worth the purchase price.
I finished Treasure Island on Wednesday, and am currently reading The Diamond Age by Neil Stephenson.
Reading has taken a slight back seat in recent weeks to other things. I'm still on track to finish at least 40 books this year though. Down from last year's 50, but that included a number of novellas and short books. This year I am averaging 400 pages a book.
Reading has taken a slight back seat in recent weeks to other things. I'm still on track to finish at least 40 books this year though. Down from last year's 50, but that included a number of novellas and short books. This year I am averaging 400 pages a book.
Welcome to the thread. The Farseer Trilogy seems to split people into lovers and haters in this thread, so it's great that you're enjoying it.
Haters? Huh, I can understand finding the first book boring, hate is a pretty strong emotion. Opinions, I suppose.
Looks like the books get progressively longer though, and the first book of the Ship-whatever trilogy is like three times as long as the first Farseer book, so hopefully the pacing doesn't suffer.
Funyarinpa
Member
That part was fucking horrifying. There's an observation I read about it later on that threw me to a spin:
It's written like as if the country in question no longer exists.
Grenouille
Member
Is Murakami's Dance Dance Dance really a sequel? Am I gonna be missing much if I start there? (of his I've read Sputnik and Norwegian Wood)
Just finished this, dude nailed being a punky kid really well. Onto Alejo Carpenters' Kingdom of this World for the time being.
Yes, out of The Rat series, Dance Dance Dance is the one where you'll run into a few characters and references to earlier events found in the older books. Hear the Wind Sing introduces one of the main characters, Pinball isn't required IMO but A Wild Sheep Chase is key. Dance Dance Dance continues directly after A Wild Sheep chase (well a few months) and it's where the main character tries to tie up things after the events of it.
The Victorian
Neo Member
Cyberpunk was always a genre I never really could get into, but after playing the Shadowrun RPGs that have come out recently, I decided to give it another go, starting with William Gibson's Neuromancer.
And holy hell, was I amazed. Gibson's skill at painting a portrait of a gritty, dystopian world with his words is magnificent. Of course, the novel can be difficult to follow at times, as it's written in this hazy, dream-like prose, but that perfectly suits the story, since the main character is basically a washed-up drug addict.
Of course, you have to laugh at characters referring to "three megabytes of hot RAM" as if that were an enormous amount. This book was written in 1984, after all, but on the whole I'd say it has aged extremely well.
And holy hell, was I amazed. Gibson's skill at painting a portrait of a gritty, dystopian world with his words is magnificent. Of course, the novel can be difficult to follow at times, as it's written in this hazy, dream-like prose, but that perfectly suits the story, since the main character is basically a washed-up drug addict.
Of course, you have to laugh at characters referring to "three megabytes of hot RAM" as if that were an enormous amount. This book was written in 1984, after all, but on the whole I'd say it has aged extremely well.
Yeah, the intro is an interesting read. I don't normally read the intro until after the book but as I've read this before I thought I'd have a look - which is why I went to the footnotes in the first place.
GAF is divided on pretty much any piece of media ever released.
The Diamond Age is extremely entertaining so far. Stephenson's sense of humor really clicks with me.
I tried to start The Sound and the Fury before bed when I was already tired. Huge mistake.
Grenouille
Member
Ok thanks. I'll buy A Wild Sheep Chase then.
I thought I'd be able to track down an english ebook version of Kingdom of this world, seems like I'll have to stalk out a physical copy somehow. Picked up and finished South of the Border, West of the Sun instead, another Murakami lol. The first quarter or so was a boring read, ticking off the usual points and overall pretty average as far as Murakami goes.
I'll probably give The Goblin Emperor a go thanks to the billing it's gotten here on gaf. I need something lighter than what I've been reading lately.
The first half of the book is a drag IMO but it really does pick up in the latter half, some prime Murakami fantasy.
I'll probably give The Goblin Emperor a go thanks to the billing it's gotten here on gaf. I need something lighter than what I've been reading lately.
The first half of the book is a drag IMO but it really does pick up in the latter half, some prime Murakami fantasy.
Currently reading a couple of books:
Toaru Majutsu no Index: New Testament Volume 12-
I left the series for a while after getting bored/suffering burnout but I'm back and enjoying it again.
And continuing on with the Peter Grant books, Foxglove Summer. I typically save this for long drives and listen with Wispersync, I picked up the Peter Grant series to feed the gap left by the Atrocity Archives which I really enjoyed.
Toaru Majutsu no Index: New Testament Volume 12-
I left the series for a while after getting bored/suffering burnout but I'm back and enjoying it again.
And continuing on with the Peter Grant books, Foxglove Summer. I typically save this for long drives and listen with Wispersync, I picked up the Peter Grant series to feed the gap left by the Atrocity Archives which I really enjoyed.
So, I finished Last Song before Night and loved every page of it. Couldn't even tell that it was a debut novel. I only wish the Nickon Gerrard was a bit more prominent and a bit more backstory about the relationship between him and Valanir Ocune, though I really enjoyed Marlen and how conflicted he was throughout the book.
kinoki
Illness is the doctor to whom we pay most heed; to kindness, to knowledge, we make promise only; pain we obey.
About half-way through On Her Majesty's Secret Service and so far: it's so different from Bond-the-movies. I never knew Bond mostly ate cold-cuts and potato salad when he's at home or how much he has in his bank account but now I do. I don't know what to think yet as I don't really get it. Nothing really happens.
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