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[nakedsushi]

First Maugham?

Yep. What do you recommend next?

Nothing to Envy is devastating. Great book.

Yes. It's good you read Escape from Camp 14 first, because Nothing to Envy is better written so it would be hard to go the other way without being unfair to Escape from Camp 14.

 

[Nakho]

Finished The Forever War by Joe Hadelman. Damn, this was good. Great story about being unable to belong anywhere after a war, with kickass battle scenes. His treatment of homosexuality in the future in freaking weird and even quite offensive, though.

Just went in an Amazon shopping spree and have no idea which book to read first. Help me, GAF!

 

[Haly]

American Gods.

And then Mort.

 

[Fxp]

Just started, definitely not a good ar Gone Girl but still enjoyable somehow. I like the way she writes.

 

[Krowley]

Recently finished:

Scavenger Book 1: Shadow by K.J. Parker
First of all, let me say that I totally loved this. It's fantastic and completely unique. One of the best books I've read this year.

I had never even heard of K.J. Parker till the name came up a few weeks ago in this thread. Somebody mentioned having read the Fencer Trilogy, and there was a brief discussion that sparked my interest for some reason. I went online, did a little research, and found several books that seemed intriguing, but I decided to try this series because the basic storyline sounded like a fantasy take on Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Identity. In actuality, despite some story elements that are very similar, the tone of the book is absolutely nothing like Ludlum's book, but I ended up loving it anyway.

On the one hand, this novel has all the things you would expect in your typical epic fantasy: detailed world building, questing, battles, politics. There's even magic, or at least there's something strange going on that might be magical, sort of...

But there is also this constant undertone of wicked sarcasm that can be absolutely hilarious at times, and the book is really really weird..There are dream sequences, and portents and signs that may or may not mean anything, and all sorts of weird coincidences that might or might not have prophetic significance, and it's clear at all times that Parker is intentionally messing with your head, leading you one way, and then another way.

The pacing is fairly deliberate, but it never feels slow because Parker has a knack for making even the most mundane things seem really interesting. The characters have great conversations with each other all the time no matter what they're doing, and it's always so damn funny, it almost reminds me of reading Larry McMurtry.

Suffice to say, I couldn't be happier to have found this series. I've already started in on the second book, and the first few chapters have been excellent.

Repairman Jack books 4 & 5 - All The Rage & Hosts by F. Paul Wilson
I was pretty happy with both of these. I liked All The Rage more, but Hosts was also interesting because it was darker and defied certain expectations.

I'm going through this series pretty fast. They're not perfect by any means, but they're quick reads, and the quality has become really consistent. If I had to compare them to anything, I would say they're a bit like The Dresden Files, only with a strong Lovecraftian slant, and a protagonist who's a little more of an antihero. Jack is a good guy, but he's far more reluctant to get involved in heroics than Dresden, and he's got a very dark side. He's sort of twisted actually, kind of like Batman or The Punisher.

One thing I should probably point out: Wilson is a hardcore libertarian and he can get preachy about it at times, especially in this particular series. The philosophy itself doesn't bother me--I would even say that I agree with certain parts of it--but I find overt preachiness annoying in fiction regardless of where it's coming from. The political undercurrents in this series have always been fairly obvious, but they weren't intrusive enough to get on my nerves until Hosts, which gets really over the top with its anti-socialist messaging. At times I felt like I was reading a propaganda piece from the era of the red scare. It didn't ruin the book or anything, but it might bother some people more than it did me.

Eternal Sky Book 2: Range of Ghosts by Elizabeth Bear
This was pretty good, but definitely much weaker than the first book. There was a lot of stuff here that was obviously meant to set the stage for future events, and this leads to moments where the story gets bogged down in tedium. I think the biggest problem was that the book focused a lot more on subplots and secondary characters. There was one subplot that was really great

Spoiler

(the demon plague)

, but some of the others were pretty weak, and it kept switching to the weak story-threads at awkward times, which interrupted the flow. Meanwhile, the main group of characters spent a good portion of the book caught up in some fairly uninteresting (to me) stuff. Once they got back into the thick of things, the story picked right up and I was fairly happy with the ending.

Overall, there was more good here than bad. I will definitely continue to the third book, but I'm hoping it will be a little closer to the quality of the first.

The Narrows by Ronald Malfi
This is a really solid, old school horror novel. It's very grim and even a little depressing at times, but it also has an overt B-movie sensibility that might've actually been somewhat humorous if it had been handled with a slightly lighter touch. Not that I'm complaining, because it works very well, but there is an interesting contrast between the fundamental elements of the material and the way it is actually treated by the author.

The writing style reminds me of Stephen King, and the story almost feels like it is intended as a tribute to Salem's lot. There are some pacing issues (Malfi gets really long-winded in places) and there are some awkward moments where characters do things that don't really seem all that believable. But it's plenty creepy and Malfi has a real flair for descriptive writing. As a fan of the horror genre, I'm very happy with this book, and I'll definitely be checking out some other stuff by Malfi in the near future.

 

[Kaladin]

Finished The Forever War by Joe Hadelman. Damn, this was good. Great story about being unable to belong anywhere after a war, with kickass battle scenes. His treatment of homosexuality in the future in freaking weird and even quite offensive, though.

Just went in an Amazon shopping spree and have no idea which book to read first. Help me, GAF!

Start with an epic, either Way Of Kings or Gardens Of The Moon.

 

[Mr.Swag]

Someone take my debit card please.
Just found out about thriftbooks.com. Already have 5 books in my cart. Oh god. They're so cheap.


Edit. Seven now.

 

[Mr.Swag]

I don't care if it might ship by super snail mail, but I'm so happy right now. Just got 7 books for $22 shipped!

 

[lightus]

So I was supposed to be reading Life of Pi by Yann Martel, but after a week I've only managed to read a few chapters. I hate stopping books part way but really I'm just not in the mood for it.

Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie just came in the mail so I'm starting that today instead. Looking forward to some sci-fi!

 

[fakefaker]

Finished The Forever War by Joe Hadelman. Damn, this was good. Great story about being unable to belong anywhere after a war, with kickass battle scenes. His treatment of homosexuality in the future in freaking weird and even quite offensive, though.

Just went in an Amazon shopping spree and have no idea which book to read first. Help me, GAF!

Shogun all the way! Just got the hardcover at a book sale for a $1 so I'm kinda biased.

 

[TheKaeptain]

Yep. What do you recommend next?

The Razor's Edge

 

[nakedsushi]

^-- Thanks for the suggestion. I went to go add it on Goodreads, but it turned out it's already on my to-read list. I added in January '13, but forgot why. I just bumped it up in priority, sounds great!

 

[Ashes]

The Death Cure went like a lightening bolt. After a prolonged series of battles, and some to be frank, a bit silly, it ended.
The second book was the best. Best trilogy I've read in a while. A very entertaining read. Liked how the author tried to keep one step ahead of the reader.

 

[sparky2112]

Someone take my debit card please.
Just found out about thriftbooks.com. Already have 5 books in my cart. Oh god. They're so cheap.


Edit. Seven now.

Don't know where you are, but if you're in the U.S., Half-Priced Books clearance section is a freakin' dream.

 

[hardcastlemccormick]

Just finished Authority by Jeff VanderMeer this morning.

Hell yeah I am on this Southern Reach train. Appropriately spooky for the time of year and so goddamn addictive and effective.

I'm hoping I can finish Acceptance before Gibson's The Peripheral drops next week.

 

[ShaneB]

Kinda wish I had waited until winter set in to read Red Winter, like The Child Thief, the sense of cold is a big character in the story too. But I am really liking it so far about 15% in, already hooked.

 

[Kaladin]

That moment when you see a book you've been eyeing on the library shelf and you think **must read**.

 

[mu cephei]

Recently finished:

Scavenger Book 1: Shadow by K.J. Parker
First of all, let me say that I totally loved this. It's fantastic and completely unique. One of the best books I've read this year.

I had never even heard of K.J. Parker till the name came up a few weeks ago in this thread. Somebody mentioned having read the Fencer Trilogy, and there was a brief discussion that sparked my interest for some reason. I went online, did a little research, and found several books that seemed intriguing, but I decided to try this series because the basic storyline sounded like a fantasy take on Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Identity. In actuality, despite some story elements that are very similar, the tone of the book is absolutely nothing like Ludlum's book, but I ended up loving it anyway.

On the one hand, this novel has all the things you would expect in your typical epic fantasy: detailed world building, questing, battles, politics. There's even magic, or at least there's something strange going on that might be magical, sort of...

But there is also this constant undertone of wicked sarcasm that can be absolutely hilarious at times, and the book is really really weird..There are dream sequences, and portents and signs that may or may not mean anything, and all sorts of weird coincidences that might or might not have prophetic significance, and it's clear at all times that Parker is intentionally messing with your head, leading you one way, and then another way.

The pacing is fairly deliberate, but it never feels slow because Parker has a knack for making even the most mundane things seem really interesting. The characters have great conversations with each other all the time no matter what they're doing, and it's always so damn funny, it almost reminds me of reading Larry McMurtry.

Suffice to say, I couldn't be happier to have found this series. I've already started in on the second book, and the first few chapters have been excellent.

One of the things I really like about Parker is the humour, there are some very funny lines just littered about all over the place. And I completely agree about Parker making mundane things interesting, its like he/she picks the things people think are completely boring - finance/ economics (The Folding Knife) or engineering (the, uh, Engineer Trilogy) and challenges him/ herself to make them completely gripping.
I haven't read the Scavenger trilogy yet, I'm glad to know it's so good.

 

[Krowley]

One of the things I really like about Parker is the humour, there are some very funny lines just littered about all over the place. And I completely agree about Parker making mundane things interesting, its like he/she picks the things people think are completely boring - finance/ economics (The Folding Knife) or engineering (the, uh, Engineer Trilogy) and challenges him/ herself to make them completely gripping.
I haven't read the Scavenger trilogy yet, I'm glad to know it's so good.

There are a few sections in Shadow involving the manufacture and selling of buttons that somehow manage to be totally fascinating.

And the one I'm reading now has all this stuff about working in a forge, and it's almost too detailed... it goes on for pages and pages, and It probably should be boring, but the way he/she writes about it is so full of sardonic wit that it just sucks you right in.

 

[Woorloog]

Reading Peter F. Hamilton's The Abyss Beyond Dreams, the latest book in his Commonwealth/Void series.

UK edition unfortunately, the bookstore didn't have the US edition. Sucks, because every other Hamilton book i have has the US edition cover (they're better looking as well).

Feels odd to read this. Familiar, as if i'm re-reading a book. But perhaps that is to be expected as i have read all the Commonwealth/Void books so many times.

EDIT i still have no idea how the Skylords look. Has anyone ever seen a pic of one?

 

[TheCrazyGuru]

Finished The Shining a few days ago, which was great. I'll have to watch the movie again (which is drastically different from the book and doesn't capture the main themes / premise of the book from what I can remember).

Started the sequel right after The Shining and have been burning through that very quickly.

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

I finished Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage last night. I was at first upset at the ending because there were threads left unanswered, like literally right up to the very last page. However, the more I thought about it I finally hit on a word that explained it to me - melancholy. I was reminded that in Japan they do not really have 'happy' endings to movies, and this fits the book as well. I would still like a bit of conclusion to the Haida story, as Tsukuru had decided that it was something else that needed to be explored but he never did. And Eri. That particular point was handled poorly, I thought. She devoted herself to what eventually turned out to be an emotional parasite instead of the person she professed to love. Maybe it's a culture thing, hence why I don't understand the way it was handled.

Anyway, it was an interesting book and I'm going to try to start 1Q84 next on my Kindle, depending on what holds come in from the library.

Oh yeah: did anyone else start to feel like it was taking a supernatural bent and that he really did attack Shiro and Haida? There kept being hints of hints but no payoff either way.

 

[Setre]

Finished

I loved the First Law Trilogy but after Best Served Cold, which I didn't care for that much, I was hesitant going into The Heroes. After the first chapter though I knew I was going to love this book as much as I did the First Law. Hoping Red Country and Half a King are just as good if not better.

Starting Soon

Don't remember how I came across finding out about this but it's got a lot of good reviews.

 

[kswiston]

I loved the First Law Trilogy but after Best Served Cold, which I didn't care for that much, I was hesitant going into The Heroes. After the first chapter though I knew I was going to love this book as much as I did the First Law. Hoping Red Country and Half a King are just as good if not better.

Half a King is Young Adult in a different fantasy setting.

Red Country has more in common with Best Served Cold, in that it is more of a personal story from the perspective of one person. However, you get a bit of closure on one of the plotlines from the First Law trilogy.

 

[Woorloog]

I have no idea what Peter F. Hamilton thought a reader would feel by the end of The Abyss' first chapter. Whatever he thought, i doubt he'd expect a reader to find the scene hilarious.
There's simply something outrageously over-the-top in it, i can't help it but think it hilarious.

Not the first time this happens to me when reading Hamilton's books.

EDIT OMG, lol, the second chapter's ending evoked the same reaction again... I wonder if this will happen again.

 

[Maklershed]

Finished Tinseltown and started The Sirens of Titan.


The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut

 

[Krowley]

Finished The Shining a few days ago, which was great. I'll have to watch the movie again (which is drastically different from the book and doesn't capture the main themes / premise of the book from what I can remember).

Started the sequel right after The Shining and have been burning through that very quickly.

To me, the Kubrick film version of The Shining is one of the few cases where the movie is actually better than the book (and this is coming from a huge King fan.)

Basically, Kubrick had a totally different takeaway after reading the story than what King intended, and the end result explores different themes.

One possible reason for this--King isn't super religious or anything, but he apparently believes in god in some form or another. Kubrick on the other hand definitely leans more in an athiest direction, and King has suggested in previous interviews that this is one reason for Kubrick's totally different take on the material.

Kubrick basically thought that the whole idea of ghosts was a fairly optimistic concept because it implies we continue on, in some way or another, after death. Consequently, Kubrick focused less on ghosts, and more on the idea of a violent alcoholic father menacing his family in an isolated location where nobody can come to the rescue, which led him to portray the father in a much less sympathetic light than King.

From reading interviews with King, it's pretty clear he actually took personal offence at this. One of the inspirations when writing the book was his own difficulty with alcoholism, which apparently led to anger issues. At times he worried that he might get drunk, lose his temper, and harm his own family.

So basically, the Jack Torrance character from The Shining, is basically (sort of) a "self insert" by King. And when Kubrick portrays him as a psychotic dick in the film, King clearly felt personally insulted.

King has always hated the film, and he even had a TV version made using his own script. It's pretty good, and much more faithful to the book, but no match for Kubrick's film, which is probably one of the five best horror films ever made.

I've always preferred Kurbick's take on the material, and during a recent reread, the Jack Torrance character seemed far less sympathetic than I remember him being. I found myself disliking him from very early in the story. This may be because the movie has prejudiced me to disliking him, but then again, maybe I'm just less willing to sympathize with alcoholics than I used to be.

 

[Auron_Kale]

Read an excerpt so gonna give the entire book a spin:

 

[Nakho]

To me, the Kubrick film version of The Shining is one of the few cases where the movie is actually better than the book (and this is coming from a huge King fan.)

Basically, Kubrick had a totally different takeaway after reading the story than what King intended, and the end result explores different themes.

One possible reason for this--King isn't super religious or anything, but he apparently believes in god in some form or another. Kubrick on the other hand definitely leans more in an athiest direction, and King has suggested in previous interviews that this is one reason for Kubrick's totally different take on the material.

Kubrick basically thought that the whole idea of ghosts was a fairly optimistic concept because it implies we continue on, in some way or another, after death. Consequently, Kubrick focused less on ghosts, and more on the idea of a violent alcoholic father menacing his family in an isolated location where nobody can come to the rescue, which led him to portray the father in a much less sympathetic light than King.

From reading interviews with King, it's pretty clear he actually took personal offence at this. One of the inspirations when writing the book was his own difficulty with alcoholism, which apparently led to anger issues. At times he worried that he might get drunk, lose his temper, and harm his own family.

So basically, the Jack Torrance character from The Shining, is basically (sort of) a "self insert" by King. And when Kubrick portrays him as a psychotic dick in the film, King clearly felt personally insulted.

King has always hated the film, and he even had a TV version made using his own script. It's pretty good, and much more faithful to the book, but no match for Kubrick's film, which is probably one of the five best horror films ever made.

I've always preferred Kurbick's take on the material, and during a recent reread, the Jack Torrance character seemed far less sympathetic than I remember him being. I found myself disliking him from very early in the story. This may be because the movie has prejudiced me to disliking him, but then again, maybe I'm just less willing to sympathize with alcoholics than I used to be.

There also some other differences that can make someone not like Kubrick's view. Wendy, Dick and Danny are much weaker characters, and the final confrontation is not really as intense as the book's. Also, I didn't really like how there is no "redemption" for him at the end (not really redemption, but we understand that it wasn't really him who was hurting his family and Dick).

Overall, I find King's story much superior to the movie's, but all in all the movie is a much bigger achievement in cinema than the book is in literature, of course.

 

[Mr.Swag]

Just finished Wonder Boys and I loved it! Its one of those books where the words and writing style are the main event, and the writer is trying to show how great of a writer they are, and the story sorta takes a backseat of importance, style over substance I guess, but in the end I still enjoyed it. I want to watch the movie now.

Gonna start either Stephen Kings 'On Writing' or 'The Looming Tower' the 9/11 book. Cant decide which I'd rather read.

Maybe on writing, get myself prepped for NaNoWriMo.

 

[fakefaker]

Killed off The Legend of Jig Dragonslayer by Jim C. Hines tonight, and what a great omnibus of fantasy taken from a goblin's perspective. Highly recommended.

Now onto a little western with The Ploughmen by Kim Zupan.

 

[Shengar]

Really good book. While I somehow curious how the author managed get all of those numbers, he get his point across with well presented argument and occasionally dry humor.
Now onto the bible of soccer books:

 

[HGStormy]

Dead Endings

 

[TheKaeptain]

^-- Thanks for the suggestion. I went to go add it on Goodreads, but it turned out it's already on my to-read list. I added in January '13, but forgot why. I just bumped it up in priority, sounds great!

Are we friends on there? If not add me.

 

[Paganmoon]

I loved the First Law Trilogy but after Best Served Cold, which I didn't care for that much, I was hesitant going into The Heroes. After the first chapter though I knew I was going to love this book as much as I did the First Law. Hoping Red Country and Half a King are just as good if not better.

Best Served Cold is probably the weakest one for me, The Heroes, is the best stand alone one, actually just outstanding, didn't think I'd like it as much as I did, considering I don't like reading battles much, but this book, wow. Red Country was also good.

 

[Meteorain]

Getting back into the Horus Heresy series, there are just so many books to catch up on!

 

[Kaladin]

Just finished:

It drags a bit in places but it turned out to be very good. The world is well thought out with a few original creatures of magic throughout. I really like the history behind it too. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Starting:

It feels like this has been on my list forever. I'm finally giving it a go.

Also starting:

I enjoyed Cloud Atlas and the cover description for this one sounds intriguing. It'll hold me over till the new King comes out at least.

 

[Androidsleeps]

I'm almost finished with Annihilation. I started reading it earlier this week, then I went and got the other 2 (with the colored covers). Thank you Gaf for telling me about this trilogy, the first book got me hooked from the first chapter and I truly could not put it down. Will finish it tonight and start Authority tomorrow.

 

[besada]

I'm almost finished with Annihilation. I started reading it earlier this week, then I went and got the other 2 (with the colored covers). Thank you Gaf for telling me about this trilogy, the first book got me hooked from the first chapter and I truly could not put it down. Will finish it tonight and start Authority tomorrow.

This makes me so happy.

 

[desku]

Been reading Infinite Jest all over summer and making very slow progress due to real life, about 65% of the way in and really digging it.

I read Kafka on the Shore before that and it'll probably be my last Murakami book. I've read about 5 of his now and there'll all pretty similar. Norwegian Wood was the only one that properly stood out as an excellent book.

Planning to read Solar by Ian McEwan next as I got it as a birthday present and everyone likes Ian McEwan.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Just finished:

It drags a bit in places but it turned out to be very good. The world is well thought out with a few original creatures of magic throughout. I really like the history behind it too. I'm looking forward to the next one.

I would like to offer you a suggestion. Stop here. I had also quite enjoyed Wizard's First Rule. The series will get much worse as it goes on. I find there is enough closure at the end of the first book to be satisfying. If you push on here, you may regret it. It doesn't get that bad right away. Stone of Tears and Blood of the Fold are also both pretty good books but start the setup for the rest of the series. Temple of the Winds takes a noticeable dive in quality and by the time you've reached Soul of the Fire, you've reached the entrance to the abyss.

Just a friendly warning.

 

[BriareosGAF]

Just finished:

I'm surprised such a... quiet, or gentle, novel was so well received. And especially given the subject matter is so overly romanticized in Western literature. That said, I enjoyed it very much, it's pretty much right up my alley as a lover of English period drama.

Still trying to get through Footfall by Niven/Pournelle. Oof.

 

[Necrovex]

I'm almost finished with Annihilation. I started reading it earlier this week, then I went and got the other 2 (with the colored covers). Thank you Gaf for telling me about this trilogy, the first book got me hooked from the first chapter and I truly could not put it down. Will finish it tonight and start Authority tomorrow.

Maybe I will read this once I complete I Am Malala and the last book in the 1Q84 trilogy.

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

Just finished:

It drags a bit in places but it turned out to be very good. The world is well thought out with a few original creatures of magic throughout. I really like the history behind it too. I'm looking forward to the next one.

You know what, I'm not going to say anything bad about it right now. He def. knows how to build a world. Whether he remembers how it was put together/how it works...?

 

[Head of Vengarl]

When I read The Count of Monte Cristo, I was in high school, one who hated reading...I devoured the text in Cristo. I really need to reread it in the near future.

It is certainly a brilliant novel. And the narration in the audiobook is just fantastic. Honestly I don't think I could have read this book, there's too many French words in there. I hate reading books that are loaded with foreign words (especially French); I just have to skip over them because I have no idea how to pronounce them in my head. Thankfully the narrator does a wonderful job of taking care of the pronunciations for me.

 

[Piecake]

I just read Battle Cry of Freedom, which was fantastic. On a bit of a Civil War binge now, so I am now going to read...

 

[TheCrazyGuru]

To me, the Kubrick film version of The Shining is one of the few cases where the movie is actually better than the book (and this is coming from a huge King fan.)

Basically, Kubrick had a totally different takeaway after reading the story than what King intended, and the end result explores different themes.

One possible reason for this--King isn't super religious or anything, but he apparently believes in god in some form or another. Kubrick on the other hand definitely leans more in an athiest direction, and King has suggested in previous interviews that this is one reason for Kubrick's totally different take on the material.

Kubrick basically thought that the whole idea of ghosts was a fairly optimistic concept because it implies we continue on, in some way or another, after death. Consequently, Kubrick focused less on ghosts, and more on the idea of a violent alcoholic father menacing his family in an isolated location where nobody can come to the rescue, which led him to portray the father in a much less sympathetic light than King.

From reading interviews with King, it's pretty clear he actually took personal offence at this. One of the inspirations when writing the book was his own difficulty with alcoholism, which apparently led to anger issues. At times he worried that he might get drunk, lose his temper, and harm his own family.

So basically, the Jack Torrance character from The Shining, is basically (sort of) a "self insert" by King. And when Kubrick portrays him as a psychotic dick in the film, King clearly felt personally insulted.

King has always hated the film, and he even had a TV version made using his own script. It's pretty good, and much more faithful to the book, but no match for Kubrick's film, which is probably one of the five best horror films ever made.

I've always preferred Kurbick's take on the material, and during a recent reread, the Jack Torrance character seemed far less sympathetic than I remember him being. I found myself disliking him from very early in the story. This may be because the movie has prejudiced me to disliking him, but then again, maybe I'm just less willing to sympathize with alcoholics than I used to be.

Thanks, great information here. I heard about King's personal hate for Kubrick's The Shining but didn't realize King personally related to Jack Torrance in some aspects at that time.
I'm sure King was happy enough with the money he made from the movie rights.

I'll have to dig up The Shining from somewhere to do a comparison since it's been a while since I've seen it and can't remember some of the main differences.


Anyway, almost done with Doctor Sleep with about 50 pages left. It's been very good overall. So far it's around a 4/5 territory, but could be higher based on the ending.

 

[Jimothy]

I just read Battle Cry of Freedom, which was fantastic. On a bit of a Civil War binge now, so I am now going to read...

Forget all those and read Black Reconstruction in America by DuBois instead.

 

[TheFightingFish]

Couple that I finished up recently:

River of Stars - Guy Gavriel Kay;

After really enjoying the start of this I actually ended up a bit more wishy-washy by the end. I like how Key has these "based on a historical settings / but not actually a historical setting books." He gets a really rich setting to work with but since he doesn't use actual characters and locations he can tweak it all that he wants to get the story that he wants. Like a good historical fiction novel you'll learn more about the time by reading it, but without the oddities of actual historical figures showing up from time to time in random off-putting cameos like other historical fiction books. My criticism is that the book is presented almost like a historical epic, but the characters seem to suffer for it. They come across more like cardboard cutouts to me, like they each represent noble ideas and not actual humans. Now the noble soldier will be torn between love and duty. Now the outspoken for her time heroine will impress the leader with her boldness of speech. And so on and so on. It's quite hard to feel a connection to any of them. Also, for a modern reader it's incredibly slowly paced and really doesn't have a very strong main plot thread. I liked it enough to finish, but it's not something that I would go back for more of.

Both Flesh and Not - David Foster Wallace

I've actually never done any of Wallace's fiction and I don't know that I'll ever try. Daunting fiction books like Infinite Jest are usually not my forte. But I love his essay collection books. He's just such a good writer in reporting formats. However this collection is clearly the posthumous release stuff that wasn't good enough to have release already. I recommend his essay books to almost everyone, but definitely hit Consider the Lobster or A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again first. Both are much better collections of his essay work.

 

[studyguy]

Finished The Black Prisim.
Was solid. Moving on to the first book of the Farseer trilogy.